Irene McKinney grew up in the small town of Bellington, WV, USA and received her BA at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She received her PhD from the University of Utah. Currently she is the Director of Creative Writing and an associate professor of English at West Virginia Wesleyan College. McKinney was appointed Poet Laureate of West Virginia in 1993. McKinney's real gift is her ability to use her poetry to reflect the beauty of the state and its residents, and her works are a tribute to the spirit of West Virginia.
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"McKinney's poetry reflects the beauty of the state and its residents, and her works are a tribute to the spirit of West Virginia." Bookshelf Reviews, West Virginia University Alumni Magazine "Vivid Companion's 44 poems defy the tendency toward female self-deprecation, and McKinney forcefully embraces her body and history as relevant, positive, and spiritual. The poet's intention centers less on confession than understanding as she walks through scenes of her aging body, her father's death, rural surroundings, and a historical interlude on new York's historical Oneida Community . . . While her position as the lifetime poet laureate of West Virginia centers her work on the Appalachians, her scope supercedes territory to encompass the overarching soul of the natural world and femininity in conflict." Casie Fedukovich, American Book Review