LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2014) — Tearing down the walls of diversity is a task that requires one to think outside of the box. 'Boxes and Walls' is hosted by CATalyst, which has teamed up with six other organizations to build a multicultural museum for students to explore.

The exhibits are designed to personalize the struggle of tearing down these walls of oppression and to educate attendees on the impact of this persecution over time.

Keeping with this year's theme, "Oppression through Time," participating organizations are building their exhibits to reflect the impact of oppression on historically oppressed groups.

Alexis Asamoah, president of the African Student Association, says that she hopes their exhibit will take attendees back in time.

“We would like students to understand the effects of colonization through an interactive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2014) ­― As part of the year-long Viva Mexico program, University of Kentucky Libraries and the UK College of Arts and Sciences will host a speaker on “Mexico on the Digital Frontier: Creating Access in Archives and Libraries.” Linda Arnold, professor emerita of history at Virginia Tech University, will speak on the topic at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in the Niles Gallery of the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library on UK’s campus. A reception will follow in the Little Library foyer.

Arnold spent 29 years at Virginia Tech, where she developed and taught more than a dozen undergraduate writing-intensive courses, and directed nearly 30 undergraduate independent studies.  She was a pioneer in digital history who,

by Whitney Hale, Whitney Harder

(March 18, 2014) — Bernard LaFayette Jr., an associate of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will speak on his leadership experience in the voting rights movement in Selma, Ala., and participate in a book signing beginning 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the University of Kentucky's Martin Luther King Center.

LaFayette, a prominent leader in the civil rights movement, was a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a leader in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, a Freedom Rider, and the national coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign.

At 22 years old LaFayette became director of the Alabama Voter Registration Project in Selma, the basis

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 18, 2014) — The quickly approaching deadline for submission of original manuscripts to the 2014 Dantzler fiction and Farquhar poetry contests is 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. The event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences Department of English. 

The contest is for University of Kentucky undergraduate students only. The winning prize in each category is $250. Fiction entries are limited to 3,000 words. Poetry entries are limited to five poems or three manuscript pages.

The Department of English has presented the Dantzler and Farquhar awards annually since 1953. Many of the winners have gone on to have successful literary careers.

Paper manuscripts should be submitted to Professor Gurney Norman, Department of English, University of Kentucky,

by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale

(March 6, 2014) — The University of Kentucky’s King Library Press is sponsoring a lecture and workshop with Kathleen Walkup, director of the nation's first master's program for book art and creative writing, focusing on the work of mid-century women printers. The UK Special Collections Library will host, "Because Nobody Stopped Us: Women Printers at Mid-Century," for its 2014 Spring Book Arts Weekend beginning 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, in the Great Hall of the Margaret I. King Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

4Walkup is a

by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale

(March 3, 2014) — "Reel to Real: Special Collections at the Movies," the University of Kentucky Special Collections Library's film series, will continue with "Coal Miner's Daughter," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at Worsham Theater in the UK Student Center. The film series explores celebrated movies through a historically accurate perspective based on primary source materials found in Special Collections. The screening is free and open to the public.

"Coal Miner's Daughter," is based on the life of country singer and Kentucky native Loretta Lynn, who recorded

(Feb. 27, 2014) The deadline for submission of manuscripts to the Department of English's 2014 Dantzler fiction and Farquhar poetry contests is Wednesday, March 26th at 4:00 p.m.

Paper manuscripts should be submitted to Professor Gurney Norman, Department of English, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506. They can also be delivered to 1213 Patterson Office Tower, Monday throughFriday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fiction entries are limited to 3000 words. Poetry entries are limited to five poems or three manuscript pages.

The contest is for University of Kentucky undergraduate students only. The

by Kathy Johnson, Gail Hairston

(Feb. 25, 2014) — Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker brought home the gold this past weekend, winning the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry.

Walker, an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky as well as founder of the Affrilachian Poets, was recognized for his most recent book of poetry, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers."

“I am thrilled for Frank, whose scholarship is deserving of national recognition,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of UK’s College of Arts

by Gail Bennett

(Feb. 25, 2014) ― WUKY 91.3 FM collaborates with the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame to broadcast readings of selections from the works of the new 2014 Hall of Fame authors on March 1.

The Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame announced the 2014 Hall of Fame class at an induction ceremony on Jan. 23 at the Carnegie Center. This is the second class to be inducted.

WUKY will air a program showcasing the introductions, readings and musical performances as recorded from that evening. The broadcast will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1.

The seven new members of the 2014 Hall of Fame class include: children’s author Rebecca Caudill, best known for "A Pocketful of Cricket" and "Tree of Freedom"; University of Kentucky professor Thomas D. Clark, best known for "A History of

On January 23, seven writers were inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. One inductee, James Baker Hall, was a previous member of our English department and was much beloved and well respected as a poet. Other inductees included Rebecca Caudill, Thomas D. Clark, Janice Holt Giles, Etheridge Knight, Thomas Merton, and Jesse Stuart.

Read more here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 18, 2014) — Three University of Kentucky authors will present recent books about mountaintop removal mining, and the treasured landscapes and Appalachian communities that lie in its midst, at a book talk and signing Thursday, Feb. 27.  

Erik Reece, of the Department of English, and Jim Krupa, of the Department of Biology, will discuss their book, "The Embattled Wilderness: The Natural and Human History of Robinson Forest and the Fight for its Future" (University of Georgia Press, 2013). Shannon Elizabeth Bell, of the Department of Sociology, will discuss her book, "

by Katy Bennett, Student Activities Board

(Feb. 6, 2014) — In honor of Black History Month, the University of Kentucky's Student Activities Board Multicultural Committee is hosting "Pluck! Featuring the Affrilachian Poets," at 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Feb. 6, in the William T. Young Library auditorium.

The Affrilachian Poets will share tales of colorful personal history and political statements in their work. Hear from and meet Affrilachian poets, including Makalani Bandele, Joy Priest, Bianca Spriggs and Ricardo Nazario Colon.

The Affrilachian Poets is a group of writers that formed at the University of Kentucky's Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center in the early 1990s, led by then program coordinator and

Poet Tracy K. Smith reads from "Life of Mars" on PBS' "NewsHour." 

by Whitney Hale

(Jan. 30, 2014) — The Kentucky Women Writers Conference will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith as its keynote speaker at the 2014 conference, scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13. Smith’s appearance is being supported in part by University of Kentucky Libraries.

Tracy K. Smith is the author of three award-winning books of poetry, including her most recent collection, "Life on Mars" (Graywolf, 2011), the 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times Notable Book. The collection draws on science fiction film, literature and

by Keith Hautala

(Jan. 17, 2014) — Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

Walker, founder of the Affrilachian Poets and an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky, is being recognized for his most recent book of poetry, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers."

The book, revolving around the civil rights leader's 1963 murder in Mississippi, was published last year, the 50th anniversary of the killing. Walker crafted the poems in the voices of individuals central to the event: Evers' widow, Myrlie

by Alicia Gregory

(Jan. 15, 2014) — A memorial celebration is planned in honor of Marybeth McAlister, longtime communications manager at the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), who died of complications of influenza and pneumonia Jan. 8, 2014.  She was 53.

The memorial will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Spindletop Administration Building on the UK CAER campus, 2624 Research Park Drive, off Ironworks Pike.  A fund has been established for a memorial bench in McAlister's name at The Arboretum. Contributions to the Marybeth McAlister Donation Fund may be made at any Central Bank branch or mailed to Central Bank and Trust Co., P.O. Box 1360, Lexington, KY 40588-1360.

 In December 2012, McAlister had a cord blood stem cell transplant

by Kathy Johnson

(Dec. 17, 2013) ― The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees today accepted nearly $6.5 million in gifts and pledges to UK.

The pledges include:

   Gifts include:

by Keith Hautala

(Dec. 17, 2013) — An essay by Lisa Zunshine, a University of Kentucky professor of English, appears in the Dec. 13 edition of The Chronicle Review, published by the Chronicle of Higher Education.  

The essay, titled "Why Fiction Does it Better," argues that works of fiction — which operate on varying levels of sociocognitive complexity — help to drive the development of both a rich vocabulary and "theory of mind," and are essential reading for preparing young minds for college. 

A scholar of 18th-century British literature, Zunshine is Bush-Holbrook Professor of English at UK, where she teaches courses in Restoration and 18th century British literature and culture. She is the author or editor of 11 books, including, most recently, "Getting Inside Your Head: What Cognitive Science Can Tell Us about Popular Culture,"

by Jenny Wells

(Dec. 16, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has honored 18 students with the Oswald Research and Creativity Program awards.  Representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Research, along with director  Diane Snow, presented the winners with certificates at a reception on campus Dec. 5.

Established in 1964 by then-UK President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Program encourages research and creative activities by undergraduate students at UK. The objectives of the program are to stimulate creative work by undergraduate students and to recognize individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement.

Categories include Biological

by Andrea Richard, Whitney Hale

(Nov. 18, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Special Collections Library will show the second film in its movie series “Reel to Real” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Worsham Theater. The film series explores celebrated movies through a historically accurate perspective based on primary source materials found in Special Collections. The screening is free and open to the public.

"In Country," featuring Bruce Willis, is about a Vietnam War veteran living in rural Kentucky, and his