LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 25, 2026) — University of Kentucky Libraries is honoring award-winning and critically acclaimed novelist, short story writer, essayist, poet and professor Crystal Wilkinson, Ph.D., as the 2026 recipient of the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement.
Wilkinson will be recognized at the UK Libraries Spring Celebration on May 14.
Born in Hamilton, Ohio, and raised in Indian Creek, Kentucky, Wilkinson’s writing explores Black Appalachia and the rural South.
Her genre-spanning work includes three novels, a book of poetry and a nationally best-selling culinary memoir. Her short stories, poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. The Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021-23, Wilkinson currently teaches at UK, where she is the Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor of English in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. She was inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2025.
One of UK’s most prestigious honors, the Medallion for Intellectual Achievement is awarded annually to a Kentucky resident whose accomplishments in the fields of science, literature, art or philanthropy have made a profound impact on the Commonwealth and represent the pinnacle of creative or scholarly thought.
Presented by the UK Libraries National Advisory Board, the annual Spring Celebration recognizes the achievements of outstanding students, faculty, staff and exemplary Kentuckians, including the winners of the UK Libraries Award for Undergraduate Research and the Paul A. Willis Award for Outstanding Libraries Faculty.
The 2026 Spring Celebration will be held at William T. Young Library on Thursday, May 14. Award presentations will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested.