On Kentucky’s literary trail

Follow in the footsteps of the state’s groundbreaking writers

ALICE ALLISON DUNNIGAN, the first African American woman White House correspondent. Sue Grafton, creator of the bestselling 25-book series known as the alphabet series. Harlan Hubbard, philosopher, naturalist, author, artist. Jesse Stuart, poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist. Thomas D. Clark, historian, preservationist and keeper and teacher of Kentucky’s story. 

Each of these Kentucky-born writers left their mark on the Bluegrass State and far beyond, earning a spot in the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame and creating a lasting legacy with their extraordinary body of work. Learn more about each of these writers and others through the landmarks that pay tribute to their enduring impact and appeal. 

Alice Allison Dunnigan 

This Russellville journalist (1906-1983) is memorialized with a life-size bronze statue at the Struggles for Emancipation & Equality in Kentucky Museum. SEEK is a complex of seven historic buildings located in two districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in her hometown. 

“Alice Allison Dunnigan was way ahead of her time,” says Dee Dee Brown, executive director at Logan County Tourism. “She with boldness paved a way for herself as well as others. The first female African American to be admitted to the White House and Congressional Press Corps, she knocked down many walls with her works.” 

Dunnigan’s works include The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians: Their Heritage and Tradition and A Black Woman’s Experience: From Schoolhouse to White House, as well as hundreds of news stories and columns that appeared in dozens of Black newspapers across the country. 

Sue Grafton 

It began with A is for Alibi and, for the award-winning author of the alphabet series, it spelled smashing success. Born in Louisville in 1940, Grafton would make it through the alphabet all the way to Y is for Yesterday before her death in 2017. 

“This author is one of the most successful authors to come out of Kentucky,” says Greg Schoenbaechler, senior marketing manager at the Frazier History Museum. “Her ‘alphabet series’ won many awards, inspired movies, and the books of the series were on the New York Times bestseller list for about 400 weeks.” 

See Grafton’s books, awards and personal memorabilia, including fiction’s most famous black dress—that all-purpose, wrinkle-resistant number Grafton’s detective Kinsey Millhone deemed “suitable for most occasions”— on display at the Frazier. 

Harlan Hubbard 

A man who walked the talk, Bellevue-born Hubbard (1900-1988) with his new wife, Anna, launched a boat in 1944 for an eight-year journey on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers—an experience he wrote about in Shantyboat, published in 1953. Committed to simplicity and self-sufficiency, the couple continued their rustic lifestyle at Payne Hollow in Trimble County, which Hubbard wrote about in Payne Hollow: Life on the Fringe of Society, published in 1974. 

“He wrote in a timeless fashion that resonates with today’s population,” says Laurie Risch, executive director at the Behringer-Crawford Museum. “He lived, borrowing from artist Keith Haring, a ‘Life is Art and Art is Life’ philosophy.” 

The Covington museum is the largest public holder of Hubbard artworks— paintings, watercolors, woodcuts—and has first editions of his books and diaries penned by his mother, Rose. 

Jesse Stuart

Not only is the Jesse Stuart State Nature Preserve named for this poet laureate from W Hollow in Greenup County, but the fieldstone lodge at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, served by Grayson RECC, honors him as well. Additionally, Stuart’s works and personal mementos—original writings, a typewriter, newspaper and magazine articles, photos, his mother Martha’s egg basket—fill the lodge reading room.

“The fact that he was a teacher, superintendent, mentor, author and poet laureate from a small rural community explains Stuart’s enduring appeal,” says Park Manager Brenda Danner. Danner counts A Jesse Stuart Reader and children’s book, Old Ben, as her favorites among Stuart’s extensive writings.

The author published nearly 60 major works over his lifetime (1906-1984), including 11 novels, 17 collections of short stories and 11 collections of poetry, including the 1934 award-winning Man with a Bull-Tongued Plow.

Thomas D. Clark

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, featuring A Kentucky Journey and the Kentucky Hall of Governors exhibits, is named for the man who devoted his life to the preservation of Kentucky’s historical records. 

The Center is the headquarters for the Kentucky Historical Society as well as a museum dedicated to the state’s history from pre-settlement to current times. Located in downtown Frankfort, KHS also manages the Old State Capitol, the Kentucky Military History Museum and the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library, on the second floor of the Thomas D. Clark Center. 

Clark (1903-2005) taught history at the University of Kentucky for 37 years, authored or edited more than three dozen books on historical topics—including his most popular book, A History of Kentucky, published in 1937— and in 1990, was appointed Kentucky Historian Laureate for life. 

Writers to watch 

If January’s story about Kentucky’s notable writers whet your appetite to learn more, check out these videos:  

Alice Allison Dunnigan, from KET’s Kentucky Studies Collection, PBS LearningMedia.

Mystery Novelist Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series, 1982–2017 (from 2022), Frazier History Museum. 

Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Recent Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame ceremonies, “Kentucky Great Writers Series,” video shorts and more.