The Kentucky Arts Council will host Kentucky Writers’ Day at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in the Capitol Rotunda, Frankfort. This event is celebrated every year in honor of the birth date of Kentucky native Robert Penn Warren, the first poet laureate of the United States and winner of 3 Pulitzer prizes. It is free and open to the public.

Highlights of Kentucky Writers’ Day include public readings by Kentucky Poet Laureate Jane Gentry Vance and past Poets Laureate Joe Survant (2003-2004) and James Baker Hall (2001-2002) as well as poetry recitations by Pikeville High School student Amy Cordero and Western Hills High School student Emmanuel Nfor. Cordero is the Kentucky finalist and Nfor is the runner-up of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

A special reception to honor all Kentucky writers will follow at 11:00 a.m. on the mezzanine level of the Capitol.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.