“We are very excited to be kicking off year two of Kentucky Writers on the Road in Hazard” comments Managing Director Larry Pemble. “The foundation heard Mandi Fugate Sheffel read last year at The Berry Center’s Arts and Letters Day and knew we wanted to get to know her and the work she is doing with her independent bookstore Read Spotted Newt in Hazard. Then, Willie’s book was selected and is set in Hazard! It all just fell into place for us.”
Unfolding over a single day, Honeysuckle Season tells the story of a circus van travelling through Hazard, Kentucky on the way to Bristol, Tennessee. The driver experiences a medical emergency behind the wheel, the van careens off the road smashing into a line of parked cars and killing a local basketball star. Twelve different narrators offer their take on that event and its aftermath, each story complimenting, deepening, and undermining the stories that came before.
In 2026, author Willie Davis will be the featured reader at these four Kentucky Writers on the Road stops. The foundation seeks to engage local artists to be on the bill with the foundation’s book award winner. Stops will include:
May 16, 2026
Bobby Davis Museum and Park
234 Walnut Street
Hazard, Kentucky 41702
Additional reader: Jordan Whitaker
4:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.
June 13, 2026
Carmichael’s Bookstore
2720 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
Additional reader: Lisa Jensen, 2024 James Baker Hall Book Award Finalist
3:00 p.m.—4:30 p.m.
August 20, 2026
Woven Branches at Roebling Books & Coffee
601 Overton Street
Newport, KY 41071
Additional readers: Woven Branches poets
6:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
September 12, 2026
Bloodroot Writers Collective
CoffeeTree Books
159 East Main Street
Morehead, Kentucky 40351
Additional reader: Melissa Helton, Hindman Settlement School & 2024 James Baker Hall Book Award Finalist
2:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m.
