Ed Lawrence

Public Information Officer

502-564-9746

Dr. Sena Jeter Naslund will accept her appointment as Kentucky Poet Laureate for the 2005 - 2006 term at a public ceremony and reception, at 1:00 p.m., April 14, 2005 at the Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York Street, Louisville, Ky.

The program will include readings by 2003-2004 Kentucky Poet Laureate Joseph Survant and Dr. Naslund with comments by Commerce Cabinet Executive Director of Arts and Humanities Lindy Casebier.  Also honored at the ceremony will be winners of the Kentucky State Poetry Society’s annual student poetry contest.

Dr. Naslund currently holds the position of Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Louisville; and Program Director of the Spalding University Master of Fine Arts in Writing. She is also the editor of the literary magazine, The Louisville Review. Dr. Naslund has lived, taught, and written in Kentucky since 1973. She also has given more than 400 presentations about writing nationally and internationally, and she is under contract with HarperCollins for a new novel about Marie Antoinette.

Every two years the Kentucky Arts Council coordinates the nomination and selection process for Kentucky’s Poet Laureate.  Governor Ernie Fletcher appointed Dr. Naslund to the position, which was officially created by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1991 to honor an outstanding Kentucky writer as a champion for the literary arts. ”Kentuckians will delight in the energy and enthusiasm for the literary arts that Dr. Naslund brings to this post,” says Arts Council Director Gerri Combs.

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The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet.  Working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation.  Every $1 in grant funds awarded by the Kentucky Arts Council helps grantees secure $15 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.