DaMaris Hill & Scholarships

April 12, 2019
This year we feature four poets with new books, all published in the first half of 2019 and very hot off the presses: Franny Choi, DaMaris Hill, Dorianne Laux, and Savannah Sipple. In today’s edition I’d like to highlight DaMaris Hill, a University of Kentucky professor who is traveling the U.S. this year to share work from her first full-length collection, A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing. This book is a stunning collection of poetry and prose reflecting on the history of black women in the U.S. who have been enslaved, incarcerated, or oppressed. Booklist, in a starred review, said, “With a lyricism that sings, swings, and stings, poet and writer Hill reflects on black women who resisted violent racism and misogyny, ranging from the notable and notorious (Fannie Lou Hamer, Eartha Kitt, Ida B. Wells, Joanne Little) to lesser-known, no-less-heroic women.”
At our conference on September 19–22, 2019, DaMaris will read from A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing and also teach a two-day poetry workshop entitled, “Remix and Making Poems New—A Revision Workshop,” with attention to cross-genre and hybrid writing that Hill deploys so memorably in her book. You can register for her workshop or any others on our website. Relevant links are:
Workshop descriptions
Presenter bios
Register online
Travel & hotel info
 
We are pleased this year to double the number of scholarships available to attend the September conference, four that are age-specific and four that are unrestricted, as follows:

• Tenacious Women Scholarships offer full tuition support for 4 women, ages 50+, to attend #KyWomenWriters (our new hashtag!) in September. These scholarships are thanks to a donor who traveled halfway around the globe to attend her first KyWomenWriters in 2018 and wanted to extend the same opportunity to other older women.
• Emerging Writer Scholarships offer full tuition support for 4 women of any age with financial need.

Both applications must be postmarked by June 1, 2019. Please visit the scholarships section of our website for more information. Submissions for the Betty Gabehart Prize are also now being accepted and have the same June 1 deadline: guidelines and submission information are available online.
            Finally, we are counting down to our Preview Party & Board Reunion. Everyone is welcome to join this 40th anniversary celebration, where we'll preview the September conference with a reading by SavannahSipple from her new book, WWJD and Other Poems. Other conference presenters’ books will be available for browsing and purchase. There will be a drawing for one free admission to the September conference (a $125 value) and complimentary appetizers from Athenian Grill. Friday, May 17, 6–8 p.m., ArtsPlace, 161 N. Mill Street. Please mark your calendars and join us!