February 2020 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine

The Literary Issue FEBRUARY 2020

Sena Jeter Naslund Leads Class of Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame Inductees

Penned Literary Contest Winners Geezers’ Writing Group Simmons College Display until 03/10/2020

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in this issue

featured 11 2020 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame Profiles

11

Inductees are Sena Jeter Naslund, Cleanth Brooks, Lucy Furman, Sam Shepard and Hollis Summers, with a special award going to printer and poet Gray Zeitz

22 Penned: The 12th Annual Writers’ Showcase The best of readersubmitted fiction, creative nontiction, poetry and novel opening

departments 2 Kentucky Kwiz 3 Readers Write 5 Across Kentucky

30 The Write Stuff

6 Cooking 10 Oddities at the Museum 38 Off the Shelf 39 Field Notes 40 Past Tense/ Present Tense

Northern Kentucky retirees explore their creative potential

6

48 Vested Interest

february 4 2 CAL E N DA R ON THE COVER Sena Jeter Naslund; photo by Tom Eblen.

31 Guide to Kentucky Colleges + Universities

The Gift of Education 36

Founded by former slaves, Simmons College has a compelling heritage and bright future

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kentucky kwiz Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see the bottom of Vested Interest.

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Deborah Kohl Kremer Assistant Editor

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Senior Kentributors

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Rebecca Redding Creative Director

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C. Heart

C. Delaying

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A. Moment

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Stephen M. Vest Publisher + Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

A. Desire

4. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by __________ it today.”

© 2019, Vested Interest Publications Volume Twenty Three, Issue 1, February 2020

A. True

3. “The best thing about the future is that it comes one ___________ at a time.”

C. Day

Celebrating the best of our Commonwealth

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A. Matter B. Count C. Impress

Kentucky Kwiz courtesy of Karen M. Leet, author of Sarah’s Courage and co-author of Civil War Lexington, Kentucky: Bluegrass Breeding Ground of Power, both published by The History Press.

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readers write COUNSELING, NOT ‘CREATURE’ COMFORTS

2020 GIFT GUIDE

Regarding the Early Times article (“Four-Legged Reinforcements,” November issue, page 30), these veterans desperately need the support and care that only fellow human beings can provide.

Such a waste of funds that could be used for intensive counseling instead of animal training. Further, by introducing more animals into the public, Early Times’ partner program poses further threats to people with allergies.

Early Times and its partner are just creating problems or suboptimal solutions for a cuddly public relations campaign.

John Cento, New Albany, Indiana

A KEEPER I always enjoy the Kentucky Monthly magazine, and the story about Elkhorn Creek, “The Mysterious Elkhorn,” in the October issue (page 45) is a real catch keeper.

Thanks to Gary Garth for his descriptive journalism. He did a great job in writing the story, and as I read it, I could “sense” everything he described.

Elkhorn Creek is one of my favorite places on the earth, only 50 minutes from my house. In April 2014, I caught a 20-inch, 5-pound smallmouth bass on the Elkhorn. It was the largest smallmouth that I have ever caught in my entire life ANYWHERE! I fished on the Elkhorn recently, and, even with the low water, I caught 10 smallmouth, two crappie and a sauger. Wonderful variety, and I threw them all back for another day.

For after all, a fisherman is simply “one jerk waiting for another jerk at the end of the line!”

Terry Faris, Wilmore

We Love to Hear from You! Kentucky Monthly welcomes letters from all readers. Email us your comments at editor@kentuckymonthly.com, send a letter through our website at kentuckymonthly.com, or message us on Facebook. Letters may be edited for clarification and brevity.

featuring ky made products

CLAYTON & CRUME claytonandcrume.com The guys who founded Louisville’s Clayton & Crume, makers of some seriously amazing leather items, started with the simple belief that all leather goods should last a lifetime.

And with that commitment to quality, they create and design each piece. Select a rugged belt, sophisticated bag, classy wallet or some stylish coasters—but choose carefully, because you’re going to have it for a long, long time. Find more of our favorite products in our gift guide at kentuckymonthly.com.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY. C O M

UN I TI N G K EN TUC KI A N S EV ERY W H ER E .

Featured in this issue

Did you miss a past issue? Visit us online for articles, blogs, recipes, events and more!

F O L LOW U S.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 3

calling all cooks Enter Kentucky Monthly's annual recipe contest!

Submissions due March 13

Submit your favorite original recipe for a chance to win great prizes and see your dish featured in our May issue.

Grand Prize Getaway Two nights of lodging in a charming, two-bedroom cottage at Rough River Dam State Park in Falls of Rough, including breakfast for two both days at the park’s Grayson’s Landing Restaurant.

Runners-Up Prizes In addition to having their recipes featured in our May issue, runners-up will receive a Kentucky-themed cookbook and a cookie cutter shaped like our Commonwealth.

S U B M I T YO U R R E C I P E AT K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY. C O M

across kentucky

Birthdays 1 Don Everly (1937), Muhlenberg County-born singer who is best known for his years with his late brother, Phil, as The Everly Brothers 1 Arturo Alonzo Sandoval (1942), noted fiber artist and University of Kentucky professor of art 5 Gary P. West (1943), Bowling Green-based author and columnist 6 Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe (1993), R&B singer and actress from Lexington 10 John Calipari (1959), UK basketball coach, member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame 12 Ed Hamilton (1947), Louisvillebased sculptor best known for “The Spirit of Freedom,” a memorial to black Civil War veterans in Washington, D.C. 15 Chris T. Sullivan (1948), founder and CEO of Outback Steakhouse, who graduated from UK in 1972 18 Mark Melloan (1981), folksinger/songwriter from Elizabethtown

Expanding Focus

L

iberty Hall Historic Site is broadening its educational programs to include its darker past—the enslaved African Americans who once lived and worked there.

The historic site on Frankfort’s Wilkinson Street consists of Liberty Hall and the Orlando Brown House, as well as four acres of property that formerly were gardens, orchards and animal pens.

Until recently, the site focused on the lives of the Brown family. But after combing through Liberty Hall’s collection of letters and documents, officials have discovered the names of the many of the slaves who spent their lives there, working to keep the property operating smoothly.

Those slaves and their families are now part of a new exhibit that uses the kitchen as a starting point to show how vital they were to running a 19th century home. Reading rails, interactive elements and flipbooks are incorporated to give a more accurate depiction of the site’s history.

According to site officials, “Finally being able to tell the complete story of life at Liberty Hall is a great step forward in being more inclusive in our telling of Kentucky history. The enslaved of the many fine homes in Kentucky provided the labor that made the owners’ lifestyles possible.

“Our effort is one small step in making these histories more prominent and impactful.

20 Brian Littrell (1975), contemporary Christian singer/ songwriter from Lexington

By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley

20 Mitch McConnell (1942), U.S. Senate Majority Leader from Louisville

Driskell to Lead National Association

22 Rajon Rondo (1986), UK AllAmerican and NBA basketball star from Louisville, currently with the Los Angeles Lakers

he chair of Spalding University’s School of Creative and Professional Writing department has been named to a top post of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.

Kathleen Driskell is believed to be the first representative from a Kentucky higher education institute to be elected to the national association’s board of directors. The Louisville poet has been at Spalding since 1994. She was the director of Spalding’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program from 2003-17, eventually becoming the chair of Spalding’s School of Creative and Professional Writing in 2019.

The association consists of nearly 50,000 writers from more than 500 colleges and universities. Driskell’s involvement with the AWP goes back more than two decades, as she has attended most conferences since 1999.

“Each morning, as I boarded a big yellow school bus that had come to pick us up at a Ramada Inn, tucked under a noisy highway overpass, I thought the whole thing was a marvel. I still do, and I’m honored to serve as chair for 2019-20,” Driskell said. “I promise to do my best to build on the significant legacy of AWP.”

21 John Clay (1959), longtime sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader 24 Beth Broderick (1959), Falmouth-born actress who portrayed Aunt Zelda on Sabrina The Teenage Witch from 1996-2003 26 Alexandria Mills (1992), fashion model and Miss World 2010 from Shepherdsville 27 Jared Champion (1983), Bowling Green-born drummer of the group Cage the Elephant

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By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 5

cooking

Recipes prepared at Sullivan University by Grace Alexander.

P H OTO S B Y J E S S E H E N D R I X - I N M A N

Made with Love For centuries, preparing food for a partner, family members or friends has been a profound expression love. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, what better way to say, “I love you,” to your significant other than with a homecooked meal? These recipes for two from Brigitte Prather of The Kentucky Proud Kitchen are a terrific way to show what’s in your heart.

These cakes can be battered up before dinner and popped in the oven once you’ve taken your last bite of steak. In 10 minutes, you’ll have a decadent, drool-worthy dessert.

Oozy Chocolate Cakes Flour and butter, for greasing ramekins 3 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits 2 tablespoons sugar 1 whole egg 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon bourbon or flavored liqueur of your choice, optional 1 tablespoon flour Raspberries, for serving Powdered sugar, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease two 6-ounce ramekins with butter and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.

liqueur, if using. Fold the melted chocolate and flour into the egg mixture to combine. Divide the batter between the ramekins.

2. Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over simmering water or in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring often.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until sides of the cakes are set and firm but centers are still soft and gooey. Remove and let sit for 2 minutes, then invert onto plates.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, whole egg, egg yolk and

5. Serve warm with fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Chopped Steakhouse Salad A crisp, lightly dressed, flavorful salad is the kind of first course that preps your palate, doesn’t overfill your belly, and satisfies the vegetable quota. My husband and I will casually stand around and eat this out of salad bowls while we prep the remainder of the meal.

1 heart romaine lettuce, quartered and cut into ½-inch ribbons 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 4 radishes, quartered and thinly sliced 1 cup jarred marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Olive oil and balsamic vinegar, to taste 1. In a large salad bowl, toss the romaine, celery, radishes, artichoke hearts and blue cheese crumbles. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and your favorite, good-quality balsamic vinegar.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 7

cooking

Butter-Basted Steak for Two

I was admiring a beautifully marbled, thick prime steak in my grocer’s butcher case the other day, thinking that it seemed too indulgent for an ordinary weeknight.

Valentine’s Day would be the perfect time to bring one home.

1 large bone-in rib eye steak, about 1½ inches thick and weighing about 1½ pounds Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 2 tablespoons salted butter 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 cloves garlic, left whole and crushed with the blade of a knife 1. For best results and if time allows, let the steak sit out at room temperature for about 45 minutes to an hour. Season the rib eye generously on all surfaces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.

2. Once oil starts to smoke, sear the steak for 2-3 minutes on each side (including the fat cap on the sides) to achieve a brown, crusty exterior.

3. Reduce heat to mediumhigh and add butter, thyme and garlic to the pan. Tilt pan toward you and, using a large

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spoon, baste the steak with the melted, garlicky herb butter and rendered fat from the steak. Flip the steak and baste again. Continue to do this until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees on an instantread thermometer for medium rare.

4. Transfer steak to a cutting board to rest for 5-10 minutes. Carve the steak from the bone, and cut into ½-inchthick slices. Transfer to a platter, and pour any juices from the cutting board and skillet on top.

Balsamic Mushrooms + Onions

Steakhouse side dishes are usually generous, starchy and heavy. I prefer to keep it simple with roasted mushrooms and onions that add to the steak, rather than take away from it.

1 pound baby bella mushrooms, halved

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the halved mushrooms and onions with the olive oil, butter, thyme leaves, Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. Season with a heavy dose of salt and black pepper.

1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 sprig fresh thyme, stripped 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2. Roast for 25-30 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking, until mushrooms and onions are sizzling, caramelized and fragrant.

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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oddities

Kentucky Gateway Musuem Center

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

L

the miniature George IV Carlton House urn

Kentucky Gateway Museum Center 215 Sutton Street, Maysville 606.564.5865 | kygmc.org

ocated on the Ohio River in Mason County and founded in the 1780s, just prior to statehood, Maysville is a perfect combination of charming small-town Kentucky and historical powerhouse that lists Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton among its founding fathers. The town was an exporter of bourbon, hemp and wrought iron, which put it on the map. Due to its location on the Mason-Dixon line, Maysville also became a prominent stop on the Underground Railroad. Today, this history is well preserved throughout the town, but it is also summed up at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, which is full of treasures.

The center is like four museums in one. It includes a regional history center that encompasses fine art and historic artifacts with ties to the region, a history-of-bourbon section, a miniatures museum, and a genealogical and historical research library.

Although each area has a multitude of unique items, for this month’s oddity, we chose the George IV Carlton House urn, a lapis urn trimmed in 18 karat gold from the Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection. What makes this item unusual? Well, this elaborately detailed piece was created as a 1/12-scale (1-inch to 1-foot) reproduction of the original, which resides inside England’s Windsor Castle.

Kaye Browning is the owner and curator of the miniatures, a large collection that she has amassed over 30 years.

The items are displayed in recreated historical homes, vignettes and glass diorama boxes. Guests enjoy the teeny-tiny accessories of tables set for a holiday meal; ornate rooms complete with clocks, light fixtures and floral arrangements; and street scenes where you can peek right into the shop windows.

“The history is phenomenal,” Browning said. “Artisans replicate historical pieces, and that allows us to see how these people lived and what decorative arts they used.”

Although the collection is mesmerizing, browsing around the rest of the museum one finds rare items like a lawnmower that dates back to the mid-1800s, a television from the 1940s, and a copy of a letter written by Abraham Lincoln while he was at the White House on Nov. 21, 1864.

“He wrote to Mrs. Bixby of Boston to give condolences for the loss of her five sons who died in the Civil War,” said Sue Ellen Grannis, museum curator.

The museum, which began in a public library in 1878, is a genealogist’s dream, with court records from seven surrounding counties, original land grants, old newspapers and census reports. One of Grannis’ favorite aspects of Gateway is that part of the museum is housed in a building that was constructed in 1881. Its location is exceptional, too. The street on which it sits originally was Zane’s Trace, a frontier road that followed Native American trails and was constructed in the 1790s.

Photo courtesy of the Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center.

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2020 Kentucky Writers

Hall of Fame.

SENA JETER NASLUND CLEANTH BROOKS LUCY FURMAN SAM SHEPARD HOLLIS SUMMERS

S

ena Jeter Naslund of Louisville, whose nine books of fiction include the best-selling novels Ahab’s Wife, Four Spirits and Adam & Eve, is the newest living inductee into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.

and present. Members are chosen by Carnegie Center and Kentucky Arts Council committees, whose members include some of the state’s most accomplished writers.

Naslund will be recognized Feb. 5 in a ceremony at Lexington’s historic Kentucky Theatre. She will be inducted along with four deceased writers: Hollis Summers (1916-1987), Lucy Furman (1870-1958), playwright Sam Shepard (1943-2017) and literary critic Cleanth Brooks (1907-1994).

This year’s ceremony includes a new, occasional award. The Kentucky Literary Impact Award recognizes someone who has made great contributions to the state’s literary culture but not necessarily as a writer. The first recipient is Gray Zeitz, who founded a small publishing company that uses vintage methods to produce literary works of art for contemporary writers.

They bring to 44 the number of writers inducted since 2013 into the Hall of Fame, which the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning created to recognize outstanding figures in Kentucky’s literary past

Learn more about these Kentucky literary icons in this special section, written by Tom Eblen, a former Lexington Herald-Leader columnist and managing editor who is now the Carnegie Center’s literary arts liaison.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 11

S E N A

J E T E R

N A S L U N D

Naslund with “Trapeze Artists,” one in a series of circus paintings by Louisville artist Joyce Warner. This painting is mentioned in Naslund’s most recent novel, The Fountain of St. James Court: or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman. JESSE HENDRIX-INMAN PHOTO 12 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

S

ena Jeter Naslund may not be one of the first names that come to mind when people think of great Kentucky writers. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and her bestselling novels have been set all over the world.

Rarely does Kentucky appear in Naslund’s fiction, although her most recent novel is partially set in her own home, a mansion in which a famous Kentucky poet lived more than a century ago. But Naslund has long considered herself to be a Kentuckian.

“I’m from Alabama, but I haven’t lived there for 50 years,” she said in a recent interview. “I came to Kentucky in 1973. I have spent my writing life in Kentucky.”

That writing life has involved much more than her own writing.

Naslund has made major contributions as an award-winning teacher and mentor to other writers.

She taught in and directed the University of Louisville’s creative writing program. Then she helped start and was program director of Spalding University’s acclaimed lowresidency MFA in Writing program.

She also founded The Louisville Review and Fleur-de-Lis Press, which publishes the first books of authors whose works have been featured in the literary journal.

Naslund fully retired from teaching two years ago, but that hasn’t slowed her creative drive. At 77, she is well into writing an ambitious Civil War novel titled Wreath: A Novel of American Civil War and Peace.

“I have written 850 pages, but—you know what—I haven’t gotten to the war yet,” she said with a smile. “I’m dealing with major historical figures on both sides. So many Civil War novels focus on a very small area, but I wanted to take on the challenge of a bigger canvas and write about both North and South experiences.”

She also is working with her partner, the Kentucky-born symphonic composer Gerald Plain, to write an opera based on “Pretty Polly,” a 300-year-old folk ballad about seduction and murder. Writing an opera might seem like an odd turn for a novelist, but not for Naslund.

“I grew up with classical music,” said Naslund, the youngest of three children and only daughter of Flora

Lee Sims Jeter, a music teacher who played piano and violin, and Marvin Luther Jeter, a physician who died when Naslund was 15. As a teenager, she played cello with the Alabama Pops Orchestra and was good “up to a point.”

“Then I realized I wasn’t going to get any better, and it wasn’t going to be good enough to satisfy me or be a career,” she said. “It just seemed that it was time for me to find something I was really more skilled at doing.”

That turned out to be writing.

Naslund gave up a music scholarship to the University of Alabama to study English at BirminghamSouthern College. She graduated in 1964 and was accepted into the prestigious Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Middlebury, Vermont.

She earned an MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

But music has remained important in her life. “A lot of my early writing has to do with music, one way or another,” she said. Several stories in her first book, Ice Skating at the North Pole (1989), have musical motifs.

After teaching for a year at the University of Montana, Naslund joined the University of Louisville’s English faculty in 1973. She was director of Louisville’s creative writing program for a dozen years and found time to be a visiting professor of creative writing at Indiana University and Vermont College.

Naslund published her first two novels in 1993, The Animal Way to Love and Sherlock in Love. Then she got a whale of an idea: a take on Moby-Dick through the eyes of Captain Ahab’s wife, who rated only a mention in Herman Melville’s classic novel.

Ahab’s Wife: or, The Star-Gazer became a bestseller when published in 1999, the same year as her second collection of short fiction, The Disobedience of Water: Stories and Novellas. Both books are about human relationships and emotions, touching on themes Naslund has explored many times in her fiction: the quest for compatible relationships and a questioning of spiritual and philosophical issues.

“Ahab’s Wife in a way is a series of friendships between Una [Spenser] and various women, starting with the slave girl she helps to hide,” Naslund said.

The success of Ahab’s Wife took Naslund around the world for readings and signings. While on the other side of the globe, she came to the realization that her next novel must keep a promise she had made to herself four decades earlier in Alabama.

When Naslund was an undergraduate at BirminghamSouthern, the civil rights movement was literally exploding around her.

She often saw it in the streets as she commuted between her mother’s home and Yieldings department store, where she worked as a switchboard operator.

“I can remember standing on the corner waiting for the bus and promising myself that, if I ever did become a writer, I would write about Birmingham. And I would tell the truth about how bad things were,” she recalled. “I tried to do that after I came to Kentucky.”

She wrote a play about her experience teaching at the all-black Miles College in Birmingham, where she helped high-school dropouts earn their GEDs. Then she wrote a short story about an African American boy whose father was killed in a steel mill.

“But I couldn’t get it together, a big novel,” she said. “I was always looking for how to do it, and it just seemed so large and [had] so many facets to it, it was overwhelming.”

Then, one morning while on an Ahab’s Wife book tour in Australia, she opened her hotel room door and picked up the local newspaper. There, on the front page, was a photo of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church and an article about two former Klansmen who had been indicted (and were later convicted) in the bombing that killed four little girls and wounded 14 other worshipers during services on Sept. 15, 1963.

“That old promise I made to myself just reached halfway around the world and grabbed my heart and squeezed,” she said. “It was almost that literal. It came up from within me, and what it said was, ‘Now’s the time to write that novel on the civil rights movement that you always promised yourself you would write.’ ” The result was Four Spirits, Naslund’s second bestseller. It weaves together the lives of racists and civil rights crusaders, both black k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 13

Naslund, working on the libretto for an opera with her partner, Gerald Plain, a Rome Prize-winning symphonic composer.

JESSE HENDRIX-INMAN PHOTO

and white. Told from many perspectives, it creates a vivid picture of a society coming to grips with social injustice and change.

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette (2006) explored an older chapter of history. Naslund said she wanted to “set the record straight” about the queen who lost her head in the French Revolution. “She met death with dignity and self-knowledge,” Naslund said. “I’ve always been interested in the process of creating a self for one’s self and having the courage to be loyal to that creation.

To know that’s who you are.”

That book was followed in 2010 by another historical novel of sorts, Adam & Eve, which explores the impact of science and the way people interpret sacred texts. “Partly, I want to arouse people’s curiosity about where we came from and where we’re going,” Naslund said, adding that she also wanted to explore human creativity as “a paramount force in satisfying us and helping us to know each other.”

Naslund enjoys writing about historic figures, using her skills as a novelist to explore aspects of their inner lives and characters about which historians can only guess.

“But I try hard to build it off of factual basis,” she said. “In some cases, these are people I admire that I want to explore more fully. I focus on events that most reveal character.

Who are these people? What is their complexity? What are the forces that drive them, and how did they become that way?”

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Her research methods are like those of a historian, but she also looks for gaps in history.

“I want to know how people felt about what they were doing—not just what they did,” she said. “And not even just why they did it, but how did they experience it themselves?

That’s where imagination comes in. I try to be historically accurate. But there are important disparities in the historical records, so I get to choose which ones I prefer to believe.

“It’s not so different from how we relate to people we know,” she added. “We have some speculative insights that are beyond the factual, and we believe in it. We admire some people more than others. We like some people better than others. We fear some people more than others. In all of these equations, we are creating a character, whether we’re writing about that character or not.”

Naslund’s most recent novel, The Fountain of St. James Court: or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman (2013), brings historical fiction home—literally. The novel-within-a-novel tells the story of 18th-century painter Élisabeth VigéeLeBrun, a survivor of the French Revolution who was widely hated for her sympathetic portraits of Marie Antoinette, and a fictional contemporary writer living in Naslund’s home across from the Venus fountain on St. James Court.

It was no surprise that Naslund’s 1901 neoclassical mansion would end up in her fiction; it had captured her imagination more than two decades

before she moved there.

As with many Old Louisville mansions, the house had been cut up into apartments, abused over the years, and required restoration. But it came with a literary pedigree: The poet Madison Cawein, dubbed the “Keats of Kentucky,” lived there from 1907 until 1912, when he was forced to sell it after losing money in a stock market crash. He died two years later in an apartment across the street, from which he could still see his former home.

Naslund said she had admired the house since the early 1970s. But she didn’t get serious about buying it until she went to a friend’s Christmas party nearby, parked in front of the house, and noticed it was for sale.

She said the purchase seemed extravagant. After all, she liked her bungalow in the Highlands. But finally, she said, the grand house’s 10-foot ceilings spoke to her subconscious. “I’ve worked hard for you,” Naslund said an inner voice told her, “and I’m not going to do it again unless you give me more space over my head.”

Naslund writes in Cawein’s former study, a magnificent room with a marble mantel from Louisville’s original Galt House hotel, where Charles Dickens once stayed, and huge bowed windows above the Corinthian-columned front porch.

When not working, she enjoys visits from her daughter and son-in-law, Flora and Ron Schildknecht, who are both Spalding MFA grads and accomplished writers, and her 7-yearold grandson.

As Naslund grapples with an opera and an epic Civil War novel, she continues to draw inspiration from Vigée-LeBrun, the subject of her most recent novel, who never lost her excitement about art.

“I am just very drawn to someone whose life is filled by work that is perfectly suitable to them, and that they explore and explore and never exhaust,” Naslund said. “It seems like a very good way to spend one’s life.”

C L E A N T H

B R O O K S

C

COURTESY OF YALE UNIVERSITY

leanth Brooks was one of 20th-century America’s most influential literary critics and literature professors.

With Todd County’s Robert Penn Warren, his classmate and longtime colleague, Brooks wrote the classic college textbooks Understanding Poetry (1938) and Understanding Fiction (1943).

They promoted what became known as the New Criticism, which focused on a close reading and structural analysis of literature. Brooks and Warren, along with Charles W. Pipkin, founded and edited The Southern Review, a leading literary journal that became a model for others.

Brooks was born in Murray on Oct. 16, 1906, to the Rev. Cleanth Brooks Sr., a Methodist minister, and Bessie Lee Witherspoon Brooks. After receiving a classical education at McTyeire Institute in McKenzie, Tennessee, Brooks attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree, graduating summa cum laude in 1928.

Two significant literary movements began at Vanderbilt while Brooks was a student there: the Southern Agrarians and the Fugitive poets.

Brooks made lifelong friendships with Warren and fellow writers John Crowe Ransom, Andrew Lytle and Donald Davidson. Brooks did graduate work at Tulane University in New Orleans and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University’s Exeter College.

Louisiana State University hired Brooks as an English professor in 1932, and he remained there until leaving for Yale University in 1947.

Brooks was on the Yale faculty until

his retirement in 1975 but took leave to serve as a visiting professor at several universities, including the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Texas, and as cultural attaché at the U.S. Embassy in London, 1964-1966.

Brooks received two Guggenheim Fellowships and honorary degrees from many universities, including the University of Kentucky. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the American Philosophical Society. The National Endowment for the Humanities in 1985 chose Brooks to give the Jefferson Lecture, the United States government’s highest honor for achievements in the humanities.

His other critical works include Modern Poetry and the Tradition (1939) and The Well Wrought Urn (1947). He wrote Understanding Drama (1948) with Robert Heilman and Literary Criticism: A Short History (1957) with William K. Wimsatt. He also wrote A Shaping Joy: Studies in the Writer’s Craft (1972); The Language of the American South (1985); Historical Evidence and the Reading of Seventeenth Century Poetry (1991); Community, Religion, and Literature (1995); and several books about William Faulkner’s work, including William Faulkner: The Yoknapatawpha Country (1963), William Faulkner: Toward Yoknapatawpha and Beyond (1978), William Faulkner: First Encounters (1983) and Firm Beliefs of William Faulkner (1987).

Brooks was married to Edith Amy Blanchard from 1934 until her death in 1986. He died in New Haven, Connecticut, on May 10, 1994.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 15

Lucy Furman visiting the University of Kentucky in 1937. COURTESY OF UK SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

L U C Y

L

F U R M A N

ucy Salome Furman attracted national attention with her popular short stories and novels about smalltown and rural life in both eastern and western Kentucky around the turn of the last century.

Furman was born in Henderson County on June 7, 1869, to Williams B. Furman, a physician, and Jessie (Collins) Furman. Her parents died when she was a child, and Furman moved across the Ohio River to Evansville, Indiana. She graduated from Sayre School in Lexington in 1885 and moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and then back to Evansville in 1889. Furman began supporting herself as a court stenographer and writer.

She wrote a series of short stories that were serialized in Century Magazine, 1894-1896, and then published as a book, Stories of a Sanctified Town (1896). The stories were fictionalized accounts of Robards, a small Henderson County community.

Furman moved to the mountains of Knott County in 1907 to take a job

16 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

as director of grounds, gardens and livestock at Hindman Settlement School, which had been established five years earlier. During her 17 years on the Hindman staff, she turned her observations into short fiction for Century Magazine and The Atlantic and five best-selling novels: Mothering on Perilous (1913), Sight to the Blind (1914), The Quare Women (1923), The Glass Window (1924) and The Lonesome Road (1927). The University Press of Kentucky republished The Quare Women in 2019 with a new foreword by Rebecca Gayle Howell.

Furman returned to Henderson in 1924 and became an animal rights activist. She wrote and lectured about the cruelty of steel-jaw traps and became vice president of the Anti-Steel Trap League based in Washington, D.C. In 1934, Furman proposed an anti-steel trap bill to Kentucky’s General Assembly, which was later approved.

She retired in 1953 and moved to Cranford, New Jersey, where she lived with a nephew. Furman died there on Aug. 25, 1958.

Sam Shepard in Steel Magnolias, 1989.

RASTAR FILMS PHOTO

S

am Shepard was the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of 44 plays whose work reimagined the landscape and people of the American West, and it made him one of the best-known playwrights of his generation.

Shepard also wrote short stories, essays, screenplays and memoirs. He was a movie star whose Oscarnominated acting and rugged good looks made him a celebrity. If that wasn’t enough, Shepard also was a musician and a horse breeder who lived much of his last 17 years on a small farm near Midway.

He was born Nov. 5, 1943, in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, as Samuel Shepard Rogers III. He was named after his father, a teacher and farmer, and was called Steve. His mother, Jane Schook Rogers, also was a teacher. Shepard grew up in Duarte, California, around

S A M

horses, riding in rodeos and working on a ranch and as a hotwalker at Santa Anita Park racetrack.

After briefly studying animal husbandry at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, Shepard joined a touring repertory company. He moved to New York in 1962, became involved in the off-offBroadway theater scene, and adopted the name Sam Shepard.

The first plays Shepard wrote were performed at small experimental theaters. His science fiction play, The Unseen Hand, was said to have later influenced Richard O’Brien’s musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Shepard and then-lover Patti Smith wrote Cowboy Mouth (1971). As a screenwriter, he contributed to Robert Frank’s Me and My Brother (1968) and Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point (1970).

As playwright in residence at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre, Shepard wrote some of his most notable plays, including Buried Child (1978), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for five Tony Awards.

Two other plays, True West (1980) and Fool for Love (1983), were nominated for the Pulitzer. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing between 1966 and 1984.

Shepard attracted attention as an actor when he played a farmer in Days of Heaven (1978). His portrayal of test pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983) earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. When Robert Altman made his 1985 movie of Fool for Love, Shepard wrote the

screenplay and played the lead.

Among his other movie appearances were Frances (1982), Steel Magnolias (1989), Black Hawk Down (2001), Blackthorn (2011) and Never Here (2017), which was filmed in 2014. Shepard appeared in the Netflix television series Bloodline from 2014 to 2017.

Shepard and Bob Dylan co-wrote the song “Brownsville Girl.” He performed occasionally as a drummer with the psychedelic folk band The Holy Modal Rounders and later played banjo on Smith’s cover of the Nirvana song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Shepard was married from 1969 to 1984 to actress O-lan Jones, with whom he had a son, Jesse Mojo Shepard. From 1983 until 2009, he was in a relationship with actress Jessica Lange, with whom he had two children, Hannah Jane Shepard and Samuel Walker Shepard.

Shepard was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.

In 2000, Shepard bought Totier Creek Farm in Scott County near Midway. He bred Thoroughbreds, including multiple stakes winners Two Trail Sioux and China. He lived a quiet, private life in Kentucky and was often spotted alone in the town’s restaurants. Parts of the 1999 movie Simpatico, based on Shepard’s 1994 play, were filmed in Kentucky.

Shepard died July 27, 2017, at his farm from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

S H E P A R D

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 17

H O L L I S

S U M M E R S

H COURTESY OF OHIO UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

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ollis Spurgeon Summers Jr. wrote many novels, collections of poetry and short stories during an award-winning career teaching English at Georgetown College, the University of Kentucky and Ohio University.

Summers was born June 21, 1916, in Eminence, in Henry County, to Hollis Spurgeon Summers Sr., a Baptist minister, and Hazel (Holmes) Summers. He grew up in Campbellsville, Louisville and Madisonville, where he graduated from high school. Summers earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College (1937), a master’s from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College in Vermont (1943), and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa (1948).

His first published novel was City Limit (1948). It was followed by Brighten the Corner (1952), The Weather of February (1957), The Day After Sunday (1968) and The Garden (1972). His collection How They Chose the Dead: Stories was published in 1973. Many of Summers’ tales were set in Kentucky.

A frequent theme was the conflict between religion and romantic love.

After leaving Kentucky for Ohio, Summers also began publishing poetry collections. The Walks Near Athens (1959) was followed by Someone Else (1962), The Peddler and Other Domestic Matters (1967), Occupant Please Forward (1976), Dinosaurs (1977) and After the Twelve Days (1987).

He edited the anthology Kentucky

Story (1954) and, with Edgar Wahn, wrote the textbook Literature: An Introduction (1960). He also wrote the suspense novel Teach You a Lesson (1956) under the pseudonym Jim Hollis.

Summers began his teaching career at Holmes High School in Covington, then spent five years at his alma mater, Georgetown College, before joining the University of Kentucky’s English faculty, where he taught from 1949-1959. During that decade, he and colleague Robert Hazel taught and mentored five students who would become famous Kentucky writers: Wendell Berry, James Baker Hall, Bobbie Ann Mason, Ed McClanahan and Gurney Norman.

Summers was Distinguished Professor of the Year in UK’s College of Fine Arts in 1959. He left UK that year for Ohio University, where he was named the university’s distinguished professor in 1964. Summers spent the rest of his teaching career at Ohio, retiring in 1986. He was a National Endowment for the Arts fellow in 1974 and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1978.

The Ohio University Press administers the Hollis Summers Poetry Prize, which has a $1,000 cash prize.

Summers died Nov. 14, 1987, at his home in Athens, Ohio, after a long illness and is buried at Millersburg Cemetery in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He was married to Laura Clarke Summers, who died in 2001.

They had two sons, Hollis S. Summers III and David Clarke Summers.

G R A Y

Z E I T Z

G

2019 portrait. TOM EBLEN PHOTO

ray Zeitz thinks the best way to experience a poem is to hear it read aloud.

But he has focused his career on the second-best way.

“The second-best is to see it printed well, and I would prefer letterpress,” the printer and poet said in a recent interview. “I think you’ll get more out of reading a well-printed piece than you do on a screen.”

Zeitz, the inaugural winner of the Kentucky Literary Impact Award, has been the proprietor of Larkspur Press in Owen County for 45 years. He creates elegant, handmade books and broadsides featuring the work of some of Kentucky’s most acclaimed contemporary fiction writers and poets, including Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, Nikky Finney and Silas House.

Larkspur Press has published more than 130 books and 120 broadsides,

including the first books of Richard Taylor, Fred Smock and James Baker Hall. They have been illustrated with engravings by such artists as Wesley Bates, Carolyn Whitesel and John Lackey. Some were expensive pieces for collectors, but most have been reasonably priced for readers.

Zeitz hand prints each page on a 1915 Chandler & Price clamshell press.

“They’ve never made a better press,” he said. “They’ve just made them faster.” Books are individually stitched and bound by hand. Zeitz has had the help of many apprentices over the years; longtime colleagues Whitesel and Leslie Shane; and his wife of 39 years, Jean Zeitz, who died in 2013.

“From the beginning, his purpose has been to provide an outlet for both emerging and established writers, giving evidence that Kentucky is no literary backwater,” Taylor said of Zeitz. “More than any single person I know, he has contributed to creating a vibrant literary community in Kentucky.”

Zeitz was born in Mobile, Alabama, and grew up in Elizabethtown, where he earned an associate’s degree at Elizabethtown Community College in 1969. He then studied English and history at the University of Kentucky. Berry and Guy Davenport were among his professors, and he apprenticed in printing under Carolyn Hammer at the King Library Press.

While a UK student, Zeitz published seven issues of a literary journal, handsel, that included work by then-young writers Berry, Taylor, George Ella Lyon and Jonathan Green.

“No one buys literary magazines, but it made me want to start doing

books,” Zeitz said. He bought an antique letterpress and some metal type, moved to Monterey, and launched Larkspur Press.

Zeitz has focused on publishing Kentucky writers “because they’re so good,” he said. “They keep coming back. They don’t get paid from me.

There’s no cash exchanged here. I’m lucky to break even on a book.”

Larkspur Press is more a labor of love than a business. “It took a long time to where I could actually do this full time,” said Zeitz, who also did job printing and farmed for many years.

A couple of books and broadsides is a busy year’s production. In 2019, Larkspur published Moving Gardens, a book of poetry by Whitesel; “The Great Interruption,” a short story by Berry; and a special edition of “A Work of Genius,” a short story by Ed McClanahan.

Zeitz’s next project is a book of poems by Nana Lampton of Louisville, which will have engravings by Joanne Price of Bagdad and will be bound with marbled paper by artist Debbie Shannon of Louisville. The poet and artists will work out creative details among themselves. “I want to see what’s happening,” Zeitz said, “but I don’t like to work as a middleman.”

Just don’t ask when the book will be finished. Zeitz focuses on quality, not deadlines. The best known of Zeitz’s own poems, “Printer’s Note” ends with these lines, a metaphor drawn from his love of Kentucky’s native plants: It should be said there will be absolutely no deadline.

Who knows when the phlox will flower?

L E A R N M O R E AT CA R N E G I E C E N T E R L E X . O R G

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poetry Josh Christian Earl Hall Kristy Robinson Horine Ron O’Brien Anthony Stallard

novel opening Constance Alexander Ruth Ochs Webster

fiction

nonfiction

Katie Sullivan Hughbanks Marie Mitchell + Mason Smith

Bobbie S. Bryant Katie Glauber Bush

PENNED kentucky monthly’s annual writers’ showcase

2020

winning submissions

22

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY •

FEBR UARY 2020

penned: novel opening

There’s Something I Need to Tell You Constance Alexander MURRAY

I

n its heyday, the Mayflower Hotel for Women was home to daughters of the rich seeking adventure in Manhattan until they got married and moved to Westchester. Grace Kelly was rumored to have lived there before she moved uptown to the Barbizon, then on to Hollywood, and finally to the palace in Monaco, but that was years ago. By the time Win Anderson moved in the day of her college graduation in 1968, the only remnant of the Mayflower’s mythic past was an ancient bellman in an ill-fitting uniform. He waved Win’s father aside, pointing to the sign that said, “No men allowed above the lobby,” and piled her luggage onto a rickety cart, leaving Fred Anderson leaning against a pillar by the reception desk, chain-smoking and checking his watch. Win dumped the bags and the shoebox filled with letters in her room, and then rushed downstairs to beg off a celebratory graduation dinner by claiming she had cramps, an excuse that guaranteed a swift goodbye kiss from Daddy. Back upstairs, she unwrapped the commencement gifts from her sister: padded hangers, sweet-scented sachets and a pink satin bed jacket with matching high-heeled slippers, the kind their mother would have said you could kill yourself in.

“A little luxury for the working girl,” Arden had scrawled on the card, causing Win to wonder if her older sister imagined she was taking up residence in a bordello.

With a sigh, Win pulled her demure cotton nightgown over her head and began removing the clothes underneath without revealing any flesh. She’d learned the maneuver at Catholic boarding school, and it had become second nature, but when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she realized it was time to shrug off old habits. With that, she flung the nightgown across the room, stripped naked and sank into bed to re-read Bobby’s letters.

penned: novel opening

Cousins at War Ruth Ochs Webster

ALLISON PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

Ruth was born and raised in Kenton County, Kentucky.

penned: poetry

Hardscrabble Ron O’Brien AMBURGEY (KNOTT COUNTY

Not much comes easy in this country.

Steep mountains see to that.

So when men feel the need to be Somewherelse a little sooner, they first have to Look out boys we’re comin’ through blast Mother Nature out of the way— reconfigure Creation, you might say.

All in a day’s work.

Imposing, too, some of these cuts through solid rock.

Engineering marvels.

Their chiseled flanks dot the landscape like battlefield monuments—our initials carved in stone.

Proof that we were here.

Unimpressed, the pine trees rising from their jagged ledges say nothing.

Bracken County, Kentucky, June 1861

I

t called to be touched, the strong jawline of her 19-year-old son. Her own cheeks no longer held the beauty of youth—reflecting, instead, 52 years of hardscrabble existence. Tucking wayward strands of whispery gray hair behind her ear, she resisted the urge to touch, to stroke, the youngest of her boys. He wanted none of that. Had asked her point blank not to. He needed to see strength now, and she would give that—as she always gave. Whatever was needed.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 23

penned: fiction

Lock and Key Katie Sullivan Hughbanks

T

hrough the tall hay, high as a pony’s chest, I spotted him ducking. He scrutinized me, watched me silently. From my partial view, I could see his coffeecolored skin glinting in the sun.

Not knowing what to do, I kept to my chore, hacking away at the dead tree Papa cursed at all last week. Said he didn’t have time to be hauling off some dead oak that fell in a lightning storm near a month ago. He told me it was a boy’s job. My ax arm was hurting and sore. Still, I hacked. Every few seconds, though, I’d spy a sideways glance to see if that man was still there, hiding in the hayfield to my left. Not hiding too good, I might add. He must have known I’d see him.

What to do.

Only 13, I don’t know what’s right. Some say the rich folks should be able to keep as many slaves as they can afford. Papa says he ain’t so sure. Don’t really matter much to us, I suppose, since we don’t have enough money for new shoes or leather gloves, much less slaves. Must be awful being somebody else’s possession, much less a runaway. He is gonna get hisself killed, I thought to myself as I chopped at the limbs. Another sideways glance. And he don’t look all that much older than me. Maybe 20. Maybe younger.

What to do.

My arm was dreadful tired, so I decided to chance it and take a break. Papa was off in town; Ma was making lunch. No one would catch me wasting a moment to relax my muscle. I’m not big like Papa, barely Ma’s size, really, but I’m growing. Soon I’ll be a real man.

Man. That black man. I caught his eye and lifted my chin his way. In that moment, everything stopped but the summer breeze. It brought some relief as it blew through my damp shirt. Then he lifted his chin, too. Not that much older than me, but bigger. Darker, for sure.

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LOUISVILLE

What to do.

The man, he began to stand from the crouch where he hid. He was a head taller than that hay when he stood up full. Geez, he really could get hisself killed if somebody saw him. Who knows what a person might do. Even Mama. I thought of the rifle that stands ready near our kitchen stove. Here I was, and I had seen him. Who would see him next?

He lifted his hands through the golden-green hay stalks. Cuffs—iron ones—held his wrists inches apart. The man was locked tight by those manacles.

I paused, then looked at the heavy ax in my hands. I’ve never even been near a black man before. With a silent prayer we’d both be free of each other safely, I held the ax up and approached him slowly, crouching into the hay myself. No movement from the house; Mama had not seen me. Up close, the black man’s breath was fast and loud. I could see whiskers on his jaws. His eyes, full of fear and pleading.

It took only a moment and not one word.

He put his hands near the ground, and I lifted the ax over my shoulder. The hay prickled at my arms and face.

In one swing, it was all over. Using all my 13-year-old might, the blade crashed down. That iron chain weren’t so hefty and strong after all.

Free in one blow, the cuffs separated. His dark head nodded, he lifted his chin at me once again, and then he ran like a wild animal through the hayfield toward old man Carter’s farm.

He had been locked. My ax was the key.

Free.

With a dirty, shaking hand, I rubbed sweat from my cheek, sensing one tiny hair poking from my skin. Maybe, I thought as I headed back to the dead oak and my boy’s job, I’m gettin’ closer to bein’ a real man.

penned: fiction

Drive Through Marie Mitchell + Mason Smith

C

alvin Baker, night manager of Lanesville’s 24-hour McDonald’s, spots his drive-through clerk frantically waving at him. The already weary Baker walks toward her window. It’s 3:30 a.m. His feet hurt, and he’s counting the days—five—until his fishing trip to a friend’s cabin.

It’s been a painfully slow shift for mid-October. And there are still 90 minutes to go before the breakfast crew arrives to relieve them.

“What is it?” he asks Larkyn, an easily excitable teen.

“That customer,” says the college freshman, pointing at a Ford Escort barely visible on the security camera.

Baker studies the grainy screen. The dim light makes it hard to pick up details. But he can tell the car’s in bad shape. Front bumper askew. Windshield with a lightning bolt crack. One headlight shorting out. Dings spread all over the mud-spattered hood.

“It’s not stalled in queue, is it?” he asks, dreading the thought, let alone the act, of having to push it somewhere so it doesn’t block the other cars.

“I don’t think so,” Larkyn says.

“Did he say something offensive?”

“No. Just ordered his fish sandwich, extra tartar sauce.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Baker prompts, as he tires of the guessing game.

Larkyn turns as pale as Morticia Addams. She hesitates before blurting out, “I think the guy in the passenger seat is … dead.”

“What?” Baker says, startled. There’s nothing in the manager’s manual about handling such a situation.

He stares at the screen. It’s obvious that the passenger is slumped down in the seat.

Baker watches for a few moments. He confirms that the passenger is still. Very still. Definitely not moving. But … dead? Impossible.

How ridiculously absurd would it be for someone to haul around a body, then pull into a fast food drivethrough lane to satisfy a craving for a fish sandwich? No one would be that stupid.

“He probably partied all night. He’s just sleeping off a bender,” Baker assures his staff. But still, he can’t take his eyes off the camera. Surely the guy will twitch. Turn. Or puke. Anything to show there’s some life in him.

“I don’t think so,” Larkyn argues. “His eyes are wide open. But they’re not blinking. It’s not normal. It creeps me out.”

Baker scrutinizes the image some more while Larkyn’s trembling hands nearly drop the change for a customer wearing hospital scrubs.

RICHMOND

“It’s just a prank,” Baker rationalizes. “Stunts like this happen all the time. Folks are always trying to freak us out. That’s the way they get their kicks. Don’t fall for it.”

But Baker’s not totally convinced himself.

As the Escort finally reaches the window, a gloved hand extends a $10 bill. Larkyn nearly recoils as she accepts the money, holding it out like a dead rat.

One corner has a reddish stain, so Baker sends Larkyn to the sink to wash off what he believes is corn syrup and red dye. This clown takes a joke to the limit, he thinks.

Politely, he tells the driver, “It’ll be another minute on that fish,” and asks him to pull forward so they can serve the other customers whose orders are ready.

Larkyn refuses to deliver the sandwich when it’s done, so, grudgingly, Baker carries the sack outside to the waiting car, noting something is leaking from the Escort—probably oil.

He taps on the driver’s window, and it slowly rolls down. “Sorry about the wait,” he apologizes to the hooded figure.

Baker knows he should leave. Now. Without any further conversation—or a glance inside the car.

He knows he should keep his curiosity in check. Walk back inside. Finish out his shift. Not let his imagination run wild.

But he can’t help himself. Against his better judgment, he looks straight through the open window and right at the passenger who’s propped against the opposite door.

The man doesn’t appear to be breathing. His chest isn’t moving. His eyes are staring blankly upward. And, oh yes, there’s a wet circle on his jacket, dangerously close to his heart.

Baker steps back—shocked, speechless, spooked. He nearly trips on the curb.

The driver locks eyes with Baker, who can’t seem to break the connection. Calmly, emotionlessly, hypnotically, he says, “Hunting accident. Heading to the ER.” Baker nods as the gleam of a gun barrel shines between the seats. “Hospital’s a mile down the road,” he says, pointing south toward the bypass, aware that the driver is in no hurry to get there.

“Thanks … Calvin Baker,” the driver growls, reading the manager’s name tag. “I’ll remember to give you five stars for such good service.”

The Escort pulls away in a cloud of exhaust. Baker begins hosing down the drive-through lane to rinse what he’s pretty sure now isn’t motor oil. He contemplates his vacation. A transfer to a different location. Or maybe entering a witness protection program.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 25

penned: nonfiction

The Plumber Bobbie S. Bryant

“I

put a bucket under the back of the toilet in the upstairs bathroom,” says Margaret the housekeeper as she descends the stairs. “I had to mop up a good bit of water.”

“Just what I need,” Phil groans aloud to the housekeeper. “Guess I’ll have to call a plumber.”

“Yeah, it’s leaking pretty badly. You’d better keep an eye on the bucket to make sure it doesn’t overflow.”

Margaret places the wet mop in the hall closet, finished for the day. A moment later, she calls out, “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” as she lets herself out the back door.

Phil continues typing at his computer. When finished, he leans back in his chair in thought. Stupid toilet. I really can’t afford to get it fixed right now. I just got the hospital paid off from surgery six months ago.

With conviction, he gets up and marches directly to the utility room to get a wrench.

“I’ll just fix it myself,” he mutters.

Knee replacement surgery has left Phil with diminished mobility, but he manages the stairs relatively well. He holds tightly to the handrail and takes his time.

Sure enough, the bucket is already filling with water.

Annoyed, he looks at the backside of the toilet to locate the problem. He gingerly kneels on his right knee, holding onto the bowl for balance. He leans to the left and locates the bolt that probably needs adjusting. The task is going to be tricky as he’s right-handed. The space between the wall on his left and the toilet on his right is only about a dozen inches apart. Then there’s the toilet paper holder on the wall in the spot where his body needs to be.

With the wrench in his left hand, he wedges his substantial girth into the narrow space. At such an awkward angle, placement is complicated, but he manages to secure the wrench and gives it a twist. Nothing happens. Another tug and the wrench slips off the bolt.

Darn it! This isn’t going as well as he’d imagined.

He makes another clumsy attempt, and the wrench drops off again, clanking loudly onto the base of the toilet.

Wiggling his less-than-supple body a little further into the tight space, he leans in, his head pressed against the back wall. His right hand grips the toilet lid, serving as his anchor.

His face reddens, and a bead of sweat forms at his hairline.

Phil tugs the bolt one more time. Nothing.

He curses.

Frustrated, he contemplates his next move.

This has got to be what’s causing the drip, he reasons.

Minutes tick by. His neck is numb from his head being turned to the side, pressed against the wall. With resolve, he repositions himself and makes one more rotation, this time with force. The bolt suddenly gives, and Phil loses his balance. His body lurches and pins his torso and hips 26 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

LOUISVILLE

between the wall, the paper dispenser and the toilet.

To make matters worse, the water bucket is nearly at capacity.

Fully wedged in the corner of the back and side walls, Phil distends his right arm. He reaches for the tank of the toilet and braces himself for lift. He digs the toes of his shoes into the linoleum floor for leverage. He sucks in his belly and shimmies his hips.

Nothing moves.

He tries again.

Nada.

He can’t believe the dilemma. No one else is in the house, and he’s not expecting company. He didn’t bring his cell phone upstairs, and there is no phone in the bathroom.

What a pickle.

Drip. Drip. Drip. The water is less than a quarter-inch from overflowing the bucket.

Phil ponders his next move.

He aligns his right arm above his head, placing his hand against the back wall. He pushes with all his might while slightly lifting his lower body. His body plops heavily to the floor.

With moves that would make a contortionist proud, he wiggles backward and finally works loose from the torture chamber.

Clear of the toilet, he rolls over and sits on his rump.

His hair is wet against his brow. Sweat streams down his back, and his shirt is soaked. He is exhausted.

Now, to stand up so he can empty the bucket.

He puts his left forearm on the lid of the toilet seat for leverage and strains to get his right leg into position.

It doesn’t work.

He rolls onto his hip and tries again.

Crap.

Sweat pours profusely.

Drained, he thinks about those old ladies on TV commercials who have fallen and can’t get up.

He curses.

Minutes tick by. What to do?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Finally, good, old-fashioned ingenuity wins the day.

Using both hands and feet while sitting on his butt, he inchworms his body toward the door, out into the hall. At the top of the stairs, he plants his feet on the top step.

With labored breath, he rests, dog-tired from the exertion.

He grips the handrail, hoists himself up and stands erect, shoulders squared. The Hallelujah Chorus rises to a crescendo.

Phil wearily returns to the bathroom, grabs the bucket of water and dumps it into the tub.

Now, if he can just remember the name of that plumber.

penned: nonfiction

Christmas Red Katie Glauber Bush

T

oday is the day after Christmas, 1960, and I am on the St. Matthews-Springhill bus with my older sister, Ann. We’re heading to Stewart’s Dry Goods in downtown Louisville to exchange the hideous green slippers I received from Aunt Inez and Uncle John.

They apparently have no clue what an almost 11-year-old would like for Christmas. In their defense, it’s hard to find clothes that fit me.

I’m 5-feet, 8½-inches tall, and my wrists and ankles seem to be perpetually surrounded by miles of bare skin because sleeves and pant legs have no notion how far they need to stretch. I am the tallest fifth grader at Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school. My feet are already huge, and I often feel like Baby Huey, the gigantic cartoon duck.

Worst of all, my face, with no warning, can turn into a bright-red lighthouse beacon.

The green slippers are too short, and I have no intention of replacing them with a longer pair. Surely in all the floors at Stewart’s there is something that will fit my freak body. Children’s clothes no longer fit, and junior clothes are often too short. Misses sizes presume my bosoms have developed, and that, sadly, has not happened. And while I sat enthralled as the nuns shared with us the booklet, Growing Up and Liking It, my enthusiasm has not brought about my menstrual period.

Regardless of my size, Mother and Ann say I am still a child. But if I am a child, then I would like someone to explain why I absolutely know for certain that I am going to marry TV star George Maharis. When I watch him on Route 66, I get this giggling sensation in my tummy. It’s love. I just know it.

We get off the bus at the stop between Third and Fourth streets and cross Walnut Street to enter Stewart’s.

I wander past the cosmetics, scarves and purses on the first floor and head to the escalator. Ann follows. Once I

LOUISVILLE

hit the second floor, the lingerie section draws me like a moth to its nylon-and-lace flame. I’ve never noticed this section before. There are no pajamas here—only beautiful, slippery gowns. I see the most glorious red nightgown and robe.

“Do you have it in my size?” I ask the saleswoman.

“I believe you would take a medium in this peignoir set,” the smiling woman says.

“Peignoir,” I quietly repeat to myself. That even sounds grown up.

Before my sister can say a word, I’m in a dressing room admiring how soft it feels next to my skin, how beautiful it is, and how glamorous I feel. Spaghetti straps are so grown up and, if my face behaves, I even look good in red.

I can’t wait to take it home and show everyone.

I look like Loretta Young.

Riding home on the bus, I know that my new nightgown and robe will make Momma realize I am no longer a little kid. When the bus drops us off at the corner of Breckenridge Lane and Winchester Road, I start to feel my first twinge of anxiety.

“Wait until Mom and Dad see what you bought with your Christmas money,” Ann says.

When we walk in the door, Ann calls out for everyone to come see what I have purchased. She begs me to put it on and come out and model it for all to see.

Meekly, I take the bag to my bedroom and quickly change from my scratchy wool pedal pushers and sweater to my new soft gown and sheer robe.

“Here I come!” I announce.

I stride into the room and take a twirl so all of them can see just how beautiful it is. I take my final turn only to realize they are all laughing. My face turns as crimson as the gown, as red as a lighthouse beacon, but there is no safe harbor.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 27

penned: poetry

penned: poetry

Pitching My Tent at the Losses

And The People Moved

Kristy Robinson Horine PARIS To the left and right of 460 is Ace High Cattle Company.

The way it smells tonight makes me want to pitch my tent in the middle of the asphalt.

One side: cut alfalfa, pushed up into rows like a girl’s fresh-plaited hair.

But green and fragrant warm and spiked with drying stalks, flowers wilted to drooping heads.

Other side: promise of corn.

On the fence: honeysuckle vine, strange trees to me, unruly and strong, with the smell that lingers and the taste that leaves me to long for more than a touch upon my tongue.

Mama’s the one, who taught me the parts to pull out for the sweetness.

Red clover and honeysuckle.

Tiny tubes not even big enough to satisfy the fairies.

But adequate for a butterfly, like me.

Right now, I’d say it’s the giving up to get what you got.

It’s the gains and the losses along the way.

You have to kill it to taste it.

Cut it down to feed it.

Necessary sacrifices.

And the actions harvested from times ago … memories put into rows and baled and ricked.

Celebrated with a toast of honeysuckle and clover.

Sweetness.

To honor the losses along the way.

28 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

Earl Hall TROPHY CLUB, TEXAS Earl was born in Martin, Kentucky, and raised in McDowell.

They pushed and dug and clanked and the trains rumbled through the valleys and the whistles blew and the windows rattled and the mountains shook until they heaved forth the coal to power the industries and wars that made a country great.

When the coal was gone the houses fell the people moved and stayed in hospitals with lungs that wheezed like the trains that moved the coal.

The people moved to the cities and built cars for the country to travel the roads that people built west to California that didn’t stop until they came to the ocean and then built piers reaching out into the ocean to a new world where better cars were built and the factories closed and the people moved and the houses fell and the families crumbled like the cities’ walls and streets.

The people moved back to their homes in the hills and the rusted hulks of cars and trucks polluted rivers and scared mountains unable to buy the cars or build the roads or schools for the children of the people broken from the mines and the factories that made a country great.

penned: poetry

Blue Collar & Green Hands Josh Christian

LOUISVILLE

It took us three days to clear the grass, each of us taking a turn, hours long, pushing and pulling the mower, which huffs gas fumes, CO2, and I, but 13, a farmer, skipping school, scalping the lawn with a small engine and hungry blades.

With each push, I grow taller, closer to the heavens I depend on for rain, or sun, or even the chaffing cold, which chips my cheeks until they are copper red, rusted in rain.

And when I am done, I lay flat, like the tall stalks of grass, staring, waiting for the sky to blow open full of light, full promise, that no matter how raw my hands, how thick the concrete callouses, how deep the mud drags us closer to death, I will pry myself from squashed-thin mattress, to plow the field, work the dirt, and wait, for roots to explode like their starry-kin and something to grow.

penned: poetry

Ruffian Anthony Stallard Tomorrow comes to claim its own beyond the paddock where they play, with an empty, unexpected, silence the wind alone dares breathe.

Her rider up, the Call to Post falls like morning dew upon her ears.

The echo of its summons ended by the gate’s noise slammed to closed.

LEXINGTON

Adored … balanced on a fragile limb, a trio of her promise in mid-air, separate pieces in a Calder mirrored, poised and unbeaten at their place in line.

Eager for a change in partners.

Ruffian; a dark bay three-year old; a Filly … poised and unbeaten, waiting the beginning of the rest of time.

Her presence was our calm, before a dark and cruel cloud came unannounced to call; set adrift while life played out itself for the ages on the backstretch.

I ask what must it be to know a joy found written on one’s every breath, to be one born to chase Life’s elusive chances, calling out from somewhere well beyond the wind?

A hush came over Belmont, silence fell into itself.

From its echo came the cry.

This, is who I am.

Suddenly, she was no more, her last furlong run.

Cradled in time, she lay,

an undefeated spirit, forever stilled, sad as any photograph can be.

At the door of hurt, is a sorrow we must bear measured by a tolling bell, an open gate, a run to shattered bones and broken hearts, of innocents like you … Like me.

Beyond life’s veil is seen, what’s stilled … things left undone, the wake of aspirations not to be, their silks of colors worn to craft a story, unfulfilled, with the saddest lines I know.

Kentucky Gateway Museum Center

215 Sutton Street

Maysville, KY 41056

606-564-5865

www.kygmc.org

Open Tuesday – Saturday 10am to 4pm

A PortrAit of the roAring 20s

Lifestyles

s s e e am h S l

of the Rich and Now on Display

The KYGMC Wormald Gallery features “Funky Patterns” an exhibition of art by Jane Nelson. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 29

The Write Stuff Northern Kentucky retirees explore their creative potential

BY MARY ANN JACOBS

A

re you on a quest for a new purpose? A group of northern Kentucky retirees found theirs as they tapped into their passions. No longer in 9-to-5 jobs, they searched for creative ways to spend their time.

Thus was formed the Geezers’ Writing Group. Of course, they didn’t call themselves that at first. It just seemed a fitting name as they got to know each other and appreciate the freedom retirement gives them.

This assemblage of retired women has, off and on, consisted of a Pentagon worker, a leader of a “New Friends” organization, a Marine, a teacher who raises chickens and quail, a government worker, a writing teacher, a child psychologist, a high school teacher, a keeper of Maysville’s history, and a computer teacher transplanted from the hills of West Virginia.

The diverse group comes together each month to inspire and be inspired to write, as they read their pieces aloud to be critiqued by other members. They are destroying the myth that retirees while away their time rocking on the porch. They do rock, but with their passion for writing.

BEGINNING A WRITING GROUP You can start a writing group, and, of course, you certainly don’t have to be a geezer—or even retired, for that matter—to do it. For me, this venture began four years ago, when I decided to offer a two-session workshop for the New Friends of Northern Kentucky, an 30 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

association that welcomes residents who have recently moved to the area.

What was intended as a two-day stint has continued over the years.

The original members of the group vehemently refuse to quit. Some have moved, but others quickly took their place.

Determined to exercise a passion for writing that had lain dormant during their careers, our members began working on a family history of Maysville, children’s books, a mystery novel, poems, a discussion guide for groups working to improve education, personal experience stories, short stories from Appalachia, and a crime novel based in Covington.

We laugh. We critique with brutal honesty. We comfort one another when we receive rejections, and we celebrate with balloons and cake when one of us gets published.

ESTABLISHING YOUR GROUP 1. Gather a group of people (5-10) who have always wanted to write but seldom had the time. Social media, such as the Nextdoor neighborhood app or Facebook, can be a good resource for tracking down those in your area with a passion for writing.

2. Find a leader who has some experience with teaching writing.

3. Get someone with good organizational skills to set up schedules and notify members.

4. Guidelines for the first meeting: • Have members introduce

themselves and tell what and why they are interested in writing.

• Float ideas about where each piece of writing might fit in the publishing world, whether publishing for one’s own family or professionally.

• Assign each person to write something for the next meeting.

• Collect email addresses.

5. Guidelines for the second meeting: • Have each member do a “quick write” about a person, place or thing important in his or her life.

Allow 10 minutes for the quick write.

• Share quick writes. Anyone should be allowed to pass on sharing at any time. As members of the group get to know one another, shyness about sharing likely will not be problem.

• Share writings from the previous week’s assignment. Give two positive critiques about each writing and one suggestion for improvement.

• Have each person choose a type of writing they want to pursue— for example, a poem, short story, profile, scene, informal outline of a novel or personal experience.

• Assign each person to write in the form they have chosen.

Thus begins your journey. Good luck, writers. May your journey be as enjoyable and fruitful as that of our writers’ group.Q

>>>> 2020 Guide to Kentucky Colleges + Universities

For Kentucky’s high school students, selecting a college or university where they will continue their education is not a decision to take lightly, and the choices can seem overwhelming. To make the job a tad easier, Kentucky Monthly presents a complete list of the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities.

>>>> k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 31

FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY Founded in 1939 Hyden, KY frontier.edu 606.672.2312 Enrollment: 2,000+

Frontier Nursing University offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and postgraduate certificates leading to education as a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), family nurse practitioner (FNP), women’s health care nurse practitioner (WHCNP) and/or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). FNU seeks to meet the needs of prospective nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who do not want to leave their home communities to obtain the graduate education they desire to fulfill their professional aspirations.

Didactic coursework is delivered using web-based, distance education courses allowing students to achieve their higher education goals without leaving home for classes. Using clinics, hospitals and preceptors in their own community allows students to get the hands-on clinical experience required for these exciting health care professions. Two to three on-campus sessions are required, including an orientation prior to beginning studies and intensive skill workshops prior to beginning the clinical practicum.

THE GATTON ACADEMY OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE Founded in 2007 Bowling Green, KY wku.edu/academy 270.745.6565 Enrollment: 95 accepted/year Since 2007, high school juniors and seniors interested in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields have come from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to attend The Gatton Academy. Located at Western Kentucky University, Gatton students finish their high school requirements at the same time they start college. Our students take college classes taught by WKU faculty members while exploring opportunities that include conducting research with WKU professors and studying abroad. Our students are challenged both inside and outside of the classroom and thrive in a supportive community designed just for them.

What does it cost to attend Kentucky’s “Public Elite” school, as named by The Washington Post for nine consecutive years? The Commonwealth of Kentucky pays for tuition, fees, and room and board. That means that you, too, can have a future filled with infinite possibilities at The Gatton Academy.

32 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

PUBLIC EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Richmond 1-859-622-1000 eku.edu KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM (KCTCS) Versailles 16 colleges statewide 1-877-528-2748 kctcs.edu KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Frankfort 1-502-597-6000 kysu.edu MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY Morehead 1-800-585-6781 moreheadstate.edu MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY Murray 1-800-272-4678 murraystate.edu NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Highland Heights 1-859-572-5100 nku.edu UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY Lexington 1-859-257-9000 uky.edu UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE Louisville 1-800-334-UofL louisville.edu WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Bowling Green 1-800-745-0111 wku.edu PRIVATE ALICE LLOYD COLLEGE Pippa Passes 1-888-280-4252 alc.edu

ASBURY UNIVERSITY Wilmore 1-800-888-1818 asbury.edu BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY Louisville 1-800-274-4723 bellarmine.edu BEREA COLLEGE Berea 1-859-985-3000 berea.edu BRESCIA UNIVERSITY Owensboro 1-270-685-3131 brescia.edu CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY Campbellsville 1-800-264-6014 campbellsville.edu CENTRE COLLEGE Danville 1-859-238-5200 centre.edu

FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY Hyden 1-606-672-2312 frontier.edu GEORGETOWN COLLEGE Georgetown 1-800-788-9985 georgetowncollege.edu KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Grayson 1-800-522-3181 kcu.edu KENTUCKY WESLEYAN COLLEGE Owensboro 1-800-999-0592 kwc.edu LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE Columbia 1-800-264-0138 lindsey.edu

MIDWAY UNIVERSITY Midway 1-800-755-0031 midway.edu SIMMONS COLLEGE OF KENTUCKY Louisville 1-502-776-1443 simmonscollegeky.edu

SPALDING UNIVERSITY Louisville 1-502-585-9911 spalding.edu SULLIVAN UNIVERSITY Louisville 1-800-844-1354 Lexington 1-800-467-6281 sullivan.edu THOMAS MORE COLLEGE Crestview Hills 1-859-341-5800 thomasmore.edu

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 33

CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY

TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY Lexington 1-859-233-8300 transy.edu

Founded in 1906 Campbellsville, KY campbellsville.edu 1-800-264-6014 Enrollment: 14,271

UNION COLLEGE Barbourville 1-800-489-8646 unionky.edu

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 14,000 students, offering more than 100 programs of study, including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has Kentucky-based off-campus centers in Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty, with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. Out-of-state centers include two in California at Los Angeles and Lathrop, located in the San Francisco Bay region. Visit campbellsville.edu for complete information.

Students are provided with services beyond the traditional academic expectations, including complimentary counseling and access to tutors tailored to students’ areas of study. Academic coaches, internships and partnerships with programs around the globe make CU a place of opportunity.

With multiple locations and a full complement of online programs, Campbellsville University offers the opportunity to further your education, no matter where you are.

UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS Williamsburg 1-800-343-1609 ucumberlands.edu UNIVERSITY OF PIKEVILLE Pikeville 1-866-BEARS-00 upike.edu

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Residential and nonresidential camps for high-ability, high-interest youth SCATS (June 7-19, 2020) Students completing grades 6-8

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Applications available now at wku.edu/gifted Phone: 270-745-6323 Email: gifted@wku.edu

34 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

Colonels Power the Commonwealth Eastern Kentucky University Colonels proudly serve the

Commonwealth as police officers, firefighters, nurses, social

workers and more. Find your place in these important fields with online or on-campus degree options at EKU.

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k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 35

The Gift of Education

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

Founded by former slaves, Simmons College has a compelling heritage and bright future

Degree Programs Offered at Simmons College of Kentucky: Associate of Arts

T

ucked away in Louisville’s California and Limerick neighborhoods is Simmons College of Kentucky. With its fascinating and enduring history, combined with a promising future, the school has much to be proud of.

“The miracle of Simmons is that it is a school founded by former slaves, just four months after [Gen. Robert E.] Lee surrendered at Appomattox,” said Dr. Kevin W. Cosby, president of Simmons.

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the State Convention of Colored Baptists in Kentucky proposed the Commonwealth’s first post-secondary educational institution for black citizens. After the years of Reconstruction and upheaval, these founders realized their dream when the Kentucky Normal and Theological Institute was founded in 1879. It is the state’s oldest historically black college, and the only private one.

In 1880, Dr. William Simmons became the college’s second president, and the school experienced tremendous growth during his 10-year tenure. As a tribute to Simmons’ hard work and dedication, the school was renamed Simmons University in 1918. The original plan was to create a classical liberal arts school, similar to Howard University in Washington, D.C. Not only did the institution instruct future teachers, it also had a law school and a medical school.

“Simmons integrated Louisville and created the middle class,” Cosby said. “The first black doctors, lawyers and athletes all came from Simmons.”

General Studies Religious Studies Bachelor of Arts Business Administration Communication Religious Studies Sociology LEARN MORE

simmonscollegeky.edu

With the onset of the Great Depression, the school was forced to relocate and eventually close. It later reopened as a Bible college. “We are proud of our Christian roots and are still unapologetically Christian,” Cosby said.

One requirement of graduation reflects Simmons’ religious ties: Every student must participate in the Christian Service Program. Students are assigned to an organization where they volunteer and work at least 12 hours per semester. A huge variety of nonprofits are affiliated with the program, so students can choose to work at a place they are familiar with or one they know nothing about.

Akhilah Cherry, who graduated from Simmons in May 2019, is now the administrative assistant for the program. “The students learn things they never

36 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

would have learned if they did not volunteer there,” she said. “They can stay with the same organization through their college years or pick a different one each semester.”

Cherry said students learn about generosity and teamwork, and often leave with letters of recommendation or job ideas. “There are so many roads [the program] can lead to,” she said.

HBCUs, but these schools train 50 percent of all black teachers. “Louisville has something to be proud of,” he said.

Rebecca Gardner fell in love with Simmons College as a student. She received her bachelor’s degree and now serves as the alumni affairs manager.

After looking at the school through a student’s eyes, she saw the family-oriented culture, the positive feel and Cosby has been at the helm of Simmons since 2005, the curriculum she was looking for. “I was hooked,” she and the school has steadily increased its enrollment and said. “I knew it was for me.” course offerings. It was able to repurchase the original Now as an alum and an employee, she continues to feel campus. In 2015, the school was recognized by the U.S. that way and is eager to share it with potential students.

Department of Education as the nation’s 107th “Everyone knows everyone’s name, from the president on historically black college and university. down,” she said. “We all take time to get to know each “We are the only HBCU to make a comeback,” Cosby student and check on their well-being. It is a big family.” said.

The Simmons campus is made up of five buildings Today, enrollment is around 215, predominately made located east of St. Stephen Church, where Cosby is the up of African American students, with most coming from pastor. The college and church share some facilities. The poverty. The school offers six degree programs, with the neighborhood is one of the poorest zip codes in the state, hopes of adding more STEM-related (science, technology, but Cosby is proud of the strides that have been made, engineering and mathematics) majors in the future. including the acquisition of the former national For now, Cosby is focusing on training teachers. “We headquarters of the National Society of Sons of the want to help recruit and train black teachers,” he said.

American Revolution at Fourth and Kentucky.

“Most children in grades K-12 never have a black teacher. wku.edu/business With men’s and women’s basketball teams sanctioned This is not only bad for black kids. All kids need diversity.” by the NCAA, an active band, a dance team and now Cosby said a black teacher can send the message that around 50 students living in dorms, Cosby said everything there are immense opportunities that come with is moving in the right direction. education. These teachers can tell a student, “Look what I “We have a rich heritage, and our culture is celebrated,” have done, and you can, too.” he said. “Simmons is the gift the slaves gave us.” Q According to Cosby, only three percent of schools are

wku.edu/business

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 37

off the shelf

(P)-Paperback (C)-Clothbound (H)-Hardback

Bookends

Mason’s Artistry

Boomers Abroad

Mayfield native Bobbie Ann Mason has been writing books and contributing to magazines for many years now. Patchwork: A Bobbie Ann Mason Reader presents a collection of several of her works.

For retired baby boomers John and Sally Ross, following through on a wish to experience “new horizons” means a vacation in the beautiful city of Budapest. But will it be all they hoped it would be?

“Fiction, at its best, is not mere depiction, but effects a change upon the reader so as to prepare her for more enlightened living in the world―as Kafka famously says, it ‘prepares us for tenderness.’ … The work of Bobbie Ann Mason, it seems to me, does this in a particularly loving fashion, full of truth, characterized by a refusal of the sentimental, embracing of a muscular form of hope,” author George Saunders writes in the foreword.

Challenges arise on the trip when the couple is forced to manage their fun time against the demands of a possessive and boorish couple seeking friendship. Oh, what a nice place to hide would do for their sanity! That issue and continuing family complications back home make this getaway a little less than ideal.

This book follows Mason’s career, with samples of her awardwinning short stories that were published in The New Yorker, flash fiction that has never before been published, and chapters from her books, In Country and The Girl in the Blue Beret.

Mason’s stories include snippets of everyday life, with subtle bits of humor mixed in. She was inducted into the 2016 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, and her memoir, Clear Springs, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She has been called a modern-day Mark Twain.

By Deborah Kohl Kremer Patchwork: A Bobbie Ann Mason Reader, Introduction by George Saunders, preface

by Jonathan Allison, University Press of Kentucky, $35 (H) 38 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

Author Michael Embry presents New Horizons, his third installment in the John Ross Boomer Lit series, and he leaves us both laughing and crying with his often flawed but recognizable characters. Remember the days when boomers were seen as the hope of the world?

A few years back, Embry retired from a longtime career as a journalist and editor. He’s reinvented himself as a novelist, and he’s become a good one.

By Steve Flairty New Horizons, A John Ross Boomer Lit Series, Book 3, By Michael Embry Wings ePress, Inc., $15.95

The latest book from Ed McClanahan, a 2019 inductee into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, is Not Even Immortality Lasts Forever: Mostly True Stories. Published by Counterpoint Press with a Feb. 18 release date, the book is a vivid retelling of McClanahan’s life— from his early years growing up in rural northeastern Kentucky to his departure for the West Coast in pursuit of a writing career. He shares poignant moments— including perilous swimming lessons in the Ohio River and his friendship with author Ken Kesey— with enthusiasm, enlivening each story with narration that is both profoundly reflective and hilariously self-aware. Jovial, lighthearted, and unapologetic, Not Even Immortality Lasts Forever: Mostly True Stories illuminates the value of the mundane and the everyday moments that shape us. ...

Back in 2018, two founding members of the Bluegrass Writers Coalition from Frankfort, former Kentucky Monthly editor Michael Embry and Chris Helvey, discussed the idea of creating a small selection of published writings to highlight some of the state’s finest, including some who were unsung, writers. The product of their conversation has emerged with the help of Virginia Smith and Keith Hellard. A 151-page paperback collection, From Pen to Page: A Selection of Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition, was published. The book’s impressive number of submissions—35—far surpassed what Embry and Helvey expected, believing that only a few poems and short stories would be reeled in.

Quoting from the book’s introduction, the two stated: “From Pen to Page does indeed contain a number of fine poems and some creative and powerful stories.

However, it also provides the reader with memoir pieces, creative non-fiction, novel excerpts, even photographs of Frankfort and the famous Bluegrass countryside that surrounds Kentucky’s capital city.”

Published by Next Steps Books, From Pen to Page retails for $9.99.

field notes

by Gary Garth

The Elk-Skin Journal

I

have a deep interest in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The 1804-06 journey, which laid the bedrock for the western expansion of the United States, has tight ties to Kentucky.

Corps of Discovery co-commander William Clark spent his formative years in Jefferson County. The Clark family arrived in Kentucky from Virginia in 1785, when William was 14.

Accompanying the family was York, a Clark family slave who later traveled with Clark and the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean and back. York’s role in the historic journey was not insignificant, and he is memorialized in a sculpture by Ed Hamilton on Louisville’s waterfront.

Near the Falls of the Ohio in the summer and fall of 1803 Clark selected the nucleus of the expedition, a group he referred to as the “nine young men from Kentucky.” They included William Bratton, John Colter, brothers Joseph and Reubin Field, Charles Floyd, George Gibson, Nathaniel Pryor, George Shannon and John Shields. Colter and Shannon may have joined Meriwether Lewis prior to his reaching Louisville. They apparently were with Lewis when he arrived at the Falls of the Ohio on Oct. 14, 1803.

The men departed 12 days later, after the commanders had spent time at the home of William Clark’s older brother and Revolutionary War hero Gen. George Rogers Clark, who was residing on the north side of the Ohio, in Indiana Territory.

My Corps of Discovery quest recently led me to the Missouri History Museum’s Library and Research Center in St. Louis, the city where Clark spent the last 30 years of his life. There, I met Molly Kodner, the library archivist and the keeper of treasures, a few of which she shared.

The library, Kodner explained, is

home to the Julia Clark Voorhis collection. Voorhis was William Clark’s eldest granddaughter and inherited many family papers from her father, George Rogers Hancock Clark.

The collection was bequeathed to the Missouri Historical Society upon Julia’s death in December 1922.

“The Voorhis collection actually includes 14 boxes of materials,” Kodner said. “Most people are mainly interested in the journals.”

“The journals” are the notes, writings, sketches and maps kept by Lewis and Clark during their journey.

These are some of the original, handwritten journals. Eighteen of the journals are known to exist. These are generally known as the “red” journals, as the handwritten notes are bound in red Moroccan leather. The men likely copied these from their rough field notes. There is some debate if they were written during the journey or copied following the Corps’ return to St. Louis in September 1806. The general agreement among scholars and researchers is that most or all of the red journals were penned in the field.

The Missouri History Museum has four of the red journals. Kodner placed one on display, along with the letter of credit issued by President Thomas Jefferson to Lewis, a draft copy of Clark’s letter to Lewis accepting his invitation to join the Corps of Discovery, a letter penned by Lewis to his mother from Ft. Mandan in March 1805, a letter from Clark to one of his sons after Clark had settled in St. Louis, and other relics.

The most affecting for me, however, was Clark’s Elk-Skin Journal. It is one of the museum’s prized pieces and generally not on public display. And it’s one of a kind.

“This is the only field journal we know of that has survived,” Kodner said.

The Elk-Skin Journal, which is how

Clark referred to it, contains his field notes from Sept. 11, 1805, to Dec. 31, 1805—when the Corps traveled across the Bitterroot Mountains and down to the Pacific Ocean, meeting the Flathead and Nez Perce Indians. The journal is hand stitched, contains about 220 pages, and is penned in iron gall and oak gall ink. The paper is cotton rag. The journal, which has the appearance of having been carried in a pocket, bag or pouch over rough terrain in harsh weather, is about the size of a paperback novel. The handwriting is a small cursive script, neat and still legible, although littered with Clark’s creative spellings. The soft elk-skin cover has a button-andtie closure, and on the inside of the cover is a faintly visible sketch of Ft. Clatsop, the Corps’ winter quarters of 1805-06. Whether Clark or another member of the Corps drew the outline of the fort is unknown.

When deciding where to build their winter quarters, Lewis and Clark settled on two possible locations.

They put the final decision to a vote.

In his entry for Nov. 23, 1805, Clark recorded the results, including the votes of the Indian woman Sacagawea, whom Clark recorded by the nickname Janey, and York, his slave. It is simply extraordinary.

The Elk-Skin Journal can be viewed online at mohistory.org/collections/item/resource:214653.

Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 39

past tense/present tense

by Bill Ellis

Ted Poston: A Forgotten Kentucky Journalist

Poston, left, while he was working at the Office of War Information in 1943

T

he heritage of African Americans in Kentucky is one of the most neglected subjects in our historyrich Commonwealth. Once you get past the history of Negroes as slaves, their fate as a result of the Civil War and Reconstruction, little is emphasized until the beginning of desegregation in the 1950s.

However, there is much information if you search for it. A series of encyclopedias issued by the University Press of Kentucky, concluding with The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, filled a great gap in the history of all Kentuckians.

In addition, A History of Blacks in Kentucky by Marion B. Lucas and George C. Wright, two volumes covering the era between 1760 and 1980, enrich this genre.

One person we should never forget is Ted Poston, probably the most important black journalist of the early 20th century.

40 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

Born into a prominent Hopkinsville family on July 4, 1906, the youngest of eight children, Theodore Roosevelt Augustus Major Poston lived a full and productive life. The deaths of his mother and other siblings scarred his early years. He attended segregated elementary and high schools in Hopkinsville and graduated from what later became Tennessee State University in 1928.

His family operated the Hopkinsville Contender, where he first learned the reporter’s art. After graduating from college, he went to New York City to work for his brother Ulysses’ New York Contender. He then joined the Pittsburgh Courier before returning to New York to write for the Amsterdam News. He traveled with Langston Hughes and other black Americans to Moscow hoping to produce a movie, a project that fell through.

Fired as editor of the Amsterdam News after working to unionize through the American Newspaper Guild, Poston joined the New York Post as the first black reporter to hold such a position with a major newspaper. Reporting as was customary by “the inch rate,” he became a full-time reporter and columnist, remaining with the New York Post for 35 years.

Poston covered stories in the Deep South, often at the risk of his life. He

was the only black reporter to be present and write about the third Scottsboro trial in Alabama in 1933. In early September 1949, he went to Lake County, Florida, to report on an alleged rape. In “Horror for Sunny South: Lynch Mob’s Breath of Death Scorches Reporter Fleeing Florida,” Poston wrote of being forced, along with other blacks, to flee Tavares, driving at nearly 90 miles an hour to escape an angry mob. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for these stories in 1949.

During World War II, Poston worked for the Office of War Information in Washington, D.C. Following the war, he continued his reporting and began writing short stories, 10 of which were compiled into The Dark Side of Hopkinsville. Poston retired in 1972. Two years later, he died and is buried in Hopkinsville.

Released in 1991, The Dark Side of Hopkinsville struck me with clarity written by a writer I had not heard of before. Some students in my Kentucky history classes at Eastern Kentucky University also read the book, and all had a positive reaction to the stories.

The stories were edited and annotated by Kathleen A. Hauke, with comments by eight “Hopkinsville informants,” who knew Poston from his childhood days. Their interpretations of events as demonstrated in the stories did not always agree with Poston’s, making for an interesting contrast of perceptions.

If you like Mark Twain, Irvin Cobb and other writers who emphasize small-town and rural life, you will love The Dark Side of Hopkinsville.

Poston, with tongue in cheek, wrote about what it was like to live in the early 20th century in a small

Southern town, where black and white people kept a tenuous divide. He said these were “almost forgotten incidents from childhood,” but which were about “the not-always depressing experiences of a segregated society like the one I grew up in.”

The children in Poston’s stories are always in revolt with their parents and other adults. Professor Eph Poston, Ted’s father, was something of an arbiter among his fellow African Americans, particularly when it came to straightening out betting procedures. Most of the characters in Poston’s short stories have nicknames, including his brother, “B’Bob.” Others are “Baby Knee Watkins,” “Rat Joiner,” “Tack-Haired Baker,” “Beefer Jones” and “Fertilizer Ferguson.”

The stories abound in good humor and colloquialisms such as “since Hector was a pup.” Poston poked fun at his own people, of all shades of color, as well as the pretentiousness of white society in an age of almost complete segregation. Some people might find his stories to be fanciful, without depth. However, I challenge

you to read any of them without finding insight into life in a Kentucky community during the time period.

Hauke made an extensive study of Poston and went on to write a biography, Ted Poston: Pioneer American Journalist (1998), and edited Ted Poston: A First Draft of History (2000). Seldom has a scholar made such an exhaustive study of an individual who otherwise might have been overlooked or forgotten. She maintained that Poston was, and is, important because “he succeeded despite the barriers of his times, utilizing native intelligence and race pride.” His parents and older brothers “implanted in him the idea that education was the essential first step to career viability. Ted himself had seized opportunities … His journalistic ambition was based on family honor: he was scion of the gifted Poston family of Kentucky.”

Everyone has a place in time. “Ted didn’t get out and wave the flag,” claimed one of his contemporaries,

“but he worked consistently toward improving race relations.” Poston witnessed his first lynching in 1926 and wrote about segregation and violence against blacks but somehow never lost his faith in America.

Poston wrote about the lives and deaths of famous African Americans like Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Jackie Robinson and the opening of major sports to blacks. School integration, voting rights and politicians found their way into Poston’s columns. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2000.

In Hopkinsville on May 20, 2017, the Kentucky Historical Society placed a marker dedicated to Ted Poston, the dean of black journalists.

I urge you to read The Dark Side of Hopkinsville. Encourage your library to obtain a copy. Poston and his stories are an important part of Kentucky history and a literary tradition of which every educated Kentuckian can be proud.

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calendar

FEBRUARY 2020 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY <<< Ongoing Tales from the Turf Exhibit,

10

11

Junie B. Jones, The Musical Jr.,

17 Presidents Day

23

Of Mice and Men, Stained Glass Theatre, Newport, through Feb. 29, (859) 291-7464

24

18

The Office! A Musical Parody, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, through Feb. 19, (859) 233-4567

25

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 875-8687

Ongoing Celebrating the Sounds of Kentucky, Frazier

Ongoing Picasso: From Antibes to Louisville Exhibit, KMAC,

History Museum, Louisville, through Aug. 28, (502) 753-5663

5

6

Kentucky Theatre, Lexington

Playhouse in the Park, Murray, through Feb. 16, (270) 759-1752

12

Matilda: The Musical,

13

Bike America, Guignol Theatre, University of Kentucky, Lexington, through Feb. 16, (859) 257-4929

Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007

16

FRIDAY

Speed Art Museum, Louisville, through March 1, (502) 634-2700

Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,

9

THURSDAY

SATURDAY

1

Family Fun Weekend,

Louisville, through March 22, (502) 589-0102

7

West Kentucky Boat and Outdoor Show, Owensboro Convention Ctr., through Feb. 9, (270) 297-9932

Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, through Feb. 2, (270) 257-2311

8

Tyler Booth, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623

15

14 Valentine’s Day

Kentucky Jazz Orchestra Plays Duke Ellington, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, (859) 257-4929

19

22

Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692

Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037

Finding Neverland,

26

Cirque Flip Fabrique: Blizzard, Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692

The Fab Four The Ultimate Tribute, Carson

<<<

29

Owensboro Art Guild’s Annual Juried Exhibition, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, through April 23, (270) 685-3181

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events 42 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

BLUEGRASS REGION 1 The Greatest Love of All, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com 1 Porgy and Bess, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 875-8687, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 1-7 The Long Road to Freedom, Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lexington, (859) 254-4546, lctonstage.org 1-21 Resilience 101 Exhibition, Transylvania University, Lexington, (859) 233-8142, transy.edu 4 Bluegrass Sustainability Summit, University of Kentucky, Lexington, (859) 266-1572, bggreensource.org/summit 5 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Kentucky Theatre, Lexington, carnegiecenterlex.org

14-15 Lexington Ballet: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com 15 The Chieftains: The Irish Goodbye, Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692, nortoncenter.com 15 Kentucky Jazz Orchestra Plays Duke Ellington, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, (859) 257-4929, finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center 18-19 The Office! A Musical Parody, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com 19 Finding Neverland, Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692, nortoncenter.com 22 Lexington Philharmonic: Blue Beethoven, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, (859) 257-4929, finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center

5 The Illusionists, EKU Center for the Arts, Richmond, (859) 622-7469, ekucenter.com

23 Lexington Chamber Chorale Celebrating Black History, Second Presbyterian Church, Lexington, (859) 317-3353, lexingtonchamberchorale.org

5 The Tap Pack, Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692, nortoncenter.com

23 ABBA, EKU Center for the Arts, Richmond, (859) 622-7469, ekucenter.com

6-9 Fiddler on the Roof, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com

23-29 Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lexington, through March 6, (859) 254-4546, lctonstage.org

8 Bulls, Bands and Barrels, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, (334) 559-0479, bullsbandsandbarrels.com 8 Fireside Chats, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, also Feb. 15, 22 and 29, (859) 527-3131, parks.ky.gov 11 Kentucky Great Writers Series, Carnegie Center, Lexington, (859) 254-4175, carnegiecenterlex.org 13 KISS End of the Road Tour, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com 13-16 Bike America, presented by the UK Department of Theatre and Dance, Guignol Theatre, University of Kentucky, Lexington, (859) 257-4929, finearts.uky.edu/theatre-dance

25 Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 875-8687, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 26 Cirque Flip Fabrique: Blizzard, Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, (859) 236-4692, nortoncenter.com 26 An Evening with Drew & Ellie Holcomb, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com 27 The Beach Boys, EKU Center for the Arts, Richmond, (859) 622-7469, ekucenter.com 28 Take 3, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 875-8687, grandtheatrefrankfort.org

14 Luke Combs, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com

28 Sturgill Simpson: A Good Look’n Tour, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com

14 EKU Chautauqua Lecture Series, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, also Feb. 27, (859) 622-1000, chautauqua.eku.edu

March 1 No Limit Reunion, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com

Spring 2020 January 31

Croce Plays Croce February 13-15

the Dixie

Swim Club

February 21

Russian National Ballet February 29

the Barefoot

Movement

March 3

Yael Weiss - piano March 27 & 28

Narnia the Musical April 15

the

Kingdom Choir April 23

Shaun Johnson’s Big Band, Tonic Sol-Fa, & MCC Singers April 25

Martina McBride May 1

Jeff Allen - comedy July 10-12

Mamma Mia! WWW.GLEMACENTER.ORG 270-821-ARTS (2787)

calendar March 6 Country Unplugged: Joe Diffie, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, (859) 257-4929, finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center

14-23 Yee Haw Springfield Style, Central Kentucky Community Theatre, Springfield, (859) 336-9410, centralkytheatre.com

March 6 Zac Brown Band, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com

15-16 Sweetheart Dinner and Dance, Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rouch (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov

LOUISVILLE REGION Ongoing Celebrating the Sounds of Kentucky, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, through Aug. 28, (502) 753-5663, fraziermuseum.org Ongoing Tales from the Turf Exhibit, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, through March 1, (502) 634-2700, speedmuseum.org Ongoing Picasso: From Antibes to Louisville Exhibit, KMAC, Louisville, through March 22, (502) 589-0102, kmacmuseum.org

20-29 Six Degrees of Separation, The Playhouse of the University of Louisville, Louisville, through March 1, (502) 8526814, louisville.edu/theatrearts 22 I Am Ali, film screening, Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, (502) 574-1771, lfpl.org 22 Louisville Orchestra: Gospel at the Symphony, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville, (502) 584-7777, kentuckycenter.org 22-23 Louisville Kids Fair, Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, (502) 795-3802, louisvillekidsfair.com

7 Ben Levin Trio, Boone County Library, Hebron, (859) 342-2665, boone.libnet.info/events 14 Masquerade Murder Mystery Dinner, Turfway Park, Florence, (859) 371-0200, turfway.com 15 The Barber of Seville, Kenton County Library, Erlanger, (859) 962-4000, kentonlibrary.org 17 The History of Coins, Boone County Library, Burlington, (859) 342-2665, boone.libnet.info/events 22 An Intimate Evening with Stone Temple Pilots, The Madison Theatre, Covington, (859) 491-2444, madisontheater.com 23-29 Of Mice and Men, Stained Glass Theatre, Newport, (859) 291-7464, footlighters.org 27 Exporing the Megafauna from the Pleistocene Era, Boone County Library, Florence, (859) 342-2665, boone.libnet.info/events

1-2 Family Fun Weekend, Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov

23 Diana Ross, Louisville Palace, Louisville, 1-800-745-3000, LouisvillePalace.com

1-2 Miniature Marvels, Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, (502) 574-1771, lfpl.org

23 Musicke’s Cordes: The Violin in England, Historic Locust Grove, Louisville, (502) 897-9845, locustgrove.org

29 Northeastern Kentucky Beekeeping School, Maysville Community and Technical College, Owingsville, (606) 247-5817

1-23 Once on This Island, Actors Theatre, Louisville, (502) 584-1205, actorstheatre.org

28 Daughters of Greatness: Victoria Russell, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, (502) 992-5340, alicenter.org

March 6 Chamber Choir Tour, Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, (859) 341-5800, thomasmore.edu/music

1-28 Evolving Inspiration: The Art and Design of Julius Friedman, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, (502) 635-5083, filsonhistorical.org

29 The Millennium Tour 2020, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com

March 6-14 Room for Seconds, Village Players, Ft. Thomas, (859) 781-3583, villageplayers.org

6 Legends Series: Bourbon Masters, Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, (502) 637-1111, DerbyMuseum.org

29 Kyana Giant Indoor Swap Meet, Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, through March 1, (502) 619-2917, kyanaswapmeet.com

7 The Beach Boys, Louisville Palace, Louisville, 1-800-745-3000, LouisvillePalace.com 11-16 Miss Saigon, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville, (502) 584-7777, kentuckycenter.org 14 Brantley Gilbert - Fire’t Up Tour, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com 14 Louisville Chorus Valentine Dinner Show, Seelbach Hilton Hotel, Louisville, (502) 968-6300, LouisvilleChorus.org 14 The Marriage of Figaro, presented by the Kentucky Opera, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville, (502) 584-7777, kentuckycenter.org 44 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

March 1-31 Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actors Theatre, Louisville, through April 12, (502) 584-1205, actorstheatre.org March 6-31 Wild Lights Asian Lantern Festival, Louisville Zoo, Louisville, through April 25, (502) 459-2181, louisvillezoo.org

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 1-8 Blues for an Alabama Sky, Falcon Theater, Newport, (513) 479-6783, falcontheater.net 4 Greensky Bluegrass, The Madison Theatre, Covington, (859) 491-2444, madisontheater.com

WESTERN KENTUCKY 1 Little Rembrandts - Valentines Art, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 1 Owensboro Symphony Presents Bond … James Bond, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org 6-16 Matilda: The Musical, Playhouse in the Park, Murray, (270) 759-1752, playhousemurray.org 7-8 Winter Rook Tournament, Pennyrile State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 498-1535, parks.ky.gov 7-9 Kentucky Dam Village Eagles Weekend, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Gilbertsville, (502) 703-0304, parks.ky.gov

7-9 West Kentucky Boat and Outdoor Show, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, (270) 297-9932, owensborocenter.com 8 Mid-Winter Hike, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov

Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org 29 An Evening with Pete Rose, The Hit King, Ohio County High School, Beaver Dam, (270) 274-7106, BeaverDamTourism.com

8 Ranky Tanky Live, Clemens Fine Arts Center, Paducah, (270) 534-3212, westkentucky.kctcs.edu/community

29 Owensboro Art Guild’s Annual Juried Exhibition, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Owensboro, through April 23, (270) 685-3181, omfa.us

13 Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org

March 3 Baby Shark Live, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org

13-15 The Dixie Swim Club - Dinner Theater, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, (270) 821-4171, glemacenter.org

March 3 Yael Weiss Concert Pianist, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, (270) 821-4171, glemacenter.org

14 Sweetheart Dinner and Dance, Kenlake State Resort Park, Hardin, (270) 474-2211, parks.ky.gov

March 7 Owensboro Symphony Presents The Music of Elton John, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org

14 Always and Forever Valentine Wizards Ball, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org

4 The Illusionists, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com

18 Finding Neverland, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org

6-9 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Flashback Theater, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, flashbacktheater.co

20-23 Stuart Little, Market House Theatre, Paducah, (270) 444-6828, markethousetheatre.org

13 Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com

21 Russian National Ballet Presents Sleeping Beauty, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, (270) 821-4171, glemacenter.org

13-23 The Mountain Top, Public Theatre of Kentucky, Bowling Green, (270) 781-6233, ptkbg.org

21 1984 on Stage, Preston Arts Center, Henderson, (270) 826-5916, haaa.org

14-15 That’s Amore Dinner Weekend, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Jamestown, (270) 343-3111, parks.ky.gov

22 The Fab Four - The Ultimate Tribute, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org 28 Boogity, Boogity, Boogity - an Evening with Darrell Waltrip, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org 29 The Barefoot Movement, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, (270) 821-4171, glemacenter.org 29 Dwight Yoakam, Carson Center,

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15-16 Valentine’s Getaway, Pennyrile State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 797-3421, parks.ky.gov

22 Dance Battle Extravaganza, RiverPark Center, Owensboro, (270) 687-2787, riverparkcenter.org

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15 Orchestra Kentucky: The Memphis Sound, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 15 Blanket of Bourbon Gala, National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, corvettemuseum.org 21 3rd Friday Folk Coffeehouse, Carnegie Community Arts Center, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, lamay.com/3rdFridayFolk.htm 21-29 Godspell, The Historic Star Theater, Russell Springs, through March 1, (270) 866-7827, startheater.org

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calendar 22 The Capitol Steps, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 28-29 SoKy Book Fest Used Book Sale, Warren County Public Library, Bowling Green, through March 1, (270) 781-4882, warrenpl.org 29 Celebration of the Arts, Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, through April 17, (270) 745-2592, wku.edu/kentuckymuseum

NOV. 9TH 2019

EASTERN KENTUCKY 6 Rodney Carrington Live, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 8 The Inspirations, Primitive Quartet, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 8 Tyler Booth, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 8 Elk Tours, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonsburg, also Feb. 15, 22 and 29 and March 7-8 and 14-15, 1-800-325-0142, parks.ky.gov

NOV. 21ST 2019

MAR. 24TH 2020

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11 Junie B. Jones, The Musical Jr., Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 14-15 Valentines Dinner Theater, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, (606) 286-4411, parks.ky.gov 15 The Steeldrivers, with Nickel and Rose, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 15 Bourbon and Spirits Winterfair, Appalachian Wireless Arena, Pikeville, (606) 444-4406, appalachianwirelessarena.com 15 Valentine Getaway, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin, (606) 528-4121, parks.ky.gov 22 Rick Springfield, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 23 Tedeschi Trucks Band, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com

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XX

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The Quest for ‘Not Bad,’ After All “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a reporter. I don’t know where I got the idea that it was a romantic calling.” —Charles Kuralt

W

riters are paid in adoration. And confirmation.

And affirmation.

Being inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, as one example, is an acknowledgment by the writing community that someone has done worthwhile work, taking into account the struggle and isolation that often comes from the profession. It’s nice when a writer such as my college professor Sena Jeter Naslund (see related story on page 12) receives the acclaim while they’re here to enjoy it. Most times, as in the case of my mom’s high-school English literature teacher, Hollis S. Summers Jr. (see page 18), they do not.

“We all thought he was really something,” my mom once told me of Summers, who taught at Covington’s Holmes High School from 1937-44.

“We all thought he was kind of cute.”

STEPHEN M. VEST Maybe, for Hollis, who wrote for Publisher + Editor-in-Chief everything from The Atlantic to the Paris Review, that was enough.

I was born a writer. I don’t claim to be a great writer, but, like Kuralt, I can’t remember wanting to be anything else. The desire predates junior high school, because both James Arvel Helphinstine (my seventh-grade teacher) and Ray Byerly (my eighth-grade teacher) said writing was the only subject that held my interest.

I fashioned myself as the next John-Boy Walton.

My report cards were nothing about which I can brag.

The comments were often: “Stevie talks too much,” or “Stevie fails to reach his potential.” My first inkling that I might have something to offer came from Jane Hatfield, Harry Doss High School’s strictest English teacher. During my senior year, I wrote a report on Ralph Ellison’s novel

Invisible Man, and Miss Hatfield said of my effort, “Nice work.” Later that year, Frank Cunningham, adviser to the Dossmopolitan student newspaper, nominated me for the Enoch Grehan Journalism Award from the University of Kentucky, and I won. Enoch Grehan was a pioneer in the world of journalism education and an editor, at different times, of both the Lexington Herald and the Lexington Leader.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

The praises and criticisms ebb and flow, like the tides.

I’ve been told that I’ll never amount to anything, but then once, my college magazine writing professor, Vince Staten, called me “pseudo funny” and said that with years of diligent work, I could become “quasi funny.” That’s the type of encouragement that keeps you going.

When Kentucky Monthly won the Governor’s Award in the Arts in 2005, one of the congratulatory notes I received was from then-Kentucky Poet Laureate Sena Jeter Naslund. “Stephen,” as she has always called me, “I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished.”

That may have been the high-water mark. The low point was a “B” I received in a creative writing course in 1985 (I think). I’m in the process of appealing that grade, 35 years after the fact—not because of any spite or resentment, but because I think it would be exciting to get a letter from University of Louisville President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi on university stationery. I’ll keep you posted on how it all works out.

Once, in a newspaper contest, a judge wrote of my writing: “Not bad. Not bad at all.” One of my former newspaper colleagues said he would someday have that inscribed on my tombstone. I’m still here, and unfortunately, he’s not, but that wouldn’t look bad on the urn presented as the Governor’s Award in the Arts, into which My Loving Wife says my future ashes are destined.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Readers, and those looking for a speaker, may contact Stephen M. Vest at steve@kentuckymonthly.com

KWIZ ANSWERS: 1. B. Mother’s; 2. A. Angel; 3. C. Day; 4. A. Evading; 5. B. Count; 6. B. Good; 7. C. Back; 8. C. Heart; 9. B. Responsibility; 10. A. Beautiful 48 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY F EBR UARY 2 0 2 0

10 Consecutive Appearances on Jay Mathewsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; List of Top Performing Schools with Elite Students 5 Straight Years Advancing to the National Science Bowl Competition in Washington, D.C. 136 National Merit Finalists

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