Kathryn Stripling Byer has been inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame--many congratulations to her! Kay was the first writer I encountered on a regular basis, back when I was in high school, already thinking of myself as a poet. I'd bump into her at the university library where both she and my mother worked at the time, and often we'd chat there or outside.
We had a similar background in some ways--I spent part of every summer in Georgia, where she grew up, and we both had lighted on Cullowhee because of other people's jobs. I still read Kay's books and am in Cullowhee often, so I have many reasons to think of her.
She has been an active poet laureate for North Carolina, generous to other writers and young people. I am glad to see her now collecting another tribute to her long faithfulness to the art.
You may find her at Here, Where I Am: http://kathrynstriplingbyer.blogspot.com/.
Being inducted into the state Hall of Fame, serving as poet laureate, winning the Lamont Award from the Academy of American Poets and the Hanes Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers – Byer’s body of work has been duly celebrated and honored. -Quintin Ellison, The Sylva Herald
Hi Marly, those Balrogs sound pretty scary! But I think I'm a legit. commenter. Thank you for your post, in great part because now I know about your blog. I'll have to come back often.
ReplyDeleteEntirely legit! Do...
ReplyDeleteYou know so many amazing creative people, Marly!
ReplyDeleteI know you, Marja-Leena! And some other interesting people... I suppose it is surprising when I live in a rather retired way in the utter boondocks.
ReplyDeleteIt was especially nice that I knew Kay, back then. We often talked about poetry for a few minutes, out in the lawn or in the library.