Kathryn Stripling Byer

Kathryn Stripling Byer (November 25, 1944 – June 5, 2017), also called Kay Byer, was an American poet and teacher. She was named by Governor Mike Easley as the fifth North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2005–2009. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Byer died at the age of 72 on June 5, 2017 from lymphoma in Cullowhee, North Carolina.