Frank X Walker
| Frank X Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 11, 1961 Danville, Kentucky |
| Occupation | Poet, educator |
| Nationality | United States |
| Period | 1990s- |
| Genre | Poetry, essays, visual art |
| Subject | Appalachia, history, African-American culture, environment, education |
Frank X Walker (born June 11, 1961) is an African-American poet from Danville, Kentucky. Walker coined the word "Affrilachia", signifying the importance of the African-American presence in Appalachia: the "new word ... spoke to the union of Appalachian identity and the region's African-American culture and history".[1] As of 2013, he is the Poet Laureate of Kentucky.
Biography
Walker was born Frank Walker, Jr., in Danville, Kentucky, the second of eleven children. He grew up in Danville, where the family lived in public housing projects. He was an avid reader as a child. He describes himself as both a "nerd" and an athlete in his teenage years. At Danville High School, he played football on the school team, was a member of several clubs, and was twice elected class president.[2]
He was recruited to attend the University of Kentucky in engineering, but changed his major to English. Gurney Norman was one of his writing teachers at the University of Kentucky, where he received his undergraduate degree. Walker is a charter member of the Mu Theta chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at the University of Kentucky. He now holds life membership within the organization.[3] It was during his college years that he adopted the middle initial "X", which was given to him by friends.[2] He completed an MFA in Writing at Spalding University in May 2003.
A founding member of the Affrilachian Poets,[4] he is the founding editor (2007) and publisher of PLUCK!, the new Journal of Affrilachian Art & Culture.[5] In January 2010, he returned to the University of Kentucky to accept a position as professor in the English Department.[6] In 2013, he was appointed Poet Laureate of Kentucky,[7] the first African-American to hold that position.[8]
Walker has published five volumes of poetry; Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York won the 2004 Lillian Smith Book Award. Walker's poems have been converted into a stage production by the University of Kentucky Theatre department.[9]
Walker has served as founder/Executive Director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, the Program Coordinator of the University of Kentucky's King Cultural Center, and the Assistant Director of Purdue University's Black Cultural Center. He regularly teaches in writing programs like Fishtrap in Oregon and SplitRock at the University of Minnesota.[10]
Awards
- 2004 Winner of the Lillian Smith Book Award
- 2006 Thomas D. Clark Literary Award for Excellence, Actors Theatre's Keeper of the Chronicle Award
- 2005 Recipient of a $75,000 Lannan Literary Fellowship in Poetry[11]
- Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship recipient
- 2013-14 Kentucky Poet Laureate
- 2014 NAACP Image Award: Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry.
Work
Poetry
- Isaac Murphy: I dedicate this ride
- When Winter Come: the Ascension of York. University Press of Kentucky. 2008. ISBN 978-0-8131-9184-3.
- Black Box. Old Cove Press. 2005. ISBN 0-9675424-1-3.
- Buffalo Dance: the Journey of York. University Press of Kentucky. 2003. ISBN 0-8131-9088-6.
- Affrilachia. Old Cove Press. 2000. ISBN 0-9675424-0-5.
Editor
- America! What's My Name? The "Other Poets" Unfurl the Flag. Wind Publications. 2007. ISBN 1-893239-63-2.
- Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium. Haraka Press. 1998. ISBN 978-0-9664994-0-7.
Video
- Writing: Getting Ideas on Paper, PBS's GED Connection Series
- In Performance At the Governor's Mansion
- Living the Story: The Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky.
Video producer
- Coal Black Voices (the History of the Affrilachian Poets), consulting producer, received the 2002-2003 Jesse Stuart Award presented by the Kentucky School Media Association
- KY2NYC: Art/life & 9.11, exploring the effects of 9.11 on the arts community.
References
- ↑ "See excellence". University of Kentucky. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- 1 2 Bianca Spriggs (Fall 2011). "Frank X Walker: Exemplar of Affrilachia". Appalachian Heritage. 39 (4): 21–25. doi:10.1353/aph.2011.0109.
- ↑ http://www.aceweekly.com/1999/12/this-years-models-1999-frank-x-walker-12-20-1999/
- ↑ Danny Miller, Sharon Hatfield, Gurney Norman (2005). An American vein. Ohio University Press. pp. 315–317. ISBN 978-0-8214-1589-4.
- ↑ Bill O'Driscoll (May 31, 2007). "Affrilachian Poets co-founder Frank X Walker talks about his new cultural journal, Pluck!". Pittsburgh City Paper.
- ↑ Elliot, Allison (30 November 2009). "Poet Frank X Walker to Join UK Faculty". University of Kentucky. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ↑ "Frank X Walker new Ky. poet laureate". Lexington Herald-Leader. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ↑ Kramer, Elizabeth (14 February 2013). "Frank X Walker named Kentucky's first African-American poet laureate". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ↑ Richard O. Jones (February 24, 2009). "'Choreopoem' by Frank X Walker to debut at NKU". Dayton Daily News.
- ↑ "Selected Artists in Residence" (PDF). Split Rock Arts Program. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ↑ "Frank X Walker: 2005 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Poetry". Lannan Foundation. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
External links
- Author's website
- "Creative Solutions to Life's Challenges", Frank X Walker, This I Believe, NPR
- Coal Black Voices documentary