Name Irene McKinney | Role Poet | |
 | ||
Died February 4, 2012, Barbour County, West Virginia, United States Education West Virginia Wesleyan College, University of Utah Books Vivid companion, Unthinkable: Selected Poems 1, Six o'clock mine report, Quick fire and slow fire, The girl with the stone in h | ||
Visiting her gravesite a personal portrait of poet irene mckinney 1939 2012
Irene McKinney (April 20, 1939 – February 4, 2012) was an American poet and editor, and served as the Poet Laureate of the state of West Virginia from her appointment by Governor Gaston Caperton in January 1994 until her death.
Contents
- Visiting her gravesite a personal portrait of poet irene mckinney 1939 2012
- Mountainword 11 irene mckinney
- Biography
- Poetry collections
- As editor
- References
Mountainword 11 irene mckinney
Biography
One of six children, Irene McKinney grew up in Barbour County, WV on a 300-acre farm that had been in her family for generations. She attended a one-room school, Concord School for first through fifth grades. McKinney recalls that her second grade teacher, Mrs. Teeter, recognized and encouraged her by giving her a double promotion from second to fourth grade.
McKinney was born in Belington and earned her B.A. in English Literature at West Virginia Wesleyan College, in addition to an M.A. at West Virginia University and her PhD in English literature from the University of Utah. She was a protégé of and editor for Louise McNeill; a relationship which helped form her commitment to regionalism in writing. She died of cancer at the family home in Barbour County at the age of 72.
McKinney was proud of her West Virginia rural heritage. She shows the depth of her value for her home state in this quote: "When people say this state is backward, I simply am astounded. I had access to a farm community, a small peaceful town and school and good, dedicated teachers. I was in nature and in literature--a perfect combination for a writer".
Poetry collections
As editor
Backcountry: Contemporary Writing in West Virginia (Editor, Vandalia Press, 2002)