BERNARD CLAY
Kentucky Writer
ABOUT
Kentucky native Bernard Clay grew up in Louisville. He has spent years developing a deep appreciation of the state's unique natural and urban areas. Bernard earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Kentucky Creative Writing Program and is a member of the Affrilachian Poets collective. His work can be found in various journals and anthologies. He currently lives on Scorpion Hollow Farm in eastern Kentucky with his herbalist partner Lauren, founder of Resilient Roots, where he homesteads and continues writing. English Lit is his first book.
ENGLISH LIT
POEMS BY BERNARD CLAY
Available Now at Swallow Press in partnership with Old Cove Press.
Praise for English Lit:
“There is no other poet living or dead that I can say this about but I’ve been waiting on a book from Bernard Clay for more than twenty years. Every time I’ve ever read a single poem by him or heard him read a poem aloud I’ve wanted a volume of his work in my hands. He’s always had the ability to slice truth down to the bone and hold it up to the light. He’s grown more wise and his skills are sharp. I’m thankful these words are in the world and I’m certain that every reader who reads them will feel the same way.”
—CRYSTAL WILKINSON, author of The Birds of Opulence
“One of the great blessings of Bernard Clay’s poetry is the clear, unflinching black voice. Clay writes from that black centered way of seeing in this ode to Black Louisville. Clay is the urban Affrilachian who is rooted in the silt and river of ‘the lilac and the dogwood and the pear and the redbud.’ The greens of his grandmother’s garden, the plastic on the good couch, the rides on TARC, Clay is bound to this Kentucky life both city and country. English Lit is a rich debut collection which is certain to become a classic of Kentucky literature.“
—KELLY NORMAN ELLIS, author of
Tougaloo Blues and Offerings of Desire
“Here’s our Affrilachian progeny’s first book. Crafted with a black farmer’s heart, the poems in English Lit blast off from the West End (the best end) into a brave new world. One of the most rooted and nappiest voices of his generation, Clay delivers a beautiful tribute to his people, his community, and his generation’s dance with words, adding his name to the litany of Kentucky poets who love both the land and its people.”
—FRANK X WALKER, author of Affrilachia
"Kentucky lit, American lit, have a new force that will be felt for years to come"
—GURNEY NORMAN, author of Allegiance
EVENTS
SPOKEN & HEARD
Nelsonville, OH
April 21, 2022
Follow the event link to learn more.
