On February 6, 2014, the UK Student Activities Board hosted a reading featuring the Affrilachian Poets as part of a celebration of Black History Month. The poets, representing their publication Pluck! the Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, each read a selection of their work individually.
Kentucky has a rich literary history, and the new Poet Laureate of the Bluegrass State, Frank X Walker, has a deep respect and knowledge of those great writers before him.
Frank’s Kentucky roots have integrally shaped his perspective as a writer and teacher. The Danville native has said "One of the things I know, having lived in other states than Kentucky, is that it means something to be a Kentucky writer."
Frank created the word “Affrilachia,” which identified the African American experience in the Appalachian region.
We often hear about veterans that can't shake traumatic experiences and memories of war, but what about those who find ways to cope? Travis Martin, a PhD candidate in English, is doing research to document the ways in which veterans use the arts to process and move past trauma.
There is word on the page and then there is word given breath. This past April, students and faculty from the University of Kentucky brought words to life thanks to a 12-hour open air poetry reading. The event, organized by English professor and published author Julia Johnson, was held outside of the Student Center welcoming anyone and everyone to come read their favorite poems aloud.
