As part of the "Year of Civics and Citizenship," the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will host guest speaker Sam Ford for a lecture regarding the Future of Work initiative in Kentucky: the power of narrative for imagining sustainable solutions. The free public talk will begin 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in the William T. Young Library.

For a state at the front lines of economic disruption, the future of work can be a challenging subject. Ford will discuss how we can avoid dominant culture narratives becoming self-fulfilling prophecies as well as the roles questions of narrative and civic imagination play in economic development.

Ford is a media innovation consultant based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is a Knights News Innovation Fellow with Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism, a research affiliate with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Comparative Media Studies/Writing and an instructor for Western Kentucky University. Ford is very well versed in developing initiatives, launching research projects and publishing.

Based on Ford's work, he has been leading in partnership with MIT, the University of Southern California, Columbia University, Western Kentucky University and other partners, topics such as reimagining narratives at the personal and community level, the importance of the strength of local civic communication infrastructure, and the emerging Future of Work in Kentucky initiative will be discussed.

The event is part of UK College of Arts and Sciences’ “Year of Civics and Citizenship in the 21st Century: Keys to Our Common Future” program, a series of lectures, seminars, panel discussions and other events aimed at unlocking what it means to be “for Kentucky” in the 21st century. “Keys to Our Common Future” aims to unite the UK campus in dialogue about the roles of a citizen of the Commonwealth.

For information about "Keys to Our Common Future," visit https://commonfuture.as.uky.edu/.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue