The Danville Independent School District will sponsor the ninth annual Frank X Walker Literary Festival the week of Oct. 24-28 in the Danville Schools. 

Citizens Concerned for Human Relations sponsored the first Frank X Walker Literary Festival in the fall of 2014 to honor Professor Walker being named Kentucky Poet Laureate, the first African American poet to be honored with that role in the state. Local school districts and the community have continued the festival to celebrate Professor Walker’s work and the work of other artists and authors of color. 

This year’s Frank X Walker Literary Festival will include poetry readings and discussions of the writing process for all Danville High School and John W. Bate Middle School students. It will also include the Student Poetry Contest, which is open to students in kindergarten all the way through the college/university level in Danville and Boyle County, as well as a Community Reading by Professor Walker and the Poetry Contest Winners. There will also be readings of works by authors of color in the DISD and other school-based events. 

The Friends of the Arts Committee, a part of the Danville Schools Education Foundation, sponsors the Student Poetry Contest. It is currently open for submissions for all students who attend school in Danville/Boyle County. All poems should be submitted electronically. For full guidelines and how to submit please visit the Contest website at sites.google.com/view/poetrycontest/home or scan the QR code below. Community members interested in reading at our schools can contact Jane Dewey, Director of Arts Education, jane.dewey@danville.kyschools.us to sign up. 

A full list of activities will be posted on the Danville Schools website, danvilleschools.net, and on the Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center Facebook page in the coming weeks. Contact Jane Dewey, jane.dewey@danville.kyschools.us for additional information. 

Scan the QR code for guidelines and submission to the K-College/University Student Poetry Contest or visit sites.google.com/view/poetrycontest/home