By Jennifer Jahn
NKyTribune staff writer
When Kim Michele Richardson learned that her children’s book My Kentucky Moonlight School had been selected as a 2026 Great Read by Kentucky Humanities, the honor felt deeply personal.
“As a seventh-generation Kentuckian, it’s especially important to me to be the first to introduce this significant program in children’s literature to the world,” Richardson said. “I always write for Kentucky first to lift her up, then the world second.”
The book shines a light on Kentucky’s historic Moonlight Schools, founded in 1911 by educator Cora Wilson Stewart of Farmers, Kentucky. The schools became the nation’s first official adult literacy movement, helping thousands of Kentuckians learn to read and write.
Richardson said Stewart’s story stayed with her long after she first discovered it.
“That a prolific educator who freed countless people from the bondage of illiteracy and crushing poverty ended up with less than a final footnote of recognition was crushing to me,” she said.
Stewart later went blind and died in relative obscurity in North Carolina. Richardson said she was moved to honor both Stewart and the Moonlight School movement through her writing and by purchasing a gravestone for Stewart.
“I recognized her lifelong battle to stamp out illiteracy, what she called ‘a war without the loss of human blood … a war fought with the book and pen,’” Richardson said.
For Richardson, the Moonlight Schools represent more than a historical footnote. She believes they reflect Kentucky’s long-standing commitment to literacy and education.
“There are more bookmobiles in Kentucky than in any other state,” she said. “Kentucky has always led in literacy and pioneered life-changing programs that were mostly women-driven.”
That focus on overlooked stories and communities has become a hallmark of Richardson’s work, including her bestselling novels The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and The Book Woman’s Daughter.
Richardson said her own upbringing shaped the emotional core of her writing.
“I grew up under the grinding heels of poverty,” she said, explaining that she spent her early childhood in an orphanage before entering foster care and later experiencing homelessness as a teenager. “So it’s not hard for me to feel pain deeply and understand the sufferings of others.”
Though her books are works of fiction, Richardson said historical accuracy is essential to her process.
“Thousands and thousands of hours go into my writings,” she said. “For hundreds of years, we’ve let outsiders tell our stories, our history. It’s important that I present it accurately and honestly for Kentucky and the world.”
She describes Kentuckians as “proud and passionate,” adding that beneath the complexities of Appalachian life is “a dignity” she works hard to honor in her books.
The literacy themes in My Kentucky Moonlight School continue to resonate today, Richardson said, particularly as educators and families work to encourage reading among younger generations.
“The message of how literacy can change lives and empower is clear,” she said.
Richardson also praised Kentucky educators for supporting the project. Teachers affiliated with the Kentucky Education Development Corporation helped create companion teacher guides and activity pages for the book.
She hopes the story will resonate with teachers, homeschool families, librarians, and young readers alike.
“Many adults never had the opportunity to go to school because they were busy digging coal, lumbering, or farming during the day,” Richardson said. “These Moonlight Schools offered a tool to tamp down poverty, stand up to big companies, vote, and more. This is the power of books.”
Although many readers know Richardson for her adult historical fiction, she said writing a children’s picture book presented a new challenge.
“I am in awe of children’s authors,” she said. “It is very difficult to tell a story with limited wordage. I feel it’s much easier to write a novel.”
As for what comes next, Richardson confirmed she is working on another Kentucky-centered project, though details remain under wraps.
“It’s too soon to share,” she said, “but it will again be set in Kentucky.”
For more information about Kim Michele Richardson and her upcoming book My Kentucky Moonlight School, visit Kim Michele Richardson’s official website.