Jessica Wheeler
PennWest California Campus
On Thursday, April 3. Willie Carver, Jr. will be visiting the PennWest California Campus to meet students and faculty and read from his award-winning poetry collection. Carver will attend a reception held in the Manderino Library by various student groups, such as Pen Club Literary Magazine and Cal Rainbow Alliance, to interact with students, faculty, and staff at 2:00 p.m.
Then, at 6:00 p.m., Carver will read from his 2023 poetry collection, “Gay Poems for Red States.” Students from all campuses are encouraged to attend this event. The reading will feature both in-person and digital attendance via Zoom. Additional details and event links will be made available at a later date.
Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. is an award-winning poet whose 2023 collection, “Gay Poems for Red States,” was named a 2024 Honor Book by the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table. Other accolades for his collection include Book Riot’s Best Book of 2023, a 2024 Community of Literary Magazines and Presses Pride Month poem selection, and a 2024 Whippoorwill Book Award Honor Book.
Before releasing his collection, Carver was named the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year after teaching French and English at Montgomery County High School. Carver has dedicated his life to advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity in student spaces, both in the context of Appalachia and beyond.