Burn The Mic: April 18 & April 21

BURN THE MIC with us during National Poetry Month!

On April 18, join us for BURN THE MIC at the Carnegie Center. The featured speaker is Deidra White. Sign ups start at 6:30 PM and open mic kicks off at 7:00 PM.

On April 21, join us for BURN THE MIC at A Likely Story. The featured speaker is Claudia Love Mair. Sign ups start at 1:30 PM and open mic kicks off at 2:00 PM.

Deidra White is a Lexington, Ky. native and poet. She received the 2022 Farquhar Poetry Award for "Meihua," the Patricia and William Stacy Endowed Fellowship for Distinguished Honors in English, the William Hugh Jansen Fiction Award in the Art of Storytelling/Folklore for "Woodstock," and the 2023 Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing Nonfiction Award for her contemporary piece "DUCK." Her work engages the tradition of Affrilachian writing and explores the intricate dynamics of Black womanhood with an eye to past and present connections.

Claudia Love Mair is the Coordinator for the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative. She is the author of 13 books, including her memoir Don't You Fall Now, and the upcoming Mourning Pages: Working Through Grief the Write Way (2025). Claudia Love also serves as a Carnegie Center mentor. She holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University and has made her mission to elevate, amplify, and celebrate Black voices. Claudia Love is available for any questions you may have about the KBWC, and is happy to guide new members in how to make the best of all Carnegie Center offerings.