# 29 ISAAC MURPHY: I DEDICATE THIS RIDE
| Author : | Frank X Walker DANVILLE, KY |
| Artist : | Melanie Wisdom LEXINGTON, KY |
| Sponsor : | Team Cornett |
Frank X Walker (1961): Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride
Multidisciplinary artist Frank X Walker is a native of Danville, Ky., and is the author of eight books of poetry. He was educated at the University of Kentucky and completed an MFA in Writing at Spalding University. He is the co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets, a grassroots group of writers of color living in the Appalachian region. Walker’s 2010 book, Issac Murphy: I Dedicate this Ride, is a collection of poems celebrating the legendary African-American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy (1861-1896). Murphy was the son of a slave and rose to the top of thoroughbred racing by becoming one of the most successful jockeys in America.
Melanie Wisdom:
BOOKBENCHESLEX.ORG
My love for horses is what inspired me to begin drawing. I paint both realistic and abstract equestrian art. I’ve attended many Kentucky Derbies, and selected I Dedicate This Ride because its author, Frank X Walker, gave voice to Murphy’s life. Before I read the book, I knew of Murphy’s reputation as a great jockey, and now I know him as a great man. Melanie Wisdom is a muralist and equestrian artist; originally from Ashland, Ky., she now lives in Lexington.