Kentucky Proud Evenings is a series of monthly author talks hosted at the Extension Office. Each author is local to Kentucky and is connected to the community and history of the Commonwealth. Each event will have Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud food samples for those attending.  Each session is FREE and will begin at 6:00pm. To register for each session online use the register now button below the Kentucky Proud Evenings photo or call 859-257-5582.

Thursday, February 23, 2023
Dr. Alicestyne Turley, The Gospel of Freedom: Black Evangelicals and the Underground Railroad
An evocative exploration of the Underground Railroad and the important contributions of white and black antislavery southerners who united to form organized networks of assisted slave escapes in Kentucky and the Deep South.

Thursday, March 23, 2023
Kevin Cook, House of Champions: The Story of Kentucky Basketball’s Home Courts
The first comprehensive history of the UK basketball program that focuses on the team’s various arenas—how and why they were built, and the contemporary political, social, and athletic forces which shaped them and which they in turn influenced—and tells the story of Wildcat basketball told through the lens of their home courts.

Thursday, April 20, 2023
Travis L. Martin, War and Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation
A timely, important, and engaging analysis of how society views the millions of veterans in this country, and how that perception has a profound impact on how veterans perceive themselves, their roles in society, and their relationships with others.

Thursday, June 22, 2023
Sarah L. Hall, Sown in the Stars: Planting by the Signs
A timely and illuminating look at the custom of planting by the signs and its past, present, and future, as told from the perspectives of farmers in central and eastern Kentucky.

Thursday, July 27, 2023
Heather Wibbels, Bourbon is My Comfort Food
The definitive primer on mixing elegantly crafted bourbon cocktails for those looking to imbibe on the spirit and history of one of the world’s most sought-after liquors.

Albert W.A. Schmid, Bourbon 101
A distinctive and introductory approach to learning about all-things bourbon including its history, production, and enduring cultural identity.

Michael Veach, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage
This book shines a light on bourbon’s pivotal place in our national heritage, presenting the most complete and wide-ranging history of bourbon available.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Elizabeth DiDavino, Katherine Jackson French: Kentucky’s Forgotten Ballad Collector
The life and legacy of a pivotal scholar and how her collection of traditional Kentucky ballads elevated the status of women, gave testimony to the complexity of balladry's ethnic roots and influences, and revealed more complex local dialects.

Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Kaitlyn Hill, Not Here to Stay Friends
This friends-to-lovers spin on The Bachelor follows two childhood besties reuniting to spend the summer in L.A. after five years apart—but when they both get involved with a teen reality dating show, their lives take an unexpected turn for the unreal.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Farrah Alexander, Resistance in the Bluegrass: Empowering the Commonwealth
Kentucky is more than just bourbon, basketball, and BBQ. This book is a celebration of the engaged citizens who have made and continue to make a difference across the Commonwealth.