Her time at UK led her to a Creative Writing class, James Baker Hall and the infamous Miller Hall where Jim held many of his classes. Those years were filled with creativity: photography classes with Guy Mendes and classes taught by Gurney Norman.
That time started her love of Kentucky writers and their unique voices. And marriage. “I credit my husband for getting interested in Kentucky writers again. I have always loved irreverent writing and love Ed McClanahan’s writing. My husband’s uncle is actually a character in one of Ed’s books. I see and hear that with Wille’s writing,” (Willie Davis, 2025 James Baker Hall Book Award winner).
“One of the biggest takeaways from knowing Jim was to keep writing. Scribble down the day’s adventures, but just keep writing.” Today, Emily is doing just that. She is recently retired and has joined a writing group and continues her passion for writing. And what would you say to Jim today? “I would say thank you for instilling the motivation and feedback for me to become a lifelong writer in a positive way.”
