‘Deer Camp On Estrogen'
Once a year, a group of women make a pilgrimage across the country to Jackson. Mostly middle-aged, they come decked out from head to toe in sequins, feathers and anything that sparkles. They've come in the name of their queen: the Sweet Potato Queen.
(Re)Learning to Breathe
To watch an infant sleep is to witness one of the most deeply peaceful processes. With every soft rise and fall of the baby's small belly, a natural expansion and contraction occurs that seems effortless, even archetypal.
Nonna's Recipes
It's time for a night out, and your taste buds are craving Italian. You're pining for cherry-red tomato sauce and al dente pasta, or maybe you're more in the mood for the bubbling layers of lasagna.
Old Is Young Again
A friend recently tweeted that Metallica's "Black Album" is now considered classic rock and wondered if this means he's old. We all have those moments when something makes us pause and say, "I'm so not in my 20s (30s, 40s) anymore." Maybe it's seeing college kids, or not being able to recover from a big night quite as quickly. This week, I had one of those moments, but, ultimately, I was reminded that age is only a number.
Ode to Fondren
I moved to Jackson because of Fondren. (I can hear a few of you cursing Fondren now.) More specifically, it was because of Rainbow Whole Foods, which a friend of ours had turned us on to during a dinner in Manhattan.
Kerry-ed Away
I'll never forget the first time I saw Kerry Thomas, known as KT on stage, perform live at Dreamz JXN for Forever Friday. It was Sept. 10, 2010. Alone on stage with only an acoustic guitar and a microphone, he captivated a very vocal contingent of female audience members with his soulful renditions of Musiq Soulchild songs.
Insurance and Excise Taxes
Avoiding buying car insurance will get a little harder with new legislation passed last week. The Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate agreed on a bill requiring motorists to own some form of vehicle insurance to qualify for a new car tag.
Cultural Remodeling
Artist Jennifer Dixon's life-size tree installations fill the interior Bergen Park in Seattle, Wash. The five trees, made of various materials such as clay, metal, fossils and glass, are attached to tall cedar posts that originally served as reference points for the first U.S. land surveys in 1851.
The Home Front
If Morgan Freeman is Clarksdale's most recognizable resident, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Luckett may be its second. An attorney and developer, Luckett runs two of his high-profile business ventures with Freeman, the Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi's Restaurant.
Attract Creative Class With Art
The city of Jackson took a significant step forward last week when City Human and Cultural Services Director Michael Raff announced a public-art initiative. Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. has committed 1 percent of all eligible capital-improvement funds for public art displays around the city, and the administration is seeking community members to get involved.
[Stiggers] Good Deeds, Bad Events
"As your elected congressman and public servant, I am here to let you know that crap, mess, drama, trouble, gloom, despair and agony happens, and they are a part of this world's order. However, along with order comes balance. The good deeds of concerned and sympathetic people follow bad events."
[Our Turn] A Call for Understanding
Taking more accurately the universal message of the Civil Rights Movement to heart, this letter is not a call for silence, as that would be antithetical to the Movement as well. Rather, this letter is a call for understanding.
Breaking The Rules
Like many 12-year-old girls, DeAsia Scott tries to maximize the amount of hot pink she can wear on a daily basis. She loves oatmeal-raisin cookies, has a crush on Justin Bieber and knows every word to Beyonce's songs.
Mystical Alligator Wrestling
When I first picked up "Swamplandia!" (Knopf, 2011, $24.95), I was skeptical at best. As a Florida native, I was excited to read a book set in my home state, but a book about a 13-year-old girl who is an alligator wrestler with a self-described "falling" family sounds a bit sketchy. As intriguing as the concept is, I didn't know how author Karen Russell would be able to write it without being ridiculous.
Poet's Progress
Plain spoken and impassioned, poet Nikki Giovanni's body of work is a testament to the power of words to fulfill and inspire.
[Hill] Healing Words
What impresses me is that he did not call them "bad" or label them "thugs."
The JFP Interview With Dave Dennis
In 1995, then-Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice announced his re-election campaign from the Gulfport home of Dave Dennis. Dennis had a lot in common with the governor. Both made their fortunes in the construction industry, and Dennis was an active Republican fundraiser who embraced Fordice's brand of business-friendly conservatism. Dennis, now 58, hopes to follow in Fordice's shoes.
Redistricting Hits the Courts
Gov. Haley Barbour's crusade for more Republican districts in the Mississippi House of Representatives is putting him at odds with the Mississippi NAACP, which wants the U.S. Department of Justice to approve a map with more black-majority districts.
Barbour's Press Pass
Watching Gov. Haley Barbour seize the national media spotlight feels a bit like seeing a bully from high school making it big. "I knew him when he was fat and mean!" one wants to say.
Erica Speed
by J. Ashley Nolen March 23, 2011 The bold, red door to Erica Speed's Fondren home is a fair indication of what's inside: Local artwork and colorful fabric designs cover furniture while family pictures fill a variety of frames on tables and walls. Books about Mississippi rest on her coffee table. Her three dogs--a lab, a golden retriever and mixed breed--greet her with enthusiasm.