A new ARTalks event in Cadiz, presented by the Janice Mason Art Museum and Genesis Express, will feature Frank X Walker, the former poet laureate of Kentucky.
Walker will speak at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Janice Mason Art Museum, 71 Main St. The topic of his address is “From Word to Image and Back Again: The Joys and Challenges of Multidisciplinary Art.”
Among several literary honors, Walker was awarded the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry for the collection “Load in Nine Times: Poems. A press release from the University of Kentucky announcing the award in May said the collection “delves into the rich narratives of Black Kentuckians — weaving historical artifacts and personal histories into poignant verse” and “challenges prevailing perceptions of Kentucky’s history by offering a nuanced exploration of identity and heritage.”
Gov. Steve Beshear appointed Walker as poet laureate in 2013, making him the first African American to hold position.
A Danville native, Walker is the author of 13 poetry collections. He is a professor of English and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky.
Walker is recognized for coining the term Affrilachia to highlight the diverse experiences and contributions of Black residents in Appalachia.
Walker is speaking in Cadiz as part of the 2025 Clinton and Mary Opal Moore Appalachian Writer’s Residency through Murray State University.
The residency was established with gifts from Shirley Moore Menendez, the late John C. Moore, Tom Moore, Nancy Moore Waldrop and Jayne Moore Waldrop in memory of their late parents and the family’s Eastern Kentucky roots. Clinton Elster Moore (1916-2008) and Mary Opal Moore (1922-2015) were born in Pike and Letcher counties, respectively. They moved to Western Kentucky in the 1950s and settled in Paducah.
Walker will also speak at Murray State’s Curris Center, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4.
