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  Elizabeth Hardwick, October …

  Hardwick describes her choice to attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Hardwick's interests in college include English literature and the…
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  Hunter Middleton, January 28,…

  Middleton discusses Victor Hammer, the typesetter, who created the American Uncial font. Hammer met with the Society of Typographic Arts in order to discuss his…
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  Gurney Norman, March 15, 1978

  Gurney Norman discusses his family history and his childhood, the impact of the world wars, the Great Depression, societal changes, and coal mining on all of…
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  Cleanth Brooks, March 31, 1978

  Cleanth Brooks talks about how his Southern classical education, his early reading of T. S. Eliot, and his meeting with Eric Voegelin all contributed to his…
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  Lillie D. Chaffin, April 12,…

  Chaffin loved school, which she started attending at age four. After Chaffin graduated eighth grade at age twelve, she had no way to go to high school. With the…
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  Elizabeth Hardwick, May 8,…

  Hardwick loved her experience at the University of Kentucky earning her BA and MA degrees and felt very prepared for her further graduate work in New York.…
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  Gloria and Ulrich Middeldorf,…

  Dr. Middeldorf and his wife discuss their relationship with Victor Hammer, which spanned many years and two continents. Dr. Ulrich Middeldorf was born in a…
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  Susan Turner, October 11, 1978

  Susan Turner reminisces on her nearly lifelong friendship with Kentucky-born writer Elizabeth Hardwick and Hardwick's relationship with poet Robert Lowell.
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  Elizabeth Hardwick, November …

  Writer Elizabeth Hardwick talks about her (then) new book, "Sleepless Nights," as well as her thoughts on what makes a good writer or writing student, the value…
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  Elizabeth Hardwick, September…

  Hardwick met Robert Lowell at a party given by Phillip Rahv, the publisher of the Partisan Review. Tate and Hardwick corresponded through the 1970s. Hardwick…
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  Eric Bentley, January 9, 1981

  Bentley knew Elizabeth Hardwick from the time when Lowell and Hardwick moved to Bentley's New York apartment, while Bentley moved to the Lowells' Marlborough…
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  Harry Duncan, April 12, 1981

  Harry Duncan discusses his lives with the men he considers his two godfathers, Allen Tate and Victor Hammer. However, due to time constraints, he talks…
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  John Cutler, Ms. LeGrand…

  A University of Kentucky English professor and a college friend of Elizabeth Hardwick's discuss Hardwick's personal and family life, as well as her early…
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  Elizabeth Hardwick, April 28,…

  Elizabeth Hardwick discusses leftist intellectual life, both in Lexington and in New York City, as well as feminism and her marriage to poet Robert Lowell.
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  Charles Rowell, July 7, 1980

  Rowell reads some of his poems and talks about their relation to his own life. He expresses his opinions about the "Black experience" and how it is universal.…
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  Marsha Norman, August 19, 1980

  Marsha Norman discusses her (then) current work, the differences between writing for film and for theatre, and why she chooses to write scripts as opposed to…
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  Robert Penn Warren, October…

  Robert Penn Warren and his wife, Eleanor Clark, discuss their individual work as writers as well as their life together, their children, and the presence of…
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  Jim Wayne Miller, December 15,…

  Jim Wayne Miller discusses his role as an Appalachian poet and scholar, including how this ties into his job as a German professor, as well as history and…
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  Harriette S. Arnow, October …

  Arnow, born in Wayne County, Kentucky, the second of six children, grew up in Burnside, Kentucky. Arnow's grandmother told sad and frightening stories of the…
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  George Ella Lyon, March 2,…

  George Ella Lyon talks about her early life in Harlan, Kentucky, her education, and her awareness and consciousness of being an Appalachian woman poet. There's…
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  George Ella Lyon, March 9,…

  Lyon discusses her play, "Braids", and her research work regarding Virginia Woolf. There is a lot of discussion of associations of Appalachian writers and their…
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  Leon V. Driskell, May 29, 1985

  Driskell was influenced by a negative experience growing up as a white man in the segregated south. He and his family were opposed to racism and felt guilt and…
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  Sallie Bingham, October 23,…

  The interview starts with Bingham's observation that she was born during the 1937 Kentucky flood, with the advantages of power and wealth. Attracted to the…
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  George Ella Lyon, April 7,…

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  Albert F. Stewart, June 7,…

  Albert Stewart tells his life story, from attending the Hindman Settlement School as a child to eventually running creative writing workshops there in recent…
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  Joy Bale Boone, June 10, 1991

  Boone talks about growing up in Evanston and working for various newspapers before moving to Elizabethtown (Ky.). She talks about her various social service…
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  Lee Pennington, June 26, 1991

  Pennington's grandmother told him stories of being able to summon spirits and move furniture before she joined a church. Pennington was ill as a child, and…
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  James Baker Hall, July 11,…

  Hall talks about the initial inspiration that got him started into writing and the childhood experiences that he aims to understand with his works. He discusses…
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  Thomas D. Clark, July 12, 1991

  Historian and professor Thomas D. Clark talks about his life story and bibliography and the unique issues of writing history, including being an honest and…
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  James A. Still, August 2,…

  Still speaks on his childhood family life, his education, the various jobs he held, being a soldier in Africa during World War II, teaching at Hindman…
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  Loyal Jones, August 10, 1991

  Jones discusses growing up in a small town, and later, attending Berea College. His early interests centered around art, and later, he gravitated to writing. It…
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  Wade Hall, September 8, 1991

  Hall discusses his family history and childhood, time in the army, education, interest in Southern literature and oral history, and his vast collections of all…
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  A. B. Guthrie, Jr., June 16,…

  Guthrie started out as a reporter for the Lexington Leader, after getting a BA in Journalism in Montana. His landlady, Mary Elizabeth Keating, who was like a…
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  Bobbie Ann Mason, August 15,…

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  Guy Davenport, September 3,…

  Davenport begins the interview by discussing his teaching career at the University of Kentucky, and the changes to the university that he has witnessed since he…
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  Sena Jeter Naslund, May 12,…

  Jeter family history-- childhood in Birmingham Alabama-- Laredo West Virginia-- teachers-- Laura Ingalls Wilder story and moment of revelation as a writer--…
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  Sarah Gorham, May 18, 1992

  Gorham family history-- childhood in Washington D.C.-- influential junior high school teacher-- education in Switzerland-- Antioch College-- Ira Sadoff--…
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  Jeffrey Skinner, May 21, 1992

  Skinner family history-- childhood in Buffalo New York-- early education-- Rollins College and involvement in the arts-- University of Bridgeport-- employment…
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  Ed McClanahan, May 29, 1992

  Ed McClanahan talks about his books "Famous People I Have Known" (and all the famous people he has actually known) and "The Natural Man," as well as other past,…
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  John Egerton, June 2, 1992

  Egerton was the youngest of five children. Egerton's father was a traveling salesman. During a childhood illness, he wrote a school newspaper, which he shared…
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  Amelia Blossom Pegram, June …

  Amelia Blossom Pegram discusses her family history, and her childhood and education. She describes attending Capetown University (South Africa), and racism…
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  Maureen P. Morehead, June 14,…

  Morehead discusses wanting to write poetry since she was a very young child. She was encouraged to write by her teachers in school, and earned her MA in…
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  Jim Wayne Miller, June 18,…

  Jim Wayne Miller discusses his upbringing, family life, and his experiences as an Appalachian poet and scholar, including writing in various genres. Miller…
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  Sallie Bingham, June 21, 1992

  Bingham family history-- childhood and education at Ballard and The Collegiate School-- deciding to become a writer-- attending Radcliffe-- publishing in the…
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  Betty Layman Receveur, June…

  Receveur's family history is recalled, as well as a comparison between frontier women and contemporary women. Then, Receveur's childhood and educational…
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  Gurney Norman, July 23, 1992

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  Leon V. Driskell, July 27,…

  In this interview for the Kentucky Writers Oral History Collection, Leon V. Driskell discusses his early writing career, people who have influenced his writing,…
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  Karen Osborn, July 30, 1992

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  Martha Bennett Stiles,…

  To begin the interview, the family history of Stiles is discussed, as well as her childhood experiences, educational background, her novel: "Kate of…
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  Michelle Boisseau, February…

  Boisseau summarizes her family origins, describing her parents and grandparents. She mentions her first attempts at poetry and other creative writing. Boisseau…
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  Sue Grafton, March 28, 1993

  Grafton discusses her childhood, which was shaped by her parents' alcoholism. She wrote from a young age, and continued writing through college. Grafton talks…
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  Barbara Kingsolver, April 17,…

  Barbara Kingsolver discusses her family history, childhood experiences, and her educational background. She describes her experiences living in Africa and…
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  Frank Steele, September 23,…

  Steele describes his family history. His father was a traveling salesman and his mother was a piano teacher. Steele spent time as a child watching many movies,…
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  William Lynwood Montell,…

  Montell talks about his family's history going back several generations, informed by family folklore. He expresses his opinion about the significance of oral…
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  George Ella Lyon, January 23,…

  Author George Ella Lyon discusses her family history and childhood. She describes her educational background and influential teachers. She discusses her further…
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  Michael L. Williams, January…

  Williams discusses being a Fantasy writer from Kentucky. An early reader, Williams talks about the literature that influenced him as a writer. He defines…
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  John Birkett, December 5,…

  Birkett discusses his family history, as well as his family's alcoholism. Birkett talks of his upcoming novel called "Dupree's Blues," his Catholic educational…
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  Wendell Berry, January 3,…

  Berry talks about his education, works, and writer friends. He discusses his ideas on community, art, religion, poetry, and education. He expresses his concerns…
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  John Ed Pearce, January 9,…

  Pearce begins the interview by discussing his family history, educational background, and childhood during the Great Depression. Additionally, Pearce's first…
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  Michael Dorris, November 23,…

  Michael Dorris talks about his childhood in Louisville being raised by three women, his college experiences, the various jobs he's held, meeting and…
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  Raymond H. Abbott, November …

  Abbott's family history, educational background, and childhood are discussed. Then, Abbott's time at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and volunteer…
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  Charles Semones, November 1,…

  Charles W. Semones discusses the role of religion in his life and in his poetry, the role of poetry in his life, his poetry itself, being a poet in a rural…
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  Chris Offutt, April 24, 1993

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  Frederick Smock, May 11, 1993

  Frederick Smock discusses his family history, childhood experiences in Louisville, and his educational background. He talks about attending Georgetown College…
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  Billy Curtis Clark, May 14,…

  Billy Curtis Clark discusses leaving home to make a living for himself at age eleven during the Great Depression, how he obtained an education and started…
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  Richard Taylor, May 20, 1993

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  Taylor McCafferty, May 21,…

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  Jane Wilson Joyce, July 7,…

  Joyce begins the interview by talking about her early life. Then, Joyce's education, from primary school to graduate school is examined. The interviewee's…
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  George C. Wright, July 8,…

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  David Madden, July 18, 1993

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  Pat Carr, July 2, 1993

  Pat M. Carr talks about her childhood in Wyoming, her education, her two husbands, the places she's lived, and the impact of all of those things on her writing.…
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  Fenton Johnson, June 27, 1993

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  Karen Robards, June 18, 1993

  Robards begins the interview by describing her relatives and childhood. Then, the educational experience of Robards is chronicled, from elementary school to law…
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  Jane Mayhall, June 4, 1993

  Jane Mayhall talks about her early childhood experiences, including her family, education, and social life. She talks about her experiences at Black Mountain…
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  Marsha Norman, June 2, 1993

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  George E. Eklund, May 24, 1993

  George Eklund talks about his vagabond life, being born in New York, traveling the U.S. and a bit of Mexico, writing in all sorts of genres, attending and…
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  Robert K. Massie, March 29,…

  Robert Massie talks about his early childhood in Lexington (Ky.), his time at Yale University, his style of writing history, and his family. He discusses the…
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  Crystal Wilkinson, May 24,…

  Crystal Wilkinson, native Kentuckian writer, begins the interview by examining the African American population of Casey County, Kentucky in the 1960s and 1970s…
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  Crystal Wilkinson, June 7,…

  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…
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  Crystal Wilkinson, July 19,…

  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…
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  Crystal Wilkinson, August 3,…

  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…
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  Nikky Finney, July 8, 2001

  Finney was born in Conway, South Carolina. She is interested in family history, and photographs of her family. Finney's parents participated in the civil rights…
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  Nikky Finney, July 25, 2001

  Finney talks about writers and the story tellers on the porches of the community of her youth, authors such as Faulkner and Steinbeck, all of which influence…
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  Kathleen Driskell, September …

  Kathleen Driskell discusses her early life including her family, education, and her interest in art. She talks about when she became interested in writing as a…
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  David Garrison, September 3,…

  Garrison begins the interview by talking about his childhood. Following this, Garrison outlines his educational path, from elementary school to the obtaining of…
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  Martha Barnette, September 12,…

  Barnette talks about growing up in Louisville (Ky.), interning at Louisville Times, and work as a journalist and non-fiction writer. She discusses her book on…
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  Leatha Kendrick, September 17,…

  Kendrick begins the interview by describing her time at the University of Kentucky. Next, she talks about her writing, the meaning of creativity, and her…
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  Joe Survant, September 22,…

  Joe Survant gives his family history, life story, and the importance of a sense of place and a closeness to nature, and then discusses his poetry, the…
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  Beverly Taylor Herald,…

  Herald begins the interview by talking about her childhood. Herald then explains the significance of the term 'mirror twins.' Then, the interviewee's education…
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  Anne Shelby, October 22, 1997

  Shelby begins the interview by discussing her childhood, as well as the influence of music upon her writing. Shelby's education is summarized, from elementary…
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  Ronni Lundy, December 1, 1997

  Ronni Lundy talks about growing up in Louisville, her education at the University of Kentucky, and her work as a journalist and an author. She discusses her…
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  Glenn Kleier, December 7,…

  Glenn Kleier describes his childhood and education in Louisville, Kentucky. He talks about his career in the advertising industry and how he began writing. He…
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  Nikky Finney, December 16,…

  Finney discusses her childhood, racial integration, and her experience as one of the first three black students integrated into her middle school. Finney…
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  Lynn Hightower, December 18,…

  Hightower begins the interview by talking about her childhood, with details about the progression of her writing career during this time. Hightower's time in…
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  David B. Dick, January 19,…

  David Dick, a Kentucky born journalist-turned-novelist discusses his ideals for journalism, both in education and actual execution, his experiences, including…
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  Dianne Aprile, February 23,…

  Aprile discusses her career as an editorial journalist with the Louisville Courier-Journal as well a novelist, and the influences religion, family, and…
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  Jane Gentry Vance, March 16,…

  Vance talks about her education at Hollins University and then at University of North Carolina. She met and learned from various prominent writers at Hollins.…
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  Naomi F. Wallace, March 23,…

  Naomi F. Wallace discusses her trans-Atlantic childhood (America and the Netherlands) and adulthood (America and Britain), her slightly unconventional…
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  Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, March…

  Mary Ann Taylor-Hall begins the interview by discussing how to teach creative writing at the college level, and the importance and meaning of this subject. The…
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  James C. Klotter, October 22,…

  Klotter gives his background, and the names of his parents and grandparents. He studied Kentucky History via correspondence course, and from this, became…
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  Ron Whitehead, October 29,…

  Ron Whitehead talks about his childhood, particularly his abusive father, his education at Georgetown College, and his various jobs. He narrates accounts of…
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  James Baker Hall, November 18,…

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  James Baker Hall, February 5,…

  Jim Hall discusses his friendship with the poet M.S. Merwin. He also discusses Merwin's influence upon his own work. The friendship began in the late 1970s,…
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  Frank X Walker, September 26,…

  Frank X Walker talks about growing up in Danville (Ky.), his time in public schools and at the University of Kentucky, and the work he did at the Martin Luther…
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  Frank X Walker, October 3,…

  Walker talks about coining the term "Affrilachian," and the origins of the Affrilachian Poetry Movement. He discusses the nature of creativity, and his creative…
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  James A. Still, December 19,…

  This is a brief video interview with author James A. Still for "Conversations," a production by and for the University of Kentucky's Office of Instructional…