The conference will continue to include several signature free events, taking place at 7 o'clock, though each will look a little different this year. The conference keynote, "An Evening with Evie Shockley," is made possible by University of Kentucky Libraries and is taking place on the first night of the conference, Sept. 10. 

Shockley is a professor of English at Rutgers University and the author of three books of poetry: "semiautomatic" (Wesleyan, 2017), which won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the LA Times Book Prize; "the new black" (Wesleyan, 2011), winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Poetry; and "a half-red sea" (Carolina Wren Press, 2005). In 2019, she was named winner of the Lannan Literary Award in Poetry. Shockley’s reading begins at 7 p.m.

The Wild Women of Poetry Showcase is taking place Saturday night but is changing from a competitive format this year.

“Even though it is possible to hold poetry slams online, we felt that the fishbowl environment of being judged onscreen without the enthusiastic crowd dynamic of our in-person slams would make this event less satisfying in a competitive format,” Wrinn said. 

The showcase headliner will be the poet Mahogany Browne, its emcee will be Affrilachian poet Ellen Hagan, and its performers will include eight young female poets from Kentucky and around the country. Honoraria in memory of Faith A. Smith, the mother of UK professor and former Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker, will be awarded to each of the eight performers. To sign up for the open mike segment (7-7:30 p.m.), email haganellen@me.com.

The Stars of the Commonwealth reading, which highlights writers with Kentucky ties, will feature readings by Carrie Green, Mariama Lockington and Claudia Love Mair, with introductions and a discussion led by the conference's Board of Directors Vice President Ashley Sipple-McGraw. Instead of its usual morning slot, this reading will take place 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13.

“Some may have noticed that we moved the conference to a different weekend than originally announced," Wrinn said. "This was owing to a conflict with the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. Our organization has a long and proud history of celebrating and encouraging all women’s voices, including Jewish women’s. It is because of our commitment to these values that I am especially sorry that our original dates were not welcoming and inclusive of our Jewish colleagues and friends. The Board of Directors and I pledge to avoid conflicts with religious holidays in the future.”

A joint program of the UK College of Arts and Sciences and Kentucky Women Writers Conference Inc., the conference is the longest running literary festival of women in the nation. Registration opened July 1, and free events also require registration. To register or for more information on the conference, visit online at www.kentuckywomenwriters.org or phone 859-257-2874.

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