Workhorse

12/11/2025

IT’S 👏 HERE 👏

Yearling 4 is now available with a subscription to the Workhorse Patreon! (There’s a “support Yearling” option.) Manny and the lovely readers have done it again! The incredible cover art by Upfromsumdirt! 🫶

Sound off in the comments if you have poems in this edition! Please share!

12/02/2025

What are your favorite things about the Kentucky literary community?? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

12/01/2025

LexPoMo 2025 consisted of 362 poets, over 3,500 poems, and an anthology that is going to be absolutely glorious!

Arwen Careaga took on the enormous labor of making this year’s selections. Keep your eyes peeled for the anthology cover and title over the next months!

Share the title of your selected poem and I’ll post it in our story!

11/17/2025

Kentucky Poets, there's still time to apply for the 2026 Poetry Gauntlet!

Applications are now open forthe 2026 Poetry Gauntlet! DOWNLOAD APPLICATION Created by Christopher McCurry, The Poetry Gauntlet is an intense one-year workshop for poets. Led by poet Sean L. Corbin, […]

10/23/2025

Say hello to the newest addition to our social media team at Workhorse!

Susanna “Suz” Spearman-Orlando (they/she) is a q***r, Appalachian poet originally from South Carolina. They graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Bluegrass Writers Studio. They live in central Kentucky with their wife, four cats, and senior chihuahua. They are a full-time ESL and English teacher. In addition to being the secretary of Kentucky State Poetry Society, they are also editor of the KSPS semi-annual literary journal, Pegasus. They are the director of Multifarious Collective, an organization based in central Kentucky that amplifies multilingual/multicultural poetic and artistic voices.

Susanna was the 2023 winner of the BGWS Emerging Writer Award for Poetry (selected by Bernard Clay). They also have poems published in West Trade Review, Still: The Journal Carolina Muse, Yearling Journal, and more

09/08/2025

Chris here.

By now you've probably heard of Jon Thrower's passing. At Workhorse, Jon shared his love of writing and his fellow writer by editing the Lexington Poetry Month anthology and helping read and select the Pushcart Nominees for Yearling. We were lucky to know and benefit from his experience and community oriented heart. I will miss him.

You can read more about Jon at the link below.

https://www.carecremationservice.com/obituaries/Jon-Mike-Thrower?obId=44926020 #/obituaryInfo

Dear friends of KSPS,

With deep sadness we share that Pegasus Editor Jon Thrower passed away last night. He was loved, respected and valued by all of us and we are grateful for the time we spent together as friends and colleagues. He will be dearly missed. As soon as we have information about arrangements, we will let everyone know. Until then, we invite you to celebrate the life and the poetry of this amazing person by reading his contributions from the 2024 edition of Lexington Poetry Month.

https://lexpomo.com/poet/2024/jon-thrower-2024/

08/14/2025

The 2025 KSPS Conference is coming November 1–2!

Nov 1 — In person in Lexington, KY, in collaboration with the Kentucky Book Festival
Nov 2 — Online, so you can join from anywhere

Two days of poetry, connection, craft talks & community—mark your calendars! Registration details coming soon.

08/11/2025

This program is inspired by the mentorship that shaped Christopher McCurry’s life as a writer.

We believe every young writer deserves that kind of support.

Apply to mentor today → https://workhorsewriters.com/workhorse-mentors/

08/10/2025

Arranging and Organizing Your Poetry Collection with Katerina Stoykova
ONLINE: Thursday, August 28, 6:00–8:00 PM • $40

You have accumulated a pile of poems, so what's next? How do you go about arranging them into a book? Should you work towards a chapbook or a full-length collection? What could be a manageable, nonintimidating place to get started? What is the best way to organize the material? Should you break it into sections or shape it into one continuous flow? How can you recognize a good title for a collection? What are the main architectural elements of a book? How to keep sane and motivated throughout all this? Poet/Editor/Publisher Katerina Stoykova will discuss best practices on these and give tips to keep the process manageable and fun.

REGISTER TODAY: https://bit.ly/poetry_collection

08/06/2025

We're excited to launch the Workhorse Mentors Program, connecting young writers with established voices in Kentucky's writing community.

Mentors receive a $400 stipend and the opportunity to shape the next generation of literary talent.

Applications open now! See more and apply here:
🔗 https://workhorsewriters.com/workhorse-mentors/

07/27/2025

Looking for a place to read your work, hear from local poets, or just soak up the literary atmosphere? These recurring events are happening every month in communities across the state—and they’re o…