Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. is an advocate, educator, author, and Kentucky Teacher of the Year. His work is focused on advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and creating inclusive spaces for students, especially within the context of Appalachia. He is the author of Tore All to Pieces, a fragmented novel about a small town in Appalachia and the interconnectedness of our identities, as well as Gay Poems for Red States, a bestselling collection of narrative poetry about his childhood growing up queer in Appalachia.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Carver's reply:

I was asked what I am reading. An easier question might be what I'm not reading, since I have a propensity for reading dozens of books at a time.

I just finished Needlework by Julia Watts. A gorgeous novel set in east Tennessee. What I love the most is that she doesn't shy away from the ugly and painful; in fact, she takes a second look. She allows ethics to articulate itself where things feel hopeless. She flings something nostalgic into the future.

Yesterday, I finished Mickie Kennedy's Worth Burning, a stunning poetry collection. That's another book unwilling to look away. But here, the focus isn't nostalgia or hope. It's the courage of witness.

I am halfway through Joshua Whitehead's Jonny Appleseed. It centers an indigenous two-spirit person who navigates a life following trauma, and there is a haunting that I recognize in it. A haunting in bodies.

I am also halfway through Bearwallow by Jeremy Jones. He traces a lot of things—story, place, ancestry. But he never gets lost in the past. He anchors us in the moment, but softly. Lets us see the shape he's feeling.

Lastly, I am finishing Dear Mothman by Robin Gow. What a tender collection! It centers the diary of a 6th grader with autism who has lost his best friend, a diary written to Mothman. Written for children, it reminds us that we all know the feeling of being someone's monster.

Visit Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr.'s website.

Q&A with Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr.

My Book, The Movie: Tore All to Pieces.

The Page 69 Test: Tore All to Pieces.

--Marshal Zeringue