Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard

Tue, 11 Mar, 2025 at 06:00 pm UTC-04:00

319 Wapping St, Frankfort, KY, United States, Kentucky 40601 | Frankfort

Paul Sawyier Public Library
Publisher/HostPaul Sawyier Public Library
Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard
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Join Jessica K. Whitehead as she reads from and discusses her new book, Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard.
Writer, artist, and sustainability pioneer Harlan Hubbard (1900–1988) lived a quiet, unassuming life, and yet he is thoroughly embedded in Kentucky's historical memory. While some may know of Hubbard's shantyboat sojourn on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers with his wife, Anna, or of Payne Hollow, their hand-built homestead, few know the full story. After four decades of transformation, Hubbard emerged in middle age as the rightful heir to the Transcendentalist ethos, ready to envision a unique existence of simplicity and wild beauty akin to that of the revered Henry David Thoreau.
In this comprehensive biography, Jessica K. Whitehead reveals why Hubbard is beloved by his fellow Kentuckians and has been an inspiration to generations of readers interested in art, adventure, and environmentalism. Driftwood delves into Hubbard's family background, education, and relationships, and into his theories on art, writing, music, and philosophy. Using journals, letters, paintings, manuscripts, and sketches, Whitehead pieces together the distinct phases of Hubbard's life, providing new insights into his character and legacy. By examining his perspectives on creativity and responsible living, Whitehead connects the early Hubbard, who grappled with his identity and yearned for travel, with the confident and intentional Hubbard of Payne Hollow.
A signing will follow, with copies available for purchase from Poor Richard's Books.
Jessica K. Whitehead, writer and curator of collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, is coauthor of The History of the Kentucky Derby in 75 Objects and a contributor to The Watercolors of Harlan Hubbard: From the Collection of Bill and Flo Caddell.
Please register at https://www.pspl.org/event/hubbard. For more information, contact Diane Dehoney at (502) 352-2665 x100 or [email protected].
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319 Wapping St, Frankfort, KY, United States, Kentucky 40601

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