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| He Who Is Blessed chronicles life of Harvey Simmonds, features monastery near Bardstown and Payne Hollow in Trimble County |
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He Who is Blessed is the story of Harvey Simmonds, a man who was very much a player in New York's publishing world during the 1960s and '70s, and who, at the age of 45, became a monk. Along the way, Simmonds meets Harlan Hubbard and helps him get his first book published. The program airs Thursday, June 9 at 10/9 p.m. CT and Saturday, June 11 at 11:30/10:30 p.m. CT on KET1. As a young librarian in New York City, Harvey Simmonds catalogued T.S. Eliot's original typewritten manuscript of The Wasteland . As an editor, he helped publish the definitive reference on the ballets of George Balanchine. As a crewmember aboard the steamboat Delta Queen during the early '70s, Simmonds formed lasting friendships with many of Kentucky's great artists and writers. And as a monk, after changing his name to Benedict, he helped the Trappist monastery in Virginia raise funds by publishing a collectable fine book. He Who Is Blessed features interviews with Simmonds' friends and colleages including Alice Quinn, Doris Grumbach, Fay Vincent, Sally Fisher, Ron Stegall and many others. Kentucky locations featured in the program include The Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University and Payne Hollow on the banks of the Ohio River. While He Who Is Blessed is decidedly biographical in nature, the overarching message of the film is the importance of open-mindedness, individuality and self-determination in overcoming adversity and cultivating a satisfying life. He Who is Blessed is produced by Chris Barrett. The program is closed-captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Viewers can find out more about programming on KET's six digital channels by visiting the KET Web site at www.ket.org
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