It’s Cool to Be a Nerd
If you want to talk about education in Mississippi, you need to prepare for a pretty depressing conversation. We're either in the top five or bottom five of every national education-related list—whichever end you don't want to be, there we are.
A Murder Puzzle
When it comes to writing, Liz Stauffer has covered a lot of genres, from politics to technology. But these days, Stauffer (mother of Jackson Free Press publisher Todd Stauffer) is retired from corporate life and penning classic mystery novels instead.
The Second Annual Craft-Beer Taste-Off
In the year since the Mississippi Legislature approved higher-gravity beers, our beverage economy has seen an explosion of new brews to try, from local and regional microbreweries to innovative undertakings from the big industry boys.
Brew, Baby Brew
Homebrewing is on the rise in the United States and, now that it is legal in Mississippi, expect the chatter among your beer-loving friends to rise even more.
Join the Conversation
It's about talking, sure, but it's about listening, too. After all, Wendy Davis stood and talked for 11 hours, but I believe it was tied to a hope that someone in that room or someone tuning in would take their fingers out of their ears and actually listen.
Worth a Thousand Words
When it comes to wedding photography, Adam and Allison Hudson have a bit of an edge. The couple are partners in life before partners in work, which allows them a distinct approach to working with brides and grooms.
Todd Allen
49-year-old Allen, who recently worked on Mayor-elect Chokwe Lumumba's campaign, has never shied away from racial integration or open dialogue about differences.
Squeaky Clean (and Super Cheap)
I've been intrigued by the do-it-yourself cleaning products trend for a while now. I definitely believe the products we buy to clean our home—not to mention hair and beauty products—contain way too many extraneous ingredients.
Redefining Success
What makes one person successful ... when a person of similar intelligence, experience and means is not?
Easy Inspiration
I love great quotes and am always looking for new ways to keep them around the house for inspiration (in a chicer way than just a trusty Post-It note, of course). This particular project is once again based on something I saw on Pinterest, modified to fit my tastes and the supplies I had on hand. I love the way I can mix and match different fonts, and once all the letters are painted the same color, they still look cohesive.
Fingers and Toes
In the running world, a seemingly endless debate rages--what shoes will maximize your running potential? One camp swears by minimalist running shoes, characterized by being lightweight and having a super thin sole--Vibram Five Finger shoes with the separated toes are the most recognizable minimalist shoes, although many manufacturers make them with a more traditional enclosed toe box. On the other side of the debate are those that argue that runners need more support from their footwear.
An Unmoving Movement
Michael O'Brien spent years putting together various perspectives of the Woolworth sit-in for his book, "We Shall Not Be Moved."
Anne Welch
Anne Welch believes Jackson has the potential to be one of the country's great biking cities.
Making Worlds
In "The Kings and Queens of Roam," author Daniel Wallace illustrates the power words have to make worlds, both in the tragic whimsy of the world his words create and in the sad, scary world one character builds for another.
A Shoestring Fling
Operation Shoestring is a community organization based around kids and families that has been making a difference for nearly 50 years.
Apes & Ales
Springtime means good eats and drinks in Jackson. If you’ve been hiding out from freak hailstorms by eating soup at home, now is the time to put down the ladle and get out into the city—all for a good cause. Three food and drink events are blasting into Jackson in a seven-day span, benefitting three community-minded organizations: the Alzheimer’s Association, the Jackson Zoo and Fondren Renaissance Foundation’s children’s art program.
Taste the Neighborhood
Springtime means good eats and drinks in Jackson. If you’ve been hiding out from freak hailstorms by eating soup at home, now is the time to put down the ladle and get out into the city—all for a good cause. Three food and drink events are blasting into Jackson in a seven-day span, benefitting three community-minded organizations: the Alzheimer’s Association, the Jackson Zoo and Fondren Renaissance Foundation’s children’s art program.
Wine Down
Springtime means good eats and drinks in Jackson. If you’ve been hiding out from freak hailstorms by eating soup at home, now is the time to put down the ladle and get out into the city—all for a good cause. Three food and drink events are blasting into Jackson in a seven-day span, benefitting three community-minded organizations: the Alzheimer’s Association, the Jackson Zoo and Fondren Renaissance Foundation’s children’s art program.
Miracle Juice
Smoothies blend every part of the fruit or vegetable (or other item) together into a thick concoction. Juicing, on the other hand, extracts only the watery but nutrient-filled juice from the raw materials you put in, leaving behind a husk of sorts--all the dry parts, including the pulp and the peels.
Paper, Please
In an age when most written communication has gone digital, the wedding invitation stands stalwart as a physical, mailable item. In fact, if anything, the world of wedding paper is only growing, as now brides plan entire stationary packages, from Save the Dates to menus to thank-you cards.
String & Nails
This is a craft that has been on my list since I saw a similar creation on a blog I frequent.
Paint By Numbers
Leaving with a finished painting is one of the best parts about classes at Artful Hours or Easely Amused.
Lessons from the Press
We don’t all have to be newspaper people. But we can all find that niche, that way to contribute.
Gig: Floral Fashioner
We design and work on floral arrangements, door baskets, all sorts of things, so wire cutters and clippers, scissors, moss, ribbon, oasis foam (to anchor plants and flowers in arrangements)...
The Century Queen
This year's Grand Marshal, Sweet Potato Queen Aunt Faye of Texas, recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
Anatomy of a Sweet Potato Queen
When Jill Conner Browne dubbed herself a Sweet Potato Queen in 1982, she launched a brash, quirky, self-deprecating and, above all, sassy brand of feminism that people worldwide are still embracing three decades later.
What's in a Name?
One of the most interesting things about Irish culture is the unique names--and pronunciation of those names--that have resulted from the linguistic shift from old Irish to modern English.
Mal's St. Paddy's Parade Route
The Southern Komfort Brass Band leads the way, followed by Hal and Malcolm White, the O'Tux Society, the Green Ladies, the Krewe of Kazoo, the Bucketheads and any other Jacksonians willing to wear funky costumes and join the fun.
Nor Any Drop
The theme of the parade is a slightly adjusted line from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Samuel Taylor Coleridge's longest poem.
Grand Waters
Anyone who lives or plays in Jackson long enough will eventually be driving down a road and pass a quiet, slender man with a paintbrush.
V.A. Patterson
Each year, in March, V.A. Patterson becomes something else. One year, she became a gypsy. Another year, a cavewoman. One year, she even transformed into an emu.
Gig: Social Storyteller
I've always wanted to be a journalist. My mother used to say I had to be the first to know it and the first to tell it.
‘Hallelujah’ for Better School Lunch
Although the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta still ranks the state the most overweight in the nation, Mississippi's obesity rate for elementary-school children is down 13.3 percent since 2005.
Handmade Mail
Email is great for so many things, but nothing quite compares to the feeling of getting real mail—the kind of letter or card that someone took the time to pen by hand, find a stamp for and drop off at the post office.
Eat, Drink, Delta
This tome is part cookbook, part travelogue, part bartender's guide and part restaurant review. But it's all Delta.
Abstract Stories
See Tony Saladino and Stacey Johnson's works at Fischer Galleries (3100 N. State St., 601-366-8833) the month of March. An opening reception is March 7 at 5 p.m.
Making it Work
I love the Academy Awards—analyzing starlets' sartorial choices on the red-carpet pre-show (while trying to ignore the inane Ryan Seacrest-y questions, of course), attempting to predict the big winners and tearing up at the speeches.
Killer Camp
Flipping tires is just one part of a new Badass Bootcamp Terry Sullivan is offering through his fitness company, liveRIGHTnow.
Culture Convention
Mississippi Pulp Con is a place where steampunk zombies can rub elbows with Wookiees. Roller-derby girls can exchange numbers with comic fanboys. Vampirellas, paranormal investigators and pop artists can dance the night away. It's a melting pot of pop culture and nerd culture, inclusive of everyone.
