Kathryn Stripling Byer (November 25, 1944 – June 5, 2017), also called Kay Byer, was an American poet and teacher. She was named by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Mike Easley Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been ...

as the fifth North Carolina Poet Laureate from 2005 to 2009. She was the first woman to hold the position.

Biography

Early life and education

Kathryn Stripling was born in

Camilla, Georgia Camilla is a city in Mitchell County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,187, down from 5,360 in 2010. History The city was incorporated in 1858. The name "Camilla" was chose ...

in 1944. Her parents were C.M. Stripling, a farmer, and his wife, Bernice (née Campbell) Stripling. She went on to graduate with a bachelors in English from

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a Private university, private, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the fi ...

and then received her M.F.A. from the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

, where she studied under

Allen Tate John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944. Among his best known works are the poems " Ode to th ...

Fred Chappell Fred Davis Chappell (May 28, 1936 – January 4, 2024) was an author and poet. He was an English professor for 40 years (1964–2004) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1997 to 20 ...

, and Robert W. Watson. During this time at UNC-G, Byer decided to move to the mountains of North Carolina.

Career

After receiving her M.F.A., Byer became poet-in-residence at

Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU ...

, 1988–98, as well as UNC-G in 1995 and Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1999. She has published six full collections of poetry as well as some chapbooks. ''Descent'' was published in 2012 by

Louisiana State University Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of University Pres ...

. In 2015 ''The Vishnu Bird'' was published by Jacar Press.

Poet laureateship

In 2005, North Carolina Governor Michael Easley appointed Byer to be the state's fifth poet laureate following

whose term ended in 2002. She was the first woman to hold the position. As part of her outreach program during her term as poet laureate, Byer maintained "My Laureate's Lasso", a blog that focused on North Carolina poets and poetry. She was also the judge for the North Carolina Poetry Society's Poet Laureate Award. In 2008, Byer named Katherine Indermaur as the first North Carolina Student Poet Laureate.

Personal life

Kathryn Stripling married Western Carolina University professor Jim Byer. They had one daughter and last lived in

Cullowhee, North Carolina Cullowhee (
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chap ...

Death

Kathryn Stripling Byer died at the age of 72 in Cullowhee on June 5, 2017, from

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

Works

Some of Byer's poetry appeared in, among other periodicals, '' The Carolina Quarterly'', ''

The Georgia Review ''The Georgia Review'' is a literary journal based in Athens, Georgia. Founded at University of Georgia in 1947, the journal features poetry, fiction, essays, book reviews, and visual art. The journal has won National Magazine Awards for Ficti ...

'', ''

The Hudson Review ''The Hudson Review'' is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts. History It was founded in 1947 in New York, by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of ...

'', ''

The Iowa Review ''The Iowa Review'' is an American literary magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews. History and profile Founded in 1970, ''Iowa Review'' is issued three times a year, during the months of April, August, and December. Origi ...

'', ''

Poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

'', and ''

The Southern Review ''The Southern Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established by Robert Penn Warren in 1935 at the behest of Charles W. Pipkin and funded by Huey Long as a part of his investment in Louisiana State University. It publishes ficti ...

''. Her work often dealt with lives and hardships of western North Carolina mountain inhabitants, especially women, in earlier generations.

Books

Byer's books include: * ''The Girl in the Midst of the Harvest'' (1986),

Associated Writing Programs The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' c ...

award series * ''Wildwood Flower'' (1992) * ''Black Shawl'' (1998) * ''Catching Light'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2002) * ''Wake'' (chapbook, 2003) * ''Coming to Rest'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2006) * ''The Movable Nest: A Mother/Daughter Companion'' as co-editor with Kallet, Marilyn (Helicon Nine Editions, 2007) * ''Southern Fictions'' (sonnet chapbook; Jacar Press, 2011) * ''Descent'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2012) * ''The Vishnu Bird'' (Jacar Press, 2015)

Essays

Some of Byer's most notable essays include: * "Turning the Windlass at the Well: Fred Chappell's Early Poetry" in ''Dream Garden: The Poetic Vision of Fred Chappell'' (1997) * "Deep Water" in ''Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers'' (1998)

Awards and honors

* 1992 –

Lamont Poetry Selection The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

of the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outrea ...

* 1998 – Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry * 2001 –

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

's Kathryn Stripling Byer Literary Festival * 2001 –

North Carolina Award The North Carolina Award is the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is awarded in the four fields of science, literature, the fine arts, and public service. Sometimes referred to as the "Nobel Prize of North Carol ...

in Literature * 2003 – SIBA Book Award in Poetry for ''Catching Light'' * 2005–2009 – North Carolina Poet Laureate * 2012 – inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame * 2013 – SIBA Book Award in Poetry for ''Descent''

References

External links

*
Here Where I Am Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byer, Kay 1944 births 2017 deaths Poets laureate of North Carolina Poets from North Carolina People from Camilla, Georgia People from Jackson County, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni Wesleyan College alumni Western Carolina University faculty American women poets 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers Poets from Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths from lymphoma in the United States Deaths from cancer in North Carolina American women academics