Arkansas Times | April 2024

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‘LET IT

FEATURE

30 ‘HERE COME THE WITCHES’

How congregants in the Southern Delta Church of Wicca found acceptance in the Bible Belt.

By Kenneth Heard

39 CANNABIZ

A Q&A with new Alcoholic Beverage Control Division Director Christy Bjornson, product reviews from stonersocialite Mary Jane Doe and the results of our second-ever Arkansas Times Cannabis Awards.

By Rebekah Hall Scott and Mary Jane Doe

9 THE FRONT

From the Vault: Marking the Arkansas Times’ golden anniversary, we reflect with Mara Leveritt about her compelling reporting on the West Memphis Three.

Q&A: With Darrell Heath of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society. Big Pic: The big downtown breakfast sandwich roundup.

17 THE TO-DO LIST

Wild Pink at Stickyz, the Arkansas Times Film Series screens “Bergman Island,” a new exhibition at the Plantation Agricultural Museum spotlights six families imprisoned at Rohwer, Willi Carlisle at the Rev Room, The Dip at The Hall and more.

24 NEWS

Arkansas has the worst maternal mortality rate in the nation. So what’s the plan? By Benjamin Hardy

56 SAVVY KIDS

We celebrate the 30th year of Arkansas Times Academic All-Stars by talking with Jerome Strickland Jr., one of our 1996 honorees. By Tricia Larson

60 CULTURE

A short story in the eclipse’s shadow.

By Eli Cranor

66 FOOD & DRINK

Vegan soul food chef Elnora Wesley and others are cooking up a new joint venture at Arkansas Baptist College.

By Rhett Brinkley

75 THE OBSERVER

On the horrors and redemption of the editor’s red pen.

ROCK, LET IT ROLL’: John Mellencamp plays from his 25-album catalogue at Robinson Center.

ON THE COVER: Terry Riley of the Southern Delta Church of Wicca (Page 30) by Randy Story.

MYRNA SUAREZ

PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Austin Gelder

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mandy Keener

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Stephanie Smittle

MANAGING EDITOR Benjamin Hardy

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rhett Brinkley

CANNABIZ EDITOR Griffin Coop

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Daniel Grear

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Matt Campbell REPORTERS

Mary Hennigan, Debra Hale-Shelton and Jeannie Roberts

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mara Leveritt

PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Chilson

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Madeline Chosich

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Wythe Walker

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Mike Spain GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sarah Holderfield

DIRECTOR

ACCOUNT

ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden

SPECIAL SECTION MANAGING EDITOR Becca Bona

subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE, 30 YEARS LATER

A Q&A WITH MARA LEVERITT.

BY MATT CAMPBELL

When the bodies of 8-year-olds Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Steven Branch were discovered in a muddy creek behind the Robin Hood Hills neighborhood of West Memphis in May 1993, “satanic panic” was in full swing in the U.S. and Arkansas. Overzealous parents were constantly on the lookout for movies, books and (especially) music that might push unsuspecting kids into the arms of the devil.

While fear of the occult doesn’t vindicate West Memphis officials, it helps make sense of why police quickly targeted Damien Echols — an 18-year-old high school dropout who listened to heavy metal music — as a suspect.

Combine the simmering public panic with the so-called confession of suspect Jessie Misskelley, a 16-year-old with an IQ of 72, implicating Echols and 17-yearold Jason Baldwin, and police and prosecutors had everything they needed to get convictions of all three. Misskelley was tried separately and sentenced to life without parole in February 1994. The following month, Baldwin and Echols were tried together and convicted, with Baldwin sentenced to life and Echols sentenced to death.

Criticism of the entire investigation and prosecution surfaced almost immediately. One of the first people to dive into the background of the West Memphis Three story was the Arkansas Times’ Mara Leveritt. What started with an investigation into the 12-hour interrogation of Misskelley, a minor without his parents in attendance, in which officers fed him facts about the murders to obtain a confession and which he recanted later — turned into dozens and dozens of articles about the case, as well as a book, “Devil’s Knot,” which is required reading for anyone interested in the West Memphis Three.

DEVILS (NOT): Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, collectively known as The West Memphis Three.

BRIAN CHILSON

From “Nightmare at West Memphis” (Nov. 11, 1994):

“I slipped the transcripts back in their folder, shook hands with Sudbury and left West Memphis thinking this is one scary story that’s a long way from over.”

Leveritt spoke to the Times via email recently about the case and her role in covering it.

What can you tell me about the first story you wrote for the Times about the West Memphis Three? What was it about this case that warranted further examination?

One of my first pieces on the case was a column written in October 1994, months after

the trials. I could not understand what had persuaded the juries, so I’d FOI’d the police files and went to West Memphis to see them. That’s when I saw the transcript of the portion of Jessie Misskelley’s confession that was recorded. I wrote that it was the scariest story I could relate that Halloween. That began my decades of reporting on a case that’s still unresolved — and still scary.

This was such a polarizing case, with many people truly convinced that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were murderers. What kind of pushback did you get through the years from people who were (or still are) sure that the WM3 were guilty?

As attention to the case spread, local authorities dismissed it as concern being hyped by people on the east and west coasts who didn’t know the facts. I maintained that I was an Arkansan who knew them pretty well.

LOW DOWN FREEDOM, YOU’VE DONE

COST ME: The West Memphis Three were released from prison after their lawyers, pictured, negotiated an Alford plea with the state. This plea allowed them to maintain their innocence, though they technically remain convicted felons under the terms of the agreement.

From “Welcoming witches” (May 21, 1999):

“At least, we want to say, we’re not killing witches, anymore. But lest we get too comfortable, we should remember that it was also in Craighead County, just five years ago, that a jury convicted Damien Echols and sentenced him to death for murder on little more than testimony that he had an interest in the occult, in a trial where prosecutors introduced as evidence books he’d bought at a library sale.”

Support for the verdicts intensified the closer one got to West Memphis. Once, when I’d been invited to speak at a bookstore in Jonesboro, the staff told me that announcements of my appearance were torn down as fast as they were posted. Other than that, I’ve received a fair bit of anonymous email advising me I was heading to hell.

Even with all the attention through the years, so much of this case happened in the nascency of internet news that many of the specifics seem to have been lost to the broader narrative. Is there something you wish more people knew about the WM3?

I wish more people understood how hard and how long the state has resisted pleas for reason. To cite three examples: The Arkansas Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the convictions in the Echols-Baldwin trial — one of them to death — weighing arguments about “the occult” over the lack of physical evidence. Later, when testing of the ligatures produced DNA from the stepfather of one of the victims but none from the convicted men, a new prosecutor said he would pursue leads in the case, but that was not done. And last year, when Echols asked to have the ligatures tested again with newer, more powerful tech-

From “New evidence in West Memphis murders” (July 19, 2007):

“When asked if she now considers her ex-husband a suspect in the murders, Pam Hobbs answered, ‘Yeah. And I don’t know if it’s because of the anger I still hold toward him for not telling me when Stevie was missing, and from some of his other actions or not. But I haven’t been able to shake that feeling.’

“For his part, Terry Hobbs said he’s not worried and that he has nothing to hide. With regard to the retested DNA, he said, ‘I’ve been told that nothing that’s going on right now is going to change a thing.’

“Asked who’d given him that assurance, he replied, ‘Brent Davis,’ the prosecuting attorney.”

nology, the state refused. Echols’ recent appeal on that is now before the state Supreme Court.

Is there some larger takeaway from the WM3 story about the impact that journalists — especially local journalists — can have?

I give the greatest credit for reporting in this case to Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the two documentary filmmakers who recorded the trials for HBO. Thanks to their diligence, people around the world witnessed the sleaziness that occurred and were shocked. Unfortunately, I don’t think courtroom misconduct is rare. Our trials are public, but the days of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” when most of a town could pack the courtroom, are gone. Instead, we have technology that could see every trial recorded, just as transactions at banks and gas stations are. I wish reporters and all the public would demand we use it.

The West Memphis Three and the state of Arkansas reached an agreement in 2011, with Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley pleading guilty while maintaining their innocence in exchange for getting out of prison. What is your opinion on this “Alford plea”?

Alford pleas allow a defendant to say, “I did not commit the crime yet I plead guilty to the crime.” I think that undercuts the idea that courts are trying to arrive at the truth. You’re saying you’re innocent at the same time you’re saying you’re guilty? Which is it?

I think that, as in this case, the Alford plea denied justice to the victims’ families (as well as to everyone in Arkansas) by bringing a false closure to the case, thereby foreclosing further investigation. I recognize that, after the men’s convictions, when the new physical evidence was found that implicated others but not them, both the state and two of the three men in prison were anxious to settle on an Alford plea, particularly as it let both sides avoid the risk of a new trial. Additionally, the state would be let off the hook for damages, in case the men were found innocent, and the men would be quickly released from prison.

While I understand these motives, I abhor the pressure that was put on Jason Baldwin, who did not want to accept the plea. He had told the truth throughout and did not want to

From “West Memphis 3 freed in plea bargain” (Aug. 19, 2011):

“After the bang of a judge’s gavel, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. walked out of a Jonesboro courtroom as free men, shortly before noon. They remain convicted felons, but they are not even on parole.” ... “With this agreement, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley leave court as convicted murderers who have served an amount of time in prison that state officials accept as sufficient. However, all three preserve the right to attempt to clear their names in the future by bringing new evidence to court.”

sign onto the untruthful plea. But state prosecutors stipulated that their offer was for “all or none.” While Jason was willing to wait in prison while a new trial played out, he was placed in the position of forcing that misery on Damien and Jessie, too, as well as putting Damien at possible risk of another sentence to death. I have likened the situation to offering a person a “choice” while holding a gun to someone else’s head. The men were charged and convicted individually. They should not have been offered the plea as a group.

Baldwin is pretty outspoken about his experiences and struggles, and Echols remains the celebrity of the three, but I haven’t heard much about Misskelley. Have you had any contact with them recently?

I keep in relatively close touch with Jason, who, by the way, regrets his decision on that plea. I have been happy to see that Damien is doing well. I think Jessie wanted a life outside the spotlight and I’m glad it seems he’s had that.

‘ONE SCARY STORY’: Mara Leveritt’s WM3 reporting is required reading.

The West Memphis Three were sentenced to time served (18 years, 78 days), given a suspended 10-year sentence and released from custody on Aug. 19, 2011.

Damien Echols now resides in New York City. Jason Baldwin moved first to Seattle, then to Texas, where he continues to live. Jessie Misskelley remains in Arkansas.

Times contributing editor Mara Leveritt now calls the Pacific Northwest home, and we miss her quite a bit.

NOW WHAT?

A Q&A WITH DARRELL HEATH OF THE CENTRAL ARKANSAS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.

At the time this issue of the Arkansas Times went to press, the conditions for the total solar eclipse on April 8 were still, well, up in the air. Whether it’s a bust or marvel, there’s plenty of post-eclipse phenomena for aspiring stargazers to seek out in the night sky this year, and the modestly self-described “amateur astronomers” at the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society aim to help you feel less clueless about it.

First on your list should be attending one of CAAS’s monthly public “star parties” where experts like Darrell Heath — Barnes & Noble employee by day, CAAS outreach coordinator by night — help you decode constellations, planet arcs, the summer Milky Way and other deep-sky delights. Find details at caasastro.org/calendar.

The Arkansas Natural Sky Association’s third annual Arkansas Dark Sky Festival set for Sept. 26-28, is a three-day, familyfriendly star party along Bear Creek near the Buffalo National River. Think nature hikes by day, celestial tours of the sky after dark and talks from featured speaker Jennifer Wiseman of Mountain Home, an astrophysicist currently working on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Visit darkskyarkansas.org for details.

EARLIEST STARGAZING MEMORY: Watching “Star Trek” growing up in Southwest Little Rock in the 1960s and seeing the Apollo 11 moon landing on live television.

FAVORITE MOVIE: “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

MOST UNDERRATED BOOK ABOUT SPACE: “The Stars: A New Way To See Them,” by H.A. Rey.

Pregame for those events with a deep dive into the resources at CAAS website’s “New Observers” tab, or visit the firstfloor galleries at the state Capitol before Sunday, May 5, to catch “Astronomical Arkansas: Astronomy and Space Science in the Natural State,” an exhibit highlighting Arkansas’s connections to space science — like Wiseman and Amber Straughn of Bee Branch [Van Buren County], deputy project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. “Women from Arkansas are running the space telescope business for NASA,” Arkansas Natural Sky Association Chairman Bruce McMath told us. Heath filled us in on skygazing opportunities ahead.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT ARKANSAS: Its rich diversity of topography and wildlife.

LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT ARKANSAS: Chiggers. ‘Nuff said.

OK, what are we looking for in the night sky in 2024? I understand the moon cycle will interfere with my favorites — the Perseids — this year. Of course, as far as nature’s spectacles go, the eclipse is one of the most breathtaking and spectacular sights you can see. But there are some other cool things to see. The meteor showers aren’t entirely wiped out. On Aug. 12, the Perseid meteor showers peak, and the moon is going to set around midnight — which is fine, because most of the best meteors are to be seen after midnight anyway. When you see numbers listed, like, say, 100 meteors per hour, those are under ideal conditions, which few people ever have, but we should be able to see about 60 per hour after midnight. Then, Sept. 8, Saturn is in opposition. When we say a planet is

in opposition, it means it’s just opposite the sun from the Earth. … And when that happens, that means that Saturn is going to be up all night, and it’s also the closest to us it’s going to be for the year. So if people have access to a small telescope — and we have put telescopes in the Central Arkansas Library System and other libraries in the area — that would be a great time to view it. Another thing I want to point out about Saturn this year is that the rings of the planet are tilting. As we orbit around the sun, we get different perspectives on those rings. Next year, we are going to be alongside Saturn in such a way that we’re parallel with the equator, and the rings will completely disappear and gradually come back into view. I’ve shown people Saturn through a telescope at our star parties, and many times the response I get is, “That’s not real.” One lady one time rather angrily swore up and down that I had painted the image on the inside of my lens. So it gets that kind of response with people.

On Sept. 18, there’s a supermoon. I’m always kind of leery about promoting supermoons because it’s more of an astrological event than it is an astronomical event, probably more media hype than anything else. The moon, of course, orbits the Earth in an ellipse. And that means when it’s at its closest approach to Earth and it coincides with the full moon, we see it bigger in our sky, but it’s only bigger by about 10%. Now, most of us who do not see a full moon often don’t really recognize that 10% difference in size. If you view it as it’s rising above the horizon, you’ll see what’s called the moon illusion. Whenever we see the moon rising above mountains or the treeline, it seems really, really big. … Catch it right as it’s coming up above the horizon.

Anything else to watch out for this year? Yeah, on Dec. 7, Jupiter’s in opposition. And this year, Jupiter is going to be placed higher up in the sky than it has been in the past. Jupiter for the past few years has been relatively low in opposition, and when you see it lower in the sky, the light from the object has to travel through more of the Earth’s atmosphere, so the image gets a bit distorted, but when it’s higher up, the atmosphere is thinner, so you get a clearer image of it. You can see the belts, the dark and light zones that crisscross the planet’s surface, and there are apps that will tell you when the Great Red Spot [a gigantic, nonstop storm on Jupiter’s atmosphere] is in front of the planet, so we can see it with a small telescope. Even with a pair of binoculars, you can see Jupiter’s four largest moons orbiting around it: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Stephanie Smittle

MORNING, SUNSHINE

A DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK BREAKFAST SANDWICH SURVEY.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

BRIAN CHILSON

“There has never been a sadness that cannot be cured by breakfast food.” —Ron Swanson, “Parks & Recreation,” Season 6, Episode 13

There are dozens of ways of measuring the health of a city’s downtown. And let’s face it; Little Rock may miss the mark by certain metrics. One department in which we’re thriving, though, is the accessibility of quality breakfast sandwiches, which has to count for something, right? Our recent editorial-wide jaunt through the various amalgamations of egg and bread available in the River Market, SoMa and the East Village (and slightly beyond) revealed a formidable array of tasty and mostly affordable options, ranging from dirt cheap (500 Grill) to farm-fresh (The Root Cafe) to boundary-pushing (Flora Jean’s), with a smooth gradient of alternatives in between.

ROSIE’S POT & KETTLE CAFE

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, $5. Available 6-10:30 a.m. Mon.-Fri.; 7-10:30 a.m. Sat.

Unlike so many breakfast places that treat the biscuit as an afterthought, the bacon, egg and cheese offering at Rosie’s Pot & Kettle rightly lets its large, buttery biscuits be the star of the show. Inside, the American cheese is structurally delicious, holding the craggly, crunchy biscuit top together while you enjoy the freshly scrambled eggs and thin, crispy bacon that fill the fist-sized sandwich. And at only $5, it might just be the best breakfast deal in town.

FLORA JEAN’S

Bean Sprout Bacon Sandwich, $15. Available 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wed.-Fri; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

The clear choice for those who are on their way to the office but wish they were headed to hot yoga, this smoky number from Flora Jean’s “nutrientdense,” fully vegetarian menu is served with greens, cheddar, cashew aioli, charred superseed bread, tempeh-ish bean sprout “bacon” and crepe-like layers of delicately folded egg, plus a side of rosemary-flecked potatoes. Pairs well with: the diner’s vivacious fresh-pressed juices, a good skincare routine, “Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves.

STERLING MARKET

Egg & Cheese Sandwich, $10-$13.50. Available 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tue.-Sun.

“Oh, wow,” and “Man, that looks incredible,” are two of the nonexpletive forms of food envy reactions from friends and editors who have witnessed me embark on a Sterling Market breakfast sandwich adventure. You can add bacon or brown sugar ham to the already enormous sandwich for $3.50 and have it served on the bakery’s bagels, croissants or milk bread. If available, try the impossibly light, flaky croissant, which will make you want to leave with a dozen more.

THE ROOT CAFE

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Biscuit, $8.50-$12.25. Available 8-11 a.m. Tue.Sat; 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun.

Sandwiches are sorta known for being more than the sum of their parts. That’s their thing! So it is with this breakfast staple from The Root Cafe, a colossal and utterly perfect drop biscuit cradling a fried egg, your choice of cheese and a sausage patty from Rabbit Ridge Farms in Bee Branch [Van Buren County]. If your morning doesn’t mandate a handheld, add gravy for an additional $4. Honestly, they could serve this gravy in a cute bowl at dinnertime with some chopped parsley atop and call it sausage chowder, and it’d still slap.

@ THE CORNER

Breakfast Sandwich, $13. Available 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.Tue.-Fri.; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Downtown diner @ The Corner’s breakfast sandwich is served on a soft, buttery homestyle biscuit that’s topped with crispy bacon and a generous slab of smooth scrambled egg that’s blanketed with cheddar cheese. If you don’t get to it right away, your first bite might come with a couple of the accompanying diced hash browns that become fully absorbed in the cheddar that melts down the edge of the bun.

THE BAGEL SHOP

COMMUNITY BAKERY

Classic Breakfast Sandwich, $6.

Available 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Thu.; 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

It was either Voltaire or Guy Fieri who asked, “What if a croissant cosplayed as a panini?” Community Bakery’s breakfast sandwich answers that question deliciously. A griddled scrambled egg, thin bacon and American cheese are loaded into one of its house-made croissants, then smooshed in a panini press until the cheese melts and the flaky croissant takes on a crunchy outer texture. Add a cafe au lait and the whole meal runs you barely $10.

500 GRILL

Egg and Cheese on a Bagel, $9-$12.

Available 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tue.-Fri.; 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

For just $3, you can add your choice of sausage, ham, bacon or Spam to The Bagel Shop’s finely tuned breakfast sandwich; but, frankly, you’ve gotta go with the sausage. With the caramelized char and slightly sweet sophistication of a good smash burger, their sausage slabs are almost unbearably tasty. Also of note is the sheer magnitude of this sandwich — easily a full lunchtime meal.

BIG BAD BREAKFAST

Unlisted breakfast sandwich, $3. Available on request 7-11 a.m. Mon.Fri.

Secreted away in a subterranean chamber, the 500 Grill is one of those IYKYK places. The cafeteria in the basement of the Arkansas Capitol feeds Democrats, Republicans and all the rest, and its bargain off-menu breakfast sandwich is one of the only things people across the political spectrum agree on. Salty, cheesy, crumbly and hefty enough to fuel you through a whole day of hearings, this $3 expenditure is fiscally responsible.

Biscuit Sandwich, $7.50-$11. Available 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily.

Golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the buttermilk biscuit at Big Bad Breakfast is quintessential, making it the perfect foundation for a solid, no-frills breakfast sandwich. Egg (prepared to order) and waterfall-esque melted cheese (American, cheddar, Swiss and goat) are guaranteed, but meats as far-ranging as roasted turkey and Andouille can be snuck into the ensemble for $3.50, though there’s nothing wrong with the traditional sausage patty, which carries an unexpected kick.

BOULEVARD BREAD COMPANY

Breakfast Sandwich, $6.50. Available 7-10:30 a.m. Tue.-Fri.; 7 a.m.-noon Sat.

If turned off by the stereotypical image of a greasy breakfast sandwich, its lighter, airier and more delicate cousin from Boulevard Bread Company may tickle your fancy. The restaurant compiles the complementary flavors of pancetta, a thin fried egg, lettuce, tomato and aioli onto its 8-grain bread for a delightful morning bite. The sandwich feels like an elevated approach to the status quo, without breaking the bank.

BY DANIEL GREAR AND OMAYA JONES

WILD PINK, SUN JUNE

TUESDAY 4/2. STICKYZ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK. 8 P.M. $20.

Upon the release of Wild Pink’s third and best album, “A Billion Little Lights,” Pitchfork slotted the New York-based indie band somewhere between the expansive heartland rock of The War on Drugs and the emotional immediacy of Death Cab for Cutie. It’s a tall order, but one that looks effortless in the hands of a group who tosses off lyrics like “an ad with an orange put a tear in my eye” (“Pacific City”), “I was told life’s a raindrop / Sliding down a windshield” (“You Can Have It Back”), and “Thank God I’m wrong all the time” (“Oversharers Anonymous”) as if they’re nothing more than stray thoughts. Wild Pink is the quiet, sensitive kid in the corner, except they also slap. Their opener at Stickyz is Sun June, whose sleepy Americana will serve as an excellent on-ramp to Wild Pink’s occasionally heavier proclivities. Get tickets at stickyz.com. DG

MITCHELL WOJCIK

ARKANSAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: ‘HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE’

SATURDAY 4/20. ROBINSON CENTER. 1:30 P.M. AND 7:30 P.M. $56-$179.

Can you really think of a better way to spend 4/20/24 (a palindrome, no less!) than to be gloriously stoned for a screening of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” while the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performs every note of the film’s iconic score? Surely the holiday timing is a coincidence, but combining the most innocent, nostalgic and fantastical entry in an already stoner-friendly movie series with the wondrously sensory experience of live strings sounds to me like a cannabis enthusiast’s wet dream. Composer John Williams — also responsible for the music in “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Jurassic Park,” among dozens of other soundtracks — has made a career out of dreaming up instantly recognizable theme songs, but I’d argue that there’s nothing quite as transportative as the plaintive celesta flourishes at the beginning of “Hedwig’s Theme.” Get tickets at ticketmaster.com. DG

THE DIP

THURSDAY 4/18. THE HALL. 8 P.M. $25-$40.

Back in my restaurant days, a co-worker put on The Dip’s selftitled debut album one day while we were closing up shop. I’d never heard of them, but it didn’t matter. At the start of every new track, I was instantly compelled to bounce along to the groove and stretchy vocal lines, the once boring task of mopping the floor now animated with weightless vigor by way of an absurdly tight Seattlebased seven-piece band (featuring standard rock instrumentation plus trumpet and two saxophones) borrowing from pop, doo-wop, Motown, R&B and soul without ever skipping a beat. As I dug further into their discography, I discovered that they’re seemingly incapable of writing a song that isn’t at least a little bit stank face-inducing. If you want to prepare for the show, I’d recommend you check out “Sure Don’t Miss You” and “Ain’t Necessary (The Prince),” but you’re probably just as well off going in blind. Get tickets at littlerockhall.com. DG

JOHN MELLENCAMP

WEDNESDAY 4/10. ROBINSON CENTER. 8 P.M. $80-$503.

The 72-year-old John Mellencamp has enough enduring hits to sustain as many concerts as he’s got left in him, but relying exclusively on the powerful nostalgia of ’80s chart toppers like “Hurts So Good,” “Jack & Diane,” “Small Town” and “Pink Houses” isn’t how he rolls. Maybe you didn’t realize it, but he’s still releasing music, with last year’s “Orpheus Descending” — his 25th studio album — hailed as a “masterpiece, of songwriting, performances, and searing, poetic, and blunt messages” by Spin. His voice is deeper and more ragged than ever, but I’d venture to say that it enhances the political urgency of songs like “The Eyes of Portland” and “The So-Called Free” while preventing gentler fare like the deeply lovelorn Bruce Springsteen-penned “Perfect World” from seeming saccharine. Get tickets at ticketmaster.com. DG

MARC HAUSER

JAKE MAGRAW

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘BERGMAN ISLAND’

TUESDAY 4/16. RIVERDALE 10 VIP CINEMA. 7 P.M. $12-$14.

The great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman lived and died on Fårö, a remote island in the Baltic Sea that served as the shooting location for many of his movies. After Bergman’s death in 2007, his daughter turned his estate into an artist residency, and that’s exactly where we find the filmmaking couple at the heart of “Bergman Island” — a 2021 drama by French director Mia Hansen-Løve. Working on scripts for their respective upcoming projects, Tony (Tim Roth) settles in comfortably, while Chris (Vicky Krieps) struggles, burdened by the legacy of Bergman, who she observes was only afforded a prolific career because he was an absent father to the nine children he had with six different women. “Bergman Island” turns meta around its halfway point, when Chris’ script in progress comes to life and takes over the screen. In this film-within-a-film, a young woman named Amy (Mia Wasikowska) is visiting the same island for a wedding, where she passionately reconnects with her great teenage love Joseph (Anders Danielsen Lie), refracting Chris and Tony’s relationship in unexpected ways. Get tickets at riverdale10.com. OJ/DG

SLAUGHTER BEACH, DOG; ERIN RAE

THURSDAY 4/11. GEORGE’S MAJESTIC LOUNGE, FAYETTEVILLE. 8 P.M. $20-$24.

Solo projects can be tricky. While often a necessary creative departure for the artist, they’re rarely as good as the preceding band that got people hooked in the first place. In the case of Jake Ewald (pictured) — who came to prominence as the singer and guitarist of seminal Philadelphia emo band Modern Baseball — going solo under the name Slaughter Beach, Dog meant finding a more accommodating home for his somber melodies and intimate character studies. Though the moniker swiftly came to represent Ewald’s full-fledged band, he’ll be performing solo at George’s, where songs like “Phoenix,” “Map of the Stars,” “Are You There” and “Engine” will be laid bare as the lonely literary masterpieces that they are. Support comes from Erin Rae, a Nashville singersongwriter who sings backup on Slaughter Beach, Dog’s “Strange Weather” and whose “abundant melodic flourishes” belong to a “bygone era,” according to Pitchfork. Get tickets at georgesmajesticlounge.com. DG

COURTESY OF IFC FILMS

ASHLEY GELLMAN

WILLI CARLISLE

FRIDAY 4/5. REV ROOM. 8 P.M. $20

When asked to sum up his thematic preoccupations in a recent interview with the Arkansas Times, formerly Fayetteville-based folk singer-songwriter Willi Carlisle said the following: “There’s meaning in the end of things and meaning in the suffering of things.” The message permeates every song on his third album, “Critterland,” a spare, openhearted tribute to the trials of idealists, mourners, addicts, depressives and drug dealers alike. The honest work of looking desperation in the face while also mining it for beauty is reflected in Carlisle’s voice just as persuasively, which remains buoyant and proud despite carrying immense amounts of pain and unrest. Get tickets at revroom.com. DG

‘MUTTSU NO KAZOKU: SIX FAMILIES’ JOURNEY FROM INTERNMENT TO SCOTT’

THROUGH 7/27. PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, SCOTT. FREE.

After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, over 100,000 Japanese-American people were forcibly moved to concentration camps across the United States. About 16,000 of them ended up at what were euphemistically called “war relocation centers” in Jerome and Rohwer in southeast Arkansas. “Muttsu No Kazoku,” a new exhibition at the Plantation Agricultural Museum, spotlights six families imprisoned at Rohwer. Once farmers in California, the Shingu, Futamachi, Nakamura, Oshima, Yada and Yoshimura families all settled in Scott following their release from Rohwer in 1945. Though the exhibition offers insight into their lives before and during the war, it’s especially attuned to the years afterward as they attempted a fresh start as sharecroppers in the segregated South. Hours at the Plantation Agriculture Museum are from 8 a.m.5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. DG

TREVOR BATES, JOE AND THE FEELS, DOT

THURSDAY 4/18. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 8 P.M. $10.

“The Psychic,” the newest song from Trevor Bates, is a 16-minute, tempo-fluid voyage through twitchy prog, sweet folk and experimental rock. There are constant guitar solos, most of which are fuzzy and careening. If his live shows are even half as interesting as this one tune, you’re in for a real treat. Joe and the Feels — led by Joe Yoder — shares the same love of the guitar, but uses it to insanely catchy power pop ends, like on “Hollywood Summer Nights,” a song with one of the most joyfully shouty choruses I’ve heard in ages. Rounding out this bill of all Little Rock artists is DOT, a bubbly all-girl punk trio made up of Melanie Castellano, Correne Spero and Jordan Wolf, who all sing and swap instruments throughout their performances. Get tickets at whitewatertavern.com.

DG

MADISON HURLEY

AUTISM AMPLIFIED

“Autism Amplified” is designed to inform and raise awareness about autism. Featuring insights from autistic individuals and experts, the program will explore what autism acceptance should look like, including fostering inclusivity and understanding and how acceptance strengthens communities.

Through discussions and personal stories, the program aims to introduce the audience to the autistic community, unpacking topics including what autism is and the importance of acceptance.

PREMIERES APRIL 25 AT 7 P.M.

Tune in, or watch anytime, anywhere on demand or livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch.

OF MOMS AND MEDICAID

THE STATE RANKS DEAD LAST IN MATERNAL MORTALITY. WHAT’S TO BE DONE?

BY BENJAMIN HARDY

On March 6, Gov. Sarah Sanders gathered state officials, health care advocates and a gaggle of babies at the Capitol to announce a plan to address Arkansas’s dismal maternal health statistics. The state ranks last in the nation in maternal mortality, with almost 44 deaths per 100,000 births; the national figure is 23.5.

The gaps go beyond that, the governor said: “Of the 35,000 pregnancies in Arkansas each year, 10,000 women wait until they’re after their first trimester to see a doctor. Eleven hundred women never see a doctor until they are in labor.”

She then signed an executive order creating a new “Strategic Committee for Maternal Health,” made up of the heads of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the Department of Health and other agencies. Their tasks include creating a strategic plan over the next six months, exploring “changes to the Medicaid program” and taking “immediate steps to enroll pregnant and postpartum women in Arkansas with available health coverage options, streamline coverage transition processes, and eliminate gaps in care.”

The order is as ambitious as it is vague. Sanders didn’t give many details about what’s being considered, but one thing looks to be off the table: extending pregnancy Medicaid coverage. Arkansas is one of only four states that hasn’t taken the federal government up on a new option to allow eligible new mothers to stay on Medicaid for a full year, rather than just 60 days, despite recommendations from a state committee on maternal mortality to do just that.

Sanders faced blowback in recent weeks for refusing the 12-month Medicaid extension option while talking a big game about supporting mothers and families. She says the critics have it all wrong: The problem in Arkansas isn’t a lack of coverage, but poor education about existing options.

Extending postpartum Medicaid would “create a redundant program” that would “make for a good headline” without solving the underlying issues, the governor said at her press conference. “Arkansas already has resources for pregnant women through all nine months of pregnancy and beyond.”

Does she have a point? Actually, yes. Unlike

states such as Texas or Tennessee, Arkansas expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act a decade ago, allowing hundreds of thousands of low-income people to get insured. The majority of women who qualify for pregnancy Medicaid likely will qualify for ARHOME, the state’s Medicaid expansion program, after they give birth.

But that’s not the whole story. Arkansas has also made it harder for people — new mothers included — to get and keep Medicaid coverage than it needs to be, as shown by the state’s mad rush last year to purge the Medicaid rolls of ineligible people as quickly as possible. Many were kicked off simply for not returning a form to DHS quickly enough.

And while the state could automatically enroll eligible new moms in ARHOME or another program, it doesn’t appear to be doing so in many cases. That means a woman who’s just given birth needs to be shopping for new insurance and filling out paperwork while juggling a 6-week infant.

Keesa Smith, the executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said the group recognizes there are other cov-

LAST IN THE NATION: Gov. Sarah Sanders at a March 6 press conference.

BENJAMIN HARDY

Family Dinner Night | April 18 | 6:30PM

Start the Grand Reopening Celebration with live music, food, drinks, and a first look at the remodeled library. View the full schedule and get tickets at CALS.org

Welcome to the Sue Cowan Williams Library

The newly renovated Williams Library, located in the historic Dunbar Neighborhood, features a new Teen Center, Multipurpose Meeting Room with a Kitchen, Podcasting Room, Makerspace, and more Study Rooms.

Hosted by

Stephanie & Myron Jackson

Honoring Arkansas Artists

Jana L. Beard / Owner & Director of Shuffles & Ballet II

erage options but still thinks the 12-month Medicaid extension makes sense for Arkansas.

“Many women are dropping off the rolls as they transition from pregnancy Medicaid to other forms of Medicaid,” said Smith, who served as a deputy director at DHS until last year. “So why not make that process easier?”

A PATCHWORK OF COVERAGE

A joint venture between states and the federal government, Medicaid provides safety net health insurance for various groups or “categories,” including disabled people, the elderly, children and pregnant women. It might be better thought of as a collection of programs rather than one single thing. Each Medicaid category has different eligibility requirements based on income and other factors, and states have leeway to set those eligibility rules.

The federal government requires states to offer Medicaid coverage to pregnant women below a certain income threshold throughout the course of pregnancy and for roughly 60 days afterwards. In Arkansas, the cutoff is 214% of the federal poverty line, which is about $32,228 for a one-person household or $43,742 for a family of two. (Medicaid pays for more than half of all births in the state, Sanders noted March 6 — more than 19,000 each year.)

The biggest change to Medicaid in recent decades came with the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The ACA gave states new federal funding to offer coverage for a new catchall category of low-income, working-age, able-bodied adults, though many red-leaning states were skeptical of creating a broad new benefit program and refused to do so. Fourteen years later, 10 states — mostly in the South — still haven’t expanded Medicaid, meaning millions of their poorest residents have no decent insurance options.

These “nonexpansion” states are the ones who stand to benefit most from the new

12-month pregnancy Medicaid extension, which was created temporarily by a COVID relief bill signed by President Biden in 2021 and later made permanent. According to a tracker from the health policy nonprofit KFF, 45 states have implemented the 12-month extension as of February.

Usha Ranji, associate director of women’s health policy at KFF, said the field of maternal health has come to recognize postpartum health goes well beyond two months postbirth. “One year [of coverage] brings the policy standpoint more in line with what’s going on with clinical care,” she said.

The 12-month extension has been a huge boon for low-income moms in nonexpansion states like Texas or Florida, who previously had no Medicaid option at all after the 60-day postpartum period ended. Now, they’ll have another 10 months of coverage.

Arkansas, though, is a Medicaid expansion state. It expanded coverage in 2013 under then-Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, giving insurance to hundreds of thousands of poor Arkansans. The expansion program has gone by many names in the decade since — the private option, Arkansas Works and now ARHOME — but it remains in place today, despite some conservative legislators’ best efforts to undo it over the years.

This is part of what Sanders means when she says Arkansas women already have coverage options. To qualify for ARHOME, a person must make under 138% of the federal poverty line, which is $20,783 for a family of one or $28,207 for a family of two. A single woman who makes $20,000 annually could get ARHOME after her 60-day pregnancy Medicaid window expires — but so could a single woman who makes $25,000, since the addition of the new baby would enlarge her household size.

Not everyone is in that group, however. An expectant mother who makes $30,000 a year might qualify for pregnancy Medicaid but not ARHOME. What are her options after 60 days?

Some women may pick up coverage through an employer or a spouse, though that option clearly isn’t available to everyone. The Sanders administration points to the federal health insurance marketplace as an alternative for the rest. That may seem odd, considering Republicans tried for years to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare (which created the marketplace), but the fact is that it really is a decent option for many families on the lower end of the income scale.

Individual health insurance is expensive, but the federal government subsidizes people’s coverage on a sliding scale based on income. For those who make just a bit too much to qualify for ARHOME, the out-of-pocket costs can be quite modest. A new mother in a two-person household in Arkansas who makes $30,000 annually could buy private insurance for just $2 a month, according to a KFF calculator. If she made $35,000 annually, it would be around $32 monthly.

ON PAPER VS. REAL LIFE

All of that, though, is on paper. In the real world, a $32 premium can be unaffordable to a struggling family. And the hassle and time and frustration involved in shopping for coverage, understanding available options, and navigating DHS’ maze of paperwork can discourage anyone, especially a person dealing with the stress of a new baby.

State Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) unsuccessfully sponsored a bill last year that would have signed Arkansas up for the 12-month postpartum extension option. After the March 6 press conference, he said he still thinks that’s the right thing to do.

“Take a woman who’s just had a C-section, and she’s trying to navigate recovery,” Pilkington said. “And then we have a 40-something page document from the Department of Human Services trying to get her enrolled [in ARHOME] only to find out she’s not eligible?”

Smith, the Arkansas Advocates director, said she’s happy the state is giving fresh attention to maternal health but still favors the 12-month extension.

“That’s going to continue to be what we advocate for until the state shows us there’s a better plan to keep women covered,” she said.

The committee created by the governor March 6 is supposed to develop that plan over the next six months. Its list of directives include creating a new health education and advertising campaign, expanding telehealth

and home visits for new moms, and launching a pilot program in five counties with particularly low rates of prenatal care, among others.

Among the biggest unknowns: If a woman who’s covered under pregnancy Medicaid reaches the end of her 60-day postpartum coverage and she’s eligible for coverage under ARHOME (or another Medicaid category), will DHS automatically enroll her? Or will she have to fill out a new application, gather documents and jump through hoops to maintain coverage?

DHS spokesman Gavin Lesnick said the agency “attempts to move the beneficiary to ARHOME automatically” in such cases but will send a renewal packet if auto-enrollment isn’t possible.

“If DHS receives information through data-matching such as a change in income, household composition, or state of residence, or information that the mother is failing to cooperate with child support,” that could require filling out new paperwork, Lesnick said. (It’s worth noting that almost every birth creates “a change in household composition” by definition.) The committee created by Sanders on March 6 will be examining whether “there are ways to optimize this process so it is even more seamless,” he said.

That may sound reasonable enough, but DHS has a history of kicking people off Medicaid over paperwork issues. Just last year it ended coverage for hundreds of thousands of people, including some 78,500 children on the ARKids programs, as part of a post-pandemic effort to clear the rolls of ineligible people. Critics say the state swept plenty of eligible people out the door as well.

Thanks to Medicaid expansion, more Arkansans have access to insurance than residents of many Southern states. But that also shows there’s merit to the argument that focusing too much on coverage can miss the point: Even states where fewer people have health insurance are doing better than Arkansas on maternal mortality.

Smith said she’s encouraged by the five-county pilot program and its recognition that there are parts of the state with critical shortages of doctors and other medical providers. “Half of our state doesn’t have labor and delivery units,” she said.

“I do agree with the governor that insurance coverage doesn’t equal access, so I believe coverage is just the beginning of the conversation,” Smith said. “But what are the actual next steps?”

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THIRTY YEARS AFTER A SATANIC PANIC ALMOST LED TO CLASHES BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND WICCANS IN THE STREETS OF JONESBORO, TERRY RILEY AND HIS PAGAN FLOCK HAVE GAINED ACCEPTANCE FOR THEIR GOOD WORKS.

BY KENNETH HEARD PHOTOGRAPHY BY RANDY STORY

HERE TO STAY: Terry Riley founded the Southern Delta Church of Wicca, a congregation affiliated with the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, in 1994. The church is now based in Lake City, a town of 2,600 about 22 miles east of its original location in Jonesboro.

KILLING WITH KINDNESS: Riley’s church gave out canned goods and fresh produce from their gardens to 230 families in October alone. With the help of a new grant, the church hopes to eventually grow enough produce to provide 4,000 meals a month.

t’s taken giving away free garden produce and building supplies, the promise of housing for homeless veterans and a really neat Christmas parade float for Wiccan priest Terry Riley to be accepted in his tiny Delta town of Lake City.

Now, whenever Riley and his church members are spotted in public, the most vehement epithet is usually, “Here come the witches.”

It’s a far cry from when Riley, the priest at Southern Delta Church of Wicca, became a public figure in Jonesboro some 30 years ago.

Then, Riley was ousted from his business, faced death threats and was accused of being a Satanist, all while espousing his religion of peace and respect.

“It’s taken some time,” Riley said recently, reflecting on his more than three decades as a pagan in the Bible Belt. “They’re actually nice to us now. They don’t act like they did back in 1993.”

ORIGIN STORY

Riley’s not an outsider who brought in an exotic-seeming belief system from afar. He was born in Jonesboro in 1954, but moved with his family to Rockford, Illinois, as a teen. He returned to Jonesboro in 1972, then moved briefly to Tupelo, Mississippi.

It was there, he said, he began his “journey into higher knowledge.”

“I had a lot of questions,” said Riley, 69. “I wasn’t able to accept the answer, ‘That’s just the way things are.’ I just wanted peace of mind. I didn’t want to live [Henry David] Thoreau’s ‘the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.’”

Riley and his wife, Amanda, moved to Pocahontas in 1985. He didn’t work because of an injury and instead spent his time pondering his spiritual life.

He said he took a King James Bible, closed his eyes and pointed to a verse as a means of finding some answer. His finger landed on Isaiah 47:13: “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrolo-

gers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.”

It began his path into Wicca.

“I heard all the bullcrap that witchcraft was Satanism,” he said. “I was programmed the same way at first.”

At times, during his conversion to Wicca, Riley even surprised himself. He read astrologer Sybil Leek’s “The Complete Art of Witchcraft” and other texts about metaphysics and higher knowledge, and was struck by the idea that the conscious mind is ruled by a masculine entity and the subconscious is more feminine.

“I was thinking about that before I read about it,” Riley said. “Then, when I read it, I thought, ‘There’s a religion for what I believe.’

“I’m a witch and didn’t know it,” he said, laughing.

OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET

Riley and his wife moved to Jonesboro, and he held his first Wiccan service in a cramped trailer along what’s now a service road of Interstate 555 on June 15, 1991. There were only a handful of people there, and Riley and the others kept it low-key so as not to draw attention. They whispered their chants and didn’t pound on drums normally used

for such services to keep neighbors from hearing them.

“We were all in the closet then,” he said. “We had to meet secretly.”

That changed when his daughter, Amberly Jones, asked Riley if she could talk about their religious services at her grade school in Brookland.

When her father told her not to, she looked up at him. “Why? Is what we’re doing wrong?” she asked.

“I realized we should be able to speak about our religion,” he said.

His mother-in-law, upon learning of Riley’s conversion, told him he “was going straight to hell.”

Riley said his mother told him she disagreed with him, but just told him not to speak of Wicca to her.

As his group began to grow, Riley realized the closest occult store was in Memphis. In June 1993, he opened Magick Moon on East Nettleton Avenue in the eastern part of Jonesboro, where he sold tarot cards, potions, Wiccan books, jewelry and other items. The shop was tucked in an older part of town between a barber shop and a laundromat.

The timing was unlucky. Just six weeks earlier, West Memphis police arrested three teenagers and charged them with the slay-

ings of three 8-year-old boys. Prosecutors hinted that the killings may have been part of a satanic ritual, and media coverage of the “West Memphis Three” began fueling fear of Riley and his store.

“KAIT [the Jonesboro ABC television affiliate] showed us associated with the murders. Once it came out on the news about that case, we were suddenly ‘Satanists who cut up babies,’” Riley said. “It got pretty scary.”

Shortly after Magick Moon opened, Riley’s landlord terminated his month-to-month lease and evicted him. According to Riley, the landlord was under pressure from local Christian ministers, who also appeared on television urging other building owners to avoid renting to him.

Rather than cowering, Riley filed a lawsuit against his landlord, creating a storm of coverage by newspapers and television stations in Jonesboro, Memphis and Little Rock. (The lawsuit was later dismissed.)

He also led a march for religious freedom through Jonesboro in August, after he had to close his store. Riley and about 70 of his followers walked nearly three miles, starting at the East Highland Walmart Supercenter and ending up at the Craighead County Courthouse downtown. Some wore shirts bearing the words “Salem Revisited! The Great Jonesboro Witch Hunt!”

Depending on the source, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators were in attendance to watch the march, with 80 to 100 police officers from around the state tasked with keeping the peace.

“We topped the hill [on Main Street leading to downtown] and saw the crowd blocking the road,” Riley said.

Police told Riley to line his followers in single file while officers walked on either side, parting the crowd. Many, Riley said, were there just to watch the march. But several carried signs and yelled Bible verses at him.

Riley said Steve Branch, the father of one of the three West Memphis boys killed earlier that year, was “speaking in tongues and saying he was casting out demons.” Riley said there were four Craighead County deputies flanking Branch to keep him from lunging at Riley and his group.

The crowd eventually disbanded, but police did arrest one person with a weapon who was threatening Riley and his church members.

HOSTILE TERRITORY

Instead of leaving for safer ground, like Memphis, Riley — an admitted showman — opted to stay in Jonesboro and continue his battle. In 1994, Riley founded the Southern Delta Church of Wicca and affiliated it with the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, Washington.

“They said I should come up with a name for the church,” Riley said. “The first name

that popped up in my head was ‘First Assembly of Goddess.’ They [the Aquarian Tabernacle Church] said ‘no,’ and I chose Southern Delta.”

In the summer of 1997, he moved to Brookland, about 10 miles northeast of Jonesboro, where he tried to open a new shop called Dagda’s Cauldron. Again, he was met with opposition; city leaders pressured the landlord to cancel Riley’s lease, and he was out of business once more.

Finally, in 2011, he and his church relocated to Lake City, a town of 2,600 about 22 miles east of Jonesboro.

A large yellow sign is affixed to a post outside the structure, which is both Riley’s home and his church. It draws gawkers who travel down Main Street and turn onto Lake Street to access the St. Francis levee road.

Surrounded by plants, the house looks like a witch’s cottage. Visitors may catch a glimpse of Riley outside, looking nearly the same as he did 30 years ago, with a long, flowing mane of white hair and a pointed white beard. A three-columned tattoo that some jokingly equate with a barcode is on his forehead. It represents three elements of wisdom.

A pentagram adorns a door leading into the part of Riley’s home that’s used as the church. Sometimes church members hold services outdoors in an open-air temple to thank the elements of fire, wind, earth and water.

About 20 yards east of the house, an arched sign alerts visitors that they’re entering Demeter’s Garden, named after the Greek goddess of harvest. That’s the field where Riley grows his tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and other vegetables to give away to the needy at his food pantry across the street.

PEACEFUL, MOSTLY

Most members of Riley’s congregation come from other towns in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, rather than Lake City. The Southern Delta Church of Wicca has attracted others from New York, Washington and Idaho, he said.

Wiccans frown on actively recruiting new members, so followers have to find the church themselves.

Riley and his members don’t have a clear answer to what Wicca actually is, only what it does.

“Ask 5 million Wiccans what the religion is and you’ll get 5 million answers,” said Woodbine Fraine, a former Baptist who has been a member of Riley’s church for five years now. “It’s eclectic. As long as you are doing good to others, you’re following our religion.”

The Wiccan church is nothing like she expected, Fraine said.

“As soon as my feet hit the door, I knew I was home,” she said. “When I first came here,

I wondered if it was people waving wands in services. It wasn’t.”

When she met Riley, the first thing he asked her was if she was a Louisiana Cajun, Fraine said.

“Not many people knew that. Terry saw it in my energy. I realized he might know something. He may be a prophet.”

Kemberly May-Braun has been with the church for 12 years, despite great personal sacrifice.

“The family had no clue I was a Wiccan,” she said. “When they found out, my mother disowned me.”

Others aren’t as hostile. For the most part, Lake City seems to have accepted the Wiccans and their ways.

At first, neighbors called the police to complain about outdoor drumming services, but the Lake City mayor at the time, perhaps realizing Riley’s penchant for filing lawsuits, told people that Riley didn’t make any more noise than the loudspeakers at a nearby park’s nightly softball games.

Someone stole one of the church signs from Riley’s house last year, and members found a watermelon tossed into his yard. Undaunted by opponents, Riley has sought to help them.

When Riley discovered at least two-thirds of students in the local school district were on the free or reduced-price lunch program, he decided to create a food pantry.

Riley works with the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas in Jonesboro, where he gets canned goods to give out at the pantry along with vegetables from his garden. The pantry is open on Thursdays.

Last October, the church prepared and gave out packages of food to 230 families, which fed an estimated 700 people, the church said.

“When I first got here in 2021, people gave me the cold shoulder because of this,” garden coordinator Glenn Garrison said, pointing to a large pentagram tattooed on his neck. “But then we opened the pantry. I’ve gotten so many thank yous since then.”

The Wiccans plan to expand their ministry of feeding the hungry in Lake City and beyond.

Earlier this summer, the Southern Delta Church of Wicca was awarded a $300,000 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s to be used to expand the gardens planted around Riley’s Lake City home and neighborhood.

Already, the church is farming one 20-by-

“ASK FIVE MILLION WICCANS WHAT THE RELIGION IS AND YOU’LL GET FIVE MILLION ANSWERS. IT’S ECLECTIC.”

80-foot lot. And Riley has purchased land in the eastern part of Lake City for more gardens. The grant will be distributed over three years, and Riley’s goal is to eventually grow enough produce to provide 4,000 meals a month.

“If we’re a church, aren’t we supposed to feed the hungry?” Riley said. “We don’t make you come to our services if you get food.”

Now, he’s applying for another federal grant to build small houses for homeless veterans.

ACCEPTANCE AT LAST

Three decades after an angry mob met him at the Craighead County Courthouse, Riley’s watched tolerance for his religion grow.

The crowning moment may have come in 2016, when Lake City leaders invited Riley to enter a church float in the annual Christmas

parade.

“I got a letter inviting us and immediately went to City Hall to see if it was real,” Riley said.

Riley posed as Father Time on the float, and his daughter dressed as Mother Nature. The float was awarded first place. In the 2019 parade, the church won third place, and in 2021 it took home another first-place award.

In 2022, Riley went “full Wiccan,” he said, and built a float that included a horned god, a “green man” and a bubbling cauldron.

“There were people freaking out about that float,” said Cameron Byerly, who lives on Lake Street a block from Riley’s church, and attended the parade.

“They seem like nice people,” Byerly said of the church members he’s seen. But, he added,

“there still is some closed-mindedness.”

Lake City Mayor Cameron Tate said Riley’s church is welcomed in his town, although he does acknowledge there may still be some opposition.

“He’s doing just fine,” Tate said of Riley’s presence. “You’re not going to get everyone accepting anything. It’s just the world we live in. You could say the same thing about Christian churches.”

Years ago, Riley was asked by a network news journalist doing a piece on his struggles in Jonesboro why he didn’t just leave the South and move to a more tolerant part of the country.

“I thought if I can stay here, it says to every [Wiccan] church that you can do it anywhere,” he said.

CONGREGANTS: Riley, at center, with congregant and daughter Amberly Jones and garden coordinator Glenn Harrison.

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AS THE MARIJUANA BUSINESS EXPANDS, SO DOES THE VARIETY OF AVAILABLE PRODUCTS — AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE INDUSTRY’S LEGAL TERRAIN.

BY REBEKAH HALL SCOTT AND MARY JANE DOE

Even as signatures are being gathered for a ballot measure that would expand the state’s medical marijuana program, the cannabis industry in Arkansas has grown explosively since the first dispensary opened in 2019. Medical marijuana sales in 2023 totaled more than $283 million, and the state Department of Health reports that more than 97,000 Arkansans are now cardholding medical marijuana patients. Here, we publish the results of the second-ever Arkansas Times Cannabis Awards (the dopest awards in The Natural State) from Best Badder to Best Shatter and everything in between. Rebekah Hall Scott talks with new Arkansas Beverage Control Division Director Christy Bjornson, and cannabis reviewer Mary Jane Doe takes us on a tour of some of her favorites, from Wedding Cake to Watermelon Wonder.

As director of the Arkansas Beverage Control Division, Christy Bjornson oversees cannabis and alcohol regulation.

JOINT CONTROL

A QUICK CHAT WITH NEW ABC DIRECTOR CHRISTY BJORNSON.

BY REBEKAH HALL SCOTT

Little Rock native Christy Bjornson assumed the role of director of the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABC) in October 2023. ABC oversees more than 6,400 alcohol permits statewide and management of medical marijuana facilities. With experience as an attorney supervisor from DFA’s Office of Field Audit and deputy prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District, Bjornson is known for navigating complex legal terrain, promising to uphold compliance and cultivating positive relationships with stakeholders.

This story originally appeared in the debut issue of Arkansas Cannabis Times, a special publication curated by the Arkansas Times.

Previously, you worked at the DFA’s Office of Field Audit as attorney supervisor and at the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office. How will your past experiences translate to your new role as director of the ABC? My career developed at the prosecutor’s office here in Pulaski County under the leadership of Larry Jegley. Through almost seven years of terrific mentors, I walked away from that office having honed my skills as a trial attorney and with more than a few great examples of leadership. The quick pace of the courtroom and high number of felony cases taught me how to juggle a busy schedule and a ton of people and personalities. My experience gives me a steady foundation to work through complex alcohol and medical marijuana legal issues and serves as a framework for enforcing industry regulations.

As ABC director, how do you oversee the operation of Arkansas's medical marijuana facilities? On the ABC administration side, we are the more in-office component of overseeing medical marijuana facilities. Just like a prosecutor takes over a case worked up by the police, my office and our staff attorneys review violation reports and evidence while our boots-onthe-ground counterparts in ABC enforcement investigate industryrelated violations. On any given day we may be discussing ways to improve and modernize our public-facing systems for things like RIC (Registry Identification Card) card applications or promulgating new rules to align with law changes. We want our rules to make sense for a growing industry, so there is always some component of balancing interests in every decision we make. Our support staff processes over 6,000 applications for alcohol and medical marijuana permits and renewals every year — all while the phone never stops ringing.

How do you go about maintaining relationships with permit holders, law enforcement and local/ state leaders? I think the key is clear expectations and clear communication. When you are

clear with people, they can trust you, and I think that goes a long way towards maintaining relationships. I like solving problems and helping people come to a resolution, and I strive to make sure that after walking away from a conversation, whether I agree with the individual or not, they know I have listened to and considered their perspective.

What are some of your goals for the first year of your tenure as ABC director? I’m eager to speed up the RIC process — providing updates allowing applicants to apply, pay and receive their cards without having to appear in person for pickup. These are the identification cards worn by anyone who works on-site at a medical marijuana facility, both security and staff. Part of that goal will be accomplished by the institution of a new national licensing software designed to replace the current MMC management system. The implementation of this software is anticipated in early 2024.

How does serving the public in the state you grew up in feel? I could not be prouder to work in public service in my home state. Arkansas is a beautiful place to live, full of so much talent and heaps of potential. I am so pleased to be in a position where I can help entrepreneurs from my community launch successful businesses and bring more jobs to Arkansas, whether that be new restaurants with alcohol permits or new dispensaries serving qualified patients.

When you're not on the job, what are some of your favorite things to do in Central Arkansas? I keep busy playing tennis in a local league, and I love to hit the hiking trails with my pup, Zuko. You can often find me at Robinson Auditorium for a night out at the theater!

Do you have any fun or unusual hobbies? I try to win the NYT Wordle and Connections every day. I think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might be the cutest couple on the planet, and my reality TV guilty pleasures include “Survivor” and anything on Bravo.

BRIAN CHILSON

THANKS FOR VOTING US BEST CONCENTRATE!

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Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

WE BELIEVE in cultivating bumper crops and guard rails

Our multi-disciplinary team of attorneys, led by Erika Gee, helps clients navigate the diverse range of issues raised by the evolving cannabis industry.

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Best Doctor Dr. Brian Nichol

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2024

FINALIST

2024

2024

ENVELOPE, PLEASE

THE WINNERS AND FINALISTS IN THE SECOND-EVER ARKANSAS TIMES CANNABIS AWARDS.

Our readers cast their votes on the best of the best in the Arkansas cannabis world — tinctures, topicals, terpenes and everything in between.

DISPENSARIES

BEST DISPENSARY

Winner: Natural Relief Dispensary

Finalists: Suite 443, Harvest, The Source, Arkansas Natural Products

BEST DISPENSARY-GROWN FLOWER

Winner: In the Flow by The Source

Finalists: Custom Cannabis, Suite 443, Green Springs Medical, High Bank

BEST LOYALTY/REWARDS PROGRAM

Winner: Harvest

Finalists: The Source, Natural Relief Dispensary, Good Day Farm

BEST SERVICE

Winner: Natural Relief Dispensary

Finalists: The Source, Suite 443, Arkansas Natural Products, Greenlight Dispensary

BEST DELIVERY

Winner: Arkansas Natural Products

Finalists: Natural Relief Dispensary, The Source, Fiddler’s Green

BEST BUDTENDER

Winner: Laura Farrell (Natural Relief Dispensary)

Finalists: Stacy Dick (Enlightened-Heber Springs), Robert Knight (Arkansas Natural Products), Christey Noble (The Treatment), Michelle DeMeo (Green Springs Medical)

BEST VIBE/OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Winner: Suite 443

Finalists: Custom Cannabis, Natural Relief Dispensary, The Source, Arkansas Natural Products

PROCESSORS

BEST PROCESSOR

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: Shake Extractions, High Speed Extracts, Mink & Kimball, Pure Pharma

BEST DISPOSABLE VAPE

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: High Speed Extracts, The Clear, Pure Pharma, Delta Dank

BEST EDIBLE CHOCOLATE

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: High Speed Extracts, Mink & Kimball

BEST EDIBLE GUMMIES

Winner: Smokiez (Dark Horse Medicinals)

Finalists: Canyon Chew-its (Pure Pharma), Green Hornet (High Speed Extracts)

BEST PACKAGING

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: Shake Extractions, High Speed Extracts, Mink & Kimball, Pure Pharma

BEST CONCENTRATE

Winner: High Speed Extracts (Ice Water Hash)

Finalists: Dark Horse Medicinals (Lemon Berry Candy), Dark Horse Medicinals (Diamonds & Sauce), Pure Pharma (SPFD), Shake Extractions (Mood Drops)

BEST TOPICAL

Winner: Mary’s Medicinals (Dark Horse Medicinals), Shake Extractions Balm (tie)

Finalists: Pure Pharma Serum, High Speed Extracts, Mink & Kimball

BEST TINCTURE

Winner: Shake Extractions

Finalists: Pure Pharma

BEST RSO (Rick Simpson Oil)

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: High Speed Extracts, Ouachita Tears, Shake Extractions, Mink & Kimball

BEST VAPE

Winner: Dark Horse Medicinals

Finalists: High Speed Extracts, Clear, Pure Pharma, M&M Cannabis

BEST OF THE REST

BEST LAW FIRM

Winner: Wright Lindsey Jennings (Erika Gee)

Finalists: Barber Law Firm (Robbin Rahman), Rose Law Firm, Quattlebaum Grooms & Tull, Danielson Law Firm

BEST SECURITY FIRM

Winner: Liberty Defense Group

Finalist: Cache River Security

BEST BANK

Winner: Central Bank

Finalists: Grand Savings Bank, Safe Harbor Financial

BEST DOCTOR

Winner: Dr. Brian Nichol (Interventional Pain Consultants)

Finalists: Dr. Thomas Tvedten (The Healing Clinic), Dr. Kimberly Whicker (Sugar Magnolia Clinic), Dr. William Warren (iNaturalCare Clinic), Dr. Kyle Roper (My Medical Card Compassionate Care Clinic)

BEST TESTING LAB

Winner: FAST Labs

Finalists: AA Analytics, Steep Hill, ARCanna, MaryGold

BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM

Winner: CSK Partners

Finalists: Flatland Financial CPAs, Lisa Stephens CPA

BEST ADVERTISING

Winner: Natural State CannaFriends

Finalists: Keep it or Toss it (KIOTI), Shake Collab, Bud Agency, MMJ AR

BEST HEAD/VAPE/SMOKE SHOP

Winner: Natural State CannaShop

Finalists: Suite Toke ‘n Tan, Headwaters, Abby Road, Mr. Smoke

BEST HEMP PRODUCT

Winner: Buffalo Co Trifecta

Finalists: Hippie Hounds, Healing Hemp (clothing), CBD & ME Roller, Lark Beverages

BEST OVERALL PRODUCT

Winner: ArkanRaw (River Valley

Relief)

Finalists: Buffalo Co No Pain Salve, CBD & ME Suppositories, MicroFruits (Natural State Medicinals), Smokiez (Dark Horse Medicinals)

BEST DELTA 8 OR DELTA 9

PRODUCT

Winner: Buffalo Co Trifecta

Finalists: Healing Hemp Gummies, Buffalo Co Happy, AVE Seltzer, Lark Beverages

BEST CBD PRODUCT (Edible)

Winner: Good Day Farm 1:1 Wellness Gummies

Finalists: Healing Hemp of Arkansas Better Sleep, CBD & Me Tinctures, Nature’s Phamily Pharms

BEST CBD PRODUCT (Topical)

Winner: Buffalo Co No Pain Salve

Finalists: Synergy Skin Worx (Bold), CBD & Me Balm, Healing Hemp Relief Cream, 4:1 Rosemary Balm (Shake Co)

BEST CBD PRODUCT FOR PETS

Winner: Hippie Hounds

Finalists: Buffalo Co Endocanine, CBD & Me, SunMed Your CBD Store, Nature’s Phamily Pharms

BEST CBD STORE

Winner: Healing Hemp of Arkansas

Finalists: Natural State CannaShop, SunMed Your CBD Store, Drippers, Buffalo Co

MARY JANE SAYS ...

WANA | GUMMIES | MANGO | SATIVA 10MG PER GUMMY

I popped half of one of these bad boys before the allfemme-fronted show at Vino’s on International Womxn’s Day. First half is always to get in the mood. Snuck the second half between sips of my lukewarm Busch Light during the middle of the show. Second half is to enhance the Vino’s experience of my boots sticking to the floor as I watch the mosh pit with a mixture of awe and envy. Am I too high (or not high enough) to enter this swarm of people — big and small, short and tall, happy and sad, gleefully pushing each other as a baddie from NYC with a sparkly rainbow grill shreds on the guitar, summoning us all like we’re at a seance? Maybe I was just right. I didn’t need to be in the pit. I was vibing in my fanny pack, and I didn’t want to take my hoops off.

PAIRS WELL WITH: live music, $5.90 Tuesdays at the Riverdale movie theater, walking around downtown, a cold draft pilsner, an after-dinner-treat.

Mary Jane Doe is a local stoner-socialite here to provide you with hot gossip on fresh bud, best strains and how to make the most of your high.

MARY

JANE DOE

Little

RoseLawFirm.com

CULTIVATORS

BEST CULTIVATOR

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River Valley Relief, Bold Cultivation, Good Day Farms

BEST SHATTER

Winner: Osage Creek

Finalist: Good Day Farms

BEST SUPPOSITORY

Winner: Natural State Medicinals

Finalists: Shake Extractions, Osage Creek

BEST SUGAR

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: River Valley Relief, BOLD Cultivation, Natural State Medicinals

BEST EDIBLE (Gummy)

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: (WANA) River Valley Relief, Osage Creek, Good Day Farms, Natural State Medicinals

BEST SATIVA STRAIN

Winner: River Valley Relief (BANJO) & Natural State Medicinals (Amnesia Fast) (tie)

Finalists: Good Day Farm (Super Lemon Haze), Leafology (Mac Daddy Royale), BOLD (Mr. Clean)

BEST CONCENTRATE

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: River Valley Relief, Natural State Medicinals, Revolution Cannabis, Good Day Farms

BEST TOPICAL

Winner: Leafology Roll-on Topical

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals 3:1 Anti-inflammatory, Synergy SkinWorx patches, BOLD Body Butter

BEST DISPOSABLE VAPE

Winner: River Valley Relief (Slym)

Finalists: Good Day Farm GO Pens, BOLD, Natural State Medicinals Bellos

BEST TINCTURE

Winner: Natural State Medicinals

Finalists: Leafology, River Valley Relief, Good Day Farm, BOLD

BEST RSO

Winner: ArkanRaw (River Valley Relief)

Finalists: Leafology, Osage Creek, Revolution Cannabis, Natural State Medicinals

BEST VAPE CART

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: River Valley Relief, Natural State Medicinals, Osage Creek, Good Day Farm

BEST HYBRID STRAIN

Winner: Lilac Diesel (Natural State Medicinals)

Finalists: Ryleigh’s Reserve (River Valley Relief), Scarlett Johansson (Leafology), Kumquat (Good Day Farms), TICAL Glitter Bomb (BOLD Cultivation)

BEST EDIBLE (Chocolate)

Winner: Leafology (Chocolate-covered peanut butter)

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals (Lil Barks), River Valley Relief (Caramels), Good Day Farms (Milk chocolate mini bars)

BEST INDICA STRAIN

Winner: Blackwater (Natural State Medicinals)

Finalists: Wedding Pie (Leafology), TICAL Heavy Cream (BOLD), Kush Mints (River Valley Relief), Commerce City Kush (Natural State Medicinals)

BEST BADDER

Winner: Leafology

Finalists: River Valley Relief, BOLD Cultivation, Good Day Farms, Natural State Medicinals

BEST EDIBLE (Beverages)

Winner: Leafology (Hot Chocolate Mix)

Finalists: BOLD Cultivation (Wynk seltzers), Osage elixirs, Natural State Medicinals Drink enhancers, Revolution

MARY JANE SAYS ...

GDF | FLOWER WATERMELON WONDER| HYBRID

The first time I smoked this strain was after I took an outdoor yoga class on Petit Jean Mountain. Posted up on the side of the mountain, I sat in one of those zero-gravity chairs all afternoon, breathing deeply and puffing on my watermelon joint. My favorite flavor. I didn’t do a damn thing. I just sat. Watched the grass grow, heard the birds chirp and rested my eyes a bit. Boy, that was nice. I liked the weed so much I decided to roll it up for a bonfire celebrating a friend’s new house. This weed was on sale so I was more willing to share with a big group. How they bought a house in this economy, I have no idea, but a couple of puffs of the W.W. and I didn’t give a single you-know-what about the cost of living and an unlivable minimum wage. I was too busy a hootin’-and a-hollerin’, talkin’ ‘bout who knows what and laughin’ at Dicky lookin’ more stoned than we’ve ever seen him. There was no hidin’ behind those silly little glasses, Dick.

PAIRS WELL WITH: hanging out on a mountain, picnics, bonfires, being social, being antisocial, staring at your dogs, staring off into space, a double cappuccino from Fidel & Co, yacht rock.

Mary Jane Doe

MARY JANE DOE

THE BEST TINCTURE IN IS MADE BY WOMEN

#1 ORGANIC HERBAL SUPPLEMENT IN AR

#1 AM/PM TINCTURES FOR SLEEP & MOOD

#1 VITA-DROPS with LIQUID VITAMINS A, D3 & E

BEST OVERALL TINCS for DETOX ~ GUT ~ HEALTH

BEST OVERALL FLAVORS with no SUGAR ADDED

P.S. 4:1 BODY BALM ALSO CAME IN @ NO. 1 !!!!

Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

MARY JANE SAYS ...

OOH

The vape is a godsend for us working girlies. I can easily sneak a puff in during a bathroom break, and it makes dealing with people much more tolerable, even pleasant. It also helps me feel more relaxed in my body so I’m not so caught up in my aches and pains. When I decided to paint my kitchen Lime Rickey green, I was glued to this cart. The high had the shade of green looking particularly lime, like I could smell the citrus in the wet paint. Between the Ooh La La and the ’90s hip-hop blasting, I was rockin-and-rolling, climbing on my countertops as carefree as Meg Ryan in a Nora Ephron movie. No matter what I’m doing or where, when I don’t feel like rolling one up or packing one in, the vape comes in super handy. And this cake flavor is delish. IYKYK.

PAIRS WELL WITH: bathroom breaks, intense labor, buffet lunch at Al Seraj, parking lots, kombucha with a splash of La Croix and lime.

Mary Jane Doe

COOKIES | TANK (CARTRIDGE)

LA LA (WEDDING CAKE X LEMON POUND CAKE)

MARY JANE DOE

Available at Natural Relief Dispensary $20 tax

JADED JAM is a cannabis-infused jam made with high quality fruits for rich flavor. It contains sativa/hybrid strains for relaxation, stress relief, and

Each serving has 10mg THC, taking 30 minutes to 2 hours to activate.

Marijuana is for use by qualified

use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or

CANYON 2 GRAM DISPOSABLE CARTRIDGES

Canyon’s 2 gram disposable cartridges are packed with strain specific terpenes and high quality THC distillate. The disposable battery is auto-draw activated so you do not have to worry about wasting your product by accidentally pressing a button. The ceramic core allows for smooth and even heating throughout the entire lift of the cartridge. At $60 (with tax included) for 2 grams, these are some of the lowest priced cartridges in Arkansas!

Available in 1:1 CBD:THC, CBN, Indica and Sativa.

Price: $52.86 per package ($60 with tax)

NATURAL RELIEF DISPENSARY

3107 E. Kiehl Ave. | Sherwood 501-487-6045 | naturalreliefdispensary.com

CANNABIS HIGHLIGHTS

ECLIPSE GO PEN

by Good Day Farm

Embrace the darkness. Taste the totality. Prepare yourself for April 8, 2024.

Immerse your senses in the mysterious allure of the Blackberry Eclipse GO Pen. The deep, rich notes of succulent blackberries create a symphony of flavors that dance on your palate. Every puff is like a taste of totality: sweet, tart, and dank like never before. Don’t miss your chance to experience this cosmic celebration—because, like a total solar eclipse, these won’t last long.

BERNER'S BY GOOD DAY FARM

11600 Chenal Parkway | Little Rock 501-441-0944 | gooddayfarmdispensary.com

C-CELL 2 GRAM ALL-IN-ONE DISPOSABLE VAPE

The Dark Horse Medicinals C-Cell 2 Gram All-in-One Disposable Vape is a sleek and portable vaping device featuring C-Cell ceramic heating technology for smooth vapor production. With its disposable design, users enjoy hassle-free vaping without the need for refills or coil replacements. Prefilled with DHM’s high potency and triple A grade distillate and cannabis derived live terpenes, it offers convenience and simplicity for vaping on the go. The Cherry Pie strain can be enjoyed in a social setting or during a calm night at home. Flavors are described as fruity, sweet vanilla.

HASH & CO

110 Grider Field Ladd Rd | Pine Bluff 870-663-0900 | hashandcompany.com

TRIFECTA

buffaloco.com

BUFFALO CO

Best Overall Product

Best D8/D9 Product

This SELECT Hemplixir is power house - Crafted to include equal amounts of Full Spectrum CBD, CBG and Delta 8. Trifecta is intended to be used a daily or as-needed tincture.

CODE: THEBEST for 20% off

This SELECT Hemplixir is a 1:1:1 power house - Crafted to include equal amounts of Full Spectrum CBD, CBG and Delta 8. Trifecta is intended to be used as a daily or as-needed tincture. It is a lab and clinically tested hemp extract that includes organic ingredients and natural mint flavoring to maximize full body balance. 2024 Arkansas Times Cannabis Award winner of Best Delta 8 or Delta 9 Product and Best Hemp Product.

BUFFALO CO

buffaloco.com

Use code: THEBEST for 20% off

220MG TERPY TACO SEASONING

Introducing the newest addition to Leafology’s seasoning lineup: Terpy Taco Seasoning . Make your Taco Tuesdays even better with Leafology’s carefully crafted 220mg Taco Seasoning. We blend top-quality herbs and spices with just the right amount of cannabis extract for a delicious experience every time. Plus, every Leafology seasoning pack includes a dosing spoon to ensure consistent dosing every time. Keep the temperature below 300 degrees to ensure each sprinkle maintains its full potency.

CUSTOM CANNABIS SUPERSTORE

10200 AR-5 | Alexander 501-213-0115 | customcannabisar.com

a lab and clinically tested hemp extract that includes organic ingredients and natural mint flavoring to maximize full balance.

April 26 to May 5

Arts & The Park 2024

Arts & The Park, the annual ten-day celebration of the arts in Hot Springs, will be held April 26 to May 5, 2024, and will feature a host of engaging and fun creative offerings. Produced by the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, the 11th annual Arts & The Park theme is “Celebrate Imagination” with a focus on originality, ingenuity and the limitlessness of the mind. The festival kicks off on Friday, April 26, with a jam-packed weekend featuring the opening of the outdoor art exhibit, Art Moves, at the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail. The following day, art lovers and party goers will head down to Hill Wheatley Plaza and the Entertainment District for Art Springs, a two-day open-air arts festival with live performances and entertainment, the Glover Awards for Songwriting, children’s events, steamroller printmaking, along with original work by artists and artisans and much more. A special ballet performance from the Hot Springs Children’s Dance Theatre Co. with guest performers from Ballet Arkansas will also be held at the Arlington Hotel. During the week, a wide range of exciting events will be held at the Garland County Library, along with a virtual cooking class, a performance by the IBLA International Musicians, the unveiling of the Arkansas Music Trail of Hot Springs and Wednesday Night Poetry. The festival closes with another event-filled weekend of Gallery Walk on Friday, May 3, and the popular Artist Studio Tours on May 4-5. Arts & The Park is free and open to the public (workshop fees may apply). Visit HotSpringsArts.org for a full list of events.

Presented by Oaklawn Resort Racing Casino, support for Arts & The Park is also provided by major sponsor Arvest Bank, and Visit Hot Springs, with funding provided in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Arkansas Community Foundation, Mid America Arts Alliance and Elizabeth Wagner Foundation.

Photos by Pam Clark

Some of the highlights of the 2024 festival included:

Art Moves

Friday, April 26

The annual Art Moves exhibit, made up of 20 original works of art reproduced onto 30” x 40” metal sheets, is installed along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail and will remain there until the springs of 2025. This outdoor exhibition encourages everyone to go outdoors to enjoy nature year-round.

Art Springs

Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28

Art Springs, the free two-day outdoor festival, takes place the first weekend of Arts & The Park at Hill Wheatley Plaza in the heart of historic Hot Springs. Art Springs is an annual juried festival filled with talented artists, artisans and fine crafts. Food trucks, beverages for purchase, a children’s area with a book giveaway, the Renaissance Fair and storytelling make it an annual favorite for the entire family.

Also included in the Art Springs festivities:

• Chalk Walk

A sidewalk chalk event

• Under Pressure

A steamroller block printing event

• Children’s Book Giveaway

Presented in partnership with the Hot Springs Community Foundation

• Glover Awards for Songwriting Excellence

The fourth annual contest paid homage to local music legend singer/songwriter Henry Glover. The final round will take place on the Art Springs stage on Saturday afternoon, April 27.

Garland County Library Events

The Garland County Library will host multiple events during the festival including a Children’s Fruit Fairy Tea Party featuring the new children’s book “The Lovely Fruit Fairies”, by Conway artist Faye Hedera, a night of music and art with Charlie Mink, Local Author’s Day, All Things Fiber and a follow-up presentation of “The Architect’s Daughter” featuring Diana McDaniel Hampo. Diana will be present to offer additional information, photographs and answer questions, as well as a re-play of the original program.

hotspringsarts.org for more festival events!

MAY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS 2024 SCHEDULE

5/2-5 Jerryberry Music Festival at the Farm

5/4 ArtRageous Parade

5/10-12 Bridge of Love

5/10-11 Main Stage Creative Center Maker’s Market

5/10-11 Corny Vaudeville Show at Center Stage

5/11 Pop-Up Shakespeare in Harmon Park

5/17 White Street Studio Walk

5/17 Pop-Up Shakespeare in Harmon Park

5/18 Writer’s Colony Screen Writer Showcase

5/25 Bigfoot Festival at Lake Leatherwood

5/25 Lotus Crown Pop-Up Art Studio at Lake Leatherwood

5/31 Sonny Landreth and Seth Jones at the Auditorium

5/30-6/2 Eureka Springs Blues Party

6/1-5 Eureka Springs Plein Air Art Festival

EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT:

Gallery Walk

ALL MONTH LONG:

Eureka Springs Treeple public art displays & 3 new public art installations

Meet the Artists at various art Galleries

Music in Basin Park

Special exhibit at the Museum of Eureka Springs Art

For decades, the Artrageous Parade has marked the spirited commencement of Eureka Springs’ annual May Festival of the Arts. Renowned for its flair for festivities, Eureka Springs elevates the art of parades to new heights, epitomized by the Artrageous Parade — an annual extravaganza of creativity, music, performance and surprises.

Held each year on the first Saturday of May, this kaleidoscopic procession winds through the heart of Eureka Springs, filling Spring Street with color and imagination, commencing at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4th. Leading the charge is the Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA), which organizes the Artrageous Parade during the May Festival of the Arts, as well as numerous other year-round free public art events, art and craft workshops, and community arts programs.

Art enthusiasts are in for a treat this year as they catch special parade throws — miniature masterpieces crafted by local artists, generously provided by ESSA to delight parade-goers. It’s an opportunity to snatch up a genuine piece of Eurekan art amidst the spectacle!

Keen to participate? ESSA welcomes parade applications until April 26, 2024, or until all slots are filled. Participants stand a chance to win cash prizes and ESSA gift certificates, redeemable for an array of captivating art and fine craft workshops.

For those eager to witness or join the festivities, visit the ESSA website at www.essa-art.org or stay updated through ESSA’s social media channels. This family-friendly celebration promises an enriching experience for all ages — an art-filled affair not to be overlooked!

For more information, contact Kelly McDonough, Executive Director of the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, at 479-253-5384 or via email at director@essa-art.org.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

CATCHING UP WITH 1996 ACADEMIC ALL-STAR JEROME STRICKLAND

JR.

BY TRICIA LARSON

PARKVIEW GRAD: In late 2022, Strickland opened an Arkansas chapter of a nonprofit called The Contingent, founded to tackle a range of social issues in and around the foster care system.

In 1996, Bill Clinton was elected to a second term; the Motorola StarTac flip phone was the “it” device, “Jerry Maguire” showed us the money, Tupac was fatally shot (or was he?), and the earworm “Macarena” dominated the charts.

It was also the year Jerome Strickland Jr. was named to the Arkansas Times Academic All-Star Team, only the second cohort of Arkansas students to be recognized by this publication for its academic achievements. (This year’s roster of students, to be featured in our May issue, will be the Arkansas Times’ 30th Academic All-Star roster.) Ten young women and 10 young men made the cut, nominated by guidance counselors and principals from high schools around the state and featured in the May 24, 1996, issue of the Arkansas Times, then a weekly newspaper. Strickland, a soon-to-be graduate of Parkview Arts-Science Magnet, was nominated by the school’s guidance counselor, Mary Ann James.

“I can still recall the enthusiasm,” Strickland said. He remembers the article coming out during a “flurry of college decisions” and recalls his family clipping the feature and adding it to the keepsake book. Even his church joined in, posting the piece on its bulletin board. “It was such an honor to have my efforts recognized in these ways,” he said. “It’s a gift to be able to revisit that moment.”

Strickland’s 1996 All-Star bio describes a charismatic young man already exhibiting leadership qualities and a compassionate nature. He was student council president, bested competition to win an Optimist Club oratorical competition and attended Boys State Governor’s School and the National Young Leaders Conference. He also volunteered at homeless shelters and worked with children as a youth minister and Sunday school teacher.

Times staff also depicted him as diversely talented. “He can juggle, sing, play the piano, drums, and even the harmonica, on which he blows old folk songs and blues,” the article said. “If the friendly approach fails, Strickland can fall back on a black belt in taekwondo.” They spoke of the “verve” he brought to morning announcements, employing trivia questions and humor to “stir morning-befogged classmates.”

After high school, Strickland continued cultivating various skills and talents, graduating as planned from Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied biology — focusing on plant genetics research — and African and African American Studies.

In high school, Strickland thought he’d pursue medicine. But during his undergraduate studies, he realized he “wanted to work on the health care system — and not in it, as a doctor.”

So, after some soul-searching with his wife, Tavonia, Strickland made the move to Atlanta, where Strickland began Emory University’s MBA program on an academic scholarship, studying analytics and health care management.

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Strickland — on a quest to remedy what he called “a deficit in my financial and business acumen” — began to realize that the systemic changes he wanted to see in America’s health care system could be implemented elsewhere, and he could gain invaluable expertise in developing systems of care overseas. This led to securing a coveted study abroad opportunity at the China Europe International Business School, where he focused on health care strategy.

It also meant another exciting move for his growing family: The Stricklands, now with a young daughter, Trinity Jade, in tow, would transplant their family to Shanghai, China.

After earning his MBA, Strickland assumed different leadership roles for various health care organizations domestically and internationally. During that time, he said he learned he was a “mosaic” leader and enjoyed “covering many areas and helping people develop into their best selves along the way.”

After adopting their son, Titus Jerome, Strickland said he “felt God’s prompting to return home with my family.” He said it was then he and his wife asked themselves a life-altering question: “If we were 100% intentional and not limited in our thinking, what life would we build for ourselves?”

“The answer led to us building a life that included both sets of parents living nearby and fighting for the well-being of Arkansas children who are in need,” Strickland said.

In late 2022, Strickland opened an Arkansas chapter of a nonprofit called The Contingent, initially founded in Oregon to tackle a range of social issues. An arm of the organization called The Script, for example, pairs students from underserved communities in Oregon with paid, leadership-track internships at top Portland-area companies. Strickland now serves as The Contingent Arkansas’s executive director.

Strickland said he established The Contingent to “support the unveiling of a new, enhanced statewide effort called ‘Every Child Arkansas.’” Strickland describes Every Child Arkansas as a coalition of state agencies led by the governor and nearly 30 nonprofit and philanthropic organizations coalescing to support families in need. According to its website, the effort focuses on filling “the biggest gaps in caring for children and families before, during and beyond foster care in our state.”

And The Contingent Arkansas is off to a great start. The office recently secured a $2.5 million federal grant to “prevent family disruption and preserve family bonds.” The award supports the North Little Rock Thriving Families Initiative, “a community-driven effort to address the challenges faced by families navigating multiple community/government systems.” Specifically, the grant focuses on the needs of families in the McAlmont, Pike and Rose City neighborhoods where, The Contingent indicates, “children often experience higher rates

THE OFFICE RECENTLY SECURED A $2.5 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO “PREVENT FAMILY DISRUPTION

PRESERVE FAMILY BONDS.”

of poverty and neglect and are at higher risk of both entering foster care and for longer periods of time.”

In Arkansas, Strickland strives to “best replicate the people, the systems, the advantages, the relationships” from which he and others benefited so all can access the same opportunities.

As for that 1996 recognition in the Times, Strickland attributes it to the people who were all-stars in his own life. “My recognition is actually a recognition of those high school counselors, student council sponsors, mentors, parents, janitors, coaches and community members who prayed for me, encouraged me and lifted me up,” Strickland said.

Strickland says he still juggles and plays instruments but has added “adrenaline sports like motorcycles, skydiving and spelunking.” He no longer practices taekwondo; instead, he “switched to karate to practice with his son.”

“I love the variety of life,” Strickland said.

When it comes to advice for today’s Academic All-Stars, he quickly joked that “these All-Stars don’t need my advice.” Then, he thoughtfully added, “My advice to us all is never to compare.”

Strickland warns that comparison is a losing endeavor “no matter if we’re comparing ourselves to those worse or better than us.”

“The biggest work we have before us is to fulfill each of our true potential and appreciate the life, the opportunities, the struggles and the people around us,” Strickland said. “It’s a beautiful struggle to become a better version of yourself each day. We don’t want to take any undeveloped talents or capabilities to the grave with us, as we are uniquely designed to bring them to the world.”

THE GLOAM

A SHORT STORY.

BY ELI CRANOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAUREN PUCHOWSKI FOR JAY JENNINGS

Three pimple-faced boys stared up at the sun, eyes hidden behind the blue-and-red-lensed glasses they’d purchased from the MAGA tent. More of a canopy than a tent, really, white polyester stretched tight over a cheap steel frame. The kind that are all the time getting blown away at the beach, rolling like giant metal tumbleweeds through the sand fences and into the protected dunes.

That’s where Cloke O’Neil had found this particular canopy, way down in Pensacola. Same place he’d met Clementine Baldwin, a brunette with a bob cut who’d said she was from “London ... Arkansas,” flirting with Cloke at the bar out back of the Paradise Inn, a bayside motel with a sign carved and painted to look like the sun. Same star those pizza-faced boys were still staring at, standing in the weeds around a primitive, timber-framed tabernacle with a steeple on the top and everything. “Black Jack Baptist” read the words to the left of the double doors, one of three churches in Clementine’s tiny hometown.

“Were those the glasses I ordered?”

Cloke liked the way his new girlfriend talked, a soft twang to certain syllables, like how she’d said “Arkansaw” that first night he’d met her. Two months later,

they were living together above the Pasta Grill, an Italian restaurant on the corner of South Denver and Main in Russellville. The town of thirty thousand sat just across the lake from London, which was close enough for Cloke, a military brat who’d never stayed anywhere long enough to call it “home.” Russellville boasted a university, a nuclear plant and about a hundred churches of varying sizes and denominations. “Welcome to the Bible Belt.” That’s what Clementine had told him in the Clinton National Airport after his flight landed in Little Rock. Cloke didn’t get it; he was starting to get it now.

“The glasses, babe,” Clementine said, reaching beneath a card table they’d borrowed from the church. “Do they work? I mean, look at those boys.”

Cloke saw them, bent at the waist, rubbing their eyes with their fists. He heard plastic crinkling, looked down, and saw Clementine rummaging through the box of cardboard-frame glasses he’d ordered off Amazon. A dollar ninety-nine per dozen. Cloke watched as the trio of boys scattered and started walking zombie-style toward the church.

“Blinded by the Light” ended and “Dancing in the Dark” started up on Cloke’s portable Bluetooth speaker.

He brought it along anytime they set up their traveling shop. The tunes were often themed and helped set the mood. The hairy-shouldered men littering the lawn didn’t seem to notice the music. The women looked worse, somehow. Either huge and stoop shouldered, or meth-mouthed and bony. There was no in between. There was, however, an undercurrent of strength that ran through all of them. Though Cloke had spent days — whole weekends, sometimes — around people like these, he’d never noticed their sinewy forearms and quarter-horse calves. Muscles defined by work covered in varying degrees of politically themed clothing, the same cheap shit Cloke had been hawking ever since he’d first arrived in Arkansas. The shirts were made in India, the hats Vietnam, but they were all stamped with similar messages promoting the greatness of America.

“‘The most cost-effective solution for your next 3D event?’” Clementine held up a package with a label Cloke must have missed. “Jesus Christ. 3D glasses? These are for the movies, not a solar eclipse.”

Cloke tried to act surprised but his heart wasn’t in it. Despite the patriotic colored lenses, the glasses hadn’t sold as well as he’d hoped. One man, a potbellied yokel wearing a trucker hat with two furry bear arms printed across the crown, had even gone so far as to ask why Cloke was selling glasses at all.

“Them scientists just trying to scare us again,” the man had said. “Yeah, buddy. It’s all a scam. Ain’t nobody gonna tell me how to watch a e-clipse. Hell, few years back we had one and I stared straight at it. Look at me now.”

Cloke recalled the man’s milky white orbs and jittering pupils as Clementine packed the rest of the glasses away. The glasses didn’t matter. That wasn’t why Cloke had hauled his canopy down from their loft apartment over in Russellville, why he had the tunes going and a high-dollar shotgun displayed in a polymer hard case, ready to be raffled off. Cloke was at Black Jack Baptist because of the eclipse. A total solar eclipse, a once in a lifetime celestial experience. That’s what every flyer, billboard, bulk email, and even the banners that hung from the streetlights outside the Pasta Grill all said, and they were right.

By some stroke of luck, this little patch of Nowhere, Arkansas, was in the “path of totality.” Russellville had been chosen by NASA as one of the top ten places in the world from which to view the event. The chamber of commerce had spent the last year prepping for the massive influx of starry-eyed tourists. The refurbished train depot, the hub for everything eclipse-related, had arranged a full day’s worth of solar-themed activities, each one geared toward boosting local commerce. Yes, there was money to be made, but precautions had been taken as well. The Russellville Police Department would be out in full force, which was why Cloke O’Neil was in London, eight miles away from the action, surrounded by a horde of country folk who simply wanted to watch the “e-clipse” without having to worry about protective eyewear.

A gap-toothed woman slinked past one of the canopy’s duct-taped legs and nodded at the shotgun in the case.

“That a Benelli?”

“828, over under,” Clementine said, automatic, like she worked in a Walmart sporting goods department. Cloke watched her slide the box of glasses beneath the table with one foot. “Daddy left it to me when he passed. Rayburn Baldwin. Know him?”

“The mussel diver?”

“Used to be, yeah, that’s him.”

The woman tongued her tooth hole. “What you selling his gun for, hon?”

“I’m not. This is a raffle. Twenty bucks puts your name in the drawing.” Clementine sounded almost proud. Maybe she was. Yes, Cloke thought, she was proud of her father’s gun, the same weapon she hadn’t let Cloke handle, barely even touch. It meant something to her.

“And,” Cloke said, straightening, “all the money goes to the church.”

“Black Jack Baptist?”

“Sure as shooting.” Cloke grinned.

The woman’s beady eyes narrowed.

“My dad went to Black Jack,” Clementine said. “Had his memorial service right there inside the church.”

The woman raised one eyebrow, inspecting Clementine’s “Let’s Go Brandon!” tank top and her faded skinny jeans. The bob cut didn’t match the redneck aesthetic, more hipster than hillbilly, but the woman went digging in her tube top anyway. Wadded twenty in hand, she filled out her ticket and passed it, along with the money, to Clementine. Cloke watched his girlfriend drop the crumpled bill into the hard case and slip the ticket into a box with ”church raffle” scribbled across the front.

The church bit had been Cloke’s idea, the cherry on top of his master plan, a way to make sure every knuckle-dragger in London forked over their cash. Twenty bucks for a shot at a $4,000 shotgun, and the proceeds went to the church? Clodhopper catnip, plain and simple. Clementine had liked the idea, too. Saw it as some sort of penance, a tribute or something. Cloke couldn’t understand why she’d want to give anything to those yayhoos but found her innocence cute in a country mouse kind of way. There had to be a couple grand in that case now, so much green Cloke could barely see the Benelli’s slick blue barrel.

He was still staring at the money when Clementine slid her arms around his waist and said, “Daddy would’ve liked all this.”

Cloke ran a hand over her smooth, pale skin, wondering what Rayburn Baldwin would’ve thought about his daughter spending the last two months selling bootleg MAGA merch to her fellow Arkansawyers. “Cloke and Clem.” It had a ring to it. The millennial version of Bonnie and Clyde. Together they’d swindled more money out of poor country folk than most politicians. Why? Well, they were both up to their eyeballs in debt, mainly from student loans. Liberal arts colleges weren’t cheap, whether you graduated or not. And selling

MAGA swag was easier than working, easier in Arkansas than it’d been in Denver, or even Dallas, just a few of the stops Cloke had made since Trump first donned his infamous red hat in the summer of 2015.

Clementine turned out to be his secret sauce. After they’d started dating, business boomed. She knew how to talk to these people, knew which towns to hit, which events were worth attending. County fairs and gun shows, mostly. This eclipse deal at Black Jack Baptist felt different. Too close to home, maybe? Cloke wasn’t sure, which was why he’d kept his girlfriend in the dark about his plan for when the moon passed between the Earth and the sun.

Clementine said, “Look,” and lifted one hand, pointing at the shadows creeping in over the church house lawn. “It’s happening.” ***

The world around Clementine Baldwin had grown dim, and it wasn’t just from the eclipse. It was everything: the state of the country, the state of Arkansas, the upcoming election, her hometown, London, and even her new boyfriend. How all those things worked together, or didn’t work at all. That was the problem. The disturbance Clementine felt in her heart, like the earth’s atmospheric turbulence refracting all around her.

Solar bands, alternating lines of light and dark, slithered across the canopy’s white cover. Totality was close now, the solar crescent thinning by the second, a narrow slit like Clementine’s eyes still squinting up at that sheet of polyester, still standing under the canopy because she didn’t have any ISO approved solar glasses. Nobody did. All around Clementine her fellow Londoners were already looking up, then down, then rubbing their watery eyes before looking back up again and cursing.

The light kept dimming into a sort of quicksilver gloam. Gloam. That was one of her daddy’s favorite words. A six-pack of Busch Light in one hand, his truck keys in the other, Rayburn Baldwin liked to say, “I’m setting sail into the gloam, kiddo. Be back before supper.” Which just meant he was going backroading up Highway 64, hoping to make it to the Overlook Rest Stop in time to watch the day’s last light go sparkling across Lake Dardanelle.

Same way it was doing now, except it wasn’t even 2 in the afternoon and the lake was hidden behind a curtain of loblolly pines. Still, an eerie metallic

sheen had seeped out over everything. The crescent was gone. All the light in the sky had condensed down to a singular, spectacular thing known as totality.

Clementine had done her homework. Hours of online research, which was how she knew it was safe to look up now. No filters needed. The moon had completely covered the solar disc.

Head back, eyes up, an actress in a movie in the rain, Clementine stepped out from under the canopy and said, “Cloke?” then reached back for him, or meant to, but what she saw in the sky erased her thoughts completely. Gone were the facts she’d learned about the chromosphere because it was right there, red prominences in various flame shapes, like a portal to another dimension. One where the four minutes and twelve seconds of projected totality warped and bent back into forever.

Clementine saw the blackness of the moon encircled by the corona’s gossamer glow with her heart, her mind, her entire being. She saw the people around her in a different light now, too. What did they see? Could they see anything at all? Or were they blinded, confused, like the ancient Greeks, who believed the eclipse meant the sun would soon abandon the Earth, or the Chippewas, who shot flaming arrows at the sky to rekindle its celestial fire? Or even like Clementine Baldwin, the daughter of a mussel diver (which was illegal in Arkansas, even back then) who somehow saw herself as different — better, maybe — than the people she’d grown up with? More educated, at least. Aware of the world, the other London. Over the last few years, Clementine had come to hate them enough to make a mockery of their misguided and, yes, oftentimes dangerous beliefs. For the last couple months, she’d made a living plumbing the depths of their ignorance. The racket she and Cloke had been running wasn’t all that different from her daddy’s illicit mussel enterprise. Clementine understood that now. She’d found the answer in this strange place between the light and the dark, a liminal space Rayburn Baldwin had once called “the gloam.”

A bright flare sparked in the sky as one edge of the sun slid out from behind the moon like a parting kiss, a silent goodbye that marked the end of totality.

A new song was playing from Cloke’s speaker now, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. The power ballad reached its crescendo as Clementine lowered her gaze, noticing the horizon line cast in creamy shades of soft yellow and burnt orange. In the east, a plume of white rose from

the nuclear plant’s cooling tower. Clementine watched the water vapor dissipate and mix with the iridescent clouds. She whispered her boyfriend’s name, fearful her voice might shatter the strange new world that had been birthed in the darkness.

When Clementine turned back to the canopy, she saw it had changed as well. The hats, the T-shirts, the bumper stickers, even her father’s shotgun in the hard case — it was all there, but the money was gone, and so was Cloke O’Neil. ***

The money was stuffed deep in the belly of a Trump tote bag. Cloke clamped it tight against his chest as he ran; that damn Bonnie Tyler song still stuck in his head, one line in particular, something about a powder keg.

But look, everything was fine. Cloke’s plan had worked. It was so simple he was surprised nobody else had thought of it. Maybe they had. Maybe there were similar crimes being committed all across the country, or at least in regions fortunate enough to be in the “path of totality.” With everybody and their dog staring up at the sky for four straight minutes, robberies were inevitable.

Cloke had put his own spin on this job. He’d upped the ante, so to speak. It was one thing to go around picking people’s pockets in the dark. A quick way to make a couple hundred bucks. Sure. It was an even better thing to have them fork over their cash beforehand. All it had taken was a shotgun raffle and the promise of a hefty donation to the Black Jack Baptist Church.

Maybe Arkansas’s not so bad after all, Cloke thought and ducked behind a line of late-model Fords with matte-black brush guards and tires taller than Clementine’s Prius.

The hybrid vehicle was parked in the back of the makeshift lot, right where Cloke had left it. Clementine, bless her heart, hadn’t asked any questions. It wasn’t unusual for them to park the Prius as far away from the canopy as possible. A hybrid at a Trump rally was hard to defend. Which was why Cloke had covered the Prius’s back bumper with what appeared to be MAGA stickers but were really just magnets he peeled off after each event.

Cloke glanced at the magnet above the muffler — Global Warming Is Caused By The Sun — then popped open the driver side door and ducked in behind the wheel. As irksome as the Prius had been over the last few months, it was crucial to his stealthy escape today. He pressed the red button on the dash and smirked as the engine hummed to life, a sound no louder than a small cat purring. Now all

he had to do was take the short gravel road that led to Highway 64, then hit I-40 eastbound, and he’d be in Little Rock, boarding the Delta Airlines flight he’d booked the week before.

But what about Clementine? What would those toothless degenerates do to Clem when they realized her boyfriend — and all their money — was gone?

Right foot on the pedal, Cloke toed the gas, trying not to think about it. That was the secret, the one thing he knew for sure after taking 32 trips around the sun. Life was best when viewed at a slant, slightly out of focus, just enough to blur the dirty details, all the unsolvable problems that plagued the world: war, nuclear war, climate change, artificial intelligence and generational poverty. There were no answers to such threats, no right or wrong, no liberal or conservative. There was just Cloke O’Neil crouched behind the wheel of his girlfriend’s Prius, alone again, like he’d been since his mother got transferred to Fort Bragg and little Clokey had to leave all his first-grade friends behind at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The scene at the end of the gravel road looked like something from a military base: a convoy of cars jumbled together in both lanes of Highway 64. The traffic jam went as far back as the next bend, probably farther, but that was as much as Cloke could see. Some of the drivers had exited their vehicles and were still staring up at the sky.

Cloke slapped the Prius’s wheel, wishing it was a truck, or better yet, a plane, like the one that was waiting for him at the Clinton National Airport. Something that would get him out of there, quick.

He wasn’t going anywhere now. Not until the traffic cleared. What were all those people looking at, anyway? Wasn’t the eclipse over already? Cloke could still hear Bonnie Tyler singing in his head, telling him to turn around. Instead, he checked his rearview mirror and saw Clementine Baldwin walking down the gravel road balancing her daddy’s shotgun on her right shoulder, one hand cupped under the butt.

Cloke looked past her to the rise in the gravel road, remembering Black Jack Baptist Church and its mangy congregation. He waited, fully expecting to see a mob crest the hill brandishing pitchforks and flaming torches. No, Cloke, thought. Those people carried guns.

Just like the one Clementine was toting now, close enough Cloke could hear her combat boots crunching in the gravel. The way her head was cocked, Cloke thought she was staring him down, giving him the evil eye, pissed

like he’d never seen her before. A few more steps, and he realized she wasn’t looking at him at all.

Cloke said, “Clem?” and slid out of the Prius. She stopped but didn’t turn, still staring off into the distance. “Listen, babe, I can explain.”

Clementine’s head moved. A nod or a shake? Cloke couldn’t tell. He was eyeing the shotgun, the tiny metal bead at the far end of the barrel, when she said, “I talked to them.”

“You what? Who?”

She said, “Them,” and nodded, definitely a nod, motioning with her head to that little bump in the gravel road, beyond it. “I told them everything.”

“What ...” Cloke said and swallowed. “What, exactly, did you tell them, Clementine?”

“The truth.”

“Jesus. The tru—”

“I told them about what I saw. They saw it too, I think.”

“They saw me take the money? That’s what you’re saying?”

When she turned, her tank top’s loud lettering didn’t match her voice at all. “My daddy,” she whispered, “he taught me how to shoot this gun. Took me out in the backyard when I was 9, maybe 10 years old, not much taller than the gun itself, and he taught me all about this old thing. Stuff I’d almost forgotten. Like how to clean the barrel to keep it from losing its bluing.”

“What?”

“Daddy swore he could look down the muzzle and tell if a gun was loaded. Said he could see the folded-up end of the plastic casing. Said it looked like a belly button.”

Cloke said, “Come on, Clem,” and laughed, eyes ticking to the still-stalled motorists, chins up, mouths open, wearing their solar glasses now. Cloke laughed again, remembering this black-and-white photograph he’d seen of the first 3D movie screening at the Paramount Theater back in 1952.

When he turned to Clementine, she said, “What do you think, Cloke? Does it look like a belly button?” talking out one side of her mouth, the side that wasn’t pressed up against the shotgun’s wooden stock.

It looked like his girlfriend — former girlfriend — was holding him at gunpoint. Beyond that, Cloke couldn’t see shit, the space inside the shotgun’s twin barrels dark and round like two tiny lunar discs.

“You’re not gonna shoot me, Clementine.”

She said, “I might,” in a way that chilled Cloke’s blood. He raised the Trump tote bag. “You want the money? That’s what this is about?”

Clementine moved her head, side to side, without moving the gun an inch. “I want you to give it back.”

“Give it—” ***

“—back. Yeah.” Clementine said, “They’re waiting for you, Cloke,” even though they weren’t, not like she’d explained it, anyway.

Nobody at Black Jack Baptist had noticed when Clementine Baldwin took her daddy’s shotgun from its polymer case and walked away from the canopy. Nobody had seen her, of that much she was certain. They might not even see Cloke when he waltzed back up there. It had something to do with photoreceptor cells and solar radiation. That’s what Clementine had read online. Maybe they’d regain their vision by the time Cloke brought back the money he’d promised to give the church.

Maybe not.

There was no way to know for sure. No one to ask. No one to tell. That’s how everything felt now. How Cloke must’ve felt when he huffed and turned before starting up the gravel road. Clementine watched him go, that tote bag slung over one shoulder. She wondered what the Londoners would do when he got there? What would Cloke say?

That’s what Clementine had hoped in the wake of the eclipse. She’d wanted to bring both sides together, let them talk everything out. Maybe they’d forgive Cloke and divvy up the money, give $20 bills back to everybody whose name was in that box.

Probably not.

Clementine lifted the gun and peered into its barrels, thinking of what she’d told Cloke O’Neil, that line about a belly button her father had told her, realizing he was full of shit. Just like his daughter and her boyfriend. Just like anyone who refused to follow simple safety precautions and stared straight into the sun. Couldn’t those people feel the heat, their retinas burning?

In the distance, Cloke’s silhouette dipped over the rise in the road and was gone, the same way the eclipse had ended without warning. Clementine sat the shotgun in the Prius’s passenger seat, remembering the moment the sun had reemerged, that silent, shimmering goodbye kiss.

She turned and started walking down Highway 64, the same road her daddy used to cruise before suppertime, setting sail into the gloam. She missed him, the same way she missed whatever it was she’d felt during those four minutes and twelve seconds when everything had sort of made sense.

It’d be years, decades before another total eclipse. Clementine knew this, but she kept walking along the highway’s narrow shoulder as the cars around her started once again. It wouldn’t be the same, but if she just kept going, she might could make it to the lake by sundown, and maybe that would be enough.

Nationally bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author Eli Cranor lives and writes from the banks of Lake Dardanelle, where he is the writer in residence at Arkansas Tech University.

BRIAN CHILSON

WELCOME H.O.M.E.

A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE AND REMIX IDEAS BRINGS

THREE BLACK-OWNED RESTAURANTS TO THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT UNION.

BY RHETT BRINKLEY

“Welcome home” is the greeting you’ll receive walking into El nora Wesley’s H.O.M.E. Veg an Restaurant at Arkansas Baptist College. Known previously as the House of Mental Eatery, Wesley’s beloved vegan soul food spot is now housed in the college’s cafe teria, on the ground floor of the student union building.

For about six years, Wesley operated out of modest digs in the back of a small building at The Little Rock Food Truck Stop @ Station 801, a former gas station on South Chester Street, preparing her food out of a ghost kitchen at Arkitchen on West Markham Street and selling it to the lunchtime crowd downtown.

Arkansas Baptist College, a historically Black university, opened the three-story brick Community Union building in 2015, at 1523 MLK Drive across the street from campus. The cafeteria space is organized in thirds: walk-up counters with open kitchens on both ends of the space and a coffee station barista bar right in the middle. For the last few years it’s been mostly vacant. Benito Lubazibwa — founder of ReMix Ideas, an organization committed to supporting Black-owned businesses — saw an opportunity. Lubazibwa partnered with Fitz Hill, former president of Arkansas Baptist College and the current executive director of the university’s foundation, to bring three Black-owned restaurants to campus. The effort is fitting for the building; The union’s third floor houses the Scott Ford Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development.

In December 2022, Wesley told the Arkansas Times that she was hoping to find a new spot — one that would be more accessible to people in underserved parts of the community. The location at Arkansas Baptist’s First Security Community Union will allow her to serve not only students of the university, but the broader community in the historic Little Rock Central High District.

“We’re in a food desert,” Hill said. “That was

VEGAN CHEF: Elnora Wesley, owner of H.O.M.E. Vegan Restaurant, opened her new location in the Arkansas Baptist College Community Union building in February.

serving better than bar food all night long

Kitchen open until 1:30am

April

5th - MoonShroom

6th - Ponder the Albatross

11th - Daniel Markham w/ Claire Morales

12th - Dogtown Throwdown w/ Chris DeClerk

13th - Dogtown Throwdown w/ Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe

19th - Jeff Coleman and the Feeders

20th - And Then Came Humans

26th - The 1oz Jig

27th - Jenna and the Soul Shakers

a reason that we were able to get assistance funding when I was president of Arkansas Baptist College.” Hill added that bringing in three food concepts will create a safer community with more access.

Wesley’s no stranger to making pitches in the name of expanding the business; she has competed in local entrepreneurial pitch competitions in past years, initially pitching her concept as the Franke’s or Luby’s of vegan food.

“I was really stuntin,’ ” she said. The shorthand makes sense, though; like those meatand-three ventures, Wesley’s doing buffet-style vegan soul food for a lunch crowd. In 2022 she won $10,000 at ReMix Ideas’ pitch competition at an entrepreneurship convention it hosts called the Black Founders Summit. She said Lubazibwa already had his eyes on the Community Union building when she told him she was in search of a brick-and-mortar space.

Wesley gave up eating meat at age 15 and has been studying African-centered culture as long as she can remember. She didn’t initially set out to open a restaurant. Before she became a weekend vendor serving vegan food at the Harambee Market, an artisanal African shop in North Little Rock, she provided poultry and fish alternatives for people in “the community/village” trying to wean themselves off of beef or pork. Scott Hamilton, one of the owners of Station 801, took notice of her vegan pop-ups and asked her if she had any interest in setting up shop there. She launched House of Mental about six years ago with the help of her daughter, Nadia McGhee.

“I gotta give a shout-out to Nadia,” Wesley said. “We built this together.”

“The vision was to create a nurturing space where Black entrepreneurs could thrive through accessible resources such as affordable rent and ongoing free technical assistance from ReMix Ideas,” Lubazibwa said. ReMix went all out in anticipation of H.O.M.E.’s opening. You might’ve seen Wesley’s face on a billboard if you’ve traversed West Markham Street in recent weeks. Lubazibwa said the billboard project is part of a broader initiative to amplify Blackowned businesses, ensuring they are “invisible no more.” Wesley estimates that about 300 people showed up to her grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 17, which also featured a book signing from vegan holistic nutritionist and author Afya Ibomu.

H.O.M.E. is known for its cauliflower wings, Southern greens and some of the best yams you’ll find in town. Wesley’s nachos — a mysteriously delicious combination of veggies on top of a rich, creamy cheese-ish sauce — were happily devoured by members of the Arkansas Times staff, and she’ll be better equipped in the new spot to handle high demand for her vegan street loaf and chimichanga. While you wait, you’ll find books about African culture on a bookshelf as well as a community altar where guests are welcome to leave names of deceased relatives and “give love to the ancestors,” Wesley said.

“I came into vegan thought through Afrikan holistic teaching; that’s mind, body, earth, spirit and soul,” she said in a text message one day after I left her restaurant. “What you consume, what you focus on and what you do is who you are. So I am love. I don’t got “beef,” imma vegan

RIBBON CUTTING: A crowd of supporters join Benito Lubazibwa (center left) of ReMix Ideas and Elnora Wesley (center right) to celebrate the grand opening of H.O.M.E. Vegan Restaurant.

“IT EMPOWERS THE THREE CONCEPTS TO START BUILDING THEIR OWN WORKFORCE RIGHT THERE WITH THE STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING OUT.”

(chef).”

Now that she’s been up and running for a couple of weeks she said the glaring advantages are more seating, capacity and storage.

“And people can see you cooking,” I said.

“I don’t like that part,” she said with a laugh. She said her restaurant’s slogan is “Let Food Be Your Medicine” and that it’s “also a village hub for healing, education and cooperative cultural enrichment.”

Heaven McKinney’s coffee shop, The Grind Coffee Bistro, is slated to open in the Community Union in April. McKinney opened The Grind in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center in 2018 and three years later followed with a second outpost in the Pettaway neighborhood downtown. Both locations were set on fire on the same night in 2022. The arsonist, a former boyfriend of McKinney’s, was sentenced in January to 20 years in federal prison. McKinney told KARK, Channel 4 News that the sentencing “took a lot of weight off my shoulders, and opened up a new light to the dream.”

Her original spot on Cantrell sustained damage but is back up and running. The Pettaway store was a total loss. McKinney said the growth she had planned for the coffee shop/restaurant was stalled by both pandemic and fire. Now, she’s opening two new spots within a few weeks of each other. In addition to the location at the college, a drive-thru stand will open in Bryant on March 25.

McKinney said she was introduced to Luba-

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’GRANDMA-STYLE’ VEGAN SOUL FOOD: Elnora Wesley prepares ingredients for a high protein, gluten-free V-Ital [vegan, Jamaican] Pasta.

zibwa through a mutual acquaintance in 2020 and got involved with ReMix Ideas while seeking resources to mitigate the challenges of the pandemic.

“We’ve been really good business partners since then,” McKinney said. “He’s been a great mentor and I was kind of excited that when they needed a spot they thought about me.”

McKinney’s long imagined having a shop in a college campus community and hopes the opportunity serves as a blueprint for The Grind to open more. “That’s always been a big thing about me opening these coffee shops is being able to give back to the communities we grow in,” she said.

The third business opening in the center is Corey Nelson’s Chicago Flamin Grill. Nelson, a Chicago native, began working at the quick-service restaurant Sharks Fish & Chicken in his hometown in 2005. He’s mostly been with Sharks ever since and moved to Arkansas in 2021, but “has been back and forth since 2010.”

He decided to branch out on his own two years ago, opening his first Chicago Flamin Grill in Beebe. Nelson said in hindsight the location might not have been ideal. “I’m not from Arkansas, so I really didn’t know and I was excited to get my brand out there,” he said. He also worked out of the ghost kitchen at Arkitchen for a while, offering pickup orders out of the back of the building, plus delivery through third party apps.

“There have been restaurants in that building that have been successful like Cheesecake on Point!, Certified Pies, but with my brand it didn’t

go so well,” Nelson said.

Nelson is a beneficiary of Lubazibwa’s mentorship, too. He took classes as part of Lubazibwa’s Rock It! Lab program, a partnership between the Central Arkansas Library System and Lubazibwa’s Advancing Black Entrepreneurship nonprofit that offers mentoring, marketing advice and business education to under-resourced entrepreneurs. The idea behind the threefold venture, Lubazibwa said, is to “empower Black businesses, enrich student learning, and uplift the community, laying a foundation for lasting economic growth and prosperity.”

Nelson’s menu will offer Chicago-inspired sandwiches, burgers, nachos, chicken tenders and wings, and he’s partnering with The BananaBoat Catering, who will eventually offer Jamaican food on Wednesdays. Nelson hopes to open by the beginning of April.

Additionally, Arkansas Baptist College students can receive entrepreneurship credit by interning with the restaurant businesses in the Community Union. Lubazibwa said students gaining firsthand experience in entrepreneurship has been paramount to the discussion from the very beginning. “This approach aims to equip students with the necessary skills to start and grow their own businesses, making the educational experience deeply relevant and practically focused,” Lubazibwa said.

“It empowers the three concepts to start building their own workforce right there with the students that are coming out,” Hill said. “It’s a home run opportunity for everybody involved.”

DON’T MISS THIS!

LIME TIME

The Arkansas Times Spring Margarita Festival is back.

BY BECCA BONA

Get ready to drink your way through this spring’s upcoming Arkansas Times Spring Margarita Festival, hitting the River Market Pavilions on Thursday, April 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. Presented by Saracen Casino Resort, the lineup promises something for everyone, whether you’re a margarita fan or just looking for a spiked night out. The shindig will be smooth and bright, thanks to Milagro, this year’s tequila sponsor.

General admission tickets are your passport to margarita paradise. Snag ’em early for a steal at $30 (or pay $40 week of/ at the door) and dive into a sea of margarita samples from local hotspots, plus toe-tappin’ beats from Club 27 that will have you on the dance floor. If this sounds like your dream outing, up the ante with VIP admission ($100 per ticket). Get in early, chill in the VIP ONLY zone, sample top-shelf Milagro Tequila, sip on custom margaritas and feast like royalty with an original catered menu from a private chef.

Let your taste buds be the judge as you cast your vote for your favorite margarita among participants, like last year’s winner The Rail Yard LR, plus Buenos Aires Grill & Cafe, Chepe’s Mexican Grill, Mi Paella Bar, Mockingbird Bar & Tacos, Capo’s Tacos, La Terraza Rum & Lounge, All In A Bowl and many more. This event is exclusively for those aged 21 and above. Buy tickets now and get ready to shake things up at the Margarita Festival.

1. Unlock nostalgia with an elegant, personalized locket for Mom. Bella Vita Jewelry & Gifts, 108 W 6th St., Little Rock, 501-396-9146, bellavitajewelry.net 2. Sip pretty in the Space Force Hazy IPA T-shirt designed by local artist Sonny Kay. Superior Bathhouse Brewery, 329 Central Ave. Hot Springs, superiorbathhouse.com/shop 3. Keep your necessities cozy in these stylish make-up bags. Rhea Drug, 2801 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, 501-664-4117. 4. Enjoy balanced, farm-to-cup freshness with Mountain Bird’s Phantom light roast. 3 Park Drive, Holiday Island, 479-363-6808, mountainbirdcoffee.com. 5. You just never know what you will find at Box Turtle. Box Turtle, 2616 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, 501-661-1167, shopboxturtle.com.

THE OBSERVER

“LET’S EAT KIDS!”

The Observer has wound up these days in a red pen version of our imagined hell, required on a daily basis to proof and edit the written words of others to an unfailing standard.

Even beyond how foolhardy it might be to shoehorn The Observer and “unfailing” into the same sentence, it’s ironic we’ve found our way here. Back in the day at the mighty Arkansas Times, The Observer was a sometime, stand-in, last-resort copy editor, a task we never felt even remotely confident about and usually tried to duck whenever possible. It’s the part of the job we liked least — though as another scribbler once told us, doing hours of proofing is a hell of a lot easier than writing a correction. Those get published on the front page, with an apology.

We can’t tell you why we disliked the proofing part of the job, really, other than that we always hated being edited. Like many ink- and tear-stained slobs with the itch to write things down inside of them, The Observer doesn’t just enjoy the words we put on the page. We love ‘em. When it’s right, when it’s good, when the words are coming at last after you’ve convinced yourself you’ll need to buy a bus ticket and leave town? We love that part. And once we’ve put those words there, in that particular order, where we nailed them to the deck after plucking them from wherever words nobody else has ever said in that order come from, we want them to stay right where they are

For that reason, The Observer has quietly despised, for as long as an hour at a stretch, every editor who’s ever laid a red pen on one of our missives, edicts, magnum opi or tomes. Having been in a position now to call balls and strikes, we’re equally sure we’ve been hated for that as well. How dare mere mortals touch these honeyed words, even if The Observer’s fat little fingers insist on typing “pubic interest” where we meant to say “public” from time to time?

As anybody who has ever written more than a grocery list can tell you, of course, that crack about “mere mortals” is just The Observer’s attempt at making a joke. In reality, we’re convinced that great proofers and editors — among whom Yours Truly will never be numbered — are the gift God gave to decent writers to make up for all the alcoholism

and divorce.

The Observer doesn’t like being edited, for sure. But for every time we’ve wrassled a piece around until it was right where we wanted it — when it said what it should and didn’t go off on snipe hunts or embroider curling vines that lead to nowhere on every drape, but found just the right thing to say — for every one of those, there have been at least ten in which we were absolutely adrift. Knowingly or unknowingly Robinson Crusoe’d, until an editor threw out a line and reeled us back to reality and grammatical sense.

In those moments, when what you set out to create has grown three arms and four eyes, a mutated version of what you were trying to say, is there anything more welcome than another writer who seems to know what the hell is going on? Aggressive, insistent proofers and editors have really saved The Observer’s low-fat turkey bacon over the years, x’ing out many a fool thing we’d gotten into our head to say for publication and posterity, damn the most obvious of torpedoes. The Observer would have been canceled by now if not for those brave souls. Others, bless them, have managed to excavate from our nervous linguistic rubble the point Your Correspondent was actually trying to make all along.

For a writer like The Observer, who throws a lot at the wall, who tends to spins more yarn than the sweater will ever need, who wants to explain things like the entire audience is made up of visiting dignitaries from Neptune, the editor’s mark can be a lifeline or a noose. We’ve seen good writers sort themselves into both categories over the years. Some people just can’t take correction.

The Observer isn’t quite dumb enough yet to be one of those idiots, but we’re working on it. We’ve been reading back through our two-decade oeuvre of late, and marvel at times at some of the more fragrant lines we managed to sneak past Leslie Peacock and the late, great Doug Smith. As we do, The Observer finds we appreciate more than ever how a judicious trim of unchecked growth in the manure of the creative mind is often just what the Landscaper ordered. Especially when the shit runs as deep as it can at times in this mind.