Women Writers Conference Shines Light on Commonwealth's Literary Stars

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2016) — For more than three decades the Kentucky Women Writers Conference has drawn many of the nation's most noted literary icons to Lexington, including Maya Angelou, Joyce Carol Oates, Sonia Sanchez and this year, memoirist Mary Karr. But it also has long celebrated the rich literary legacy of the state of Kentucky with appearances by many of its native writers. This year the conference will highlight this talent not only with presentations by Bianca Lynne Spriggs and Crystal Wilkinson, but also with the addition of a new annual public event, "Stars of the Commonwealth," showcasing the work of three popular homegrown authors, Sarah Gorham, Julie Hensley and Bobbie Ann Mason.

"The conference brings writers from all over the country — this year from Boston, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Chicago, New York, St. Louis and Charlottesville — and we felt it was important to keep the spotlight on Kentucky through this series," said Julie Wrinn, director of the conference.

The final event of the 2016 Kentucky Women Writers Conference, "Stars of the Commonwealth," first appeared at the conference in 2010 as "Stars with Accents" hosted by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer. The new name is an homage to Stoykova-Klemer's role in creating the concept. The 2016 program will featuring readings by Sarah Gorham, author of "Study in Perfect"; Julie Hensley, author of "Landfall: A Ring of Stories"; and Bobbie Ann Mason, author of "The Girl in the Blue Beret." The readings will be followed by a Q & A led by Wrinn. "Stars of the Commonwealth," which is free and open to the public, begins 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Books by all three writers will be available for purchase, along with complimentary coffee and bagels.

Sarah Gorham is a poet, essayist and book publisher. Her essay collection "Study in Perfect" won the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Award for Creative Nonfiction in 2014. Gorham's four previous collections of poetry are "Bad Daughter" (2011), "The Cure" (2003), "The Tension Zone" (1996) and "Don’t Go Back to Sleep" (1989). Individual poems have appeared in "Best American Poetry," American Poetry Review, POOL, The Nation, Kenyon Review, The Paris Review, Open City, Georgia Review and elsewhere. Gorham serves as president and editor-in-chief of Sarabande Books, which she co-founded in 1994. She lives in Prospect, Kentucky, with her husband, the poet Jeffrey Skinner. Gorham has a new collection of essays, "Alpine Apprentice," forthcoming from University of Georgia Press in 2017.

Trailer for "Bad Daughter" by Sarah Gorham.

Julie Hensley is a poet and author, who received the Ohio State University Press’ Non/Fiction Collection Prize for her most recent work "Landfall: A Ring of Stories" (2016). Other works by Hensley include "Viable: Poems" (2015) and a chapbook, "The Language of Horses" (2011). An associate professor at Eastern Kentucky University and core faculty member in the Bluegrass Writers Studio Low-Res MFA Program, she lives in Richmond, Kentucky, with her husband, the writer R. Dean Johnson, and their two children.

Bobbie Ann Mason is the celebrated author of "In Country," "Clear Springs," "Shiloh and Other Stories," "An Atomic Romance" and most recently, "The Girl in the Blue Beret." She is the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. A former writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky, she is a member of the Authors Guild, PEN and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. The UK alumna was inducted in the UK College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame last fall.

Bobbie Ann Mason talks about her time studying at UK and her work as a writer for the A&S Hall of Fame 2015. Video by UK College of Arts & Sciences on Vimeo.

Now in its 38th year, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference is an annual event known for bringing notable women writers to Lexington for readings, writing workshops and discussions. A program housed in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, the conference is made possible in part by continued community partnerships, including its primary venue, the Carnegie Center.

For more information on the conference, visit online at http://womenwriters.as.uky.edu. 

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu