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Gov. Bevin Appoints Lexington Writer as Kentucky Poet Laureate

KY Forward

Award-winning writer Jeff Worley of Lexington has been appointed 2019-2020 Kentucky Poet Laureate, Gov. Matt Bevin announced on March 27.

Worley will be inducted as the next state poet laureate as part of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Writers’ Day celebration, 10 a.m. April 24 at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, 300 Coffee Tree Road in Frankfort.

“I’m grateful for the recognition and I’m very eager to spread the gospel of poetry around the state,” Worley said.

Kentucky Writers’ Day is celebrated annually on or around April 24, the birthday of Guthrie, Ky. native Robert Penn Warren, the first United States Poet Laureate. In odd numbered years, the governor appoints a poet laureate to a two-year term. That person acts as Kentucky’s literary ambassador, leading the Commonwealth in a variety of literary activities and events throughout their tenure.

Worley, a Wichita, Kan., native, has written six book-length collections of poetry, including “Happy Hour at Two Keys Tavern” written in 2006. That collection was named co-winner in the Society of Midland Authors Literary Competition, won the 2006 Kentucky Book of the Year in Poetry at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Although Worley is not a writer who limits himself to a specific set of topics, he said he is attracted to narrative.

“I always have been,” he said. “There’s a long tradition of terrific narrative poetry, storytelling and novels written here in Kentucky. That’s one thing I like to point out to people who may not know this.”

Worley said he was influenced by the work of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Stephen Dunn.

“What he showed me in his poems early on is that it’s entirely possible to write poetry that is normal human speech, American idiom, with touches of rhetoric – metaphor, imagery, sound pattern and things like that.”

During his tenure as Kentucky Poet Laureate, Worley plans to promote Kentucky writing and writers.

“I picture going to high schools, colleges, libraries and various civic groups to help spread the word,” he said. “I’m retired after 22 years at UK, so I have time to do this. I’m looking forward to it tremendously.”

In addition to the accolades for his books, Worley has received three Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships and a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. His poems have appeared in more than 500 literary magazines and journals.

For more information on the Kentucky Poet Laureate and Kentucky Writers’ Day, contact Tamara Coffey, organization support and individual artist director, at tamara.coffey@ky.gov or 502-892-3121.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

(provided by Kentucky Arts Council)

Paul Hitchcock earned his Masters in Communications from Morehead State University and Bachelors in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College. A veteran broadcaster for more than 40 years and an avid fan of blues, jazz and American roots music. Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003. He currently hosts "Muddy Bottom Blues" (Fri., 8pm-9pm), "Nothin' But The Blues" (Sat., 8pm-12am), "Sunday Night Jazz Showcase" and "Live From The Jazz Lounge" (Sun., 8pm-9pm) and "The Golden Age of Radio" (Sun., 2pm-3pm). He also serves as producer for "A Time For Tales" and "The Reader's Notebook."
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