FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The James Baker Hall Foundation was created in 2024 to support the legacy of the Kentucky writer, teacher and photographer, James Baker Hall, to continue his work in mentoring young writers and to support Kentucky writers. The foundation backs several programs for young writers across the Commonwealth such as the Ironwood Writers Studio at the Hindman Settlement School, Bloodroot Writers Collective in Morehead, a book award competition for writers with the winning entry receiving a publishing contract and stipend, and the program Kentucky Writers on the Road, a tour across the Commonwealth with the current year book award winner.
On Friday, October 2, the Foundation will be presenting “An Evening with Ben Sollee and Friends” at the historic Broadway Theater, 816 East Broadway, in Louisville, Kentucky. Proceeds for the night will support youth writing programs across the Commonwealth. Joining Ben that night will be Kentucky’s current Poet Laureate, Kathleen Driskell, Affrilachian poet Marta Miranda-Straub, and local poet and entrepreneur, Lance G. Newman II.
James Baker Hall’s influence in Kentucky was marked by his friendships with many esteemed Kentucky writers and photographers and none as deep as his connection and 55-year friendship with Wendell Berry. To celebrate this partnership, the event will include a collection of Jim’s photos of Wendell on display.
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). Other collections include Blue Etiquette: Poems, a finalist for the Weatherford Award; Next Door to the Dead, winner of the Judy Gaines Young Book Award; and Seed Across Snow, a Poetry Foundation national bestseller. Her individual poems and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Rattle, River Teeth, Appalachian Review, The Southern Review, Shenandoah and other magazines; and her work has been featured in Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and American Life in Poetry. 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. Her bilingual Memoir Cradled by Skeletons a Life in Poems and Essays was published in 2019 and her illustrated children’s book Lullaby for Maddie was published in 2022 by Shadelandhouse Modern Press.
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 event include Louisville Public Media, Rainmaker Hospitality Group and Kentucky Monthly. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at jamesbakerhallfoundation.org. For more information, contact Jane White, jane@jamesbakerhall.org or (502) 379-5250.
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The mission of the James Baker Hall Foundation is to celebrate the legacy of our great artistic heritage by providing direct support to Kentucky’s literary and visual creatives. We honor Jim’s legacy by making funding available for emerging and established voices.
