The Kentucky Arts Council says poet, author and teacher Frederick Smock has been named as Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2017-2018.
A statement from the council says Smock will be inducted during a ceremony on May 1 at the Old State Capitol in Frankfort. The Louisville native is a professor at Bellarmine University.
Smock says he is thrilled by the appointment and wants to make poetry relevant to all Kentuckians during his two-year term.
An author of 10 books of poems and essays, Smock has earned several awards, including the 2002 Henry Leadingham Poetry Prize, the 2003 Jim Wayne Miller Prize for Poetry and the 2008 Kentucky Literary Award for Poetry.
The Kentucky poet laureate promotes the literary arts at community and educational events around the state.
