The York Trilogy

A sweeping trilogy—two decades in the making—that reimagines the Lewis and Clark expedition, from the winner of the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry.

From Frank X Walker, the former poet laureate of Kentucky and a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets, The York Trilogy charts a historic journey from the perspective of York, the only African American on the Lewis and Clark expedition, who was enslaved by Clark.

Beginning with Buffalo Dance (2004), winner of the Lillian Smith Book Award, followed by When Winter Come (2008), and finally culminating with the brand-new York and Watkuweis Have the Same Dream, this trilogy brings together two decades of pathbreaking poetry into one volume. At once ambitious and intimate, the collection gives voice not only to York, but also Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, and other intrepid explorers, crafting a never-before-seen portrait of the infamous expedition. In a rare blend of archival research and poetic mastery, The York Trilogy is a monumental achievement by an indelible voice in American verse.