Frank X Walker is a native of Danville, Kentucky, and associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky. He was appointed Kentucky Poet Laureate, 2013-2014 by Governor Steve Beshear. A founding member of the Affrilachian Poets, he created the word "Affrilachia” to help make visible the black experience in the Appalachian South. He is the author of five poetry collections: Affrilachia, Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, Black Box: Poems, When Winter Come: The Ascension of York, and Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride.