02/21/2025
Check out these featured speakers at the Kentucky Women's Book Festival!
James Wilkerson: “Grrrls, Grrrls, Grrrls: The Women and Music of Third Wave Feminism” looks at how women used music in the 1990s as a vehicle to bring the principles of Third Wave Feminism out of the halls of academia and to girls and young women, nationwide. From the Riot Girl Movement of the early 90s, to the Spice Girls of the mid 90s, to the Lilith Fair Festivals of the late 90s, this session highlights how punk shows, sold out arena concerts, and music festivals served as women's studies classrooms throughout the decade. This session is based on their chapter of their upcoming book 90s Man: A Societal Study of the Freshest Decade Ever.
Julie Marie Wade: Author, essayist, and poet Julie Marie Wade will read from and discuss The Mary Years, a coming-of-age nonfiction novella that doubles as a work of prose ekphrasis. The titular "Mary" is Mary Tyler Moore, and this collection traces a 25-year televisual relationship between the author-as-protagonist with Mary Richards, the protagonist of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Ellen Birkett Morris: As F. Scott Fitzgerald observed “Character is plot, plot is character.” At the Kentucky Women’s Book Festival, Ellen Birkett Morris will discuss how developing fully drawn characters with distinct desires offers a way into plot lines that will provide maximum drama and test your character in intriguing ways. She will also read from her award-winning novel Beware the Tall Grass.
Constance Alexander: Award-winning poet, playwright, and civic journalist Constance Alexander will read from and discuss The Way Home, a spoken-word opera inspired by interviews with two women fighting cancer. Alexander will share how her poetry has sparked community discussion and action regarding issues around women's health. Don’t miss Alexander at the Kentucky Women’s Book Festival.
Learn more and register: https://louisville.edu/womenscenter/signature-programs/kwbf.
🗓️Saturday, March 1 | 📍Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville
