Podcasts about kentucky arts council

Singer-Songwriter Butch Rice sings with all the colors of love and loss. With every melody, the heartstrings resound as if his acoustic guitar has been handled by one too many, left slightly bruised and worn, but stronger in character and warmer in sound. His rich falsetto radiates warmth, adding powerful depth to each heartfelt word he sings. All the overwhelming desires of the heart, Butch Rice understands. Based in Louisville, KY, His soulful acoustic pop fills the air with themes each of us can identify.He has shared the stage with the talented artists Edwin McCain, Augustana, David Mead, Shawn Mullins, Matthew Ryan, and Vanessa Carlton. He is a past recipient of an ASCAP plus award. He has been featured in Performing Songwriter Magazine's DIY Top 12, and selected for the Perfoming Artist Roster of the Kentucky Arts Council to represent the state of Kentucky. Rice has stuck to his path and developed into one of the most unique singer-songwriters of his era, all the while developing a following who eagerly take to heart his melodic stories in song. If music is the tale of our emotions, our lives, then Butch Rice is one of our truest storytellers. Listen and embrace each moment.https://bit.ly/SpotifyButchRicehttps://bit.ly/AppleButchRicehttps://www.tiktok.com/@butchricemusichttps://www.instagram.com/butchricemusichttps://www.facebook.com/butchricemusic2/SPECIAL THANKS to Chris Tench for audio setup for live recording:Episode 106 - Chris Tench Producer/Songwriter/Multi-InstrumentalistHost - Trey MitchellIG - treymitchellphotography IG - feeding_the_senses_unsensoredFB - facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074368084848Threads - www.threads.net/@treymitchellphotographySponsorship Information  -  ftsunashville@gmail.com

The Kentucky Arts Council welcomes a new host, and celebrates Arts & Humanities Month in the Commonwealth

Bill welcomed award-winning novelist and short story writer Ellen Birkett Morris back to the show. Ellen's novel Beware the Tall Grass is the winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang. She is the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.

It's been my pleasure for the past five years to produce this podcast. It started out as a wild idea, and has evolved into an amazing mode of communication that allows us to more thoroughly tell the Kentucky Arts Council's stories. Today, my time as producer and host comes to an end. I've had a wonderful time on this podcast journey, and now it's time to turn it over to other voices as it continues. There are some people I'd like to thank publicly for their support of this endeavor. When I went to Chris Cathers in 2018 with the idea to start a podcast, it was a half-formed idea. He said yes, though, and backed my efforts to seek out training opportunities. Mark Brown has been a patient teacher and source of advice on audio engineering. I've not always gotten it right, but I've done my best, thanks to Mark's wisdom. If you're a Kentucky Crafted artist, you know Dave Blevins for his work administering that program, and as executive producer/grand poobah/illustrious potentate of The Kentucky Crafted Market, but did you know he's also a composer? He wrote and performed the intro and outro music you hear on each episode. And then there's former coworkers Tammie Williams and Katie Lewis. That's Tammie's voice you hear at the beginning and end of each episode and Katie created the KyArtsCast logo which has served us well the past five years. I still get a kick out of seeing it whenever Apple lets me know a new podcast episode has uploaded (yes, I subscribe to my own podcast). I hate the sound of my own voice, so I'm grateful to the coworkers who have graciously sat in the host's chair for some great episodes. I fear leaving any out, so I'm not listing them here. But they know I appreciate their service, and when you hear them, you should feel free to tell them you appreciate them too. And Sarah Schmitt, most recently my supervisor, has been instrumental in helping come up with a production schedule that helped us get back on regular track coming out of the pandemic. I could go on, but this episode summary might be longer than the actual episode, and I don't want that. Thank you to my coworkers, all the guests over the past five years, and, of course, to you, the listeners. It's been a fun ride. 

We are getting closer to The Kentucky Crafted Market, March 9-10 at the Kentucky Horse Park's Alltech Arena. It is. perhaps. the Kentucky Arts Council's most visible event each year. In this episode we chat with four artists in the Kentucky Crafted program who are exhibiting and selling work at The Market: Dodie Wrocklage-Harp, Rob Bridges, Addison Williams and Michelle Hayden. Learn about their work and what they like about exhibiting at The Market. Episode footnotes: Learn more about the 2024 Kentucky Crafted Market View a digital version of the Market program to find out which artists will be there

What should Kentucky's public school students know about the arts by the time they have graduated? Jessica Greene, a performing and visual arts consultant to the Kentucky Department of Education, discusses that topic and talks about how Kentuckians can weigh in on those standards. Cynthia Warner, the Kentucky Arts Council's arts education director, interviews Jessica for this important conversation about the arts in our schools.  Episode footnotes: Kentucky Department of Education Academic Standards Review Process Visual and Performing Arts Standards Resources Kentucky's Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Email Jessica Greene - jessica.greene@education.ky.gov

Join Sam Kirby, Delaire Rowe (former Arts for All KY Executive Director), and guest Preetesh Patel. Preetesh is a serial entrepreneur and board member of Arts for All Kentucky. On this episode we discuss the artwork from Arts for All KY that he puts on display in their unique boutique hotel, Hotel Sync. Let's dive in!Special Thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning

Kentucky Arts Council spring intern Ashanti Grace Castleberry and arts council communications director Tom Musgrave learn more about Hip Hop Into Learning (HHN2L), a Louisville-based nonprofit arts education organization that received a $500,000 Accelerator Award from The Lewis Prize for Music. Ashanti chats with The Lewis Prize CEO Dalouge Smith and Tom continues the conversation with HHN2L cofounder Nyree Clayton-Taylor.  Episode footnotes: HHN2L homepage The Lewis Prize for Music 2023 Accelerator Awards cohort

The Kentucky Arts Council's Chris Cathers and Tom Musgrave travel to the Kentucky Artisan Center's Todd Finley and Aly Norton about holiday gift giving, what the Artisan Center has planned for the season, and how you can give the gift of Kentucky-made art. Episode footnotes: Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea Kentucky Crafted Directory List of Kentucky Crafted Retailers

In this episode of KyArtsCast we introduce the new Kentucky Arts Council arts education director Cynthia Warner, and talk to teaching artist Jane Dewey and high school student Cooper Bartlett, a member of Kentuckians for the Arts' Youth Arts Council. Episode footnotes: Kentucky Youth Arts Council Instagram  Kentuckians for the Arts website Contact Jane Dewey: jane.dewey@danville.kyschools.us

Join us for another episode of Arts for All KY Stories. This month we are joined by Erica Cutright, a behavioral specialist who has dedicated her life to helping people become the best version of themselves. Additionally, her son is a legally blind musician and composer who has seen incredible benefits from the arts in his social and professional life. Don't miss this great episode!Supported by the Kentucky Arts Council and the KY Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning

Join us for another great discussion on Arts for All KY Stories. This month's episode features a recent chat with Rob Hankins, the Development Officer for Arts of Southern Kentucky, an umbrella organization that houses the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, several art galleries, youth theatre programs, professional performing opportunities, and more. In fact, Arts for All KY's offices are located at the SKyPAC! You don't want to miss this episode. Made possible by the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning

In this episode I speak with legendary Author, Normandi Ellis, about her recent book, 'The Ancient Tradition of Angels: The Power and Influence of Sacred Messengers'. This book breaks down the concept of Angels, and how they have manifested in various cultures throughout human history. During our interview, she shares stories of angelic intervention both in her life and in the lives of others. We also discuss the various types of angels and some of their specific roles. An incredible conversation about these high frequency beings.. Drop In!www.normandiellis.comNormandi Ellis Bio:An arch-priestess of the Fellowship of Isis, she facilitates trips to Egypt, is a Spiritualist minister, clairvoyant and astrologer and teaches in the School of Metaphysics at Camp Chesterfield.Normandi Ellis's books on Egyptian myth, ritual and magic include The Union of Isis and Thoth, Imagining the World into Existence, Invoking the Scribes, Words on Water, Feasts of Light, and Dreams of Isis. Her translation from the hieroglyphs, Awakening Osiris, is considered a spiritual classic. Of Imagining the World into Existence, Jean Houston said: "Quite simply, this is a masterpiece. It is the life work of a numinous poet, writer, and Egyptian scholar. To read this work is to be planted with the seed of once and future mysteries.”In addition to her studies in Egyptian mysticism, she is a poet and fiction writers, having won awards from the YMCA Writers Voice, the Bumbershoot Award, and awards from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Colorado Arts and Humanities. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts as well as activism sgrants for her work in the environment and with elder women and youth at risk.For more information on her writing, workshops, or travel schedule visit www.normandiellis.com. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for another episode of Arts for All KY stories. This time we learn more about the busy and impactful life of Jennifer Sims. More than hosting Arts for All side-by-side programs, she is an art teacher, and has a successful art studio and gallery in the SouthCentral Kentucky region. Dive on in!Thank you to the Kentucky Arts Council and KY Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning

In early 2023, the National Endowment for the Arts announced its first round of funding for the year, which included $350,000 awarded in Kentucky. Among those awards were two for Kentucky literary artists. Poet makalani bandele received a $25,000 Literature Fellowship for creative writing, and Kristen Renee Miller received $10,000 for a Literature Fellowship for translation projects. Listen as Kentucky Arts Council spring intern Sophie DeCorte chats with makalani and Kristen about those fellowships and their plans for the funding.

Episode No. 5 of the Art Throb Podcast features Kris Grenier who will talk about the 7500+ miles of hiking trails she has walked and how she has captured some of these awesome landscapes into needled-felted artwork scenes.As a backpacker and ultramarathoner, Kris Grenier explores the world on foot. Her travels have taken her from the hills of Georgia to the peaks of New England and from Death Valley to Mount Whitney, the top of the contiguous United States. After returning home to her family's small farm in Harrison County, Grenier records her memories in two-dimensional wool feltings to share with others the wild places she loves. Grenier has enjoyed the opportunity to exhibit her art and passion for public lands at regional art shows, where her award-winning work has been praised for its originality and authenticity. Collectors appreciate the expressive realism of Grenier's art and note that it has a soft, familiar feeling, like a treasured memory. Having earned her BA in Environmental Studies from Transylvania University and conducted ecological research in both Lexington, Kentucky, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Grenier considers her role as an artist to go beyond the visual interpretation of wild lands. In galleries and festivals, Grenier enjoys sharing stories of the landscapes depicted in her work and aspires to kindle a conservation ethos in viewers. Her focus has turned to large-scale pieces that allow viewers to imagine themselves in the backcountry and evoke the grandeur of expansive natural landscapes. A juried artist in the Kentucky Crafted Program, Grenier was recently awarded a 2022 Emerging Artist Grant by the Kentucky Arts Council. Grenier's first large-scale solo exhibition, 7500+ Miles, debuted at Boyd's Station Gallery in Cynthiana earlier this year.https://wanderstruckstudio.com/

Nicole Garneau joins us in the last episode from November's Kentucky CEC Conference in a frank discussion about the importance of empowering students in the artistic process. Performance arts create an avenue for kids to take charge of their destiny.Special thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning for their support.

To mark our 6th Anniversary Pledge Drive and encourage you to donate today at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/wfmp-low-power-radio/forward-radio-s-6th-anniversary-pledge-drive, we bring you a special Access Hour featuring a community conversation about Youth Climate Activism in Kentucky! The conversation was organized by the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition on February 20th and was facilitated by Jeri Katherine Howell who researched why young people in Kentucky get involved in climate activism from 2020-2022 as a graduate student pursuing a Master's of Science in Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky (https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cld_etds/60/). Jeri is a singer-songwriter, educator, activist, and sustainable community development practitioner. She engages people of all ages in creative learning experiences that uplift our stories, embody our interconnectedness with more-than-human nature, and build community. She employs this work as the Assistant Director at Josephine Sculpture Park and as a musician, teaching artist, and consultant. Jeri is an adjudicated member of the Kentucky Arts Council and Partners for Rural Impact Teaching Artist Rosters and a certified environmental educator and Kentucky Community Scholar. Her artistic, activist, and academic achievements have been recognized by the Kentucky Arts Council, U.S. Department of State Fulbright program, and Kentucky Foundation for Women. She is a proud KSEC alumna. Learn more and connect at http:// jerikatherinehowell.com This is a phenomenal resource for any Kentucky activist looking to engage with youth on climate issues. Jeri's thesis explores personal stories, what has worked well, and overall set backs in these spaces. In this context, “youth climate activism” involves anyone who identifies as “young” or “youth” and takes action to address climate change. The research focused on participants ages 18-24 years old. The Access Hour airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Wednesday at 2pm and repeats Thursdays at 11am and Fridays at 1pm. Find us at http://forwardradio.org If you've got something you'd like to share on community radio through the Access Hour, whether it's a recording you made or a show you'd like to do on a particular topic, community, artistic creation, or program that is under-represented in Louisville's media landscape, just go to http://forwardradio.org, click on Participate and pitch us your idea. The Access Hour is your opportunity to take over the air waves to share your passion.

This episode Sam sits down with Sonja Byrd to learn more about workshops, side-by-side, and the impact of Arts for All KY programming.Thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the KY Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning for their support.

Precious Perez is an extremely talent singer-songwriter and award-winning musician who has joined our Arts for All KY family with a personal passion for making opportunities for those with impairments, visual or otherwise, available. Kelsey Tullis is a dance instructor from Bowling Green, KY who has also joined Arts for All KY. Both share a passion for breaking down barriers to the arts, because the arts is a medium for all people. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Arts Council and the KY Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early LearningVisit https://artsforall.transistor.fm/ to find your favorite way to tune in!

Sam joins Talleri McRae, a teaching artist with Arts for All to discuss how her experience in making theatre and storytelling more accessible has impacted the trajectory of lives. According to Talleri, "I am a teaching artist who curates theatre arts experiences for students of all ages. I often use a story as a jumping off point for a highly participatory lesson for younger students, and enjoy offering story as metaphor when I facilitate more specific skill-based lessons for older students. My hallmark style involves placing the student experience at the center of each lesson, and crafting accessible, personalized questions that explore not only the art of theatre, but the depth and breath of the human experience." This show is made possible by the Kentucky Arts Council and KDE: Office for Special Education and Early Learning.

Listen to Episode 14For our fourteenth episode, we talk to Ellen Birkett Morris, author of Lost Girls. Ellen shares three writing prompts: a poetry prompt, a fiction prompt, and a food writing prompt. Ellen began writing creatively when she was in her mid-thirties, and she encourages listeners to “embrace your identity as a writer. If you're writing, you are a writer. You don't have to feel intimidated or competitive or any of those things.”About Ellen Birkett MorrisEllen Birkett Morris is the author of Lost Girls, winner of the Pencraft Award, and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards, and the poetry chapbooks Surrender and Abide. Her work has appeared in Antioch Review, Shenandoah, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. Morris received grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation and Kentucky Foundation for Women and a fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. She holds an MFA from Queens University-Charlotte.Join the Prompt to Page Writing GroupWednesday, Nov. 30, 6:00 p.m.Spend time working on a cross-genre writing prompt, get feedback, and share writing and publishing tips with a supportive community of other writers. Open to all writing levels and genres (fiction, poetry, memoir, family stories, etc.).Registration is required.SubmitWe'd love to see what you're writing! Submit a response to one of Ellen's prompts for a chance to have it read on a future episode of the podcast.

Long-time friend of Delaire and collaborator with Arts for All, Miwon Choe joins us to discuss the role of the arts in the broader spectrum of education. We explore how the one-to-one relationships between her art students and students with disabilities has opened their eyes to new ways to be an educator and to impact lives. This program is supported by the Kentucky Arts Council and the KY Dept of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning

Cutivetti Dye joins us to talk about his artistic process and the evolution his work over the years, both personally and with students. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Michael Dixon joins Sonja Byrd, Delaire, and Sam to talk about his amazing portrait art, the artistic process, and bringing attention to black history through his work. You don't want to miss this great conversation. Special Thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education & Early Learning

Longtime Arts for All KY board member, Claude Robertson, joins us to talk about his history with the organization, the impact it has on the community, and some reflections on how it's been rewarding to him as an artist himself. Special Thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education & Early Learning

In this episode, which is taken from the Kentucky Arts Council's Arts Day(s) in Kentucky presentations in March, Community Scholars and curators Maxine Ray and Wathetta Buford join Kentucky Museum Director Brent Bjorkman to discuss joining forces to rescue treasured art, artifacts and documents of Bowling Green's African American Museum in the aftermath of the December 2021 tornado. Episode footnotes: African-American Museum website Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund resources

Join us for the return of Arts for All KY Stories as we talk to Suzanne Renfrow about her experiences with the organization, working as a ceramicist, and what it takes to get kids fired up for the arts. Special Thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education & Early Learning

This episode is a audio from a presentation during Arts Day(s) in Kentucky. It features three artists whose work is in the Kentucky Arts Council's traveling exhibit "Our Kentucky Home: Hispanic/Latin American Visual in the Commonwealth." You can view a slideshow of the entire exhibit on the arts council website. Episode footnote: Online slideshow of "Our Kentucky Home: Hispanic/Latin American Visual Art in the Commonwealth

For our eighth episode, we talk to Marianne Worthington, author of The Girl Singerand co-founder and editor of Still: The Journal. Marianne offers tips for submitting your work to literary magazines, discusses her favorite writing prompt books, and shares a prompt that will inspire both poets and prose writers. Marianne also discusses her own path to publication. “Don't give up because you know, I'm three weeks away from retiring from my day job, which I have had for 32 years,” she says. “And I've been teaching college students for 38 years, and only this year was my first full length poetry collection published. So don't ever think it's not going to happen.”About Our GuestMarianne Worthington is co-founder and editor of Still: The Journal, an online literary magazine publishing writers, artists, and musicians with ties to Appalachia since 2009. Her work has appeared in Oxford American, CALYX, and Chapter 16 among other places. Her work has been supported by the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women.She co-edited Piano in a Sycamore: Writing Lessons from the Appalachian Writers' Workshop and is author of a poetry chapbook. Her poetry collection is The Girl Singer (University Press of Kentucky, 2021). Marianne grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and writes and teaches in southeast Kentucky.Marianne's Book RecommendationsOrdinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within by Kim AddonizioThe Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne LauxWrite It!: 100 Poetry Prompts to Inspire by Jessica Jacobs and Nickole BrownSubmitWe'd love to see what you're writing! Submit your response to Marianne's prompt for a chance to have it read on a future episode of the podcast.

Join Octavia Sexton as she reflects on the roots of her storytelling prowess and how her workshops have made real life impacts. Not only have these artist encounters changed perspectives in students, it's created a fun and enlivening experience that allows us to all be who we truly are. You don't want to miss this episode. Take a listen! This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Join Rachel Skaggs in conversation with Jennifer Reis and Amy Whitaker as they discuss approaches, successes, and hopes for arts entrepreneurship education. Their conversation covers the What, When, Why, and How of teaching collegiate arts entrepreneurship in hopes as serving as practical guidance for CAA members and other instructors who are interested in incorporating this into students' program of study in the arts. Rachel Skaggs is the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Assistant Professor of Arts Management at The Ohio State University. Rachel is a sociologist of culture and work whose research focuses on relational ecosystems in creative industries. Her recent research can be found in Poetics, Social Psychology Quarterly, and The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society. www.rachelskaggs.me Amy Whitaker is an Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Administration at New York University. A longtime teacher of business to artists, she is an interdisciplinary researcher who publishes in law, sociology, finance, entrepreneurship, and cultural policy. Her work proposing fractional equity in art received the 2021 Edith Penrose Award from the European Academy of Management. Her third book, Economics of Visual Art: Market Practice andMarket Resistance, was published in fall 2021 by Cambridge University Press. Jennifer A. Reis is a creative entrepreneur, practicing and teaching artist, and former gallery director who has over twenty-five years of experience in arts business, administration, and higher education.  Currently Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at UNC-Greensboro, her research and practice focuses on empowering creative entrepreneurs with the mindsets and skills to survive and thrive. A master facilitator for the Kauffman Foundation's FastTrac Program, she also consults for community development, trade and cultural organizations including the Tamarack Foundation, Tremaine Foundation, ArtsGreensboro, Kentucky Arts Council, Surface Design Association, and Association for Creative Industries.

Join Mike Miller as we reflect on Arts for All's long history of impact and his reflection on the changing needs of students from a social perspective. The arts are a profound social tool that allow students of every background to be on a level playing field. Take a listen! This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Join Angela Dye and Erica Marsh as they discuss the ways they've been able to engage in the arts BOTH with Arts for All Kentucky and by bringing arts into the home. Don't miss this one! This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council. Also Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2E82FZ5Ij2TwKfltLZa6PT?si=gm9KjXN2RiyeVDktZvhC2w&nd=1 Or Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arts-for-all-stories/id1558698341?uo=4

Sonya Baker is an accomplished singer and gifted educator who shared her journey so eloquently. Please listen through the end, where you will hear from Sonya about what it meant to her to sing "Ride the Chariot" as part of her time in the Glee Club. Thanks to the Yale Glee Club we have a a recording of Sonya singing her powerful solo of that spiritual, which is a real treat. Here is a bit more about Sonya: Dr. Sonya Gabrielle Baker, soprano, made her Carnegie Hall debut with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, singing music of Aaron Copland. Noted for her performances of American music, Baker has been heard in concert both nationally and internationally, including performances in Havana, Cuba with the Yale Alumni Chorus and at the World Equestrian Games opening ceremonies with the American Spiritual Ensemble. Baker has toured regularly as a soloist with the American Spiritual Ensemble, a professional ensemble whose mission is to keep the American Spiritual alive. She appears on their recording entitled The Spirituals and in the PBS documentary by the same name. Baker's debut solo recording, SHE SAYS, featuring art songs of American Women composers, was released in 2004, a year after she appeared as soloist on the Yale Alumni Chorus tour to Moscow singing at the Kremlin. Baker's scholarly agenda is focused on crossing boundaries and disciplines, perhaps best exemplified by her solo recording and her lecture recital on Marian Anderson's 1939 Easter Concert. Baker has presented this lecture recital nationwide and is currently working on a second recording in tribute to Marian Anderson featuring Lieder and spiritual arrangements. Highlights of Baker's operatic roles include Elisabetta in Verdi's Don Carlo, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Monisha in Joplin's Treemonisha, and the title role in the U.S. premiere of Mascagni's Pinotta. A former fellow with the American Council on Education, Baker has held leadership positions in higher education, serving as Associate Dean at JMU and Murray State University, and with various professional organizations: as board member for the Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Governor for the National Association of Teachers of Singing and currently a board member for the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) and the Yale Alumni Chorus. A graduate of Leadership Kentucky, LEAD Virginia and the Society for College and University Planning Institute, Baker is fully committed to advocating for diverse communities and environments that embrace multiple peoples and perspectives. To this end, she has served on multiple university committees and has been a mentor both formally and informally throughout her career. Baker holds degrees from Yale, Indiana and Florida State Universities.

Join Greg Acker, an Arts for All Kentucky teaching artist, as he discussed his perspectives on group collaboration, rhythm, and how his drumming and dancing workshops create a great sense of participation. Greg has been a longtime teaching artist with the organization and dives back to share a little bit of history as well. Don't miss this one! This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Join Holly Vincent from Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Special Populations and Jenna Greer, a program participant who has been involved in various parks groups and events including their collaborations with Arts for All. Join us as we talk about the mix between recreation and art, get some awesome stories from Jenna, and get yet another great perspective on how the arts has the ability to change all of our lives for the better. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Allison, David, and their son Jonah are lovers of education and the arts. Allison, part of GRECC, and David, a history teacher, have seen firsthand how the arts has opened opportunities to make a normal classroom more exciting and engaging. But moreover, they've experience how their son uses art as a means of communication, expression, and passion. An award-winning artist from the start, Jonah kicks off this episode with enthusiasm and sharing what he loves about creating art and the experience they have had with Arts for All KY. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

In this week's episode, Kendra talks with Crystal Wilkinson about her book, Perfect Black, which out now from the University of Kentucky Press. Thanks to our sponsors! House of CHANEL, creator of the iconic J12 sports watch. Always in motion, the J12 travels through time without ever losing its identity. Sign-up now and browse more Literary Events and Workshops at literatureandpen.com! Check out our Patreon page to learn more about our book club and other Patreon-exclusive goodies. Follow along over on Instagram, join the discussion in our Goodreads group, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more new books and extra book reviews! Books Mentioned The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson Perfect Black by Crystal Wilkinson Crystal Recommends In Pursuit of Flavor by Edna Lewis Love Child's Hotbed of Occasional Poetry by Nikki Finney The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw Horsepower by Joy Priest Affrilachia by Frank X Walker Spaces Between Us: Poetry, Prose and Art on HIV/AIDS by Kelly Norman Ellis Just Lookin' Out of the Window: Life's Lessons From My Mother by Kieth Wilson dying in the scarecrow's arms by Mitchell L. H. Douglas About the Author Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of The Birds of Opulence (winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence), Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. Nominated for both the Orange Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, she has received recognition from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Kentucky Arts Council, The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and is a recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her short stories, poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including most recently in the Oxford American and Southern Cultures. She currently teaches at the University of Kentucky where she is Associate Professor of English in the MFA in Creative Writing Program. Website | Instagram | Twitter CONTACT Questions? Comments? Email us hello@readingwomenpodcast.com.  SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website Music by Miki Saito with Isaac Greene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Kessler is a long-time participant of Arts for All KY programming, dating back to when she was just 8 years old. From a budding passion for expression in side-by-side programming to doing art projects any chance she can get, her love for the craft is evident. Her mom, Heather, speaks to us about the impact she has seen in her family and in her daughter over the years in being part of Arts for All KY. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education: Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

This week we are joined by Nick Wade, Executive Director of Renaissance Covington.  The product of a small town in Kentucky who had big dreams for the future of his beautiful home state. His organization amplifies the vibrancy of Downtown Covington's evolving community to create a business district rich with a bold entrepreneurial spirit, diversity, history, and creative culture.  Nick is an advocate for the small business owner, the maker community and looks to promote side hustle diversity in Covington, Kentucky.Renaissance Covington began in 2003, as a City of Covington program, but the organization grew into its own 501c(3) nonprofit in 2015.  In 2019, Renaissance Covington entered its 4th year as an independent nonprofit and welcomed Nick in his current leadership role. Covington is an accredited Kentucky and National Main Street Program as well as a Certified Creative District by the Kentucky Arts Council. Renaissance Covington was the recipient of the 2017 Great American Main Street Award. The city embraces local culture, historic preservation, independent businesses, and creativity throughout our work.If you are looking for ideas on how to promote your own small town or city this may be the episode for you. Also if you are a small business owner or artisan looking for new ways to partner with your community look no further than what Renaissance Covington is doing. Nick is finding new ways to connect with other local business organizations and municipalities to amplify his efforts. His strategy is working well as he finds new ways to promote the benefits of Covington, Kentucky.Renaissance Covington and Reversed Out Creative just completed a "Made in Covington" brand meant to promote the maker community.If you choose to support the work Renaissance Covington is doing then please consider a donation. Also, keep an eye out for all the fun events the organization has to offer.Support the show (https://paypal.me/sidehustlecity)

Join us for another episode of Arts for All KY Stories. Today's episode features some perspectives on friendship, professional alliances, and awesome tactile projects that students of any perspective will love. Kim Soule is a registered teaching artist for Arts for All and Missi Carini is an art teach at Warren East Middle School in Bowling Green, KY. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education:Office for Special Education and Early Learning and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Lost Girls, a collection of short stories called "a varied set of tales from a skilled practitioner of the short form" by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, South Carolina Review, and Santa Fe Literary Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of a 2013 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. SOREN LIT Editor and Podcast Host: Melodie J Rodgers www.sorenlit.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/melodie-rodgers/message

Bill welcomes debut fiction author Ellen Birkett Morris to the show. Ellen is the author of Lost Girls, a collection of short stories called "a varied set of tales from a skilled practitioner of the short form" by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, South Carolina Review, and Santa Fe Literary Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. She is also a recipient of a 2013 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Her poetry can be found in Surrender (Finishing Line Press), a chapbook, and her forthcoming chapbook Abide (Seven Kitchens Press). 

Join Sonja Byrd as she returns to interview with Allison Cash from Barren River Adult Day Care. The two swap stories of what it was like teaching their art class, keeping students attention, and what they've seen the arts do for the folks they work with. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Arts Council, and the Office for Special Education and Early Learning.

Join us as we talk about a neat collaboration between The Buddy House and Arts for All KY! The program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Learning, and the Kentucky Arts Council.

My guest today is a stage and screen actor, writer, and audio drama maven.  Clara’s writing includes essays and plays for stage and audio drama and her stage plays have been shortlisted and recognized nationally and internationally. In 2014, she was honored by the Kentucky Arts Council with the Emerging Artist Award, Playwright and her writing is a regular feature in the audio drama podcast, Night Owl Theatre and she is the producer and host of the “Yoga with Clara” podcast. She is a grantee of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, working on an audio drama script that explores the experiences of women in mining communities in Kentucky and the United Kingdom. She can be seen in the films Dark Waters, starring Mark Ruffalo and The Old Man and the Gun alongside Casey Affleck, starring Robert Redford. She co-stars in the film Damaged Goods, that is currently in post-production.  I look forward to hearing about all her creative endeavors and would like to welcome Clara Harris to 19 Stories... You may connect with Clara via:  Facebook @claraharrisactor, where you can find links to her audio drama, Night Owl Theatre, Great Monologues Coaching for high schoolers, and yoga offerings.  or Clara-Harris.com

Niamh is a super talented young artist, using it to express herself in a way her disability prohibits her from doing. Hear from Sonja, her teaching artist, and her mom and how this has impacted and created a rising career artist. This program is made possible by the Kentucky Department of Education, the Office for Special Education and Early Learning, and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Lost Girls, a collection of short stories called "a varied set of tales from a skilled practitioner of the short form" by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, South Carolina Review, and Santa Fe Literary Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of a 2013 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. On April 18, 2021, Ellen will be teaching a course through Hidden Timber Books called "Finding an Effective Story Ending." Sign up here! Topics include me getting a mini Goldendoodle, Sherwood Anderson, how to end a short story, how to begin a short story, portraying womanhood in fiction, biases against women writers, Flannery O'Connor, Kentucky, Louisville, Breonna Taylor, whether Kentucky is the midwest or the south, what often times lies beneath southern/midwestern charm, and much more.

Arts Week in Kentucky is coming, Feb. 22-26! On this episode of the podcast we get a taste of what to expect during Arts Week with Lori Meadows, chair of Kentuckians for the Arts, and Mark Brown, the Kentucky Arts Council's folk and traditional arts director. Each of them will have a role in bringing the great programming on tap for Arts Week in Kentucky, and they are just the tip of the iceberg. You can register for this FREE week of programming here! Episode footnotes: Kentucky state legislature Kentucky Arts Council's Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant

The Kentucky Arts Council's communications and technology branch manager Sandie Lawrence is retiring at the end of 2020, closing a chapter on her 25-year career at the Kentucky Arts Council. She recently chatted with coworkers Tom Musgrave and Emily Moses about building the arts council's first website, the advent of that strange new communications method called email, what she'll miss about working for the Commowealth of Kentucky, her philosophy about life, and how parenting influenced her interpersonal relationships with coworkers. Enjoy this tribute to our own Sandie Lawrence!

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews Kentucky author Ellen Birkett Morris about her short story collection LOST GIRLS. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, AntiochReview, South Carolina Review, and other journals. She received the BevelSummers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of the Al Smith Fellowfrom the Kentucky Arts Council. Morris has an MFA from QueensUniversity-Charlotte. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eliot-parker/support

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews Kentucky author Ellen Birkett Morris. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, AntiochReview, South Carolina Review, and other journals. She received the BevelSummers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of the Al Smith Fellowfrom the Kentucky Arts Council. Morris has an MFA from QueensUniversity-Charlotte.

Last year, we spent time with the folks who lead Consolidated Baptist Church's Summer Enrichment Program, a unique education program, which includes the arts among other academic disciplines. This program serves the youth of Lexington, lasting for several weeks, and we supported it with funding last year. When they wanted to go virtual for this summer, we provided assistance again in the form of a virtual teaching artist residency and technical support. On this episode, we talk with program director Demetria Blair, teaching artist Yolantha Pace, and Kentucky Arts Council arts education director Samuel Lockridge about how the program made the pivot from in-person to virtual. We explored the success, challenges and unexpected benefits of learning in a virtual environment. Episode footnotes: Listen to last year's episode on the Summer Enrichment Program Learn more about the program - consolidatedsummerenrichment.org Yolantha Pace's Teaching Artists Directory page Frank X Walker's website Lexington Children's Theatre

Today, we are talking with David Marquez about creating and teaching metalwork sculpture. David is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at WKU, and recipient of the 2014 Al Smith Fellowship Award from the Kentucky Arts Council. His teaching focuses on challenging students with techniques and materials that they may have little experience working with, in order to create a dialogue that allows students to question preconceived ideas and encourage flexibility, critical thinking, and unleashing the boundless creativity within. He is also a professional artist, working with metal, ceramics, and mixed media. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dimestories/message

This past spring, the Kentucky Arts Council, with our friends at the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, entered into a partnership with the for-profit group Artrepreneur. Founded in 2015, Artrepreneur is an e-commerce platform that serves more than 40,000 visual and craft artists from more than 50 countries. Joining us are Steve Schlackman from Artrepreneur, Heather Pontonio of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Kentucky Crafted artist David Shadwick and Emily Moses, executive staff advisor of the Kentucky Arts Council. We'll talk about how this relationship formed and how Artrepreneur is benefiting participating Kentucky Crafted artists. Episode footnotes: A list of Kentucky Crafted artists using the Artrepreneur platform The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Americans for the Arts COVID-19 economic impact survey data

Kentucky's connection to poetry will be the subject of a an upcoming episode of the documentary series "Poetry Unites America." On this episode of KyArtsCast, we talk with Ewa Sandrzynska, the documentary filmmaker behind the series, about how Kentuckians can contribute to the episode via an essay contest she is conducting. Deadline for submission to the contest is Sept. 15, so listen to this episode to find out more about the project! We also chat with Tamara Coffey of the Kentucky Arts Council about the nomination process for Kentucky Poet Laureate. The deadline to nominate someone for that important position is Oct. 1. Episode footnotes Poetry Unites Kentucky Facebook page Submit your essay! Guidelines for Kentucky Poet Laureate nominations

The Kentucky Arts Council is currently accepting applications to the Kentucky Crafted program, the state's juried arts marketing program. The deadline to apply to this free program is Aug. 17. On this episode of KyArtsCast we talk with three artists in the Kentucky Crafted program: Michelle Hayden of Michelle Hayden of Michelle Hayden Fine Art in Berea, Rob Bridges of Rob Bridges Illustration in Georgetown, and Amy Henson of Rock Bottom Soap in London. We also talk about the program benefits and our guests give advice on how to approach the application process. Episode footnotes: The Kentucky Crafted program guidelines and application Michelle Hayden's Kentucky Crafted directory page Rob Bridges' Kentucky Crafted directory page Amy Henson's Kentucky Crafted directory page

You may not have known that award-winning Kentucky writer Maurice Manning has been the Kentucky Arts Council's featured artist. The spot on the arts council homepage usually reserved for the featured artist has been used to communicate valuable COVID-19 related resources for artists and arts organizations throughout the pandemic. But we wanted to put Maurice out front and center in a meaningful way, so we're giving you this chance to learn more about him on this episode. Arts council staff member Tamara Coffey spends time chatting with Maurice about what he's been up to during self-isolation, who his influences are and asks him to share some of his work with the audience.

I’m Stefan Sittig and welcome to AMERICAN THEATRE ARTISTS ONLINE, where we talk with leading contemporary figures in American Theatre. Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin has been with MetroStage in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia since its founding in 1984 and has produced over one hundred main-stage productions, including seventeen plays and musicals that were world premieres, and dozens of cabarets.  She is committed to producing the best contemporary writing and showcasing the best regional artists reflecting the diversity of the DC metro area for a broad-based audience. She has built three theatres by re-purposing nontraditional storefronts (and a lumber warehouse) into intimate well-equipped theatre spaces, and is currently working on a fourth. She has chaired both the Alexandria Arts Forum, which she co-founded, and the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and has served on regional panels for both the Virginia Commission for the Arts and Kentucky Arts Council. She has received many awards including the Actors Center Award of Distinction, the Cultural Affairs Award from the Alexandria Commission for Women, and the “Helen’s Star”, named after Helen Hayes, from Theatre Washington, “presented to daring visionaries who have shaped and redefined the landscape of Washington theatre.”

Join host Bill Goodman on this week's episode of THINK HUMANITIES for a conversation with Danielle Clore, Executive Director of the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, and Tom Musgrave, Communications Director for the Kentucky Arts Council. They talk about how nonprofits and arts and humanities organizations have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss resources and funding opportunities for nonprofits around the Commonwealth.

NOTE: Since the recording of this episode, the Native Reflections exhibit tour has been put on hold. You can see work in the exhibit by visiting the Kentucky Arts Council website and viewing a slideshow. The Kentucky Arts Council, in partnership with the Kentucky Heritage Council and the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission, is presenting Native Reflections: Visual Art by American Indians of Kentucky. This traveling exhibit will feature inspiring pieces of art by Kentucky residents who identify as either members of a recognized tribe or as native inspired. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with two of the artists whose work is included in the exhibit, Brigit Truex and Jannette Parent; Tressa Brown of the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission; and Mark Brown of the Kentucky Arts Council. Episode footnotes Story on jingle dancing, which Brigit Truex referred to on the podcast. 

Normandi Ellis's books on Egyptian myth, ritual and magic include The Union of Isis and Thoth, Imagining the World into Existence, Invoking the Scribes, Words on Water, Feasts of Light, and Dreams of Isis. Her translation from the hieroglyphs, Awakening Osiris, is considered a spiritual classic. Of Imagining the World into Existence, Jean Houston said: "Quite simply, this is a masterpiece. It is the life work of a numinous poet, writer, and Egyptian scholar. To read this work is to be planted with the seed of once and future mysteries."An arch-priestess of the Fellowship of Isis, she facilitates trips to Egypt, is a Spiritualist minister, clairvoyant and astrologer and teaches in the School of Metaphysics at Camp Chesterfield.In addition to her studies in Egyptian mysticism, she is a poet and fiction writers, having won awards from the YMCA Writers Voice, the Bumbershoot Award, and awards from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Colorado Arts and Humanities. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts as well as activism sgrants for her work in the environment and with elder women and youth at risk.For more information on her writing, workshops, or travel schedule visit www.normandiellis.com.

The entire purpose of most Performing Arts Organizations and many Visual Arts Organizations is to gather people together and share in the same cultural experience. In a time of social distancing, this becomes nearly impossible. In this Digital Town Hall, we discussed how the COVID-19 Crisis is impacting Non-Profit Arts Organizations, and what strategies organizations are using to still fulfill their mission. This Town Hall featured Allison Kaiser of the Lexington Philharmonic, Bo List of Athens West Theater, Emily Moses of the Kentucky Arts Council, and Ame Sweetall of LexArts.

It's Poetry Month across the country and it's also the month we celebrate Kentucky Writers' Day, April 24. On this episode, Kentucky Arts Council staff member Tamara Coffey talks literature, self-isolation and inspiration with current Kentucky Poet Laureate Jeff Worley and former poets laureate George Ella Lyon and Richard Taylor.  To learn more about Kentucky Writers' Day, visit the Kentucky Writers' Day Facebook event page or the arts council website.  Episode footnotes The Writer's Almanac The Slowdown podcast

At once tragic and hopeful, The Birds of Opulence is a story about another time, rendered for our own. The Goode-Brown family, led by matriarch and pillar of the community Minnie Mae, is plagued by old secrets and embarrassment over mental illness and illegitimacy. Meanwhile, single mother Francine Clark is haunted by her dead, lightning-struck husband and forced to fight against both the moral judgment of the community and her own rebellious daughter, Mona. The residents of Opulence struggle with vexing relationships to the land, to one another, and to their own sexuality. As the members of the youngest generation watch their mothers and grandmothers pass away, they live with the fear of going mad themselves and must fight to survive.Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of The Birds of Opulence (winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence), Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. Nominated for both the Orange Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, she has received recognition from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Kentucky Arts Council, The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and is a recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature. She currently teaches at the University of Kentucky where she is Associate Professor of English in the MFA in Creative Writing Program. She had her partner, poet and artist Ron Davis, own Wild Fig Books & Coffee which is located in the North Limestone neighborhood in Lexington.The Brown Lecture Series is supported by the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Foundation.Re-opening activities are made possible in part by a generous gift from Sandra R. Berman.Recorded On: Tuesday, February 4, 2020

At once tragic and hopeful, The Birds of Opulence is a story about another time, rendered for our own. The Goode-Brown family, led by matriarch and pillar of the community Minnie Mae, is plagued by old secrets and embarrassment over mental illness and illegitimacy. Meanwhile, single mother Francine Clark is haunted by her dead, lightning-struck husband and forced to fight against both the moral judgment of the community and her own rebellious daughter, Mona. The residents of Opulence struggle with vexing relationships to the land, to one another, and to their own sexuality. As the members of the youngest generation watch their mothers and grandmothers pass away, they live with the fear of going mad themselves and must fight to survive.Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of The Birds of Opulence (winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence), Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. Nominated for both the Orange Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, she has received recognition from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Kentucky Arts Council, The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and is a recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature. She currently teaches at the University of Kentucky where she is Associate Professor of English in the MFA in Creative Writing Program. She had her partner, poet and artist Ron Davis, own Wild Fig Books & Coffee which is located in the North Limestone neighborhood in Lexington.The Brown Lecture Series is supported by the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Foundation.Re-opening activities are made possible in part by a generous gift from Sandra R. Berman.

It's been a year since we debuted KyArtsCast, so we wanted to take a few minutes to acknowledge the occasion and shine a spotlight on the folks here at the Kentucky Arts Council who collaborate every day to bring outstanding arts programs and grants to every corner of the Commonwealth. We also want to hear from YOU! As we enter the second season of the podcast, we'd like to know what you'd like to hear on the podcast. Email Tom Musgrave, arts council communications director, at tomr.musgrave@ky.gov or leave a comment below with your topic. We can't guarantee we'll follow up on every idea, but we will read them.  Thanks for listening, and join us in the new year for the second season of KyArtsCast!

Chris Cathers, executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council, and Todd Finley, executive director of the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, chat about the importance of shopping local and how and where to find wonderful examples of art and craft by Kentucky artists. It's your guide to shopping local this holiday season!

Rick Hill, the resident artist at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources who has painted original covers for the department's publication Kentucky Afield, talks about how he started as a nature artist and his creative process.  The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the Kentucky Arts Council recently partnered to present an exhibit of Rick's work at the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort. The exhibit runs through Nov. 26 during normal Capitol visitor hours. Rick Hill's first ever Kentucky Afield cover as full-time artist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.   Arts Across Kentucky cover featuring one of Rick Hill's carvings.   Trout carving by Rick Hill. Episode footnote Link to more information about the "Kentucky Afield Illustrated" exhibit.

Listen and learn how to win FREE tickets to the Kentucky Creative Industry Summit, Dec. 6 at the Clay Community Center in Mt. Sterling! For this episode, Emily Moses, Kentucky Arts Council executive staff advisor, talks with Mitzi Sinnott, Heather Pontonio, Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova, all of whom will be among the presenters at the 2019 Kentucky Creative Industry Summit.  This year's summit theme is Race, Equity, Access, Diversity and Inclusion, and our presenters will lead interactive discussions around those topics and more!  Episode footnotes Agenda for the Kentucky Creative Industry Summit Register for the Kentucky Creative Industry Summit ($30, includes lunch)

Mickey Rowe was the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone in the Tony Award-winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Talleri McRae is a theatre artist, educator, disability scholar and inclusion/access specialist on a mission to change the nation’s’ narrative about disability culture. The pair were in town to participate in the Universal Access and the Arts Day sponsored by the Office of Raleigh Arts last July. I have a feeling they will be back next year when the City of Raleigh hosts the https://education.kennedy-center.org/education/accessibility/lead/conference.html (Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD®) conference). About the Guests Talleri McRae is a theatre artist, educator, disability scholar and inclusion/access specialist based in Louisville, Kentucky. While completing her Master of Fine Arts in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities in Austin, Texas, McRae researched how casting choices apply to perceptions of theatre and disability with young people. Now, as an independent contractor working regionally, nationally and internationally, McRae has worked with StageOne Family Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Kentucky Arts Council, Indiana Repertory, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The American Alliance for Theatre and Education and the International Inclusive Arts Network. In addition to her work as a teaching artist for elementary through high school students, McRae is the co‐founder and co-executive director of National Disability Theatre. With a mission to create fully accessible, world-class theatre and storytelling’ change social policy and the nation’s narrative about disability culture and serve as a guiding model in accessibility for the arts and cultural sector, National Disability Theatre’s advisory company is a who’s who of disability theatre artists, including Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and Greg Mozgala. Visit McRae online at https://tallerimcrae.wordpress.com/ (https://tallerimcrae.wordpress.com/). Mickey Rowe was the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone in the Tony Award-winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and one of the first autistic actors to get to play any autistic character. He has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, Teen Vogue, Playbill, NPR, CNN, Huffington Post, Salon, has keynoted for a variety of organizations including Lincoln Center, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Yale School of Drama. Mickey is the founder and co-executive director of National Disability Theatre, which is currently partnering with La Jolla Playhouse and Chicago’s Goodman Theater to develop and present new productions by Pulitzer Prize-finalist and disabled playwright Christopher Shinn. Cast as Mozart in Syracuse Stage’s upcoming production of Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play Amadeus, Mickey has worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Opera and Seattle Shakespeare Company, among others. Currently completing his MFA in Artistic Leadership, Mickey is also a juggler, stilt walker, unicyclist, hat manipulator, and acrobat. Visit Rowe online at https://www.mickeyrowe.me/ (https://www.mickeyrowe.me/) Connect with RDU on Stage Facebook – @rduonstage Twitter – @rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

Emily Moses, Kentucky Arts Council executive staff advisor, continues her chat with Beth Flowers, executive director of the AIR Institute of Berea College. In part two of this episode, that was recorded in July, Beth and Emily discuss the AIR Institute's 2 1/2-day workshop called AIR Shift. The workshop brings artists and members of the business community together to develop a worthwhile and achievable community improvement project, and gives participants the tools to repeat that collaboration to achieve valuable community goals. For more information on AIR Shift, visit the AIR Institute of Berea College website. To find out how to bring AIR Shift to your community, contact Emily Moses at emilyb.moses@ky.gov.

National Arts in Education Week (Sept. 8-14) is coming up and we thought it was a good time to highlight a valuable educational program that the Kentucky Arts Council offered its support to this summer. This unique educational opportunity available to Fayette County Youth, the Summer Enrichment Program at Consolidated Baptist Church, is a four-week program that connects the arts to STEM skills and agriculture in a meaningful way to youth in kindergarten through fifth grade. We talked with program director Demetria Blair, a paraeducator at Jessie Clark Middle School in Lexington; Lanora Long, an art teacher with the summer program and a retired Fayette County Schools art teacher; as well as student participants Alana Young and DeVaughn Elery. Check out this episode and find out more about how this program is making an impact.  Episode footnote Summer Enrichment Program web page

John Harrod has documented, recorded, and performed traditional music for more than 45 years. Born and raised in Shelby County, Kentucky, he has a B.A. from Centre College (1967) and an M.A. from Oxford University (1969) which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Recently retired, he taught history and English at Owen County High School and Frankfort High School. In the 1970s and ’80s, he played with a number of bands including the Progress Red Hot String Band, the Bill Livers String Ensemble, and the Gray Eagle Band that re-introduced traditional musicians such as Bill Livers and Lily May Ledford to Kentucky audiences. During this time he also worked for three years as a Kentucky Arts Council folk artist-in-residence in Wolfe, Estill, and Trimble Counties. Along with Mark Wilson and Guthrie Meade, he produced a series of field recordings of Kentucky fiddle and banjo players that is still available on Rounder Records. In 2015 the Field Recorders Collective issued his recordings of Carlton Rawlings and Darley Fulks, two exceptional and heretofore unknown fiddlers who have had a great impact on his life. John's field recordings are housed at both Berea College and the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead. He has taught fiddle and conducted workshops at the Augusta Heritage Center, the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, and the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School. He continues to perform with Kentucky Wild Horse, a band that draws on a wide variety of Kentucky music past and present. In 2004 John received the Folk Heritage Award of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts for his work in traditional music. Here, John shares rare recordings and stories about black Kentucky fiddlers. Thumbnail photo by Bill Burke of Bill Livers. The following links might enhance your listening experience: Bill Livers Jim Booker Nathan Salsburg https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1378-camp-nelson-blues Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/cogdelldjedje http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=54621 George Gibson https://nativeground.com/banjo-history-by-george-r-gibson/ https://www.appalshop.org/store/june-appal-recordings-by-format/cd-compact-disc/george-gibson-last-possum-up-the-tree/ Clifford Hayes Curtis Hayes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcw3k5NTzCY Michael Jones https://www.amazon.com/Louisville-Jug-Music-McDonald-National/dp/1626194963 Louisville Jugband Jubilee Jess Ferguson Jerron Paxton: https://www.blindboypaxton.net/ The Ebony Hillbillies: https://www.theebonyhillbillies.com/ Rhiannon Giddens: https://www.rhiannongiddens.com/ Dom Flemons: https://theamericansongster.com/ The Carolina Chocolate Drops: https://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/band/about.html Katie Peabody

The third annual Artists Thrive Summit is July 30-Aug. 2 in Berea, and for this episode Emily Moses, Kentucky Arts Council executive staff advisor, is chatting with Beth Flowers, executive director of the AIR Insitute of Berea College and a member of the summit leadership team. Emily and Beth talk about what goes on at the summit, who should be there (spoiler alert...YOU) and how to get a 75 percent discount on registration! Episode footnotes Artists Thrive Summit Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

Listen in as we chat with three Kentucky Crafted artists, Deb Chenault, Justine Riley and Bill Berryman, about their work, what makes it unique and how they've benefited from being juried into Kentucky Crafted. The application process for Kentucky Crafted is open through Aug. 15, and this episode also features the Kentucky Arts Council's arts marketing director, Dave Blevins. Dave talks about the program guidelines and navigates the answers to questions that artists frequently ask about applying. Special thanks to 91.3 FM WUKY in Lexington for allowing us to record in their studio and to the station's operations and programming director John Lumagui for engineering this episode. Episode footnotes The Kentucky Crafted program guidelines and application Deb Chenault's Kentucky Crafted online directory page Justine Riley's Kentucky Crafted online directory page Bill Berryman's Kentucky Crafted online directory page

Kentucky Writers' Day is just around the corner, 10 a.m. April 24 at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, and to get stoked for it we brough two Kentucky Poets Laureate into Studio B for a chat about Kentucky poetry, literature and the poet laureate position. Tamara Coffey, Kentucky Arts Council organization support and individual artists director, takes the interview microphone for a lively chat with incoming Kentucky Poet Laureate Jeff Worley and former poet laureate Richard Taylor (1999-2000), who nominated Jeff for the important post of Kentucky's literary ambassador. Jeff will be inducted as poet laureate during the morning ceremony at KDLA, and will read his work that same day, along with five other Kentucky Poets Laureate, at Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort beginning at 2 p.m. By the way, the deer theme that seems to run through the podcast was completely unplanned. As the late American painter and teaching artist Bob Ross would say, "it was just a happy accident."

If you missed out on the chance to visit The Kentucky Crafted Market last month, you also missed an opportunity to hear fantastic live music from the Kentucky Stage. Not to worry. We've curated highlights from groups that performed on the stage and collected them in this special episode. Each group or individual that performed on the Kentucky Stage is a member of the Kentucky Arts Council's adjudicated Performing Artists Directory, a valuable resource for people looking for entertainment at any size gathering. If you enjoy the sounds of a particular act that you hear in this episode, we're providing links to their entire set below. You can also click on the artist's name and learn more about them on their online directory page. Cloigheann Click to hear their entire set Phourist and the Photons Click to hear their entire set The Local Honeys Click to hear their entire set JOANNA~JAMES Click to hear their entire set Kentucky Wild Horse Click to hear their entire set A Girl Named Earl Click to hear her entire set Marcus Wilkerson Click to hear his entire set Barrenhart Click to hear their entire set TDH Click to hear their entire set Jeri Katherine Howell Click to hear her entire set  

One of the things we love about our podcast is that it  brings together speakers from all over the world. Getting to see and hear Marion and Samantha is our main reason to love modern technology!  The topic of discussion rotated around three poems written by Anne V. Devilbiss (apologies again, Ann!  Maybe it’s a nice thing that Kathleen saw your name containing “bliss?”  ).  More about the poet: Ann V. DeVilbiss has had poems in BOAAT, Crab Orchard Review, The Maine Review, Pangyrus, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of the 2017 Betty Gabehart Prize in poetry and an Emerging Artist Award from the Kentucky Arts Council. Via the Love in the Street project, Ann has a poem forthcoming on a sidewalk in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, where she lives with her partner and two perfect cats.    It was a wonder how Kathleen was able to function normally after drinking enough to coffee wake up a classroom full of college students during finals week. In fact, she was quick to volunteer and took on the task of reading the first poem, “Spelled to Cultivate Gentlemen.”  Within this poem, there was one word that got everyone talking, “skink.” Everyone proceeded to “call up” Tim Fitts, one of our main editors, who was not able to make this recording.  We all assumed to know what a skink is, as he always refer to his Florida chidlhood. Marion went as far as to do an imitation of Tim.  They consense was if they have alligators, they must have these baby-alligator-like creatures as well, right?   Overall, the poem was described to be smooth in its wording and calming to the ears. These “spells” worked on us.   Kathleen reminded the audience about part of our editorial process. Very few of our staff ever see these poems before they get to the table.   Kathleen claimed her own  witch potential. She gave us chills as she described how lights sometimes flickered when she entered rooms (maybe she’s a ghost?) and the things she thinks sometimes come into fruition (or maybe she’s God? God is a woman, after all). Then, Marion was revealed to be an unintentional witch, which had us wondering if Kathleen and Marion’s friendship was a pure coincidence?  Maybe our answer could be found in the book “Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive” written by Kristen J. Sollee, a suggested read by Samantha.  Next up was “Spell to Begin Again” in which Marion described the techniques used by Anne as “f***ing brilliant.”  We would like to interrupt this summary with a tip for our readers: Were you baking cookies, only to realize that you were all out of sugar? No worries! Just grab that molasses everyone has in the back of their pantries for no apparent reason and save yourself a trip to the store! (Ask Google if you don’t believe us.)  Unfortunately, Jason had to take off early from the podcast. As soon as he left, Marion and Kathleen, proceeded to gossip about him. They joked about his stealing Kathleen’s satin pajama pants. However, Kathleen admits that his butt looked great in them and Jason must have known it too, as he shamelessly shared pictures of the crime.  The next poem read was “Spell for Empty Hands,” which was the last of Anne’s poems to be voted into publication. I guess those incantations really do work!  To end this podcast, we would like to give a BIG congratulations to PBQ editors, Samantha Neugebauer and fellow poet Amna Alharmoodi for winning second place in the UAE for creativity in Literature We’ll share more details on that soon!  Read on! 

  This month’s podcast is all about love for the arts, and the upcoming Kentucky Crafted Market, March 16-17 at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena. Our guests are musician Marcus Wilkerson and visual artists Alisha Martin, Dave Shadwick and Lakshmi Sriraman. They each talk about what made them fall in love with creating art, and their excitement for the upcoming Kentucky Crafted Market. More information on each of this episode’s artists can be found on their respective directory pages on the Kentucky Arts Council website: Marcus Wilkerson (Performing Artists Directory) Marcus Wilkerson (Teaching Artists Directory)   Alisha Martin (Kentucky Crafted Directory)   Dave Shadwick (Kentucky Crafted Directory) Dave Shadwick (Architectural Artists Directory)   Lakshmi Sriraman (Performing Artists Directory) Also, here's a link to the John C. Campbell Folk School where Dave learned more about blacksmithing.

Tom Musgrave, Kentucky Arts Council communications director, and Chris Cathers, interim executive director chat about how the podcast came about, behind the scenes stuff at the Kentucky Arts Council and some initiatives involving art as therapy for Kentucky's military veterans. We also discuss work in the arts council's Kentucky Veteran Project exhibit, which can be seen in a slideshow here. You can also see the traveling schedule for the exhibit as it moves around Kentucky. 

Just a chance to dip your toe into the Kentucky Arts Council's monthly podcast, KyArtsCast.

The Empire Club of Canada Presents: Kelly Craft, U.S. Ambassador to Canada On Building on the World's Best Friendship. Future Directions for the Canada and US Alliance Ambassador Kelly Craft is a leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has made community service and improving education the cornerstone of her career. A third generation Kentuckian, Ambassador Craft demonstrates a deep commitment to her home state by serving in several leadership roles with the Salvation Army of Lexington and the Center for Rural Development, a non profit dedicated to economic development in rural Kentucky. She also served on the Boards of Directors for the Kentucky Arts Council, the Lexington Philharmonic, YMCA of Central Kentucky, and the United Way of The Bluegrass. With a deep commitment to education, Ambassador Craft has served on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, and co founded the Morehead State University Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics which nurtures the academic talents of young Kentuckians. n the private sector, Ambassador Craft founded a successful marketing and business advisory firm providing leadership advice to businesses in her community and across the country. In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Ambassador Craft as an alternate delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. This significant policy and diplomatic responsibility allowed her important experience for her role as U.S Ambassador to Canada. Ambassador Craft is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Morehead State University. She and her husband, Joe Craft, who is also a Kentucky native and UK graduate, share six children and ten grandchildren. Speaker: Kelly Craft, U.S. Ambassador to Canada *The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.* *Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.*

“Soulful acoustic pop has never hit quite so close to home. Butch Rice writes of what we can all identify with, Love and Loss. With every tune the heartstrings resound as if the guitar has been in the hands of too many, slightly bruised and worn, but stronger in character.” On tonight’s show, Butch brings … Continue reading Butch Rice, Acoustic Pop

Thomas Freese is a talented teller who entertains and teaches with animated movement from world folktales, silly songs from original imagination and suspenseful voice in ghost stories. Thomas plays guitar and harmonica, and he also tells stories interspersed with Spanish. He does literary/visual artist in residence work in Kentucky schools. Thomas sang and danced for ten years with the Pleasant Hill Singers at Shakertown, in Kentucky. Thomas is a member of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Arts Education Artist Roster, VSA Kentucky Roster and is a member of the Kentucky Storytelling Association. http://www.thomaslfreese.com/

As we prepared for Episode 6, something new happened: a poet whose work we wanted to read and discuss on our podcast said, “No.” It was bound to happen some time and it did---a month and a half in. As we prepared for Episode 6, something new happened: a poet whose work we wanted to read and discuss on our podcast said, “No.” It was bound to happen some time and it did---a month and a half in. We talked about it and acknowledged that some people are simply not going to be ready, some people are going to let fear win over curiosity, and some people are simply not going to ever want their work discussed in such a public manner---a recorded manner that will always exist. We were disappointed to receive our first “No,” but it caused us to revisit the vulnerability of what we are doing here: taking a writer’s work and picking it apart, separating the juicy poetic goodness from the bone. For most writers, they never get to hear what editors think of their poems, regardless of whether they were accepted or denied. The feedback we are getting uses the word transparency a lot, with that term directed at the transparency of our editorial conversation, but whoa—the writers who are brave for sharing--for writing in the first place—have to peel another layer back to submit to a podcast. We are grateful that the people we asked so far said, Yes, even though they were scared. Their bravery makes us feel brave, too, and like we’re doing the right thing with this project. Tell us what you think on our FB Episode 6 event page. We will be looking at two poets today, and the first poet up is Carlos Gomez.     We discussed, Morning, Rikers Island, Black Hair, and Interracial in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Gomez is a renaissance man with too many skills and too many awards for us to reiterate here! Poet, actor, essayist—it seems wherever he directs his attention, great things happen. After you read these poems we know you’ll want more, so we suggest you start here. Let us tell you his last three accomplishments, just so you get the idea: the cover story on of Brass Magazine. He was ONLY voted Best Diversity Artist in Campus Activities Magazine’s 2016 Reader’s Choice Awards. And oh, year, he is featured in The New York Times documentary short film A Conversation with Latinos on Race! So that’s what he’s been up to in just the last few months! Check out his performance schedule—practically no matter where you are he’ll be there this spring and summer. None of Gomez’s poems were unanimous acceptances, but all three were accepted. From the first line, the light in Morning, Rikers Island resonated with us, and we applauded the craft and elegance of this poem. Interracial in Flatbush, Brooklyn has such specific narrative imagery that we all felt immersed in this scene, and a final moment that resonates. Black Hair had a very different tone, voice, and format from the other two, and our editors were simply engaged in the story just under the surface. We discussed Adam Day a bit in Episode 5—take a look and listen back to see how these poems ended up in our podcast at all! We discussed The Quiet Life, My Telemachus, and Openango.       Anyone who has been reading literary magazines for a while has seen work by Adam Day. His latest book is Model of a City in Civil War (Sarabande Books), and his latest awards are a Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship for Badger, Apocrypha, a PEN Emerging Writers Award, and an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. It’s hard to keep up with this author. If you need to catch up, visit.  If you miss him, watch this video. You’ll have to listen to find out which of the three poems we accepted, but know this: we had a great time discussing them! Tell us what you think at our FB event page. We enjoyed the passion behind The Quiet Life, and the humor of both My Telemachus and Openango; we’re betting you will, too. Thank you for your patience as we’re learning as we go here in the podcast world, we’d love to know what you think – let us know on our Facebook page! Sign up for our email list if you’re in the Philadelphia area and even if you’re not! Follow us on Twitter @PaintedBrideQ and Instagram @paintedbridequarterly. Read on! -KVM   Present at the Editorial Table: Kathleen Volk Miller Marion Wrenn Jason Schneiderman Miriam Haier Tim Fitts Melody Nielson   Production Engineer: Joe Zang   PBQ Box Score: 4=2 -------------------------------   Carlos Gomez Morning, Rikers Island Physics and light pierce the hollow stench of the forgotten gymnasium stripped naked of clocks. All the boys stopped. Offered their grief to each other like water, glancing out the only window they all shared. A single ray unfolds its warmth across the dusty belly of the thudded parquet; and here’s the miracle— another day had come. Interracial in Flatbush, Brooklyn We watch them do this, expand from all directions like lungs abruptly filling with water, as we hold hands and walk through the eye of another storm. A man grabs his crotch, offering it to my wife, flings a mouthful of spit and epithets towards us. Each pupil is a dim swamp flooding, silence blanketing a shallow body in Neshoba County, dusk shedding its absence across the congealed oven grease beneath a rusted burner. A woman’s neck swivels when we pass, wraps a hard vowel around her tongue like lighter fluid choking a glass bottle holding a fuse. On this corner, scored by dancehall and soca, there is nothing more novel than me and my love’s contrasting hues—it ignites a rush of color from these strangers’ faces. They ring us a violence familiar as February weather, mine our skin for metaphors, demand we offer answers to questions they are still forming like infants from their throats. I have watched my body’s primal wisdom flicker dark as a fist-concealed palm, ache so volatile it screams for release. Rage is a language I unlearn on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Church, no shoreline or cathedrals in sight, only fractured things decorating a broken sidewalk like littered snow. A new voice pierces the air, a flood of sound that hits me like a wall of ice, louder and higher pitched than those before, this time a small child with brown skin and green eyes, writhing in her flimsy stroller, pointing towards the dimpled oval bootprints I leave behind in the hazel-colored slush, squealing: Papi! Papi! Papi! Black Hair I made her a vow that I always would, so I join two fresh clusters in my clumsy and careful hands as I cradle her slumbering nape. I am submerged in the calculus of it all, as though concentration is where I took my misstep. As though I am not three decades behind in my practice. As though it is just about finding the pattern (too late). I’m too late, I think, or maybe it’s something else: his hands never knew how to fix my sister’s hair. I tend each thick, onyx strand like I’m mending her favorite blanket, as though my calloused digits might coax and shape anything into an ordered grace. I layer another braid into the tidy maze crowning her scalp. I can feel, with each pull and twist, the newly assembled crib watching.   Adam Day The Quiet Life You is a pricy practical joke, a missed appointment, termination that didn't take, doctor without depth, military march, intolerant of mystery; a dinner party grope and stock exchange, growing aroused in the shadow of compromise, in the pantry's smell of lessening, of whatever comes along. You'll have him- you can't have anything dripping and no one to see, and should you be feared to share him your shrunk breasted enthusiasm, and shaven gape, like a mouth ajar, an over worn loafer, you'll liptongue and hand him, poor spunk, half-screwed, like moth larva rolling in a rice jar. To make nothing out of nothing but a backbend and take three quarters of an hour over it. No one ever captured the insanity of monologue like you did, vulgarizing anger into irritation and a plaster of panic, grinding fists into your eyes, like our child. So quiet now it scrapes the calm from bones, punctuated with involuntary exonerations, the house in weed, shingles steaming, all fog and submission, a celibate brothel (if nuns carried their duties as you sexed all saints they'd be.) No, no solicitation in a street urinal, no sodomizing the duck on account of its down, no slush of thrushes in the rain gutter, no train of dangers, or snoring next door, eyes unlit, half the sun and twice the rent.   My Telemachus "The dog drinking water sounds like a horse trotting," my five-year-old says. Well, look at you, brilliant little oedipal bastard, trying to steal my crown (and he is illegitimate; ask his mother if you can find her) but Patton was too and look what he achieved.     "Openango" Openango After Sherman Alexie I had just begun ice-fishing. A walleye taught me how. A fish with a headdress. He called me white man. Man, I'm tired of that racist shit. It's like if I didn't vacation at your ice hole you wouldn't have that casino. And don't look at me like that, lying on your side, a vein of blood skating the black plate of your eye.

GUY DAVIS has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own original songs, stories and per-formance pieces. Guy has been recording since 1978 - he is a musician, composer, actor, director, and writer. 'Juba dance' is Guy's latest, released by our friends at M.C. Records. It's a stripped down recording contain Guy's own compositions and choice covers by Blind Lemon Jefferson, Rev. Robert Wilkins and Blind Willie McTell. guydavis.com SI KAHN & THE LOOPING BROTHERS have teamed up for an extraordinary album that features the best-known songs from this legendary songwriter, author, playwright and activist in a bluegrass setting. The Looping Brothers are one of Europe's most respected and best-loved bluegrass bands. On their joint CD 'Aragon Mill: The Bluegrass Sessions' the Looping Brothers handpicked and ar-ranged the material and cast each of Si's classic songs in a new light. sikahn.com & looping-brothers.de SUE MASSEK is best know as the banjoist and singer of Kentucky's Reel World String Band. This musician, artist, activist and educator from Willisburg, Kentucky is an official Master Artist for the Kentucky Arts Council's Master/Apprentice pro-gram. Sue is committed to using the music she writes and the songs she sings as tools for social justice, and recently released a solo recording project, 'Brave is the Heart of a Singing Bird,' a tribute to those people who influenced her music and activism. Sue is currently touring nationally with the one-woman play with music 'Precious Memories,' written for her by Si Kahn, in which she stars as Eastern Kentucky traditional singer and union songwriter Sarah Ogan Gunning. Sue's performance of an excerpt from the show on WoodSongs will be the first time any part of this work has been heard or seen outside a theater. suemassek.com/