Transylvania University once again will be well represented at the annual Kentucky Book Festival.
Joining more than 200 authors from across the nation in Lexington at the festival’s Kentucky Book Fair on Nov. 16 will be Maurice Manning, a Transylvania professor and writer-in-residence; John Young, the son of the late Judy Gaines Young ’62, whose book of poetry is included; and former trustee James Hardymon.
Presented by Kentucky Humanities, the Kentucky Book Festival runs Sunday through Nov. 16. Check out the schedule of events, which in addition to the Book Fair includes a Cocktails & Conversation co-hosted by Transylvania on Nov. 14 from 5-7 p.m. at The Mane on Main. The event will include a conversation between KET’s Renee Shaw and Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, author of “Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir.”
At the 38th annual Kentucky Book Fair that Saturday, authors will be signing works from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena.
Featured at the fair is Manning’s “Railsplitter,” a collection of poems written in the posthumous voice of Abraham Lincoln. Manning was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2011.
Also spotlighted is “A Careful Hunger: Poems by Judy Young.” The Transylvania graduate was long active in the Lexington literary and arts community. Each year, the university presents a Judy Gaines Young Book Award to works from the Appalachian region in her honor. Attending the event will be her son John, a Marshall University English professor.
The other book at the fair with a Transylvania connection is Hardymon’s “Engineering Corporate Success: A Memoir” (edited by Terry Birdwhistell). “From growing up on the banks of the Ohio River during the Great Depression to acquiring executive management roles at large international companies, James Hardymon’s life has been full of twists, turns, hard work and achievement,” according to publisher University Press of Kentucky. He is a retired chairman and CEO of Textron.
“There truly is something for everyone when it comes to the Kentucky Book Festival,” said director Sara Volpi. “We’re proud to host such a celebration of Kentucky’s rich literary heritage.”