Gay Poems for Red States Author Willie Carver Jr.

Willy Carver has spent his entire career dedicated to helping students find their passion and purpose. He was the 2022 “Kentucky Teacher of the Year” and served as ambassador to the Kentucky Department of Education, where he created a platform of inclusion and advocacy for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Appalachian students. He publishes and presents on the subjects of education, marginalization, and identity, and his personal journey has been featured on ABC, CBS, PBS, NPR, and in The Washington Post and Le Monde. Carver is a candidate for the MFA in poetry at the University of Kentucky, and his creative work has been published in 100 Days in Appalachia, 2RulesofWriting, Another Chicago Magazine, Largehearted Boy Blog, Smoky Blue Literary Magazine, and Good River Review.

In 2022, Carver testified before the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on the need for protections for LGBTQIA+ students, teachers, and staff in schools. As an academic advisor in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, he continues to assist and inspire students to find their best path forward. Carver serves as a board member of the Kentucky Youth Law Project (with helps LGBTQIA+ youth in Kentucky with legal needs) and is a re-occurring cohost and contributing board member of Progress Kentucky.

Carver will speak from 6-7 PM. The remaining hour is reserved for sharing and support. This event is free and open to the public. It is not a library sponsored event. It is made possible by a grant from the Mt. Horeb Community Foundation. Please RSVP at pflagmoho.org if you prefer to join us over Zoom and will send you the link.