Coal Black Voices: What is an Affrilachian Poet?

"We're part of kentucky's history, we're part of the landscape."
--Frank X. Walker

What is an Affrilachian Poet?
Media Working Group

A term coined by Frank Walker in his poem "Affrilachia" to describe people of color living in the Appalachian region, "Affrilachian" became the name of a group of like minded poets who came together for mutual support and encouragement. As Walker explains, "One of the things I've encountered traveling outside of Kentucky is having to defend the fact that people of color actually live here... I'm trying to say, not only are we here, we're here in a very large way, we're part of Kentucky's history, we're part of the landscape..."

Coal Black Voices