by Keith Hautala, Shane Barton

(March 31, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center has launched a brand-new interactive website for the Coal Camp Documentary Project, allowing users to learn about and document historic company coal mining towns in Eastern Kentucky.

The site was formally launched at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, held March 28-30 at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.

The new website, part of the UK Appalachian Center's facilitation of ongoing collaboration between the University and community members, allows users to contribute memories or images related to their experiences in coal camp communities in Eastern Kentucky.

This interactive website is

by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale

(March 11, 2014) — Eugene Richards, a photographer, writer and filmmaker known for capturing moments of political activism and social issues in his work, will give the final presentation in the 2013-14 Robert C. May Endowment Photography Lecture Series with a lecture at 4 p.m. Friday, March 14, in Worsham Theater at the University of Kentucky Student Center. In conjunction with the talk, an exhibition of Richards' work will be on display March 14 through April 27, in the Art Museum at UK. The lecture and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Richards launched

by Mallory Powell

(March 6, 2014) -- Nearly 700 researchers, students, policymakers and community members will gather at the Lexington Convention Center March 27 to share research, mentor junior faculty, and enhance collaborations in clinical and translational science, with special focus on addressing health disparities in Appalachia. The 9th Annual Spring Conference and 4th Annual Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN) Summit will be hosted by the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS).

"This year’s theme will be health disparities, which fits well with CCTS efforts to boost research in

by Kathy Johnson, Gail Hairston

(Feb. 25, 2014) — Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker brought home the gold this past weekend, winning the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry.

Walker, an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky as well as founder of the Affrilachian Poets, was recognized for his most recent book of poetry, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers."

“I am thrilled for Frank, whose scholarship is deserving of national recognition,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of UK’s College of Arts

by Keith Hautala

(Jan. 17, 2014) — Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

Walker, founder of the Affrilachian Poets and an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky, is being recognized for his most recent book of poetry, "Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers."

The book, revolving around the civil rights leader's 1963 murder in Mississippi, was published last year, the 50th anniversary of the killing. Walker crafted the poems in the voices of individuals central to the event: Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers; his older brother

by Nathan Owen

(Dec. 2, 2013) —  Youth volunteer programs in the "War on Poverty" will be examined at a panel discussion sponsored by the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center.

The panel will reflect critically on 50 years of the War on Poverty and the youth volunteer programs in Appalachia funded through those policies. The discussion will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Center Theater in the UK Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The panelists will provide short opening presentations, to be followed by an open discussion. Historians and representatives of federal volunteer programs will discuss a half-century of investments in social change in Appalachia through youth service programs from the

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — Americana, old-time music, the banjo and vivid stories take the spotlight at the University of Kentucky for the next two performances in the “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” concert series. On Friday, Nov. 15, Skipjack, an Americana and old-time band with Celtic roots, will perform. The next Friday, Nov. 22, Chicago-native Stephen Wade, known for his work with the banjo and his recent book, "The Beautiful Music All Around Us," will appear. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

From Celtic to Americana Old-Time Music

by Nathan Owen

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, in collaboration with the Appalachian Media Institute, will provide a glimpse into Appalachia through a showcase of young filmmakers’ documentaries.

The event takes place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, in Room 106 of the Whitehall Classroom Building. Representatives from AMI’s Summer Documentary Institute will screen three self-produced documentaries, each around 10 minutes long.

By Victoria Dekle

90 miles to the north of Lexington on the banks of the Ohio River is the “The Queen City.” The nickname itself could probably be the topic of a panel discussion when the 37th annual meeting of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) rolls into town in early November. There will be presentations, roundtables and workshops about anything and everything relating to critical studies of gender, from the ways gender is taught, experienced, and promoted in society including higher education.

Most notably, GWS chair Karen Tice will be headlined in an innovative feature of this year’s conference, the Authors Meet Critics roundtable. It is an event in which authors of recently published books hear and respond to comments from experts in