Kentucky’s new Poet Laureate will be officially inducted on Thursday. Award winning author, essayist, and teacher Kathleen Driskell takes over the position from acclaimed author Silas House. Driskell, an Oldham County native, has authored six applauded poetry collections. Governor Beshear said she is an inspiration to the future writers of Kentucky.
“Kathleen has made a real impact on the Commonwealth’s rich literary community through her poetry and passion for teaching. We are fortunate to have her as a guiding voice encouraging future writers and supporting Kentuckians in pursuing their dreams right here in their new Kentucky home,” said Beshear.
Driskell’s most recent work is “Goat-Footed Gods,” published by Carnegie Mellon University Press. Her other collections include “Blue Etiquette: Poems,” a finalist for the Weatherford Award; “Next Door to the Dead,” a Kentucky Voices selection from the University Press of Kentucky and winner of the Judy Gaines Young Book Award; and “Seed Across Snow,” which is a Poetry Foundation national bestseller. Driskell said Kentucky has become a hub for writers and their works to thrive.
“All Kentucky writers are working out of a long and meaningful tradition that we admire, and we hold dear, but right now, right here in the Commonwealth, writing is flourishing in way that can rival any other state in America,” said Driskell.
Driskell will be officially inducted at the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort at 10 a.m. The induction is a part of the Writers’ Day ceremony which honors the birthday of Kentucky writer Robert Penn Warren, the first U.S. Poet Laureate. The ceremony will be followed by a public reception.
After the Writers’ Day event, the Paul Sawyier Public Library will host a Kentucky Poet Laureate reading at 2:30 p.m. The free event will feature readings from Driskell and former Poets Laureate.