Kathryn Stripling Byer, author of six books of poetry and North Carolina’s first female poet laureate, passed away on Monday, June 5, from lymphoma. She was seventy-two.

Byer was nominated as state poet laureate in 2005 and served a four-year term. In 2012 she was inducted to the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. Her other honors included a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award.

She was lauded for turning the poet laureate role in North Carolina from one of ceremony to one of advocacy. Richard Krawiec told the News & Observer, “She became a true people’s Poet Laureate, with a website blog where she would highlight as many other poets as she could. She really was an activist about sharing the work of other North Carolina writers.”

Over her career she taught at UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina University (both AWP Member Programs), and Lenoir-Rhyne University.

In a remembrance for the North Carolina Writers’ Network website, Executive Director of NCWN Ed Southern wrote, “Kay Byer, in everything I ever saw her do, was an elegant rebuttal of the idea that great artists have to be selfish and self-absorbed to produce work of excellence. She wrote some of the finest poetry I have ever read, and was one of the finest people I have ever known.”

Photo Credit: Website of Kathryn Stripling Byer