By Dr. Randy Whetstone, Jr. • Photo By Matt Johnson
Roughly 29 years ago, Mary Moss Greenebaum and Owsley Brown II, then President of Brown-Forman Corporation, had a conversation lamenting the fact that major authors, policy makers, artists, creative writers, musicians, and scientists of our time, were not visiting the University of Louisville to teach. Unlike large well-endowed universities, funds did not exist. The lack of such resources presented challenges for the university and the city as well. From this conversation emerged a vision that would impact both University faculty and students, and the public at-large. By joining hands with the University, the KENTUCKY AUTHOR FORUM was born.
I had the chance to speak with Mary Moss Greenebaum about the Forum and the work that has been accomplished over the years.
What was your inspiration when you founded the University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum and explain its origin?
“The ancient Forum was the concept. Its original form, of course, was born in Rome. It always took place in the town’s center square. People came to listen and to question, which is how they became educated about issues of that time. Our feeling was that issues of our time could be explored in similar fashion, made available to our community at large. We recognized that we would need to create a method for luring such writers, each with their newly published book. The questioners would be well-selected interviewers. We would center first on visits to the University campus. In the evening, citizens of our city would come to our center square: the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. So that is how it began.
How did you solve then the problem of luring authors here?
“Because the University was so critical in such a plan, I turned first to Dr. Shumaker, President of the University at the time. What happened was serendipitous. On the particular day when I went to see him, the head of KET, our Kentucky public television, awaited her appointment with him in the hall. Dr. Shumaker was completely taken with the idea that such august individuals would be on campus teaching. He urged Ms. Fox into his office, asking that she join: not only commit to filming the downtown events, but to distributing them to other PBS affiliates throughout the country. The solution was found! Not only could the visiting author appear before a live audience on campus and downtown, plus have a book sale, but understand that their interview would be seen far beyond Louisville. It was also decided that in order to clarify that we were not only about Kentucky authors, our title was changed when airing nationally, on PBS stations, to GREAT CONVERSATIONS.
Of course, we needed a place to stage these hoped for events, and turned to Marlow Burt, the first President of the Kentucky Center. He agreed to lend us the Bomhard Stage, once! and it was with that gift that he introduced me to Leslie Cissell, still on our Forum team. ‘That is my second gift to you’, Marlow Burt said. Leslie, our maven who handles tickets, all accounts and all executive issues, is still with us. She has been a principal anchor. I could not have done this without her.
Tell us about the first interview back in 1996. Who was the author and the interviewer?
Senator Bill Bradley (former Senator of New Jersey), who ultimately ran for president, was the first guest-author. You’re probably too young to even know of him! Eleanor Clift from Newsweek interviewed him, and it was a wonderful hour. It was our first filming, and I remember when the cameras were off, Mr. Bradley said quietly: ‘I just may run for President of the United States’, and in fact, he did.
What sponsorships has KAF had over the years, and how have things changed?
“The great good fortune we had was stable sponsorship, which permitted us to grow and prosper. Our principal sponsors were the University of Louisville, Brown-Forman, and Humana. This gift of stability - earned quite honestly by the overwhelming support of the community and just plain hard work - remained until around 2021-2022: when there was a big turn in the road. First, Humana dropped off as a cultural funder in our community, which made us sad, and many other valuable cultural organizations were impacted as well. Brown-Forman also decided to step aside after more than 20 years. Topping off this bad financial news, COVID struck. The combination impacted us radically. With COVID, we were unable to stage events. We also had to find new financial sponsorship.
What did you decide to do as an organization to move forward and stay resilient after the pandemic?
“Undaunted, and intent on remaining relevant, my co-producer now producer, Evie Clare, produced our very first podcasts. It was a huge achievement. Those podcasts known as GREAT PODVERSATIONS, (each introduced by one of our favorite prior interviewers, Robert Siegel, long-time host of NPR’s All Things Considered) prevailed throughout those difficult several years and continue now. The critical financial solution came from the J. Graham Brown Foundation, which recognized us as an important institution in this community, with a national presence. The quality of these nationally recognized Forums, in the words of its President and CEO, Mason Rummel- “reflected importantly and positively on the City of Louisville.” Not too much later, we were joined by LDG Development-Chris Dischinger, and the University also re-connected. Our principal sponsor continues to be the Owsley Brown II Family Foundation. Along the way the Gheens Foundation offered help, as did the Snowy Owl and Hardscuffle Foundations. With these generous gifts in hand, our work returned to normal, and we were able to move forward.
Can you think of instances where your Forums have directly affected our City?
I like to think, of course, that each seminar on campus does something to enhance a student’s thinking and each Forum downtown has brought fresh focus to the hundreds who attend. The Bomhard holds 620 people and each time these spell-binding discussions send people home, I hope, with fresh perspectives.
But when I think of specific instances: during the pandemic, we worked with the Orchestra and created a podcast, at Leslie Cissell’s suggestion, for the Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams with the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The conversation was extraordinary, and two years later, Yo-Yo Ma returned to Louisville to play with the Orchestra, and at a one-of-a kind concert at Mammoth Cave. It made national news.
Further, the philanthropy of the Owsley Brown II Family is guided by the Circle of Harmony and Health. When we saw that the renowned diva Renée Fleming was publishing a book last year about the powerful impact of music on the brain and health, we quickly moved to invite her as a Forum author. She will return to Louisville to sing on April 16, in a one-time concert here. The evening will be in honor of philanthropist Christina Lee Brown, who is not only the principal Author Forum sponsor, but the Louisville Orchestra’s as well, not to mention so many other causes she has undertaken to support.
How are the interviews set up at the Kentucky Center?
“Our beautiful stage set was created in 1996 by Bittners, our wonderful design company here in Louisville, Kentucky, headed by Douglas Riddle. Our set is overseen by their designer, James Douglas. The Focus of the set is a beautiful antique partner’s desk, allowing two people to sit across from one another, as partners in a law firm used to do: they sat in a law office and kept track of what each other was doing, literally eye to eye. I wanted our author and interviewer to sit at such a desk, closely engaged, surrounded by books and a warm furnished library. It was always my objective to have people forget that they are in a theater, to more or less lose themselves: listening to a conversation, as if they were eavesdropping, a conversation they never expected ‘to overhear.’
How many interview forums are scheduled per year, and who have been some of the guests in the past?
“We typically have four a year. They can be on any topic. That’s why we have never considered subscriptions. The interests of authors and of our public are specific and wide. They can cover science, music, politics, art. We seek the individuals in our world who are talking about life’s important issues. Jane Goodall came. Hillary Clinton came. Two Justices of the Supreme Court came (Justices Breyer and O’Connor). Two Secretaries of State, (James Baker came and Madeleine Albright). On another occasion, Wynton Marsalis came and played his famous horn. He taught a music class at the University, and took the time to play with a student band at a middle school! Philippe de Montebello, the then famous head of the Metropolitan Museum, also visited our stage. Doris Kearns Goodwin, the historian. And just this fall: Joan Baez.
The latest author to be featured as part of KAF this February is the incredible Sebastian Junger, who wrote, The Perfect Storm, for which he’s very famous. He’s written about the Afghan War, as well as created a famous documentary Restrepo, which was aired at the Speed Museum. His new book In My Time of Dying, is about being brought back from a clinical death. If you missed it, please catch it on KET or as a Great Podversation on your favorite platform.
We’re very excited to announce that Colm Tóibín will be here on April 14, with his latest novel and Oprah’s Book Club Pick, Long Island. It is the quietly heartbreaking sequel to Tóibín’s Brooklyn. His character, Eilis Lacey, returns to Ireland in mid-life and that provides the backdrop for a nuanced and exquisite examination of personal choice and destiny. Tickets will go on sale February 13, at kentuckyperformingarts.org. It’s a perfect Valentine’s gift.
The University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum is a learning experience that has impacted thousands of Louisvillians and those who watch on their PBS affiliates across the country.
It is the single cultural event in the city of Louisville, which is nationally distributed.