In the Media

Interviews with Television & Other Digital Media

• “Poetry Book Inspires LGBTQ Youth in Rural Areas.” Good Morning America.
• Sayer, Ricky. “Citing SB 150, Boyle County Schools removes books from libraries.” LEX 18 News.
• Passmore, Grasson.”Against KDE Guidance, Boyle County Schools Removes Books They Say in Compliance with SB 150.” WKYT News.
• “Willie Carver Jr. on New Book of Poetry, Quitting his Job and How School is ‘Magic.‘” NPR at WKMS.
• “Connections: Willie Carver and Colton Ryan.” Connections, with Renee Shaw. PBS.
• “Teacher of the Year and Parents Ask for Help for Sporting Team for All Abilities.” LEX 18.
• “When a Library Refused to Carry LGBTQ Books, Willie Carver Started His Own. Metro Weekly.
• “Interview with Willie Carver.” Win City Voices Podcast.
• “Former Kentucky Teacher of the Year Creating Library for LGBTQ Students.” Fox 56.
• “Former Kentucky Teacher of the Year Creates ‘All-Inclusive’ Library.” WKYT.
• “Interview with WIllie Carver, author of Gay Poems for Red States.” Eastern Standard. NPR.
• “Former Kentucky Teacher of the Year Helps Students Build an Inclusive Library.” Lex 18.
• “Former Teacher of the Year Creates LGBTQ+ Library.” Spectrum News.
• “Interview with Willie Carver.” Tales from the Kentucky Room.
• “Interview with Willie Carver.” Eastern Standard Radio with Tom Martin. Dynamic Productions.
• “Willie Carver: Shining a Light in Rural America: Advocacy, Education, and Hope.” Get Uncomfortable.
• “Let’s Celebrate Pride with Willie Carver’s Gay Poems and Bourbon.” BooksnBourbon Podcast.
• “Pride Poems with Willie Carver.” Between the Stacks. Jefferson Township Library Podcast.
• “Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr., Poet.” Think Humanities.
• “Direct Democracy, Fair Immigration Policies, Building the Bench of Leaders, and LGBTQIA+ Rights!” Mom’s Rising. Breaking Through with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner.
• “Protecting Ourselves, and Our Most Vulnerable Students, with Words.” Teach Write now. National Writing Project.
• “Episode 185: Gay Poems for Red States.” Appodlachia.
• “Evening with Willie Carver.” Held Horses Radio.
• “Interview: Gay Hillbillies and Education.” Mountain Talk Radio, WMMT.
• “Direct Democracy, Fair Immigration Policies, Building the Bench of Leaders, and LGBTQIA+ Rights!” Progressive Radio. Breaking Through. Progressive Radio.
• “Lexington high school students say their right to identity is infringed, organize.” Fox 56.
• “Teachers caught in the culture war crossfire leave the profession amid shortage.” ABC NEWS LIVE.
• “Teachers speak out against Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill.” CBS NEWS.
• “Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Carver, as Himself.” Habitually Disruptive.
• “High School Teacher of the Year Willie Carver Quits – Another Casualty of the Culture Wars.” Courageous Conversations about our Schools.
• “Willie Carver: 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.” Think Humanities.
• “Passing the Torch.” Partial Credit Podcast.
• “KY Teacher Willie Carver Testifies.” C-SPAN.
• “Floyd County’s Willie Carver: Talking about School.” WMDJ (WMDJ 100.1 FM).
• “2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Testifies Before Congress.” Lex 18: NBC.
• “Citing harassment, Kentucky’s Teacher of the Year leaves.” Lex 18: NBC.
• “Messages of love, hate surround controversy involving Estill County music teacher.” LEX 18: NBC.
• “Education Emergency.” Progress Kentucky.
• “Lesson Plan: Choice Board: Academic Censorship.” C-SPAN Classroom.
• “Open-Ended Means Open-Minded: Episode of Willie Carver.” Voices from the Classroom.
• “Interview with Willie Carver.” Transactionality. RadioLEX (WLXU 93.9 FM).

Interviews with Text-driven Media

• Kopan, Kal. “Teacher of the Year was Supposed to be an Honor. Then Politics Happened.” Boston Globe.
• “Alum and Poet Willie Carver to Visit MSU.” The Ledger Independent.
• Hunter, Amy. “His World Caught Fire, But Willie Carver Won’t Stop Advocating for Queer Students Everywhere.” Pride Source.
• Rice, Larry. “Willie Carver Shared his Book and his Story.” The Trailblazer.
• Coil, Adam. “Bookmarks Festival Gives Voice to the Unheard.” Old Gold & Black.
• Taylor, Warren. “Former Teacher of the Year Touches on the Spice and Spite of Small Towns.” Winchester Sun.
• Ed Week. “A Hotline for Educators: Advocacy Group Pledges Support in Midst of Ugly Politics.” Education Week.
• Koutoulas, Pete. “Meet Willie Carver.” Win City Voices.
• Reed, Bailey. “Advocacy is about all of us’: Kentucky Teacher of the Year presents at PCAL Cultural Enhancement Series.” College Heights Herald.
• Featured. “‘‘We did not back down.’ Rural Kentucky drag show will go on despite opposition.” Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Dominic, Robert. “Get To Know More About This KY Couple Fighting for Our Community.” Instinct Magazine.
• Moore, Jake. “‘I will cry in the darkness and help will come’: Teacher of the Year Talks Advocacy.” Bowling Green Daily News.
• Salman, Javaria. “The Culture Wars are Driving Teachers from the Classroom. Two Campaigns are Trying to Help.” The Hechinger Report.
• Will, Madeline. “A Hotline for Educators: Advocacy Group Pledges Support in Midst of Ugly Politics.” Ed Week.
• Arthur Jones. “Teachers speak out against Florida’s ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill.” CBS News.
• NEA. “Teacher Willie Carver Before the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.” NEA News.
• Melissa Block. “Students and teachers spoke on gender and race classroom discussion bans in hearing.” NPR.
• Madeline Will. “‘I’m Afraid to Return to the Classroom’: A Gay Teacher of the Year Speaks Out.” Ed Week.
• Arthur Jones. “For 2022 Teachers of the Year, accolades — and frustrations: “It is often a thankless job.” CBS News.
• Madeline Will. “White House Decorations Include Teacher and Student Art. Why Educators Say That’s Meaningful.” Ed Week.
• Lisa Autry. “2022 Teacher of the Year cautions against Kentucky education returning to ‘normal’ post pandemic.” WKU NPR.
• Walter David. “#ThisisAppalachia: Kentucky Teacher of the Year 2022.” Appalachian Community Fund.
• Jacob Perkins. “2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. uses humanity to transcend education for his students.” Kentucky Teacher.
• Audrie Lamb. “2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year testifies before U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.” Kentucky Teacher.
• Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez. “Kentucky’s reigning Teacher of the Year says LGBTQ discrimination led him to leave his job.” Louisville Courier-Journal.
• Skylar Baker-Jordan. “‘Pain and Hurt’ over LGBTQ Issues Pushed Teacher of the Year from Small-Town Classroom.” Daily Yonder.
• Valarie Honeycutt Spears. “KY Teacher of Year leaves teaching over LGBTQ discrimination.” Lexington Herald-Leader.”Lexington Herald Leader.
• “Gatton Staff, Carver, Invited to Tour White House.” University of Kentucky News.
• KSBA. “In Conversation With … Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.” Kentucky School Board Association News.
• Donald Padgett. “Willie Carver Jr. tells The Advocate his main concern now is for the vulnerable students he is leaving behind.” Advocate.
• Piotr Smolar. “In Kentucky, a conservative offensive, led by a religious minority, is being waged on schools.” Le Monde.
• Hannah Natanson. “Trust in teachers is plunging amid a culture war in education.” Washington Post.
• Brenda Álvarez. “Pride Month: Protecting LGBTQ+ Students and Educator Rights.” NEA Today.
• Kayla Moody. “Kentucky Teacher of the Year quits teaching due to homophobic culture, policies.” Spectrum News.
• Matt Lavietes. “Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year quits profession, citing homophobia.” NBC News.