Introductions

Hi, I'm Ruth, and I'm spending as much time on my 5 acres of ridgetop in Jackson County as possible. I still live and work in West Virginia until the mortgage is satisfied. I've begun making friends in Rock Castle and Madison Counties as well, mostly involving sustainable life-styles. I've met several local authors too. And I enjoy some of the older authors from a hundred years ago - especially Annie Fellows Johnston, Alice Hegan Rice and especially Maria Thompson Daviess.

I spent my high school years - junior and senior high - in Lexington. I mostly lived in my books during those years, but I do remember a lot about that somewhat atypical part of Kentucky, and pay more attention to Kentucky news than I might otherwise. Lately, I return only about once per decade, however.

Hi dukedom_enough. Glad to meet you. You are officially a charter member. Pretty special.

Hm, not a lot of responses. Would it break the TOS to advertise this group on Talk About LT, do you think?

I was thinking about which groups might be best. The Welcome to LT would make sense. When GoodReads refugees were pouring in we set up an information table at the door to advertise various groups. But those threads get lost in the shuffle pretty quickly.
That's why I first posed the question at Talk About LT. Isn't that how you found your way here?

I've sent a few personal invitations, but no responses yet.

No, I don't normally follow Talk About. I look at the new-groups list, under the Groups tab, with some frequency, to catch spam groups. So I see most of the new legit groups as they appear.

OK, so you're already doing a great job of pursuing members.

I wouldn't call it great. I've had a much better track record on other groups with more tangible connections.

Thanks, Ruth, for the invite.

I live in Williamsburg (down in the southeast, on I-75 just north of the Tennessee border) with my wife -- she teaches biology at the University of the Cumberlands, and I adjunct in the humanities program at Union College (Barbourville), mainly teaching the two freshmen semesters of the history/religion/philosophy survey course (Fall: Ancient; Spring: 0-1500), as well as this year Introduction to Latin. My academic speciality is medieval theology, esp. the works of Hildegard of Bingen.

We're not native to Kentucky, however. My wife grew up in New Mexico and I grew up in Colorado; we met and married in grad school at Notre Dame (Indiana), then moved down to KY in 2011 when she was offered the post at Cumberlands.

Hi Nathaniel. Glad you could make it in this cold. What's your favorite book acquiring spot in KY?

Nathaniel,

Welcome from a former Kentuckian. My sympathies on the adjuncting - I understand it's a tough way to make a living.

>9 2wonderY:: "What's your favorite book acquiring spot in KY?"

AbeBooks and Amazon. (It's an hour's drive south to Knoxville or an hour-and-a-half north to Lexington to get to anything like a decent bookstore.)

I've often heard the promos for Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington) on the NPR station run out of EKU in Richmond, but I've yet to ever have the chance to visit. (We only drive up to Lexington if we absolutely have to, since Knoxville is closer.)

I've spent an afternoon at Joseph-Beth in Lexington. It's really nice, but I mostly go to take notes of the new publications. I can't afford to pay retail!

The Half-Price Books in Lexington is not nearly as clean/well-stocked as others I've been to.

Berea has a cozy second-hand store which I patronize regularly.

Hello. I'm Tom. I have only some very tangential connections to Kentucky, but I really like what I've experienced there. I taught in Louisville for one year a long long time ago. And I am particularly interested in the work of Wendell Berry ... which is probably what earned me my invitation to join here. Am not sure what I'll be able to add to any chat here, but I'll be around.

Welcome, Tom.

Hi Everybody!

My name's Vicky, I live in Lexington - been here since 1976.

Thanks for starting a Kentucky group - great idea. I'm sure we'll pick up more members as time goes by.

As to where I like to buy my books - in Lexington I love Morris Book Store, Black Swan, and Glover's --- Jo-Beth is nice, but a little big and loud for my tastes. The Lexington Public Library has a GREAT sale every October with hundreds of thousands of books - you have to wade through endless copies of The Da Vinci Code and other best sellers, but there are gems to be found. And they're all $1 or less.

Tom, I'm a big Wendell Berry fan too. First read him when I moved here nearly 40 years ago and he's still turning out relevant and thoughtful work.

What's everybody reading these days? I just started Sena Jeter Naslund's The Fountain of St. James Court.

Oh, good! Glad you both joined our little party.

Vicky, I'm especially glad to get book locations in the Lexington area. Please remind us of the Library book sale as it comes up.

I've only read snippets of Wendall Berry thus far, but I see his influence in many areas of my reading and interests.

I'm fulfilling a lifelong dream of homesteading, which got short circuited early on when my husband died young. I raised two daughters and one of them settled in Berea after attending college there.
When she determined to buy a house, I started visiting more often to lend a hand with the legalities and then the renovations. I was so impressed by the local community, first introduced through her friends who jumped in and got the work done. And then I started meeting many people committed to alternative lifestyles of sustainability.
We were out looking at other properties for sale and came across a hand made For Sale sign and stopped to inquire.

The owner was selling a house he had begun to build, and as many acres as wanted. And the view was spectacular, all the way over to the edge of Daniel Boone Forest.

I wish now I had taken a larger mortgage and bought more than 5 acres, as I doubt he'll repeat his offer, but that's what I felt I could pay off within 5 years.

So I'm still working in West Virginia and I've got a bit more than a year left to pay off. I spend as much time as I can on my ridgetop, slowly finishing the house, taming the wilds (poison ivy!), and beginning cultivation projects.

The people I've met are SO INTERESTING!

Welcome from a now-former Lexingtonian.

I admire what you are doing Ruth. Berea is a unique community, and in such a beautiful setting.

Thank you for the invitation!

I'm not a native Kentuckian by any means - I grew up and went to school near Philadelphia, but my husband who is from Louisville came up for his PhD to Penn, where we met. We moved to Boston for three years shortly after we were married, but came down to Louisville as soon as we could, in May 2011. I'm a librarian by training (Drexel), but not by trade - I have three kids under four at home :) And that said, as with many people who've come here from outside the state, I'm happy to call Louisville - and Kentucky - home.

Am I seriously the first from Louisville here? My favorite bookshops in the city are A Reader's Corner on Frankfort Avenue and All Booked Up (near Mama's Hip) on Bardstown Road. Considering that Amazon ships everything through UPS, I consider it a bit of a civic duty to keep our neighborhood UPS man very busy.

Like many here, my favorite Kentuckian author is Wendell Berry, though I've concentrated on his fiction (I do have them all). I'm currently henpecking through a slew of things, including Literary Converts by Joseph Pearce.

Welcome Dianna. Glad you could join us. You know we've got a thread going in Catholic Tradition on conversion.

I've not been as far west in KY yet as Louisville. Please feel free to invite your neighbors to join.

touchstone Literary Converts

Dianna,

I see you are reading Wendell Berry and Religion, which sounds intriguing. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it. We should perhaps have a seperate thread just for talking about WB.

Greetings!

Wisconsin born & bred, but now "been-here-long-enough-to-be-native" Kentuckian popping in! I found this group courtesy of an invite from nathanielcampbell (Hiya!) and thought I'd come on over and say hello.

I am, like Nathaniel, also a medievalist, also adjunct teaching in humanities, but at a small university up in Louisville.

I didn't see a question list, but I notice some of the intros mentioned favorite bookshops, so I'll mention a few in these parts. Our HPBs are pretty good, we have a really nice, if small, locally owned Bookseller, Carmichael's and one lovely antiquarian bookshop, All Booked Up. Otherwise, it's the 'Zon, Abe, and eBay for me, as well. (I always love J. Beth in Lex, but I don't get there often; usually only when I make a book & pen shop pilgrimage!)

As to local authors, I'm actually related to a couple (none you've heard of, I guarantee!) but mostly I know those whose work I have encountered academically (so also likely no one anyone's heard of....LOL)

Great to see you all here!

-RM

See! More interesting people migrating to KY! Glad you joined us.

Do you costume for reenactments or the stage?

>23 2wonderY: I goodness, I used to do a bit of both. I started doing SF con costumes, then broke into 'pro' via animal mascots, then did stage costume for nearly a decade. Because I worked for a mostly ballet and opera companies and a Shakespeare Festival, I did a lot of period stuff during that time, as well as a few projects for reenactors. I loved it, but eventually real life intruded, and I needed to move on to a steady paycheck. Of course, after a brief flirtation with graphic design, I landed in academia, so I guess I didn't get too far after all! LOL

I still do a bit of this and that, for friends, or my kid's halloween, but I've mostly hung up my sewing machine.

Thanks for the welcome! :D

Heading to Georgetown this weekend. Going to hit Half-Price Books on the way.

Happy hunting. Let us know the treasures you find.

*waves* Jana here. Just finally spotted the invite (have a bad habit of not checking my messages very often). Born & raised in Lexington. Currently living in Versailles for lower real estate prices, quiet & space for my dogs (5 just at the moment, had a foster failure this last time around & actually think he picked me before I picked him). Last *paid* job was a research asst. for a bio-tech lab in Lexington. Volunteer position was for a OTTP re-training facility out at the Horse Park. Trying to navigate the....perils of the disability system right now however. Daily migraines among other things. Have spent time in classes at LCC (while it was still LCC), EKU & U of L. Last time around, finally working on the forensic anthropology specialty I'd been wanting for the past few years. Migraines caused that to be put on hold as well.

As for book shopping, I'm a 'zon shopper mostly myself. Used to live near JBs, so have spent a LOT of money there over the years. And HPB. Their vintage book nook draws me in like a magnet every time I'm in. S'also another reason I love hitting flea markets for books. Have found a couple of neat books from the 1800s that were entirely readable, the covers just weren't in the best of shape. One cookbook was a little charred. *chuckles* Seemed appropriate. I'm also with the Early Reviewer's program here on LT. Keeps me in free (though questionably quality) books for a little while each month. Mostly I've done ebooks, though I have been sent a handful of L. Ron Hubbard audio books and two hardcopy auto mechanics books so far. Additionally, I'm doing some editor work for a couple of aspiring writer family members.

Nice to meet (as it were) you all!

Hi Jana. Glad you made it. I see you've got one of Tammy Horn's books on Wishlist too. Have you taken classes with her?

Hoping to do the Bourbon Trail next summer (2015).

As you can see, I am one of those people who doesn't sit on the computer that much. If I think of it, it's a bad thing since I am a writer.
My name is Tonya and I am from the southern part of Kentucky. Way down in McCreary County. Last year, my first book was published and this month, my second one in the series was put on Amazon. I am super excited.
I haven't had the chance to go to many book related gatherings. I was invited to a book signing in Pulaski County over the summer and it was nice. I meet a bunch of authors and hope to be invited back this coming year.

Hi Tonya. It's great that you've joined us. Oh, you are way back in the hills? I see that McCreary County is mostly Daniel Boone Forest.

Are your books on paper or electronic? I haven't converted to ebooks, but I do like to collect Kentucky written books.

Yes, I'm in the woods. My property is mostly surrounded by the Daniel Boone. But I love it.
My books are on both on Amazon.

Hi all. I'm an author and I'm new here on LT. Currently I'm living in Bowling Green. Don't know if you realize it, but we have a TON of authors in Kentucky, many of whom I've met. I don't think many are here on LT though.

I don't get a chance to go to all the book related events happening in the state, although I do hear about most of them. I'll try to keep you posted of upcoming ones.

Hi Stella. I'm glad you joined us. This is a very quiet corner of LT thus far. I think we need more members. Please do invite other authors and all you bookish friends to come and join.

Hello Stella and welcome to LT!

To the other authors here on KentuckyThing, the Pulaski County Public Library is having its Annual Local Authors Book Signing. It's a great way to meet authors you didn't know existed in the county's around you.

Hello All. My name is Brandon. I am originally from Breathitt County, KY but I live in Morehead, KY now. I also lived in Lexington, KY from 2010 to 2015. Thanks for the invite, and I look forward to talking with you all.

Just noticed an invitation to join KentuckyThing. I'm a fully retired university professor (UT Chattanooga), but have spent my summers in Kentucky since '73 and moved here permanently when I retired in '96. I've written a biography of English author Constance Savery (1897-1999), who wrote fifty books, among them Enemy Brothers, which remains in print and is read by many home-schooled students.

>37 anobium625: Hi and welcome to the group. I searched for and added your book, so that you now have an author page here on LT. Let me know if you need directions on how to become an LT Author.

>37 anobium625: Welcome! I noticed your profile listed your location as Buckhorn, Kentucky. I grew up about 10 or 15 miles from Buckhorn in Whick, Kentucky. Nice to run into another local around here!

Posting partly to un-dormant the group.

As an update on myself, I retired last summer and have been in the process of moving full time to Berea. I bought a house in town for several reasons. Near the top of the list is babysitting my granddaughter. She is 2 and 1/2, and precocious as all get out.
So winnowing belongings; particularly the book collection. But I’ve found a cabinetmaker who has already built cases for two rooms.
Robie Books closed in the fall. Very sad!

How is everyone else getting along?

Hello. Thank you for the invitation. I'm happy to find this Kentucky thread. I was born in southwest Virginia, grew up in northwest Ohio, and then moved around the country for a couple of decades. I lived in Lexington 1981-87 and have lived in Louisville since 1993. I retired almost three years ago from tech writing for a software company and began gardening last year. I'm learning a lot -- thrilled with the successes and learning to take philosophically the failures.

I get books from Amazon and Carmichael's Bookstore and the public library. I read a lot of e-books because my eyesight is waning and it's easier to adjust the size and clarity of the text. I listen to audiobooks, too. My favorites of the past year are Hamnet, narrated beautifully by Ell Potter, and Say Nothing, read by the author. My favorite Kentucky authors are Robert Gipe and Harriette Arnow, with whose niece I worked on Now and Then magazine at ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee back in the '90s.

I look forward to getting to know you all.