Kansas City Works To Regain Crown As Literary Hub

There's not a lot of love for the arts on this blog and that's one of the things that always makes me want to blow up the comments . . .

However . . .

We like that a great many educated people know that Hemingway worked for The Kansas City Star back when the paper still mattered. For those who aren't familiar with his work . . . He's the guy who invented the world's worst daiquiri and taught rock stars like Kurt Cobain how to punctuate the end of their careers.

But I digress.

This cowtown has always been visited and played host to some of the greater writers in the world.

Here's a look at an effort to rekindle the passion for the written word, a proud local tradition . . . And possibly inspire material better than the garbage most people are scrolling on their phones . . .

In addition to free creative writing classes taught by UMKC creative writing graduate students through the Kansas City Public Library, the Maya Angelou Book Award is given out during the organization’s annual fundraising event—a national award that recognizes authors and notable new releases of American fiction and poetry focusing on social justice and inclusion.

“We’re trying to make Kansas City a literary hub, bring attention here, and get people to stay here and invest in careers in literature in Kansas City,” says Whitney Terrell, an associate professor of English at UMKC and founding member of Writers for Readers.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Maya Angelou Award Aims to Make Kansas City A Literary Hub - In Kansas City

Since 2019, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) has partnered with the Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) to make Kansas City a destination for writers through a program called Writers for Readers. In addition to free creative writing classes taught by UMKC creative writing graduate students through the KCPL, the Maya Angelou Book Award is...