The Berry Center

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The Berry Center

Putting Wendell Berry’s writings to work by advocating for farmers, land conserving communities, and

In 1975 Wendell Berry published The Unsettling of America, a book that started a national and international conversation on the state of agriculture in our country. The Berry Center continues to bring focus, knowledge, and cohesiveness to the work of changing our ruinous industrial agriculture system into a culture that uses nature as the standard, that accepts no permanent damage to the ecosphere, and that takes into consideration human health in local communities.

09/01/2026

Friends,

The Berry Center and Berry family are heartbroken to announce the death of Wendell Erdman Berry, writer and farmer of Port Royal, Henry County, Kentucky. He passed suddenly and peacefully at home yesterday afternoon, August 31st. His work continues, here and in every place where people aim to live according to nature’s measure, on and with and of their beloved home place.

Please help us respect the privacy and the wishes of the family by directing all correspondence, remembrances, inquiries, and good wishes to The Berry Center at [email protected] or by post ℅ The Berry Center, PO Box 582, New Castle KY 40050. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Berry Center or a like-missioned organization doing the good work in your home place in Wendell’s memory.

Photo by James Baker Hall

08/28/2026

Friends, it’s here! Our colleagues at The Bookstore at The Berry Center have the 50th Anniversary edition of The Unsettling of America in stock, and we be happy to add you to the list of hundreds who will getting their preorders in hand in the days to come! Head over to berrycenterbookstore.com to order, and they’ve even decided to sweeten the pot with the coupon code SUMMERREADING to get 20 percent off! Get those orders in, friends!

08/21/2026

Friends, we’ve got a STACKED lineup of events this fall, and we hope you will join us for just as many as you can. First up, our 2026 Wendell Berry Lecture, this year presented by Dr. Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity School, on her work interpreting the agrarian origins and stories of the Bible.

Then, on the 12th of September, our ALL FALL FESTIVAL returns! This year, we are hosting not one but TWO book giveaways, our 2026 Agrarian Literary League pick AND Wendell’s ‘The Unsettling of America’ to celebrate its 50th anniversary edition. We’ll have our usual spread of great food (including YOUR entry in the 2026 Best of Henry County Bake-off) and great fun for the whole family.

The fall also brings us two excellent author events, the first out on the farm September 25th featuring The Berry Center Farm And Forest Institute woodland skills educator Rick Thomas in conversation with renowned author and forester Ethan Tapper about his new book, The Forest Year: Finding Hope In A World Worth Saving. This event also features a woods walk earlier in the day, but those tickets are extremely limited, so reserve them today!

Finally, October brings us Kentucky’s own bestselling author Kim Michele Richardson, who will be joining us on the 24th to celebrate her newest children's book, My Kentucky Moonlight School, a beautiful picture book about some of the Commonwealth’s earliest literacy efforts. We’ll have big fun hearing from Kim Michele reading from the book, talking about the research and writing that went into it and her other bestselling titles (including the fabulous ‘Book Woman of Troublesome Creek’ series), and I’m told there might even be a song or two.

We’ll look forward to seeing you at one or all of these wonderful events, Friends. You can reserve your tickets today at the link below/in our bio, or head directly over to berrycenter.org/events or eventbrite.com/o/the-berry-center-82065433783

And as always, if you have questions you can hit us up at [email protected]
See you there!

08/18/2026

Friends, an exciting opportunity for study ahead of our upcoming Wendell Berry Lecture by Dr. Ellen Davis! Join our own Dr. Leah Bayens and BSK Theological Seminary's John Inscore Essick for a workshop on Davis' excellent Scripture, Culture and Agriculture ahead of her lecture here at The Berry Center

08/17/2026

Friends, The Berry Center, Our Home Place Meat, and Feed Louisville are working together to connect local farms to local families in need.

This partnership connects Kentucky farms with Louisville families through a model that supports farmers, increases access to nutritious food, and strengthens local food security.

If you are able pitch in to get good food to people who need it here in the greater Louisville area, we are so glad to have you on board. Visit berrycenter.org/localfarms to contribute today.

08/13/2026

Friends, we are so pleased to invite you to our 2026 WENDELL BERRY LECTURE, this year presented by Ellen Davis, renowned theologian and the Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke University. Dr. Davis will be joining us to talk about her study of Western religious practices and their agrarian roots. We are also happy to report that she will be speaking on and signing her book: Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, which is a perennial favorite here at The Bookstore at The Berry Center and on our own shelves.

Join us on September 10th right here in beautiful New Castle, Kentucky for what promises to be a thought provoking evening with one of the country's foremost religious scholars.

You can find out more at berrycenter.org/events or follow the link below to reserve your tickets today, AND AS A BONUS, should you desire to learn a little more, our colleagues at The Berry Center Farm & Forest Institute are hosting a one-day seminar with Rev. John Inscore Essick of on Dr. Davis' work immediately before the event, with a guaranteed seat included in the bargain. If you'd like to learn more about this study opportunity, head over to berrycenterfarmandforest.org

We'll see you there, friends!

08/11/2026

Friends, mark those calendars! We are so happy to announce our AGRARIAN LITERARY LEAGUE FALL FESTIVAL, coming right here in beautiful New Castle, Kentucky on Saturday September 12th! Join us from 11am-2pm for good fun and great books for the whole family! We'll have crafts and exhibits from Henry County artisans, an Our Home Place Meat cookout, fun and games (including our world-famous straw bale tower) for the kids, and not one but TWO free books for attendees, kicking off this year's ALL programming with .renkl's excellent Late Migrations AND an early start to next year's study of The Unsettling of America, with free copies of the brand new 50th Anniversary edition to help you get your own study started.

Oh, and lest we forget, THE 2026 BEST OF HENRY COUNTY BAKEOFF ceremonial grand prize cake plate is up for grabs! Bring your finest home baked recipe and as many local ingredients as you can muster and compete for glory and fame in this year's baking contest. More rules and information can be found by emailing [email protected].

We'll see you in September, friends!

08/10/2026

The Berry Center, Our Home Place Meat, and Feed Louisville are working together to share local food where it’s needed most.

This partnership connects Kentucky farms with Louisville families through a model that supports farmers, increases access to nutritious food, and strengthens local food security.

Friends, if you are interested in supporting feeding efforts towards a more healthy and prosperous city and countryside here in the greater Louisville area, we are glad for your support. Visit berrycenter.org/localfarms to contribute today.

08/06/2026

WE ARE HIRING!

Friends, we are looking for some good help here at The Berry Center, and if you know someone (or are someone!) who would fit the bill we’d be glad to talk to you.

First, we are currently seeking some part-time/seasonal help in The Bookstore at The Berry Center. Do you love books? Do you love to put just the right title in someone’s hand, either in person or online? Are you organized, tidy, and self-starting? Can you be the smiling face of The Berry Center and the greater Henry County region for thousands of annual visitors here in beautiful New Castle, Kentucky? If so, we’d love for you to drop us a resumé over at the indeed.com link below or on our website over at berrycenter.org

Second, we are seeking applicants for an Environmental Educator Leadership Corps (EELCorps) position at The Berry Center’s Farm and Forest Institute for 2026-2027. We’re looking for a candidate who wants to work in the woodlands, instruct and demonstrate for guests and students, and is willing both to learn and then to teach. For more information and instructions on how to apply, head over to berrycenterfarmandforest.org/ffi-americorps or click the link below. See you in the woods!

Address

111 S. Main Street, P. O. Box 582
New Castle, KY
40050

Telephone

(502) 845-9200

Website

http://berrycenter.org/

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