Margaret Price, award-winning writer and recipient of the Kentucky Arts Council's Al Smith Fellowship, joins host Kate Savage to discuss her new novel Where Stillness Speaks, inspired by decades of research into the mystical world of Kentucky’s Shaker communities. Margaret shares the story’s origins, from a chance encounter with a local storyteller to deep dives into Shaker journals and the secrets of Pleasant Hill. She reflects on the Shakers’ reverence for stillness, radical forgiveness, and their belief in things unseen—including visions, female divinity, and sacred places hidden in the Kentucky landscape. The conversation traces both Margaret’s personal journey and broader themes of healing, faith, and the enduring power of history, offering listeners a window into the novel’s richly layered narrative and a heartfelt invitation to experience the wonder of Shakertown for themselves.

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Kevin Nance is a writer and photographer in Lexington. His books include EVEN IF and MIDNIGHT, both collections of photographs and haiku; GENEVA’S GARDEN: FOUR SEASONS OF BEAUTY IN LEXINGTON’S GRATZ PARK, a book of photographs; and most recently SMOKE, a poetry collection just out from Accents Publishing,

As an arts journalist, Kevin writes for Lexington’s online arts magazine Undermain and has also written for the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Poets & Writers Magazine and other publications.

​As a photographer, Kevin’s work has been exhibited widely and will be represented in the upcoming Lexington Camera Club show, opening at the Gray Design Building on Sept. 8 through Oct. 17.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Seth Tusker, son of the late artist and educator John Regis Tusker, joins Kate to recount the creation and evolution of the Mythos Experience—an immersive, reflective art encounter originally inspired by his father’s work. Seth shares the story of how the program moved from its first pop-up in a church sanctuary to being embraced by Lexington’s schools, and how the experience centers on guided journaling, self-discovery, and connecting deeply with art through touch and personal reflection. He discusses recent collaborations with Fayette County Public Schools and Dunbar High School, where students created poignant, collage-based responses to Tusker’s art, culminating in a mobile exhibition designed to inspire self-examination and empathy in viewers of all ages. The conversation also highlights Seth’s Operation Lion Drop, a global initiative delivering creative, hope-filled toolkits to children in crisis, connecting Tusker’s message of empowerment and introspection to new generations and communities.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html