Check out all the amazing events coming up featuring our authors and the Press!
February 3-5, 2023, Williamsburg, VA Book Festival
Featured Speaker Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle:Even As We Breathe, University of Kentucky Press, examines race and class in the secluded microcosm of Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, during the summer of 1942. Clapsaddle tackles the complexities of race relations, familial identity, and citizenship for Cherokees and draws comparisons between rural Cherokees, rural whites (soldiers and civilians), and upper-class foreign diplomats.
For more information click HERE. To register for the event click HERE.
February 9, 2023, McCracken County Public Library 555 Washington Street, Paducah, Kentucky
Black History Month Event: African Americans in the Civil War led by historian Dr. Alicestyne Turley with support from Kentucky Humanities. This presentation will discuss the important role of Black Kentuckians in prosecuting the American Civil War. The actions taken by United States Colored Troops and, on their behalf, established new citizenship rights, norms and opportunities for all Americans.
Presentation 5:30-6:30 PM Go to mclib.net for more info
Frank X Walker Book Launch – 116 N 3rd St, Danville, KY 40422 Saturday, February 11 – 11am to 1pm
The Plaid Elephant is hosting a launch party for a brand-new children’s book by Frank X Walker. The first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate, Frank X is an artist, writer, and educator – and a Danville native! More info here: Plaid Elephant Books
February 13-14, 2023, University of the Cumberlands WIlliamsburg, KY
Novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is this year’s Palmer Lecturer. Click HERE for flyer.
The Gospel of Freedom: Black Evangelicals and the Underground Railroad by Dr. Alicestyne Turley. An evocative exploration of the Underground Railroad and the important contributions of white and black antislavery southerners who united to form organized networks of assisted slave escapes in Kentucky and the Deep South.
Check out all the amazing events coming up featuring our authors and the Press!
January
January 17, 2023, Virtual and In Person Author Event
Scott Gould presents The Hammerhead Chronicles conversation ith Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle:
Scott Gould is the author of the novels, The Hammerhead Chronicles and Whereabouts, a memoir, Things That Crash, Things That Fly, as well as the story collection, Strangers to Temptation. He is a multiple winner of the S.C. Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose and a recipient of the S.C. Academy of Authors Fiction Fellowship. Other honors include a 2022 Memoir Prize for Books, an Independent Press Award, an IPPY Award for Southern Fiction and the Larry Brown Short Story Award. His work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, New Madrid Journal, New Ohio Review, Crazyhorse, Pithead Chapel, BULL, Garden & Gun, New Stories from the South, and others. He lives in Sans Souci, South Carolina.
Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, resides in Qualla, NC. She holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. Her debut novel, Even As We Breathe (UPK 2020), was a finalist for the Weatherford Award, named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, and received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award (2021). Clapsaddle’s work appears in Yes! Magazine, Lit Hub, Our State Magazine, and The Atlantic. She teaches secondary English and Cherokee Studies, is an editor for the Appalachian Futures Series (UPK), and serves on the board of trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network.
January 22-29, 2023, Virtual Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Convention
TBRCon2023 is an all-virtual sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention, streaming live from Jan. 22-29, 2023. With 30 live panels, 25 author readings, 3 podcast recordings and 3 D&D sessions, the third edition of FanFiAddict’s Stabby Award-winning convention aims to offer viewers countless in-depth discussions on SF/F/H, writing craft, publishing, marketing and much more!
TBRCon2023 is absolutely FREE, available to stream live on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook during convention week (or to re-watch on YouTube at your convenience).
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, Vermont Studio Center, 80 Pearl Street, Johnson, VT
Visiting Writer, Crystal Wilkinson, the national award-winning author of Perfect Black, will give a featured reading at Vermont Studio Center in the Red Mill Building on January 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm ET. This event is free and open to the public.
January 26, 2023, Virtual Event
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. This live, virtual event features two panel discussions: President Nixon’s Grand Strategyfor Vietnam and Seeking Peace in Vietnam, 1969-1973, as well as keynote remarks from Dr. Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College.
Resistance in the Bluegrass: Empowering the Commonwealth by Farrah Alexander. Kentucky is more than just bourbon, basketball, and BBQ. This book is a celebration of the engaged citizens who have made and continue to make a difference across the Commonwealth.
February 3-5, 2023, Williamsburg, VA Book Festival
Featured Speaker Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle:Even As We Breathe, University of Kentucky Press, examines race and class in the secluded microcosm of Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, during the summer of 1942. Clapsaddle tackles the complexities of race relations, familial identity, and citizenship for Cherokees and draws comparisons between rural Cherokees, rural whites (soldiers and civilians), and upper-class foreign diplomats.
For more information click HERE. To register for the event click HERE.
February 9, 2023, McCracken County Public Library 555 Washington Street, Paducah, Kentucky
Black History Month Event: African Americans in the Civil War led by historian Dr. Alicestyne Turley with support from Kentucky Humanities. This presentation will discuss the important role of Black Kentuckians in prosecuting the American Civil War. The actions taken by United States Colored Troops and, on their behalf, established new citizenship rights, norms and opportunities for all Americans.
Presentation 5:30-6:30 PM Go to mclib.net for more info
February 13-14, 2023, University of the Cumberlands WIlliamsburg, KY
Novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is this year’s Palmer Lecturer.
The Gospel of Freedom: Black Evangelicals and the Underground Railroad by Dr. Alicestyne Turley. An evocative exploration of the Underground Railroad and the important contributions of white and black antislavery southerners who united to form organized networks of assisted slave escapes in Kentucky and the Deep South.
March 4, 2023, Union Ave Books, 517 Union Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902
Mr. Walker will be reading his book, A IS FOR AFFRILACHIA, at 12 pm, with a Meet & Greet following immediately until 3 pm. More info at Union Ave Books website.
March 8, 2023, Bookends in Florence.
Bookends is hosting the book launch and signing for Yvette Lisa Ndlovu’s book, Drinking from Graveyard Wells.
March 10, 2023, NYMAS: The New York Military Affairs Symposium
Featuring Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology by Betsy Rohaly Smoot, intelligence historian and former NSA.
This a virtually hosted event at 7pm ET. Please click HERE for more information. Please click HERE for the zoom link.
March 16, 2023, McCracken County Public Library 555 Washington Street, Paducah, Kentucky
The Finest Place We Know: A Centennial History of Murray State University A talk led by authors Robert L. Jackson, president of Murray State University and Sean J. McLaughlin and special collections and exhibits director at Murray State University. Over the past century, this institution has indelibly shaped the lives of generations of talented young people, some of whom went on to enjoy remarkable careers at NASA, on the Kentucky Supreme Court, in Hollywood, and with the NBA.
5:00 PM Book Signing, Presentation 5:30-6:30 PM, Go to mclib.net for more info.
March 16-19, 2023, Appalachian Studies Conference, Ohio State University, Athens, Ohio.
For more information and registration links please click HERE.
House of Champions: The Story of Kentucky Basketball’s Home Courts by Kevin Cook. The first comprehensive history of the UK basketball program that focuses on the team’s various arenas—how and why they were built, and the contemporary political, social, and athletic forces which shaped them and which they in turn influenced—and tells the story of Wildcat basketball told through the lens of their home courts.
April 14, 2023, Oak Ridge Public Library, Oak Ridge
Emily Strasser’s Half-Life of a Secret Book Tour!
April 14-16, 2023, Blue Ridge Writers Conference
Breathing Life and Lives into Fictionwith Keynote Speaker Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle: Reading is an intellectual and emotional activity, one that necessitates a physical experience. Our bodies both trigger and are triggered by sensory memory. We may not remember a conversation with a loved one, but we remember the coldness of their touch, how heavy the words felt in our ears, or the smell of their skin. By employing our own bodies in the craft of writing to create new worlds, new experiences, and new energy, we empower our stories to invoke a corporeal experience. Clapsaddle will explore methods for infusing physical sensation into your writing through practice, observation, and structure.
War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation by Travis L. Martin. A timely, important, and engaging analysis of how society views the millions of veterans in this country, and how that perception has a profound impact on how veterans perceive themselves, their roles in society, and their relationships with others.
The Kentucky Poet Laureate, Crystal Wilkinson, will be the honored guest for West Liberty University’s Hughes Lecture on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Free and open to the public, the lecture gets started at 4 p.m. Wilkinson will be introduced by West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman.
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event.
April 29, 2023, Bluegrass Writers Conference at 9am, Frankfort, KY
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event.
May
May 2, 2023, Filson Historical Society Lecture at noon
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event.
May 8, 2023, Atlas Books, Johnson City, TN
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event. Atlas Books/Langston Centre event will be held at 4 pm at the Johnson City Public LibSecond reading/book signing will be held at the Tipton Gallery at 7 pm.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 5:00pm, Alabama Booksmith. 2626 19th Place South, Homewood, AL 35209
While the excitement of the Kentucky Derby is still in the air, come meet the author who wrote the book on the Sport of Kings. Jennifer Kelly is one of the most knowledgeable writers on all things horse racing and will not only sign your books, but be happy to answer your questions.
The Assault on Elisha Green by Randlph Paul Runyon. In The Assault on Elisha Green: Race and Religion in a Kentucky Community, historian Randolph Paul Runyon recounts one man’s pursuit of justice over violence and racism in the nineteenth century. He tells the story of Green’s life and follows the network of relationships that led to the event of the assault. Tracing these three men’s lives brings the reader from the slavery era to the eve of the First World War, from Kentucky to New Mexico, from Covington to the Kentucky River Palisades, with particular focus on Mason and Bourbon Counties.
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event.
June 10, 2023, Union Ave Books
Sarah L. Hall is associate professor of agriculture and natural resources at Berea College. Her scholarly articles on the restoration of native forests and grasslands in Kentucky have been published in a wide range of journals, including Restoration Ecology and New Forests. Union Ave Books is excited to present an author event with Sarah Hall & her new title Sown in the Stars. This event will take place on June 10, 2023 @ 4 pm at Union Ave Books.
Sown in the Stars: Planting by the Signs by Sarah L. Hall. A timely and illuminating look at the custom of planting by the signs and its past, present, and future, as told from the perspectives of farmers in central and eastern Kentucky.
June 24, 2023, Morgernstern’s Books, Bloomington, IN at 2pm
A Is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker book event.
June 24, 2023, Lexington Pride Festival
Read with Pride and Carnegie Center reading event with Willie Carver.
July
July 23-28, 2023, Appalachian Writers Workshop Hindman, KY
The Premier Literary Gathering of the Mountain South:
Make plans to join us for the 46th annual Appalachian Writers’ Workshop. This week-long residency welcomes published and unpublished writers alike, all learning alongside one another in a supportive environment guided by the region’s unique tradition.
The Workshop provides an opportunity to study craft in structured workshops, attend special topic sessions, and enjoy captivating readings by our award-winning faculty. This historic gathering is known for providing rigorous instruction in a family-like atmosphere, where writers of place come together at the banks of Troublesome to meet a year-round community. Beginning, emerging, and established writers are all encouraged to apply.
Bourbon is My Comfort Food by Heather Wibbels. The definitive primer on mixing elegantly crafted bourbon cocktails for those looking to imbibe on the spirit and history of one of the world’s most sought-after liquors.
Bourbon 101 by Albert W.A. Schmid. A distinctive and introductory approach to learning about all-things bourbon including its history, production, and enduring cultural identity.
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage by Michael Veach. This book shines a light on bourbon’s pivotal place in our national heritage, presenting the most complete and wide-ranging history of bourbon available.
Katherine Jackson French: Kentucky’s Forgotten Ballad Collector by Elizabeth DiDavino. The life and legacy of a pivotal scholar and how her collection of traditional Kentucky ballads elevated the status of women, gave testimony to the complexity of balladry’s ethnic roots and influences, and revealed more complex local dialects.
September 20-24, 2023, Assn for the Study of African American Life & History
UPK plans to exhibit at this event!
October
October 9-11, 2023, Association of the US Army
UPK plans to exhibit at this event!
October 20-21, 2023, Kentucky Book Festival!
October 25-29, 2023, Tremont Writers Conference, TN
Featured Author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle: Small-group morning workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry take place outdoors and are led by faculty members Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (fiction), Janet McCue (nonfiction), and Frank X Walker (poetry). Guest novelist Richard Powers, a MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer, will lead several sessions for the entire group, including a craft talk with conversation. Each afternoon we’ll join experienced Tremont naturalists for guided explorations that spark curiosity and wonder; through hands-on experience, we’ll learn about this region’s cultural and natural history. Evenings will conclude with hearty dinners, fellowship with your peers, and readings by writing faculty.
UPK’s Appalachian Futures: Black, Native, and Queer Voices Book Series Uplifts Underrepresented Voices
Abby Freeland, Senior Acquisitions Editor
As someone born, raised, and educated in West Virginia, I’ve often had to reflect upon and try to understand myself—my identity—through and around the negative perceptions and discourse of others.
Why? Well, more often than not, the only time I heard anything about West Virginia and Appalachia outside of the comforts of my family and community—in national media, from politicians and pundits, on TV and in movies and books, and even from strangers expressing a disbelief that I am a product of my home state—it was teeming with negativity and condescension.
Because of this, I found it challenging to acknowledge and accept my identity as an Appalachian, even as an adult. I’d often deny it, at least subconsciously. As a teenager, I remember repeatedly thinking I could not possibly be from West Virginia. It didn’t make sense. What I saw or read about myself outside my small-town life did not align with my experiences or upbringing. In fact, it was mainly in conflict with it. And for the most part, that continues today.
Of course, West Virginia and Appalachia have systemic and inexcusable problems, often racist, sexist, classist, and all of the above. I do not deny that. I do not align with or support many laws, policies, or the supposed mainstream values of many people, politicians, organizations, and religions. And to be clear, I recognize my white privilege in all I write here. But I can say that my experiences growing up and living in Appalachia were very different from what I saw on TV or heard on the nightly news. I also know that’s not the case for everyone.
On the flip side, after 15+ years of working in book publishing (and as an evolving human being), I’ve realized that I do hold quite a bit of power and privilege as a university press professional despite my background—even though it doesn’t always feel that way, especially during those first several years of a career. And even if I’m just an Appalachian.
Now that I understand this privilege, I plan to intentionally use my role as a university press editor to challenge the stereotypes that harm the place that I call home and break down the status quo that may or may not directly affect me: the prejudice, bias, and preconceived notions, the ignorance, and the laws and policies that harm the underserved and underrepresented people in my community, near and far.
Last year, when I returned to UP publishing after a brief hiatus from the field to work as a senior acquisitions editor at the University Press of Kentucky, I knew I wanted to do as much as possible to fight stereotypes, inequality, and injustice in the Appalachian region and beyond. With the rights of so many people and women under continued and renewed attacks across the globe, I felt and still feel obligated to do this, especially where I hold some of the most power in my life: my job as an editor.
Under the leadership of Ashley Runyon, the University Press of Kentucky’s newest director, the advancement of UPK’s mission to provide an accessible platform for diverse Appalachian voices and stories, is now more imperative and important than ever. At the 2022 Appalachian Studies Association Conference, UPK launched Appalachian Futures: Black, Native, and Queer Voices, a book series dedicated to giving voice to Black, Native, Latinx, Asian, Queer, and other nonwhite or ignored identities within the region. At its core, App Futures creates a dedicated space for the voices and stories of Appalachia’s future and past; it does not seek to define Appalachia. Reading from rather than about Appalachia, it observes the process of becoming by amplifying the experiences that writers, activists, organizers, and everyday people find within its boundaries and in their absence from this place.
As the editor acquiring books under this series, I’m honored and grateful to work with established and emerging writers and scholars to uplift the overlooked, dismissed, and intentionally suppressed stories of those who have always been in Appalachia, despite what we’ve been told and shown to believe and accept.
This series came to fruition because of collaboration and teamwork: conversations with Ashley Runyon and the entire UPK staff; hours of brainstorming with Davis Shoulders, a cofounder of Atlas Books and now a series editor; many more hours of work with writers Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Crystal Wilkinson, both now series editors; and an entire series advisory board. We know we’ll make mistakes along the way, but our intention is to openly recognize them and evolve for the better along the way.
After months of planning, collaboration, writing, and revising, we’re eagerly awaiting the publication of the first book in the App Futures series: Tar Hollow Trans by Stacy Jane Grover dissects and rejects what it means to be trans and Appalachian will publish next spring. Soon after, we’ll publish books that challenge mainstream ideas about Appalachia: a comprehensive Black History of Appalachia, coedited by Enkeshi El-Amin and Jessica Wilkerson, a visual history of Queer Appalachians edited by Julie Rae Powers, collections and memoirs by Trans and Queer Appalachians, and monographs, photography books, and anthologies that elevate the voices and experiences of Black, Queer Latinx, and Native Appalachians from writers.
As an acquisitions editor and an Appalachian, I feel honored to be a small part of uplifting the often-dismissed Appalachians by publishing their stories—which, in turn, will cement their existence into our collective history. And somehow, luckily, I’ve been able to align my experiences as an Appalachian with my work’s purpose.
I encourage our entire association—whether you’re just gaining power through a new role, you already have it, or you don’t think you ever will—to do all you can to uplift and make accessible underrepresented voices in your area of expertise. That’s how we, book editors and book publishers, can change the world.
I’ve always been told that its difficult if not impossible to publish a short story collection these days. My stories are populated by Black people, are set between Zimbabwe and the USA, and center the lives of Black women. My debut Drinking from Graveyard Wells is a genre-bending collection that blurs the lines between magical realism, social horror, AfroSurrealism, and fantasy. The stories contain elements of the surreal to address the very real horrors and absurdities of patriarchy and capitalism on Black women.
Being a debut author from Zimbabwe, I thought my chances of landing a publisher for these weird, unapologetically African stories was a pipe dream. Then I stumbled across the University Press of Kentucky’s New Poetry and Prose Series whose mission is to seek out contemporary fiction and poetry that “exhibit a profound attention to language, strong imagination, formal inventiveness, and awareness of one’s literary roots.”
The Press is at the forefront of discovering fresh voices from the margins such as Rion Amilcar Scott’s Insurrections. I submitted to the 2021 New Poetry and Prose Series immediately, a straightforward process through their website that involved a cover letter and filling out a Google form. That is the beauty of university presses. They are less driven by conventional notions of marketability, notions that often privilege white authors and western forms of storytelling. University Presses seek out titles that may be too experimental or niche for other publishers and that appeal to both academic and trade markets. With the University Press of Kentucky, I found a publisher that was excited to champion African story forms.
Throughout the process, I’ve worked with a small but hands-on team that was enthusiastic about my ideas during the editorial process and constantly asked questions and listened to get it right. One of the things that was important to me was to have an African cover artist and the team worked to ensure Ivorian surrealist painter Obou Gbais’ artwork graced the cover. Working with UPK has been a collaborative partnership. It is no surprise that university presses have shepherded groundbreaking work by Black writers like Deesha Philyaw’s The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (West Virginia University Press) and Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib (University of Texas Press). University Presses are one’s to watch out for.
Over the last several months, UPK authors have been featured in a slew of podcasts and vlogs. Here are some of our favorites:
1. Think Humanities Podcast — Frank X. Walker
According to their website, “THINK HUMANITIES is a podcast for people who love history, philosophy, culture, literature, civic dialogue, and the arts.” In this episode, host Bill Goodman talks to UPK author Frank X. Walker about his newly expanded and released book, “Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York.”
2. In the Stacks: The Library Podcast — Farrah Alexander
Oral History Librarian Jen Weidner and cohost Demond Thompson share stories about Southern Indiana and their local library. In this episode, Weidner and Thompson chat with UPK author Farrah Alexander about politics, studying law, and resistance in the Bluegrass.
In this episode of Film, host and history professor Joel Tscherne interviews UPK author Rebecca Weeks about how history is depicted on television, especially in long form dramas.
This history podcast, part audience Q&A, part interview calls itself “the most comprehensive show of its kind.” In this episode, Dr. Scott Rank interviews David Dworak, UPK author.
In this episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, host Ira David Sternberg interviews UPK author Brandon K. Winford about Jim Crow era Atlanta and his recently published book John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights.
Also from History Unplugged, host Scott Rank discusses Sonia Vagliano and her French biography Les Demoiselles de Gaulle, which was recently translated into English by UPK author Martha Noel Evans.
In this podcast about Kentucky politics, hosts Aaron, Doug, and Nema talk upcoming Kentucky elections and interview UPK author Farrah Alexander about her new book, “Resistance in the Bluegrass.”
Book Series describes itself as “an academic dialoguing program” and is especially interested primarily on the political economy in Africa. In this episode, host Anotida Chikumbu talks with UPK author Travis Martin about the veteran experience post 9/11.
Read a book of poetry every day in August – it’s not too late to start
Have you heard of the Sealey Challenge? According to the website, its a reading challenge of a book of poetry every day in August with simple goals: “read a book each day, engage with diverse voices and be an active member of an online community of poetry lovers.”
Poetry books currently on sale – use code FWARE at checkout!
By Amanda Cooper, Marketing Intern, University Press of Kentucky
May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day! To celebrate, here are some sweet recipes from a few of our featured cookbooks. Check them out to find recipes for more tasty treats to enjoy all year long!
“The Blue Ribbon Cook Book is one of the iconic texts in Kentucky’s illustrious cookbook history—and few states have produced as many fine collections of recipes. In this sparkling lineup of food stars, none outshone Miss Jennie. She had it all: the kitchen touch, the business sense, the communication skills, the personality. Kentucky is renowned as a fountainhead of superior cookery in no small part because of Jennie C. Benedict’s impact in the food world generations ago. [… ] A timely collection…. Comprehensive, concise and easy-to-use recipes [offer] more than just a bit of Kentucky flavor.” —John Egerton, author of Generations
“For home cooks who like a cookbook that tells stories as well as it instructs, this is an excellent work. Both effective and entertaining, Bourbon Desserts is highly practical—welcoming to the amateur cook while challenging enough for the skilled cook.
A delicious and evocative exploration of the delights of Bourbon and all it’s many culinary uses. Ms. Hulsman speaks from the heart with a passion for her subject that only a true Kentuckian could. The recipes are as mouthwatering as they are informative and had me heading for the kitchen, bourbon in hand, after the very first chapter.” —Michael Harwood, The Guild of Food Writers (UK)
“A classic selection of dessert recipes from Duncan Hines’ private collection, ranging from cakes and biscuits, to soufflés, puddings, and cheese desserts.” —Maggie Green, author of The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook
Amanda Cooper, Marketing Intern, University Press of Kentucky
It’s the first Saturday in May, which means it’s Kentucky Derby Day! To celebrate the 148th Run for the Roses, the University Press of Kentucky is proud to present four titles that delve into the history and the grand tradition of Thoroughbred racing.
“Many books have been published about the Kentucky Derby that deal with elements of the race such as the horses, jockeys, owners, and trainers. This book is much more than that—it places the Derby within the history of the Commonwealth and in the broader context of American culture.” —John Kleber, editor of The Kentucky Encyclopedia
“Nicholson has done a masterful job of researching the historical events that made the Derby the enthralling and significant event it is. You may never get to experience the thrill of entering the winners’ circle and smelling the wonderful aroma that emanates from the garland of roses that signifies the greatest achievement in the sport of Thoroughbred racing, but this wonderful book will take you on a journey that gets you as close as any piece of writing possibly could.” —Chris McCarron, two-time Kentucky Derby winner and Hall of Fame inductee, from the foreword
“Nickell gives us the history and lore of the beverage as well as a travel guide to Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. He adds plenty of recipes, both traditional and modern, and even a page for writing your own.” —Bloomsbury Review
“Presents information you will find nowhere else… The recipes run from the basic to fancy ones using champagne or added flavors, making it a great resource for entertaining. Any fan of the derby or mint juleps will find this book a charming addition to their shelf.” —Horse-Races.net
“James Nicholson’s Racing for America is a captivating exploration of a critical moment in American racing and how a match race run nearly a century ago influences our era of horse racing. He weaves together the disparate forces and personalities that come together to bring post-war America the diversion of the Old World versus the New, and, in the process, creates a portrait of a sport overcoming its near-death experience to rival baseball for America’s favorite sport. Come for the story of this legendary horse race and stay for an engrossing examination of how modern spectacles like the Breeder’s Cup came to be.” —Jennifer S. Kelly, author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown
“Nicholson once again has discerned and described the many ways the sport of Thoroughbred racing can respond to, reflect, and perhaps even advance American attitudes and ambitions. He provides another highly intriguing and lively narrative which will grasp and entertain readers, whether new to the subject of racing or already familiar with the historic sport.” —Edward L. Bowen, author of 22 books on Thoroughbred racing
“We have waited a long time for a scholar to pull together the story of Isaac Murphy and nineteenth-century American and Kentucky life with the exquisite interpretation that Pellom McDaniels offers in this manuscript… This work is path-breaking for the detailed study it offers into the texture and layers of life in Lexington, particularly black Lexington, during the post-Civil War decades and into the Gilded Age.” —Maryjean Wall, author of How Kentucky Became Southern: A Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers, and Breeders
“A persuasive blend of storytelling and historical analysis, this is an enlightening account for horsemen, sports lovers, and historians of post Reconstruction-era American race relations. Pellom McDaniels’ success is that he brings into sharp relief the devolving social and cultural context of African-American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy’s childhood, apprenticeship, and career. The author convinces the reader of Murphy’s personal discipline and singular achievements—enabled despite an increasingly hostile environment by the support of family and the larger African-American community’s commitment to the project of self-advancement.” —Myra Young Armstead, Bard College
Amanda Cooper, Marketing Intern, University of Kentucky
May 3rd is Teacher’s Day! The University Press of Kentucky would like to thank teachers everywhere for all that they do to educate and inspire our kids. None of us would be where we are today with the teachers in our lives.
To celebrate, here are a few titles focused on the history (and future!) of education in Kentucky.
“Comprehensive and scholarly in scope, this tome is a model for future single-volume reference works about African Americans…. This work will be the standard on the subject and deserves consideration not only in Kentucky libraries but also in any setting where there is interest about African American history.” —Library Journal
“Drawing inspiration from an African American teacher in Logan County, KY, who when called upon to teach a Kentucky history class in the 1930s lamented that not one of the textbooks referenced the contributions of African Americans, series editors Smith, Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin spent over a decade bringing this rich collection to print…. This is an important reference source that other states should emulate.” —Library Journal Best Print Reference
“One-room schools once provided education to a majority of Kentucky citizens, and Montell’s book relates the characteristics and attitudes of those involved. It’s entertaining collection of memories allows the individual voices of the teachers to be heard once more.” —Freda Klotter, teacher and co-author of A Concise History of Kentucky
“With the memories of one room schools fading as the number of individuals who experiences them first hand decreases, Tales from Kentucky One-Room School Teachers preserves a meaningful record for future generations of education’s evolution and life in general during this unique time.” —Manchester Enterprise
“A History of Education in Kentucky is a comprehensive guide to the history of Kentucky schools, delving into the social, economic, and political factors that shaped their development. Ellis’s volume is a needed addition to literature on Kentucky’s history, providing a valuable account of events and decisions in Kentucky education, but also serving as an important resource for future educators and administrators.” —Kentucky Retired Teacher Association News
“Supplemented by published scholarship, oral history interviews, and personal experiences as a Kentucky educator, Professor William Ellis has provided a valuable history of the achievements and challenges connected with the Commonwealth’s schools and colleges from 1770 to the 21st century. A thoughtful, scholarly narrative with informed commentary, this study provides a long-needed, thorough and perceptive understanding of the history of Kentucky education.” —John A. Hardin, author of Fifty Years of Segregation: Black Higher Education in Kentucky, 1904–1954
“Baker and Bilbro have written a thoughtful treatise about conceptualizing and implementing education as grounded, embedded wisdom formation rather than as instruction in dislocated knowledge acquisition. The primary enticement of this text is the interweaving of Wendell Berry’s poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writings into the process. This is a text for educators and citizens willing to take a hard look at current higher education’s pedagogical proclivities and ask whether we might not often be increasing socio-cultural harm rather than promoting good when we do not encourage that learning be tied to the particularity of place. Baker and Bilbro have written this work hoping to increase focus on learning that emphasizes social stability over social itinerancy.” —International Journal of Christianity & Education
“Amasterful argument. Baker and Bilbro have given us a brilliant companion to Berry’s work that will guide readers—students, parents, professors, and administrators—to rethink educational values and institutional trajectories.” —Morris A. Grubbs, editor of Conversations with Wendell Berry
The University Press of Kentucky 