Emphasize the contributions of women, past and present.
Highlight artistry of Kentucky’s female artists.
Create a more robust picture of Kentucky history.
Promote student civic engagement and social participation.
With a foreword from Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor,
Jacqueline Coleman
A children’s book of Kentucky’s bold women civic leaders, past and present, illustrated by Kentucky artists.
Bluegrass Bold showcases women of Kentucky who actively contributed to bettering the Bluegrass and beyond. Readers young and old will be captivated by the contributions of Kentucky’s women.
Coupled with the book are open-access teacher resources, aligned with state standards.
In the News…
FEATURED IN…
Women in Kentucky | Social Studies Shorts Social Studies Shorts is a new series from KET that explores social studies and civics topics, from here in Kentucky to the nation and the world.
Frazier History Museum Newsletter, Bluegrass Bold: Stories of Kentucky Women. Read it here.
KET Connections, Authors Prisha Hedau, Carly Muetterties, and Maddie Shepard.” Watch it here.
Spectrum News 1, “Bluegrass Bold” Highlights Contributions of Kentucky Women.
Watch and read it here.
Frazier History Museum Newsletter, Bluegrass Bold: A Children’s Book on Kentucky’s Bold Women Civic Leaders. Read it here.
Tina Ward-Pugh, Louisville Courier-Journal, “Honoring Herstory…” Read it here.
The Zag Podcast, Episode 164 w/ Carly Muetterties and Maddie Shepard. Listen to it here.
Featured on Art Throb with Kate Savage, Radio Lex. Listen to it here.
Our story
We were inspired to write this book by Toni Morrison’s words: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” We are both Kentucky girls who grew up in the Bluegrass, but we didn’t learn the rich history of Kentucky’s women until well into adulthood.
We want to inspire Kentuckians, young and old, to see how the lives of these women contribute to Kentucky’s story. We also want to inspire readers to leave their own marks on the world.
See more about the authors.
The book profiles a diverse group of 36 Kentuckians. Each page provides a story of the woman, coupled with a portrait created by a Kentucky artist.
**Partially supported by the artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
See the artists page for more information about our talented artists.
With the publication of this book, we have complementary teacher resources to support integration into curriculum and student investigation.
These resources are open-source and available for any teachers to use.
See the educators page for more information.
Who is featured?
Women profiled in Bluegrass Bold reflect the diverse voices of Kentucky’s past and present.
See the list of featured women.
Our sponsors
This project was made possible by the generosity of our sponsors.
See all of our sponsors below.
To put this book in the hands of young people, we still need your support!
Visit the support page to learn more about sponsorship.
Sponsors
Kentucky Foundation for Women, Artist Enrichment Grant ($1000)
Classroom Sponsors
Winters Law Group, LLC
Genie Potter
Metro United Way
Portrait Sponsors
Candace Shepard
Lindsey Burke
Terilyn Fleming
Jessica and John Winters
Story Sponsors
Katie Wright
Kara Clark
Will Barnett
Lindsey Burke
Maria Gurren
Stefanie Hogan
Hon. Tina Ward-Pugh & Laura Ryan
Katie Oswalt
Carlos B. Smith
Melissa K. Kleinschmidt
Vanessa Grossl
John Kleinschmidt
Ryan Davis
Jill Ligon Davis
Barbara Roberts
Bruce Elam
Book Sponsors
Whitney Mendiondo
Cassie Lyles
Sara Kramer
Lauren Blankenship
Patricia Fulce-Smith
Ashley Lamb-Sinclair
Anna Bunton
Lindsey Burke
Sarah Brenner
Lyndsay Railey
Special Thanks go to...
Penelope Peavler
Ryan Crowley, PhD
George Ella Lyon
Gwynn Henderson, PhD
Amy Olson
Rachel Platt
Jon Coleman, PhD
Catherine Fosl, PhD
Sam Northern
Katy Swalwell, PhD