Kentucky Humanities will present Democracy & the Informed Citizen, the fourth in a series of five community discussions on the importance of journalism in maintaining democracy, on October 16 at 6:30 pm ET at the Carrick Theater in the Mitchell Fine Arts Building at Transylvania University. This community event is sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Transylvania University. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
Panelists for the discussion are Maurice Manning, professor of English and writer-in-residence at Transylvania University; Linda Blackford, reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader; and Jim Gray, mayor of Lexington. Michael Cairo, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Transylvania University, will moderate the discussion. The evening will begin with a reading of cuttings from the stage adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s "All the King’s Men" featuring local actors. Following the reading, the panelists will engage the audience in a discussion about the critical role of journalism in maintaining democracy and an informed citizenry, using Warren’s classic novel as a jumping-off point.
Democracy & the Informed Citizen is part of Kentucky Humanities’ Kentucky Reads: "All the King’s Men," an initiative using Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to guide a statewide conversation on contemporary populism and political discourse, and their relationship to journalism. Kentucky Reads: "All the King’s Men" is part of the “Democracy and the Informed Citizen” Initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The initiative seeks to deepen the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy, the humanities, journalism, and an informed citizenry. We thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of this initiative and the Pulitzer Prizes for their partnership.