Our first guest in Episode 29 of the Eastern Standard series “Democracy Optimist” is Joyce Vance, the author of Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping Our Democracy. The title says it all. The book explains that democracy is the collective responsibility of all concerned Americans, and that there is a role in the preservation of our democracy for each and every one of us. Joyce Vance is a New York Times bestselling author, former United States Attorney, and current professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. She’s also a legal analyst for MS Now—formerly known as MSNBC—writes the Civil Discourse newsletter on Substack, and co-hosts two podcasts, SistersInLaw and The Insider.

The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1971, effectively lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Young people were asked to fight in the Vietnam War, which many of them opposed. They organized anti-war protests on school campuses all across the country. “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” became a common rallying cry. But, these days, young people have not embraced their voting power in significant numbers. The youngest age group turns out to vote at the lowest rate compared to all other age groups, often by a significant amount. Our guest wants to help, and she’s built an organization to do just that. Laura Brill is the CEO & Founder of The Civics Center, an organization focused on promoting voter registration for young people.

Democracy Optimist is hosted by Joshua Douglas, an election law and voting rights and research professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law.

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ICE detainments and deportations may seem to have faded, but the actions against immigrants, illegal and legal, continue in Kentucky. Nima Kulkarni, a state representative, immigration employment attorney and founder of the New Americans Initiative, brings us up to date.

Listening can foster understanding. Understanding can dispel cultural tensions. And that is a goal of “South of the Border: Analyzing the socioeconomic and political drivers of Latin American Migration.” It’s a panel discussion set for 7 PM on May 28 at the Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington, billed as “an important opportunity for community members, students, and policymakers to engage in thoughtful conversation on one of the most pressing issues of our time.” Panelist Fatima Espinoza Vasquez joins us with background and details.

Over the past two decades, domestic horses have been abandoned on abandoned mine sites in eastern Kentucky, forming unmanaged herds. Unchecked breeding has resulted in overpopulation, and according to the Kentucky Humane Society, this is putting horses at risk of starvation, increasing roadway hazards, and causing environmental damage through overgrazing and erosion. Most of these horses were born in the mountains and have never been handled, making traditional management strategies more difficult. KHS Equine Director Lori Redmon tells us about a fertility control program now getting underway.

Kentucky artists Lynn Sweet and Rodney Hatfield are old friends. So it’s fitting that their considerable bodies of work are paired in the latest exhibition at Lexington’s Headley Whitney Museum of Art. We learn more from museum Director, Christina Bell.

This week on Eastern Standard:

The term “affordability” is tossed around a lot these days. What does it look like for Kentuckians? We discuss it with a pair of Kentucky economists who are keeping watch on the basket of unskippable stuff we pay for from every paycheck: things such as housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and health care. Our guests are Michael Clark, Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, and an associate professor of economics at the University of Kentucky, and Jose Fernandez, professor and chair of economics at the University of Louisville.

What does it take to get local government officials and economic development professionals to collaborate across county lines to make their region more competitive in attracting new business and employees? It’s the focus of a five-year, nine-county plan now under development in central Kentucky. Our guests are Commerce Lexington President and CEO, Bob Quick, and the chamber’s Chief Policy Officer and Director of Regional Engagement, Andi Johnson.

This week on Eastern Standard:

Data Journalist and pollster G. Elliot Morris is the guest of Carolyn Dupont, host of our series, “Civics and Civility, the Path to a Shared American Future.” They discuss the psychology that goes into framing polling questions and how framing influences responses.

Sarah Melotte heads “the Rural Index,” the Daily Yonder data newsletter. Sarah takes us through the details of her recent article, “Rural Counties: New Arrivals Offset Natural Declines for Fifth Consecutive Year.” And she made an interactive map to show what is happening to the populations of many Eastern Kentucky counties.

Pat Banks is an artist, an environmentalist and director of the Kentucky Riverkeeper, a nonprofit on a mission to educate and advocate for the responsible stewardship of the Kentucky River watershed.

Richmond crime novelist Wesley Browne won the prestigious Weatherford Award for his book, They All Fall the Same. In this conversation with Eastern Standard literary contributor Kevin Nance, Browne discusses how crime and literary novels differ and how he has blended these genres in his latest work.

Yeison Landero, born in San Jacinto, Colombia, is carrying on the legacy his grandfather Andrés Landero, a musician recognized internationally as the “King of Cumbia,” a dance style similar to salsa. Landero and his band are performing in the latest Greenroom Exchange concert at the Downtown Arts Center in Lexington. We learn more from Landero’s road manager, Javier Visas.

This week on Eastern Standard:

Imagine being assigned to divine the future consequences and outcomes of economic decisions made today — especially in light of the uncertainties of war in the Middle East and what many experience as a “crisis of affordability” here at home. That is David Brancaccio’s new role as the longtime Marketplace host makes a career shift to Special Correspondent. He joins us to talk about the new assignment.

The Lexington Opera House is getting ready for a big weeklong celebration recognizing its 140th year — which came very close to ending 50 years ago. Our guest, Linda Carey, is credited with rallying support to rescue the theatre from the wrecking ball. That history and the celebration week featuring a special performance by Tony award winning stage, film and television actress and singer Bernadette Peters are our focus.

“When a group of people laugh together, that’s a literal act of community,” says professional storyteller Paul Strickland. The Northern Kentucky native is featured at this year’s Paris Storytelling Festival and shares more of his philosophy about the power of humor.

Who was Lyle Aten? After you hear about him from Lexington History Museum executive director Mandy Higgins, driving around Lexington will never be the same. Aten was a landscape architect (and much more) whose works shaped some of Lexington's best known landmarks.

Lexington guitarist, singer, songwriter and recording artist Jim Gleason discusses his latest album and we sample some tracks from “Looking for Treble.”

This week on Eastern Standard:

Many people can name the Kentucky Governor, but what about Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor? Do you know what she does and how her work impacts your daily life? Do you know her main priorities? We are about to find out in Episode 28 of our series, “Democracy Optimist” hosted by University of Kentucky election law and voting rights research professor, Joshua Douglas. Our guest, Jacqueline Coleman, is the 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. Lieutenant Governor Coleman has served as a high school teacher, school administrator, and basketball coach. She was recently chosen to be the chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association for 2026-27.

Surveys show that there’s a real lack of trust in the news media. Why is that? And how do we rebuild that trust? And how can people know that they are consuming news from a trustworthy source? Among the many questions for Jamie Lucke, founding editor of the online news source, Kentucky Lantern.

This week on Eastern Standard:

The many ways nonprofits touch our lives, the fulfillment and reward of volunteerism, and the most pressing challenges confronting these organizations in uncertain times. Our guests are Danielle Clore, CEO, Kentucky Nonprofit Network; Lisa Adkins, President and CEO of the Blue Grass Community Foundation; Kristen Walker Collins, CEO, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky; and Hannah Conover, CEO and co-founder of Grant Ready Kentucky.

This week on Eastern Standard:

• How to push the civility reset button. A thoughtful conversation between two leaders of “Braver Angels,” a nationwide movement with a Kentucky chapter that is working to help people overcome loss of friends and family estrangements to the divisiveness of our times. Carolyn Dupont, host of our series “Civics and Civility: The Path to a Shared American Future” (and former state coordinator for Braver Angels), talks with the organization’s co-founder, Bill Doherty.

• The Trump administration has launched a broad effort to reshape how American history is told at federal sites. All interpretive signage in national parks has been reviewed, and some exhibits and signs on slavery, Native American mistreatment, and climate change have been removed or revised. But not without resistance. Our guest is Gerry Seavo James, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club “Outdoors for all” campaign.

• If you spend enough time around horse racing, you start to notice that some of the most visible talent on the track comes from Latino communities — jockeys, trainers, grooms — and yet their history often lives just out of frame. At the Keeneland Library in Lexington, a new exhibit brings those stories forward. It’s called Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing. We visit with Keeneland archivist Roda Ferraro.

• Eastern Kentucky author Willie Carver chats with Eastern Standard Literary contributor Kevin Nance about his new novel, “Tore All to Pieces.”

This week on Eastern Standard:

Why AI makes rural access to broadband internet all the more essential. Education contributor Brigitte Blom, in conversation with EKU Artificial Intelligence strategist Lisa Blue.

The meaning of the “Land Acknowledgment” that appears in many theatre production playbills. We get the back story from Lexington Theatre Company co-founder and Artistic Director Lyndy Franklin Smith, and Trevor McChristian, actor, enrolled member of the Navajo (Dine) Nation and of the Lexington Theatre Company’s Inclusivity Advisory Council.

Literary Contributor Tom Eblen interviews children’s book author Marcia Thornton Jones, a 2026 inductee into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.

Larry Pemble, founder of the James Baker Hall Foundation, details upcoming events for Kentucky writers.

Theatre contributor Bill McCann has as his guest Jordan Campbell, executive director of the Gateway Regional Arts Center in Mt. Sterling, and director of “The Sweet Life: The Ruth Hunt Story”, a play by Barbourville native Cat Goguen. The play will be performed as part of the Actor Theatre of Louisville Fringe Festival on April 4 in the Pamela Brown Theatre.

This week on Eastern Standard:

What are the consequences of environmental deregulation? The Trump administration has done away with the “endangerment finding,” an EPA process that had identified six greenhouse gases as dangerous to human health under the Clean Air Act. The agency has also rescinded "Mercury and Air Toxics Standards" (“MATS") that had established limits on mercury, acid gases, and other toxic pollutants from affected coal and oil-fired power plants. We hear from Ashley Wilmes, Executive Director of the Kentucky Resources Council.

Learn new skills that can help you navigate today’s thorny political conversations. Behavioral scientist Allison Gerrard, Managing Director of the organization “Moral Courage,” is guest of Carolyn Dupont, host of our series, “Civics, Civility, and the Path to a Shared American Future.”

Navajo Fred Nez Keams was raised in the harsh conditions of a federal boarding school in New Mexico. He now lives in Mercer County, Kentucky, where he fashions wood flutes. Keams is preparing to perform for the latest Green Room Exchange concert in Lexington.

Brit Taylor grew up in Hindman. And although she has lived and worked in Nashville for the past 18 years, her Eastern Kentucky roots are firm and never far from her mind. That’s very evident in Brit’s third album. She joins us to talk about and share the music.