Paranormal Kentucky: An Evening with Marie Mitchell & Mason Smith

Join Kentucky authors Marie Mitchell and Mason Smith as they read from and discuss their book, Paranormal Kentucky: An Uncommon Wealth of Close Encounters with Aliens, Ghosts, and Cryptids. A signing will follow, with books available for purchase.

Encounters with Wolfman and Goatman. An Air National Guard captain who tragically lost his life in pursuit of a peculiar UFO. The Goblin Incident of 1955. Hauntings at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Spanning these and other out-of-this-world topics, Paranormal Kentucky is an investigation into more than twenty cases—some famous, some more obscure—of the supernatural across the Commonwealth. Incidents featuring iconic cryptids like Bigfoot and Mothman, which are rumored to lurk elsewhere in Appalachia and the continental US, are also explored. Co-authors Marie Mitchell and Mason Smith approach each case with nuance and offer in-depth details from multiple perspectives, providing rational explanations alongside the "true believer" claims and mysteries that remain. In addition to field investigations and witness interviews, the duo shares stories of their own experiences with "high strangeness." Mitchell and Smith offer wry but sympathetic accounts, placing Kentucky history and folklore at the forefront of their work. Paranormal Kentucky reminds us that perhaps not everything is as it seems—and that fact can often be found in fiction.

In addition to Paranormal Kentucky, Mitchell and Smith are also the authors of Kentucky-based chapter books for young readers (one where a Squatch appears), ten supernatural/mystery novels co-authored with three other EKU professors (where Bigfoots cause chaos), and a variety of plays, newspaper columns, and short stories. Both are retired instructors from Eastern Kentucky University. They have four adult children and six cats.