Kayla Rae Whitaker

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“Writing, and writers, matter. Each time I have visited a workshop or taken part in a reading and felt the sway of language, or read something honest and beautiful, the experience has reaffirmed my devotion to writing.”

  • Alumni of: 2009 Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Hometown: Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Biography

PROFILE: It was at the University of Kentucky that Graduate Scholar Kayla Rae Whitaker discovered two important things about herself: She realized she wanted to be a writer and more important, she and her professors knew she was quite good at it. She’ll be leaving the hills of Appalachia soon for graduate school at New York University where she will hone her writing skills even further. She’s already written one novel, and more will be forthcoming. Kayla sits down and puts her ideas on paper (or her laptop) every day, including during the past few years while working full-time at various positions.  For Kayla it’s a labor of love, but somehow she just can’t use the term “labor” when she talks about writing.

ASPIRATION: She envisions a career as a writer. “I want to write unencumbered, with the intention of publishing my work . . . . I want to lead the modern literary body of the South from a feminist perspective, producing work reflective of a beautiful and struggling American landscape fraught with inequity, custom, and the heavy shadow of history.” 
 
INSPIRATION: “I have been inspired by fiction's ability to reflect a society and, in particular, make clear facets of identity and culture that most find difficult to put into words.  I was inspired to write by works that forced me to name my own sense of self - Gurney Norman's "Divine Right's Trip", Harriet Arnow's "The Dollmaker", Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel", among others.  To write and work with others is to attempt to give what I have been so lucky to have.  I locate myself again and again through my writing, and aim to deepen my relationship to this craft.”  

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Kayla’s senior year at Kentucky was particularly gratifying. She had the honor of presenting the Breathitt Lecture, named in honor of the late Kentucky Governor and Civil Rights Advocate, Edward T. Breathitt. The lecture is delivered by the top senior humanities scholar.

ACCOLADES:  Kayla was the recipient of the OJ and Ruby Wilson Outstanding Senior Award, presented by the University of Kentucky English Department. She also was awarded the Toyota Foundation of Kentucky Artist's Grant.

INTERESTING FACT: Thanks to a healthy dose of stage fright, Kayla switched her major in college from vocal music to English, although Kayla’s always had a burning desire to be a writer. 

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