September 18, 2020
KyWomenWriters2020 was extraordinary in many ways and foremost in its keynote reading by Evie Shockley, sponsored by University of Kentucky Libraries. After sharing poems from her brilliant 2017 collection, semiautomatic, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Evie segued to new, unpublished work. She read a poem that we couldn’t help feeling was a special gift to Kentucky, entitled (if I’ve transcribed properly):
“Breonna Taylor’s Final Rest, or The Furies Are Still Activists”
and a commissioned poem:
“Women’s Voting Rights at 100, But Who’s Counting?”
and many other bold, acrobatic, unflinching expressions of our world in 2020.
If you missed the live performance, or if you need to hear these poems again, settle in for an unforgettable journey through the mind of one of today's greatest working artists. We offer
this recording as our (and of course Evie’s) gift to you. The poems listed above begin around 47:25. Draw around your screens for some life-giving words.
Recordings of additional conference sessions will be made available soon, and that information will be shared in this newsletter.
