Who Needs June Cleaver
Times have changed since fathers knew best and June Cleaver damp mopped the kitchen floor in high heels and a starched shirtwaist dress. Although those images of perfection never existed in fact, many families still aspired to those impossible standards. Constance Alexander has been writing an award-winning column since 1989, and her most popular pieces contain experiences and reflections on growing up in a small town in the 1950s and ’60s. Her writing addresses a range of topics, from the light-hearted to life-changing, each one part of a unique autobiography that begins in New Jersey and continues in Kentucky. With excerpts from her memoir, Who Needs June Cleaver, and snippets from her current columns, her presentation documents the many ways family dynamics and small towns have changed in some ways and stayed the same in others. Discussions inspired by her presentations are lively, leaving audiences to share their own experiences and insights.
Kilroy Was Here: Children on the World War II Home Front
On December 7, 1941, the United States was plunged into World War II. Life changed for everyone on the home front, regardless of age. Kilroy Was Here uses oral histories conducted with people who grew up in that turbulent era to tell the story of one Kentucky family. Artifacts from that time — including soldiers’ letters, a recipe, radio advertisements, and quotes from one of FDR’s most famous speeches — make Kilroy Was Here a history lesson and a moving family saga. Alexander’s presentation features excerpts from her book, Kilroy Was Here, and allows time for questions and discussion of oral history techniques as a way to capture family history and community stories that should not be forgotten.
The Curious Incident of Poetry at Rotary
Not old, dead, nerdy, or stuck-up, poetry is alive and well and flourishing in Kentucky. This interactive presentation features snippets of poems by contemporary Kentucky poets, and provides opportunities to match titles and lines of poetry. “The Curious Incident” in the title refers to the first time this talk was presented publicly, at the January 3, 2019 meeting of Rotary in Murray. Audience consensus was that this was one of the best and most memorable presentations ever made before this decidedly un-poetic group.
Equipment needs: Microphone, podium
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Arches, Waterfalls, and Wildflowers of Kentucky
Did you know that Kentucky has the second highest number of arches in the United States? And more than 600 waterfalls have been catalogued and photographed across the state? Or 10 different kinds of orchids reside in the Bluegrass? Celebrate Kentucky’s natural beauty! This presentation can be tailored for a variety of groups (from Scouts to garden clubs); geographically for your region; or otherwise narrow its focus to fit your needs. A slideshow of photographs accompanies colorful commentary to keep the presentation lively and engaging. Valerie Askren is the author of five guidebooks on exploring Kentucky outdoors.
Equipment needs: Projector, screen, access to power outlet
Available as virtual program: No
Revolutionary War in a Trunk
This hands-on, interactive program is fun for all ages! Baggett brings to his listeners an old wooden trunk full of interesting items and military equipment from the Revolutionary War period. His presentation utilizes reproductions of 18th century weaponry, camp tools and equipment, clothing, toys, personal hygiene items, and other everyday necessities. This trunk full of Colonial “treasures” helps bring to life the reality of living on the Virginia and Kentucky frontier in the 1770s.
Equipment needs: Display tables
The Siege of Fort Jefferson — Western Kentucky’s Forgotten Battle of the Revolution
Most Kentuckians associate the raids and combat of the Revolutionary War in their home state with the central and eastern sections of the Commonwealth. Precious few people know that there was actually a Revolutionary War battle and siege in the far western end of Kentucky. Baggett tells the story of Fort Jefferson, a short-lived frontier outpost along the Mississippi River in what is now Ballard County. The fort was established in 1780 but abandoned in 1781 after a siege by the British and their Chickasaw Nation allies. The engagement involved the only major combat between American and Chickasaw forces in the American Revolution.
Equipment needs: Video projector, screen, display table
Betsy Johnson: Girl Patriot of Bryan Station, Kentucky
In August 1782, the remote outpost at Bryan Station came under siege by a large band of Shawnee natives and British-Canadian Rangers. A group of incredibly brave women and their daughters ventured outside the walls of the station to carry water from the nearby spring back to the desperate families taking refuge inside the fort. Ten-year-old Elizabeth “Betsy” Johnson was one of those brave girls. Later that night, once the attack began in earnest, Betsy took an action that changed the course of American history. In this presentation, Geoff Baggett, author of A Bucket Full of Courage: Betsy Johnson of Bryan Station, tells the story of the Johnson family and their journey to Kentucky, their life on the frontier, and little Betsy’s amazing bravery as a Patriot of the American Revolution.
Equipment needs: Video projector, screen, display table
Available as virtual programs: No
The Underground Railroad in Kentucky
In this multimedia presentation, Brown will demonstrate the influences of slavery on Abraham Lincoln’s early years in Kentucky. A National Park Service research grant made it possible for Brown to document slave-owning neighbors and Underground Railroad activity in all of Kentucky.
World War II: The Largest Art Theft in History
Between 1940 and 1944, Hitler’s Nazi regime looted approximately 100,000 works of art from Jewish citizens in occupied France. The initial shipment of stolen artifacts from France to Germany filled thirty railcars. Between 1933 and 1945, the total number of works plundered from museums and citizens in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Greece, Germany, Russia, Norway, and the Netherlands has been estimated at between 650,000 and 1,000,000. Stealing Renoir is Brown's first novel about this event followed by Stealing Picasso. Stealing Van Gogh will be available in 2023.
Let The Earth Breathe
Gardening with native plants is fun and rewarding. See how one suburban Kentucky couple transformed their yard into a beautiful nature preserve for pollinators and wildlife. You too can create your own enchanting home landscapes with native plant species. Enjoy a 12-plus year journey that anyone can take. Native plants are survivors and full of wonderful surprises. It's fun to put plants in the ground! Let the Earth Breathe is full of pictures that show how to transform any suburban yard so that every window is tuned to the nature channel. A pictorial overview, combined with pages of suggested plant lists, means this book is accessible to everyone. This is how we did it, and you can do it, too!
Equipment needs: Screen and projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
I Got A Right to the Tree of Life: Women’s Suffrage and African American Women’s Voices
Through songs and stories this presentation will share the journey and the contributions of African American women in the struggle for the Right to Vote in the U.S. As part of the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, this program will highlight stories and struggles of African American women leaders, from the late 1870s up to the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and beyond.
Singing in the Spirit: The African American Sacred Music Tradition
Spirituals and gospel music are much more than pleasing songs to listen to—they are powerful representations of the triumphant spirit and faith that have defined African-American music and people. Bullock takes the audience on a musical journey from West Africa, through the middle passage, to the North American shores where the African-American culture was forged. Through songs, stories, and performance, this participatory program lets the audience experience the beauty, joy, and power of this music and culture.
Equipment needs: Piano
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Civility and Climate Change: The Ethics of Talking About a Scientific Controversy
Climate change is one of the most controversial and polarizing scientific topics in the public sphere. This lecture surveys reasons that climate change has become so controversial, and turns to humanistic ideas about civic duty, civility, and virtue to offer productive ways of talking about climate change.
Using Ancient Greek Rhetorical Theory to Understand Contemporary Controversies in Kentucky
This presentation provides a brief overview of rhetoric and the psycho-social factors that make communicating about controversial issues so challenging. After establishing that most communication problems can't be solved by simply explaining facts better or clearer or more loudly, Dr. Cagle offer a concept from rhetorical theory to help manage communication about controversies. "Stasis theory" is a way of analyzing arguments and articulating exactly what the points of disagreement in them are. Using a case study of debates about solar energy in Kentucky, I show how the humanist tradition of rhetoric allows us to better understand why reasonable people disagree.
Equipment needs: Projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
From Dickens' Novel-in-Parts to Netflix: Serialization and Storytelling in Segments
Do you devour a book in one sitting, or do you like to have several books at a time going--perhaps even in different formats (audio, e-book, print)? Do you like to watch a program that presents a story over several weeks or do you want to wait until you can binge-watch whole seasons at once? Whatever your preference, you likely have read and watched narratives constructed in all these ways. The print novel largely began with the serial format (often a "number" a month). Serialization has also been a characteristic of film and television: from sequels to series to mini-series to multiple part stories that can be watched in episodes or watched together. Together we'll consider how the effect of taking in a narrative can be different considering HOW we take it in. We'll also explore the delights and frustrations of different ways of reading and viewing and consider what our own personal preferences are and why.
The Continuing Popularity of Mystery Fiction
Crime and detective fiction continue to be among the most popular genres of mass-market fiction. This talk will explore why readers love mystery fiction, consider the wide variety of crime novels that are available (cozies, police procedurals, hard-boiled noir), and discuss past and present exemplary masters (and, of course, mistresses) of the genre. Reading lists and other resources for mystery fiction lovers will be shared Come prepared to discuss your favorites!
Equipment needs: Projector and screen for PowerPoint presentation
Available as virtual programs: Yes
My Personal Journey: Helping Others Understand, Accept, & Appreciate Poverty and Diversity in Their Own Journey to Becoming Culturally Competent
To be effective in a diverse setting, individuals must have an understanding and appreciation of diversity. What is diversity? Diversity can mean many things…It goes far beyond just skin color. In this presentation/talk, I will discuss all the different types of diversity we face not only in education, but in daily life. I will also go over a personal development model for becoming culturally competent, overcoming biases, & appreciating diversity.
Equipment needs: Projector and screen for PowerPoint
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The Kentucky Derby: A Celebration of Kentucky and its Heritage
Claypool traces the origins and development of the Kentucky Derby, the world’s most famous horse race and a powerful influence on Kentucky society and culture. He will use memorabilia collected during his 40-year passion for the race.
Rascals, Heroes, and Just Plain Uncommon Folks from Kentucky
In this talk, Claypool will profile a choice selection of the many colorful Kentuckians, male and female, noted and notorious, whose stories make our history so interesting and entertaining. The format of the program contains an exciting and stimulating surprise for the audience to wield its power even today.
Songs of Kentucky's Civil War
This program offers a lively presentation with recordings of some of the most popular songs from the North and South during the American Civil War. Claypool discusses the origins, importance, and placement in historical context of each song.
Equipment needs: Microphone, small table
Available as virtual programs: No
Speaking Our Piece: Language Variation in Kentucky
Kentucky is located at a particularly interesting crossroads in the linguistic landscape of the United States. This presentation introduces the specific linguistic situation in Kentucky by examining several linguistic, sociolinguistic, and educational aspects of language in the many diverse regions of the Commonwealth. We will explore not only how language is variously produced but also how people’s impressions of the language of their fellow Kentuckians changes from place to place.
The Myths and Realities of Appalachian Englishes
Have you ever heard someone say that people from the Appalachian Mountains sound like Shakespeare? Or maybe you’ve been told that the language spoken there is frozen in time. These and other misconceptions about the linguistic varieties employed by Appalachians have hidden the vibrant and dynamic nature of their language and helped to perpetuate the idea that speakers of these dialects are old-fashioned and backwards. This presentation examines the myths and realities surrounding Appalachian Englishes by providing evidence that these varieties, like all others, are constantly changing.
Equipment needs: Projector (with connection) and ability to play sound preferred
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Appalachian Culture, Yesterday and Today
Deaton's program offering includes a humorous and heartfelt discussion of how a young man from Long’s Creek in Breathitt County grew to become the lobbyist for all the cities in Kentucky and the Executive Director of a statewide trade association, as well as an author, filmmaker, playwright and world traveler. Deaton’s stories relate back to his experiences growing up in eastern Kentucky in the ’60s and ’70s and explain how unlikely a candidate he was to achieve the things that he did. Deaton also reads stories from his ghost story book and memoir in a fashion that takes you back to a time and place that is indeed long ago and far away. This program can be tailored specifically to the telling and reading of his ghost stories, the Breathitt feud history, Mr. Harry Caudill, as well as Kentucky history and politics.
Available as virtual program: Yes
Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting
This talk is about Douglas' book on voting reforms: In contrast to the anxiety surrounding our voting system, with stories about voter suppression and manipulation, there are actually quite a few positive initiatives toward voting rights reform. Professor Joshua A. Douglas, an expert on our electoral system, examines these encouraging developments in this inspiring book about how regular Americans are working to take back their democracy, one community at a time. Told through the narratives of those working on positive voting rights reforms, Douglas includes chapters on expanding voter eligibility, easing voter registration rules, making voting more convenient, enhancing accessibility at the polls, providing voters with more choices, finding ways to comply with voter ID rules, giving redistricting back to the voters, pushing back on big money through local and state efforts, using journalism to make the system more accountable, and improving civics education. At the end, the book includes an appendix that lists organizations all over the country working on these efforts. Unusually accessible for a lay audience and thoroughly researched, this book gives anyone fed up with our current political environment the ideas and tools necessary to effect change in their own communities.
The Current State of American Democracy
In this talk, Professor Joshua A. Douglas provides an overview of current debates in voting rights, redistricting and gerrymandering, campaign finance, and other aspects of how we run our democracy. From the latest Supreme Court cases to the most recent policy initiatives, people leaving this talk will be armed with up-to-date information on some of the most contentious issues of the day.
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Choosing a President: Understanding the Electoral College
The 2016 election has reinvigorated talk of abolishing the Electoral College, an institution that has evoked controversy since its origins at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Any useful discussion of the Electoral College must take into account both its origins and the way its operations have changed over time, but myths about this history abound. This presentation will identify and challenge the most prevalent of these myths, but will offer no recommendations about the future of the Electoral College.
Five Myths about the Civil Rights Movement
In spite of Americans’ almost universal willingness to embrace the idea of black equality and to retroactively applaud African Americans’ mid-20th century struggles to achieve it, popular depictions of the civil rights movement often reflect a shallow and even misguided understanding. This presentation will explore the misconceptions that shape our understanding of the civil rights movement, demonstrate how these faulty beliefs limit discussions of equality in the present, and offer evidence-based correctives to these myths.
Equipment needs: Projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The World of Beowulf
Beowulf is the Marvel superhero movie of medieval literature. In addition to heroes, monsters, and swords, it is packed with historical, cultural, and linguistic elements that have fascinated generations of readers and scholars, including none other than J. R. R. Tolkien. Millions have been entranced by the alliterative beauty of the Old English and the otherworldliness of the story; this stimulating talk offers audiences the opportunity to explore life and culture in the Middle Ages and hear the sounds of English a thousand years ago.
Veep: The Life and Career of Alben Barkley
Alben Barkley was arguably the most influential Kentucky politician since the days of Abraham Lincoln and Henry Clay. Rising from humble beginnings in western Kentucky, Barkley went on to become Senate Majority leader and Vice President under Truman. Though less remembered than many famous Kentuckians of the 19th century, Barkley's legacy lives on in the legislative efforts of the New Deal, the postwar diplomatic environment he helped create, and the massive public works in western Kentucky named in his honor. This talk will also address Barkley's private life, known from memories and writings of Barkley's relatives, preserved in the family and presented by the speaker, Barkley's great-grand-nephew.
Equipment needs: Projector preferred, but not required
Travel: Regions 5, 6, 7, 8
Available as virtual programs: No
The Future of News
Columnist, editor, writer and photographer Tom Eblen, a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, talks about the economic, technological, and societal forces reshaping American journalism. Newsprint is going away. Cable TV and commercial radio are declining. Digital delivery has become king, but social media has created a sphere of propaganda, misinformation, and “fake” news. While there has never been greater need for fact-based journalism, the local/regional news industry hasn’t developed a new business model to replace traditional advertising. As the ranks of professional journalists dwindle, what are the implications for government and corporate accountability—if not American democracy?
Athens of the West
Journalist Tom Eblen, one of the authors of the 2012 University Press of Kentucky book Bluegrass Renaissance: The History and Culture of Central Kentucky, 1792-1852, tells how Lexington, in the early 1800s, was the most important city in what was then western America. He gives an entertaining presentation and slideshow about this brief golden age in Central Kentucky and some of the amazing characters it produced: great statesmen, doctors, lawyers, architects, civil rights leaders, artists, craftsmen, and business tycoons. What can we learn from this era, and how has it affected the nearly two centuries of Kentucky history since?
Equipment needs: Projector, screen
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Violence, Greed, and Great Hope: An Exploration of Kentucky's Pioneer History through Historical Poetry
In this presentation Lynnell Edwards will discuss her archival research that resulted in a collection of poetry, This Great Green Valley, which imagines the real lives of noted Kentucky pioneers. The poems reflect the ambitions, sometimes for great wealth; the violence suffered and inflicted; and the tremendous hope of the first white settlers in Kentucky for a new and better life. In addition to brief readings of these persona poems, Edwards will also discuss the process of research in primary, archival sources such as journals, letters, and official documents like land warrants and maps, as well as the first histories of Kentucky that sought to celebrate and reconcile the settlement of the territory on occupied and contested land. As a poet, Edwards is interested in the deep history of a place, including its natural, cultural, and historical narratives and this work brings together these themes. Edwards is also interested in the gaps and silences of the historical record as a space where literature can speak its truth, while still in conversation with questions about fidelity to original sources and responsibilities to Kentucky's ongoing self-making.
Imagining Your Ancestors' Song: Writing Narratives based on Archival Sources
Have you ever imagined writing a short story about one of your ancestors? Or a poem that speaks to the emotional heart of a mysterious great, great, grandfather? Or maybe a lyric essay that weaves together "official" history with your family lore and the grace of imaginative writing? This talk will discuss Lynnell Edwards' research in archival sources, including primary sources such as journals, letters, and official documents like land warrants and maps, as well as the first histories of Kentucky. The result was This Great Green Valley, a book of poetry that documents their world, alongside the lives of better known Kentucky pioneers. The talk includes brief readings from the poems, discussion of my research process and questions of fidelity to the historical record and the literary truth literary writing offers. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers and tips for getting started on your own story!
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Humor: Good and Bad
In this presentation Wlliam Ellis will explain the many uses of humor, particularly how it can be helpful, but also how it can be harmful. The presentation will be both instructional and humorous. The speaker will use examples of how humor can help us survive in a turbulent world.
Equipment needs: Microphone, podium
Available as virtual program: No
Shining Light on Kentucky's Everyday Heroes
Steve Flairty has traveled the state and collected stories of what it means to be a Kentuckian with a heart and soul—ordinary people who have made a positive difference, living unselfish lives and overcoming obstacles.. In his talk, Flairty shares many of these inspirational profiles, often selecting individuals from audience members' communities who have been featured in his Kentucky's Everyday Heroes book series. He can adapt his presentation to either adult or children's audiences.
Shining Light on Kentucky's Everyday Women Heroes
Steve Flairty has traveled the state and collected stories of what it means to be a Kentuckian with a heart and soul—ordinary people who have made a positive difference, living unselfish lives and overcoming obstacles. In his talk, Flairty focuses on Kentucky's women and shares many of these inspirational profiles, often selecting individuals from audience members' communities who have been featured in his Kentucky's Everyday Heroes book series.
Equipment needs: Stationary microphone
Available as virtual programs: No
The Gist Boys: Sequoyah & Gratz
Here is the true story of Sequoyah (George Gist), inventor of the Cherokee written language and his half-nephew, Henry Howard Gratz, editor of the Kentucky Gazette. Based on Foody’s book, The Cherokee and the Newsman: Kinsmen in Words, this program traces the lives of each: their famous relatives, literary achievements, political proclivities and common characteristics. Spanning three centuries and four wars, the Gist Boys were on the forefront of American history with Washington, Jackson, and Lincoln, in Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma. From articles, letters, and interviews, Foody illuminates Sequoyah and Gratz’s connection to relevant topics of the times: a free press, slavery, indigenous rights, and race relations.
Heroes in Disaster: The 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky
Before there was Covid, there was Cholera! During the 19th century, cholera raged through the United States several times with high fatality rates. Drawing from her book, The Pie Seller, the Drunk and the Lady: Heroes of the 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky, Foody poignantly describes this civic devastation and the crucial deeds of the formerly enslaved woman, the homeless workman and the founder of the Orphan Asylum during a summer with 500 deaths. Despite great medical advances, cholera is still a worldwide killer. A former Public Health Nurse, Foody explains why by tracing repetitive patterns of epidemics from disease spread to national response, from Cholera to Covid-19, with lessons for our global health today.
A New Yorker Finds Her Old Kentucky Home
When Terry Foody moved from New York State to Kentucky, her mother revealed that her family had previously lived in Kentucky. “Find my land!”, an ancestor whispered in Foody’s soul. Armed with only a pencil-scratched deathbed-dictated list of five generations of heretofore unknown relatives, she set off on this exploratory mission to stand on their land. When the trail led to Missouri, she soon developed connections in both states, and learned to deal with murky records, thick brush and barbed wire. The discoveries made it all worthwhile: a hidden church, lost road, 1830s grave, and a special surprise in a chocolate-covered cherries box. But a mysterious portrait and whispered words still haunt and prod her. Join Foody on this search for her ancestors’ land—you might be inspired to make your own trip!
Equipment needs: Microphone and PowerPoint projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Moving Beyond Susan and Elizabeth: The Complicated History of Woman Suffrage in Kentucky
You have probably heard of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but what do you really know about the long fight for woman suffrage? This presentation will address misconceptions and will document Kentucky's contributions to the Nineteenth Amendment. You will learn about the Kentucky Equal Rights Association, its leaders, as well as the thousands of men and women, white and black, from all parts of the state who worked to secure "a simple justice."
Call the Midwife: Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service
Across America, medical doctors were becoming the standard of care and hospital deliveries were becoming the norm for pregnant mothers in the early twentieth century. Mary Breckinridge proposed an alternative system when she created the Frontier Nursing Service in Leslie County, Kentucky, in 1925. Her nurse-midwives became famously known as "Angels on Horseback." Learn more about Breckinridge's pioneering medical service, the challenges involved in bringing new lives into the world in mountain communities, and discover how she made health care more accessible and affordable, offering lessons that continue to matter today.
Equipment needs: Laptop, internet signal, projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Smarter, Richer, Greener, Happier
Those are the benefits of listening—our most daily used communication skill, but the one least taught. Listening is more than paying attention. Listening requires curiosity and connection. Recent research has identified how individuals have one of four listening habits: connective, reflective, analytical, or conceptual. Dr. Hamilton is a trained practitioner in helping people identify their listening habits. She interviewed 14 highly respected listening leaders in the world to write her first listening resource, Listening Practices for College Students. Currently she is turning that content into reading for all age groups—from The Adventures of Fenny and Penpal for children to Listening is Foxy for adults.
Equipment needs: Large screen to show PowerPoint
Believable & Unbelievable
From Shaker Village to snake handlers, the people of Kentucky have strong roots in their religion. America’s first camp meeting was in Kentucky. The national headquarters for the Race Track Chaplains boasts a home here. Kentucky preacher Mordecai Ham was considered the spiritual granddaddy of Billy Graham. And let’s not forget our state has the world’s largest handmade stained-glass window in a Catholic cathedral, as well as an Abbey where monks live and worship and make great fudge. Unforgettable stories, sometimes humorous, of Kentuckians and their quest to worship.
Equipment needs: Large screen; computer connection; table
The Slave & The First Lady
Former slave Elizabeth Keckly was an activist and author in Washington, D.C. But first, she was the confidante and dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary gave Elizabeth numerous articles after the assassination of Lincoln, including his blood-splattered cloak from that fateful night. Keckly’s dressmaking business was famous—and included wives of other famous politicians such as Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis, and Mary Ann Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee. Keckly’s autobiography, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House, is a compelling slave narrative and a controversial look at Kentucky’s famous first lady.
Equipment needs: Large screen; computer connection; table
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The Storytelling Art
Explore the heart of the art of storytelling with award-winning storyteller and writer Mary Hamilton, author of Kentucky Folktales: Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies. Using examples from her oral and written repertoire, Hamilton shines light on what storytelling is and how it functions both as a performing art and as an essential element of everyday life.
Liar, Liar, Storyteller
Kentuckians have long entertained each other by stretching the truth to impossibility by telling tall tales. Perhaps you’ve heard of Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill? Those fellows have no place in Kentucky tall tale lore! Instead, we’ve got smart dogs, Daniel Boone, and telling lies for the fun of it! Using selections from her oral and written repertoire, Mary Hamilton examines both the traditional and the evolving contemporary uses of tall tale telling.
Feeding Nightmares
Dread, deception, death, and dismemberment—such are the ingredients of Kentucky tales that have fed nightmares for generations. In this talk, Mary Hamilton shares sample stories and reveals who told them, who collected them, and how she came to add them to her storytelling repertoire. You may also end up wondering why anyone told such creepy tales!
Equipment needs: Microphone on a pole stand
Available as virtual programs: No
What's the "Lock?" The "Keys" Needed for Unlocking the Model Minority Stereotype of Asian Americans
In this presentation, Dr. Hartlep, a leading authority on the model minority stereotype of Asian Americans, aims to untangle the model minority stereotype of Asian/Americans in a way that will illuminate three racist elements of the model minority myth's sophistry and discursive nature, and its reliance on dog whistle politics. This talk will draw from three of his previous books: The Model Minority Stereotype: Demystifying Asian American Success, The Model Minority Stereotype Reader: Critical and Challenging Readings for the 21st Century, and Killing the Model Minority Stereotype: Asian American Counterstories and Complicity.
The Assault on Communities of Color: Race-Based Violence in the Era of the New Jim Crow
In this talk, critical race theorist Nicholas Hartlep will discuss his current work on the realities of race-based violence. This presentation will provide a critical look at issues such as racism, community segregation, whiteness, and other hegemonies and how they reproduce injustice and violence. Dr. Hartlep will also explore how space, place, and institutionalism produce and maintain white dominance and violence.
The Identity and Politics of Transracial Adoption
In this presentation, Dr. Hartlep, a leading authority on race and education will discuss his experiences as a transracial adoptee. This talk will draw from his research on identity formation of transracial adoptees who are Asian/American.
Equipment needs: Laptop, projector, screen for PowerPoint
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Exploring Kentucky: Historical Destinations and Natural Wonders
A drive straight across the Bluegrass State takes around eight hours. But that beeline would bypass all the worthwhile distractions between Paw Paw in Pike County and the Kentucky Bend of the Mississippi River in Fulton County. Treasures such as Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home that rests inside a Greek-style temple and the buffalo that roam the modern-day prairies of Land Between the Lakes. From rip-roaring barn dances in Rabbit Hash to the silent reverence of the monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani, the Commonwealth is chock-full of timeless landmarks. Kentucky native Blair Thomas Hess is the author of four travel books about Kentucky's history, its people, and its natural wonders. This presentation will highlight fun and educational destinations to help Kentuckians of all ages explore the amazing and irreplaceable things that make the state one of a kind.
Around My Kentucky Table: The History and Tradition of the Most Famous Kentucky Flavors
Some of the most prominent memories for many of us were made around a table gathered for meals and drinks with family and friends. Kentucky has a rich tradition of good eatin', with famous classics like fried chicken and bourbon balls as well as lesser known Bluegrass mainstays like spoonbread, burgoo, and Derby pie. It is also a state where the number of aging bourbon barrels outnumber its residents. This presentation will dish out the rich culinary traditions of Kentucky and discuss how the culture and history of the state are woven through its food and its libations. Blair Thomas Hess is the author of four travel guides about Kentucky's history, culture, bourbon, and food, and she will highlight the best local foods, drinks, festivals, and where you can travel to see where it all started. This presentation can focus on the food and cooking traditions, including its culinary claims to fame—the dishes and the masterminds behind them—or offer an overview of the state's history of bourbon and how Kentucky's culture was shaped by the industry.
Equipment needs: Projector, screen
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The Southern Culture in Kentucky’s Shaker Villages
Kentucky’s Shaker villages, South Union and Pleasant Hill, drew converts from the South. Those converts brought their own well-established manners, customs, and cultural biases into environments and systems that had been designed by Shakers rooted in the Northeast. South Union, in particular, had a difficult time adapting and, consequently, created a material culture and maintained a folklife that was unique among Shaker villages. From the food they ate to the furniture they produced ... from the way they spoke to the methods in which they constructed buildings ... the Kentucky Shakers were set apart from their northern counterparts. Their story is colorful, humorous, heart-breaking, and fascinating.
Rural Kentucky Through the Lens of George H. Dabbs
George H. Dabbs was a Morgantown, Kentucky, photographer who worked from 1904 until 1934. Not only was he successful as a portrait photographer, but he was also a preservationist, capturing a quickly fading past. He left behind an incredible array of images that documented homes and workplaces, community events, disasters, and celebrations. His masterful work also included photographs of the last days of the colorful steamboat era on the Green River. Insightful, creative, and nostalgic, Dabbs’ art is a priceless look into the distant past of a typical small town in Kentucky.
Making Use of Ardent Spirits: The Kentucky Shakers and Alcohol
The Kentucky Shakers advocated a God-centered existence, seeking perfection in every aspect of their daily lives. While their communal experiment was built on the spiritual, the Shakers also delved into the temporal when it came to the production of alcohol. From whiskey-making to wine production, the Kentucky Shakers pushed the boundaries set by the sect’s leadership in New York. And the “ardent spirits” they manufactured weren’t just for customers.
Equipment needs: Screen, electricity, table for projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
What is a Kentuckian?
This is a humorous and informative look at the enduring images Kentuckians and others have of the state and its people—from that of barefoot, warring hillbillies to southern aristocrats. The presentation touches on Kentucky’s core values of family and home, individualism and community, basketball and horse racing, snake handlers and mega churches, tobacco and whiskey and wine, yellow dog Democrats and dastardly Republicans. Kentucky will be presented as the nation’s true borderland and heart.
A New Century and a New Way of Life: Kentucky in the Early Twentieth Century
In the early twentieth century technological changes accelerated Kentuckians' moves into modern times. Technology changed the way people had lived for centuries. Electricity lit up lights in homes and stores. Telephones connected people across great distances. Automobiles moved people more quickly and over longer distances. Moving pictures entertained people. Radio brought the world to local places and homes. A world war took men overseas. The government at all levels became more of a fixture in people's lives. Even people's concept of time changed. Rural democracy reached its peak then crested and declined.
Equipment needs: Podium
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Girls Who Built America
Highlighting stories from Exploring American Girlhood in 50 Historic Treasures, this talk engages audiences with how artifacts and places throughout America reveal the stories of young girls—and how those girls profoundly shaped American history. Audiences will learn about girlhood studies, public history, and museums—and how these three fields come together to empower girls and young women today. The talk can be tailored for the general public or for historians/museum teams.
Medieval Childhood
How do we study childhood in different time periods? Focusing on the Medieval world, this talk introduces the variety of sources historians use to study and interpret the past—and the surprising facts about Medieval childhoods found along the way.
Equipment needs: Projector
Travel: Regions 2, 3, 4
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Kentucky: The Front Porch of America
Once upon a time, rural communities all across rural America would gather with their neighbors on front porches. They were the grand pulpit of hometowns, the gathering place of grandparents, moms, dads and children, neighbors and lemonade in the summertime, front row seats to the sunset and the rising moon. In many ways, Kentucky is the fertile birthing ground of America’s front porch, and Paris can represent that heritage by turning into the gentle rocking chair, the sturdy oakwood for the foundation of this much-needed front porch. As the modern age ascended, our new culture with its air conditioning and television brought people inside behind closed doors ... and the elegance of the front porch gave way to the new "feng shui” welcome to homes across suburban landscapes: the garage door. Compounded by the tsunami impact of the Internet, we have reduced our ability to communicate with each other from the elegance of hand written letters down to 140 character tweets. The music of the front porch is traditionally banjos and fiddles, mandolins and guitars, old songs that everybody knows, grandma singing an ancient ballad to the baby grandchild in her arms on the front porch swing. Kentucky has a stellar musical heritagel, you may not see it … but it is healthy and it is there.
Caney Creek: The Legend of Alice Lloyd
The creation of the motion picture screenplay of "Caney Creek," one of the most spectacular women's stories set in Appalachia, saved on the NBC TV network. WEB SITE: CaneyCreekMovie.com YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/usBYe3t5SJ0
Equipment needs: Good PA system, two mic stands with booms, two mic Shure 58/equivalent. No mics with "on/off" buttons
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Reflections on Five Wars: A Soldier's Journey to Peace
Colonel Fred Johnson (USA,Retired) served 29 years in the Army and deployed to Iraq twice and once each to Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Honduras. In his talk Colonel Johnson reflects on his experiences during both war and peace as a military officer, through his transition to a civilian and now as a veteran who has continued his service as a middle school teacher. This presentation was created to be tailored for specific events. Colonel Johnson can speak at Veteran's Day and Memorial Day ceremonies and occasions to commemorate military service and he can talk about the history of warfare and the effects of war on service members and families. Colonel Johnson can specifically address the affects of PTSD and moral injury as he experienced them and how he was able overcome the mental health challenges associated with the hidden cost of war. Colonel Johnson can also talk about his experience with the healing effects of art from his work as the co-founder of "Shakespeare with Veterans" where former service members used the words and plays of William Shakespeare as a means to confront challenges in transition from military experience. Colonel Johnson both educates and entertains and he has presented to audiences at the Wofford College TEDx, The Moth StorySlam, and with the Louisville StoryTellers in addition to his service with the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau. Please check out his website fivewars.com for examples of his presentations.
Soft Skills in Hard Places: The Perryville Battlefield Leadership Experience
In his book Soft Skills in Hard Places, retired Army Colonel Fred Johnson makes the bold claim that soft skills, not technical abilities, were the most important factor in the success of both Union and Confederate leaders at the Battle of Perryville in 1862, the bloodiest clash in Kentucky during the Civil War. In this presentation, Colonel Johnson marches with the audience alongside the soldiers who fought for the Open Knob and Starkweather’s Hill and those that assaulted into the Valley of Death. The fate of Kentucky and the nation rested in the hands of Union General Don Carlos Buell and Confederate General Braxton Bragg, commanders who were technically and tactically competent, but lack the soft skills to be effective leaders. However, men like George Maney and John Starkweather, who did not have the benefit of the technical training afforded at the U.S. Military Academy, demonstrated aptitudes like thinking outside the box, initiative, and empathy. They were the leaders that provided the greatest opportunities of victory for their armies. Colonel Johnson also weaves in soft skill lessons from current wars and his own personal experience to show the enduring relevance of emotional intelligence in combat leadership. Having served with General David H. Petraeus, Johnson shows how, arguably the greatest General since WWII, expertly employed soft skills to great success. Johnson not only demonstrates the significance of soft skills on the battlefield, he provides a methodology to teach them to civilian business executives and their staffs so they can excel in the boardroom. Colonel Johnson can present similar talks on other battles in Kentucky based on the needs of the audience. He can also facilitate these talks on the actual battlefield for audiences with prior coordination.
* These talks can be tailored in length based on the needs of the audience. It can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as one hour.
Equipment needs: None
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Quilt Art: Examining the Narrative in Kentucky Quilts
Based on historical records, secondary sources, and oral history interviews with quilters across Kentucky, Johnson discusses 19th century quilts made by black women living and working on slave plantations, traditional quilts made by African American women of the 20th century, as well as contemporary art quilts made by women of all cultural groups of the 21st century. Her work explores women’s history, storytelling, identity politics, social activism, and empowerment. Her study of quilts in Kentucky is aimed at examining cross-cultural parallels in technique and assemblage, as well as revealing unique designs.
Roots and Branches: West African Aesthetics in African American Quilts
Knowledge is power! This presentation is designed to enrich, encourage, and engage elementary through high school students. It includes either a PowerPoint presentation or an exhibition booth.
The PowerPoint presentation includes photographs and links to video footage of African cultural groups making textiles. These are part of Dr. Johnson’s ethnographic fieldwork while studying in Ghana. This information is then compared with Johnson’s footage of African Americans making quilts. An interpretation of signs and symbols and their meanings are discussed. The exhibition booth includes one-on-one talks and display boards featuring photographs of African textile production and African American quiltmaking, along with handouts and sample textiles for students to see and touch.
Equipment needs: Screen, projector
The Ghostly World
As the author of five nonfiction books about ghosts and hauntings, John Kachuba investigated well over 100 haunted locations all across the U.S. and internationally. In this presentation Kachuba shares his experiences at some of the more creepy and interesting locations. Kachuba will also talk about the various theories that attempt to explain ghosts. With enough advance notice, this talk can be tailored to include regional, state, national, or international locations and hauntings. The presentation will be illustrated with photos from Kachuba's books.
Shapeshifters: A History
This talk is based on John Kachuba's new book, Shapeshifters: A History. The nonfiction book explores the shapeshifter character and answers how and why it has appeared in cultures all around the world, from Neolithic times to the present day. It examines shapeshifters from many perspectives: historical, mythological, theological, psychological, and even pop culture. The presentation will be illustrated with photos from Kachuba's books.
Equipment needs: Projector, screen, table
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Ben and Helen Buckner: A Kentucky House Divided
Clark County sweethearts Ben Buckner and Helen Martin fought to keep their relationship together while supporting opposite sides during the Civil War. While Buckner led troops in the Union army, Martin hosted rebels in her parlor. Abraham Lincoln spoke of the United States as a "house divided," but this Kentucky couple managed to stand united. The fascinating personal history of Ben and Helen's courtship and marriage helps us explore broader histories that ask new questions about slavery, secession, loyalty, family, and forgiveness in Civil War Kentucky. Together, Ben and Helen teach us what values and ideals Unionists and Confederates shared in Civil War Kentucky as well as those that pushed them apart.
Refugees: Searching for an Untold Civil War Kentucky
A southern belle on a diplomatic adventure to combat rebel spies in Europe; a woman fleeing slavery and falsely convicted of murder in Louisville; a war widow whose cow was shot by enemy soldiers as she was milking it; a man who insists on his right to vote and calls into question the meaning of United States citizenship. These stories remind us that Civil War battles did not just happen on rolling hillsides under flying flags. All Kentuckians lived the Civil War in their everyday struggles to survive, overcome, and understand this most critical time in United States history. In a global age of conflict and civil war, what new insights can these individuals provide us about America's most studied historical event?
Equipment needs: Computer, PowerPoint, projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
My Old Kentucky Poem: Creating Our Myth through Folklore and Poetry
Much of Sarah McCartt-Jackson’s poetry draws inspiration from Kentucky folklore, using poetry to explore the stories, beliefs, and people of our pasts that live with us and haunt us in our present. In this presentation, McCartt-Jackson reads from her award-winning books and chapbooks, discussing her professional background as folklorist and poet, and how she weaves folk narratives, beliefs, and oral history of Kentucky and Appalachia into her poems. McCartt-Jackson also discusses how others can use their own family history in their creative expression.
Write Where You Are: Poetry and Place
We often teach writers of all abilities to “write what you know.” In Sarah McCartt-Jackson’s case, she writes of the places she knows. In this presentation, she reads from her newest books, highlighting how she uses poetry and place to explore deeper truths about people, history, wilderness, home, and cultural and physical landscapes in her poetry. McCartt-Jackson encourages audiences to experience place through sensory-based approaches, and discusses how to incorporate a rooted awareness of place into creative expression.
Equipment needs: Microphone
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Jean Thomas "The Traipsin' Woman"
Jean Thomas, 1882-1982, was one of traditional music's early promoters of Folk Music Festivals. Raised in Ashland, Kentucky, she defied social norms by attending business school, learning stenography, and becoming a court reporter. Her travels to courts throughout the mountains of eastern Kentucky earned her the title, "The Traipsin' Woman." During these years and subsequent visits, she photographed the musicians and mountain people with whom she came in contact and used her portable typewriter to document lyrics and tunes to ballads. Jean helped preserve a legacy of traditional mountain music, crafts and customs in her books, photographs, audio recordings and her American Folk Song Festival which began in 1931 and continued until 1972.
This presentation focuses on her place as one of the first organizers and promoters of folk music and folk music festivals.
Fiddling from the Hills
From the pre-colonial period to the present day the fiddle has played a prominent role in American music. The question most often asked is, "what is the difference between the violin and the fiddle?" One old timer told me, "The difference is you don't spill beer on a violin." In reality there is no difference in the instrument. We associate the term violin with classical music and fiddle with common or folk music. It is in this common community that the fiddle has played an important role in American life. The fiddle was played at dances, social gatherings and contests. It is hard for us today to imagine how popular fiddle music was in the early twentieth century and the dawn of recorded music when some fiddle records sold a million copies.
Fiddle music in America is as varied as its people. Every geographical area had tunes and styles that were unique to them, oftentimes based on those locales' immigrant influences. The same is true of Kentucky fiddling. There are many traditional styles throughout the state. This presentation will focus on the unique and diverse fiddle styles of eastern Kentucky and some of its most noted old-time fiddlers. Miller will play tunes from different regions and demonstrate their unique character and influences and some of the stories that go along with the characters who played them.
The Blind Fiddlers of Ashland
JW Day, (also known as Jilson Setters), and Ed Haley were blind fiddlers who made Ashland, Kentucky, their home in the early 20th century. Although visually impaired, they both earned livings as musicians, travelled widely, and raised families (Ed’s wife Ella was also a blind musician). JW Day was born in Rowan County in 1861 and died in Boyd County in 1942. His fiddling and singing of old English and original ballads were promoted by Jean Bell Thomas, who gave him the stage name Jilson Setters. Some of his notable performances include: Prince Albert Hall in London England for the King and Queen, the Roxy Theater in NYC, folk festivals in St. Louis, Chattanooga and Dallas, commercial recordings for Victor Records in NYC along with being the featured performer in the early days of the American Folk Song Festival where he performed for two Kentucky Governors. Ed Haley (1885–1951) was born in Logan County, West Virginia, and moved to Ashland, Kentucky, in 1918. Ed performed locally and regionally on the streets of local towns, public gatherings, dances and fiddle contests. Although he refused to record commercially, he did record a large number of sides at his Ashland home on a Wilcox-Gay disc-cutting machine. Country music artist, John Hartford was so taken back upon hearing the recordings that he spent his later years researching and promoting Haley’s music and called him the grandfather of modern fiddling. He instigated the public release of the home recordings on Rounder Records which has brought national and international acclaim to this fiddler who made his home in Ashland.
Equipment needs: Table, projector for PowerPoint, 2 microphones on stands
Travel: Regions 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Unprecedented! Mary Creegan Roark: First Female College President, 1909-1910
In 1909, Mary Creegan Roark became the second president of the newly-created Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. This unanimous decision came at a time when women couldn’t vote, own property, or be awarded custody of their children in a divorce. She replaced the first president, her husband Ruric, when he was hospitalized and later died. As president, Mary completed construction projects, increased enrollment and started an agriculture program. Despite doing an outstanding job with “fortitude, courage, and efficiency,” Mary was replaced a year later. Marie Mitchell will discuss Mary’s legacy, education training, school house conditions, corruption among school trustees, plus women’s rights that Mary tirelessly campaigned for, with Laura Clay calling her “the spirit of the movement.”
Becoming Immortal: Living Forever Through Stories
Stories are the glue that holds families together. They entertain and enlighten us. They cross the generational divide and connect us with the past, present, and future. But if not written down, the rich detail of people, places, and things that have made a difference in our lives can be lost and forgotten. Through her columns in The Richmond Register, and in teaching classes on writing your memoirs, Marie Mitchell shares her own personal stories about growing up physically in Iowa and professionally in Kentucky — from detasseling corn with her sisters in the sizzling summer heat, hunting nightcrawlers with her grandpa in the neighbors’ gardens after a hard rain, yard saling with her mom, and fielding fly balls from her dad after supper, to applying to be the first journalist in space. She encourages her audience to write one memorable moment at a time to prove that they “really lived!”
Equipment needs: Projector, microphone
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Behind the Mask, or, The Complete History of the Actor (Abridged)
From the masked actors who performed for 15,000 people in ancient Athens, to the great 19th century stars who continued to play their youthful hits into old age, to the "Method" actors who dominated stage and film in the ’50s, this talk traces the development of the actor over the past 2,500 years. Among the topics: What was considered "good acting" in times past? How were plays rehearsed and staged? How do modern actors create and perform a character? What kind of things can go wrong during a live performance? A recently retired university theatre teacher, Nelson is also a professional actor, director and producer with fifty years of experience. This talk may include audience participation.
How Plays Work
Through audience participation and theatrical exercises, this program demonstrates how a dramatic script is structured in order to engage spectators. This discussion is highly interactive (and humorous), as participants will create a sample play in the course of the session. The focus here is not on how to write a play, but rather on how playwrights manipulate the thoughts and emotions of an audience. A recently retired university theatre teacher, Nelson is also a professional actor, director, and producer with 50 years of experience. He has also written plays, and has developed and produced dozens of new works for the stage.
Equipment needs: Screen, projector
Available as virtual programs: No
Wicked Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky has always had a dark side, despite being the "Birthplace of Bluegrass Music." Mary James Trotter, an arrested moonshine-selling grandma, remarked to a judge that she "simply had to sell a little liquor now and then to take care of my four grandchildren." Rod Ferrell led a bloodsucking vampire cult in Murray, Kentucky, and traumatized parents of the 1990s. In the early morning of July 13, 1928, at the "Castle on the Cumberland," seven men were put to death in Kentucky's deadliest night of state-sponsored executions. Join award-winning author Richard Parker as he takes you on a journey through 15 of Western Kentucky's most nefarious people, places and events.
Equipment needs: Projector, computer
Escape to Freedom: The Role of the Steamboat in the Underground Railroad
Paducah is located on the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers, which acted as an interstate for slaves moving North seeking their freedom. Thousands of slaves worked on steamboats on waterways throughout the South. These rivers provided slaves a quicker and easier escape than venturing overland. Paducah and other riverport cities along the Ohio River played a significant role as logistical points furthering slaves in their journey to freedom.
Equipment needs: Podium and computer with projector for PowerPoint
Travel: Regions 1 & 2
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Echoes of the Hills: Kentucky’s Traditional Music
Kentucky has been justly celebrated for its contributions to country and bluegrass styles, but a diverse and vibrant range of earlier musical traditions made the hills and hollers echo with song and dance long before these popular styles came into being following World War II. Ron Pen will explore Kentucky’s musical past through a talk illustrated by a PowerPoint presentation. A live musical performance of ballads, old time fiddle and banjo dance tunes, dulcimer songs, and shape note hymnody will animate the history and context.
Sweet Strains of the Dulcimer
In 2001, the Kentucky Legislature recognized the Dulcimer as our Commonwealth’s state instrument. The dulcimer’s roots are firmly planted in the soil of east Kentucky with the earliest instruments crafted in 1838 by Ely Boggs and “Uncle” Ed Thomas in 1870. Dulcimers created by McKinley Craft, Will Singleton, and Jethro Amburgey spread throughout the country from Hindman. Performers including Jean Ritchie and John Jacob Niles popularized the instrument during the folk revival. This history will come alive through a talk illustrated by a PowerPoint presentation, enhanced with a live performance.
Equipment needs: Chair without arms, projector and speaker setup capable of PowerPoint projection with a laptop
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Dance in Appalachian Kentucky: Different Forms for Different Folks
Dance in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky has taken many different forms, some forms considered sacred and some considered profane. This talk focuses on the histories of different forms of dance in the mountains, forms associated with ceremonial rituals, spiritual expressions, social events including square dancing and "sock hops," and performances from exotic dancing to ballet. The talk considers how the meaning of these different forms changes over time and among different groups of people.
Forests and the Appalachian Imagination
The Appalachian Mountains hold one of the oldest hardwood forests on earth; and ever since humans have survived in and near them, the forests have played a role in our understanding, hopes, and fears, a role that changes as our relationship to forests changed. This talk considers how eastern Kentucky culture meshed with, fought against, and fought for forests through the 19th and 20th centuries as these interactions are described in major works of fiction and nonfiction by Kentucky authors.
Equipment needs: Microphone, projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
"Work I Knew I Must": Factory Life for Women in Nineteenth Century
Divorce, supply-chain shortages, labor shortages, union talks—these are not new issues. In "Work I Knew I Must," a blended narrative of a factory owner, A.I. Root and his employee Jane Cole, they together work to make their factory successful in spite of the personal and national challenges facing the country. Since women still struggle for equity in the U.S., this work is timely and the strategies that both Root and Cole can still benefit twenty-first century audiences.
Flower Power: Establishing Pollinator Habitat
Pollinators are in peril due to a variety of reasons, but one of the easiest to address landscape diversity. Having traveled around the world interviewing beekeepers and honey producers, Tammy Horn Potter includes intriguing slides of pollen grains from nectar-producing plants of some of the world's favorite honeys as well as photos and recommendations of local flora. Pollen is considered the "life-giving dust" to many pollinators, and this presentation focuses on the complexities of pollen grains, their beauty, and also the relative ease that many people can employ to diversify their surroundings with flowers that are beneficial.
Equipment needs: Microphone, projector, computer
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The Cane Ridge Revival: The Great Revival that Transformed Kentucky
When people talk about the "Bible Belt" they might be interested to learn that its roots began in the great Cane Ridge Revival, held in today's Bourbon County. No one can deny that it changed lives and shaped Kentucky's (and the Deep South's) social and cultural development. Take a journey back to 1801. Find out what drew 25,000 people to Cane Ridge. Sing one of the old hymns that some folks claimed to "make the flesh tremble."
The Battle of Blue Licks
By 1782, the American Revolution was drawing to a close. Lord Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown and negotiators were hammering out the Peace of Paris. But war still raged for frontier settlers, American Indians, and Canadian rangers. On August 19, 1782, Kentuckians would suffer one of the worst military defeats of the war. Learn about the events leading up to the battle that some historians call "The Last Battle of the American Revolution."
Homemaking on the Kentucky Frontier
Take a journey back to 1811 and experience homemaking on the Kentucky frontier—"from the ground up." After clearing timberland, fencing off pastures, and planting crops, homemakers involved themselves in every aspect of building a home from available materials. Roofing, flooring, insulation, heating, water supply, and lighting were considerations then as now. Learn how frontier folk cultivated and preserved their food, made their clothes, doctored their families, and still found time for recreation and religion. Cooking on open hearths, hemp and flax breaking, heckling, spinning, weaving and dyeing are examined. The audience will appreciate the severity of disease and how little medical knowledge existed in the early 1800's. Native American and folk remedies are discussed, along with frontier religion and recreational activities. Eddie Price displays utensils used by early Kentuckians and educates with a colorful PowerPoint slideshow.
1812: Remember the Raisin!
Kentucky’s contribution in the War of 1812 was vital to the American War effort. This presentation shows how deeply Kentuckians were involved. The massacre at River Raisin gave rise to the battle cry of the war: “Remember the Raisin!” Governor Isaac Shelby left Frankfort to lead troops along the northern frontier and commanded victorious soldiers at the Battle of the Thames. Kentuckians answered the call once more to defend New Orleans. The epic battle on the sugarcane plantations below the city provided redemption for the young American nation.
Equipment needs: Computer, projector, screen
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Writer’s Secrets on Productivity and Staying Organized
Organization is important to being a successful published author. Lynda Rees, will explain how to manage day-to-day business chores and make time for writing while juggling the business side of an author’s work by staying organized.
Equipment needs: Projector and screen for PowerPoint
Travel: Region 1
Available as virtual program: Yes
Cooking in Kentucky Before the Civil War
Cooking before the modern conveniences of electric appliances, pre-packaged foods, and modern recipes was hard work! In this presentation, Cynthia Williams Resor explores the lives of average women in Kentucky, free and enslaved, as they prepare recipes from early 19th century cookbooks such as Lettice Bryan's The Kentucky Housewife. Look over the shoulder of a Kentucky woman as she produces, preserves, and prepares food in a typical pre-industrial kitchen. What kitchen tools did she use? What foods were plain, everyday fare and what was prepared for special occasions? How did she juggle cooking and the other daily chores? The answers to these questions and more will make you appreciate a microwave!
Mourning in Kentucky in the 1800s
Mourning the dead was an important part of life in the 19th century. Cynthia Williams Resor will begin her time-travel tour of this culture of mourning in Kentucky cemeteries by examining the symbols on tombstones and their meanings. Explore customs and beliefs associated with death through the eyes of 19th-century writers and artifacts of mourning such as hair mourning jewelry, stationery, clothing. Finally, we'll visit the new funeral parlors of the late 1800s and memorial park cemeteries of the early 1900s to discover why mourning customs changed.
Equipment needs: PowerPoint projector, screen
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Mose Rager: Kentucky’s Shy Guitar Master
There are many country guitar legends—Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and Eddie Pennington, to name a few—who trace the root of their music to Mose Rager. A Muhlenberg County, Kentucky native, he was known for developing a unique thumb-picking style. Mose worked as a barber and a coal miner when he wasn’t playing gigs with Grandpa Jones, Curly Fox and Texas Ruby. Although Mose died on May 14, 1986, his sound lives on when modern-day pickers try to play “That Muhlenberg Sound.”
Equipment needs: Projector, microphone
Available as virtual program: Yes
Reading and Discussion of Shadows Hold Their Breath
Sherry Robinson will read from her third novel, Shadows Hold Their Breath. The novel, deals with issues of grief, women's lives, and the Vietnam War, among other themes. In October 1979, six years after suffering the loss of Beth, her dear friend and sister in law, to enemy mortar fire in Vietnam, Kat Hunter began to question everything about her traditional life. With a backdrop of the 1970s feminist movement and the final years of the Vietnam War, Kat decides the only way she can understand her unresolved grief and discover who she is meant to be is to do the unthinkable, the unforgivable. After she slips away from her home in Lexington, Kentucky, her husband, and three young daughters in the middle of the night, Kat boards a Greyhound bus with no specific destination in mind. On the bus, she meets Molly, a young woman who reminds her of Beth. With nowhere else to go, Kat follows Molly and Molly's boyfriend, Jake, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Once there, Kat guards the secret that she is married and has abandoned her children to the care of her husband. Kat's journey of self discovery ultimately leads her down an unexpected path.
Reading and Discussion of Echo Her Lovely Bones
Sherry Robinson will read from her first novel, a new edition of which will released under the new title Echo Her Lovely Bones. This novel of linked stories received praise from Silas House and Lee Smith. Much like a quilt, the stories of eight women, who have lived in the same house over a period spanning two years, are pieced together in Echo Her Lovely Bones. The journals each of these women leave in the attic of the house bind them together through history, experience, and life as the women reveal their fears and dreams, their passions and heartbreaks, and their wisdom and doubts.
Available as virtual programs: Yes
My Dirty Life
As a lifelong gardener and author of a children's picture book about a little girl who learns to garden from her grandmother (semiautobiographical), Doris Settles has spent many hours contemplating and actually digging in the dirt, and perhaps even more time encouraging others to do the same, many times with hilarious results. Focused around the joys and benefits of gardening inside and out, Settles discusses the concepts behind the book No Child Left Inside addressing the current lack of engagement with nature and our society...especially children. She includes anecdotes from her own adventures, those of others she was glad she managed to avoid, flowers and gardening through the ages, combined with a call to action to get outdoors and beautify and interact with the natural world. Settles serves as an Extension Master Gardener, a co-founder of Celebrate Lexington! nonprofit, and belongs to various herb and gardening societies.
History Hound
At age twelve, Doris Settles began to wonder about her origins. Who were her ancestors? Where did they live? How did they live? What were they like? Thus began a lifelong search for the historical and societal ancestors that became the woman she is today. At the now ripe old age of 72, Settles has spent a good portion of her life researching her family and their interactions with the world around them, be that Kentucky, Germany, the British Isles, and more. As a writer and author, Settles has imagined many stories around these individuals, some of which have made it into print. Side trips into folklore, bourbon history, baking, gardening practices, culinary practices and so many more have kept her very busy. You could, rightly so, call Settles an information junkie. We live in such a rich world and those before us did as well. Sometimes, the stories of those who came before inform how we live today. Sometimes, their stories make us very glad we live in today's world, or on occasion make us long for days of yesteryear. Which camp are you?
Equipment needs: LCD Projector, screen, and microphone
Available as virtual programs: Yes
"We Knew No Mortality": Queerness, Spirituality, and Poetry in Kentucky
When Dr. Shoemaker tells people he is from a Catholic background, they aren't exactly surprised, but they are often thrown when he adds that he remains spiritual and also is an openly gay man. People tend to think that queerness forces a remove from religion, or that it should, and find it difficult to understand that he would want to think of himself in any way alongside a historically oppressive institution like the Church. Dr. Shoemaker struggles with this idea himself, but also is interested in living in that strange space. What might it mean to be queer and religious, in a normal sense? Can he, or any other queer person, have a healthy relationship to organized religion? Dr. Shoemaker doesn't have all of the answers, but in this talk, he explores the questions. We Knew No Mortality: Stories of Our Spiritual Home is his book of Kentucky poetry and memoir published in 2018. Dr. Shoemaker is a queer poet and, though he didn't know it at first, writing about his experiences growing up in rural Kentucky amidst a religious and conservative community would not only provide the constant backdrop of his writing, but would also challenge his growth as an independent thinker and person in the world. By exploring the process of writing this book and publishing it with a Catholic press, the many sides of the queer-religion conversation can be examined and, perhaps, we might approach an understanding. As part of the talk, he performs portions from the book along with the prepared text.
Climate Change and the Arts, from Kentucky to Venice
Climate change, as incredibly real and pressing as it is, can seem very distant. Because we are used to "weather" phenomena and less accustomed to thinking of the shifting of climates, both regionally and globally, individuals in American communities often rely on others' stories of climate change to increase their awareness of the stresses that human-caused global warming and industrialization have put on the planet. Dr. Shoemaker began his project "Venetian Artisanship and Climate Change" to respond to this need for human stories as climate activism. In 2014, he traveled to Venice, Italy, and interviewed dozens of artists and locals about their work and climate change with many surprising results, including tales of glassmaking feuds, sightings of Uma Thurman while traveling with her personal masseuse, and stories told aboard private speedboats with wealthy heiresses. From that direct journalism project with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Shoemaker has developed many further arts projects including the 2021 book Ca'Venezia, a poetry and memoir collection that focuses on these individually-impacted artists of Venice. The direct impact of climate shift on Venice is immediately apparent, and by telling these stories, Shoemaker believes we can predict the forecast for the future of the arts in a changed global system, including in our home state of Kentucky. This talk will involve selected readings from Ca'Venezia along with scientific and arts-based research passages. Additional media including audio and video clips are also integrated, if possible.
Equipment needs: Projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
The Heroic Life of Elisha Green
Elisha Green was born a slave in Bourbon County circa 1818. Subsequently taken to Mason County, he taught himself to read from the Bible, and became a popular preacher, establishing his own church in Maysville and an additional one in Paris. He earned enough money to buy his freedom in 1856, after having first freed his sister. On June 8, 1883, he was traveling by rail from Maysville to Paris, when three dozen students from Millersburg Female College boarded the train, accompanied by George T. Gould, the school's president, and Frank L. Bristow, their music teacher. Gould grabbed Green by the shoulder and ordered him to give up his seat. When he refused, Bristow and Gould assaulted him until the conductor intervened. Green sued his assailants, and, surprisingly, won the case. In a few months, both Bristow and Gould would be out of a job. This talk, based on Randolph Paul Runyon's forthcoming book, The Assault on Elisha Green, published by the University Press of Kentucky, presents a man of courage who triumphed over a lifetime of obstacles, of which the assault on the train was but one.
Mrs. Lincoln's French Connection
"My early home was truly at a boarding school," Mary Todd Lincoln once wrote, alluding to the years she spent living at Madame Mentelle's School for Young Ladies in Lexington. Mary's mother had died and she did not like her stepmother, finding a better one in Charlotte Mentelle, a brilliant and adventurous Parisian who braved the perils of the French Revolution and the Ohio frontier before coming to Lexington in 1795. She was a woman of strong opinions who cut her hair short and dressed like a man, and scandalized her neighbors by walking miles a day through the streets of Lexington all while reading a book. From her the future Mrs. Lincoln learned impeccable French, as foreign visitors to the White House learned to their delight, and increased confidence in her own intellect and spirited independence. This talk, based on Randolph Paul Runyon's book The Mentelles: Mary Todd Lincoln, Henry Clay, and the Immigrant Family Who Educated Antebellum Kentucky explores the influence of one remarkable woman on another.
Available as virtual programs: Yes
“The Truth Is Out There”: UFOs, Monsters, and Cryptids in Kentucky Lore
Kentucky is home to some famous UFO cases and cryptid reports: The Thomas Mantel UFO Incident made national headlines in 1948. Kentuckians have also reported numerous encounters with Bigfoot, the Pope Lick Monster, wolf-human hybrids, and even a giant creature in Herrington Lake. What are these eye-witnesses seeing? Why do these stories fascinate us? Mason Smith grew up in Muhlenberg County hearing stories about the Bell Witch, a wolf-man lurking in the Land-Between-the-Lakes, and the Bremen Bog Monster. Dr. Smith's presentation will cover a variety of things cryptid, and while he's not a fanatical skeptic, he suggests that many of these stories have their origins in the realm of psychology and folklore.
The Who-Dun-It Caper
Since the days of Edgar Allan Poe, the detective story has remined one of the most popular genres of literature. In fact., Sherlock Holmes may be the best-recognized character in English Lit, and the stories and novels featuring American hard-boiled detectives—Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, and Nero Wolfe—have been in print for nearly a century. What is it about a detective story that keeps readers engaged? Raymond Chandler, author of the Philip Marlowe series, believed that it was the detective himself (or herself). This presentation will test that idea. Dr. Smith will briefly discuss the history of the detective story, with a special focus on the American detective, and will ask participants to help him construct a biography for an original fictional character: the 21st century detective.
Equipment needs: Projector
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Crazy Quilt Mania
Arising as part of the late nineteenth century Art Needlework Movement in the United States, crazy quilts appealed to urban and rural women alike. Inspired by stitchery from London’s Royal School of Art Needlework as well as the display of Japanese arts and crafts at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, women across America took up their needles in new and different ways to create fancy work textiles for their homes. Unquilted and therefore technically not quilts at all, crazy quilts consisted of randomly shaped and sized pieces of fabric that were attached to a foundation layer and then embellished with decorative embroidery that covered the seams. Realistic and naturalistic embroidery motifs, ribbons, and pre-embroidered appliques often provided additional surface decoration. Crazy quilts sometimes were the subject of often humorous poems and stories; by 1884, the fad for them was so great that terms such as ‘mania’, ‘maddening’, ‘maniacal’, and ‘insanity’ appeared with regularity in newspaper and magazine articles. This program examines Kentucky’s homegrown mania for crazy quilts through a review of 23 crazy quilts housed in the Kentucky Museum, WKU, as well as the numerous published sources, i.e., newspapers, ladies’ magazines, and household decoration books, that were available to women interested in creating their own fancy work masterpieces.
Equipment needs: Laptop, projector, screen, podium, microphone
Available as virtual program: Yes
Small Acreages
A regular contributor to Kentucky Humanities magazine and a former local NPR commentator, Georgia Green Stamper has been called Kentucky’s version of Bailey White. In Small Acreages, her latest collection of creative non-fiction essays, Georgia again welcomes audiences into her Kentucky life as she reflects on what Wendell Berry describes as “the small acreages of the universe that have been entrusted to us.” These include our marriages, family, friends, our sense of a particular place and its history, and everything related to homemaking. In a voice critics are calling “warm, wise, touching and funny, sometimes all at once,” Small Acreages follows Georgia through all phases of life from mothering, to grandparenting, to the discovery of her family’s secret recipe for blackberry jam cake. She opines on how to pick a good husband and contemplates the memory of quirky aunts and uncles and the grief of saying good-bye to beloved parents. From leaving her rural home as a young bride to restoring it as an anchor for her adult children during the Covid pandemic, Georgia examines the experiences that connect us to each other. Upon request, this entertaining yet reflective talk can be adapted to emphasize a particular topic within Georgia’s Small Acreages.
The Forgotten Stories of Free Station and Mountain Island
Growing up in a family of storytellers, Georgia often heard her grandfather speak of the two free Black communities that thrived near her family’s Owen County farm in the decades before the Civil War. His stories of Free Station and Mountain Island became a part of “the small acreages of the universe” entrusted to her to remember. She re-tells them now “as I am able” she says, though the whole story of the Black families who lived in those settlements before and after the Civil War cannot be known nor can the character and motivation of the Herndon siblings who first enslaved and then freed the families be known. Public records, however, document that James Herndon and his sister Susanna Herndon Rogers deeded over 500 acres to the 39 men and women they had once enslaved. A sizable portion of that land is still owned by descendants of the Black families the siblings emancipated in the first half of the 19th century. While this talk focuses on the creation of the Free Station and Mountain Island communities, it also explores the conflicting views among abolitionists. Susanna was a proponent of re-colonization in the African colony of Liberia while her brother James was not.
Equipment needs: Lectern, microphone
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Writing Very Short Poems
Poet, teacher, editor, and translator Katerina Stoykova will discuss the art of writing free-form poems of up to 50 words. She is the editor of Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short Poems, a 316-page volume featuring work by 192 contemporary masters of the short free-form poem. Stoykova will take the audience through examples, discuss the tools of the very short poems and lead groups in writing exercises.
Publishing, Promoting, and Marketing Your Poetry Book
Publishing, promoting, and marketing your poetry book. Best practices before, during, after, and long after the book is out. In this session Stoykova will discuss transforming poets into authors. What can be expected? The audience will learn about the courage and stamina needed for self-promotion. How to make the process more efficient, effective and enjoyable. How to make the most of the publication of your book. Besides the author of award-winning poetry books, Katerina Stoykova is the senior editor of Accents publishing, where she has selected, edited, and published more than 80 poetry books.
Available as virtual programs: Yes
Underground Railroad and American Memory
This presentation will provide a review of the Underground Railroad as the product of the work of black and white southerners committed to an evangelical cause of freedom.
African Americans in the Civil War
In this presentation, Dr. Turley offers a focus on the role of black Kentuckians in the war of emancipation and freedom that changed the social direction of American society.
Equipment needs: Laptop, projector, screen for PowerPoint
Available as virtual programs: No
Dick Waterman: A Life In Blues
Growing up in an affluent Jewish family in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Dick Waterman (b. 1935) was a shy, stuttering boy living a world away from the Mississippi Delta. Though he never heard blues music at home, he became one of the most influential figures in blues of the 20th century. During his career, Waterman befriended and worked with numerous musicians, including such luminaries as Bob Dylan, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton. During the early years of his career, he documented the work of scores of musicians through his photography and has gained fame as a blues photographer and writer. Dr. Tammy L. Turner's authorized biography of his life, Dick Waterman: A Life in Blues is the climax of years of original research as well as extensive interviews conducted with Waterman and those who knew and worked with him including musicians such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, and Eric Clapton. Although biographical, the book details significant cultural, historical, and musical events such as the folk/blues revival of the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement through the lens of Waterman's life and career. The presentation will include some readings/stories from the book, rare photographs from Waterman's personal archives, and recordings by some of the artists with whom he worked.
Finding Son House: An Improbable and Remarkable Journey
In the summer of 1964, three young Jewish men—Dick Waterman, Nick Perls, and Phil Spiro embarked on a rather unlikely journey. They were on a quest to find Son House, a blues musician who, at the time, was little known outside an exceedingly small audience with an interest in early blues. House had recorded some songs in Grafton, Wisconsin, in the early 1930s but faded into obscurity and had been gone from the blues world for over two decades. Through forged alliances, relentless perseverance, and a wholly unpredictable, unusual, and amazing series of events, they finally located the elusive Son House. Ultimately, through Waterman's efforts, House was brought out of retirement and back to the performance stage. Dick managed to secure a recording contract with the prestigious Columbia Records, book House on tours in both the United States and Europe, and House enjoyed a late career that spanned a decade. Working with House, he soon realized there were many older blues artists, some recently rediscovered, that there was not a single agency or manager in the United States dedicated to working with black blues artists. Many of the artists were illiterate and lived in rural areas, so scheduling tours was a virtual impossibility for them without assistance. This led Dick to found Avalon Productions, the first agency dedicated to booking for black blues artists through which he also worked tirelessly to secure royalties due the artists. This talk will include material gleaned from research for Dr. Turner's book and includes rare photographs of Son House from Waterman's personal archives and recorded music by Son House from his post-rediscovery period.
Equipment needs: A digital projector, computer, and sound system (means of amplification) are needed in order to include the photographs and music. I am flexible, so I can adapt this program to be simply a presentation without the photos or music if needed.
Available as virtual programs: Yes
World War II was on the Air
Did you know World War II was the first time Americans could hear news reports from the battlefields while the battles were still being fought? Radio made it possible. World War II was the first major war to occur after radio was developed. And, because World War II news was “on the air,” it reached audiences around the world faster and more dramatically than news of any previous war. It changed how news was reported, influenced how war was waged, and laid the foundation for today’s 24/7 news coverage. This presentation will include audio clips of World War II news reports by legendary broadcasters such as Edward R. Murrow, Harry Reasoner, Charles Collingwood, George Hicks, and others.
Equipment needs: Sound system that will accept audio input from a laptop, audio cassette player, or CD player
Music and Musicians in the American Civil War
This presentation is interspersed with Civil War era tunes performed by a small ensemble of musicians playing lap dulcimers, banjos, and other instruments. It focuses on the assertion of some music historians that the Civil War was “America’s most musical war” and perhaps “the most musical war ever, anywhere.” More than 2,000 new musical compositions were published in the first year of the war. Some 80,000 men served as musicians in the Union and Confederate armies. And, many of the Civil War’s favorite tunes are still popular today.
Equipment needs: Sound system with multiple microphones is helpful but not required
Available as virtual programs: No
Cancer in Kentucky: Understanding the Issues and Exploring Solutions
Kentucky has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States with the greatest cancer burden being in the Appalachian region of the state. The high rates of cancer in Kentucky, especially in Appalachian Kentucky, are driven by certain health behaviors and inequities in various social determinants of health. This presentation will introduce some of the causes of the high rates of cancer in Kentucky and explore potential ways to help reduce the cancer burden. The audience will be engaged in a discussion of solutions. Audience members will be encouraged to act as change agents in their families and communities to help put solutions into practice.
Equipment needs: Computer, projector, and screen
Available as virtual program: Yes
The Journey to Women's Suffrage
Women's Suffrage in the United States was achieved through the convergence of many varied and winding paths. Before the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, many women could vote, but by 1807 that right had been abolished in all states. In those early years of the 1800s, it was not considered appropriate for women to speak in public, and married women could not own property nor did they have rights to their wages if they worked, yet women were also believed to be the moral center of family life. This position led them to advocate for Abolition, Temperance, Dress Reform, Prison Reform, Property Rights, Free Love and Free Thinking, and Spiritualism, among others. Even the 1890s Bicycle Craze played a role! From Seneca Falls to the adoption of the 19th Amendment on August 26, 1920, just 102 years ago, this presentation highlights how women came to voice, learned to organize, and eventually achieved Women's Suffrage (they called it Woman Suffrage) through decades of work and many, many intersecting movements, organizations, and events. Featured are a number of women who "rocked the vote" even before they could vote, such as, of course, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul, but also Victoria Woodhull, Ida B. Wells, Lucy Stone, and Kentucky's own Laura Clay.
Equipment needs: Projector, screen
Available as virtual program: Yes