Kentucky Author Forum Inc

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY AUTHOR FORUM PRODUCES LITERARY EVENTS WITH RENOWNED WRITERS AND INTERVIEWERS. RECORDINGS OF THE LIVE EVENTS, GREAT CONVERSATIONS, ARE AVAILABLE NATIONALLY ON PUBLIC TV. THE GREAT PODVERSATIONS PODCAST FEATURES ADDITIONAL WRITERS AND IS ON ALL NATIONAL PLATFORMS.

PUBLIC VENUES REOPENED AFTER COVID-19 SHUTDOWN, ALLOWING KENTUCKY AUTHOR FORUM TO PRODUCE ONE EVENT. THERE WAS AN OVERFLOW AUDIENCE WHICH REQUIRED SEATING IN TWO THEATERS. THE EVENT WAS RECORDED FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION, PODCAST, AND ONLINE ACCESS. IT FEATURED CONGRESSMAN JAMIE RASKIN IN CONVERSATION WITH DR. FIONA HILL. REPRESENTATIVE RASKIN'S MEMOIR, UNTHINKABLE: TRAUMA, TRUTH, AND THE TRIALS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, TELLS THE STORY OF THE FORTY-FIVE DAYS AT THE START OF 2021 AS HE CONFRONTED THE PAINFUL LOSS OF HIS SON TO SUICIDE, LIVED THROUGH THE VIOLENT INSURRECTION IN OUR NATION'S CAPITOL, AND WAS HOUSE LEAD IMPEACHMENT MANAGER FOR THE SECOND TRIAL OF THE PRESIDENT. DR. HILL'S MEMOIR, THERE IS NOTHING FOR YOU HERE: FINDING OPPORTUNITY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, REVEALS HOW DECLINING OPPORTUNITY HAS SET AMERICA ON THE GRIM PATH OF MODERN RUSSIA. DR. HILL SERVED AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EUROPEAN AND RUSSIAN AFFAIRS AT THE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, AND SHE WAS A KEY WITNESS IN THE FIRST IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF THE PRESIDENT REGARDING HIS CONDUCT WITH UKRAINE. THE EVENT WAS ATTENDED BY 700 PEOPLE. IN ADDITION TO PRODUCING THIS EVENT, KENTUCKY AUTHOR FORUM RESEARCHED AND CONTACTED AUTHORS AND INTERVIEWERS TO SCHEDULE FUTURE APPEARANCES, AND PREPARED FOR THE OPENING EVENT OF UPCOMING SEASON.

PROGRAMMED AND PRODUCED ITS PODCAST THAT BEGAN IN MAY 2020 TO CONTINUE FULFILLING ITS MISSION DURING A TIME OF COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS WHEN THEATERS WERE CLOSED. FROM JULY 1, 2021 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2022, THERE WERE 18 EPISODES OF GREAT PODVERSATIONS, AVAILABLE FOR FREE, ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS. IN THESE INTERVIEW-FORMAT AUDIO RECORDINGS, NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AUTHORS AND EXPERTS DISCUSS BOOKS AND IDEAS. 36 AUTHORS AND GUESTS WERE FEATURED, INCLUDING PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLERS, AWARD-WINNING SCIENTISTS, PROFESSORS, POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS. THIS PODCAST ACHIEVES KENTUCKY AUTHOR FORUM'S MISSION OF CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY TO BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND IDEAS. GREAT PODVERSATIONS IS RATED 4.8 STARS ON BOTH ITUNES AND SPOTIFY, WHICH ARE THE LARGEST NATIONAL PLATFORMS. DURING THE 2021-2022 SEASON, GREAT PODVERSATIONS WAS DOWNLOADED OVER 25,000 TIMES BY LISTENERS. THE FORUM WORKED WITH KENTUCKY EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION TO RESUME PRODUCTION OF GREAT CONVERSATIONS TELEVISION EPISODES WITH THE JAMIE RASKIN AND FIONA HILL EVENT. A PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCED IN PUBLIC TELEVISION RELATIONS WAS CONTRACTED TO PROMOTE THE EPISODE NATIONALLY. THIS EPISODE, ALONG WITH ONES RECORDED PRIOR TO COVID-19, WERE SHOWN ON OVER 77% OF PUBLIC TELEVISION CHANNELS- REACHING 49 STATES. GREAT PODVERSATIONS AND GREAT CONVERSATIONS ENABLE THE FORUM TO INCREASE BOTH THE SCOPE AND INCLUSIVENESS OF THOSE IT SERVES.

PROGRAMMING BEGAN IN 1996 AS PART OF A BICENTENNIAL EFFORT OF UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, WHICH IS THE TITLE SPONSOR. FORUM GUESTS VISIT ON CAMPUS WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY DURING THE DAY, BEFORE THEIR THEATER APPEARANCE IN THE EVENING. CONGRESSMAN JAMIE RASKIN WAS INTERVIEWED IN THE STUDENT ACTIVITIES CENTER AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE MARSHALL-BRENNAN CONSTITUTIONAL LITERACY PROJECT ALSO ATTENDED. REPRESENTATIVE RASKIN STARTED THE PROJECT IN 1999 FOR TEENAGE YOUTH. DR. FIONA HILL WAS PART OF A SEMINAR FOR U OF L STUDENTS STUDYING RUSSIA AND EURASIA, WHICH WAS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE CAMPUS COMMUNITY. ALMOST 100 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE EVENTS ON CAMPUS, WITH ANOTHER 150 WATCHING THE FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO OF CONGRESSMAN RASKIN'S APPEARANCE.