Savory Memories: Kentucky Foodways is a unique blend of personal narrative, memories, and recipes celebrating the rich culinary heritage of Kentucky through the lens of Kentucky authors. Edited by Linda LaPinta, this collection features essays from 22 Kentucky authors, each sharing personal memories and recipes associated with a particular dish.

Savory Memories is a collection of stories. It’s not just necessarily a cookbook; it’s a collection of personal narratives. Each writer delves into their past, recalling cherished moments and the people who shaped their culinary experiences. These stories evoke a sense of nostalgia and connection, making the recipes more than just instructions—they become narratives of shared history and emotion. It is also a celebration of Kentucky’s culinary diversity. The book highlights the breadth of Kentucky’s foodways, through regional specialties and traditional dishes. From hearty Appalachian fare to elegant Southern cuisine, Savory Memories captures the diverse flavors that have shaped the state’s culinary identity. The book is also a literary treasure. The contributors are all accomplished Kentucky writers, including Linda LaPinta herself, lending their distinctive voices and storytelling skills to the project. Their essays are beautifully written, engaging, and often humorous, making the book a pleasure to read even if you don’t plan on cooking. Savory Memories helps to preserve Kentucky’s culinary heritage. It is more than just a collection of recipes; it’s a testament to the importance of food in preserving cultural identity. By sharing their culinary memories, the writers contribute to a larger conversation about the role of food in shaping communities and families.

1. Decide your organization would like to host a discussion of Savory Memories.

2. Select who will serve as your scholar to lead a discussion about the book and relevant topics. (see list below)

3. Contact the scholar and set a date, time, and location for your group discussion and review any special arrangements.

4. Book the program using the online form at least six weeks in advance and pay the $50 booking fee.

5. Kentucky Humanities will send you an agreement to sign and return.

6. Kentucky Humanities will also send an electronic social media graphic, press release, bookmarks, and 10 copies of Savory Memories to promote your event.

7. Publicize your book discussion once it has been approved using the supplied materials or creating your own.

8. Host your discussion and have participants complete the provided evaluation form.

9. Complete the program coordinator's report.

10. Return evaluation forms to Kentucky Humanities within two weeks of your program taking place.

The booking fee for your organization is only $50. Kentucky Humanities will supplement the remaining cost of the program. Each host organization will be provided with 10 copies of Savory Memories to share among participating members and publicity materials to promote your discussion. Kentucky Humanities will pay an honorarium to the discussion leader (you choose) to lead your book discussion. Or you can choose to find your own discussion leader and your organization will pay that leader or he/she will donate his/her time to serve as a discussion leader.

Any nonprofit organization in Kentucky can host Kentucky Reads, including libraries, historical societies, churches, prisons, veterans’ groups, museums, book clubs, etc. Programs will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis and must take place between April 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.

To download a copy of the discussion guide for Savory Memories.

Linda LaPinta is a native Kentucky author whose work weaves together the rich threads of history, culture, and personal narrative. Her books, articles, and essays explore the diverse experiences of Kentuckians, from the everyday lives of quilters to the culinary traditions that shape communities.

Linda has published several books. Conversations with Kentucky Writers I and II; Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers: Three Centuries of Creativity, Community, and Commerce; Sisters in Pain: Battered Women Fight Back; and Savory Memories.

Linda’s writing is characterized by a deep appreciation for stories and oral history. She is a meticulous researcher, delving into archives, libraries, and personal collections to uncover the histories of Kentucky’s people. Linda is also a gifted oral historian, able to bring these histories to life with vivid prose and a keen eye for detail. Whether she is writing about the history of quilting or Kentucky cuisine, Linda’s work is always grounded in a deep respect for her subjects and a desire to share their stories with a wider audience.  

1. Constance Alexander, constancealexander@twc.com, (270) 293-7920, Murray, KY. Constance Alexander is a published poet, playwright, essayist, and civic journalist in Murray. She has received numerous grants and awards for her creative work, including support from the Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Ragdale Foundation, Kentucky Press Association, the Writers Exchange of Poets & Writers, Inc. among others. With an MA is in the humanities, an MBA in management, and an MFA in fiction, she is a skilled facilitator.

2. Diane Calhoun-French, jctcveep@gmail.com, (502) 500-2176, Louisville, KY. Diane Calhoun-French is a retired Provost at Jefferson County Community & Technical College. She served as a member of the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau for many years with talks such as Popular Fiction for Women, A Cultural History of Paper Dolls, Tea for Two, Reading in the Age of the Kindle, and others.

3. Erin Chandler, erinchandler22@aol.com, (859) 940-2087, Versailles, KY. Erin Chandler's memoir, June Bug Versus Hurricane was published in 2018. Her original play of the same name was produced at the Lost Studio in Los Angeles in 2009. Cinderella Sweeping Up, a collection of essays was released in June 2019. The essays were originally published in the Woodford Sun where she writes a weekly column. Erin holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and Master's in theatre from the University of Kentucky. She teaches playwrighting and screenwriting at the Carnegie Center in Lexington, KY, and is hard at work on a new novel, Nervous Blood. Erin was on the roster for the 2019-2020 Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau.

4. Elizabeth Glass, elizabeth.l.glass@gmail.com, (502) 552-0088, Louisville, KY. Elizabeth Glass earned her PhD in the humanities from the University of Louisville. She is a scholar, creative writer, and teacher. She has received an Emerging Artist Award in Nonfiction from the Kentucky Arts Council and a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

5. Donna Eastham, donna.eastham@kctcs.edu, (606) 425-3764, Somerset, KY. Donna Eastham is originally from Ohio and has been in the state of Kentucky since 1982. Donna has taught at Eastern Kentucky University and currently teaches at Somerset Community College in the IECE program.

6. Ann C. Hall, ann.hall@louisville.edu, (614) 404-2579, Louisville, KY. Ann C. Hall is a Professor of Comparative Humanities at the University of Louisville. She is the co-editor of a collection called Dramatic Apparitions: Theatrical Ghosts with Alan Nadel from the University of Kentucky. The collection examines the way ghosts haunt theatres in different eras, cultures, and genres. Other publications include A Kind of Alaska: Women in the Plays of O’Neill, Pinter, and Shepard and Phantom Variations: The Adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera, 1925-present. She is passionate about the humanities, film, the arts, teaching, and performance. She teaches courses in film, modern drama, and interdisciplinary humanities.

7. Jacqueline Hamilton, aliceontheroad1955@gmail.com, (859) 935-5153, Winchester, KY. Jacqueline Hamilton teaches English and literature at Eastern Kentucky University. Her research work focuses on how to build effective listening skills in people of all ages. She studied in London, England, on a Rotary Foundation fellowship in journalism, and received a Jesse Stuart fellowship during graduate school. Hamilton portrays Alice Lloyd and Sue Grafton for Kentucky Chautauqua. She also started and continues to direct a non-profit called Why We Write whose mission is to give students the mindset of writing as “workable fun."

8. Alana Scott, a.scott@moreheadstate.edu, (606) 783-2540, Morehead, KY. Alana Scott is an Associate Professor of History in the Department of History, Philosophy, Politics, Global Studies & Legal Studies (School of Humanities & Social Sciences) at Morehead State University. She holds a PhD in history from Florida State University. She has served as a Prime Time Family Reading discussion leader for many years.

9. Richard Taylor, richard.taylor.ky@gmail.com, (502) 352-3516, Frankfort, KY. Richard Taylor is retired from teaching at Transylvania University and former Poet Laureate of Kentucky. Taylor has written more than a dozen books including Bull's Hell, a collection of poems on the life of Cassius M. Clay, and Snow Falling on Water: New and Selected Poems. His book, Elkhorn: Evolution of a Kentucky Landscape, was awarded the Thomas D. Clark Medallion. He lives near the banks of the Elkhorn outside of Frankfort.

10. Jayne Moore Waldrop, jaynemoorewaldrop@gmail.com, (859) 494-8262, Cadiz, KY, Jayne Moore Waldrop is the author of Drowned Town (University Press of Kentucky), a 2022 Great Group Reads selection by the Women's National Book Association and 2021 INDIES silver winner for fiction. Her other books are Retracing My Steps, a finalist in the New Women's Voices Chapbook Competition, Pandemic Lent: A Season in Poetry, both from Finishing Line Press; A Journey in Color: The Art of Ellis Wilson, and She Remembered It All: The Memory Paintings of Helen LaFrance (2024), both from Shadelandhouse Modern Press.

11. John "Spike" Wright, jgw966@gmail.com, (859) 567-5555, Warsaw, KY. Most people know John Wright by his nickname, "Spike". He is a lifelong resident of Gallatin County and has led discussions for Kentucky Reads including All the King's Men, Hannah Coulter, and The Birds of Opulence. He has served as a Prime Time Family Reading discussion leader. A graduate of Transylvania University and the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at NKU, Spike has served as the Gallatin County Attorney since 2003.

12. Georgia Green Stamper, ggs@georgiagreenstamper.com, (859) 619-5700, Lexington, KY. Georgia Green Stamper is a Kentucky writer whose published works include Butter in the Morning and You Can Go Anywhere. Her newest book, Small Acreages, available from Shadelandhouse Modern Press, was Longlisted for the 2023 PENAmerica Art of the Essay Award.