Podcast appearances and mentions of frank x walker

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction

Host Silas House talks to award-winning poet Frank X. Walker about what his best poetry lessons.

This week, Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker has a new collection of poetry that looks at Black life in Kentucky before, during, and after the Civil War…We also check in with the people affected by flooding in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.A new collection of essays and poesm remembers the 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky witnessed by writers trapped at the Appalachian Writers Workshop.And bird watching only sounds relaxing. Sometimes, it can get a little wild.

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. JD Vance first made news when he published his book Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, but he has since become a senator in Ohio and a vice presidential candidate. When his memoir came out, there were many people who had strong negative feelings about his book, namely other people from Appalachia who felt that he misrepresented them and their struggles. When JD Vance was selected as Donald Trump's VP, we thought it might be a good time to look at some other Appalachia-related books that perhaps provide a fuller picture of the region, which spans 206,000 square miles, 423 counties, and six states. A region this large cannot be summed up by one person in one book. So our goal this week is to give you some diverse Appalachian voices to add to your TBR for a broader view of this region. Books Mentioned In This Episode: 1- Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 2- Storyteller by Dave Grohl 3- Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Clare Dederer 4- Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began by Leah Hazard 5- Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis by Emily Willingham 6- The Sirens of Soleil City by Sarah C. Johns 7- A Five Star Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Nikki Lee @nikkileethrillseeker - The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee 8- "A Ribbon for Baldy" by Jesse Stuart (short story) 9- The Beatinest Boy by Jesse Stuart 10- Andy Finds a Way by Jesse Stuart 11- Many-Storied House: Poems by George Ella Lyon 12 - Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Carver Jr. ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/s9-e…-9623/ 13- "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon (poem) 14- Prodigals: A Sister's Memoir of Appalachia and Loss by Sarah Beth Childers 15- Township by Jamie Lyn Smith 16- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson 17- Affrilachia by Frank X Walker 18- "Burying Albatross" by Frank X. Walker (poem)- poetrysociety.org/poems-essays/ars…a/frank-x-walker 19- "Neoteric Kama no Sutra" by Frank X. Walker (poem)- poets.org/poem/neoteric-kama-no-sutra 20- Where I Can't Follow by Ashley Blooms ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/ep-6…30-20/ 21- Smothermoss by Alisa Alering 22- Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White 23- Clay's Quilt by Silas House 24- The Coal Tattoo by Silas House 25- Parchment of Leaves by Silas House 26- Fair & Tender Ladies by Lee Smith 27 - Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/ep-3…25-20/ 28- Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/s-6-…-6-22/ 29- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Media mentioned-- 1- The To Read List Podcast 2- Slow Horses (Apple +) 3- The Bear (Hulu) 4- Ripley (Netflix) 5- True Detective: Night Country (HBO MAX, 2024) 6- Steve! (documentary) (Apple +, 2024) 7- Kaos (Netflix, 2024) 8- The Princess Bride (1987) 9- The Tourist (Netflix) 10- The Good Girl's Guide to Murder - (Netflix, 2024) News articles 1- Dave Grohl Announcement - www.usatoday.com/story/life/healt…ock/75176681007/ 2- Neil Gaiman controversy - www.theguardian.com/books/2024/sep/…xual-misconduct      

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. JD Vance first made news when he published his book Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, but he has since become a senator in Ohio and a vice presidential candidate. When his memoir came out, there were many people who had strong negative feelings about his book, namely other people from Appalachia who felt that he misrepresented them and their struggles. When JD Vance was selected as Donald Trump's VP, we thought it might be a good time to look at some other Appalachia-related books that perhaps provide a fuller picture of the region, which spans 206,000 square miles, 423 counties, and six states. A region this large cannot be summed up by one person in one book. So our goal this week is to give you some diverse Appalachian voices to add to your TBR for a broader view of this region. Books Mentioned In This Episode: 1- Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 2- Storyteller by Dave Grohl 3- Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Clare Dederer 4- Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began by Leah Hazard 5- Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis by Emily Willingham 6- The Sirens of Soleil City by Sarah C. Johns 7- A Five Star Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Nikki Lee @nikkileethrillseeker - The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee 8- "A Ribbon for Baldy" by Jesse Stuart (short story) 9- The Beatinest Boy by Jesse Stuart 10- Andy Finds a Way by Jesse Stuart 11-Many-Storied House: Poems by George Ella Lyon 12 - Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Carver Jr. https://ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/s9-ep-187-bluegrass-moon-and-neckbones-with-guest-willie-carver-jr-9623/ 13- "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon (poem) 14- Prodigals: A Sister's Memoir of Appalachia and Loss by Sarah Beth Childers 15- Township by Jamie Lyn Smith 16- Water street by Crystal Wilkinson 17- Affrilachia by Frank X Walker 18- "Burying Albatross" by Frank X. Walker (poem)- https://poetrysociety.org/poems-essays/ars-poetica/frank-x-walker 19- "Neoteric Kama no Sutra" by Frank X. Walker (poem)- https://poets.org/poem/neoteric-kama-no-sutra 20- Where I Can't Follow by Ashley Blooms https://ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/ep-62-mystical-in-the-mountains-with-ashley-blooms-9-30-20/ 21- Smothermoss by Alisa Alering 22- Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White 23- Clay's Quilt by Silas House 24- The Coal Tattoo by Silas House 25- Parchment of Leaves by Silas House 26- Fair & Tender Ladies by Lee Smith 27 - Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers https://ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/ep-39-mountain-mamas-and-the-meaningful-memoir-with-cassie-chambers-3-25-20/ 28- Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia https://ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/s-6-ep-129-masala-in-a-mason-jar-with-guest-neema-avashia-4-6-22/ 29- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Media mentioned-- 1- The To Read List Podcast 2- Slow Horses (Apple +) 3- The Bear (Hulu) 4- Ripley (Netflix) 5- True Detective: Night Country (HBO MAX, 2024) 6- Steve! (documentary) (Apple +, 2024) 7- Kaos (Netflix, 2024) 8- The Princess Bride (1987) 9- The Tourist (Netflix) 10- The Good Girl's Guide to Murder - (Netflix, 2024) News articles 1- Dave Grohl Announcement - https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/09/11/dave-grohl-baby-shock/75176681007/ 2- Neil Gaiman controversy - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/sep/13/neil-gaiman-screen-adaptations-halted-after-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct

In the latest installment of our minisode series, Poetry Corner,  Kendra Winchester is joined by special guest upfromsumdirt.Books MentionedThe Second Stop Is Jupiter by upfromsumdirtMumbo Jumbo by Ishmael ReedQuilting: Poems 1987-1990 by Lucille CliftonLet the Dead In by Saida Agostiniupfromsumdirt, Ron Davis, is an autodidactic poet and award-winning visual artist based in Lexington, Kentucky. He is the author of two previous poetry collections, Deifying a Total Darkness and To Emit Teal, and is currently storyboarding a graphic novel based on his poetry. He has also published works in anthologies and periodicals including The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry; Anthology of Appalachian Writers; Hayden's Ferry Review; and more. He received the Kentucky Al Smith Award in Art in 2010 and the Southeastern Libraries Association Award for Excellence in Original Artwork in 2022. His artwork is featured in the NAACP Image Award-winning poetry collection, Perfect Black by Crystal Wilkinson and A is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker. He was inducted as a member into the Affrilachian Poets in 2022.Website | Instagram---Show Your Love for Read Appalachia! You can support Read Appalachia by heading over to our merch store, tipping us over on Ko-fi, or by sharing the podcast with a friend! For more ways to support the show, head over to our Support page. Follow Read Appalachia Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok ContactFor feedback or to just say “hi,” you can reach us at readappalachia[at]gmail.comMusic by Olexy from Pixabay

On this episode of Black in Appalachia we talk with Frank X Walker, Black Appalachian award winning author, coiner of the term “Affrilachian” and 1st Black Poet Laureate of Kentucky. Frank shared with us about his background and growing up in Danville, Kentucky, the origins of his career as a poet, the founding of the Affrilachian poets and some of his work and writing processes. 

This week, writers discuss their contributions to the anthology The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry. The panel includes editors and contributors Tara Betts, Mallessa James, Len Lawson, Cynthia Manick, and Craig Stevens. Moderated by Eve L. Ewing. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. More about The Future of Black: The expansion of Marvel and DC Comics' characters such as Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Black Lightning in film and on television has created a proliferation of poetry in this genre—receiving wide literary and popular attention. This groundbreaking collection highlights work from poets who have written verse within this growing tradition, including Terrance Hayes, Lucille Clifton, Gil Scott-Heron, A. Van Jordan, Glenis Redmond, Tracy K. Smith, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Joshua Bennett, Douglas Kearney, Tara Betts, Frank X Walker, Tyree Daye, and others. In addition, the anthology will also feature the work of artists such as John Jennings and Najee Dorsey, showcasing their interpretations of superheroes, Black comic characters, Afrofuturistic images from the African diaspora.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2023) – Frank X Walker is the director of UK's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. The state of Kentucky has a long and storied tradition of writers – across genres of fiction, poetry and essays – who are deeply connected to the state – its geography and landscape, its history and challenges. The program's current faculty roster includes nationally recognized authors across a number of genres.  Walker is extending the legacy of UK and Kentucky's reputation as central to the writing community, working as a poet, writer and artist. He has recently published a book geared toward a younger audience and is now at work on a new collection of poems that examines a dramatic family history that dates back to the Civil War era.  Walker is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets, a founder/Executive Director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, the Program Coordinator of the University of Kentucky's King Cultural Center, and a Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship recipient.  A native of Danville, Ky., Walker is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and was the 2013-14 Poet Laureate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He sat down with Behind the Blue recently to discuss his current and future writing endeavors as well as how he pitches the UK MFA program to outstanding young talent.  "Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK's latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.  For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show's blog page.  To discover what's wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews Affrilachian poet, educator, and children's book author Frank X. Walker about his latest children's book A IS FOR AFFRILACHIA. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published eleven collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. He is also the author of Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, winner of the 2004 Lillian Smith Book Award, and Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride, which he adapted for stage, earning him the Paul Green Foundation Playwrights Fellowship Award. His poetry was also dramatized for the 2016 Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and staged by Message Theater for the 2015 Breeders Cup Festival.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews Affrilachian poet, educator, and children's book author Frank X. Walker about his latest children's book A IS FOR AFFRILACHIA. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published eleven collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. He is also the author of Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, winner of the 2004 Lillian Smith Book Award, and Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride, which he adapted for stage, earning him the Paul Green Foundation Playwrights Fellowship Award. His poetry was also dramatized for the 2016 Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and staged by Message Theater for the 2015 Breeders Cup Festival. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eliot-parker/support

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews Affrilachian poet, educator, and children's book author Frank X. Walker about his latest children's book A IS FOR AFFRILACHIA. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published eleven collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. He is also the author of Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, winner of the 2004 Lillian Smith Book Award, and Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride, which he adapted for stage, earning him the Paul Green Foundation Playwrights Fellowship Award. His poetry was also dramatized for the 2016 Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and staged by Message Theater for the 2015 Breeders Cup Festival.

Recorded by Frank X Walker for Poem-a-Day, a series produced by the Academy of American Poets. Published on February 23, 2023. www.poets.org

Affrilachian poet Frank X Walker discusses his first children's book, "A Is for Affrilachia," and other upcoming projects.

Kentucky's first black Poet Laureate, founder of Affrilachia Poets, premiers children's ABC book featuring great black figures.

On this West Virginia Morning, News Director Eric Douglas talks with Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker about coining the term “Affrilachia” and about his latest work — a children's book that uses the alphabet to identify and focus on people of color who grew up in Appalachia. It's called A is For Appalachia. The post Respiratory Infection Concerns And Affrilachian Poet Frank X. Walker Talks Latest Work, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, News Director Eric Douglas talks with Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker about coining the term “Affrilachia” and about his latest work — a children's book that uses the alphabet to identify and focus on people of color who grew up in Appalachia. It's called A is For Appalachia.

This week on the THINK HUMANITIES podcast, Bill Goodman talks to poet Frank X Walker about his newly expanded and rereleased book "Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York." Buffalo Dance tells the story of the infamous Lewis and Clark expedition from the point of view of York, who was enslaved to Clark and became the first African American man to traverse the continent. You will be able to find Walker's book and visit with him at the 2022 Kentucky Book Festival in Lexington. For more information, visit kybookfestival.org. THINK HUMANITIES is made possible by generous support from the Spalding University Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing.

In this episode, we discuss “Affrilachia '', a term coined by Kentucky poet Frank X. Walker who highlights the cultural contributions of African Americans within the Appalachian region. Joining host Andrea Baldwin and 'Making All Black Lives Matter' course co-facilitator, Dr. Shannon Bell, are guests Earl White and Adrienne Davis to talk about old-time music and fiddling. Watch Earl White Stringband Performance at Solitude here: https://youtu.be/hQVy7PB5MHM! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/standpoints-podcast/message

in which Ashanti Anderson and i talk the poetic canon, cross-genre bleed, and art as commodity where to find Ashanti: website - https://www.ashanticreates.com Black Under - https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/black-under/ twitter - @ashantiecreates instagram - @ashanticrates other things referenced (including stuff from the lost recording): Langston Hughes - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes Yona Harvey - https://www.yonaharvey.com/ Frank X Walker - https://www.frankxwalker.com/ August Wilson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilson Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown - https://www.akpress.org/pleasure-activism.html Red Bird by Mary Oliver - http://www.beacon.org/Red-Bird-P758.aspx Classic Stories vol 1 by Ray Bradbury - https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780553286373 Gertrude Stein - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gertrude-stein The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock Come, Thief by Jane Hirshfield - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/208513/come-thief-by-jane-hirshfield/

When was the last time an artist took you by the hand and said, “Here, let me show you how the world looks through my eyes”? Frank X. Walker is Kentucky's former poet laureate and one of the co-founders of the Affrilachian Poets - a grassroots group of poets of color living in the Appalachian region. Thirty years after their founding, the Affrilachian Poets continue to dismantle the idea that Appalachia is a white region, devoid of literature and the arts. For decades, Frank's work has embodied a deeply personal approach and challenged us to see poetry as an urgent voice that can touch on our experience of living in a way other written works can't. Today, Frank is the Director of the MFA program of the University of Kentucky and he's mentored hundreds of artists along their path. He's the author and editor of a dozen books of poetry and, as you'll hear, Frank is a lovely, thoughtful, and really cool guy. You can find Frank here: http://frankxwalker.com/index.html Check out his books here: http://frankxwalker.com/books.html Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0djkPzw8PWwpv9qaixNZkX Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Support TMST today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free: https://tmst.supercast.com/

We have a fondness for Appalachia and have had several guests on the Perks who hail from that area, including Alix Harrow, Ashley Blooms, and Annette Sanuooke Clapsaddle. But Appalachia is much larger than just the small slice that Amy and I often think of. Appalachia is really a huge area that encompasses a vast and diverse array of people. Today we talk to Kendra Winchester, the co-founder and executive director of the 'Reading Women' podcast and a Book Riot contributing editor. But she is also the person behind the Read Appalachia Instagram account. She tells us what makes Appalachian literature special and why it's so important to her. You can find Kendra Winchester on various instagram pages including at @readappalachia, @thebookcorgi and @thereadingwomen. Books Mentioned in this episode: 1- Moby Dick by Herman Melville 2- Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan 3- Sabriel by Garth Nix 4- Books by Tamora Pierce 5- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 6- Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 7- Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 8- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw 9- The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson 10- Affrilachia by Frank X. Walker 11- Southernmost by Silas House 12- Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets edited by Bianca Lynne Spriggs and Jeremy Paden 13- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson 14- Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance 15- What You're Getting Wrong about Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte 16- Step Into the Circle: Writers in Modern Appalachia edited by Amy Greene and Trent Thomson 17- Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle 18- Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi 19- Carework: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha 20- Disability/Visability: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong 21- The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein 22- The Believer: Encounters with Love, Death & Faith by Sarah Krasnostein Podcasts mentioned-- 1- Reading Women Instagram mentioned-- 1- @readappalachia 2- @thebookcorgi TV shows mentioned 1- Explained (Netflix) You can find us at: www.perksofbeingabooklover.com Insta - @perksofbeingabookloverpod FB - The Perks of Being a Book Lover

We have a fondness for Appalachia and have had several guests on the Perks who hail from that area, including Alix Harrow, Ashley Blooms, and Annette Sanuooke Clapsaddle. But Appalachia is much larger than just the small slice that Amy and I often think of. Appalachia is really a huge area that encompasses a vast and diverse array of people. Today we talk to Kendra Winchester, the co-founder and executive director of the 'Reading Women' podcast and a Book Riot contributing editor. But she is also the person behind the Read Appalachia Instagram account. She tells us what makes Appalachian literature special and why it's so important to her. You can find Kendra Winchester on various instagram pages including at @readappalachia, @thebookcorgiand @thereadingwomen. Books Mentioned in this episode: 1- Moby Dick by Herman Melville 2- Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan 3- Sabriel by Garth Nix 4- Books by Tamora Pierce 5- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 6- Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 7- Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 8- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw 9- The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson 10- Affrilachia by Frank X. Walker 11- Southernmost by Silas House 12- Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets edited by Bianca Lynne Spriggs and Jeremy Paden 13- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson 14- Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance 15- What You're Getting Wrong about Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte 16- Step Into the Circle: Writers in Modern Appalachia edited by Amy Greene and Trent Thomson 17- Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle 18- Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi 19- Carework: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha 20- Disability/Visability: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong 21- The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein 22- The Believer: Encounters with Love, Death & Faith by Sarah Krasnostein Podcasts mentioned-- 1- Reading Women Instagram mentioned-- 1- @readappalachia 2- @thebookcorgi TV shows mentioned 1- Explained (Netflix) You can find us at: www.perksofbeingabooklover.com Insta - @perksofbeingabookloverpod FB - The Perks of Being a Book Lover

For the third episode Karrington met with Frank X Walker, a professor here at the University of Kentucky, to talk about poetry, politics, the Affrilachian Poets, and black comics.    Follow us at @krnl_lf and @krnl.talks:  https://www.instagram.com/krnl_lf/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/krnltalks/?hl=en

This episode focuses on the June 18th launch of the Black Appalachian Coalition in partnership with the NAACP. The launch featured a discussion of black invisibility in the Appalachian region and an urgent call to include African Americans and their communities in regional redevelopment efforts being considered by President Biden and congress. Frank X Walker, Kentucky writer, educator and co-founder of the Affrilachian poets, speaks about the many contributions African American writers, artists and activists have made to the history and culture of Appalachia. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali describes his family's deep roots in West Virginia and the need to bring forward Black people in the region as leaders, credible messengers, and experts. The Coalition believes their very presence in public conversations can begin to shift fundamental narratives about Appalachia. Central Appalachia includes some of the poorest communities in the nation. Although the region has long provided raw materials to fuel American prosperity elsewhere, it has suffered economically and, in many places, working people have experienced downward mobility since the early 1980s. Absentee corporations and extractive industries have left the land scarred and the people in the region sick. Among those hit hardest by the losses are Black Appalachians. Not only have Black residents of the region suffered tremendous economic and cultural losses in the past decades, but they are often simply ignored, despite the rich cultural history of Black Appalachians and their many contributions to the region. This is why the organizers of the Black Appalachian Coalition (BLAC) believe this new effort is critical for our region.

This episode begins with a reading from Frank X. Walker entitled "Stormy Forecast". This week Rev. Brian Chenowith closely examins a horrible event in American History that is often overlooked. On May 31st in 1919 the Tulsa Race Massacre, also known as the Black Wall Street Massacre, or as the Greenwood Massacre began. The eyewitness accounts and many of the references used in this podcast come from the book: The Nation Must Awake by Mary E. Jones-Parrish. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=d-CcoL6oQgAQLay31fDlldX0lG4pPB-spBUmKaBZ51foVF7NWvq9Kt1J_o17tiIgZw9kpm&country.x=US&locale.x=US)

This is our debut of Season 4. Today’s guest on Soapbox Diaries is Frank X Walker, former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the new book, Masked Man: Black, Pandemic and Protest Poems. We discuss his creative work in response to coronavirus and this summer’s protests, as well as his take on where America goes next.  

(Photograph by Tasha Thomas) The works of one of Kentucky’s leading literary figures is put to the ultimate test: critical reviews by peers. We talk with the editor of the forthcoming University Press of Kentucky release:  Silas House: Exploring an Appalachian Writer's Work. Silas House has also been in the studio to record a duet with Nashville singer-songwriter Tiffany Williams, who joins us. And we hear about all of this from Silas House himself. Plus, another well-known Kentucky writer: Frank X Walker, talks with Tom Eblen about the times and how the forces in play in 2020 have influenced his work.  Interviews in order of appearance:  Sylvia Shurbutt  Tiffany Williams  Silas House  Frank X Walker

Last year, we spent time with the folks who lead Consolidated Baptist Church's Summer Enrichment Program, a unique education program, which includes the arts among other academic disciplines. This program serves the youth of Lexington, lasting for several weeks, and we supported it with funding last year. When they wanted to go virtual for this summer, we provided assistance again in the form of a virtual teaching artist residency and technical support. On this episode, we talk with program director Demetria Blair, teaching artist Yolantha Pace, and Kentucky Arts Council arts education director Samuel Lockridge about how the program made the pivot from in-person to virtual. We explored the success, challenges and unexpected benefits of learning in a virtual environment. Episode footnotes: Listen to last year's episode on the Summer Enrichment Program Learn more about the program - consolidatedsummerenrichment.org Yolantha Pace's Teaching Artists Directory page Frank X Walker's website Lexington Children's Theatre

Read&Succeed | Special Black Lives Matter Ep. | York Poetry (2004-08) | Frank X. Walker | 9-30-20 by FORward Radio

Sallie Showalter (back to camera) and Jim Bannister (Photos by Bobby Shiflet) Sallie Showalter and Jim Bannister (back to camera) Segment One:  The descendants of the accused and accuser sit down in Paris, Kentucky for a courageous conversation about a 1901 lynching. ES was there.  Listen to the unedited conversation  Listen to story “I pray that this is not just a moment, but a movement.” The co-chairs of Lexington’s Commission for Racial Justice & Equality lay out goals Listen to interview Segment Two:  The latest in our “Future Tense” series: Chris Begley with Frank X Walker on the convergence of a pandemic and civil and economic unrest Listen to interview   

Sallie Showalter (back to camera) and Jim Bannister (Photos by Bobby Shiflet) Sallie Showalter and Jim Bannister (back to camera) Segment One:  The descendants of the accused and accuser sit down in Paris, Kentucky for a courageous conversation about a 1901 lynching. ES was there.  Listen to the unedited conversation  Listen to story “I pray that this is not just a moment, but a movement.” The co-chairs of Lexington’s Commission for Racial Justice & Equality lay out goals Listen to interview Segment Two:  The latest in our “Future Tense” series: Chris Begley with Frank X Walker on the convergence of a pandemic and civil and economic unrest Listen to interview   

In his book, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers," Frank X Walker explores the void left by the horrific slaying of the civil rights activist - taking on the voices of Evers' family, Evers' killer, and others surrounding the events in Mississippi in 1963. Join Kentucky's Poet Laureate for an evening of poetry.

In his book, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers," Frank X Walker explores the void left by the horrific slaying of the civil rights activist - taking on the voices of Evers' family, Evers' killer, and others surrounding the events in Mississippi in 1963. Join Kentucky's Poet Laureate for an evening of poetry.

So many lessons from blog posts from three of my students along with the lessons I learned from attending a Funeral / Life Celebration for former students whose dad just passed away. Woke up this morning excited and fired up - not just because I had the day off - but I had plenty to do. Here are a few links to go with this show. First was the piece put out by Frank X. Walker about Creativity - https://thisibelieve.org/essay/21253/. Next was a video - "Become Courageous, A Motivational Video" https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=Up8SnXAi2wI and then finally this clip of Kodie Lee on "America's Got Talent" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=pDPdRYF7hTQ This show has some powerful thoughts and ideas that I picked up from 3 awesome students and 1 awesome family. Thanks for listening. Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on ITunes or other services where you find this show. Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/ on Twitter: @coachtosuccess and on Instagram at: @coachjohndaly You can also head on over to https://www.coachtoexpectsuccess.com/ and get in touch with me there on my homepage along with checking out my Top Book list too. Other things there on my site are being worked on – especially my blog page where I am back to blogging now.

April is National Poetry Month, and Kentucky Humanities is celebrating with a poem a day from Kentucky’s most celebrated poets, including Frank X Walker. Walker is the former Kentucky Poet Laureate and is a Professor of English at the University of Kentucky. He is a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets and coined the term "Affrilachia."

Frank X Walker, Professor of English at the University of Kentucky and former Kentucky Poet Laureate, reads his poem “Thumbwrestlers” in honor of his father.

Frank X Walker, Professor of English at the University of Kentucky and former Kentucky Poet Laureate, reads “Praisesong for a Mountain” by Bianca Lynne Spriggs.

Frank X Walker, Professor of English at the University of Kentucky and former Kentucky Poet Laureate, reads his poem “In Another Universe.”

Frank X Walker, Professor of English at the University of Kentucky and former Kentucky Poet Laureate, reads one of his own poems, titled “Botany for Kumasi" written in honor of his son.

Frank X Walker, Professor of English at the University of Kentucky and former Kentucky Poet Laureate, reads "Terrain" by Crystal Wilkinson.

Poet Frank X Walker believes artists aren’t the only creative people. He says barbers, cooks, janitors, and kids enrich the world with their creativity as much as the painters, sculptors, and writers.

A lively and wide-ranging discussion with teacher-leaders and Writing Project staff, recorded live at the NWP Resource Development Retreat in Albuquerque, NM. Books from the Conversation Pure Drivel by Steve Martin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Drivel Bearstone by Will Hobbs: https://www.willhobbsauthor.com/books/bk_bearstone.html Shifting the Monkey by Todd Whitaker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13265535-shifting-the-monkey Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover: https://tarawestover.com/book/ So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo: https://www.sealpress.com/titles/ijeoma-oluo/so-you-want-to-talk-about-race/9781580056779/ Ayiti by Roxane Gay: https://groveatlantic.com/book/ayiti/ Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Bullshit_Night_in_Suck_City Doc Savage Novels/Comics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Savage Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_the_Lobster Poetry from: Avery Guess, Brett Gafney, Bianca Spriggs, Frank X. Walker, Crystal Wilkensen, Jeremy Paden Money to Burn by James Zagel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/916313.Money_to_Burn Dragonfly Dance by Denise Lajimodiere: https://tribalcollegejournal.org/dragonfly-dance/ Curator of Ephemera at the New Museum of Archaic Media by Heid E. Erdrich: http://msupress.org/books/book/?id=50-1D0-3FCC#.W1EhGNhKjxs We Are Growing by Laurie Keller and Mo Willems: http://pigeonpresents.com/books/we-are-growing/ The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monster_at_the_End_of_This_Book:_Starring_Lovable,_Furry_Old_Grover Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi: http://www.tomiadeyemi.com/books/ Chemistry by Weike Wang: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549723/chemistry-by-weike-wang/9780525432227/ The Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062694058/future-home-of-the-living-god/ Room by Emma Donoghue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_(novel) Bear Town by Fredrik Backman: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beartown/Fredrik-Backman/9781501160769 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseinis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Thousand_Splendid_Suns

Frank X. Walker formerly Poet Laureate of Kentucky is Professor of English and African American Studies, U of Kentucky. He framed the term Affrilachia for his region.

Our celebration of #NationalPoetryMonth continues! This episode of Mountain Talk comes from our archives, and features a presentation by Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker at Alice Lloyd College in 2016.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Lexington, Kentucky is preparing a second application to become a UNESCO "City of Literature." Guests: Neil Chethik and Jayne Moore Waldrop of the Carnegie Center for Learning and Literacy; Kentucky Post Laureates and authors George Ella Lyons and Frank X Walker; singer-songwriter Patrick McNeese; Lexington Public Library Director Ann Hammond; Lexington Mayor Jim Gray; Transylvania University Professor Jeremy Paden; University of Kentucky Creative Writing Director Hannah Pittard; 2018 Gaines Award recipient Laura Daly. (L-R) Jayne Moore Waldrop, Tom Martin, Neil Chethik

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Lexington, Kentucky is preparing a second application to become a UNESCO "City of Literature." Guests: Neil Chethik and Jayne Moore Waldrop of the Carnegie Center for Learning and Literacy; Kentucky Post Laureates and authors George Ella Lyons and Frank X Walker; singer-songwriter Patrick McNeese; Lexington Public Library Director Ann Hammond; Lexington Mayor Jim Gray; Transylvania University Professor Jeremy Paden; University of Kentucky Creative Writing Director Hannah Pittard; 2018 Gaines Award recipient Laura Daly. (L-R) Jayne Moore Waldrop, Tom Martin, Neil Chethik

GUY DAVIS and FABRIZIO POGGI pay homage to the legendary blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee on their latest release �Sonny & Brownie�s Last Train� on MC Records. The deep, acoustic blues sessions for the album took place in Milan Italy and were recorded live in the studio. The result captured the special musical connection that “The Ambassador of the Blues" and this award winning international harmonica sensation possess from the years of playing and recording together. THE AFFRILACHIAN POETS have been writing together, defying the persistent stereotype of a racially homogenized rural region of Appalachia since 1991. The term "Affrilachia" was originally coined by Frank X Walker who was named the youngest Poet Laureate of Kentucky in 2013. Through their writing and the very existence of their enclave, the Affrilachian Poets continue to reveal relationships that link identity to familial roots, socio-economic stratification and cultural influence, and an inherent connection to the land. An all-star team of poets lead by Frank X and Bianca Spriggs will read and discuss their poetry, the 25th Anniversary of the group and the release of the �Black Bone Anthology�. Reknown Louisville jazz pianist Harry Pickens will appear as a special guest to back the poets� readings. WoodSongs Kid: Zakia Holland-Tucker is lives in Richmond, Kentucky and attends Madison Central High School. She is one of newest members of the Affrilachian Poets.

Nick talks with Kentucky poet and author Frank X Walker about Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York - originally broadcast 09/10/03.

in which I ACTUALLY TO SOMEONE ELSE HOLY FUCK! WE EVEN READ POETRY AT EACH OTHER!!! twitter: @ASargusKlein Breezewood: http://asargusklein.wixsite.com/poetry kleinprince: https://kleinprince.bandcamp.com/ POEMS IN BIG LUCKS: https://www.biglucks.com/journal/andrew-sargus-klein A NOTE: Andrew talks about one of his favorite books, "Sara Or the Existence of Fire," but misnames the author, Moss Angel Witchmonstr (formerly Sarah June Woods). He deeply regrets the error. other things referenced: a suuuuper brief guide to the New York poets - https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-new-york-school Frank O'Hara - http://www.frankohara.org/writing.html Kenneth Koch - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/kenneth-koch Robert Creeley - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/robert-creeley some poems from Blood Dazzler by Patrica Smith - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96922274 A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman - http://www.dianeackerman.com/a-natural-history-of-the-senses-by-diane-ackerman Sara Or the Existence of Fire by Moss Angel Witchmonstr - http://www.spdbooks.org/Products/Default.aspx?bookid=9780982989692 short interview about Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers by Frank X. Walker - http://www.npr.org/2013/12/26/256869886/poetry-uncovers-legacy-of-medgar-evers-50-years-later interview with Marie Howe (What the Living Do) - http://www.npr.org/2014/04/25/306528499/poet-marie-howe-on-what-the-living-do-after-loss Song by Bridget Pegeen Kelly - https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/song Annals of the Former World by John McPhee - http://us.macmillan.com/annalsoftheformerworld/johnmcphee/9780374518738 Smells Like Content by The Books - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHNArEfBKdc

Frank X. Walker from Danville, Kentucky is the former Poet Laureate of Kentucky and the first African American to hold the title. His groundbreaking first collection of poems published in 2000, Affrilachia, helped to “challenge the notion of a homogeneous all-white literary landscape in Appalachia.” Walker was a co-founder of the Affrilachian poets group and coined the term “Affrilachia” which is now used to describe a multitude of mountain-centric creations, philosophies, and activities. Walker is a professor at the University of Kentucky and has many publications. Recently, Walker spoke at a convocation given at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. Mountain Talk Monday host, Kelli Haywood, was there for the address and reception where she talked with Walker about what it means to be Appalachian, what our future here holds, and more.

Crystal Wilkinson is a well known Kentucky author, owner of Wild Fig Books & Coffee in Lexington KY, and a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. In this edition of Mountain Talk Monday, host Kelli Haywood with the help of WMMT’s Mimi Pickering interviews Crystal on the eve of her upcoming book release, The Birds of Opulence. Kelli and Crystal delve deep into what it means to be Appalachian and to write about Appalachia for the contemporary audience. Crystal tells the story of Frank X. Walker’s coining of the term “Affrilachian” and how it has grown from representing a very specific group of people to being the identifying term for those contributing to the world stage in a wide variety of ways. Crystal also reads from her newest book which will be released in early March. Find Crystal where she is the Appalachian Writer in Residence at Berea College, or at Wild Fig Books & Coffee in person or on the web. Come to Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival here on the WMMT/Appalshop grounds in June of this year to visit the Wild Fig Pop-Up Bookstore display!

The second reader for the Fall 2015 Axton Reading series at the University of Louisville. Frank X Walker reads both new work and from his collection Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers. The reading is followed by a Q&A. October 8th, 2015.

English Professor and Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker introduces us to the history and origins of Affrilachia while also fast-forwarding to it's present-day development in Kentucky's first Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture known as Pluck!. In this podcast, Walker discusses the importance of Affrilachia in further opening the doors of Appalachia's cultural and racial diversity and how Pluck! plays its own role in continuing this exploration. For more information about Affrilachian poets, please head to http://www.affrilachianpoets.org/. This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evars has garnered Kentucky's Poet Laureate, Frank X Walker, a nomination for an NAACP Image Award. He calls this book of 49 poems his finest work to date, and says it has an educational component along with its poetry. "The initial motivation was based on having a conversation with my students and finding out that they had no idea who Medgar Evers was." We spoke to Walker on this week's show about his life, his work, and what it means to be Affrilachian. Our Juicy Fruit segment this week looks at the man who got in trouble for paying too much child support, the chef who wants to ban babies from his restaurant, and CeCe McDonald's release from prison. And our very own Jaison Gardner filled us in on his new column, In Visible Ink, appearing every other week in LEO Weekly!

Frank Walker, associate professor in the Department of English, discusses the origin of the word "Affrilachia" and how the use of the word forces the redefinition of a region traditionally described as all-white. Walker noted several key artists and intellectuals from Appalachia to illustrate the region's cultural diversity. This podcast is a recording of his lecture on May 21st, 2012, at Shanghai University. The session was part of the Symposium on Globalization, Identity, and Cultural Diversity. Produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Frank X Walker, noted author, poet, and Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky, shares the history of the term "Affrilachia," his thoughts on identity and place, and ways in which Affrilachian poetry continues to reach individuals all over the region. This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

In his most recent book, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers," Frank X Walker explores the void left by the horrific slaying of the civil rights activist - taking on the voices of Evers' family, Evers' killer, and others surrounding the events in Mississippi in 1963. Join Kentucky's Poet Laureate for an evening of poetry.

In his most recent book, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers," Frank X Walker explores the void left by the horrific slaying of the civil rights activist - taking on the voices of Evers' family, Evers' killer, and others surrounding the events in Mississippi in 1963. Join Kentucky's Poet Laureate for an evening of poetry.