Jay McCoy, author of The Occupation (Accents Publishing), will be one of the featured speakers at tonight’s Kentucky Great Writers event along with Jason Howard and Gwyn Human Rubio.

The poems of The Occupation deal with homosexual relationships and the threat of HIV. Jay McCoy instructs the class “Writing for Recovery” at the NAMI Participation Station in Lexington, Kentucky. He is a Lexington-based poet and visual artist with deep roots in Eastern Kentucky as well as the general manager for the Morris book shop and co-founder of the Teen Howl Poetry Series.

Jason Howard‘s writings have spanned the careers of such musicians as Carly Simon, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs, Jim James, and Jean Ritchie. A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky) explores the many genres in which Kentucky musicians have helped contribute, from folk and jazz to hip hop and gospel.

Because Gwyn Hyman Rubio‘s father, a writer, had a fatal heart attack at 39, she stayed away from the profession as long as she could. In 1983, she realized her calling and was accepted into the MFA Program at Warren Wilson College. Her writing tends to explore human relationships, especially those of children and parets. Love and Ordinary Creatures (Ashland Creek Press) is from the perspective of a cockatoo and explores the bird’s relationship with his caretaker.

Open mic sign-ups start at 6:30pm with readings at 7. Featured guests begin at 7:30.

Visit the Facebook Event page for more info.