By Lindsey Piercy

Gurney Norman and Ed McClanahan. Photo by Guy Mendes.

Two prolific writers and educators, with ties to the University of Kentucky, will soon add another title to their impressive resumes. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning has chosen Gurney Norman and Ed McClanahan as this year’s living inductees into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. In addition, former UK Department of English professor Jane Gentry Vance will be inducted posthumously. 

Though accomplished in their own rights — Norman and McClanahan, who are longtime friends, both have literary careers focused on autobiographical fiction, and they both draw inspiration from their

By Chris Crumrine, Amy Jones-Timoney, Kody Kiser, and Brad Nally

“To actually be in Washington, D.C. is unlike anything that you can experience in a classroom or here in Kentucky,” says Hayley Leach. “The hands-on experience is unlike anything you can get.”

That is the primary goal of the University of Kentucky’s WilDCats at the Capitol program — to provide students with unique opportunities in the nation’s capital; support them through organized housing, academic credit and financial aid; and provide a rewarding and professional experience that will serve them beyond graduation.

Over the last year, more than 40 UK students from multiple disciplines have walked the halls of Congress alongside elected officials and policymakers, gaining a dynamic academic and professional experience

The editors of Early American Literature are pleased to announce the fifth annual Early American Literature Book Prize, which will be given for an author’s second or subsequent academic monograph about American literature in the colonial period through the early republic (roughly 1830). The prize is offered in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Press, the Society of Early Americanists, and the MLA’s Forum on American Literature to 1800.

Monographs published in 2017 or 2018 are eligible for the 2019 prize, which carries a cash award of $2000.

The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2019. Please send a single copy of any books nominated for the 2019 prize to:

EAL Book Prize
c/o Professor Marion Rust
Editor, Early American Literature
Department of English
University of Kentucky

Early American Literature seeks conference reviewers for SSAWW 2018, ASA 2018, MLA 2019, SEA 2019, MELUS 2019, ASECS 2019, ALA 2019, NAIS 2019, and the Charles Brockden Brown Society Conference 2019. Conference reviews cover panels relevant to EAL’s readership, encompassing the overall range of the event and addressing key themes of particular interest to the reviewer. Conference reviews are generally 1500-2000 words in length, but can be longer or shorter depending on the scope of the event.

We welcome reviewers at all ranks who study early American literature and encourage recommendations for other conferences with an early American literature presence. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to Michelle Sizemore michelle.sizemore@uky.edu by January 15, 2019 for conferences that have already

By Ellie Wnek

While the format may have expanded to a festival from a fair, one thing is still the same — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) and University of Kentucky authors and editors will fill Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Book Fair Nov. 17.

For the first time, a full week of readings, luncheons, cocktail parties, trivia and panel discussions were presented leading up to the book fair as part of the inaugural Kentucky Book Festival, including a young adult literature panel held on the UK campus featuring one of the university’s own students. The week of literary events will culminate this weekend at the 37th Kentucky Book Fair 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday,

By Torrie Johnson

The SEC (Southeastern Conference) Faculty Travel Program will support more than 100 SEC faculty members during the 2018-2019 academic year, the league office announced Monday. Nine University of Kentucky faculty members will participate. Established in 2012 by the SEC provosts, the program is designed to provide financial assistance from the SEC office that bolsters intra-SEC collaboration.

Identified participants will travel to other SEC universities to exchange ideas, develop grant proposals, conduct research and deliver lectures or performances. Areas of interest for this year’s class include music, engineering, anthropology, law, medicine and African-American studies, among others.

“The SEC Faculty Travel Program has been a tremendous resource for faculty at universities across the SEC,” said Ellen Reames, associate professor

By Sarah Jayne Johnson

In the summer of 1816, a group of friends gathered on Lake Geneva to see who could tell the most terrifying tale. An 18-year-old Mary Shelley was among the group. She told the frightening story of a young scientist who creates a grotesque monster in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Victor Frankenstein and The Creature were born that night — the rest is history.

On Oct. 24, the University of Kentucky’s Department of English and the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta invite the public to join in a celebration of this monumental narrative for the 200th anniversary of "Frankenstein."

"Frankenstein" is simultaneously the first science-fiction novel, a gothic horror and a tragic romance all sewn into one towering body — known for its remarkable

By Mack McCormick and Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky professor, University Press of Kentucky author and former Kentucky Poet Laureate Jane Gentry (1941–2014) has been named the recipient of Appalachian Writers Association’s 2017 Appalachian Book of the Year for Poetry for her posthumous collection “The New and Collected Poems of Jane Gentry,” edited by Julia Johnson, professor of English.

The AWA’s mission is to recognize and promote writing about the Appalachian region. The association works to celebrate writers who are living or have lived in the Appalachian region and those who have

By Trey Melcher and Jenny Wells

Na'imah Muhammad and Nedjma Kalliney discuss their writings in a session of the "Giggles, Guts, and Glitter" creativity workshop. Photo courtesy of Anna K. Stone.

DaMaris B. Hill, an assistant professor of creative writing and English literature in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted a writing and creativity workshop for young women of color. The workshop was made possible by a "Girls of Color: Voice and Vision" grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

The purpose of the project was to elevate the voices and lived experiences of these young women by sharing personal stories and creating art.

"A project that educates black girls about accessing voice,