Mariam sits down with Kim Wickens, author of Lexington: the Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse, to discuss her book and Lexington’s impact on the sport of horse racing in the mid-19th century.

Kim tells us about Lexington’s racing career, how his racing career ended in 1855, and how his offspring fared in both war and the racetracks in the Northern Union States. Lexington: the Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse is available for checkout from the library and for purchase at your favorite book stores. 

Leo York joins us to tell us about the magical experience he had in Kentucky's forests.

Leo is a copywriter from Corbin KY. He writes commercial screenplays, and also writes all manner of narrative fiction, and helps assist inventors and entrepreneurs at Inventors Network KY. He is also cohost of the popular paranormal podcast, The 13th Floor. 

Theme song "Appalachian Lofi" composed and performed by Bryan Klausing and Christine Cole.

Yesterday, April 2, 2024, there were three confirmed EF-1 tornado touchdowns in three different Kentucky counties, with severe storm damage affecting many more, including Lexington. Today, April 3, 2024, is the fiftieth anniversary of the tornado super outbreak in 1974, with 7 F5 tornadoes attributed to this one storm. The super outbreak affected thirteen states with a total death toll of 319 people, with 75 of them in Kentucky. 

Wayne Johnson sits down with Mariam to describe his memories of day in Lexington, Kentucky, which was spared from the super outbreak, and the destruction in the counties that were not so fortunate, and to give important safety tips of always listening to the warnings, and getting to shelter as fast as you can because seconds can mean the difference in survival.

This episode discusses deaths and destruction a result of natural disaster, so please take care of yourself as you listen.

Librarian JP Johnson joins Mariam to discuss his research into the life of Ella Offutt Pepper, avid horsewoman and long-time owner of the James E. Pepper distillery. When her husband James E. Pepper took ill, he sold her the distillery to manage, which she did until after his death in the early 1900s. JP tells us about her widely-reported divorce from her first husband in Louisville, to the quiet ceremony of her second to Colonel Pepper, to her later years settling the Meadowthorpe estate.

Retha Hicks joins us with a tale of how she successfully protested the dress code for teachers in  Fayette County Public Schools in the early 1970's.

Retha Perkins Hicks is a writer, a tour guide at Waveland State Historic Site, and a retired public school teacher. She was born in an Eastern Kentucky coal camp and lived in several different coal camps until she was eight years old. Those coal camps are the background of many of her childhood stories. She is a proud mother of four sons and grandmother of four grandchildren. She lives in Lexington with her Miniature Schnauzer, Edgar.

Theme song "Appalachian Lofi" composed and performed by Bryan Klausing and Christine Cole.

Quilting Kentucky's Stories is a year-long series of autobiographical tales from Lexington Residents, some of them funny, some of them heartwarming and some heart wrenching, but all of them important as they build the quilt of Kentucky life.

Donna Carter joins us for our inaugural episode, performing the speech she gave on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for Winchester (Clark County), Kentucky. She recounts her 30 years in recovery, and how equity helped her to build the life she has now.

Donna resides in WInchester, KY with her husband of 23 years and their 14 year old daughter. Donna has over 20 years of HR experience within various industries.  Over her career she has been responsible for leading HR departments and DEIB initiatives in the manufacturing, non-profit, government, education and private sectors. She is currently the Director of Professional and Community Development at Internal Family Systems Institute, headquartered in Chicago, IL and also oversees the HR department.  

Mariam sits down with JP Johnson, Kentucky Room Librarian to discuss his research into Pralltown, one of Lexington’s best known Black Enclaves. They talk about the founding of Pralltown, how the residents of Pralltown stood up to urban renewal and destruction of their neighborhood in the mid-twentieth century, and a few of Pralltown’s famous residents: community leader James Herndon, known to most as Sweet Evening Breeze; Lou Johnson, the professional baseball player for the Dodgers; and Tony Briggs, a leader in Lexington’s Punk music scene.

Join Sylvia Lovely for a preview of the upcoming series presented by Tales from the Kentucky Room: Quilting Kentucky's Stories. 

Quilting Kentucky's Stories is a year-long series of autobiographical tales from Lexington Residents, some of them funny, some of them heartwarming and some heart wrenching, but all of them important as they build the quilt of Kentucky life.

Theme song "Appalachian Lofi" composed and performed by Bryan Klausing and Christine Cole.

This episode has mentions of violence of dueling, listener’s discretion is advised. 

Mariam sits down with Stuart Sanders to discuss his newest book, Anatomy of a Duel: Secession, Civil War, and the Evolution of Kentucky Violence. They talk about his role and artifacts at the Kentucky Historical Society, why dueling was so embraced in Kentucky (Henry Clay himself dueled more than once), and Stuart’s previous and upcoming projects. Stuart is the Director of Research and Publications for the Kentucky Historical Society and has written four other books exploring interpersonal violence in the Civil War Era.

Anatomy of a Duel: Secession, Civil War, and the Evolution of Kentucky Violence examines why white male Kentuckians engaged in the "honor culture" of duels and provides fascinating narratives that trace the lives of duelists. Stuart W. Sanders explores why, during a time when Americans were killing one another in open, brutal warfare, William T. Casto and Colonel Leonidas Metcalfe engaged in the process of negotiating and fighting a duel. The book is available for checkout at the Lexington Public Library and for purchase at your local bookstore.

During the episode, Stuart mentions a memento ring from a duel that is available to view online. You can see it at the Kentucky Historical Society’s online archive.

In our last episode of 2023, Mariam sits down with Betty Abdmishani, retired Village Branch manager and Jackie Arakaki, one of the original staff members at Village Branch, to discuss the history of the Village Branch location. Village Branch became an essential and beloved part of the community by never saying "we don't do that here" and helping customers with whatever they needed, in many ways shaping the services the Library now provides at all locations. In 2024, twenty years after Village Branch opened, the newly designed and far larger Marksbury Family Branch will open on the site of the original Village Branch. They reminisce about the founding and opening of Village Branch, staffing, and the unique challenges and successes for the Village community.

Mariam sits down with local author Doris Settles to discuss her latest book, Kentucky and the War of 1812: the Governor, the Farmers and the Pig detailing Kentucky’s heavy involvement and heavy losses during the War of 1812. Doris details how Henry Clay pushed for the fledgling United States’ declaration of War on Great Britain, and what led to Governor Isaac Shelby leading 4000 Kentucky farmers north to fight on the northwestern front. They also discuss Doris’s gardening book for children, and her contribution to the book Prohibition in Bardstown with Dixie Hibbs.

Kentucky and the War of 1812: the Governor, the Farmers and the Pig is available for purchase from local booksellers, from Doris Settles’ website and from the publisher’s website. It is also available for checkout from the library.