Think Humanities

Host Bill Goodman is joined by writer Savannah Sipple. Her latest work, WWJD & Other Poems, was released this spring. A writer from east Kentucky, her writing has recently been published in Southern Cultures, Split This Rock, Salon, Appalachian Heritage, Waxwing, among others. Sipple discusses how her Appalachian roots have influenced her writing. Listen to Sipple share one of her poems on today’s...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Tammy Horn Potter, state apiarist and member of the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau. As the state's apiarist and leading expert in beekeeping, Dr. Potter’s duties include identifying and eradicating infectious diseases in honeybee colonies; helping educate the non-beekeeping public about the importance of honeybees; and offering best practice advice to the be...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Councilman Jake Gibbs of District 3 in Lexington. Councilman Gibbs taught history and logic at the Bluegrass Community and Technical College from 1988-2014. He is a leading expert on the Haldeman-Julius Little Blue Book series. The Little Blue Books were published from 1919 through 1978 by the Haldeman-Julius Publishing Company. In 2007, Councilman Gibbs was awarded...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. James Claypool on this week’s episode of THINK HUMANITIES. Claypool is a Professor Emeritus of History at Northern Kentucky University and is a member of the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau. Claypool is a founding member of NKU, where he served for 34 years.

In the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, host Bill Goodman is joined by Kentucky Chautauqua actor, Eddie Price. Price portrays Roscoe Tarleton Goose, the jockey who won the 1913 Kentucky Derby with horse Donerail with the odds set against them at 91:1 -- the longest odds ever for a Derby winner and a record that still stands.

April is National Poetry Month, and Kentucky Humanities is celebrating with a poem a day from Kentucky’s most celebrated poets, including Frank X Walker. Walker is the former Kentucky Poet Laureate and is a Professor of English at the University of Kentucky. He is a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets and coined the term "Affrilachia."

April is National Poetry Month, and Kentucky Humanities is celebrating with a poem a day from Kentucky’s most celebrated poets, including Tasha Cotter. Tasha joins us today to further discuss her creative process, and the experiences and inspirations that led her to become a writer. Tasha earned an MFA at the Bluegrass Writers’ Studio and currently teaches in the Landscape & Architecture departmen...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Duane Bolin, Professor Emeritus of History at Murray State University and Kentucky Humanities Board Member. Professor Bolin's timely new release, "Adolph Rupp and the Rise of Kentucky Basketball" is a full biography examining the life and legacy of the basketball phenomenon.

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Christia Brown, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Director of the Center for Equality and Social Justice at the University of Kentucky. Brown's research examines how children’s and adolescents’ academic, psychological, and social lives are shaped by the social groups they belong to.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Melissa McEuen, professor of history at Transylvania University. McEuen also teaches Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. A specialist in women’s history, Dr. McEuen discusses the origin of Women’s History Month and elaborates on the three themes of its initiative: amplifying women’s voices to honor the past, inform the p...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. James Humphreys, professor of history at Murray State University. A specialist in southern history, Dr. Humphreys addresses President Lincoln, race, and emancipation on today’s episode. Dr. Humphreys provides a detailed look into the complex history of Lincoln as the “great emancipator,” and explains Lincoln's ideology surrounding emancipation and how he and his...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Margaret Verble, a celebrated author and finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her novel, Maud’s Line. Verble’s new novel, Cherokee America, was just released on February 19, 2019 and is a prequel to Maud’s Line. As an enrolled and voting citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Verble’s inspiration for her novels comes from her family’s history, liv...

In celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday week and Presidents’ Day, host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Greg Waltermire, who portrays Lincoln for Kentucky Chautauqua. Waltermire holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation from the University of Kentucky and is a minister at Heritage Baptist Church in Lexington. On today's episode, he steps into character and gives us a sneak preview o...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by the new executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society, Scott Alvey, who has been with KHS for over a decade. Goodman and Alvey address the relevance of Kentucky history in today’s environment and the importance of making history accessible to all. Alvey discusses the variety of programs and services offered by KHS that preserve history and enrich the lives of...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by artist Laura Petrovich-Cheney, whose artwork is currently on display at Berea College’s Doris Ullman Gallery. Petrovich-Cheney creates art by turning salvaged wood into a wooden patchwork quilt. She repurposes debris left behind by natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, the Gatlinburg, TN fires, and a series of nor’easters. Wood that was once clapboard siding, fl...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by distinguished scholar, professor of history, co-editor of the Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, and pastor, Dr. Gerald Smith. Dr. Smith provides thoughts and reflections honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and explains how King’s message of freedom and equality resonates in 2019. Dr. Smith uses an historical perspective to analyze the contempora...

Are you a genealogist or a Kentucky history buff? Have you ever wondered what life was like in your hometown during the Civil War? Natalie Smith of the Kentucky Historical Society is here to help us find out! Natalie served as an editorial assistant for the Civil War Governors of Kentucky project at KHS, which has published a collection of over 10,000 documents in an online archive readily availab...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Michael Johnathon – a folk singer-songwriter, producer, author, playwright, and member of Kentucky Humanities’ Speakers Bureau. Johnathon is also the host of WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, a live audience radio show with grassroots artists, airing on 500 public radio station, with over two million listeners each week. On today’s episode, Johnathon performs his song,...

On today’s episode of THINK HUMANITIES, we are taking it back to the 2018 Kentucky Book Fair. Our special guests include celebrated Kentucky author, Wendell Berry; Assistant Dean of the Graduate School at UK, Dr. Morris Grubbs; and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dr. Jon Parrish Peede. Morris Grubbs moderates a thoughtful and timely conversation between Wendell Berry and Jon...

In the last episode of our Kentucky Book Festival edition of THINK HUMANITIES, Bill Goodman is joined by Kentucky Humanities' own Brooke Raby and Julie Klier. Brooke and Julie provide an exclusive inside scoop into the numerous literary events that took place as part of the 1st annual Kentucky Book Festival, culminating in the 37th annual Kentucky Book Fair.

In this week's Kentucky Book Festival edition of Think Humanities, Host Bill Goodman is joined by special guest Dr. Jon Parrish Peede, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Chairman Peede discusses literature that has influenced him throughout his life, including works by Kentucky natives Robert Penn Warren and Wendell Berry. Chairman Peede will be in attendance at the Kentucky Bo...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Kentucky author and musician, Tiffany Williams. A native of eastern Kentucky, Tiffany reflects on her Appalachian roots and discusses her early career as a teacher. Tiffany's passion for writing country music led her to Nashville, where she now lives. Tiffany will join Silas House and Jason Howard at the Kentucky Book Festival's Literary Luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 13t...

Kentucky Book Festival director, Brooke Raby, is the host on this week's episode of THINK HUMANITIES. Brooke is joined by New York Times bestselling author Beck Dorey-Stein, author of "From the Corner of the Oval," the critically-acclaimed memoir of her unlikely tenure as a stenographer in the Obama White House. Spend your happy hour in discussion with Beck Dorey-Stein on Thursday, November 15th a...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by Dr. Jonathan Coleman, who is the Curator and Assistant Director of the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington. Dr. Coleman discusses the fascinating, controversial, and tragic life of Mrs. Lincoln. He also provides information about the upcoming Mary Todd Lincoln Bicentennial Symposium that will take place on Friday, November 2nd at the William T. Young Library on the...

Host Bill Goodman is joined by two special guests with unique ties to the historic Choctaw Academy located in Scott County -- Georgetown ophthalmologist Dr. William “Chip” Richardson and Penn State historian, Dr. Christina Snyder. The Choctaw Academy was the first federal Indian school in America, educating over 600 Indian boys and men from 17 tribal nations between 1825 and 1848. Dr. William Rich...