By Jackie Wilson Nov. 30, 2023

Crystal Wilkinson | Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

Crystal Wilkinson | Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2023) — University Press of Kentucky announces a new publishing imprint Screen Door Press which will be edited by award-winning and critically acclaimed author Crystal Wilkinson. Dedicated to discovering unique, exceptional, and varied voices within Black literary traditions, the imprint will celebrate the very best in fiction — short stories, novellas and novels — across a broad range of categories. The goal of Screen Door Press is

By A Fish 

Jimmy Robinson

LEXINGTON; Ky. — University of Kentucky Sociology doctoral student Jimmy Robinson wants to know what happens when a rural Appalachian artist leaves Appalachia. UK’s Appalachian Center in the College of Arts & Sciences has provided him with a grant to begin his research project titled “Taking the Rural with you: Rural Artists in the City.”  

Part of his research involves exploring just what “rural” means. People who leave a rural area still may seem themselves as rural as part of their identity. 

“This project is taking a different look at rurality than what you normally see,” he said. “A lot of research regarding rurality treats it firstly as a spatial material concept, meaning only the people who live in rural areas are counted as rural under most metrics that people use.

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program will welcome scholar Theresa L. Burriss to campus next week.

Burriss, who is the assistant vice president of community engagement and economic development at Emory & Henry College, will deliver a presentation titled “Appalachia and Eastern Europe: Cross-Cultural Collaborations” at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20, in Taylor Education Building Room 158.

Burriss will discuss the some of the international collaborations in which she has been fortunate to be engaged since 2015. With a primary focus on Romania, Burriss will share her teaching and research experiences in this post-Communist country.

"The UK Appalachian Center and

By Jenny Wells-Hosley and Lauren Parsons Wednesday

Representatives from the Digital Access Project celebrated the completion of the first major milestone of the project at an event at the Old Fayette County Courthouse in Lexington on Nov. 14. Photo by Honeysage Photo Co.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 15, 2023) — More than 77,000 physical pages of Fayette County’s historical records, spanning from the late 1700s through 1865, are now digitized and publicly accessible online, thanks to a major, first-of-its-kind project led by University of Kentucky scholars, students and community partners. The project aims to help families and researchers piece together

By Richard LeComte 

Gurney Norman

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gurneyfest, a two-day celebration of Gurney Norman, the acclaimed Appalachian writer and professor emeritus of English at the University of Kentucky, will be Nov. 17 and 18 on the UK campus. 

Events will include a musical performance, a master class, panel discussions and readings of Gurney’s work. Events are free, but registration is required; attendees can go to this website to register. 

Among the events are: 

A screening of a new documentary by Sean Anderson at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 17 at the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, in the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library.  

A musical performance by.

By Jenny Wells-Hosley Oct. 19, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 19, 2023) — The 42nd annual Kentucky Book Festival will return to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 21.

More than 150 authors — including many University of Kentucky faculty, staff and alumni — will be in attendance, meeting readers and signing books. Patrons can enjoy a full slate of main stage events alongside educational workshops and craft talks, as well as a children’s schedule of events.

This year’s program will include special appearances by New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward, nonfiction writer Stephen Bright (a UK alumnus), as well as a highlight of the book “A is for

By Lindsey Piercy 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2023) — How important is word of mouth when understanding climate change?

A new project, led by the Kentucky Climate Consortium research team at the University of Kentucky, is proving that oral histories can provide an intimate view of our shifting world.

The consoritium acts as a catalyst for climate research and education across the Commonwealth by providing networking opportunities for Kentucky-based climate scholars.

Through her work with the consortium, Lauren Cagle, associate professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies

By Lindsay Travis 

AppalTRuST brings together a team of researchers across the UK colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Education and Arts and Sciences as well as the UK Markey Cancer Center and BREATHE. Jeremy Blackburn | Research Communications.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2023) — The University of Kentucky will be home to a new research center focused on tobacco regulations in the Commonwealth named the Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team. Ann Kingsolver, professor of anthropology in the College of Arts & Sciences and director of the Appalachian Studies Program, is a member of the team. 

AppalTRuST is funded over five years with a $19 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse  

By Lindsay Travis Monday

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Lend-A-Hand Center team during the waterway cleanup efforts in Perry County. Photo provided by UK-CARES.

UK-CARES Director Ellen J. Hahn (left) and UK-CARES Deputy Direct Erin Haynes (right).

(Left) Craig Wilmhoff and students preparing their drone for the citizen science project in Perry County. (Right) Drone in motion to collect water sample. Photos provided by UK-CARES.

Lend-A-Hand Center team during the waterway cleanup efforts in Perry County. Photo provided by UK-CARES.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 10, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES) will continue its work to study

By Meredith Daugherty June 9, 2023

English professor and author Crystal Wilkinson is featured in the new Hulu documentary and travel show, "Searching for Soul Food.” Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

UK professor and author and Frank X Walker is featured in the new Hulu documentary and travel show, "Searching for Soul Food.” Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

English professor and author Crystal Wilkinson is featured in the new Hulu documentary and travel show, "Searching for Soul Food.” Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 9, 2023) — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) authors and University of Kentucky English professors Crystal Wilkinson and 

By Jackie Wilson June 26, 2023

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UPK author Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. was recently featured on ABC's "Good Morning America" show to talk about his book "Gay Poems for Red States." Photo provided by UPK.

The cover of Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.'s new book "Gay Poems for Red States"

UPK author Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. was recently featured on ABC's "Good Morning America" show to talk about his book "Gay Poems for Red States." Photo provided by UPK.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2023) — Willie Carver, advocate, educator and author at the University of Kentucky is receiving national recognition for his book,

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 12, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is honoring 11 students with its annual research awards.

Eight graduate students received the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia, and one graduate student and two undergraduate students received the center's Eller and Billings Student Research Award.

"The Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program are thrilled to support these students and their summer work,” said Kathryn Engle, director of the center. “This group of students represents a range of disciplines and research interests. Thank you to the research mentors and advisers from across the university that are

Not only was Dr. Kenton Sena recognized as a 2023 Great Teacher by The University of Kentucky Alumni Association but he also was selected to receive the 2023 American Society of Reclamation Sciences Richard I. and Lela M. Barnhisel Reclamation Researcher of the Year Award. This award reflects Sena's achievements in the field of reclamation research.

Sena's research involves reclamation of degraded spaces in both coal-mining and urban situations. “In mine sites in Appalachia, I’ve done work seeking to improve reforestation success; in Lexington, I’m collaborating with the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government to better understand how/whether tree planting projects develop into forests over time,” he said.

Sena involves students whenever possible by hiring them as research assistants or including them during class field trips of Honors classes such as “

By Lindsay Travis Tuesday

Jeremy Blackburn | Research Communications.

Jeremy Blackburn | Research Communications.

From left: Brian Murtha, Crystal Wilkinson, YuMing Zhang, Melinda Ickes, Bill Stoops, Matthew Hoch, Feng Li, Ron Zimmer, Allison Gordon, Luciana Shaddox, Ann Morris, Björn Bauer, Christopher Norris and Erin Haynes. Not pictured: Dieter Hennings Yeomans and Michael McKay.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 2, 2023) — On Friday, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professors for the 2023-24 academic year. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the professorships program 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley  Wednesday

Shaunna Scott (left) with UK Appalachian Center Director Kathryn Engle, at the 2023 Appalachian Studies Association conference. Photo by Kopana Terry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2023) — The Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) has named Shaunna Scott, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky, winner of its Stephen L. Fisher Award for Excellence in Teaching.

This award honors individuals dedicated to intellectual rigor and pedagogical integrity in constructing and delivering inclusive knowledge about Appalachia and its people. The awards are sponsored by East Tennessee State University’s Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services. The ASA presents two Fisher awards each year — one

Karida L. Brown to discuss book as part of Martin School program | UKNow (uky.edu)

By The Martin School March 24, 2023

Karida L. Brown, Ph.D., will lead a discussion of her book, “Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2023) — The public is invited to a conversation with Karida L. Brown, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Emory University, to discuss her book, “Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia.” The 

By Beth Bowling 

 Appalachian Research Day, known as "Come Sit on the Porch," is an annual conference hosted by the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH) to share results of health research conducted with communities in Appalachia. This year's event will be held in person April 5, 2023, at the Ramada by Wyndham Hotel and Conference Center in Paintsville, Kentucky.

Poster abstracts can be submitted through March 13. The deadline to register

The 2023 SPARK cohort is pictured alphabetically from left to right. 

The University of Kentucky SPARK (Students Participating as Ambassadors for Research in Kentucky) Program has named its 2023 cohort.

Now in its fourth year, The SPARK program allows undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds and communities to get a jumpstart in health equity research early in their college experience. The program has grown to include undergraduates from 

By Adrienne Clarke 

Kimmerer is a State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College and the Student Sustainability Council will present a campus keynote from Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Gathering Moss” and “Braiding Sweetgrass,” and 2022 MacArthur Fellow, to be held at noon Thursday, April 6, at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

Kimmerer will present on "Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Knowledge" from the perspective of a mother, plant ecologist, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Kimmerer is a State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Science and Forestry. She also serves as the