James Baker Hall remembered
Many KFTC members were among the hundreds who expressed their fondness and respect for James Baker Hall on Saturday at a memorial service. The former poet laureate of Kentucky passed away in late June.
| James Baker Hall (red shirt) participated on a KFTC mountaintop removal tour with other authors in October 2005. |
Through his lifetime of teaching, including a number of years at the University of Kentucky, Hall encouraged many students to find their artistic gifts, especially through writing. He viewed his own talents as an artist — finding expression in words and pictures — "not a choice but a calling,†said Rebecca Howell. His wife of 25 years, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, said Jim "received his gift with gratitude and joy.†He honored his gift and loved his art.
Hall was an environmentalist in the deepest ways — much of his work was based on the land and his experience with it. He loved the outdoor sounds, for example, and found them a delight and a subject.
More about the life of James Baker Hall from Ace Weekly can be found here.
Lexington Herald-Leader coverage of the memorial service is here.
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