{"id":1920,"date":"2013-05-10T10:37:01","date_gmt":"2013-05-10T14:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2013\/05\/poet-nikky-finney-to-receive-honorary-degree-from-transylvania-university\/"},"modified":"2020-07-14T13:56:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T17:56:13","slug":"poet-nikky-finney-to-receive-honorary-degree-from-transylvania-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2013\/05\/poet-nikky-finney-to-receive-honorary-degree-from-transylvania-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Poet Nikky Finney to receive honorary degree from Transylvania University"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University will award the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to poet Nikky Finney<\/a> at the May 25 commencement<\/a> ceremony on the front steps of historic Old Morrison. Finney is a nationally recognized poet and professor of English and creative writing at the University of Kentucky. She delivered the convocation address<\/a> to Transylvania students in September 2012.<\/p>\n

Her latest book of poetry, \u201cHead Off & Split,\u201d won the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry and explores important people and events in African American history. One reviewer said the book confirmed her role as \u201c…one of the most eloquent, urgent, fearless and necessary poets writing in America today….\u201d Two other books of poetry have been award winners\u2014\u201cThe World is Round\u201d won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Poetry, and \u201cRice\u201d won a PEN American Open Books Award.<\/p>\n

Her other writing includes \u201cOn Wings Made of Gauze,\u201d a debut collection of poetry, and \u201cHeartwood,\u201d a collection of short stories. She also edited \u201cThe Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South,\u201d which has become an essential anthology of contemporary African American writers.<\/p>\n

Finney was born and raised in South Carolina as the child of activist parents. Her father was a civil rights attorney and her mother was a teacher. Coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Arts Movement and seeing her parents deeply involved in the struggle for justice, she learned early on the power of language. Her poems bear witness to those powerful crusades on behalf of human dignity. They speak of family and politics, violence and compassion and to the experiences of black America and alternative sexualities.<\/p>\n

Finney earned a B.A. in English literature from Talladega College and did graduate studies in African American literature at Atlanta University. Before her present position as the Guy Davenport Endowed Professor of English at UK, she held several academic appointments. Among these were the Goode Chair in the Humanities at Berea College and the Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence position at Smith College<\/p>\n

This August, Finney will begin her new role as the John H. Bennett Jr. Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Literature at the University of South Carolina. This is a joint appointment in the English language and literature department and the African American studies program. She will also teach in the MFA creative writing program.<\/p>\n

The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Actor Steve Zahn will deliver the commencement address<\/a> and approximately 220 students will receive bachelors of arts degrees. <\/p>\n

For more information, contact the public relations office<\/a> at (859) 233-8120.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University will award the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to poet Nikky Finney at the May 25 commencement ceremony on the front steps of historic Old Morrison. Finney is a nationally recognized poet and professor of English and creative writing at the University of Kentucky. She delivered the convocation address to Transylvania students in September 2012. Her latest book of poetry, \u201cHead Off & Split,\u201d won the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry and explores important people and events in African American history. One reviewer said the book confirmed her role as \u201c…one of the most eloquent, urgent, fearless and necessary poets writing in America today….\u201d Two other books of poetry have been award winners\u2014\u201cThe World is Round\u201d won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Poetry, and \u201cRice\u201d won a PEN American Open Books Award. Her other writing includes \u201cOn Wings Made of Gauze,\u201d a debut collection of poetry, and \u201cHeartwood,\u201d a collection of short stories. She also edited \u201cThe Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South,\u201d which has become an essential anthology of contemporary African American writers. Finney was born and raised in South Carolina as the child of activist parents. Her father was a civil rights attorney and her mother was a teacher. Coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Arts Movement and seeing her parents deeply involved in the struggle for justice, she learned early on the power of language. Her<\/p>\n

Read “Poet Nikky Finney to receive honorary degree from Transylvania University”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36],"feeds":[],"class_list":["post-1920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commencement"],"yoast_head":"\nPoet Nikky Finney to receive honorary degree from Transylvania University - 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Kenan Jr. Lecture, \u201cPoetry, The Influencer,\u201d at 7 p.m. Thursday in Haggin Auditorium.","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"headshot of a woman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1485,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2012\/08\/national-book-award-winner-nikky-finney-to-address-transylvania-convocation-on-sunday-sept-9-at-7-p-m-free-and-open-to-the-public\/","url_meta":{"origin":1920,"position":2},"title":"National Book Award winner Nikky Finney to address Transylvania convocation on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m.; free and open to the public","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"August 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Poet and professor Nikky Finney, winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry, will deliver the convocation address for the beginning of the academic year at Transylvania University on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium. 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Transylvania president R. Owen Williams conferred the bachelor of arts degree on the graduates,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/commencement13.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1479,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2012\/05\/affrilachian-poet-bianca-spriggs-gives-transylvania-graduates-address-to-remember\/","url_meta":{"origin":1920,"position":4},"title":"Affrilachian poet Bianca Spriggs gives Transylvania graduates address to remember","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"May 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Poet Bianca Spriggs '03 speaks to the Class of 2012. LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams conferred the Bachelor of Arts degree to 241 students Saturday in a commencement ceremony on the steps of historic Old Morrison. Bianca Spriggs, a renowned Affrilachian poet and 2003 Transylvania graduate, gave a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/commencement2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1496,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2012\/03\/award-winning-poet-bianca-spriggs-to-deliver-transylvania-university-commencement-address-on-saturday-may-26-at-930-a-m\/","url_meta":{"origin":1920,"position":5},"title":"Award-winning poet Bianca Spriggs to deliver Transylvania University commencement address on Saturday, May 26, at 9:30 a.m.","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"March 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Affrilachian poet, multidisciplinary artist and Cave Canem Fellow Bianca Spriggs will deliver the commencement address at Transylvania University on Saturday, May 26, at 9:30 a.m. on the steps of historic Old Morrison. Spriggs, a 2003 graduate of Transylvania, was named as one of the Top 30 Performance Poets by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/spriggsbianca.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12988,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920\/revisions\/12988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1920"},{"taxonomy":"feeds","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feeds?post=1920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}