Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. is a minoritized youth advocate, Kentucky Teacher of the Year, and the author of Gay Poems for Red States, a Stonewall, American Library Association, Read Appalachia, Whippoorwill, and Book Riot-award winning collection shortlisted for 2024 Judy Gaines-Young Book Award. His novel, Tore All to Pieces, will be published in 2026 by the University Press of Kentucky. Willie’s writing has been published in Appalachian Journal, Southern Humanities Review, Young Ravens Review, Another Chicago, Harbor Review, Smoky Blue Literary, Miracle Monocle, Good River Review, Salvation South, and Gay & Lesbian Review. Willie believes everyone deserves to feel that they matter. To learn more, visit www.williecarver.com.
Gay Poems for Red States
In Gay Poems for Red States, Carver counters the injustice of a persistent anti-LGBTQ+ movement by asserting that a life full of beauty and pride is possible for everyone. More than a collection of poetry, Carver's earnest and heartfelt verses are for those wishing to discover and understand the vastness of Appalachia, and for the LGBTQ+ Appalachians who long for a future―for a home―in an often unwelcoming place.