UK Libraries' King Library Press is no stranger to blending the old and the new. While drawing on the past to keep a centuries-old tradition alive, artists and practitioners working with the Press are also constantly innovating the methods, modes, and forms that letterpress printing can take.
This dance across time requires a particular mode of polytemporal communication: one that often takes on personal dimensions.
During the Spring 2026 Book Arts Weekend, new Head of the Press Kadin Henningsen will describe his own journey forging connections across space and time with printers of the past – drawing particularly on his experience of printing poems from Walt Whitman’s 19th-century magnum opus, Leaves of Grass – during a free public lecture on Friday, April 17.
Several editions of Leaves of Grass will be on display in the Breckinridge Research Room during the reception. Editions on view include the first edition (1855), third edition (1860) with the first appearance of Whitman’s “Calumus” cluster of poems, the suppressed 1881-82 edition, and Whitman’s “death-bed” edition (1891-92).
Henningsen will also bring his own innovative printing methods to a hands-on workshop on Saturday, April 18.
All UK students, faculty, and staff, along with the wider Lexington community, are invited to get a taste of the unique process of letterpress printing during the two-day event.
Waltzing with Whitman: Toward a Theory of Polytemporal CompanionshipFREE PUBLIC LECTUREApril 17 | M.I. King Library, Great Hall | Reception 6:30pm | Lecture 7pm
Drawing on recent research on the publishing history of the 1881 edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Henningsen explores how the act of typesetting conjures an intimate dance with Whitman and his compositors across space and time. RSVPs are appreciated.
Amazing Anaglyphs: Letterpress Printing in 3DCOLLABORATIVE WORKSHOPApril 18 | King Library Press | Doors 8:30am | Workshop 9am | $45/$25 for Students
Henningsen will discuss the history of anaglyphs, a form of stereoscopic 3D imaging, and demonstrate how to letterpress print 3D anaglyphs. Participants will have an opportunity to print their own anaglyph poster.
The cost to attend the workshop is $45 per person ($25 for students). Workshop space is limited and requires reservation. To register for the workshop, please fill out the RSVP form or call (859) 257-1742. Doors open at 8:30 am.
Kadin Henningsen is a printer-scholar and the newly appointed Head of the King Library Press at the University of Kentucky. An award-winning printer, his work is included in several institutional collections including the University of Kentucky’s Special Collections Research Center, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Houghton Library at Harvard University, Tulane University Special Collections, and the Library of Congress.
Founded in 1956, the King Library Press is dedicated to carrying on the craft of producing books and broadsides by hand, from typesetting and printing to decorative paper design and book binding. One of the premier teaching presses in the country, the KLP is renowned for the artistry and craftsmanship of its products, which include dozens of books and hundreds of broadsides, keepsakes, and other ephemera, all printed on its numerous hand-operated presses.
