An Evening of Poetry from Accents Publishing

Paul Sawyier Public Library, in partnership with Lexington's Accents Publishing, presents an evening of poetry featuring Kentucky authors Wendy Jett, Leatha Kendrick, Christopher McCurry, and Richard Taylor. A signing will follow with books available for purchase.

Wendy Jett is a long time fitness instructor, decoupage nerd, and improv junkie who loves to write. Born and raised a Kentucky girl, she now calls Lexington home. Mom to two humans, Kayla and Stevie, and one canine, Lola Jolene, she does the best she can every day! Some days she does better than others. Girl is her first published novella. 

Leatha Kendrick grew up on a Southern Kentucky farm as the daughter of a veterinarian and a high school home economics teacher. Her adult life was spent in Eastern Kentucky where she and her husband raised three daughters. Kendrick began writing seriously in mid-life and found a community of writers in Appalachia.  Among her writing awards are two Al Smith Fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council, as well as a Sallie Bingham Award and various fellowships and grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. And Luckier is her fifth collection of poems.

Christopher McCurry grew up right outside of Lexington, Kentucky, in the small town of Paris. His poetry has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and featured on NPR's On Point as a Best Book of 2016 for his chapbook of marriage sonnets, Nearly Perfect Photograph. A graduate of the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College and a high school English teacher, he spends his time playing board games, skateboarding, and going on adventures with his daughter Abra. In 2015, McCurry co-founded Workhorse, a publishing company and community for working writers. Open Burning is his first full-length poetry collection.

Richard Taylor is the author of numerous collections of poetry, two historical novels, and several books relating to Kentucky history, including Elkhorn: Evolution of a Kentucky Landmark. A former Kentucky Poet Laureate, he has received two creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. He has received publication awards from the Kentucky Historical Society, the Thomas C. Clark Medallion, and a Distinguished Professor Award from Kentucky State University. Recently retired from Transylvania University where he served as Kenan Visiting Writer, he is co-owner of Poor Richard's Books and lives on a small farm outside Frankfort. His newly released poetry collection is Snow Falling on Water.