February 22, 2024 - Crystal Wilkinson ('Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts')

Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (February 22, 2024) – Crystal Wilkinson is a Professor of English in the UK College of Arts & Sciences and one of 16 University Research Professors for 2023-24. As the first Black woman to hold the appointment of Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021-2023, Wilkinson serves as an inspiration to many in the writing community, and has authored several award-winning books.

Wilkinson’s research and work primarily focuses on the stories of Black women and communities in the Appalachian and rural Southern canon. Her most recent work, ‘Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts’, is her first foray into nonfiction, delving into the lives and foodways of her own family.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Wilkinson talks about the new book and how the inspiration to research and write about her family has been an inspiration to many others who wish to connect to their own ancestry and culture.

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