"Kettle Bottom" is a collection of poems that are featured in chronological order, all of them being about the same topic - coal mining. The first poem, Explosion at Winco No. 9, is portrayed by the voice of character Maude Stanley, who is the wife of a miner who has just died in the explosion that is described in the poem.
The whole poem collection is based on the events that occurred in the coal mine wars in 1920-1921, with both social and historical facts. Poems are based on the stories of many different generations, such as children, wives, and immigrants to the country. Set in West Virginia, the stories are very pertinent to what actually happened at the time.
The story has a total of 50 poems, which are divided into the sections Summer/Fall, Raven Light, and Winter/Summer. Each poem is written specifically in a different character's point of view to give the reader a better complete understanding of what is going on and to show the tragedies that occurred for everyone in these unfortunate circumstances.
