Ron Whitehead

Ron Whitehead.

Brief Biography:

Ron Whitehead has exhibited a diversity of skills and interests ranging from poet to professor. Ron started out on a farm in Kentucky, but traveled to the University of Louisville and Oxford University in order to pursue his academic interests.

Ron has been involved in many aspects of the artistic field; writing poetry, editing literary works, organizing a non-profit organization to support literature worldwide, teaching and lecturing to students, and collaborating with musicians. Ron has published five books: Western Kentucky: Lost & Forgotten, Found & Remembered (with Sarah Elizabeth), The Third Testament: Three Gospels of Peace (with art by Lawrence Ferlinghetti & David Minton), Beaver Dam Rocking Chair Marathon, The Wanderer, and most recently, The Storm Generation Manifesto & on parting, the wilderness poems.

Ron has also released fifteen cds which include: "Tapping My Own Phone", "Kentucky Roots", "Kentucky: poems, stories, songs", "Kentucky Blues", "I Will Not Bow Down", "Exterminate Noise", "From Iceland to Kentucky & Beyond", "Swan Boats @ Four", "The Shape of Water", "The Viking Hillbilly Apocalypse Revue", "Walking Home", "I Refuse", "Ron Whitehead and Southside’s Southside Lounge", "Ron Whitehead and Southside’s We Are The Storm", and "The Storm Generation Manifesto & on parting, the wilderness poems" accompanying his most recent book release.

Awards and Accolades:

Ron has been honored for his work as a writer and his involvement in the literary community. Some of his accolades include the All Kentucky Poetry Prize, The Yeats Club of Oxford’s Prize for Poetry, nomination for the Pulitzer Prize two times, and a nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ron’s work has been featured prominently on the international scene. In 2002 his poem “Never Give Up” was the featured theme for the United Nations affiliated program called “Poetry on the Peaks.” This poem has been featured in other venues including National Geographic Magazine and a book written by the Dalai Lama. In 2009 Ron was one of the one hundred and thirty featured poets representing fifty countries at the International Poetry Festival, which took place in Granada, Nicaragua. Ron’s work has been published in other venues as well some of which include Northwestern’s Triquarterly Magazine, England’s Beat Scene, and Japan’s Blue Beat Jacket. Ron’s work is also prominently featured in Delinda Buie’s archive at the University of Louisville Library.

Musical Collaboration and Event Production:

Ron has also been involved in production of musical and poetry events worldwide. Some of these events include days long music and poetry events, concert benefits, and International and National Poetry Festivals in locations such as London, New York City, and Holland. Ron’s most notable production was the Official Hunter S. Thompson Tribute, which featured individuals such as Johnny Depp, David Amram, and Roxanne Pulitzer. Ron has collaborated with many musicians as well, doing readings of his work and getting poetry involved in other fields. Ron has worked with musical artists ranging from Icelandic musicians Sigur Ros and Utangardsmenn, to Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, and many others.

Editing and Teaching:

Ron has also continued to be involved in the academic side of things through working as an editor and a professor. Ron has edited thousand of works by authors including Jimmy Carter, Jack Kerouac, Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Ron has also taught and various institutions of higher education including the University of Louisville, New York University, Trinity College Dublin, and The University of Iceland.

Ron’s latest book titled, The Storm Generation Manifesto and on parting, the wilderness poems, was released in July 2010 and includes a CD of his readings as well as his first DVD.