Jessica K. Whitehead’s ‘Driftwood’ wins 2025 Thomas D. Clark Medallion Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2025) — The University Press of Kentucky is proud to announce that Jessica K. Whitehead’s “Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard,” published this year, has been awarded the 2025 Thomas D. Clark Medallion. This prestigious prize recognizes outstanding contributions to Kentucky’s literary and cultural heritage.
Whitehead’s comprehensive biography offers a rich and nuanced portrait of Harlan Hubbard (1900-88) — writer, artist and sustainability pioneer. Drawing from unpublished journals, letters, manuscripts and artwork, she traces Hubbard’s evolution from a young man searching for meaning along the Ohio River to a confident advocate of simple living and creative independence.
“It is so meaningful to me that the life and legacy of Harlan Hubbard, and that of his incredible wife and partner, Anna, have resonated so profoundly with our reading community,” Whitehead said. “We can all learn so much, in these days of uncertainty, from the gentle values of the Hubbards: celebrating beauty and learning, living authentically, and honoring the natural world. I am humbled that, through awarding this honor to ‘Driftwood,’ the foundation has placed the Hubbard story alongside works by great scholars and writers like Crystal Wilkinson, Richard Taylor and James Still. I am in good company, and I feel sure that Harlan would think so, too.”
Whitehead is a writer and curator of collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum. She is a coauthor of “The History of the Kentucky Derby in 75 Objects,” which is a semifinalist for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, and a contributor to “The Watercolors of Harlan Hubbard: From the Collection of Bill and Flo Caddell.”
Named in honor of the late Thomas D. Clark — the esteemed Kentucky Historian Laureate and a founder of the University Press of Kentucky — the Clark Medallion recognizes books that enrich understanding of Kentucky and its region. Presented annually by the Thomas D. Clark Foundation Inc., the award includes a $1,000 prize and an event celebrating the recipient.
“Jessica Whitehead’s ‘Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard’ is an important historical story of a unique Kentuckian and creative whose principles remain relevant in today’s world,” said William Francis, president of the Thomas D. Clark Foundation Board of Directors.
Previous Clark Medallion recipients include:
- “Endangered and Disappearing Birds of Appalachia and the Southeast” by Matt Williams (2024)
- “An Introduction to Black Studies” by Eric R. Jackson (2023)
- “The Gospel of Freedom: Black Evangelicals and the Underground Railroad” by Alicestyne Turley (2022)
- “Perfect Black” by Crystal Wilkinson (2021)
- “Writing Appalachia: An Anthology,” edited by Katherine Ledford, Theresa Lloyd and Rebecca Stephens (2020)
The University Press of Kentucky is the statewide nonprofit scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Serving all Kentucky state-sponsored institutions of higher learning as well as nine private colleges and Kentucky’s two major historical societies, it was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The Press is dedicated to the publication of academic books of high scholarly merit as well as significant books about the history and culture of Kentucky, the Ohio Valley region, the Upper South and Appalachia.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.