Frank X. Walker, Load in Nine Times: Poems Book Launch

Frank X Walker, former Kentucky Poet Laureate and Professor of English at the University of Kentucky, presents on his latest work, Load in Nine Times: Poems on U.S. Colored Troops, that will be published on October 1, 2024. Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slaveowners and prominent historical figures—including Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and Margaret Garner—into a wide-ranging series of “persona poems” imbued with atmospheric imagery and brimming with indomitable spirit. Evoking the pride and perseverance of formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I, am America’s promise, my mother’s song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.”

Professor Walker will be available to sign books after the presentation. Copies can be purchased at the park store in the Visitor Center and Museum.

Location

Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Danville Road Loop 2
Nicholasville, KY 40356