Yesterday was Kentucky Writer's Day, an appropriate day to install Kentucky's new poet laureate, Kathleen Driscoll.

Poetry lovers and former Kentucky poet laureates gathered at the state Capitol to hear her talk about making Kentucky more creative.

The 1990.

When the Kentucky General Assembly established Kentucky Writer's Day to honor our strong literary tradition and to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Robert Penn Warren.

Todd County native Warren was the nation's first poet laureate.

Today is the 120th anniversary of his birth.

The Kentucky Arts Council facilitates the Poet Laureate nomination process.

It's reviewed by a panel of experts, and we make this decision ultimately by providing a wonderful list of names.

And the appointment is made by our governor, Andy Beshear.

Kentucky is home to so many talented writers who have built a legacy in storytelling.

It's really important to me, not just as a governor, but as a dad to two teenagers.

I recognize watching them that that creativity that is fostered through the arts help us tackle problems in all parts of society, help us look at things differently.

Help us think in a way that maybe we can come up with that next solution that no one's thought of before.

And it sparks conversations that can cross all the divides we're seeing in our nation.

It can bring people to the table.

And we need a lot more people at the same table.

Last week during the Team Kentucky update, I had the honor of announcing that Doctor Kathleen Driscoll will be our Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2025 and 2026.

She is an award winning poet, essayist, and teacher who has written six poetry collections.

Kathleen was one of the first people who validated me as a writer.

She invited me to do my first public reading as a published writer almost 26 years ago, and in the time since, I have witnessed her being a constant stalwart for the Kentucky writing community, offering her time and knowledge as a mentor to so many of us.

And I know that she's going to enlarge and enrich our literary world here in Kentucky.

During her tenure as Poet laureate.

We have such a rich heritage here, and we have so many writers coming up.

And, so I just want to help, you know, I'm kind of a born teacher, so, I just want to help people find their writing lives or to deepen their writing lives.

I know I want to work with teachers because that teacher was so important to me.

And my third grade when she helped me write my first poem.

And something that's caring all my life, even if I hadn't become a writer, would have enriched my life in so many ways.

And so I'd like to meet with schools.

I want to meet with teachers.

I want to read with other, high school teachers.

We come from a very rich storytelling connection.

And I, you know, sometimes people say, that we're made of stardust.

And I like to say we're made of stories.

Long after dark had fallen and the trail left behind.

Long after the dog I had chased into the unfamiliar woods disappeared.

She long gone into oaks and hickory and brush and likely back asleep on the porch of my new boyfriend's cabin.

I saw in the distance a fire and walked toward it.

And schools interested in having the new poet laureate as a guest can go to the Kentucky Arts Council website and contact Mr. Haskell by email.