Gay Poems for Red States

by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

No one will protect you. Months after being named the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. announced his decision to leave the public school system. His career as a high school English teacher had spanned more than a decade but ended abruptly―another casualty of the cruel and dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination that is creeping back into the halls of government and the homes of Americans. At the beginning of Carver's career, an administrator warned him about discussing his otherwise openly gay identity at "No one will protect you, including me." A new administration allowed for more freedom, but the initial warning eventually rang true. School officials failed repeatedly to address harassment of students and of Carver himself, until he could no longer endure such a purposeful deterioration of human rights. While Carver's testimony before the House of Representatives brought much-needed attention to the need for protections for LGBTQ+ people in schools, the damage was done.

In Gay Poems for Red States , Carver counters the injustice of a persistent anti-LGBTQ+ movement by asserting that a life full of beauty and pride is possible for everyone. More than a collection of poetry, Carver's earnest and heartfelt verses are for those wishing to discover and understand the vastness of Appalachia, and for the LGBTQ+ Appalachians who long for a future―for a home―in an often unwelcoming place.

Genres: Poetry, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction, Gay, Memoir, American

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Leah Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. has given us a gift with his book. From the moment it begins, his vulnerability and empathy sweep through each poem. We are taking a journey with him through small moments, and harsh truths about the world and those that are trying to find their place in it.

This book of poetry will be one that I return to time and time again when I need to be reminded that through the complex systems that continue to suppress so many, that there is alway hope and love and empathy.

[Sarah Snipes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful, raw, vulnerable collection. Willie put words on paper that fed my soul and healed some wounds along the way.

[TA Inskeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is astonishing and heartbreaking and HOLY FUCK. I’m not Appalachian, but I did grow up poor and rural and gay, and I saw so much of myself here; I wept more than once while reading. These poems ripped me apart and then glued me back together with bacon grease and biscuit dough. Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr is a brilliant writer with a massive heart, and I can’t wait to see what he writes from here. I know I’ll read it, there’s no question. Best book of 2023, hands down.

11/26/23 update: rereading Willie’s brilliant book while physically in Appalachia hits different, makes it all the more powerful. Goddamn goddamn goddamn.

[Jack Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible, appalachian, touching in a localized sense. inspired me to make buttermilk biscuits twice in two days. comforting to hold the vocabulary in my hands again

[Sophia Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here are some of my favorites: Self-Hating Preacher, Hard to Take Seriously, Waiting for God, Josh, Under the Pews, and The Truth Will Stand When the World's on Fire.

Some of these poems were layered and transformative, and some were simple but true. Underpinning all of them is the call to recognize yourself (and others) as valuble. To uphold dignity. Carver explains what it's like to feel as if "none of it was made for you." This idea was put into his head by sinful systems that produce situations like the one at his grandmother's funeral in which the preacher spouted hate from the pulpit. Carver writes that "The little preacher didn't know that he couldn't destroy what was ordained by God."

What has been ordained by God?-Carver's mother puts it best in the poem 'Waiting for God':

"The same God that put them stars in the sky didn't do it so he could send you to hell."

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this mesmerizing collection in one sitting. Gorgeous, raw, important work.

[Jake Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s just really freaking good.

[Jessica Drecktrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I don’t identify as author does - gay Appalachian male teacher - I still found myself embedded in the pages of the poems and couldn’t tear myself away until every last word was read.

The way he described otherness, childhood poverty and the seemingly small moments that stay with and define you - had an incredible way of transporting me to my past as I reflected on the building blocks that led me here, and the future where I look ahead angry, but motivated, and questioning what more must be done to make this hate stop.

After joining an author event at WordHaven BookHouse in Sheboygan, WI last night, I witnessed the authenticity of his character and courageous spirit on full display. I encourage anyone that can hear him speak to do so. You will leave gutted, but inspired to keep learning, growing and fighting.

[Zachary Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRUE RATING 3.7, the free-verse style was hard to read. Honestly picked this book because it said Gay and the author signed it 😂. I would be curious to hear the author read his work in an audiobook.

I’d consider this more of a collection of short stories rather than poems (maybe I need to learn more about writing styles in poetry).

I did enjoy his colorful vocabulary and felt like I got a true sense of the author’s life as a gay Appalachian kid who grew up poor. I found a good portion of this content relatable.

“Biscuit Girl” was one of my favs because it was light hearted and had a sense of sass to it compared to all the others.

[Chad Alexander Guarino da Verona · Rating 4 out of 5]

“but keep your head pointed toward the sky
because this moment will not be the end of you”

[Patricia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Day 7 of #TheSealeyChallenge 2023. Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. published by University Press of Kentucky.
@SealeyChallenge @WillieETCarver @KentuckyPress

The images and sentiment are so familiar to me—my Dad’s from KY and I’m from OH (Jerry Springer was my high school graduation commencement speaker). I know these homes, church ladies, cinderblocks, winter kittens, and McDonald’s drive-thru’s well. I know the room full of books as the only safe place. Carver points a lens on the smile-scented supermarkets and gun-toting brothers.

Some of my favorite moments:

My mother’s knee-length, interstate-cold denim coat is a traveling house.

Eating neckline and taters is the culinary equivalent of saying Ain’t and meaning it as strong as a cuss word.

Sometimes a person will speak truth that comes to them years before they are able to live it.

[Courtney Sells-Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely, utterly, and fantastically in love with these poems.

[Michael Lein · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful, heart-rending body of work

[Michael Soskil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just sat in the sun and read Willie Carver’s Gay Poems for Red States. Damn. I’m appreciate for his raw emotions, his insight into experiences I can understand - but never *understand*, and his gift with words. Most of all, I’m appreciative for the perspectives that will allow me to be a better teacher in my rural, conservative community. Just like when I read Jeanette Wells’s The Glass Castle for the first time, I know these are real experiences my students face on a daily basis and that I need to understand better. Seeing the world through Willie’s eyes and verses makes me better able to teach them with love, compassion, and comprehension of their lived experiences.

[emily gielshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥️ I will be thinking about “a guy named Casey who I had never met” for a long time

[Erin Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was lovely and powerful and important.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Willie Carver grew up extremely poor, often in places with no electricity or running water, eventually became a decade long award winning teacher, who won Kentucky's Teacher of the Year in 2022. Carver, an openly gay man, left teaching soon after due to ongoing discrimination. It wasn't the latest parent complaint to the school board but the lack of support from administration and fellow teachers that led Carver to this difficult decision. I understood that he wrote this book of poetry about that experience. Not so much. The poems cover much of Carver's life from a young boy, through growing up, meeting his husband, to really very little about education, his time as a teacher, or the events that caused him to quit. The title and the promotion for the collection didn't accurately portray the poetry within. The poetry itself is OK. Written in free verse, I had a hard time getting into the flow of it, and found each poem uneven often with conflicting ideas per poem. I think Carver could have a fascinating and important story to tell - one I want him to tell - but this collection fell short.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, I do not care for poetry. But I started reading this book because the title intrigued me. Once I began to read, I could not stop. What a way with words this author has!
The book reads brilliantly as we get a sense of who the author is, where he comes from, how life has been for him and who has been important to him. But most of all, we get a sense of place in a way that is able to take the ordinary into the extraordinary. Love shines through.
It's a brilliant book. Everyone should read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's absolutely wonderful and I want to sing its praises widely!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve started reading poetry collections this year, it’s somehow become a thing I do. This was by far and away the best poetry collection I’ve read in this, or possibly any year. There were no real “duds” and the exceptional verses really did stand out in an already great collection. The poems felt very universal while also seeming incredibly specific. The poet’s range and incisive observations lend the collection a broad and at the same time focused and minutely intentional tone. The language is of course beautiful, and every poem has one or two lines that really shine out and stick in your mind. Here is an example I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it and cannot bear not including, it comes from the end of the poem “Embarrassing”

“Embarrassment is a tactic of war / in which we teach the other / to destroy themselves / while we can say / that our hands / are clean.”

I got chills reading that, it’s stunning stuff.

The author’s insistence on embracing his queerness as well (not instead of) as his Appalachian heritage is admirable and heartening. Especially given the current political climate in many Appalachian states. This is the kind of poetry collection I wish I had stumbled on as a middle/ highschooler, it’s genuinely optimistic in a way that doesn’t downplay the challenges LGBTQ people from this region face.

I would recommend this collection to just about everyone, especially if you’re a bit of an outsider and especially if you're from the Appalachian region. If you read one poetry collection this year, make sure it’s Gay Poems for Red States.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those times came for me in an instant, and a life dreamt up by a gay kid in the hollers of Appalachia, a kid who fought poverty, homophobia, and violence to build his dream, shattered on the spot.

I really, really enjoyed this. As a Kentuckian, who grew up just down the highway from Mt. Sterling, I found this especially interesting. I remember when the author won teacher of the year here in KY too, and to know what happened after is just...infuriating, honestly. Why do bigots always have to show their ugly faces?

The poetry was beautiful, as was the story that unfolded within the poems. I can relate SO MUCH, especially to the parts about losing accents and feeling ashamed of how I speak. I mask my accent hard, and have for years, and I wish now that I had never started because it's so hard to get it back around strangers.

Also let's talk about this:

which weighed a lot to a boy who knew grown men named June-Bug and Chigger.

I just want to mention that we had a June Bug in our family, and a dog named Chigger who was my sister's as a kid. We now have a second dog named Chiglet, who looks like the first Chigger.

SO there's that!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve started reading poetry collections this year, it’s somehow become a thing I do. This was by far and away the best poetry collection I’ve read in this, or possibly any year. There were no real “duds” and the exceptional verses really did stand out in an already great collection. The poems felt very universal while also seeming incredibly specific. The poet’s range and incisive observations lend the collection a broad and at the same time focused and minutely intentional tone. The language is of course beautiful, and every poem has one or two lines that really shine out and stick in your mind. Here is an example I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it and cannot bear not including, it comes from the end of the poem “Embarrassing”

“Embarrassment is a tactic of war / in which we teach the other / to destroy themselves / while we can say / that our hands / are clean.”

I got chills reading that, it’s stunning stuff.

The author’s insistence on embracing his queerness as well (not instead of) as his Appalachian heritage is admirable and heartening. Especially given the current political climate in many Appalachian states. This is the kind of poetry collection I wish I had stumbled on as a middle/ highschooler, it’s genuinely optimistic in a way that doesn’t downplay the challenges LGBTQ people from this region face.

I would recommend this collection to just about everyone, especially if you’re a bit of an outsider and especially if you're from the Appalachian region. If you read one poetry collection this year, make sure it’s Gay Poems for Red States.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t give Willie Carver anything less than five stars. He shared so many revealing moments of shame, love, hurt, cold, family, and empathy from educators that to give him less would be a punch to the gut. These are poems for students as well as for teachers. And we are all both at some point in our lives. I feel privileged to have read about life in Kentucky in the holler. Each poem is a memoir, a piece of Carver’s story he generously shares. I disagree with the title. While the poems are American centric, with many references to be missed I believe the message is for everyone in every country. I will be giving it to my students regardless of their country of origin and I think they will weep like I did.

[Karlie Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I didn't hear the word gay in class.
I didn't hear the word gay in books.
I didn't hear the word gay in songs.
I didn't hear the word gay in kids' shows,
I did hear the word gay in church, but only when they talked about monsters.

I didn't always feel like a monster, though I accepted that it must be true."

😭 Gay little boys are just little boys too, they're not monsters. These were excellent poems, and opened my eyes to parts of a life that I've never had to live so had never even considered. This book seems especially relevant in this current time of LGBTQIA+ book bans. I hope this book doesn't get banned but as I write this, I know it will. 😔

𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 i𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.⁣

[Emily Labosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard this author speak at a panel at the bookmarks festival yesterday. I got very emotional listening to his story. When I ran into him at the book tent I asked if he would sign my book. We had a talk and I got emotional again. He wrote something very moving in my book and even responded to a few of my messages on Twitter. He walks the walk. He’s encouraging me to share my story like he did. I said “Us gay poets from red states have to stick together.” And he said “That’s how we’ll win.” I read this book in one sitting last night. It hits really hard. If you’re gay or from the south you’ll be able to relate to it. If you’re both it’ll be like he took the words right from your mouth! Highly recommend

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of poems I've read in a while.
-
-
"I was too busy teaching commas and essays
to remember prophecy,
too busy not seeing the world in front of me
to catch hold of the King-James-mountain-witch-woman stitches
that held together
the space-time
bending and breaking
in the universes between my students' words,
crawling out from under
the graphite smearing on their multiple-choice quizzes
as they fought the brimstone cement bricks of the classroom
for the right to melt down
truth and freedom
so we could finally see that they were the same damned thing."

[Lauren Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willie was my high school French teacher. He inspired me to see beyond the limits I felt I had placed on me, growing up as a fellow holler-raised Appalachian kid. He still inspires me to this day, I still find myself reminiscing on his life stories he’d share in class that would make me giggle or think more deeply about things.
This collection of poems was wonderful, I could feel the pain and joy, smell the salty-sausage biscuits, remember being on food stamps, and feel the hot sticky sweat clinging to my skin from eastern Kentucky summer air. He gives such personality and warmth in his words.

[Sarah Brown Wessling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous collection! I laughed, I cried, I pondered, I re-read, I got quiet, I reached out to talk about what I was reading. These poems are brilliant and honest, his voice strong from experience, pain, and love. As I read, I kept thinking this was the voice that young Willie needed to hear. The voice he earned and could finally give himself. This is the kind of book I’d buy many copies of to hand out as I’d come across people who needed these words. And…just so proud of Willie and his courage to tell his story.

[Baldwin Gittens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful collection of poems! My class spoke with the author today and it was so refreshing to see someone speak so passionately about their work. I really recommend this book for people trying to gain a better understanding for life and the influences in Appalachia. Our society is so polarised so it has been beautiful learning about a different culture. We have read so many great pieces in the class and it was refreshing to view Appalachia from the lens of the queer community. Even if you don’t read the entire collection I recommend reading a few poems.

[Tristan Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still trying hard to get into poetry and this felt more fleshed out than some of the other poetry books I read. Also as a gay country person raised in a small town, I really loved seeing things I describe to people or experiences I have had first hand happed to me written in such beautiful ways. Some were a little silly, but they were probs just not for me. Would recommend to your closest gay hick.

[Emily Migliazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and caring elegy of living queer in Appalachia. Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr is a man I’d like to know.

“My brother never seemed to notice things / unless he was pointing a gun at them” (23).

“And there ain’t nothing y’all fear like hearing the holy truth / pouring out of the mouth of some dumb hillbilly” (56).

“The creeks rose and sang hymns too old to be written down, / and they called out to God from the ground / as they washed away the ruins of the world” (102).