Writers bring us ‘something particularly humane,’ says KY’s next poet laureate

Kathleen Driskell of Oldham County will be Kentucky’s new poet laureate, succeeding novelist and essayist Silas House.

In naming Driskell Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear said she has “made a real impact on the commonwealth’s rich literary community through her poetry and passion for teaching.” 

Driskell, the author of multiple books of poetry, has been honored with  the Appalachian Review’s Denny C. Plattner Award in Creative Nonfiction. She has received grants from the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women among other honors. 

Her published books include “Goat-Footed Gods,” “Blue Etiquette: Poems,” “Next Door to the Dead” and “Seed Across Snow.” 

She also serves as the chair of Spalding University’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing in Louisville. Driskell will serve as the poet laureate from 2025-2026. 

A conversation with Silas House, Kentucky’s new poet laureate 

“All genres of art are important, but there’s something particularly humane about the work writers bring us,” Driskell said in the Capitol rotunda Thursday.

“Language and creativity at the end are largely qualities that make us human. And so it’s not surprising that for so many of us, when we find our writing lives, we find our authentic lives,” she said. “We deepen our own ability to practice compassion, and we make lasting connections with our loved ones, our communities, and we carry our history forward.” 

House, who was appointed in 2023 and was the state’s first openly gay poet laureate, held writing workshops throughout the state and created an oral history project, among other initiatives during his tenure. 

“It has been such an honor to serve as poet laureate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the past two years,” House said. “In that time, this work has made my love for the state only deepen. I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many who are doing their best to be great neighbors and to make our world a better place.” 

House, who was a rural mail carrier in his native Eastern Kentucky, is author of many articles and novels, including “Clay’s Quilt,” “A Parchment of Leaves,” “Eli the Good” and “Lark Ascending.”

“My number one goal has always been to make more people aware how rich our literature is here in Kentucky, and to make writing instruction more accessible,” House said.  

Driskell will be inducted into House’s current role on April 24 in the rotunda. Both she and House will hold readings during that event. 

“We are fortunate to have her as a guiding voice,” Beshear said of Driskell, thanking her for “encouraging future writers and supporting Kentuckians in pursuing their dreams right here in their new Kentucky home.”