June 4, 1pm. Join acclaimed Louisville author and multimedia storyteller Graham Shelby for the premiere of his directorial debut “City of Ali,” which highlights the way in which Muhammad Ali’s hometown of Louisville, joined by fans around the world, united to honor the athlete and activist upon his death in 2016. The premiere is the centerpiece of this year’s Ali Festival at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. Tickets are $10 film only, $20 festival and film together. (You can also stream "City of Ali" from home starting June 4.)
June 5, 1–4pm. Join poet Missy Brownson and photographer Melissa T. Hall for a reception celebrating their joint exhibition “Memento Mori + Pandemia” at the Loudoun House in Lexington. This is Hall’s third exhibition connected with her fight with cancer; she writes, “After four years in remission, ‘Memento Mori’ is not a meditation on death, but an encouragement or reminder to embrace your mortality and allow that knowledge to motivate you to fully live each day.” Brownson, author of the 2018 collection Hush Candy, will read from "Memento Mori," which was inspired by Hall’s photographs, at 2:30. Sponsored by the Lexington Art League. Free in-person event.
June 8, 7pm. Carmichael’s Bookstore presents Simon Van Booy as he launches his new novel, Night Came with Many Stars. This generational saga follows Carol, a Kentucky girl whose father bets—and loses—her in a card game when she’s thirteen. Kirkus Reviews writes, “This well-crafted and often serendipitous saga recognizes that family cannot be escaped but can be expanded.” Free virtual event.
June 14, 7pm. Local readers know that the noted fiction and nonfiction author Chris Offutt, a Kentucky native, writes about his home state beautifully and incisively. Offutt’s new book The Killing Hills is a riveting literary crime story set in the mountains of Kentucky. The author will appear courtesy of Joseph-Beth Booksellers and Carmichael’s Bookstore. Free virtual event.