Wilkes, J. D.
- Name(s)
- J. D. Wilkes
- Joshua D. Wilkes
- Date of Birth
- April 18, 1972
- Baytown, Texas
- Residence(s)
- Baytown, Texas
- Hometown: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
- Education
- B.A. in Studio Art, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky
- Life Events
- Founder of the Legendary Shack Shakers in Murray, Kentucky, mid-1990s
- Awards and Recognitions
- Is a Kentucky Colonel
- Employment
- Singer and Musician for the Legendary Shack Shakers
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Musician
- Writer
The Vine That Ate the South by ISBN: 9781937512552Publication Date: 2017-03-14Wilkes' debut is a rich and heartfelt yarn that resonates as deeply as his music." --Kirkus Reviews With the energy, wit, and singularity of vision that have earned him a reputation as a celebrated and charismatic musician,The Vine That Ate the South announces J.D. Wilkes as an accomplished storyteller on a surreal, Homeric voyage that strikes at the very heart of American mythology. In a forgotten corner of western Kentucky lies a haunted forest referred to locally as "The Deadening," where vampire cults roam wild and time is immaterial. Our protagonist and his accomplice--the one and only, Carver Canute--set out down the Old Spur Line in search of the legendary Kudzu House, where an old couple is purported to have been swallowed whole by a hungry vine. Their quest leads them face to face with albino panthers, Great Dane-riding girls, protective property owners, and just about every American folk-demon ever, while forcing the protagonist to finally take stock of his relationship with his father and the man's mysterious disappearance. The Vine That Ate the South is a mesmerizing fantasia where Wilkes ambitiously grapples with the contradictions of the contemporary American South while subversively considering how well we know our own family and friends. "It's a relentlessly fun novel, the literary equivalent of a country-punk album that grabs you and refuses to let go. Wilkes has a perfect ear for the dialect of Kentucky, and his writing is so bright, you can almost see every abandoned shack, every kudzu-covered tree. Sure, it's bizarre, and at points almost gleefully obscene, but it's undeniably one of the smartest, most original Southern Gothic novels to come along in years." --NPR
Barn Dances and Jamborees Across Kentucky by ISBN: 9781626192683Publication Date: 2013-10-22Kentuckians have been wearing out shoe leather at informal jamborees since the state was settled over two hundred years ago. Tadpole's Dew Drop Inn played host to some fifteen hundred musical shindigs in its time as a mecca of Marshall County music. A Rosine barn dance gave bluegrass founder Bill Monroe his start, and another fosters new musical talent at its weekly get-togethers. Clawhammer banjo players, Appalachian cloggers and square dance callers from Possum Trot to Rabbit Hash celebrate the unique musical culture of Kentucky. Join Grammy-nominated soundtrack artist J.D. Wilkes as he waltzes around the Bluegrass, looking for oprys, socials, porch pickins and barn dances in every holler.
- Seven Signs byPublication Date: 2008DVD video; 53 minutes. "In the face of encroaching urban sprawl and the homogeny of sterile 'McMansions' and mega-churches, Col. JD Wilkes (frontman and songwriter for The Legendary Shack Shakers) sets off on a passage to find the honest, soulful (and often strange) American South. Seven signs interweaves the stories of several musicians, artists, and local legends to show how the Southern experience is different from and invaluable to the rest of the world."--Container.
J.D.'s Tasteless Chill Tonic, Legendary Shack Shakers, 1996
"Go Hog Wild b/w She's Gone Haywire" 45, Legendary Shack Shakers, 1997
Hunkerdown With Those Legendary Shack Shakers, Legendary Shack Shakers, 1998
Tomahawk, Tomahawk, 2001
Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash, with Hank Williams III, 2001
Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top, with Hank Williams III, 2002
Cockadoodledon't, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2003
Believe, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2004
Pandelirium, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2006
"No Such Thing b/w Born Again Again" 45, 2006
"Cock o' the Walk b/w Devil's Prayerbook" 45 The Dixiecrats, 2006
The Bluegrass Sessions, Merle Haggard
Swampblood, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2007
The Dirt Daubers, The Dirt Daubers, 2009
True Blood Soundtrack Season One, 2009
Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein, with Todd Snider, 2010
AgriDustrial, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2010
Wake Up, Sinners, The Dirt Daubers, 2011
Kitchen Tapes, 2012
Wild Moon, J.D. Wilkes and The Dirt Daubers, 2013
Dump Road EP, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2014
Go Hog Wild/Tickle Your Innards 45, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2015
The Southern Surreal, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2015
Cattle in the Cane, with Charlie Stamper, 2015
After You've Gone, Legendary Shack Shakers, 2017
Fire Dream, Solo Album, 2018
- J. D. Wilkes at WikipediaWikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
- "J. D. Wilkes Interview"Interview on the Lonesome Highway by Stephen Rapid; June 20, 2019
- "Southern Gothic Sound: The Legendary Shack Shakers' J. D. Wilkes On The Past And Present"Interview in the Leo Weekly by Lara Kinne, January 15, 2020
Wilkinson, Crystal
- Name(s)
- Crystal Wilkinson
- Date of Birth
- 1962
- Hamilton, Ohio
- Residence(s)
- Indian Creek, Bourbon County, Kentucky
- Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
- Education
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Spalding University, Louisville, Kentucky, 2003
- B.A. in Journalism, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, 1985
- Life Events
- Founding member of the Affrilachian Poets
- Awards and Recognitions, selected
- Named Kentucky Poet Laureate, 2021-2022
- USA Artist Fellowship Recipient, 2020
- Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award for The Birds of Opulence, 2019
- Finalist for the John Dos Passos Prize for The Birds of Opulence, 2019
- Nominated for a Pushcart Prize
- Judy Gaines Young Book Award for The Birds of Opulence, 2017
- Weatherford Award for Appalachian Fiction for The Birds of Opulence, 2017
- 10th Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for The Birds of Opulence, 2016
- Named Southerner of the Year by Southern Living Magazine, 2016
- Appalachian Book of the Year in Fiction Award for The Birds of Opulence, 2016
- Short List Finalist for The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Water Street, 2003
- Long List Finalist for The Orange Prize for Fiction for Water Street, 2003
- Paul and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature for Blackberries, Blackberries, 2002
- Blackberries, Blackberries Named Best Debut Fiction by Today's Librarian Magazine, 2001
- Employment
- Associate Professor of English, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Taught Creative Writing at Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky, 2007-2013
- Taught Creative Writing at Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, 2004-2007
- Writer-in-Residence, Appalachian College Association, Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky, Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, and Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, 2004
- Taught Creative Writing at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, 2002-2003
- Taught at the Governor's School for the Arts, Lexington, Kentucky, 1997-2001, 2008
- Assistant Director for the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, Lexington, Kentucky, 1997
- Public Information Officer and Community Relations Manager, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, 1989-1995
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Poet
- Writer
- Teacher
- Professor
The Birds of Opulence by ISBN: 9780813166919Publication Date: 2016-03-18From the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of Blackberries, Blackberries and Water Street comes an astonishing new novel. A lyrical exploration of love and loss, The Birds of Opulence centers on several generations of women in a bucolic southern black township as they live with and sometimes surrender to madness. The Goode-Brown family, led by matriarch and pillar of the community Minnie Mae, is plagued by old secrets and embarrassment over mental illness and illegitimacy. Meanwhile, single mother Francine Clark is haunted by her dead, lightning-struck husband and forced to fight against both the moral judgment of the community and her own rebellious daughter, Mona. The residents of Opulence struggle with vexing relationships to the land, to one another, and to their own sexuality. As the members of the youngest generation watch their mothers and grandmothers pass away, they live with the fear of going mad themselves and must fight to survive. Crystal Wilkinson offers up Opulence and its people in lush, poetic detail. It is a world of magic, conjuring, signs, and spells, but also of harsh realities that only love - and love that's handed down - can conquer. At once tragic and hopeful, this captivating novel is a story about another time, rendered for our own.
Water Street by ISBN: 9781902881591Publication Date: 2002-11-01Water Street examines the secret lives of neighbors and friends who live on Water Street in a small town in Kentucky. Wilkinson weaves us in and out of the lives of Water Street's inhabitants, dealing with love, loss, truth and tragedy.
Blackberries, Blackberries by ISBN: 9781902881348Publication Date: 2000-10-01As the title implies, this beautifully written collection bursts with stories reminiscent of blackberries - small, succulent morsels that are inviting and sweet, yet sometimes bitter. The stories in this award-winning collection are terse and transient, like snippets taken from random dreams, thoughts, or conversations. "Being country is as much a part of me as my full lips, wide hips, dreadlocks and high cheek bones. There are many Black country folks who have lived and are living in small towns, up hollers and across knobs. They are all over the South--scattered like milk thistle seeds in the wind."
Perfect Black by ISBN: 9780813151151Publication Date: 2021-08-03From the foreword: "In Perfect Black, Crystal Wilkinson walks us back down the road she first walked as a girl, wanders us through the trees that lined the road where she grew up, where her sensibilities as a woman and a writer were first laid bare. In one of the first poems that opens the collection she is a woman looking back on her life, on the soil and mountains that first stamped the particular sound of her voice and she is deeply inquisitive about how it all fell into place: "The map of me can't be all hills& mountains even though I've been country all my life. The twang in my voice has moved downhill to the flat land a time or two." Perfect Black is a book of poems and legends about ancestry, culture, and the terrain of a Black girl becoming. It is a narrow and spacious terrain that enters the bloodstream of this black writing girl's body early. It is a country that she never truly exits even though different zip codes continue to fly through her wild, wondrous, winding life. We read and we hold on too.
Black Bone by ISBN: 9780813175232Publication Date: 2018-01-19The Appalachian region stretches from Mississippi to New York, encompassing rural areas as well as cities from Birmingham to Pittsburgh. Though Appalachia's people are as diverse as its terrain, few other regions in America are as burdened with stereotypes. Author Frank X Walker coined the term "Affrilachia" to give identity and voice to people of African descent from this region and to highlight Appalachia's multicultural identity. This act inspired a group of gifted artists, the Affrilachian Poets, to begin working together and using their writing to defy persistent stereotypes of Appalachia as a racially and culturally homogenized region. After years of growth, honors, and accomplishments, the group is acknowledging its silver anniversary with Black Bone. Edited by two newer members of the Affrilachian Poets, Bianca Lynne Spriggs and Jeremy Paden, Black Bone is a beautiful collection of both new and classic work and features submissions from Frank X Walker, Nikky Finney, Gerald Coleman, Crystal Wilkinson, Kelly Norman Ellis, and many others. This illuminating and powerful collection is a testament to a groundbreaking group and its enduring legacy.- Coal Black Voices byPublication Date: 2006DVD video. This disc is a recorded DVD and may not play on all DVD players or drives. Originally produced as a motion picture in 2001; broadcast on television on KET Kentucky Educational Television's Kentucky Muse series on February 5, 2008.
"Coal Black voices is an intimate mosaic of images, poetry, and storytelling by Afrilachian poets as they give glimpses of life in the American Black South and Appalachian region. The ensemble of African-American writers challenge simple notions of an all white Appalachian region and culture while drawing on the traditions such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the experiences of the African Disapora. The poetry of the Affrilachian poets celebrates their African heritage and rural roots while encompassing themes of racism and Black identity. In this documentary they give voice to the pleasures of family, land, good food, artistic community, music and transformation"--Container. 
Home and Beyond: An Anthology of Kentucky Short Stories by ISBN: 9780813190198Publication Date: 2002-12-01With an introduction by Wade Hall, Morris Grubbs has sifted through vintage classics, little-known gems, and stunning debuts to assemble this collection of forty stories by popular and critically acclaimed writers. In subtle and profound ways they challenge and overturn accepted stereotypes about the land their authors call home, whether by birth or by choice. Kentucky writers have produced some of the finest short stories published in the last fifty years, much of which focuses on the tension between the comforts of community and the siren-like lure of the outside world. Arranged chronologically, from Robert Penn Warren's "Blackberry Winter" to Crystal E. Wilkinson's "Humming Back Yesterday," these stories are linked by their juxtaposition of departures and returns, the familiar and the unknown, home and beyond. Contributors: Robert Penn Warren, Caroline Gordon, James Still, Jane Mayhall, Elizabeth Hardwick, Dean Cadle, Jesse Stuart, Billy C. Clark, Janice Holt Giles, A.B. Guthrie, Jr., Hollis Summers, Ed McClanahan, Sallie Bingham, Robert Hazel, Jack Cady, Jim Wayne Miller, David Madden, Gayl Jones, Jane Stuart, Gurney Norman, Walter Tevis, Bobbie Ann Mason, Joe Ashby Porter, Leon V. Driskell, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, Richard Cortez Day, Sena Jeter Naslund, Pat Carr, Wendell Berry, James Baker Hall, Lisa Koger, Barbara Kingsolver, Normandi Ellis, Guy Davenport, Kim Edwards, Chris Holbrook, Paul Griner, Chris Offutt, Dwight Allen, Crystal E. Wilkinson. Edited by Morris Allen Grubbs; with an introduction by Wade Hall and an afterword by Charles E. May.
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, May 24, 2001Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers Oral History Project. Summary, "Crystal Wilkinson, native Kentuckian writer, begins the interview by examining the African American population of Casey County, Kentucky in the 1960s and 1970s (when she was growing up there). Topics of conversation include: her childhood, religion, writing, extracurricular activities she participated in during high school, potential careers for the interviewee, college experiences, her writing career, and her personality."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, June 7, 2001Curated by University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers Oral History Project. Summary, "Wilkinson discusses her career as a Kentucky poet and artist, including her work with the Affrilachian Poets, the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, and the Carnegie Center."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, July 19, 2001Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers Oral History Project. Summary, "Crystal Wilkinson begins the interview by talking about the Poetry in the Park event in Lexington, and her experience of teaching at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts. Wilkinson's writing process and habits are then discussed at length. The interviewee's friendship with writers from Appalachia, her views on creative writing from a teacher's perspective, and her literary inspirations are also considered. Lastly, Wilkinson speculates upon the impact of her work, favorite authors, recent literary ideas, critic reviews, and her agent."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, August 3, 2001Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers Oral History Project. Summary, "Wilkinson explains that there are difficulties knowing her background for two reasons: the African Americans were not able to pass along their family name, and the American Indian women were known as "Indian squaw" without any reference to the full name or the family name. Wilkinson discusses her family's connection with the ancestors of Governor Wilkinson. Wilkinson describes being raised by her grandparents. Her grandfather seemed able to do anything. Her grandmother was small and took care of Wilkinson like a mother. Wilkinson got to know her mother more during college."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, January 15, 2010Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers: Kentucky Writers On The Land Oral History Project. Summary, "This interview follows up on other interviews with Crystal Wilkinson in the Kentucky Writers: Agrarian Writers collection. This interview focuses specifically on Wilkinson's agrarian background and influences. She discusses her homeplace in Indian Creek, Casey County, Kentucky, where she grew up on her grandparents' small farm. She discusses how growing up both African American and "country" has specifically influenced her work as a writer."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, December 18, 2015Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers: Kentucky Writers On The Land Oral History Project. Summary, "Wilkinson discusses her soon to be released novel, "The Birds of Opulence," on which she's been working for over ten years. Wilkinson also describes the role of place in her work, and the preservation of rural spaces and homeplaces. Additionally, Wilkinson describes her role in both the feminist movement and the writers group called the Affrilachian Poets. Next, the interviewee talks of her teaching experience with students of rural backgrounds. Lastly, Wilkinson details her bookstore, including the role it plays in the community and the origins of the bookstore's name."
- Interview with Crystal Wilkinson, November 24, 2017Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Kentucky Writers: Lineage, Contemporary Kentucky African American Writers Oral History Project.
- "UK's Crystal Wilkerson Appointed 2021-2022 Kentucky Poet Laureate"Article in the University of Kentucky News by Kentucky Arts Council and Lindsey Piercy; March 29, 2021.
- Crystal Wilkinson at WikipediaWikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
- Voices From the Hills: A Tribute to Danny Miller byPublication Date: 2009DVD video; approx. 111 minutes. Presents keynote dialog between Frank X. Walker and Gurney Norman about Appalachian literature and authors. Presents readings by three Kentucky authors. Master of Ceremonies, program luncheon, Robert Wallace; Gail Wells, welcome; keynote speakers: Frank X. Walker, Gurney Norman; welcome to readings, James Votruba; introdution of readers, Jonathan Cullick; readers, Gurney Norman, Crystal Wilkinson, Wendell Berry.
Willcutt, J. Robert
- Name(s)
- J. Robert Willcutt
- Bob Willcutt
- Date of Birth
- Residence(s)
- Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
- Education
- M.A. in Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 1973
- Life Events
- Employment
- Owner and Founder of Willcutt Guitars, Lexington, Kentucky, 1968-present
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Musician
- Business Owner
- Writer
- Photographer
- The Musical Instrument Collector byISBN: 9780933224001Publication Date: 1978-01-01Revised edition, 1988.
- Henry Clay's Ashland: A Pictorial Tribute to One of America's Greatest Statesmen and His Lexington, Kentucky Estate byISBN: 9781948901277Publication Date: 2019-07-22If you have visited the beautiful grounds of Ashland, the 19th century Lexington estate of legendary Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, you understand why it is such a popular tourist destination admired for its splendor, architecture and historical significance.
- Feathers of Fayette: Wild Birds of Lexington, Kentucky byISBN: 9781942613855Publication Date: 2018-05-10Feathers of Fayette provides even the casual bird lover with an extraordinary collection of close up and action photographs captured with precision and style that only Bob Willcutts skillful lens can see. Broken down into three categories he takes into the wilds with Raptors, Waterfowl and Back Yard Birds with beauty and detail like you've never seen. You'll be amazed at the searing speed of the Tree Swallow caught mid-flight, the boldness of a Blue Jay harassing a Red-tailed Hawk for his favorite branch, peer deep into the eyes of the Great Horned Owl, or the loving care of a mother Canadian Goose and her young goslings. From Bald Eagles to hummingbirds these 248 pages of the best printing quality in the world will grace coffee-tables and library shelves alike, thrilling readers of all ages. Regardless of where you call home, this book will generate a new passion and appreciation for our feathered friends around us, guaranteed!
Waveland's Treasures: 50th Anniversary of Waveland State Historic Site by ISBN: 9781948901833Publication Date: 2021-08-23Situated along bustling Route 27 only six miles from downtown Lexington, Kentucky--the historic Waveland Mansion is one of the finest examples of Ante Bellum architecture in the state, preserved today as museum complete with period 19th century furniture and pre-Civil War charm. To celebrate its 50th Anniversary as a state historic site, Waveland's Treasures features over 200 photographs of the mansion, its rooms, furniture, outbuildings, and grounds, taken by award-winning photographer Bob Willcutt. The book also presents a detailed history of the estate and grounds, the Bryan family, enslaved people at Waveland, and modern-day activities. Waveland's Treasures is the perfect way to enjoy the historic splendor of Waveland State Historic Site throughout the year, and the perfect souvenir for visitors to this beautiful country estate.
- "Willcutt Guitars to Celebrate Owner's 50-year Career"Article in the Lexington Herald-Leader by Rich Copley; May 10, 2018
- "Exquisite Wild Bird Photography"Article in Kentucky Living by Penny Woods; June 28, 2019
Williams, Lowell Allen
- Name(s)
- Lowell Allen Williams
- Lowell A. Williams
- Al Williams
- Date of Birth
- January 3, 1907
- Elmer, Macon County, Missouri
- Date of Death
- March 24, 1995
- Carlisle, Nicholas County, Kentucky
- Buried in the Cunningham Memorial Garden, Cunningham, Kentucky
- Residence(s)
- Elmer, Macon County, Missouri
- Walnut Creek, Macon County, Missouri
- La Plata, Macon County, Missouri
- Fulton, Fulton County, Kentucky
- Paducah, McCraken County, Kentucky
- Carlisle, Nicholas County, Kentucky
- Education
- Missouri Valley College
- LaPlata High School, LaPlata, Missouri, 1926
- Life Events
- Married Gladys Lovelace Williams, 1935; two children
- Awards and Recognitions
- Named Kentucky Poet Laureate, 1956
- Employment
- Teacher, Creative Writing and Landscape Gardening, West Kentucky Vocation School, Paducah, Kentucky
- Inspector, Martin Marietta
- Engineer, Oak Ridge Atomic Plant
- Engineer, Kentucky Ordnance Works
- Various: radio entertainer, dock worker, laborer, life guard, locomotive fireman
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Engineer
- Poet
- Teacher
- MS92-02 Lowell Allen Williams PapersHouse at Murray State University, Special Collections Library. Summary, "Collection consists of correspondence, handwritten manuscripts, typescripts, drafts and research notes of Kentucky poet laureate Lowell Allen Williams from 1938 to 1992. The papers contain unpublished and published poems, short stories, articles, book proposals, speeches, musical compositions and other writings. The collection also includes biographical information, family histories, newspaper clippings, photographs and scrapbooks related to the life and works of Lowell Allen Williams."
- "Obituary for Lowell Allen Williams (Aged 65)Originally published in The Paducah Sun, March 25, 1995.
Poets Laureate of Kentucky by Publication Date: 2004A history of Kentucky's poets laureate since 1926. Contains works by J.T. Cotton Noe, Edward Gay Hill, Louise Scott Phillips, Edwin Carlisle Litsey, Jesse Hilton Stuart, Lowell Allen Williams, Lillian D. Chaffin, Senator Tom Mobley, Agnes Todd Saffell O'Rear, Clarence "Soc" Henry Clay, Lee Pennington, Paul Salyers, Dale Faughn, Jim Wayne Miller, Henry E. Pilkenton, James H. Patton, James Still, Joy Bale Boone, Richard Lawrence Taylor, James Baker Hall and Joe Survant.
Williams, Michael
Photo: LouisvilleKY.com
- Name(s)
- Michael Williams
- Date of Birth
- December 17, 1952
- Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Residence(s)
- Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Vermont
- New York
- New Jersey
- Wisconsin
- Ireland
- England
- Education
- Ph.D., Humanistic Studies, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, 2007
- M.A., English Language and Literature, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
- B.A., English Language and Literature, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
- Life Events
- Employment
- Teaches Humanities and Liberal Arts, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, 1986-present
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Writer
- Gamer
Arcady by ISBN: 9780451455000Publication Date: 1996-04-01Arcady series, book 1. An ecological fantasy on a man's battle against the Absences, empty voids travelling across the land, swallowing up everything in sight. The tale is set in a land destroyed by technology.
Allamanda by ISBN: 9780451456090Publication Date: 1997-10-01Arcady series, book 2. Pursued by a power more terrifying than any magic they can summon, Garrick Hawken and his family flee to somber Allamanda to find a way to recapture their besieged home, Arcady. Garrick's success or failure will decide the fate of Arcady and the Hawken family forever.- A Sorcerer's Apprentice byISBN: 9780445210547Publication Date: 1990-11-01From Thief to King series, book 1. "Questar fantasy"--Front cover and spine.
- From Thief to King byISBN: 9780446361460Publication Date: 1991-10-01From Thief to King series, book 2. "Questar fantasy"--Spine.
- The Balance of Power byISBN: 9780446362443Publication Date: 1992-12-01From Thief to King series, book 3. Questar fantasy.
Trajan's Arch by ISBN: 9780982714942Publication Date: 2010-12-07Gabriel Rackett stands at the threshold of middle age. He lives north of Chicago and teaches at a small community college. He has written one novel and has no prospects of writing another; his powers stagnated by drink and loss. Into his possession comes a manuscript, written by a childhood friend and neighbor, which ignites his memory and takes him back to his mysterious mentor and the ghosts that haunted his own coming-of-age. Now, at the ebb of his resources, Gabriel returns to his old haunts through a series of fantastic stories spilling dangerously off the page - tales that will preoccupy and pursue him back to their dark and secret sources.
Vine: An Urban Legend by ISBN: 9781613181256Publication Date: 2012-03-01Amateur theatre director Stephen Thorne plots a sensational production of a Greek tragedy in order to ruffle feathers in the small city where he lives. Accompanied by an eccentric and fly-by-night cast and crew, he prepares for opening night, unaware that as he unleashes the play, he has drawn the attention of ancient and powerful forces.
Dragonlance is a fantasy world that was originally created as a setting for Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop role-playing game. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote the original storyline, followed by numerous other authors who have contributed short stories, novels, and histories that span the years before, during, and after the main events. Michael Williams has contributed several novels, short stories, and poems to the franchise. His novels are listed below, and a complete record of his contributions can be found at the Wikipedia List of Dragonlance Novels.
Weasel's Luck by ISBN: 9780880386258Publication Date: 1989-01-15This attractive new re-release of Weasel's Luck showcases a new look for the Heroes series. The Sign of the Weasel is tunnel on tunnel, enchantment on enchantment. He digs beneath himself, and in digging discovers all roads into nothing. -- The Calantina, IX:IX Weasel's luck was not always good. Galen Pathwarden, known unaffectionately as "the Weasel," would give anything to stay clear of adventure, danger, or heroism. But that is before young Galen is pitch-forked into the center of a centuries-old curse, one family blood-feud too many, and a knightly tournament unto death. Together, Galen, the great Solamnic Knight, Sir Bayard Brightblade, and a non-too-bright centaur Agion must overcome the schemes and traps of a sinister illusionist known only as the Scorpion. Heroes, volume 3. First printed in 1988.
Galen Beknighted by ISBN: 9780880389211Publication Date: 1990-12-19The Reluctant Knight Returns Becoming a knight has changed the Weasel very little. Galen Pathwarden is still reluctant to adventure, still out to save his own skin at virtually any cost. But when his brother Brithelm vanishes mysteriously, Galen sets aside his better judgement and embarks on a quest that leads under the earth, deep into a conspiracy of darkness, and to the end of his courage. Galen returns to imperiled Solamnia in this exciting sequel to the top-selling Weasel's Luck, also by Michael Williams, the bard of the Dragonlance saga. Heroes II, volume 6.
The Oath and the Measure by ISBN: 9781560763369Publication Date: 1992-06-01The Meetings Sextet deals with the early adventures of the Companions of the popular DRAGONLANCE Saga in the days prior to the Chronicles Trilogy. The Oath & The Measure is the tale of the enigmatic Sturm Brightblade, uncompromising disciple of the famous knights of Solamnia. A Solamnic ceremony is rudely interrupted by the unsettling appearance of the strange Lord Wilderness, who issues a challenge to young Sturm. Before he can fulfill the terms of that challenge, Sturm must rekon with the truth about his longlost father & learn the true meaning of honor. The DRAGONLANCE Saga has been read by millions of people around the world & has consistently hit the New York Times best-seller lists. Frequent contributor Michael Williams will be recognized by readers as the popular poet of the DRAGONLANCE Saga. Meetings Sextet, volume 4.
Before the Mask by ISBN: 9781560765837Publication Date: 1993-03-01This first in a series of novels focusing on the prehistory of the villains of the popular Dragonlance novels describes the rise to power of Verminaard and the choices that forged his unhappy destiny. Villains, volume 1.
The Dark Queen by ISBN: 9781560769255Publication Date: 1994-12-01"In a vision from her prison in the Abyss, the dark goddess Takhisis watches Fordus Firesoul, leader of a ragged band of desert rebels, assault the city of Istar and threaten her plans to reenter the world of Krynn. But the goddess is known for having her own way. How can a mute slave, an ancient druid, and a cursed bard and her magical hawk - aided by a band of strange, gem-encrusted elves - resist the magic of Takhisis and withstand her fury? ... The Villains Series explores the corrupted origins of the malevolent minions of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness."--page 4 of cover. Villains, volume 6.
- Michael Williams (author) at WikipediaWikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
- Local Author Spotlight Welcomes Michael WilliamsArticle by Leslea Tash, June 12, 2012
Conversations with Kentucky Writers II by Publication Date: 1999First published in 1999. In this sequel to Conversations with Kentucky Writers, L. Elisabeth Beattie brings together in-depth interviews with sixteen of the state's premiere wordsmiths. This new volume offers the perspectives of poets, journalists, and scholars as they discuss their views on creativity, the teaching of writing, and the importance of Kentucky in their work. They talk frankly about how and why they do what they do. The writers speak for themselves, and their thoughts come alive on the page. Beattie's interviews reveal the allegiances and alliances among Kentucky writers that have shaped literary trends by bringing together people with shared interests, values, subjects, and styles. The interviewees include authors who are captivated in other writers and in what they have to say about the process and craft of writing; educators who are interested in Kentucky writers and what their work reveals about the nature of creativity; and historians who are concerned with Kentucky's literary and cultural heritage. The interviews reveal patterns in Kentucky literature from mid-century to the millennium, as authors talk about how their sense of place has changed over the decades and reveal the ways in which the roots of Kentucky writing have produced a literary flowering at the century's end. Includes: Sallie Bingham, Joy Bale Boone, Thomas D. Clark, John Egerton, Sarah Gorham, Lynwood Montell, Maureen Morehead, John Ed Pearce, Ameilia Blossom Pegram, Karen Robards, Jeffrey Skinner, Frederick Smock, Frank Steele, Martha Bennett Stiles, Richard Taylor, and Michael Williams.
Williams, Sheila
Photo: AALBC.com
- Name(s)
- Sheila Williams
- Sheila J. Williams
- Date of Birth
- [1948]
- Columbus, Ohio
- Residence(s)
- Columbus, Ohio
- Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky
- Education
- University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Life Events
- Awards and Recognitions
- The Secret Women named a Top Summer 2020 Beach Read Pick by Time Magazine and Parade, 2020
- Employment
- Legal secretary
- Corporate paralegal
- Mutual fund product manager
- Worked in various law firms
- Worked for a Fortune 500 corporation
- Worked for two banks
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Writer
- Librettist
- Paralegal
Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by ISBN: 9780345459305Publication Date: 2002-10-29"Dancing on the Edge of the Roof kept my heart and mind dancing through the pages. Sheila Williams, with her talent for detailed storytelling, expertly takes the reader on a poignant and humorous quest for self."--Lori Bryant-Woolridge, author of Read Between the Lies. At forty-one, Juanita Lewis is running away from home, courtesy of a one-way ticket to Montana, a place that seems about as far away from the violence and poverty of the Columbus, Ohio, projects as the moon. She wants adventure and excitement--if such things exist for a pre-menopausal African American woman with three grown, deadbeat children. Juanita's new life in Paper Moon, Montana, begins at a local diner where a culinary face-off with chef and owner Jess Gardiner finds Juanita in front of Jess's stove serving up home cookin' that lures the townsfolk like a magic spell. And suddenly Juanita, who was just passin' through, now has a job by popular demand. Out here in this wide-open space, Juanita's heart can no longer hide, especially when she sees herself through the eyes of the wonderful and eccentric people of this down-to-earth town. She's happy in Paper Moon; she's found a home, but can she stay? And then there's Jess. She has always dreamed of romance, but she never planned on falling in love.
Girls Most Likely by ISBN: 9780345464767Publication Date: 2006-07-25"We didn't know then that the dramas we imagined weren't even warm-ups for what real life held for us." From the fifth grade to their fifth decade, Vaughn, Reenie, Susan, and Audrey share secrets and dreams, their lives connected like silk threads through rich fabric, pulling but never breaking at life's unexpected twists and turns. Meet the girls most likely TO WRITE THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL: Vaughn has a flair for words that makes her the unofficial diplomat of the foursome. She's great at keeping it together for everybody, but herself. TO MARRY A PRINCE: Sassy Reenie can break hearts as easily as she can take out a bully without breaking a nail. But her live-for-today attitude leads to a tragic mistake that will haunt the girls for years. TO BE FAMOUS: From the ashes of a ravaged home life, amid rumors and bad feelings, Susan rises to fame as a glamorous network anchorwoman, proving that success is the best revenge. But forgiveness is another matter. TO RUN THE WORLD: Audrey is the ultimate overachiever, but this takes a devastating toll on her health, her career, and her family. Perfection is a race where the finish line keeps moving. What will she sacrifice to win? Girls Most Likely is an emotional, uplifting, often hilarious glimpse into the lives of today's ever-changing African American women, sustained by love, laughter, and sisterhood.
On the Right Side of a Dream by ISBN: 9780345464750Publication Date: 2005-04-12What are you supposed to do with a restored spirit? Eventually, I got some answers. I just didn't expect to get so many. When Juanita Lewis arrived in Paper Moon, Montana, courtesy of a Greyhound bus, she was just looking for a brief respite. Instead, she found a home, friends, and a man to love. But this leave-your-attitude-by-the-door woman made a promise to herself, one that she intends to keep. Now that she's got a place to come back to, Juanita wants to see the world. A trip out West with her eccentric trucker friend, Peaches, leads to a cooking stint at a new age spa for skinny celebrities. Crazy, but its here that Juanita decides to take her talent for cooking to a new level . . . and make it her dream. She also learns something about life: It does turn out the way you planned it, just be ready to change the plan a few times along the way. Just as Juanita's journey begins, she's called back to Paper Moon, having inherited an old, slightly haunted B&B, as well as a mountain of decisions. There's her self-centered, irresponsible daughter, insisting that she get some sense and come back home to Columbus, and a son who's doing things Juanita can't bear to think about. So how does a middle-aged black woman from the projects follow her heart when it's heading in so many different directions? By asking the right questions, then listening with her soul.
The Secret Women by ISBN: 9780062934222Publication Date: 2020-06-09TOP SUMMER 2020 BEACH READ PICK--Time, Woman's World, and Parade. The author of Dancing on the Edge of the Roof, now a Netflix film starring Alfre Woodard, returns with a riveting, emotionally rich, novel that explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughters in a fresh, vibrant way--a stunning page-turner for fans of Terry McMillan, Tayari Jones, and Kimberla Lawson Roby. Elise Armstrong, Carmen Bradshaw, and DeeDee Davis meet in a yoga class. Though vastly different, these women discover they all have one thing in common: their mothers have recently passed away. Becoming fast friends, the trio make a pact to help each other sort through the belongings their mothers' left behind. But when they find old letters and diaries, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee are astonished to learn that each of their mothers hid secrets--secrets that will transform their own lives. Meeting each month over margaritas, the trio share laughter, advice, and support. As they help each other overcome challenges and celebrate successes, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee gain not only a better understanding of the women their mothers were, but of themselves. They also come to realize they have what their mothers needed most but did not have during difficult times--other women they could trust. Filled with poignant life lessons, The Secret Women pays tribute to the power of friendship and family and the bonds that tie us together. Beautiful, full of spirit and heart, it is a thoughtful and ultimately uplifting story of unconditional love.
The Shade of My Own Tree by ISBN: 9780345465177Publication Date: 2003-08-26Beloved author Sheila Williams beautifully captures the bittersweet humor and vivid adventures of women who survive the worst life can toss at them--and fight back to claim their right to be free, to be themselves, and to live in . . . The courage to change doesn't come easy. When Opal Sullivan walks out on an abusive husband after fifteen years, she has only her dreams in her pocket. Her new beginning starts in Appalachian River country, where she sees a bit of herself in a graceful but dilapidated house. Like Opal, the house is worn-out and somewhat beaten up, but it still stands proudly and deserves a second chance. So Opal opens her doors--and her heart--to a parade of unforgettable characters. There's sassy Bette Smith with her cantaloupe-colored hair and four-inch heels; short-tempered Gloria and her devilish son, Troy; the mysterious Dana, who dresses in black and keeps exclusively nocturnal hours; a dog named "Bear" who is afraid of his own shadow; and Jack, who doesn't mind hanging out with an OBBWA (old black broad with an attitude). It is Jack who helps Opal understand a funny thing about life: You can't move forward if you keep looking back. . . .
- "Local Author Sheila Williams Talks About The Upcoming Netflix Movie, "Juanita," Based On Her Novel"Audio interview on WVXU, by Elaine Diehl; March 8, 2019.
- A Novel Approach byPublication Date: 2008DVD video from KET (Kentucky Educational Television); approx. 58 minutes. Looks at the works of three novelists, Kirbe Gann, Silas House, Sheila Williams. Includes commentary/interviews with each author.
Wilson, Angene
- Name(s)
- Angene Wilson
- Angene Hopkins Wilson
- Date of Birth
- January 3, 1939
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Residence(s)
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
- Education
- College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, 1961
- Life Events
- Served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, 1962-1964
- Married Jack Wilson
- Employment
- Professor Emerita of Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 29 years
- Chair of the secondary social studies program
- Professor Emerita of Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 29 years
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Professor
- Teacher
- Writer
Voices of African Immigrants in Kentucky: Migration, Identity, and Transnationality by ISBN: 9780813178608Publication Date: 2020-01-20Following historical and theoretical overview of African immigration, the heart of this book is based on oral history interviews with forty-seven of the more than twenty-two thousand Africa-born immigrants in Kentucky. From a former ambassador from Gambia, a pharmacist from South Africa, a restaurant owner from Guinea, to a certified nursing assistant from the Democratic Republic of Congo -- every immigrant has a unique and complex story of their life experiences and the decisions that led them to emigrate to the United States. The compelling narratives reveal why and how the immigrants came to the Bluegrass state -- whether it was coming voluntarily as a student or forced because of war -- and how they connect with and contribute to their home countries as well as to the US. The immigrants describe their challenges -- language, loneliness, cultural differences, credentials for employment, ignorance towards Africa, and racism -- and positive experiences such as education, job opportunities, and helpful people. One chapter focuses on family -- including interviews with the second generations -- and how the immigrants identify themselves.
Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers by ISBN: 9780813129822Publication Date: 2011-03-01President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. In the fifty years since, nearly 200,000 Americans have served in 139 countries, providing technical assistance, promoting a better understanding of American culture, and bringing the world back to the United States. In Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers, Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson, who served in Liberia from 1962 to 1964, follow the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers as they make the decision to join, attend training, adjust to the job and living overseas, make friends, and eventually return home to serve in their communities. They also describe how the volunteers made a difference in their host countries and how they became citizens of the world for the rest of their lives. Among many others, the interviewees include a physics teacher who served in Nigeria in 1961, a nineteen-year-old Mexican American who worked in an agricultural program in Guatemala in the 1970s, a builder of schools and relationships who served in Gabon from 1989 to 1992, and a retired office administrator who taught business in Ukraine from 2000 to 2002. Voices from the Peace Corps emphasizes the value of practical idealism in building meaningful cultural connections that span the globe.
The Meaning of International Experience for Schools by ISBN: 9780275945084Publication Date: 1993-07-28Angene Hopkins Wilson presents case studies which illustrate how internationally experienced persons--including teachers who have traveled and lived abroad, returned Peace Corps volunteer teachers, and immigrant and international students--contribute to the curriculum in their schools. In an affluent suburban elementary school, an impoverished rural middle school, and an inner-city magnet high school program, Wilson examines how school systems, teacher education programs, and communities can cooperate in efforts to provide social education with a global perspective. She discusses problems such as the ambivalence of school culture towards international experience and the tension between cultural loyalty and world citizenship, offers a model explaining the impact of international experience and makes specific suggestions for using international experience more fully in the schools.- Social Studies and the World: Teaching Global Perspectives byISBN: 9780879860974Publication Date: 2005Bulletin of the National Council for the Social Studies, 103. 142 pages. Contents: Introduction -- The many dimensions of global education -- Experience and world-mindedness -- Teaching for understanding of world cultures -- Global world history -- Connecting the United States to the world -- Teaching global issues -- Teaching current events from a global perspective.
- Influence Continues: The Impact of One Social Studies Department on Perspective Social Studies Teachers byPublication Date: 2000Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies (80th, San Antonio, TX, November 16-19, 2000). One consequence of school-university collaboration can be the impact of a school and specifically a social studies department on the university's teacher candidates. After seven years and the placement of 36 students, the teachers in the social studies department at Woodford County High School in central Kentucky wondered about their long-term influence.
- Interview with Angene Hopkins Wilson, October 27, 2004Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Peace Corps: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Kentucky) Oral History Project. Summary, "Angene Hopkins Wilson (Liberia, 1962-1964; Education Program) discusses her life and educational background both before and after joining the Peace Corps. She mentions applying to the Peace Corps in March 1961, and tells about her experience teaching social studies and learning and teaching African history outside Monrovia, Liberia."
- Interview with Jack A. Wilson, Angene Hopkins Wilson, June 30, 2016Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Interviewing the Interviewers Oral History Project. Summary, "In this interview with long-time interviewers and authors of "Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers" (University Press of Kentucky, 2011), Doug Boyd talks with Jack and Angene Wilson about their most recent oral history project, African Immigrants in the Bluegrass."
- Angene Hopkins Wilson Oral History ProjectCurated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Contains 4 interviews. Project summary, "Angene Hopkins Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kentucky, and Associate Director of its Office of International Affairs. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s, and a teacher educator in West Africa and the South Pacific. Wilson has written and spoken extensively about internationalization of university campuses."
- African Immigrants in the Bluegrass Oral History ProjectCurated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Summary, "This is a collection of interviews conducted by Jack and Angene Wilson, former Peace Corps volunteers and authors of "Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers." (University Press of Kentucky, 2011)."
- Peace Corps: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Kentucky) Oral History ProjectCurated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Summary: "This project includes interviews with returned Peace Corps volunteers and individuals associated with the Peace Corps with connections to Kentucky. Interviewees served in the Peace Corps from its inception in 1961 to the present. Volunteers discuss their experiences before, during, and after Peace Corps including their motivations for joining, the application process, training, living situations, difficulties, the job, relationships, coming home, and their impact on the host country and on their own lives. Almost all of the interviews were used as the basis for the book 'Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers' by Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2011."
- "Let us celebrate immigrants of color; they make Kentucky and the U.S. a better place."Article by Angene Wilson in the Lexington Herald Leader; December 30, 2020.
Wilson, Jack
Photo: UK College of Education
- Name(s)
- Jack Wilson
- Jack A. Wilson
- Date of Birth
- September 19, 1939
- Marion, Ohio
- Residences
- Marion, Ohio
- Sierra Leone
- Washington, D.C.
- Fiji
- Monrovia
- Liberia
- Education
- College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, 1961
- Life Events
- Served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, 1962-1964
- Married Angene Wilson
- Employment
- Administrator, Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection
- Administrator, Ohio EPA
- Peace Corps Administrator, 35+ years
- Sierra Leone
- Washington, D.C.
- Fiji
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers by ISBN: 9780813129822Publication Date: 2011-03-01President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. In the fifty years since, nearly 200,000 Americans have served in 139 countries, providing technical assistance, promoting a better understanding of American culture, and bringing the world back to the United States. In Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers, Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson, who served in Liberia from 1962 to 1964, follow the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers as they make the decision to join, attend training, adjust to the job and living overseas, make friends, and eventually return home to serve in their communities. They also describe how the volunteers made a difference in their host countries and how they became citizens of the world for the rest of their lives. Among many others, the interviewees include a physics teacher who served in Nigeria in 1961, a nineteen-year-old Mexican American who worked in an agricultural program in Guatemala in the 1970s, a builder of schools and relationships who served in Gabon from 1989 to 1992, and a retired office administrator who taught business in Ukraine from 2000 to 2002. Voices from the Peace Corps emphasizes the value of practical idealism in building meaningful cultural connections that span the globe.
- Voices of African Immigrants in Kentucky: Migration, Identity, and Transnationality by ISBN: 9780813178608Publication Date: 2020-01-20Following historical and theoretical overview of African immigration, the heart of this book is based on oral history interviews with forty-seven of the more than twenty-two thousand Africa-born immigrants in Kentucky. From a former ambassador from Gambia, a pharmacist from South Africa, a restaurant owner from Guinea, to a certified nursing assistant from the Democratic Republic of Congo -- every immigrant has a unique and complex story of their life experiences and the decisions that led them to emigrate to the United States. The compelling narratives reveal why and how the immigrants came to the Bluegrass state -- whether it was coming voluntarily as a student or forced because of war -- and how they connect with and contribute to their home countries as well as to the US. The immigrants describe their challenges -- language, loneliness, cultural differences, credentials for employment, ignorance towards Africa, and racism -- and positive experiences such as education, job opportunities, and helpful people. One chapter focuses on family -- including interviews with the second generations -- and how the immigrants identify themselves.
- Interview with Jack A. Wilson, Angene Hopkins Wilson, June 30, 2016Curated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Part of the Interviewing the Interviewers Oral History Project. Summary, "In this interview with long-time interviewers and authors of "Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers" (University Press of Kentucky, 2011), Doug Boyd talks with Jack and Angene Wilson about their most recent oral history project, African Immigrants in the Bluegrass."
- African Immigrants in the Bluegrass Oral History ProjectCurated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Summary, "This is a collection of interviews conducted by Jack and Angene Wilson, former Peace Corps volunteers and authors of "Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers." (University Press of Kentucky, 2011)."
- Peace Corps: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Kentucky) Oral History ProjectCurated by the University of Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Summary: "This project includes interviews with returned Peace Corps volunteers and individuals associated with the Peace Corps with connections to Kentucky. Interviewees served in the Peace Corps from its inception in 1961 to the present. Volunteers discuss their experiences before, during, and after Peace Corps including their motivations for joining, the application process, training, living situations, difficulties, the job, relationships, coming home, and their impact on the host country and on their own lives. Almost all of the interviews were used as the basis for the book 'Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers' by Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2011."
Wilson, Mike
- Name(s)
- Mike Wilson
- Date of Birth
- Residence(s)
- Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
- Education
- Life Events
- Awards and Recognitions
- Chaffin/Kash Prize from the Kentucky State Poetry Society, 2019
- Employment
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Writer
Arranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic by ISBN: 9781735172705Publication Date: 2020-06-20"Would that the Roman people had but one neck," said the mad emperor Caligula, "that I might chop it through."In Arranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic, Mike Wilson takes on our own mad would-be emperor, a man "sharpening the hatchet / for our collective suicide." Wilson, a poet of keen intelligence, guides us through this upside-down world where "Antarctica is hotter than L.A." and "all the answers on Jeopardy are lies." Here is the MAGA-hatted, assault-rifle toting cult that drinks, not the Kool-Aid but the Clorox. Here is God the barfly "ordering a round for everyone / but without instructions for an Ark." A government as terrifyingly absurd as Trump's might seem to defy the poet, but Wilson distills our anger with skill and wit. Arranging deck chairs on the Titanic might be the futile gesture of those who refuse to see impending disaster, but it might also be an assertion of human dignity in the face of madness. - blurb by Author Sherry Chandler
Let's Do It Live: Selections from Lexington Poetry Month 2018 by ISBN: 9781948775045Publication Date: 2019-05-15Poems; 221 pages.
If Only They Were Hungrier They Would Swallow Me Whole by ISBN: 9781948775083Publication Date: 2020-05-01Poems; 269 pages.
Wilson, S. G.
- Name(s)
- S. G. Wilson
- Steve Wilson
- Stephen Geoffrey Wilson
- Date of Birth
- 1951
- Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky (Penguin Random House)
- Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky (Goodreads)
- Residence(s)
- Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky
- Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
- New York
- Austin, Texas
- Education
- B.A. in English and Journalism, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
- Life Events
- Co-host of the This Week in the Multiverse podcast
- Member of SCBWI
- Member of the Kids Listen Network
- Employment
- Freelance Writer
- Writer and Contributor, 1996-present
- New York Times
- GQ Magazine
- Entertainment Weekly
- Newsweek
- Travel & Leisure
- Smithsonian
- Salon
- Village Voice
- Editor of Publications, St. Edward's University, 2006-2010
- Assistant Editor, Cowles Business Media, 1993-1996
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Writer
- Journalist
- Editor
Me vs. the Multiverse: Pleased to Meet Me by ISBN: 9781984895752Publication Date: 2020-08-04It all starts with a note folded into the shape of an origami octopus- "Hi, Me. Yes, you. You're me, and I'm you." If you believe this and the other origami notes that follow--which middle schooler Meade Macon absolutely, positively does NOT--the concept of parallel dimensions is true, and there is a convention full of alternate versions of Meade waiting for his RSVP. It's got to be a joke. Except . . . the octopus is an origami fold Meade thought he invented. And the note writer has a lot of intel on him that nobody else should know. I mean, he's told his best friend Twig a lot about himself, but he's definitely kept mum about that time he sleepwalk-peed into his Lego container when he was six. Could Me Con be a real thing? And why does the origami stalker want him to go so badly anyway?
Me vs. the Multiverse: Enough about Me by ISBN: 9781984895806Publication Date: 2021-08-17Can plain old Average Me fix the rip in the multiverse? The Mes are back in this hilarious second book in the sci-fi comedy series for fans of Stuart Gibb's Moon Base Alpha and quirky animated shows like Rick and Morty and Regular Show. Saving the multiverse starts with another origami note: Make it here, pronto. This time Meade Macon, aka Average Me, knows that parallel dimensions are real. He's met dozens of his counterparts from other Earths. What he doesn't know is that they're all about to get zapped out of existence. On Earth Zero, a rip in the multiverse is spreading to other realities and causing chaos wherever it appears. And the different versions of Meade--the Mes--are caught in the middle! Motor Me, Resist Me, and Hollywood Me just want to go back home to their own Earths. The only way to do that is to repair the rip. Once again, it's up to Average Me! But if Average is going to fix the multiverse, he just might have to team up with his archnemesis . . . Meticulous Me.
Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story by ISBN: 9781555837938Publication Date: 2005-08-01During his three decades as a popular character actor on television, film and the stage, Paul Lynde's arch and bitchy wit snuck regular doses of the queer world into that bastion of intolerance: the American living room. Paul showed mainstream viewers that a gay man could deliver jokes, not just be the butt of them. In doing so, he helped make homosexuality more palatable to unwitting viewers who simply saw him as a stylish, funny man. Biographers Steve Wilson and Joe Florenski reveal the true story not only about Paul's life, but also his mysterious and controversial death.
Wiser, Steve
- Name(s)
- Steve Wiser
- Stephen A. Wiser
- Date of Birth
- Residence(s)
- Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Education
- B.A. in Architecture, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1980
- St. Xavier High School
- Life Events
- Co-Founder of the Street Banner Program
- President of the Louisville Historical League for three terms
- Awards and Recognitions
- Oberwarth Award from Kentucky's AIA (American Institute of Architects)
- Recognized as a "Fellow" of the AIA, 2017
- Employment
- Architect, JRA Architects
- Senior Project Architect, META Associates, 2000-2006
- Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
- Architect
- Writer
- Speaker
- Distinctive Houses of Louisville byPublication Date: 2012"‘Distinctive Houses of Louisville’ features notable residences in metro Louisville that range in style from historic to modern, and in age from 1837 to 2011. There are thirty-two (32) houses included, such as the Conrad Caldwell House on St. James Court, Greystone Gables in New Albany, and Colonial Hall near Cherokee Park." --Summary from the author's website.
- Haunted Houses of Louisville: ...And Other Ghostly Tales! byPublication Date: 2014"'Do You Believe in Ghosts?' Almost half of the population thinks some unexplained 'spooky' things do happen. To explore this phenomena in Louisville, local architect and historian Steve Wiser has authored this book on some of the best known ghost-related occurrences in the metro region. And, he not only features the ghosts that haunt these places, but also the history behind these locations. So, even though you might not believe in ghosts, you will still enjoy learning about all the fascinating heritage of Louisville. This book is informative on both the known - and unknown - history of Louisville!" --Summary from the author's website
- Historic Houses of Louisville byPublication Date: 2013"Historic Houses of Louisville features forty-five of the region’s most noted residential dwellings such as Oxmoor House, Zachary Taylor House, Soldier’s Retreat, Culbertson Mansion, George Rogers Clark’s cabin, Farmington, Locust Grove, among many other distinguished homes. It not only details the fine design of these structures, but also the individuals and events connected to Louisville’s growth and development. From beginning to end, this book tells the history of Louisville through these 45 houses. Louisville always rates very high nationally as a great place to live, and these houses form the foundation for this quality of life." --Summary from the author's website
- Louisville 2035 byISBN: 9780972932134Publication Date: 2008"A look at what Louisville might be in 25 years, new business locations, neighborhoods, and transportation systems."--Cover.
- Louisville Sites to See By DESIGN byISBN: 9781583740477Publication Date: 2002-02-01"Louisville Sites to See by DESIGN is an all-in-one reference to maximize your enjoyment of this community’s aesthetic and cultural assets. Whether you have only one-hour, one-day, one-week, or longer, this book will enhance the value and increase your experience of this unique and remarkable city. Art, parks, and landmarks are listed in this informative, easy-to-read guide. Architecture, history, and places to dine are among the many desired destinations profiled." --Summary from author's website
Louisville Tapestry: People & Places Who Helped Create America's Most Livable City by ISBN: 9780972932141Publication Date: 2009-01-01"In 2008, Louisville, Kentucky, was recognized as the ‘Most Livable Big City in America’ by the U. S. Conference of Mayors. Louisville has always scored high on ‘livability’ rankings. There is not one specific reason for this remarkable quality of life recognition. Louisville has many desirable attributes that make it a great place to live. When viewed as an overall aesthetic composition, Louisville resembles a ‘tapestry’ where its people and places are the ‘colorful threads’ which are integrally woven into an attractive, vibrant fabric, or ‘quality of life’. But, how did all of these unique and distinctive components coalesce into this tapestry known as ‘Louisville, Kentucky’? There certainly is not one clear identifiable explanation that one can pinpoint of how this city has evolved into this ‘most livable’ result. “Louisville Tapestry” is a behind-the-scenes look at this city’s most well-known places and people that have contributed to this Best-Place-to-Live outcome." --Summary from the author's website- Modern Houses of Louisville byPublication Date: 2010"Louisville has many artistic and aesthetically-innovative residences. But, they are scattered throughout the metro region. Steve has researched and documented these fascinating homes, along with beautiful photographs by Dan Madryga. If you like fascinating architecture and Louisville as a place to live, then you'll love this book! " -- Summary from the author's website
- St. Frances of Rome Church Community: An Illustrated History byISBN: 9781884532832Publication Date: 2007-01-01One of Louisville's oldest and most vital Catholic parishes is St. Frances of Rome. To celebrate its long history, Father Jerry Eifler (the parish's recently retired priest) and architect, historian and parish member Steve Wiser have combined to create a lively and thorough look back at the people and milestone events in the church's development and evolution. Using the original research of now-deceased parishioner Charles Beckman, the authors weave personal memories with hundreds of archival photographs to chart the parish's 120-year history and its connection to the Clifton neighborhood.
- "The Truth Behind Some of Louisville's Ghosts"Article in the Louisville Courier Journal by Kirby Adams; October 3, 2014
- "Regional Books for the Holidays"Article in the Courier-Journal by Jayne Moore Waldrop; December 1; 2016