$5 KentuckySpring 2020 Kentucky Humanities humanities INSIDE: 2019 Annual Report Proud to Partner with Kentucky Humanities on Think History, weekdays at 8:19 a.m. and 4:18 p.m. Listen online at weku.fm Board of Directors Spring 2020 Chair: Kentucky Judy Rhoads, Ed.D. humanities Madisonville Vice Chair: John David Preston, JD Paintsville Secretary: Charles W. Boteler, JD 10 22 Louisville Treasurer: The Book Woman of Elsie D. Joleen Frederick, JD By Sandra A. Shackelford West Liberty Troublesome Creek Chelsea Brislin, Ph.D. Reviewed by Linda Elisabeth LaPinta Lexington Mary Donna Broz Lexington Brian Clardy, Ph.D. Murray 12 26 Martha F. Clark, CPA Owensboro The Art of Loading Brush Miss Myrtle and the Barbara Bailey Cowden An Excerpt Lexington Razzle Dazzle Bluegrass Band Jennifer Cramer, Ph.D. By Wendell Berry By Theo Edmonds Lexington Paula E. Cunningham Kuttawa John P. Ernst, Ph.D. Morehead Clarence E. Glover 18 31 Louisville Betty Sue Griffin, Ed.D. Larkspur and Ironweed Nat Lee Frankfort By Mary Ann Taylor Hall By Georgia Green Stamper Catha Hannah Louisville Ellen Hellard On the cover: Smiser’s General Store in Skylight, Kentucky. Photo by Chris Hampton. Versailles Lois Mateus Harrodsburg Thomas Owen, Ph.D. In this issue: Louisville Barren Gallatin Marion Shelby Penelope Peavler Louisville Bourbon Graves McCracken Todd Ron Sheffer, JD Boyle Green Mercer Trimble Louisville Breathitt Harlan Muhlenberg Union Maddie Shepard Breckinridge Henderson Owen Wayne Louisville Bobbie Ann Wrinkle Bullitt Henry Pendelton Woodford Paducah Butler Hopkins Perry Caldwell Jefferson Pike Staff Calloway Johnson Scott Bill Goodman Campbell Kenton Executive Director Kathleen Pool Clark Knott Associate Director Estill Knox Marianne Stoess Fayette Lincoln Assistant Director Franklin Logan Sara Volpi Kentucky Book Festival Director Gladys Thompson Fiscal Officer ©2020 Kentucky Humanities Council ISSN 1554-6284 Kentucky Humanities is published in the spring and fall by Kentucky Humanities, 206 E. Maxwell Zoe Kaylor St., Lexington, KY 40508-2613 (859.257.5932). Kentucky Humanities is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Chautauqua Coordinator Washington, D.C., and provides more than 500 public humanities programs for Kentuckians every year. Supporters receive Kentucky Humanities by mail. Views Julie Klier expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the NEH or the Kentucky Humanities board and staff. For information on story content Consultant or advertising rates, contact Marianne Stoess at [email protected] or 859.257.5932. Spring 2010 1 Celebrating Our Rural Communities hile these are uncertain and unprecedented times, there is one thing you can count on — Kentucky Humanities connecting with you. As our staff shelters in place, I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe during this global pandemic. Our thoughts and greatest appreciation go out to all the front line, Wfirst responders including medical workers, public officials, grocery store employees, food service workers, and all those working tirelessly and selflessly to ease the burden our world is facing. As Governor Beshear reminds us, we will get through this together. We are busy rescheduling our spring events and looking forward to a full slate of humanities programs across the Commonwealth this fall. Among the highlights of our fall schedule is the arrival of the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America in Kentucky in September. The exhibit will visit seven rural Kentucky communities, and a full schedule of the exhibit’s tour can be found on page 25. We want to kickstart the arrival of the Crossroads exhibit in our state with this issue of Kentucky Humanities. The Crossroads exhibit, along with our Kentucky Reads book discussions of Wendell Berry’s Hannah Coulter taking place across the state, will encourage vital community conversations about the importance of rural communities, the changes they have experienced over the years, and what the future holds for rural towns across Kentucky and the nation. The love of books and literature has been alive in Kentucky for generations. Linda LaPinta gets things underway with her review of the much-discussed novel The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson on page 10. Hear about the first mobile library in our state and the incredibly brave women who served as packhorse librarians, making their way through the hills and hollers to deliver books to homes in eastern Kentucky. On page 12, Wendell Berry takes us to Port William, Kentucky, in an excerpt from his book The Art of Loading Brush. In October of last year, we were thrilled to present Mr. Berry with the inaugural Kentucky Humanities Carl West Literary Award. You can read more about the wonderful evening at the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort on page 8. Have you ever visited Larkspur Press? Author and poet Mary Ann Taylor-Hall takes us on a trip to Monterey, Kentucky, which is somewhat like a trip back in time. A true Kentucky treasure, Larkspur isn’t your typical publishing house. All works are handset in metal type, printed on a non-electric, hand-fed press, and hand bound. Take a trip with Taylor-Hall on page 18. Next, Sandra A. Shackelford takes us to Barnes Mountains, outside of Irvine, Kentucky, where she introduces us to Elsie Osborne. You can read the charming story of their time together beginning on page 22. On page 26, Theo Edmonds celebrates rural Kentucky and bluegrass music with a delightful Bill Goodman poem about the power of collaborating to make music together. Executive Director And finally, Georgia Green Stamper takes us to Natlee, Kentucky, and introduces us to its founder, Kentucky Humanities Nat Lee. I hope you enjoy this issue of Kentucky Humanities. As always, we want to hear your Kentucky stories. If you have a story to share, please contact our editor, Marianne Stoess, [email protected]. 4 Kentucky humanities KENTUCKY HUMANITIES The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation is committed to supporting the Kentucky Humanities to keep the history and heritage of Kentucky alive in the hearts and minds of today’s youth. Through her parents’ examples and encouragement, Elsa developed lifelong passions for theater, education and the arts. She loved to tell a good story and developed her own radio program called “Elsa’s Street.” The Kentucky Humanities embodies many of the passions that motivated Elsa. Her Foundation continues her legacy and is proud to support the outreach programs of the Humanities by offering grants for the Chautauqua program for school children, in eight of Kentucky’s northern counties. In addition, Elsa supports the Kentucky Book Fair School Days that helps bring authors and books to Northern Kentucky schools. 334 Beechwood Road ● SUITE 550 ● FT. MITCHELL, KY 41017-5610 WWW.ELSASULEFOUNDATION.ORG ● 513-335-4798 ● [email protected] telling kentucky’s story council pages Nine new members elected to Kentucky Humanities Board Chelsea Brislin, Brian Clardy, Jennifer for Fayette County Schools, and principal Cramer, Clarence Glover, Lois Mateus, for Jefferson County Schools in Louisville. Thomas Owen, Penelope Peavler, Judy Lois Mateus is a retired Brown-Forman Rhoads, and Maddie Shepard have joined senior executive. For 26 years she oversaw the Kentucky Humanities Board of the company’s public relations, corporate Directors. communications, community relations, Since 2018, Dr. Chelsea Brislin has been and contributions activities. Prior to Chelsea Brislin the associate director for the Gaines Center Thomas Owen joining Brown-Forman as a corporate vice for the Humanities at the University of president, Mateus served in the economic Kentucky. Prior to working with the Gaines development arm of the administration Center, Brislin was the Honors Pathway of Governor John Y. Brown as state program director and served as the director commissioner of the departments of Public of recruitment for UK’s Lewis Honors Information, Tourism, and the Arts. College. She serves as affiliate faculty for Dr. Tom Owen, has been Archivist the Appalachian Center and has also taught for Regional History at the University dozens of courses at UK. Weber Sam by Photo of Louisville since 1975. For 23 years, Brian Clardy Dr. Brian Clardy began his career Penelope Peavler he served as an elected member of the as a graduate teaching and research Louisville Board of Aldermen and the assistant at Murray State University. He Louisville Metro Council. Owen leads moved on to teach at the University of popular historical walking, bus, boat, and Tennessee at Martin, John A. Logan bicycle tours throughout the Louisville College, Southern Illinois University at area and has produced numerous radio Carbondale, and Triton College, before and television features for local stations. returning to Murray State as an associate Penelope Peavler is a project manager professor in 2006. at Cultural Tourism Consultants. She has Jennifer Cramer Dr. Jennifer Cramer began teaching Judy Rhoads been a champion for the arts and cultural at the University of Kentucky in 2010, scene in Louisville for many years. She working as a lecturer for the linguistics previously served as president and CEO program. She is currently an associate of the Frazier History Museum. Peavler professor in UK’s department of linguistics, is also a participating in the Imagine serving as the department’s chair. She has Greater Louisville 2020 initiative. authored or co-authored four books and Dr. Judy Rhoads is the former president has contributed to many others. She has of Madisonville Community College. She also presented at regional, national, and has more than 30 years of administrative Clarence Glover international conferences. Maddie Shepard and faculty leadership and 17 years of Clarence Glover attended Western teaching experience. Dr. Rhoads has Kentucky University earning a Bachelor of served the Madisonville community for more than 30 years through Science degree and helped lead WKU to organizations and business initiatives.