James Baker Hall, a highly respected teacher of writing at the University of Kentucky, is Kentucky's new ambassador of poetry. In a ceremony held April 24, Kentucky Writers' Day, Hall said he was "humbled" by two standing ovations in Frankfort's Capitol Rotunda. He added that he is "ready, willing and delighted" to be in a position to spread his passion for writing to people across Kentucky. Governor Paul Patton introduced Hall at the ceremony, saying that he "will bring to Kentucky writers the recognition they deserve."

Hall, who has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry, has taught creative writing at the University of Kentucky since 1973. He has published five volumes of poetry, two novels, and four collections of photography. The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The American Poetry Review, Poetry, The Hudson Review, and The Kenyon Review are among the many magazines to have published his work.