After 35 years in Frankfort, one of the most popular events among Kentucky wordsmiths and bibliophiles will debut in Lexington this month.
Since 1981, the annual Kentucky Book Fair has helped sanction the Commonwealth’s status as a “hub for readers, writers, authors and thousands of people who still cherish the written word,” said event organizer Bill Goodman, executive director of Kentucky Humanities, the non-profit organization that took over management of the event in 2015. (The fair had previously been run by an all-volunteer board.) The event’s move from the capital city was precipitated by Frankfort’s upcoming downtown redevelopment project, which includes the demolition of the Frankfort Convention Center – Frankfort’s largest event space and home to the event since 2001. With 184 authors slated for appearance and an expected attendance of over 4,000, the book fair could not fit in any other Frankfort facility.
“We debated venues in Louisville and Lexington, but it didn’t take long for us to make the choice to bring the fair to Lexington,” said Brooke Raby, project manager for Kentucky Humanities. “The literary community in Lexington expressed strong interest in hosting the fair, and they’ve been incredibly supportive.”
Initiated in 1981, the event was the brainchild of Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Carl West, editor at the time of The State Journal in Frankfort. The fair was modeled after a similar event held by the National Press Club in Washington D.C., where West had worked as a Scripps Howard News Service journalist covering the Pentagon and the White House before coming to Kentucky. The beloved journalist and event founder passed away last year.
“This is one of the oldest events of its kind in America, and it’s come a long way,” said Raby. “Carl was a remarkable person, and he thought that a celebration of reading, writing and books would be well-received in a state with a deep literary tradition.”
As it turns out, he was right. Where the first Kentucky Book Fair featured 40 authors and a few hundred attendees, the annual event has grown steadily over the past three decades into a highly anticipated and favorite annual event among Kentucky writers and readers.
According to Frank X Walker, founding member of the Affrilachian Poets and a regular participant of the Kentucky Book Fair, the event offers “a rare chance to see the state’s literary community all in one place.”
“Kentucky has a rich literary history and active community of writers,” Walker said. “I believe it’s reflective of how important stories, storytelling, and reading and writing have become, and this community of writers is an example of Kentucky’s rich literary legacy.”
The event, which has featured Kentucky authors Wendell Berry, Ed McClanahan, Barbara Kingsolver, James Still, Sue Grafton and Silas House among many others, is “a special bonus” for Kentucky writers, Walker added, “because we get to spend a whole day with many of our favorite authors.”
In addition to choosing among the dozens of scheduled main stage author discussions and breakout sessions, this year’s attendees will have the chance to meet the participating authors and purchase their books directly from them. While the event largely seeks to spotlight authors with Kentucky ties, it also welcomes a handful of national authors each year, with past visiting authors having included former PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian David Halberstam and politician George McGovern. The fair has also hosted sports personality Mickey Mantle, television writer Andy Rooney and counterculture icon Ken Kesey.
This year’s headliners include bestselling feminist and mystery writer Rita Mae Brown, best known for her 1973 novel “Rubyfruit Jungle”; Jamie Ford, author of the 2009 novel “Hotel on the Corner of Butter and Sweet”; renowned Kentucky author and activist bell hooks; best-selling, Louisville-based mystery and romance author Karen Robards, and many more.
“When we’re looking at authors to invite, I’m always sort of amazed at how many Kentuckians, native and otherwise, are writing good books – and how many people outside of the state are writing about Kentucky,” said Raby, who added that part of her job is to scour through publisher catalogs and best-of lists to find literary gems coming out of Kentucky that might be flying a bit under the radar. “While it’s hard to leave Frankfort, we’re optimistic that moving this event to a city that acts as a hub for literary activity in Kentucky will continue to draw a crowd that appreciates the programming and variety of talent we’re bringing to the fair.”
Neil Chethik, executive director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, the Lexington organization that’s leading the national charge to establish Lexington as the official literary capital of mid-America, can’t imagine a better move for the event.
“It’s a great event for both authors and book lovers, and it adds credibility to Lexington’s standing as the literary capital of our region,” he said. “We hope to keep the book fair in town for the duration.”
36th Annual Kentucky Book Fair
Saturday, Nov. 18 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • Alltech Arena, 4089 Iron Works Pike www.kyhumanties.org/kentuckybookfair.html