Kentucky poet laureate begins ambitious project

A statewide initiative to collect poetry from all of the counties in Kentucky has recently begun. Poems submitted for the program should be based around the topic “Where I’m From”, which comes from an award winning poem of the same name by Kentucky’s poet laureate George Ella Lyon. As poet laureate, it is Lyon’s job to travel around the state promoting poetry at various venues.

In an interview for KyForward magazine Lyon spoke about how the idea for the project came about.

“When I tried to think what I might contribute as poet laureate that goes beyond visiting schools, I thought of my poem ‘Where I’m from,’ which has been used so widely as a writing model,” Lyon said. “I’ve gotten poems from all over the world and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fascinating to have a poem from every county in Kentucky?’” Lyon said.

“Where I’m From” poems are basically structured around the most important memories of the events, places, and people that shaped who you are today. In her poem Lyon touched on things as simple as fudge and more specific things such as locations that connected to her childhood. One of the lines from her poem reads

“I am from the forsythia bush/ the Dutch elm/ whose long-gone limbs I remember/as if they were my own.”

The connection Lyon draws between tree limbs and her limbs in this quote helps to paint a vivid picture in the mind of readers, providing a unique and very personal look into her identity. When writing yours you might want to try to achieve a similar effect.

Lyon has several tips on how to approach writing your poem on her website. Poetry submissions are based on what county you live in, check here to find where to submit yours to. Poems can be sent in as Microsoft word documents, Adobe PDF’s, Soundcloud audio files, or YouTube videos. The deadline for submissions is March 7th. You can help this project by sending in a poem and by encouraging others around you to write their own poems. In addition to having information on where to submit your poem, the Kentucky Arts Council webpage also lists other ways that you can assist this project along with a couple of suggestions on how to approach writing your poem.