Driftwood with Author Jessica Whitehead

September 23, 2025
12:00pm - 1:00pm

"I need a flood in my soul, to carry off all the old drift and the flimsy habits that have extended down to the water's edge."—Harlan Hubbard, Journals

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.

Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard is a complex portrait of a person who deserves a place alongside other iconic American thinkers and artists in the nation's broad cultural history. It offers a vivid depiction of Hubbard, the traces he left behind, and his template for sustainability in our modern ecological landscape.

Author 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.

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"Lunch With Books" is the library’s flagship program for adult patrons. These lunchtime programs feature authors, poets, musicians, historians, and more every Tuesday at noon. Bring lunch (to the Library Auditorium or your computer), feed your brain!