Dear Komodo Dragon

Children's-Middle Grade

Lots of children have pen pals but one little girl has a real-life dragon a Komodo dragon for a pen pal! When she and Komodo become pen pals, the wise-cracking dragon adds a generous helping of humor to letters that are chock full of accurate, interesting facts.

Nancy Kelly Allen

Growing up in Kentucky halfway between Troublesome Creek and Hell-for-Certain and near a town named Hazard, Nancy learned to take the non-risky route of looking before leaping. After a peek at a school’s collection of books, she leaped into a profession she couldn’t resist—librarian. During the day she read to children and at night wrote for them. Working with children in a variety of jobs primed her for her present and future venture, writing.

Her first book was published in 1999 and her latest is book number 52, Dear Vampire, which received a five-star review by the Books Children Read organization.

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Spring is Here (Bear & Mole Series)

Children's-Middle Grade

Mole can smell that spring is in the air, but Bear is still asleep after his long winter nap! But Bear keeps snoozing. Mole is determined, so he milks and gathers and bakes a special springtime surprise for his friend-- the perfect way to wake up!

Will Hillenbrand

WILL HILLENBRAND is a celebrated children’s author and illustrator whose published works include over 70 books. He uses a combination of traditional drawing methods and direct impression media to create his magical illustrations.

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Duncan the Story Dragon

Children's-Middle Grade

Duncan the Dragon loves to read. When he reads a story, his imagination catches fire! Unfortunately . . . so does his book. Fire breath is great for roasting marshmallows, but it’s not so great for reading. Duncan just wants to get to those two wonderful words, like the last sip of a chocolate milk […]

Amanda Driscoll

Amanda Driscoll was born, raised, and still resides in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the author and illustrator of four picture books: Little Grump Truck (2021), Klondike Do Not Eat Those Cupcakes! (2018), Wally Does Not Want a Haircut (2016), and Duncan the Story Dragon (2015), all published by Knopf. For more information about Amanda and her books, visit her website at: www.amandadriscoll.com.

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All Paws on Deck (Haggis & Tank #1)

Children's-Middle Grade

Tank is an outgoing Great Dane. Haggis is a grumpy Scottie dog. In the first book in the series, Haggis and Tank set sail as pirates. At first, Haggis doesn’t see what Tank does–that an adventure awaits them with just a little imagination! But soon, Haggis joins in and the two friends go on a […]

Jessica Young

Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada. The same things make her happy now as when she was a kid: dancing, painting, music, digging in the dirt, picnics, reading, and writing. When she was little, she wanted to be a tap-dancing flight attendant/ veterinarian, but she’s changed her mind!

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The Hurting Kind

Poetry

An astonishing collection about interconnectedness—between the human and nonhuman, ancestors and ourselves—from National Book Critics Circle Award winner, National Book Award finalist and U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

Ada Limón

Ada Limón is the twenty-fourth U.S. Poet Laureate as well the author of The Hurting Kind and five other collections of poems.

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How It Went: Thirteen More Stories of the Port William Membership

Fiction

These thirteen new works explore the memory and imagination of Andy Catlett, one of the well-loved central characters of the Port William saga. From 1932 to 2021, these stories span the length of Andy’s life, from before the outbreak of the Second World War to the threatened end of rural life in America.

Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry was born in Henry County, Kentucky, in 1934, and lives and farms with his wife, Tanya Berry, close to the place of his birth. A poet, critic, storyteller, and activist, he has written more than fifty books.

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The Chaperone

Young Adult

Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules: Embrace purity. Navigate the world with care. Respect your chaperone.

M Hendrix

M earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University before studying literature and creative writing in graduate school, receiving her master’s degree from Miami University and her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, where she was a Taft Fellow. She has been nominated five times for the Pushcart Prize and was shortlisted for the Aesthetica creative writing award.

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The Finalists

Fiction

The competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly in the latest thriller from USA Today bestselling author David Bell.

David Bell

David Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages. He’s currently a professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

Non-Fiction

As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and […]

David W. Blight

David W. Blight is a teacher, scholar and award-winning public historian. He is Sterling Professor of History at Yale University and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition.

Professor Blight’s most recent book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, won nine book awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.
Blight previously taught at Amherst College for thirteen years. In 2013-14 he was the William Pitt Professor of American History at Cambridge University. David works in many capacities in the world of public history, including on boards of museums and historical societies, and as an advisor to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum team of curators. In 2012, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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A Brief History of Baitcasting Bass Fishing & the Kentucky Reel

Non-Fiction

For the first time, the authors offer a concise and easy to read history of not only the origins and development of the Kentucky Reel but also the early history of baitcasting and bass fishing in Kentucky. Lavishly illustrated and featuring examples of some of the rarest Kentucky Reels, this book is a welcome introduction […]

William Hinkebein & Art Lander

William Hinkebein’s interest in antique tackle began in 1990 when he discovered an old tackle box (1940s) in a barn on his farm in Kentucky. Art B. Lander, Jr. has been writing about the outdoors in Kentucky since the 1970s.

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These Prisoning Hills

Fiction

In a long-ago war, the all-powerful A.I. ruler of the Voluntary State of Tennessee—Athena Parthenus, Queen of Reason—invaded and decimated the American Southeast. Possessing the ability to infect and corrupt the surrounding environment with nanotechnology, she transformed flora, fauna, and the very ground itself into bio-mechanical weapons of war.

Christopher Rowe

Christopher Rowe has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Neukom Institute, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. His stories have been frequently reprinted, translated into a half-dozen languages around the world, and praised by the New York Times Book Review. His short fiction was collected in Telling the Map from Small Beer Press.

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Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling

Non-Fiction

In Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling authors Lenny Shulman and Paul Volponi trace George's evolution from Miss America to professional broadcaster, to arts advocate, author, philanthropist, and also as First Lady of Kentucky who was instrumental in getting her husband, John Y. Brown Jr., elected Governor of that state. George's life was defined by her […]

Paul Volponi & Lenny Shulman

Paul Volponi is an author, journalist, and educator. Lenny Shulman is an Emmy Award-winning television and film writer.

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A Man Walks into a Barn: Navigating Fatherhood in the Flawed and Fascinating World of Horses

Non-Fiction

A smart, funny memoir exploring the evolution of a man and his relationship with his daughters as they grow up in the grips of the equestrian life. When Chad Oldfather found himself the parent of a toddler who, out of nowhere, became obsessed with horses, he had no idea what awaited. With his younger daughters […]

Chad Oldfather

Chad Oldfather has ridden horses just enough times to appreciate how difficult it is to do well. He has also mucked stalls, cleaned tack, stacked hay, helped fix fences, and logged hundreds of hours ringside as his daughters have taken lessons and ridden in shows.

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Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River

Non-Fiction

In the spirit of his father's beloved classic A River Runs Through It comes a gorgeous chronicle of a family and the land they call home: Home Waters is John N. Maclean’s meditation on fly fishing and life along Montana's Blackfoot River, where four generations of Macleans have fished, bonded, and drawn timeless lessons from […]

John N. Maclean

Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River is John N. Maclean’s sixth book. An award winning author and journalist, he spent thirty years at the Chicago Tribune, most of that time as a Washington correspondent, before taking up a second career as an author. Maclean is the son of Norman Maclean, author of A River Runs through It, the acclaimed novella about life in early twentieth century Montana.

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And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

Non-Fiction

Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jon Meacham chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America.

Jon Meacham

Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer. The Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University, he is the author of the New York Times bestsellers His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, American Gospel, and Franklin and Winston.

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Horse

Fiction

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art […]

Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel March and the international bestsellers Caleb’s Crossing, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders.

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Knight Owl

Children's-Middle Grade

A determined Owl builds strength and confidence in this medieval picture book about the real mettle of a hero: wits, humor, and heart. 

Christopher Denise

Christopher Denise is the illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for young readers including Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow, Rosemary Wells’ Following Grandfather, Anne Marie Pace’s Groundhug Day, as well as several in Brian Jacques’s Redwall series.

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Demon Copperhead

Fiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of Unsheltered and Flight Behavior, a brilliant novel which enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero’s unforgettable journey to maturity. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including the novels Unsheltered, Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible, Animal Dreams, and The Bean Trees, as well as books of poetry, essays, and creative nonfiction.

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The Decomposition of Jack

Children's-Middle Grade

Middle school is always hard, but when you’re known as the Roadkill Kid, well, it’s even harder. Jack’s mom collects roadkill—it’s her job, and she’s very good at it. Ever since Jack’s mom and dad got divorced, Jack has stepped into the role of Mom’s co-scientist.

Kristin Tubb

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is the author of The Decomposition of Jack, Luna Howls at the Moon, Zeus Dog of Chaos, The Story Collector series, and A Dog Like Daisy. Kristin lives near Nashville, Tennessee with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese.

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A Measure of Serenity

Young Adult

Eighteen-year-old Serenity Ashdown has a brilliant mind: she counts, calculates, and analyzes everything, all the time. Awkward. When her father suddenly disappears, Serenity follows his trail to a parallel dimension. The feds on the other side claim to want to help her go home, if she helps them reconstruct the right codes for the portal […]

Bryan Prosek

Bryan Prosek is a young adult writer and business attorney. Along with his debut The Brighter the Stars and recently published A Measure of Serenity, he has published books and articles in legal trade journals and magazines. When he isn’t writing or practicing law, you can probably find him watching dystopian and science fiction movies or television shows. He loves the big screen and the small screen.

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Stolen Roses

Fiction

There could be no doubt. She read it multiple times. The note had said it all and yet, it said nothing. Never did she think that her heart could feel pain such as this. Plans had been made. He was her rock. He had been there since she was five. Growing up and sharing dreams, […]

de de Cox

de de began pursuing her dream of becoming a romance author at the age of 30. Born and raised on the farm in Rooster Run, Kentucky, de de was raised on the core values of the 3Cs (kindness, caring, and compassion).

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Into the Wilderness

Fiction

Dave Wertz is undergoing a middle-aged crisis. On the back side of fifty with no job and an unhappy marriage, he pulls a Kerouac and goes on-the-road, and back to his hometown of Frankfort, Kentucky. Dave hopes familiar surroundings and a childhood friend can help him find a sense of safety and belonging.

Chris Helvey

Chris Helvey is an award-winning short-story writer and the author of the novels Yard Man, Dancing on the Rim, Violets for Sergeant Schiller, The White Jamaican and Into the Wilderness (Wings ePress), One More Round (short story collection-Trajectory Press), Snapshot (novel-Livingston Press), Whose Name I Did Not Know (novel-Hopewell Publications), and Claw Hammer (short story collection — Hopewell Publications).

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Frankenstein Doesn’t Plant Petunias

Children's-Middle Grade

Dr. Victor's assistant at the science museum may -- or may not -- be Frankenstein's monster in this funny and spooky series from Graphix Chapters. The Bailey School Kids take a field trip to a science museum, where they meet Dr. Victor and his hulking assistant, Frank. Secrets lurk behind every door in the spooky […]

Debbie Dadey

Debbie Dadey has two new books out this year: A Titanic Friendship (Mermaid Tales #22) and the Frankenstein Doesn’t Plant Petunias graphic novel (The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids). Let the mermaid and monster fun begin as this Kentucky native travels from her log cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to join this year’s Kentucky Book Festival fun.

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Receiving Our Healing: Going to War on our Knees

Non-Fiction

Christ stated in Matthew 8:3, "I am willing, be healed" and this life-changing statement emphatically declares that healing and miracles are truly the will of God for us today! With biblical commentaries about the holy scriptures, in-depth spiritual insights, and faith-building true accounts of modern-day miracles, this book will enlighten and strengthen those who are […]

William Holland

Licensed and ordained minister has been writing non-fiction for 40 years. Has lived in Kentucky his entire life.
Seminary Doctorate degrees in Christian Counseling and Christian Education. Weekly freelance self-syndicated newspaper faith columnist for over 200 newspapers around the country.

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Mighty Reader and the Reading Riddle (Mighty Reader #3)

Children's-Middle Grade

When pup Inky can't find the right book to read, super dog Mighty Reader comes to the rescue! He picks The Sword and the Bone and soon Inky and Mighty Reader are transported to a medieval world filled with castles and creatures of legend.

Will Hillenbrand

WILL HILLENBRAND is a celebrated children’s author and illustrator whose published works include over 70 books. He uses a combination of traditional drawing methods and direct impression media to create his magical illustrations.

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Bizarre Bluegrass

Non-Fiction

Bizarre Bluegrass includes strange but true stories from Kentucky's past including hoaxes; ghost towns; missing persons; a brain-teasing puzzle designed by professor/magician Tobin, who taught science at EKU back when it was called Central University; the mystery of Pearl Bryan's missing head; a mass hallucination; little-known Abraham Lincoln stories and more.

Keven McQueen

Keven McQueen is author of 20 books covering American history, the supernatural, biography, historical true crime, and what he calls real-life surrealism. His books include Horror in the Heartland: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Midwest, Creepy California: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Golden State, Weird Wild West: True Tales of the Strange and Gothic, and New England Nightmares: True Tales of the Strange and Gothic. His work has been anthologized by the Jesse Stuart Foundation and Texas Christian University Press.

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Mama Tried

Poetry

A collection of poems written by a teacher who served in public schools for twenty-five years, Mama Tried (Broadstone Books) takes the reader on a journey through her experiences as an educator and as a mother.

B. Elizabeth Beck

Elizabeth Beck is the author of the SUMMER TOUR Trilogy as well as four collections of poems. Broadstone Books published “Mama Tried,” a collection of teacher-mother poems April 2022 in coordination with “Under the Elm,” the final book of the SUMMER TOUR Trilogy. Founder of The Teen Howl Poetry Series that serves children in central Kentucky, Elizabeth has been a teacher for twenty-five years. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women Artist Grant.

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Fly

Children's-Middle Grade

Pure joy and the power of community radiate from this sweet picture book about a young Black girl's perseverance and confidence in following her double Dutch dreams. Africa's grandmother was a double Dutch legend, and Africa knows she can become the same. Her brother scoffs when she signs up for a double Dutch competition, though […]

Brittany J. Thurman

Brittany J. Thurman is the author of Fly, from Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. She is the co-author of Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams, by Mandy Gonzalez. Brittany holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. During her graduate years at Carnegie Mellon University, Brittany’s plays were produced in Aspen, Colorado, and on New York’s City’s Theatre Row.

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The Visitors

Children's-Middle Grade

From the author of The Whispers comes a heartrending tale of friendship, hard-won truths, and the healing power of forgiveness. A lonely twelve-year-old boy spends his days "stuck" at the deserted Hollow Pines Plantation in Georgetown, South Carolina with no recollection of his name, how long he's been there, and no idea how to leave. […]

Greg Howard

Greg Howard was born and raised in the South Carolina Lowcountry where his love of stories blossomed at a young age. Originally set on becoming a songwriter, Greg followed that dream to Nashville, Tennessee, where he spent years producing the music of others before eventually returning to his childhood passion of writing stories.

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Groundskeeping

Fiction

Exquisitely written; expertly crafted; dazzling in its precision, restraint, and depth of feeling, Groundskeeping is a novel of haunting power and grace from a prodigiously gifted young writer.

Lee Cole

LEE COLE was born and grew up in rural Kentucky. A recent graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he now lives in New York.

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Travel Guide for Monsters

Children's-Middle Grade

Vacations require a great deal of planning, no matter who is going or the final destination. But, if one wants to take along the family monster, there are special challenges to consider. And for that, it's best to have a helpful guide to follow. Travel Guide for Monsters contains all the information you'll need so […]

Lori Degman

Lori Degman is the author of the award-winning picture books, Just Read (illus. by Victoria Tentler-Krylov), 2020 — 2021 Illinois Reads Book List; Cock-a-Doodle Oops! (illus. by Deborah Zemke), 2014 International Literacy Association Honor Book; and 1 Zany Zoo (illus. by Colin Jack), 2010 Winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and 2013 Illinois Reads Book List.

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Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class

Non-Fiction

A blistering critique of America's assembly-line approach to criminal justice' and the shameful practice at its core: the plea bargain. Most Americans believe that the jury trial is the backbone of our criminal justice system. But in fact, the vast majority of cases never make it to trial: almost all criminal convictions are the result […]

Dan Canon

Dan Canon is a civil rights lawyer and a Professor of Law at the University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. He served as lead counsel for the Kentucky plaintiffs in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, which established marriage equality in all 50 states, and has been involved in many other high-profile cases. He writes on civil and criminal justice issues for a variety of regional and national publications.

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Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop: The Team That Changed Children’s Television

Non-Fiction

For almost half a century, celebrated ventriloquist and entertainer Shari Lewis (1933–1998) delighted generations of children and adults with the help of her trusted sock puppet sidekick, Lamb Chop. For decades, the beloved pair were synonymous with children's television, educating and entrancing their young audience with their symbiotic personalities and their proclivity for song, dance, […]

Mallory Lewis

Mallory Lewis is a prolific author of children’s literature, an Emmy Award-winning performer, and dedicated philanthropist who has raised millions for breast cancer research. Since the death of her mother Shari Lewis in 1998, she has appeared with Lamb Chop and entertained audiences across thousands of venues around the world.

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The Next Thing You Know: A Novel

Fiction

A musician facing the untimely end of his career. An end-of-life doula with everything, and nothing, to lose. A Star Is Born meets Me Before You in this powerful novel by the author of A Million Reasons Why.

Jessica Strawser

Jessica Strawser is the editor-at-large at Writer’s Digest, where she served as editorial director for nearly a decade and became known for her in-depth cover interviews with such luminaries as David Sedaris and Alice Walker. She’s the author of the book club favorites Almost Missed You, a Barnes & Noble Best New Fiction pick; Not That I Could Tell, a Book of the Month bestseller; Forget You Know Me, awarded a starred review by Publishers Weekly, and A Million Reasons Why, called “a standout” in a starred Booklist review and named to Most Anticipated lists from Goodreads, SheReads, Frolic, E! News & others. Her latest, The Next Thing You Know, is a People Magazine Pick for Best New Novel (new March 2022, all from St. Martin’s Press).

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Landings: A Crooked Creek Farm Year

Non-Fiction

In 130 ink-and-watercolor drawings, the story of one year on a family farm in Kentucky unfolds in captured moments of daily life: Donahue’s husband chopping wood, a cow sniffing her head, her daughter tending to goats after a hard day at school.

Arwen Donahue

Arwen Donahue is an interdisciplinary writer, artist, and oral historian. She is the author and illustrator of the graphic memoir Landings: A Crooked Creek Farm Year (Hub City Press), which includes an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver. She is also the author of This Is Home Now: Kentucky’s Holocaust Survivors Speak (University Press of Kentucky).

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Reunion of Familiar Strangers

Fiction

In the fifth book in the "John Ross Boomer Lit" series, John Ross is out of excuses for skipping his 50th high school class reunion that his daughter arranged for him to attend as a gift. So it’s off to Ohio for a gathering of Riley High School seniors from the class of 1968.

Michael Embry

Michael Embry was born in Kentucky a long time ago. Among his Bluegrass “hometowns” are Campbellsville, Hopkinsville, Jeffersontown, Louisville, Leitchfield, Lexington, Madisonville, Morehead, and Richmond. He also lived in Oklahoma City during his childhood.

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Small Acreages: New and Collected Essays

Non-Fiction

Small Acreages completes a trilogy of connected essays told in Georgia Green Stamper’s unique Kentucky voice. In Small Acreages, readers are returned to Stamper’s Eagle Creek world and its colorful characters, but her voice has both deepened with time and widened to include her journey beyond Natlee.

Georgia Green Stamper

Georgia Green Stamper is the author of three creative non-fiction books. Her essays have appeared in multiple anthologies, and she contributes work regularly to Kentucky Humanities and other periodicals and newspapers.

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Time to Fly

Children's-Middle Grade

Mama Bird says it’s time to fly! Baby Bird thinks not. Nest is best…or is it? With the help of his mama, Baby Bird discovers the amazing things that can happen if he finds the courage to spread his wings and fly.

George Ella Lyon

George Ella Lyon is a poet, writer, teacher, musician, and social activist with Appalachian roots and a global reach. She has published five poetry collections, a novel and memoir for adults, novels and poetry for young people, and many children’s picture books.

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Sisters of Mokama: The Pioneering Women Who Brought Hope and Healing to India

Non-Fiction

The never-before-told story of six intrepid Kentucky nuns, their journey to build a hospital in the poorest state in India, and the Indian nurses whose lives would never be the same.

Jyoti Thottam

Jyoti Thottam is a senior Opinion editor at The New York Times. Prior to joining the Times, she was a reporter, editor and foreign correspondent. From 2008 to 2012, she was Time’s South Asia Bureau Chief in New Delhi, where she wrote numerous cover stories, including award-winning stories about the Ganges River and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

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Creativity & Compassion: Spalding Writers Celebrate Twenty Years

Non-Fiction

Commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the nationally recognized Spalding low-residency MFA in Writing program, this anthology collects essays from the MFA faculty blog from 2014 to 2021. These works offer a trove of insights and accumulated wisdom from fifty faculty members, directors, staff, and alumni-each dedicated to the Spalding ethos of creativity and compassion.

Kathleen Driskell & Katy Yocom

Driskell is Chair of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School Of Writing at Spalding University. Yocom is the associate director for communications and alumni relations at Spalding University. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Spalding low-residency MFA in Writing program, Creativity & Compassion collects essays from the MFA faculty blog.

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Randy, the Badly Drawn Reindeer!

Children's-Middle Grade

The third book in the Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse series, in which Randy celebrates Christmas and finds out what all the reindeer fuss is about.

T. L. McBeth

T. L. McBeth was born in Findlay, Ohio. As a child, he grew up reading Dr. Seuss and H. A. & Margret Rey (although he mainly looked at the pictures). He studied illustration in college where he developed a love for expressive and minimal characters. In 2015, he moved to New York City to pursue an illustration career and he is currently lucky enough to illustrate picture books full time.

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Alexander von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, and Environmental Pioneer

Children's-Middle Grade

Budding botanists, growing geologists, and early explorers will dive into this picture book biography about the father of ecology, Alexander von Humboldt. The captivating prose and art from a New York Times bestselling illustrator will spark a passion for discovery and conservation in the youngest readers.

Danica Novgorodoff

Danica Novgorodoff is a writer and New York Times best-selling illustrator. Her books include the graphic novels Long Way Down, written by Jason Reynolds; Slow Storm; The Undertaking of Lily Chen; and Refresh Refresh; and the picture books Alexander von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, and Environmental Pioneer; and Not a Cat, written by Winter Miller.

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Under the Angel Tree: The Eileen Series

Children's-Middle Grade

Under the Angel Tree, written by Christine Elizabeth Herren and illustrated by Erin McGuire Thompson, is the story of Eileen, a little girl who is bullied by her friends only to discover the special magic that lives inside each of us.

Christine Herren

Christine Herren is from Lexington, KY and has a BA in Arts Administration/Theatre and a MS in Community Leadership Development from the University of Kentucky. She works for Life Plan of Kentucky in Special Needs Trust Planning.

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Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, Expanded Edition

Poetry

When Frank X Walker's compelling collection of personal poems was first released in 2004, it told the story of the infamous Lewis and Clark expedition from the point of view of York, who was enslaved to Clark and became the first African American man to traverse the continent. The fictionalized poems in Buffalo Dance form […]

Frank X Walker

Frank X Walker, the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate, is an artist and educator. He has published eleven collections of poetry, including Masked Man, Black: Pandemic & Protest Poems and Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which received an NAACP Image Award and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Honor Book Award. The recipient of the Thomas D. Clark Award for Literary Excellence, he is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets.

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Always the First to Die

Fiction

After her husband’s death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys, too many hard memories on that strip of land. Memories of meeting her husband on the set of an iconic horror movie. Of being cast as an extra, of watching herself get killed on screen. And of scoffing […]

R.J. Jacobs

R.J. Jacobs has practiced as a psychologist since 2003. He maintains a private practice in Nashville, focusing on a wide variety of clinical concerns. After completing a post-doctoral residency at Vanderbilt, he has taught Abnormal Psychology, presented at numerous conferences, and routinely performs PTSD evaluations for veterans.

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The Twilight Library

Children's-Middle Grade

Snuggle up for a story that’s sure to captivate your senses! There’s a special place deep in the heart of the wilderness where the creatures of the night gather—where everyone wants to go—where the Night Librarian spins a tale of mystery.

Carmen Oliver

Carmen Oliver is the author of many award-winning picture books for children including A Voice for the Spirit Bears: How One Boy Inspired Millions to Save a Rare Animal, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music From Trash, a Junior Library Gold Standard (Oct 25, 2022), and The Twilight Library (Sept 6, 2022).

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Baby’s Here!

Children's-Middle Grade

Baby’s Here! is a sweet interactive board book with a unique shape that encourages young readers to cradle, rock, and play with the babies in the pages. Gift this board book to little ones who love babies or baby dolls, or are expecting a new baby sibling themselves!

Jessica Young

Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada. The same things make her happy now as when she was a kid: dancing, painting, music, digging in the dirt, picnics, reading, and writing. When she was little, she wanted to be a tap-dancing flight attendant/ veterinarian, but she’s changed her mind!

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Deadly Setup

Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old Sam, the daughter of a New England heiress, has tried hard to fulfill her father's dying wish: "Take care of your mother for me." Not an easy job. When her impulsive, romance-writing mom announces her engagement to a man whose last heiress wife died under suspicious circumstances, Sam tries to dissuade her. But her […]

Lynn Slaughter

After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, Lynn Slaughter earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her coming-of-age romantic mysteries include DEADLY SETUP. as well as LEISHA’S SONG, a Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards bronze medalist, Agatha nominee, and Imadjinn Finalist; WHILE I DANCED, an EPIC finalist; and IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, a Silver Falchion finalist.

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Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party

Children's-Middle Grade

Perfect for fans of Ivy & Bean and Dory Fantasmagory, this is the start of a charming new chapter book series about a third-grader whose plans may backfire but whose persistence and heart are inspiring.

Saadia Faruqi

Saadia Faruqi was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States when she was 22 years old. She writes the Yasmin series and popular middle-grade novels such as Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero.

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The Search for Sasquatch (A Wild Thing Book)

Children's-Middle Grade

Inspired by her popular Wild Thing podcast, journalist Laura Krantz incorporates the scientific method and her journalistic skills to determine if Bigfoot is real.

Laura Krantz

Laura Krantz is a print and audio journalist whose critically acclaimed podcast Wild Thing explores the intersection between science and society. She spent ten years as an editor and producer with NPR in Washington, D.C. and KPCC in Los Angeles, and her work has appeared in Smithsonian, Outside, and Popular Science.

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Astra The Lonely Airplane

Children's-Middle Grade

Astra is a sleek, beautiful, shiny Gulfstream (G100) airplane with a fun and playful personality, who finds herself all alone in her hangar with an uncertain fate, as she learns she will be sold. She is missing the fresh air and exercise, and wondering if she will even remember how to fly, after being flown […]

Julie Whitney

Julie Whitney is a public relations professional with forty years of experience in public relations and marketing, having worked on both the agency and client side as well as in the television industry. Her company, Phillippi-Whitney Communications, LLC, founded in 2000, represents both large and small clients in a wide variety of industries.

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The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, A Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice

Non-Fiction

A powerful true story about a shocking crime and a mysterious illness that will forever change your notions of how we punish and how we heal—an expansion on one of the most popular This American Life episodes of all time.

Benjamin Gilmer

Dr. Benjamin Gilmer is a family medicine physician in Fletcher, North Carolina. He is an Albert Schweitzer Fellow for Life and associate professor in the department of family medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill and at the Mountain Area Health Education Center.

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Skacky: Adventures in Imagination

Children's-Middle Grade

Skacky: Adventures in Imagination is a “charming story that takes you through the imagination, creativity, and sense of humor” of a child on the autism spectrum and his beloved toys. Written and illustrated by Timothy A. Pack, this story will encourage families to celebrate children of all kinds and help their children find an identity […]

Timothy A. Pack

Timothy Pack is an illustrator, artist, and writer who lives in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife of 40 years. They have four adult sons and five grandchildren. Pack’s family and life experience in pastoral care and missionary chaplaincy have continually inspired his art, poetry, and songs.

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Coming Out and Coming Home: A Gay Catholic Man’s Journey from Marginalization to Ministry, with a Few Miracles Along the Way

Non-Fiction

In this poignant and moving memoir, Stan "JR" Zerkowski bravely recounts his personal struggle to face and embrace his identity as a gay man and to reconcile it with his deeply rooted Polish Catholicism.

Stan “JR” Zerkowski

A resident of Lexington, Kentucky, Stan “JR” Zerkowski is the founder of Lexington UNITED Interfaith Encounters and Lexington UNITED Interfaith Dialogues. He designed and facilitated Lexington’s first Pride Interfaith Service at the historic Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center to cap Lexington Pride Month and the Lexington Pride Festival, bringing together more than 26 interfaith leaders—Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims—as well as civic and community leaders, including Lexington’s mayor.

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Gideon Shryock: His Life and Architecture, 1802-1880

Non-Fiction

Gideon Shryock, Kentucky’s first formally trained architect, brought the international style of the Greek Revival to Kentucky and the American West, and in the process imparted a template of architectural and professional dignity for others to follow. Over the course of a half-century career distinguished by a considerable body of projects, he became one of […]

Winfrey P. Blackburn, Jr.

Winfrey P. Blackburn, Jr. is a practicing attorney in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a native of Frankfort, Kentucky, and holds both bachelor’s and law degrees, with honors, from the University of Virginia.

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Handed a Greater Purpose: An Unforgettable Story of Loss and Perseverance

Non-Fiction

Meet Jason Koger, the first bilateral upper arm amputee in the world to be fitted with two multi-articulating bionic hands. Despite losing both arms in a horrific accident, an ordinary man in an ordinary small town rebounds to live an extraordinary life.

Jason Koger

Jason Koger became the first bilateral arm amputee in the world to be fitted with multi-articulating bionic hands after losing both hands in a traumatic ATV accident in 2008. Today, he encourages others to live a life without limitations.

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A Life’s Journey Outdoors

Non-Fiction

“For years now, Mark Reese has been entertaining Citizen Voice and Times readers with columns about his most beloved pastimes – hunting, fishing, and observing nature in all its wonder. Whether he’s hunting or wading streams, Mark writes poetically of his forays into fields, forests, and waterways. He persistently nudges others to get outside and […]

Mark Reese

Mark Reese served Estill County in the mid-1970s as an Extension agent for 4-H. He served in various Extension roles and retired as Scott County Extension Agent for Agriculture.

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Kentucky Innovators: Famous (and Infamous) Kentuckians Who Led the Way in Their Field

Non-Fiction

It has been said that only eight percent of people ever achieve their goals. These people are exceptional — they are the pioneers, trailblazers and trendsetters that define each generation. They are true innovators who introduce new enhancements, ideas, and methods to continually raise the bar for the products and activities that define the American […]

Paul Bass

Paul William Bass was born in Independence, Missouri. He graduated from William Chrisman High School, Southwest Baptist College and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Jan Smashey in 1969. He served in full-time church staff positions for nineteen years in Arkansas, Alabama, and Missouri.

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The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives

Non-Fiction

A beautifully illustrated coming-of-age graphic memoir chronicling how sports shaped one young girl’s life and changed women’s history forever.

Kelcey Ervick

Kelcey Ervick was a goalkeeper for a nationally ranked soccer team before playing for Xavier University. She is the author of three award winning books, including LILIANE’S BALCONY, which Publisher’s Weekly described in a starred review as “a symphony of histories both real and imagined.” She is co-editor, with Tom Hart, of the forthcoming Field Guide to Graphic Literature.

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Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away

Non-Fiction

Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away is the biography of a Soviet military-trained intelligence officer who, as a U.S. Army corporal, had full security clearance at two sites of the Manhattan Project, America’s top-secret World War II mission to build the first atomic bomb. Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, […]

Ann Hagedorn

Ann Hagedorn is a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and an award-winning author of six narrative nonfiction books that embrace a broad range of topics and were widely reviewed with coverage including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, Time, Smithsonian, The New York Review of Books, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post.

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A Woman in Time

Fiction

A woman challenges the constraints of life in Prohibition-era Appalachia in this sweeping and richly rewarding novel about endurance, survival, and redemption. The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie’s line, soaked […]

Bobi Conn

Bobi Conn was born in Morehead, Kentucky, and raised in a nearby holler, where she developed a deep connection with the land and her Appalachian roots. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Berea College, the first school in the American South to integrate racially and to teach men and women in the same classrooms.

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The Butcher of Pakistan

Non-Fiction

From 2005 to 2013, Durrani performed unnecessary spine surgeries on unsuspecting victims in Cincinnati, Ohio hospitals. The hospitals knew he performed these unnecessary procedures, but they craved the money Durrani generated. Durrani’s insurance company, Medical Protective, refused to pay the victims. Eric Deters fought and continues to fight an epic battle unlike any other in […]

Eric Deters

During Eric Deters’ law career, he once was the #1 viewed law profile in the country on the national law website martindale.com. Cincinnati City Beat magazine once named him the #1 lawyer and troublemaker in the city. Chuck Martin of the Cincinnati Enquirer on January 2, 2008, gave Eric the nickname “Courtroom Bulldog.” From 2010 to now, over ten years, Eric Deters has managed the Dr. Durrani litigation, the subject matter of this book.

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The River that Wolves Moved: A True Tale from Yellowstone

Children's-Middle Grade

Long before its establishment as a national park in 1872, Yellowstone was home to the gray wolf, as well as other large predators. But the relationship between human and wolf has always been a tense and complicated one. Predator control programs were developed and, by the mid-1900s, wolves had almost been entirely eliminated from the […]

Mary Kay Carson

Mary Kay Carson is an author of books for young people about wildlife, space, weather, nature, and history. After studying biology in college, and a stint in the Peace Corps, she began her writing career working on the Scholastic classroom magazine SuperScience. Her books have received more than a dozen starred reviews, as well as multiple awards, including the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books for Alexander Graham Bell for Kids.

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Kentucky Hustler: The Terry Hatton Story

Non-Fiction

Hatton, the last name of our ticket scalping protagonist, hangs on a blue banner in the rafters at University of Kentucky's Rupp Arena. Terry Hatton, the son of UK basketball legend Vernon Hatton, believes in the business of family fun. After navigating an international criminal underworld, while raising his family in the Mormon Church, Terry […]

Terry Hatton & Jeremy Rice

Terry Hatton is an athlete, actor, radio personality, entrepreneur, and storyteller. Jeremy Rice is a fiction writer, poet, and essayist.

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Wicked Western Kentucky

Non-Fiction

Join award-winning author Richard Parker as he takes you on a journey through fifteen of Western Kentucky’s most nefarious people, places and events.

Richard Parker

Richard Parker is the vice-president of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society and has authored several articles and book reviews that have been published in the Journal of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society.

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The Santa Run

Fiction

Tradition Isn't the Only Thing on the Line This Christmas. As Christmas rounds the bend, Eliza Lee Elliott struggles with her grandfather’s death. Though her faith has carried her through the grief, working at the Appalachian Express has kept her sane, especially her new task of coordinating The Santa Run.

Beth Pugh

Beth Pugh is a Selah Award finalist and local award-winning author who has been published by Woman’s World, The Good Men Project, Scary Mommy, Sasee, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Lexington Herald-Leader, and On Parenting at The Washington Post. Born and raised in the rolling hills of eastern Kentucky, she learned early on that nothing compares to a home cooked meal, front porch sitting, and Sunday morning church services.

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Ashland: 100 Years of a Lexington, Kentucky Neighborhood

Non-Fiction

“. . . no more desirable location can be found.” As the 20th century began, the small and thriving city of Lexington, Kentucky was adding new streets and residences to accommodate its growing population. One of the finest of the new neighborhoods was named Ashland, anchored as it was by the Federal-style house of that […]

Dennis Carrigan

Author Dennis Carrigan is a resident of the Ashland neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Ghosts of Blackberry Holler

Fiction

Based on the real-life experiences of author C.W. Shumate’s great-grandfather, Ghosts of Blackberry Holler is an exhilarating journey through American history and a stirring account of war and peace, triumph and defeat, hostility and friendship, love lost and found, and the elusive pursuit of unconditional redemption.

C.W. Shumate

C.W. “Cliff” Shumate was born in the late 1950s and grew up on a farm near Carlisle, Kentucky. Rural activities were highlighted by daily chores and interaction with humans, animals, and nature. Shumate is a graduate of Nicholas County Schools and earned an agriculture degree from Morehead State University. “Farming allowed the opportunity to exercise both my back and mind,” says Shumate. “I was blessed by Kentucky farm life, which often included association with fascinating folks who sure could spin a yarn.” Evenings were regularly enjoyed at a nearby country store with locals sharing cold sodas and a broad spectrum of tall tales. Shumate became hooked and gained a strong affection for Kentucky folklore.

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Hermitage Farm

Non-Fiction

Owners of historic Hermitage Farm in Oldham County, Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, release a hefty collection of photos and texts from prominent Kentucky authors featuring the world-class horses, gardens, farm-to-table restaurant, bourbon, and more from this agritourism destination that is quintessentially Kentucky.

Steve Wilson & Laura Lee Brown

Kentucky entrepreneur Steve Wilson is known for his unique approach to farming, tourism and hospitality. With wife Laura Lee Brown, he co-founded 21c Museum Hotels, Kentucky Bison Co., Garage Bar, and Barn8 Restaurant.

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Yonder: Tales From an Outdoor Life

Non-Fiction

Written and collected over the last 20 years, Ron has been fortunate to bring back tales from his time while wandering “out there” with like-minded companions, always moving toward “yonder,” and, sometimes, if we were very lucky, just a bit beyond.

Ron Ellis

Ron Ellis is the author of Cogan’s Woods and Brushes with Nature: The Art of Ron van Gilder and editor of In That Sweet Country: Uncollected Writings of Harry Middleton and Of Woods & Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader. He is a contributor to the anthologies A Passion for Grouse: The Lore and Legend of America’s Premier Game Bird, Astream: American Writers on Fly Fishing, Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs, and The Gigantic Book of Hunting Stories.

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The Missing Body of the Fox: A Memoir

Non-Fiction

Written in the last years before his death, this memoir by renowned Kentucky poet and photographer James Baker Hall goes in search of the mother he lost to suicide when he was eight years old. Working his way through a memory shattered by trauma, he tries to recover the story of his beloved mother Lurlene […]

James Baker Hall

James Baker Hall (1935-2009) was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He was raised in a southern family of means, only to have a family scandal turn tragic when he was eight years old. This trauma, and its enduring consequences, would shape Hall’s life work as an artist, which began when he took up photography at age eleven. Hall’s work will be represented by his wife, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall.

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A Hidden History of LaGrange

Non-Fiction

Theiss explores the hidden history of her hometown of LaGrange using oral histories she has recorded from locals over the last 18 years. Stories highlight the life of a segregated community where time lingered over decades, simmering and stewing in a pot of relationships and interactions that have been forgotten.

Nancy Theiss

Nancy Stearns Theiss,PhD., is the Executive Director of the Oldham County History Center. She was a featured history columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal from 2007-2017. She has received numerous recognition for her work and service to the community. Her major emphasis is community and public history. This is her third publication for The History Press.

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The Real Riley Mayes

Children's-Middle Grade

Funny and full of heart, this debut graphic novel for readers 8-12 is a story about friendship, identity, and embracing all the parts of yourself that make you special. Fifth grade is just not Riley’s vibe. Everyone else is squaded up—except Riley. Her best friend moved away. All she wants to do is draw, and […]

Rachel Elliott

Rachel Elliott is an author-illustrator of comics and books for young people. Her debut middle grade graphic novel, The Real Riley Mayes, was released in May of 2022. If you love secret codes, parallel cat universes, and dude-ish girls who act out humorous death scenes, you’ll want to read this book.

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Buried Talents: Overcoming Gendered Socialization to Answer God’s Call

Non-Fiction

Buried Talents exposes the subtle forms of socialization that often go unnoticed but serve to pull women away from leadership - both within the church and in other male-dominated occupations. The first three chapters explore the areas in which socialization occurs: toy selection, chore assignments, media messages, teachers' expectations for student success, and identity development.

Susan Howell

Dr. Susan Howell is a psychologist on faculty at Campbellsville University where she teaches courses in gender studies and the integration of faith and psychological science. She has published extensively on gendered socialization and its impact for women within their families, society, and the church. Much of her work has been published by the Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) organization and can be accessed through their website (cbeinternational.org).

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The Floating Girls

Fiction

For readers of Delia Owens's Where the Crawdads Sing and Louise Erdrich's The Round House, comes a fresh new voice in Southern fiction. A wonderfully atmospheric coming-of-age family drama told from the perspective of a feisty 12-year-old girl—reminiscent of a modern-day Scout Finch—as she unravels the secrets that threaten her entire family. The backwaters of […]

Lo Patrick

LO PATRICK is a former lawyer and current novelist living in the suburbs of Atlanta. The Floating Girls is her debut.

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Little Grump Truck

Children's-Middle Grade

When Little Dump Truck is in a good mood, she's the happiest member of her construction crew. But when things don't go her way, she becomes Little GRUMP Truck. This bright, playful book shows kids that meditation and mindfulness can banish even the most serious case of the grumpies.

Amanda Driscoll

Amanda Driscoll was born, raised, and still resides in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the author and illustrator of four picture books: Little Grump Truck (2021), Klondike Do Not Eat Those Cupcakes! (2018), Wally Does Not Want a Haircut (2016), and Duncan the Story Dragon (2015), all published by Knopf. For more information about Amanda and her books, visit her website at: www.amandadriscoll.com.

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There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America

Non-Fiction

A Washington Post journalist’s wry but warm and deeply reported exploration of a pop-culture icon on its 100th anniversary, There She Was unfolds on two narrative tracks: The rise and fall of the Miss America pageant, told through the piercing stories of the women who wore the crown through decades of social change and then […]

Amy Argetsinger

Amy Argetsinger is an editor for the Style section of The Washington Post, where she has overseen media and political coverage and longform features. A native of Alexandria, Va. and graduate of the University of Virginia, she started her journalism career in Illinois, then joined The Post in 1995, where she covered the Maryland suburbs, higher education and the West Coast before becoming author of the paper’s signature gossip column, The Reliable Source.

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Enough – A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood

Non-Fiction

A bicultural child of a Malay mother and an Indian father, Amelia Zachry was different from the get-go, never quite fitting in. In this raw, inspiring memoir, she chronicles the long, winding journey that brought her from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Kentucky, USA—the place she and her family now call home.

Amelia Zachry

Amelia Zachry was born and raised in Malaysia. She obtained a bachelor of commerce, majoring in marketing from Curtin University of Technology, Australia. When she met her husband, she moved to live with him in Japan, then Canada. During her time in Canada she obtained a bachelor’s in human ecology with a concentration in family studies from the University of Western Ontario.

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The Color Line: A Novel

Fiction

A gorgeous, haunting novel inspired by a true story. The stories of two women of indomitable spirit intertwining across the centuries.

Igiaba Scego

Igiaba Scego was born in Rome in 1974 to a family of Somali ancestry. She holds a PhD in education on postcolonial subjects and has done extensive academic work in Italy and around the world. Her memoir La mia casa è dove sono won Italy’s prestigious Mondello Prize. She is a frequent contributor to the magazine Internazionale and to Il Venerdì di Repubblica, a supplement to La Repubblica.

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Hidden History of Kentucky Political Scandals

Non-Fiction

At various points in history, Kentucky’s politics and government have been rocked by scandal, and each episode defined the era in which it happened. In 1826, Governor Desha pardoned his own son for murder. In a horrific crime, Governor Goebel was assassinated in 1900. James Wilkinson was branded a traitor against Kentucky and the nation.

Robert Schrage & John Schaaf

Robert Schrage is very active in local history circles and has served on the boards of the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, Boone County Historic Preservation Board and the Behringer Crawford Board. In 2015, Schrage received the William Conrad Preservation Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement in preservation of local history. John Schaaf retired as executive director of the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission, where he worked for fifteen years, and served on the steering committee of the international Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.

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Kentucky Passion: Wildcat Wisdom and Inspiration

Non-Fiction

For more than a century, the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team has built a winning tradition that feeds the Big Blue Nation. The history of the winningest program in college basketball is peppered with unforgettable moments and personalities.

John Huang

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist and military veteran. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media and as lead writer for the website JustTheCats.com. He enjoys covering University of Kentucky sports and writing books.

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House of Champions: The Story of Kentucky Basketball’s Home Courts

Non-Fiction

The stories and accounts of Kentucky basketball's players, iconic coaches, and epic games have been told and retold, but lesser known are the stories of the arenas and venues that have been home to the Wildcats—buildings that have witnessed the sights, sounds, and shared spirit of the Big Blue Nation for over a century.

Kevin Cook

Kevin Cook has degrees in engineering and American history. His published works include a comprehensive study of the Rochester Royals’ NBA franchise in Rochester History, articles in the Jessamine Journal and German Life, and a self-published travel memoir titled Where Am I, Rick Steves?

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The Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-Loss Plan for a Flat Belly, Optimum Health & a Body You’ll Love—at Midlife and Beyond

Non-Fiction

Gaining weight as you age is not inevitable. It’s avoidable and even reversible. In fact, research shows that you can help stop—and even reverse—age-related weight gain and muscle loss. And you can lose those excess pounds at any age with the science of protein timing! That’s the shockingly good news in The Whole Body Reset, […]

Stephen Perrine & Heidi Skolnik

Stephen Perrine has been an author, editor, or publisher on more than two dozen New York Times bestsellers, including the Eat This, Not That! series. A nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Heidi Skolnik has appeared on national media including the Today show, Live! With Kelly and Michael, and the Food Network.

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Coal Mine to Courtroom: A Quadriplegic’s Memoir of Relentless Faith, Courage and Eternal Success

Non-Fiction

Growing up in Western Kentucky, "Ronnie" Adams was one of the state's top-ranked high school basketball players from 1972-75, dreaming of playing in the NBA, until a coal mining accident left him a quadriplegic at the age of 19. With basketball no longer an option, he enrolled at Murray State University, where he earned a […]

W. Ron Adams

W. Ron Adams was born and raised in Western Kentucky, where he was one of the state’s leading high school basketball players from 1972-75. He dreamed of playing in the NBA, and seemed to be a heading in that direction, until a coal mining accident left him a quadriplegic at the age of 19.

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Self-Portrait as an Iguana

Poetry

This bilingual (Spanish and English) book of poems is about home and notions of home and different kinds of self-portraiture. Among the poems in the collection is a sequence on Albrecht Dürer’s self-portraits that meditates on how we see and interpret the world and how we fashion images of ourselves for others.

Jeremy Paden

Jeremy Paden is a professor of Spanish at Transylvania University. He is the author of “ruina montium,” a chapbook about the 2010 mining collapse in Copiapó, Chile, and “prison recipes”, a chapbook about a period of state sponsored violence in Argentina during the late 1970s.

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Kentucky’s First Senator: The Life and Times of John Brown 1757–1837

Non-Fiction

Kentucky’s first senator, John Brown, is almost unknown in the nation and in Kentucky. He was a son of colonial Virginia and a father of Kentucky statehood, but historians have often minimized his contribution, slurred him as a “Spanish conspirator,” or deliberately excluded him from the historiography. He was the only Kentuckian active in national […]

Steven Walker

From piloting fighter jets to commanding operations, Steven Walker led a career in defense and government while also pursuing a varied academic path. Along the way he gained degrees in archaeology and ancient history, management and research, defense and strategic
studies, and cultural heritage.

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Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew’s First Champion

Non-Fiction

When Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew retired from racing in 1978 to stand at stud at Spendthrift Farm, no one could be certain he would be a successful sire. But just four years later, his dark bay daughter Landaluce won the Hollywood Lassie Stakes by twenty-one lengths—a margin of victory that remains the largest ever […]

Mary Perdue

Mary Perdue is a freelance turf writer and a winner of the Equus WINNIE award.

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Bourbon Is My Comfort Food

Non-Fiction

Bourbon Is My Comfort Food reveals the delicious beauty of bourbon cocktails and the joy of creating them. Whether readers are new to bourbon or steeped in its history and myriad uses, they will gain the knowledge to make great bourbon cocktails, share them with friends and family, and expand their whiskey horizons—because the only […]

Heather Wibbels

Heather Wibbels is an award-winning mixologist, chair of the Bourbon Women Board of Directors, photographer, and digital content creator. Wibbels works with brands and companies to develop cocktails and deliver cocktail education for home mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts, turning cocktail lovers into whiskey drinkers one drink at a time.

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Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia

Non-Fiction

The harvesting of wild American ginseng (panax quinquefolium), the gnarled, aromatic herb known for its therapeutic and healing properties, is deeply established in North America and has played an especially vital role in the southern and central Appalachian Mountains. Traded through a trans-Pacific network that connected the region to East Asian markets, ginseng was but […]

Luke Manget

Luke Manget is assistant professor of history at Dalton State College in Dalton, Georgia. He is a contributor to Southern Communities: Identity, Conflict, and Memory in the Nineteenth-Century American South, edited by Steven E. Nash and Bruce E. Stewart.

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Resistance in the Bluegrass: Empowering the Commonwealth

Non-Fiction

From the anti-segregation sit-ins of the 1960s to the 2020 protests in response to the killing of Breonna Taylor, the rest of the nation—and often the world—has watched as Kentuckians boldly fought against injustice. In Resistance in the Bluegrass, Farrah Alexander outlines how Kentucky's activists have opposed racism, discrimination, economic inequality, and practices that accelerate […]

Farrah Alexander

Farrah Alexander is a writer whose work focuses on feminism, parenting, social justice, politics, and current events. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, BUST, and Scary Mommy. She is the author of Raising the Resistance: A Mother’s Guide to Practical Activism.

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Washington’s Iron Butterfly: Bess Clements Abell, An Oral History

Non-Fiction

Had Elizabeth "Bess" Clements Abell (1933–2020) been a boy, she would likely have become a politician like her father, Earle C. Clements. Effectively barred from office because of her gender, she forged her own path by helping family friends Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson.

Donald A. Ritchie & Terry L. Birdwhistell

Donald A. Ritchie is historian emeritus of the United States Senate. Terry L. Birdwhistell is founding director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History and served as Dean of University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Elkhorn: Evolution of a Kentucky Landscape

Non-Fiction

When former Kentucky Poet Laureate Richard Taylor took a job at Kentucky State University in 1975, he purchased a fixer-upper—in need of a roof, a paint job, city water, and central heating—that became known to his friends as "Taylor's Folly." The historic Giltner-Holt House, which was built in 1859 and sits close by the Elkhorn […]

Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor is professor of English and Kenan Visiting Writer at Transylvania University and former Poet Laureate of Kentucky. Taylor has written numerous books, including Sue Mundy: A Novel of the Civil War, Girty, and Earth Bones.

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Liberty Brought Us Here: The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia

Non-Fiction

Between 1820 and 1913, approximately 16,000 black people left the United States to start new lives in Liberia, Africa, in what was at the time the largest out-migration in US history. When Tolbert Major, a former Kentucky slave and single father, was offered his own chance for freedom, he accepted. He, several family members, and […]

Susan E. Lindsey

Susan E. Lindsey is coauthor and editor of Speed Family Heritage Recipes, a historical cookbook of recipes from the Speed family, who built Farmington Plantation in Louisville. Lindsey has also published several essays and short stories.

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War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation

Non-Fiction

In War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation, Travis L. Martin explores how a new generation of veterans is redefining what it means to come home. More than 2.7 million veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their homecomings didn't include parades or national celebrations. Instead, when the last US troops left Afghanistan, American […]

Travis L. Martin

Travis L. Martin is founding director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He has established several nationally recognized programs to support returning veterans in higher education and the nonprofit sector.

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The Little Book of Whiskey Cocktails

Non-Fiction

The Little Book of Whiskey Cocktails sets out to share the stories of the whiskey-making world and recipes suitable for whiskey enthusiasts of all expertise levels. Bryan Paiement takes a practical approach to exploring the various ways in which the spirit can be mixed and enjoyed.

Bryan Paiement

Bryan Paiement a professional bartender at the Dunraven restaurant in Estes Park, Colorado. He is the author of Sports Bar: Cocktails and Sports Trivia.

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The Assault on Elisha Green: Race and Religion in a Kentucky Community

Non-Fiction

On June 8, 1883, Rev. Elisha Green was traveling by train from Maysville to Paris, Kentucky. At Millersburg, about forty students from the Millersburg Female College crowded onto the train, accompanied by their music teacher, Frank L. Bristow, and the college president, George T. Gould. Gould grabbed the reverend by the shoulder and ordered him […]

Randolph Paul Runyon

Randolph Paul Runyon is a retired professor of French and the author of twelve other books, including two on Kentucky history: The Mentelles: Mary Todd Lincoln, Henry Clay, and the Immigrant Family Who Educated Antebellum Kentucky and Delia Webster and the Underground Railroad.

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Perfect Black

Poetry

Crystal Wilkinson combines a deep love for her rural roots with a passion for language and storytelling in this compelling collection of poetry and prose about girlhood, racism, and political awakening, imbued with vivid imagery of growing up in Southern Appalachia.

Crystal Wilkinson

Crystal Wilkinson, Kentucky’s Poet Laureate, is the award-winning author of Perfect Black, a collection of poems, and three works of fiction—The Birds of Opulence , Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. She is the recipient of a 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry, a 2021 O. Henry Prize, a 2020 USA Artists Fellowship, and a 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence.

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Those Are Not My Underpants!

Children's-Middle Grade

Author Melissa Martin’s new picture book is making children giggle. Why? Because kids love to laugh about underpants stories. “Those Are Not My Underpants!” One morning, Bear Cub wakes up and finds underwear hanging on a tree limb.

Melissa Martin

Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is a licensed professional clinical counselor, child therapist/play therapist, educator, author. Her traditional published picture books: “Those Are Not My Underpants!” Penguin Random House (2021). “Tessie Tames Her Tongue.” Free Spirit Publishing (2017). She lives in Ohio.

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Love from Scratch

Young Adult

This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She's landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern--and her main competition for the fall job.

Kaitlyn Hill

Kaitlyn Hill is a writer, reader, and sweet tea enthusiast who believes that all the world is not, in fact, a stage, but a romance novel waiting to happen. Her debut novel Love from Scratch was released 4/5/22 from Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House.

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A Little Goes a Long Way: 52 Days to a Significant Life

Non-Fiction

A significant life is more simple than you think. In a culture where bigger is seen as better, it’s easy to wonder if your quick prayer between errands or the short note you text a friend means anything in God’s kingdom.

Rachael Adams

Writer and podcaster Rachael Adams started her ministry to help women realize their God-given purpose and significance. She and her husband, Bryan, run a family business and farm in Kentucky with their two children, Will and Kate, and two doodle dogs.

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