Episode 42
I’m Tom Hailey and this is Bluegrass Region Voices and Views.
I decided not to tape an interview this month. Instead, I’m going to tell you about a Kentucky treasure. It’s the magazine and website named Kentucky Monthly. Their tagline is “uniting Kentuckians everywhere.”
Here’s what the About section on the website says:
“Established in 1998, Kentucky Monthly celebrates the people, places, events, and culture of the Commonwealth. By highlighting the best our state has to offer, we unite Kentuckians everywhere and create a sense of pride and community. We publish 10 issues per year, covering a wide variety of Kentucky topics.”
I suggest you begin by going to their website at kentuckymonthly.com, click on the Celebrating 25 tab, and then scroll down and click on From The Editors. Here you can read articles by past and present editors reflecting on their experiences working with Kentucky Monthly. I found them to be moving.
A not to be missed section is the Kentucky Explorer, featuring things old and new about Kentucky. The original material was written from 1986 to 2000 for history lovers. Since 2021, Kentucky Monthly has run a Kentucky Explorer section in every issue. All content is reader submitted and includes old favorites such as the “I Remember” feature. It’s a treasure.
The December 2023 January 2024 issue features the Magical Season at Mustard Seed Hill. The article is well written, and the photographs are beautiful.
That’s followed by an article and pictures about a Subterranean Celebration involving a holiday concert in Mammoth Cave.
Then come creative and informative essays and photographs about various aspects of our Kentucky culture and humanity in general. And there’s a beautifully produced food section.
It concludes with a calendar of events around Kentucky and an essay by the Stephen Vest, the Publisher and Editor in Chief. I enjoy his writing so much I usually go right to it when I receive my issue.
They publish ten issues a year and the annual subscription to the physical magazine is twenty-five dollars. I find that I hold onto the magazine for a few years. It’s so beautifully done it hurts to put it in the recycle bin. I really need to find a place to donate it. If you have ideas about that, please let me know. I might start taking them to my barbershop.
Here’s an idea. If you have a friend or family member who has moved away, give them a subscription for their birthday. They’ll get a little bit of Kentucky in their mailbox ten times a year and think of you.
And subscribe yourself. Since you listen to this podcast, I know you’ll appreciate this magazine.
Thanks for listening this year, and Happy New Year. I’ll be back on January 31st.
