“We are so excited to be holding this event in Louisville and the performers we have secured,” states Executive Vice President Jeanine Triplett. “Ben has been a good friend to the James Baker Hall Foundation and we are energized to present this lineup to the Louisville community.”

Ben Sollee is an Emmy-winning composer, cellist and experiential designer working at the intersection of art and social impact. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, he has spent two decades blurring the boundaries between folk music, cinematic scoring and environmental activism. His new album “Time on Hold” has a country sound and features two new songs alongside fresh interpretations of his most requested works.

Award-winning poet, essayist, and teacher Kathleen Driskell has authored six poetry collections, most recently Goat-Footed Gods (Carnegie Mellon UP). She is professor of creative writing and Chair of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University in Louisville, and on April 24, 2025, Governor Andy Beshear appointed Kathleen as the 2025-26 Kentucky Poet Laureate.

Marta Miranda-Straub is a poet and storyteller who has spent her life working towards equity and inclusion and creating systems change. Her activism has focused on advancing social and economic justice for marginalized communities. She is also the former commissioner for Kentucky’s Department of Community Based Services (DCBS) for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Marta was inducted into the Affrilachian Poets by Kentucky Poet Laureate, Frank X Walker in 2009. She was named among one of 15 emerging authors in 2025 by MSN.

Lance G. Newman II has an artistic practice that is varied, multifaceted and interdisciplinary. Twenty years of poetry writing and performing; ten years of theater and acting; five years of visual artistry; and several published articles. These various forms of expression have all contributed to an artist that is truly a “jack of all trades and master of none, but better than the master of one.” Warmly known as ‘Mr. SpreadLove,’ he seeks to affect the world in a positive way.

Sponsors for the evening include Louisville Public Media, Rainmaker Hospitality and Kentucky Monthly. The emcee for the evening will be WFPK’s Laura Shine. Tickets are $35 with all proceeds benefitting the programs of the foundation. To purchase tickets, visit jamesbakerhallfoundation.org. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jeanine Triplett at jeanine@jamesbakerhall.org or (502) 693-3206.