Maurice Manning has published eight full-length collections of poetry, most recently “Snakedoctor.” Manning, who is a professor of English and writer-in-residence at Transylvania University, is also a 1984 graduate of Danville High School.

He currently lives on a small farm in Washington County, just outside of Perryville. He and his friend Steve Cody have put out a podcast called “The Grinnin’ Possum Podcast.” It features poetry, old-time music and Kentucky history. He’s been active in environmental projects over the years, like planting trees on abandoned strip mines.

Manning was inducted into the first-ever Danville Schools Arts Hall of Fame in November 2024, along with six other individuals. 

“I’m interested in Kentucky as a place with a specific history, environment, geography, and a lively range of people,” he said. “I believe we need arts in education, and we need to remind ourselves that art can come from a small community, not just a big city. I believe learning more about nature is more important than ever and all one needs to do is go outside and pay attention.”

Manning shared his Danville Schools story. 

Sub-header: Tell us about your Danville Schools journey. What school(s) did you attend, and what’s a highlight that stands out to you?

I attended the old Jennie Rogers, Bate and DHS. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about my experience of Danville Schools was that everybody got along.  We were just all together, and we could learn from our differences as well as things we had in common. In my experience, school was a healthy social experience. My best friends today are friends I met in elementary school, friends I’ve had for over 50 years. That’s a rare thing, and a wonderful one, too.

Sub-header: What aspects of your Danville Schools education helped mold you into the person you are today?

I think it actually takes a long time to realize what you “learn” in school.  For example, I loved geometry at DHS, but it took me many years to realize the reason why I loved it is because I’m a spatial learner and a hands-on learner. So, now I build things out of wood and write poems largely because they are spatial and hands-on endeavors.  The arts that I attempt have to do with balance and proportion, with putting different “pieces” together in different ways. Some of my classmates and I recently gathered to remember one of our English teachers, Virginia Biles. Each of us pointed out that Mrs. Biles permitted us to make creative responses to assignments. I believe each of us had been on the speech teams (now called forensics) at Mrs. Biles’ invitation. My subject for speech competitions was poetry recitation. I owe what I do today and what has nourished me all of my life to the foundation I received from Danville Schools.

Sub-header: As a product of Danville Schools, what advice would you give to a parent who was choosing an education path for their child?

I’ve heard it said that if a child has just one exceptional teacher, that will make all the difference in the child’s entire education and stability after school. In Danville Schools, I can say I had several exceptional teachers.  The older I get, the more I appreciate the education I got in Danville Schools, in the classroom and beyond.

Sub-header: As a product of Danville Schools, what drives you to give back to your local school and/or district?

Over the years, I’ve visited classes both at Bate and DHS. I’ve led poetry workshops and given readings in the past, and I’m always willing to meet with current students and wave the banner for poetry.