By Francis Von Mann
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2025) - The family of Gurney Musick Norman and the University of Kentucky Department of English invite the public to a weekend of words, music and film celebrating the life and legacy of the beloved writer, teacher and mentor.
The memorial will be held over two days, Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Gatton Student Center on UK’s campus. Events are free, open to the public and will be livestreamed.
Norman, who died in Lexington on Oct. 12, 2025, at age 88, was an Appalachian fiction writer, documentarian, advocate and UK professor emeritus of English. He is widely regarded as one of Kentucky’s most important literary voices. His work, including Divine Right’s Trip: A Folk-Tale, Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories, Ancient Creek: A Folktale and Allegiance: Stories, helped reshape how the region is represented on the page and on screen.
He joined the UK Department of English faculty in 1979, directed the creative writing program from 2000 to 2014 and retired from teaching in 2022. Over those decades, he mentored generations of writers who have gone on to shape Kentucky’s literary landscape and beyond.
About Gurney Norman
Gurney Norman was born in Grundy, Virginia, in 1937. Norman was raised by grandparents in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, primarily in the coal camp community of Allais near Hazard in Perry County.
He attended Stuart Robinson School in Letcher County and later enrolled at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1959 with degrees in journalism and English. As an undergraduate he wrote for the Kentucky Kernel and served as editor of the Kentuckian yearbook.
In 1960, Norman received a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing at Stanford University, where he studied with literary critic Malcolm Cowley and Irish short story writer Frank O’Connor. He returned to eastern Kentucky in 1963 to work as a reporter for his hometown newspaper, The Hazard Herald, before turning more fully to fiction.
Norman’s landmark novel Divine Right’s Trip first appeared in 1971, first serialized in The Last Whole Earth Catalog and later published by Dial Press and Bantam Books. His 1977 collection Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories received Berea College’s Weatherford Award and is widely recognized as a classic of Appalachian literature. His later works include Ancient Creek: A Folktale and Allegiance: Stories, along with co-edited essay collections such as Confronting Appalachian Stereotypes: Back Talk from an American Region and An American Vein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature.
In the late 1980s, Norman wrote and narrated three one-hour documentaries for Kentucky Educational Television, including work on the Kentucky River, the Big Sandy region and the Wilderness Road. Norman collaborated with filmmaker Andrew Garrison on The Wilgus Stories film trilogy, which brought several of his short stories to the screen.
Over his career, Norman received numerous honors for his literary and cultural work, including:
- Poet Laureate of Kentucky (2009–2010)
- Inductee, Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame (2019)
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Berea College (2011)
- Recognition from the Eastern Kentucky Leadership Conference and the Appalachian Studies Association for his contributions to regional arts, culture and community service
- Senior writer-in-residence at Hindman Settlement School’s Appalachian Writers Workshop
- Induction into the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (2021)
Gurney Memorial Information
Saturday, Dec. 6 | 6-11 p.m. | Gatton Student Center, Worsham Cinema
The evening will include films and film clips by Appalshop (Headwaters Television), Jean Donohue and Fred Johnson (Media Working Group), Andrew Garrison (KET), Anne Lewis, and Mimi Pickering, along with readings, remembrances, and tributes celebrating Gurney.
Sunday, Dec. 7 | 1:30-6 p.m. | Gatton Student Center, Grand Ballroom
View Sunday Memorial and Reception Livestream More Information
Sunday’s program will focus on Norman’s life as a writer, teacher and community builder, with reflections from authors, scholars, faith leaders and longtime friends. The reception will feature performances by musicians with deep ties to Norman and Appalachian arts communities.
Memorial Gifts
Norman’s family requests that memorial gifts be directed to the Gurney Norman Appalachian Student Award Gift Fund at the University of Kentucky.
How to give
Online
Visit the Gurney Norman Appalachian Student Award Gift Fund at https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/47157/donations/new
By Mail
Make checks payable to “University of Kentucky” and note “Gurney Norman Appalachian Student Award Gift Fund” in the memo line.
UK Philanthropy
PO Box 910628
Lexington, KY 40591
Questions about giving may be directed to Laura Sutton, senior director of philanthropy, at 859-257-3551.