We invite you to join us on for a talk by Jessica K. Whitehead based on her award-winning book Driftwood, the Life of Harlan Hubbard on Thursday, September 10, 2026 @ 6:30 PM at the Riverside Visitors Center. 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 Payne Hollow, their hand-built homestead on the Ohio River, 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.

Ms. Whitehead’s book is the winner of the 2025 Thomas D. Clark Medallion Award and a 2026 IPBA (Independent Book Publishers Association) Silver Medal in the Biography and Autobiography category.

This enlightening free presentation on this important Kentucky artist is part of Riverside’s 2026 Local Writers, Local Connections Series. While admission is free, we encourage you to reserve a seat by calling our office at 502.935.6809 or reserve a free ticket here.

Refreshments will be served. Books will be available for sale and signing by the author.