Kentucky Writers’ Day Planning Guide

ADULT LEARNERS (including ESL, GED and literacy programs) 

• Ask your students to select a book written by a Kentucky writer and read it to their children. Encourage them to explore children’s books, too; ask them to have their children share in the reading. 

• Have your students write a story about an event or person in their own lives they can share with their family. 

• Ask ESL students to share writing from their home countries. Teachers can share a favorite Kentucky story; follow up with a discussion about the writings. 

• Post short videos of your adult students reading from their stories to social media. 

 
BUSINESSES 

• Circulate information about books by Kentucky writers to your employees. 

• Invite your employees to come to work as their favorite Kentucky writer and share their favorite Kentucky writings. 

• Host a brown bag lunch to discuss books by Kentucky writers. Select a book to read together and discuss at lunch. 

• Invite a local writer or ask your employees to read and talk about their writing. 

 
BOOK DISCUSSION GROUPS 

• Read and discuss a book by a Kentucky writer. 

• Schedule your regular discussion to coincide with Kentucky Writers’ Day.  

• Invite a local writer to lead a discussion on their own book or that of their favorite Kentucky writer. 

• Create a Zoom discussion of a book by a Kentucky writer and open the discussion to non-book group individuals. Invite the author to join the discussion. 

 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 

• Host a public reading by students and faculty. 

• Create a writing contest for students and faculty; publish the winning pieces or host a reading by the winners. 

• Invite the public to a panel discussion on Kentucky writers; involve faculty, students and local writers. 

• Sponsor a coffee house with an open mic; invite students, faculty and the community to participate. 

COMMUNITY CENTERS AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS 

• Invite a local writer to read and lead a writing workshop. 

• Present a youth group reading of works by their favorite Kentucky writers or their own writing. 

• Create a display featuring your members who are writers—include photos of the writers and short pieces of their writing. 

• Sponsor a coffee house for members to share their writing. 

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

• Encourage staff to share their writing or the writing of their favorite Kentucky author at a lunch-time reading, on a bulletin board, or in an inner-agency newsletter. 

• Host a discussion of a book by a Kentucky writer during a brown bag lunch. 

• Sponsor a book drive to collect new and gently used books to distribute to your clients, a local school, or a reading program.  

• Invite agency staff to bring their children to a special lunchtime children’s story hour; encourage staff and their children to share their favorite stories. 

 
GROUP HOMES AND DAY PROGRAMS 

• Invite a local writer to lead a writing workshop; have volunteers on hand to collect oral stories as needed. Plan a reading of all the writings and invite your clients’ families and friends or create an in-house publication of the collected stories. 

• Sponsor a book drive to collect new and gently used books to distribute to your clients or to create an in-house library. 

• Schedule a field trip to the public library or a local bookstore for your clients; arrange for the trip to include a reading and discussion. 
   
   

JAILS AND PRISONS 

• Invite local writers to read and lead writing workshops. 

• Hold an open mic event for people who are incarcerated to share their writing during recreation time. 

• Sponsor a writing contest and plan a special dinner with a local writer for the winners. 

 
LIBRARIES 

• Create a display of books by Kentucky writers. 

• Host children’s readings with books by Kentucky writers. 

• Invite local writers to participate in a reading for the community. 

• Host a writing workshop.  

 
NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES 

• Host a writing contest and publish the winning entries the week of Kentucky Writers’ Day. 

• Run listings, press releases, and other information about local Kentucky Writers’ Day events. 

• Publish a feature story about local writers. 

• Ask a poet to write an editorial in poem form for Kentucky Writers’ Day. 

• Follow up on Writers’ Day events in your area with an article about what happened and who was involved; include photos. 

 
SCHOOLS 

• Have language arts and reading classes read a book by a Kentucky author and then write stories of their own. 

• Invite a local writer to visit your school or classroom to read and talk to students about writing.  

• Create a bulletin board featuring Kentucky authors; include short biographies, book jackets, author photos, etc. 

• Host a Readers and Writers Café with students sharing an open mic. (Do this up right with rugs and pillows on the floor, low tables, lamps instead of the overhead lights, and refreshments.) 

• Host a Kentucky Writers’ Day Fair for the community; invite local authors and students to participate through readings, book signings, and other activities. 

• Create a book of original writing by students and host a launch party featuring students reading their work for other classes and the community. 

 
SENIOR CITIZENS’ CENTERS 

• Host a writing workshop led by a local writer. 

• Invite writing students from a local school to share their original writing. 

• Create a display featuring your clients who are writers. Include photos of the writers and short pieces of their writing; invite them to read at a special lunch event. 

• Stage a write-in and invite your clients to write about their lives and then share their work. 

 
SOCIAL SERVICE AND NONPROFIT AGENCIES 

• Create a display or bulletin board featuring local writers; include photos and short pieces of their writing. 

• Have a book drive to collect books to distribute to your clients; ask for all reading levels. 

• Ask your clients and staff to share their original writing at a reading or by posting on a bulletin board; include some of the writings in your monthly newsletter. 

• Host a children’s story hour once a week in April. Ask the children to invite their families; ask community members to volunteer to read. 

TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS 

• Ask program anchors and hosts to share excerpts from their favorite Kentucky writers at the end of their shows throughout the week leading up to Kentucky Writers’ Day. 

• Run public service announcements for local Kentucky Writers’ Day events. 

• Ask community members to read one to three minute excerpts from their favorite Kentucky authors to air throughout the week leading up to or the month of Kentucky Writers’ Day. 

• Interview local writers and the Kentucky Poet Laureate for the news during the week of Kentucky Writers’ Day. 

• Invite local writers to be interviewed and to read a short passage of their work on-air. 

WRITERS’ GROUPS 

• Schedule your regular meeting to coincide with Kentucky Writers’ Day.  

• Invite a Kentucky writer from another community to speak or read to your group. 

• Plan an activity in which group members work with the local senior citizens center or schools to read and write together. 

• Invite your family and friends to join your writers’ group meeting and write with you. 

• Host a community reading of work by members of the writers’ group and include an open mic for non-members.