World War II had been underway a little more than two years when Japan’s savage attack at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, plunged America into the global conflict. Early the following year, Jesse Stuart, nearly 36 with a pregnant wife, tried to enlist in the army but failed the physical. Like millions of American men, he wanted to serve his country and defend his family and his freedoms. Two [...]

Jesse Stuart was born on August 8, 1906. To celebrate his birthday and his many contributions to life in eastern Kentucky, my next three articles will focus on Stuart’s life and works. The late Poet Laureate of Kentucky, Jesse Hilton Stuart, published 2,000 poems, 460 short stories, and more than 60 books. He was one of Appalachia’s best known and most anthologized authors, and his works have been translated [...]

Adventure story, biography, western, history, “Simon Kenton, Kentucky Scout” fits all these descriptions. Its vivid, intense language tells the story of Kentucky’s exploration and settlement through the life of the young frontiersman. Kenton was born April 3, 1755, in Fauquier County, Virginia, the son of Mark and Mary (Miller) Kenton. He refused to attend school and remained illiterate all his life, learning only to sign his name. At age [...]