Dear Friends:

For the past two decades, Lexington has been lucky to have Nikky Finney. As a young UK professor in the early 1990s, Nikky spent months in a corner of the Carnegie Center writing her acclaimed book of poetry, Rice. Then, two years ago, she won the National Book Award for her book Head Off & Split. Her impassioned acceptance speech went viral; actor John Lithgow called it “the best acceptance speech for anything that I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Now, we get to hear Nikky speak in person. In one of her last local appearances before leaving UK for the University of South Carolina, Nikky will teach at our upcoming Carnegie Books-in-Progress Conference (June 7-8), and then speak at our Literary Luncheon at Elmendorf Farm (June 8). We hope you will join us! The Elmendorf Farm event launches the home stretch of Carnegie’s Cycle of Literacy Fundraising Campaign. The campaign has a $1.2 million goal to help support our literacy and writing programs in the next three years. We plan to celebrate the success of the campaign at our 21st Birthday Bash (September 13; see back cover). Mark your calendars! The Bash will be in Gratz Park and include a “Holler in the Park” poetry reading, live music, food and drinks.

As you can see in this brochure, we offer most of our children’s classes at no charge, and all of our adult classes at an affordable rate. Thus, Carnegie depends on philanthropists like you. Yes, I said philanthropists like you. Philanthropy is not about the amount of money one gives, but about the intention. Philanthropists don’t just respond to invitations to give. They investigate how they want to help the world and then make a gift to organizations that can offer that help. Then they watch closely to ensure that their money achieves its purpose. We invite your investigation, and your philanthropy!

Cheers,
Neil Chethik, Executive Director