GREENUP- Born in Greenup County, Lee Pennington, while still a student at McKell High School, Greenup, Kentucky, he was a freelance reporter at the Portsmouth Times from 956 to 1958. Pennington shared that Jesse Stuart, his principal at the time, assisted him getting the job that provided enough funds to buy a suit for the prom, a slide rule that he used all through college and a high school senior ring.

When he got old enough to get his license, he bought a car with the money from writing articles at the newspaper and from selling strawberries off a row his parents gave him from the family farm in White Oak. Many locals may still recall the Pennington calling out, “Corn, green beans fresh strawberries!” from an old Chevy truck selling fresh produce all around Portsmouth.

Following graduation, he and Stuart became close friends and later colleagues. They traveled to several foreign lands and corresponded on a regular basis. Many of those letters have been donated to the Lee and Joy Pennington Cultural Heritage Gallery in the Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville.

Pennington went on to teach, write books on poetry, and became known as a master storyteller. Later, his international travels became the background for his many films.

This documentary is about the behind-the-scenes stories of the 23 published books, nine plays and 26 documentaries of Lee Pennington. Pennington is a three-time Pulitzer-prize nominee, former Poet Laureate, and senior producer of Jole Productions.

The film is directed and produced by local Scioto County resident Laura G Womack, who began working on the project shortly after the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions were lifted. Many non-stop days of filming have been condensed to this full-length film on that holds some never shared before accounts of Pennington as he filmed around the world.

There will be a Q&A session, meet and greet, and autograph signing as well as a reception following the screening of the film. Copies of some of his books and DVD’s, including this film, The Story Behind the Story of Lee Pennington, will be available for purchase.

Doors will open at 3 p.m., Sunday, June 25, and the viewing of the film will follow at 3:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public at The William F. Ekstrom Library, Chao Auditorium, University of Louisville 2301 S. Third Street Louisville, KY 40292.

Any questions may be directed to Sterling & Scott, LLC at (330) 529-9533 or by email to [email protected].