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OUR 1729TH ISSUE 04.14.22
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OUR 1729TH ISSUE 04.14.22
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JESSE DAVIS Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Copy Editor, Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
To anyone who may have been driving around Memphis last weekend, please accept my sincere apology. I was playing tour guide to my aunt and uncle, who were visiting from North Carolina, and, being somewhat distracted, I made what my sister called some “interesting” driving decisions. So if you saw someone still stopped at a green light, pointing out a particular piece of architecture or a local landmark, that was probably me. I hope I didn’t make you late for an appointment. Besides being absolutely roasted for my inability to be a somewhat competent distracted driver, the day was a delight. My aunt is from Memphis and my uncle was stationed here when he was in the Army many years ago, so they’re not totally new to the city, but it still felt like a chance to see my hometown with new eyes. Before I delve into our itinerary, know that I know we barely scratched the surface of any meaningful Memphis to-do list. But I tried to cater to everyone’s personal interests as much as possible. First, we went to Crosstown Concourse, which my aunt pointed out has been much transformed since its time as a Sears building. Indeed. We took in the last day of photographer Jamie Harmon’s “Quarantine Portrait” exhibition, and I was struck again by the power of so many faces seen through so many windows and screen doors. Though I had seen many of the portraits before — even written about Harmon’s work while it was still PHOTO: JAMIE HARMON in progress — seeing them all collected was Back in the days of lockdown another experience entirely. Though I don’t truly believe we’re fully out of the Covid woods just yet, it brought home how much has changed in the past two years. Often, perhaps as a side effect of my profession, I tend to focus on the seemingly negative changes — the loss of trust, the fragmentation of communities — but I was forced to confront the many ways things are better than they were in April 2020. It was a catharsis to revisit that time from the safety of an art gallery, and with loved ones in the same room. That is a blessing I must endeavor not to take for granted. While at Crosstown, we stopped at the little reading area, where my nephew enjoyed finding books about dinosaurs. It’s a place I’ve walked past many times but hadn’t taken the time to appreciate. How many such spots must there be in town? Next, we made our way to Broad Avenue, to give the out-of-towners a chance to peruse some arty knick-knacks and to reward my nephew with some ice cream after his patience with the exhibition. He’s 4 years old, so his tolerance for the gravity of any situation is tenuous at best. My fiancée, who is passionate about the built environment, enjoyed being able to talk about the work done in both locations. My nephew enjoyed a cup of chocolate ice cream and the faux-flower-wearing skeletons at Sugar Ghost Ice Cream and Bubble Tea. We spent a little bit of time talking about and looking at Summer Avenue, then we hopped back on North Parkway to hustle down to Greenbelt Park by the Mississippi River. It was a sunny, breezy spring day, and there were picnickers, joggers, dog-walkers, potsmokers, cyclists, and everyone in between enjoying it. There’s something special about being close to the river, and we all felt it. Until I accidentally knocked my nephew off a tree while we were playing some game in which we were both (I think?) territorial spiders locked in bitter combat. Oops. Everyone was okay, though it was decided that perhaps it was time to move on. We drove through the South Main Arts District, where my uncle used to pick up his contacts. We talked about the trolleys, the changes, the things that had stayed the same. We drove past a busy FedExForum and saw young people popping wheelies on ATVs. N E WS & O P I N I O N We waved as we passed both business and THE FLY-BY - 4 entertainment districts Downtown, and I NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 pointed out a billboard of Ja Morant in the POLITICS - 8 Vitruvian Man pose. AT LARGE - 9 COVER STORY Eventually we made it back to my house “ARBOR TOWN” to make dinner and play board games, not BY ALEX GREENE - 10 unlike how we used to spend so much time WE RECOMMEND - 14 at my Grannie’s house when I was a child. It MUSIC - 15 was modest, but not without its own magic. CALENDAR - 17 FOOD - 19 I guess, in many ways, that’s true of FILM - 20 Memphis, too. C LAS S I F I E D S - 22 Jesse Davis LAST WORD - 23 jesse@memphisflyer.com
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MEMernet Memphis on the internet. J OY The MEMernet cares not that this TikTok video was posted in February. The joy of watching a bunch dudes dive into a puddle is worth a view anytime. POSTED TO TIKTOK BY BARIEDAGOAT
April 14-20, 2022
TWE ET O F TH E WE E K
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Sports podcaster and writer Francis Carlota stirred up some MEMernet magic last week. He suggested Ja Morant and Dwayne Johnson meet up at FedExForum in the postseason (for some reason). Johnson replied, “I made my bones and came up in Memphis!!! That’s my city! I wrestled every Saturday morning at the channel 5 tv station and every Monday night I wrestled at the Big Top flea market.” Morant seemed open to the meeting, tweeting simply, “Yeah, pull up @theRock.”
POSTED TO TWITTER BY JA MORANT AND DWAYNE JOHNSON
F R AN K, F R AN K, F R AN K These tweets tell you everything you need to know about our Tennessee General Assembly. “Like many GOP-led states, TN just made ivermectin available to anyone. Quote of the session from sponsor @SenFrankNiceley: ‘It’s a lot safer to go to your pharmacist and let him tell you how much ivermectin to take than it is to go to the co-op and guess what size horse you are.’” — From Nashville Public Radio reporter Blake Farmer
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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells
L G B T Q B E AT B y To b y S e l l s
Protesting the Protest Governor Bill Lee blasts Yale pro-LGBTQ “mob” as “shameful.” Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said a pro-LGBTQ protest at Yale University was “shameful” and that the groups targeted there — including an antiLGBTQ group — were “welcome in Tennessee anytime.” Protesters interrupted a Federalist Society event on campus earlier this month that featured Kristen Waggoner, an anti-LGBTQ speaker, according to Yale Daily News. Waggoner is general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization PHOTO: YALE UNIVERSITY/BILL LEE that has been designated a Bill Lee decries what he calls “un-American behavior” at Yale and other instituions. hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The group has supported the of engaging with the panelists, a shocking number of Yale Law re-criminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ students hurled constant insults and obscenities at them and adults in the U.S., has defended state-sanctioned sterilization tried to prevent them from speaking and being heard.” The of trans people abroad, and more, according to the SPLC. “shameful conduct” also included shouting and banging on walls, all “making it difficult to hear the panel.” Lee said he signed the letter to urge Yale leaders to act. In a pivot, though, he took the opportunity to promote his idea for a new state school he said would be an “antidote to the cynical, un-American behavior we are seeing at far too many universities.” Here’s Lee’s statement in full: “I signed a letter to Yale Law School urging administrators The event also featured Monica Miller, an associate at the to address a student mob that violently disrupted a bipartisan American Humanist Association. That group says it “advocates event about free speech and political discourse. The behavior is progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, shameful but it speaks to a growing trend in higher-education freethinkers, and the non-religious across the country.” where First Amendment freedom is taken for granted and Lee said Thursday he signed a letter against the protest often held in contempt. organized by the drafters of the Philadelphia Statement, a free“We are endeavoring to establish the University of speech statement against “social media mobs, cancel culture, Tennessee Institute for American Civics to be the antidote to campus speech policing,” and more. the cynical, un-American behavior we are seeing at far too Lee’s link to the Yale letter shows no signatories, only many universities. The Institute for American Civics will be “The Undersigned.” However, The Washington Free Beacon, a flagship for the nation — a beacon celebrating intellectual the conservative news site, said the letter had been signed diversity at our universities and teaching how a responsible, by “Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), nine civic-minded people strengthens our country and our members of the House of Representatives, and the governors communities. of Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Idaho.” “Representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom and The letter blasts “the deeply disturbing incident,” saying the the American Humanist Association, who had such a terrible speakers at the event were met with “a vitriolic mob of Yale experience at Yale, are invited to join us in Tennessee anytime.” Law students intent on silencing them.” The letter says “instead Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for more local news.
The letter blasts “the deeply disturbing incident,” saying the speakers at the event were met with “a vitriolic mob …”
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NEWS & OPINION
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The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Monday, November 26, 2018
Crossword ACROSS
32 Isaac’s elder son
1 Base after third base
33 Gas brand whose logo has a red triangle
5 Flows back 9 1, 8, 27, 64, etc. 14 The “U” of B.T.U. 15 1982 movie inspired by Pong 16 Yoga posture 17 *Capricious 19 French “thank you” 20 “… man ___ mouse?” 21 Jokester’s jokes 22 *Forgivable 23 ___ McDonald (clown) 25 Additionally 27 Gas brand whose logo has a blue oval 28 “Desserts” made from wet dirt 30 Pupu ___
35 What free apps often come with 36 *Warlike 38 Little rapscallion 41 Glass that makes a rainbow 42 Website for crowdsourced reviews 46 Church activity 48 Clothing 51 “Will do!” 52 “The War of the Worlds” villains, briefly 54 Sitting Bull’s people 55 *Jolly 57 Meriting a “D,” say
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE C L A S S I C S G N A W A T
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59 Figure in the form 123-45-6789, e.g.: Abbr. 60 “___ ears!” (“Listening!”) 61 *Gloomy 63 Portions (out) 64 Vaper’s device 65 Italy’s shape 66 “You ___ right!” 67 Composer John with six Emmys 68 Tiny hill builders DOWN 1 “Just play along, please” 2 Burdensome 3 “Hamilton” composer 4 List-ending abbr. 5 Brokerage with an asterisk in its name 6 Clink on the drink 7 Toot one’s own horn 8 Weekly parody source, briefly 9 Arrived 10 Online discussion forum 11 Professional coffee server 12 Fully surrounded (by) 13 Ones under a captain’s command 18 ___ fruit (wrinkly citrus) 22 Europe’s longest river 24 Kwik-E-Mart minder on “The Simpsons”
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26 Kia model 29 What actors memorize 31 Alternative to Hotmail 34 “___ Not Unusual” (Tom Jones standard) 36 Car speed meas. 37 Shakespearean sprite 38 Site of a 1945 Allied victory in the Pacific
39 Amino acid vis-à-vis a protein, e.g. 40 Public’s opposite 42 Tibetan beast 43 Beachfront property woe 44 “How about we forgo that” 45 Etymological origins of the answers to the five starred clues 47 Subway entrances
49 What oxen pull, in England 50 Catherine who married Henry VIII 53 The final frontier, per “Star Trek” 56 Additionally 58 Big name in elevators 61 Prepare, as a dinner table 62 Org. for the Sixers and Spurs
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.
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A new coalition launched last week urging the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) toward a fossil-fuel-free future by 2030, but the provider aims to get there by 2050 to ensure low-cost and reliable energy. Dozens of organizations formed the Clean Up TVA Coalition (CUTC) last week. It includes environmental, social justice, and political groups like the Memphis NAACP, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), the Sierra Club, Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light, the Center for Biological Diversity, and more They formed CUTC in response to TVA’s move to replace coal-fired power plants in Kingston (East Tennessee) and Cumberland City (Middle Tennessee) with a new methane gas plant and 149 miles of new gas pipeline. Instead of investing in gas, the group wants TVA to invest in clean energy solutions to replace the coal plants. “TVA is too reliant on fossil fuel energy and plans to continue to generate millions of tons of carbon,” said Pearl Walker, co-chair of the Memphis NAACP Environmental Justice Committee. “Households in the TVA footprint — especially Black, Brown, and low-wealth communities — will continue to be disproportionately burdened by high utility bills and dirty energy.” In May 2021, TVA board members endorsed a plan to move toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The power agency has cut its carbon emissions by 63 percent since 2005. To get there, it added 1,600 megawatts of new nuclear capacity (the most of
PHOTO: TVA
Pushing for a carbon-free future any utility in the nation, TVA said), added 1,600 megawatts of wind and solar capacity, planned to retire 8,600 megawatts of coal capacity by 2023, and invested more than $400 million to promote energy efficiency. “The steps we’ve already taken operationally and financially have created a strong foundation for supplying cleaner energy without impacting reliability or low cost,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. “TVA is an industry leader in carbon reduction, but we aren’t satisfied. We are focused on increasing carbon reduction while maintaining our commitment to the low-cost, reliable energy our customers expect and deserve.” TVA is on the path to cut carbon by 80 percent by 2035 without impacting TVA’s reliability or costs, Lyash said. It expects to retire all of its coal plants that year, using natural gas facilities as a “bridging strategy to effectively allow the addition of more renewable energy without impacting system reliability.” But to get to net-zero carbon emissions will take new developments like energy storage systems, carbon capture, and advanced nuclear solutions. President Joe Biden wants carbon-free electricity by 2035, according to an executive order he issued in December. Federal operations and federal procurements will be carbon-free by 2050, under Biden’s order.
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POLITICS By Jackson Baker
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SIGNIFICANT DATES: Thursday of last week was the last day to file for the August 4th state and federal primary, as well as for independents running in the county general election of that date. One exception is that the filing deadline for the District 33 state Senate primary has been shifted to Thursday, May 5th, as a consequence of the seat — formerly held by Katrina Robinson — having been vacated last month by legislative action. The current holder of the District 33 state Senate seat is former state Representative London Lamar, who was appointed as interim state senator last month by the Shelby County Commission. Last day to submit an absentee ballot request for the May 3rd primary election is April 26th. • EARLY VOTING INFORMATION: Early voting for the May 3rd county primary is scheduled to begin this Wednesday at the Downtown offices of the SHELBY COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION, with available times of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Also open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be the AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL on Walnut Grove; the ARLINGTON SAFE ROOM at 11842 Otto Lane; BAKER COMMUNITY CENTER, 7942 Church, Millington; DAVE WELLS COMMUNITY CENTER, 915 Chelsea Ave.; and GLENVIEW COMMUNITY
CENTER, 1141 S. Barksdale. Beginning on Monday, April 18th, and extending through Thursday, April 28th, those six locations will be open, along with 20 other locations, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23rd. The other 20 locations are: ABUNDANT GRACE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH, 1574 E. Shelby Dr.; ANOINTED TEMPLE OF PRAISE, 3939 Riverdale Rd.; BERCLAIR CHURCH OF CHRIST, 4536 Summer Ave.; BRIARWOOD CHURCH, 1900 N. Germantown Pkwy.; CHRISTIAN LIFE CHURCH, 9375 Davies Plantation Rd.; COLLIERVILLE CHURCH OF CHRIST, 575 Shelton Rd., Collierville; COMPASSION CHURCH, 3505 S. Houston Levee Rd.; GREATER LEWIS ST. MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 152 E. Parkway N.; GREATER MIDDLE BAPTIST CHURCH, 4982 Knight Arnold Rd.; HARMONY CHURCH, 6740 St. Elmo Rd., Bartlett; MISSISSIPPI BLVD. CHURCH FAMILY LIFE CENTER, 70 N. Bellevue Blvd.; MT. PISGAH BAPTIST CHURCH, 1234 Pisgah Rd.; MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH, 60 S. Parkway E.; NEW BETHEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 7786 Poplar Pike, Germantown; RALEIGH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 3295 Powers Rd.; RIVERSIDE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 3560 S. Third; SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH, 4680 Walnut Grove; SOLOMON TEMPLE M.B. CHURCH, 1460 Winchester Rd.; PURSUIT OF GOD CHURCH, 3759 N. Watkins; WHITE STATION CHURCH OF CHRIST, 1106 Colonial Rd.
Awaiting Judgment: Retiring General Sessions Judge Tim Dwyer (far left) was, arguably and understandably, the most relaxed person at a Sunday event on behalf of Magistrate David Pool, now running for a General Sessions position. The other jurists pictured, like Pool, are on the General Sessions election ballot and will be facing the verdict of the voters on August 4th. From l to r: Dwyer, Judge Karen Massey, Pool, Judge Bill Anderson, Judge Loyce Lambert-Ryan, and Judge Gerald Skahan.
AT L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n
The Bottom of the Barrel think gas prices are going down,” I said to no one. It was a week ago and I was alone, driving along Union and Poplar and seeing posted prices as low as $3.59 a gallon. I was sure I hadn’t seen prices below $4 a gallon in a while, but the news had been filled with “sky-rocketing gas prices” stories for weeks (accompanied by grim analyses of how inflation was going to cost the Democrats the midterms), so maybe I was imagining things? Then, on Monday, I got an email from GasBuddy, a tech company based in Boston that operates apps based on monitoring real-time fuel prices at more than 150,000 gas stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Each week, GasBuddy sends me a weekly update on the country’s gas prices. I usually send it to junk mail, but not this week. According to GasBuddy, prices in Memphis are 17.4 cents a gallon lower than they were a month ago, down to $3.42 a gallon, if you know where to look. Nationally, gas prices are down 23.3 cents a gallon from a month ago. This is good, right? So why is it not news? Maybe it’s because a “falling gas prices” story doesn’t fit a defining media narrative. Or maybe there’s just too damn much news — most of it bad — to keep up with. Consider, an English teacher in Southeast Missouri was just fired for teaching “Critical Race Theory” in an elective contemporary literature class that was reading the award-winning book, Dear Martin. It was Kim Morrison’s second year teaching the young adult novel, but earlier this year, Missouri passed a bill outlawing the teaching of CRT and parents complained, you see, so … Oh, and let’s not forget the case of a woman in Texas, Lizelle Herrera, who was indicted for murder for “the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.” It was unclear whether Herrera induced her own abortion or someone else’s, but, you know, details aren’t really important in these matters. Herrera was later released because
Texas’ new law banning abortions after six weeks is only enforceable if charges are brought by a private citizen, i.e. a vigilante, and local law enforcement had overstepped their authority. Shocker, I know. But wait, there’s more. All over GOPutin America, legislators are rushing to emulate bills like these, as well as those similar to Florida’s spiffy new “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which eliminates the nonexistent threat of kindergartners being taught anything about LGBTQ humans. In Tennessee, legislators are not about to be left behind their Neanderthal red-state brethren. They had been working diligently to pass into law a bill that would remove age limits for marriage, because young girls, they do get weary and sometimes just need a husband who will help them with their homework. A national outcry got our Nash-billies to back off. For now. Speaking of national outcries … The New York Times did a big story this week on Hillsdale College’s fight against “leftist academics,” which mainly consists of getting state legislatures to give them public money to start charter schools in suburban and rural areas (white) to, as the Times put it, “provide a publicly funded off-ramp for conservative parents who think their local schools misinterpret history and push a socially progressive agenda.” Our own Governor Bill Lee got a lot of ink in the story as the leading Hillsdale proponent in the country among public officials. Lee, you may recall, intends to give Hillsdale College enough of our tax dollars to fund 50 private charter schools in Tennessee. And, as long as I’m writing about embarrassing Tennessee elected officials, I’d be remiss in not mentioning Senator Marsha Blackburn’s apparent flashing of the “white power” hand symbol in the Senate chambers while questioning Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, who is — shocking, I know — African American. Way to go, Marsha. In a week with tons of disgusting news, you found the bottom of the barrel and scraped it.
NEWS & OPINION
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Gas prices, “leftist academics,” CRT, and Tennessee’s worst.
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Arbor Town
URBAN FORESTERS AND EVERYDAY ARBORISTS ARE MAKING MEMPHIS A TREE CITY.
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COVER STORY BY ALEX GREENE
April 14-20, 2022
t seems like only yesterday that everything came crashing down around us. Nearly everyone in Memphis this February 3rd was startled at some point by the sound of a tentative, icy crackling, followed by seconds of silence, then the impact of a limb or an entire tree. And there were often other noises: the squeal of crushed metal, the snap of sparking wires, or the crunch of splintered wooden beams, as cars, power lines, and homes fell victim to The Overstory. In Richard Powers’ novel of that name, the trees speak to humanity, putting such calamity in perspective: All the ways you imagine us … are always amputations. Your kind never sees us whole. You miss the half of it, and more. There’s always as much belowground as above. That much was vividly illustrated during February’ s storm, when an especially heavy 10 thud, more felt than heard, led me to peek
out at the house behind me. An entire tree, unbroken, had been uprooted by the sheer tonnage of ice it had to bear, pulling its roots from the ground, lifting the concrete slabs of a driveway with them as the trunk sank into the roof. Removing it took days, the closing of the street for massive equipment, and untold thousands of dollars. Yet the massive tree damage from that day, and its aftermath in lost power and time, is but one pole in the ongoing dichotomy that Memphis must confront over and over again, caught between damning our trees and praising them. Consider another arboreal moment from less than a year before, when local social media was inflamed with outrage as some beloved neighborhood landmarks “disappeared.” Last June, local filmmaker and activist Mike McCarthy wrote on Facebook, “If anyone cares to drive down East Parkway right now you can see the removal of every single oak tree from the former
Libertyland/Fairgrounds green space.” Indeed, in less than a day, an entire glade had violently vanished, and the comments that followed revealed a deep sense of betrayal: “Atrocious,” “It was depressing,” and “Memphis is owned by developers who DGAF about anything except what money they can make. The mayors and city council members are their enablers.” Our trees engender both fear and adoration in us, and our endless dance between these two extremes makes one thing clear: It’s time for Memphians to own their overstory, and the best route to that is a deeper dive into the world of urban forestry. THE UNSUNG BOON OF TREES As it turns out, many Memphians are already taking that deep dive, and those who have cultivated their inner citizenarborist are quietly leading a minor revolution in tree care and tree cognizance. As with so many things horticultural, the Cooper-Young neighborhood is leading the
PHOTO (ABOVE): JAMIE HARMON
Trees offer cities more than beauty. way. Judi Shellabarger runs the CooperYoung Historic District Arboretum, and she vividly recalls the day the Libertyland oaks were destroyed. “That was done in one day,” she says. “They always do it quick. But those trees were valued. They helped keep that area from flooding. That’s one of the main purposes of planting trees, is to prevent flooding and erosion. Plus, they would have given great shade out there, on whatever courts or football fields or baseball fields they’re building. But I was talking to two city council people about that, and one of them said, ‘Trees don’t bring money to Memphis.’ And I thought, ‘Yes they do!’ When that floods all up and down Southern Avenue, they’re going to be sorry. Those roots hold down that soil and collect water as it’s running off.”
LAND OF A THOUSAND ARBORETUMS Many tree aficionados simply start with their beauty and the immediate benefits of shade. Those factors are likely the driving forces behind the community arboreta that have sprung up throughout Memphis in recent years. As the Cooper-Young Historic District Arboretum reveals, setting up such a program is largely driven by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC), and they are facilitating the process wherever they can. Laurie Williams, of the Memphis Botanic Garden, describes the process: “The TUFC oversees the entire arboretum program across the state. We were the first Level 4 arboretum in the western part of the state, and we then petitioned to be a center of excellence. That means we not only have a Level 4, with all those requirements, but we also help other arboreta become certified. There are different requirements: Level 1 is just 30 trees with labels on them. Level 2 is 60 trees and a map. And Level 3 is 90 trees and other steps, and by Level 4, you have to have a newsletter in addition to all those other steps, and trained people that can give tours.” With no small amount of pride, Shellabarger describes how that’s played out in Cooper-Young. “This is our fifth year as an arboretum, and we’re now a Level 3. We have over 112 trees altogether, and
you have limbs that need to be taken care of. And it ends up coming down to money. Certified arborists are not cheap when they come out to trim trees. So VECA is really struggling. Of course, we’ve had so many storms, so there are unsafe trees. And the TUFC won’t certify until the main path is clear of dangers. So that’s why VECA is still struggling.”
PHOTO ABOVE / BELOW: ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE
Ice crackled along branches, threatening to fall, after February’s ice storm.
we’re working toward more. It’s mostly in front of people’s homes, in their front yards. But we do have some trees at Peabody Elementary School, and some at CooperYoung businesses. And we have a lot up at the Spanish-American War Memorial Park. What we’re doing in the next two years is, we’re working with the City of Memphis Parks Division to redo what we call the Park Annex behind the Spanish-American War Park. There’s an acre of land that was railroad land, and we’ve been trying to get that cleaned up and replanted with native trees on the north side. And on the south side, we would like to have a food forest with fruit and nut trees.” While Cooper-Young was one of the first arboreta, many more are in the works. Williams rattles off at least a dozen parks, campuses, and neighborhoods that have already curated arboreta or are working on it. But it can be a costly process, and she offers the Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association as a case in point. “We’ve been working with the VECA arboretum since 2008,” she says. “They tried to begin an arboretum, but when you have old trees,
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS The Memphis Botanic Garden facilitates such community-level initiatives, but there are other, more individualized ways it contributes to the urban forest. Every fall (September 14th through October 12th this year), they team up with the TUFC’s West Tennessee Chapter to host an Urban Forestry Advisor’s Class. As Williams explains, “Eric Bridges, who used to be the naturalist for Lakeland [and] is now the operations director of the Overton Park Conservancy, teaches quite a bit of our classes and talks about wildlife corridors, for example. Instead of everybody having two and a half acres and ripping out the native trees and putting in a bunch of Japanese maples, keep corridors for wildlife to survive, so they don’t have to go into heat islands. Eric does a really good job. And then Wes Hopper teaches quite a bit. We do a lot of tree identification and teach people how to plant trees. And we talk about the arboretum and championship tree programs.” The latter program is yet another way that the TUFC supports an appreciation of the overstory. “Champion” trees are the largest, healthiest examples of a particular species in the state, and Memphis boasts several. Shellabarger describes the process: “We have a championship tree team here in Shelby County, and we’re not experts, but we’re from the West Tennessee Chapter, and we go out and measure the tree and take PHOTO: COURTESY JUDI SHELLABARGER
Memphis boasts several champion trees such as this champion white ash.
pictures of it and mark its location with the GPS and send it to the state. The University of Tennessee will send students down here to measure it for us, and they’ll review all the other trees in the state and pick the winners.” Cooper-Young boasts several, all identified with signage as per the requirements of a TUFC-approved arboretum. “We have six or seven state champion trees in Cooper-Young,” says Shellabarger. “There’s a champion California incense cedar at 2052 Nelson. My favorite tree, though it’s not a champion, is the Carolina silverbell, and it should be flowering probably in the next two weeks. It has little white flower-shaped bells, and it’s at 1991 Oliver.” TREE CITY, U.S.A. While the TUFC and its West Tennessee Chapter have a hand in many of the arboreal pursuits in this area, the networks of urban forestry activists run on a national and international scale as well. Memphis has officially been designated a “Tree City, U.S.A.,” by the national Arbor Day Foundation, but it was Germantown that nabbed that honor first. Williams explains: “Memphis became a Tree City, U.S.A., a few years ago, and to do that, a city has to have a Tree Board and an Arbor Day celebration. There are some requirements. It takes a long time to achieve that Tree City status. Nashville’s been that way for quite a while. Germantown, also. Memphis was behind that curve. There are some requirements about money, and there are cities that have more money available than others. Because you have to have a certain amount per capita.” That may explain why Germantown led the way. Hopper points out that “Memphis has had a Tree Board for maybe eight years, but Germantown’s had a tree board for 30. And we are also designated as a Tree City of the World. That was a new program through the Arbor Day Foundation and the Department of Agriculture when I started here. Germantown was the first city in Tennessee to be considered a Tree City of the World, in 2019. The program is managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation.” TREE EQUITY And yet arboreta, Tree City designations, and champion trees are not just for relatively well-off neighborhoods who can fund arborists. A parallel movement is afoot that starts with other benefits outlined in the Nature Conservancy report and elsewhere. These are sociological benefits that show a marked correlation with the amount of tree growth in an area. Wes Hopper, continued on page 12
COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m
Mike Larrivee, another Cooper-Young resident and founder of the Compost Fairy program, also saw it as a biodiversity tragedy. He puts the clear-cutting down to “the confluence of greed and ignorance. That clear-and-grub mentality instead of, ‘What can we save? How can we create economic value in this development?’ Statistically, there’s tremendous value in having mature trees on a piece of property, regardless of its use. Just their presence creates value. And that area around Libertyland was sort of an ad hoc arboretum. There were 43 species of tree there, in that little spot. It was tremendously biodiverse.” The inherent value of trees is a given among a growing demographic in Memphis that wants to preserve and propagate them, and they contrast the short-term gains of a development deal with the very real benefits that urban forestry studies have proven. A 2017 study by The Nature Conservancy, “How Cities Can Harness the Public Health Benefits of Urban Trees,” detailed multiple studies, including peerreviewed and longitudinal research projects, that demonstrate the many blessings of an overstory. Those include both mental and physical health benefits, from mitigating summer air temperatures and reducing air pollution, to increasing immune system function and decreasing stress levels.
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April 14-20, 2022
Germantown’s natural resources manager and city arborist, says the current term for this is “tree equity.” As he distills the concept, “If you have a low tree equity in your district, you’re going to have a higher poverty level. If you have a high tree equity, like a rating of 85-90, you’re probably going to have a higher social standing in that area.” The website treeequityscore.org presents an interactive map that shows the tree equity rating of any given locale. Unsurprisingly, poverty-stricken areas of Memphis have scores hovering around 40. Mike Larrivee is part of a team that’s trying to change that. “There are proven benefits of urban tree cover, like fighting blight and pollution and littering, and discouraging vandalism and vagrancy, that go above and beyond the ecological services,” he says. South Memphis Trees is a local program planning to go beyond arboreta with the planting of new trees on a massive scale. Larrivee and others are trying to fuel that movement. “For the South Memphis Trees project,” Larrivee says, “the Wolf River Conservancy, the Native Plant Initiative, and Compost Fairy/ Atlas Organics just co-hosted an event with Urban Earth and potted up 3,500 saplings for the urban tree farm. We’ve put tons of
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trees in the ground in the last three years that we’ve been working together. Ryan Hall at Wolf River Conservancy is a tank! There’s no telling how many thousands of trees are standing as a direct consequence of his engagement.” PLAYING THE LONG GAME Indeed, champion trees aside, tree-planting seems to be the key to ensuring the role of trees in the city’s future. For one thing, as traumatic as downing mature trees can be, that’s sometimes necessary, leaving new growth as the only possible response. That’s Wes Hopper’s philosophy, as he manages tree-related issues for Germantown, not to mention sitting on both Germantown’s and Memphis’ Tree Boards and being a board member of the TUFC. “Having all those connections, I ended up working with the forestry division of MLGW, as a liaison between property owners and the MLGW tree crews, trying to help clients understand the importance of having that clearance from the utility wires. The best thing we could do would be to remove a tree and plant a tree somewhere else. That didn’t always go over so well. Tree removals can be a touchy subject for some people, but a lot of times, it’s best just to remove the tree. Because the electricity is going to win. If you plant a big tree by the
utility lines, sooner or later your tree’s gonna get whacked.” Such a long-term approach helps us to understand both the ice storm wreckage and the trauma of losing beloved trees, says Hopper. “Those trees at Libertyland? A lot of them were healthy, but a lot of them had a poor root system,” he says. “I went out to look at the trees, even the big oak trees, and I saw a lot of root rot on them. “So we have to involve the community,” Hopper continues. “If they have an issue with our urban forest, someone needs to take action. You can go to Parks and Recreation, go to a Tree Board meeting and say, ‘I want to get a Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) grant to get trees replanted in place of those that got removed.’ The TAEP grant is an environmental grant through the state forestry division and you apply to plant a certain amount of trees in that area. Sometimes it just takes one person to pull the team together and make it function. You take a person like Judi Shellabarger, that lady gets things done!” If some find that unsatisfying, such community involvement may also help build on what’s already in place. For now, the Tree Board can make recommendations and suggestions, but a groundswell could elevate the body’s
importance. And it will take political pressure to value trees at the level of policy. Mark Follis, owner of Follis Tree Preservation and member of the Memphis Tree Board, served briefly through a period when the city government deemed trees more worthy of attention. “Memphis had a city forester until budget cuts in 2005. But he had no money. He had the position, but no budget. Then for three years, more recently, we had a grant and I was the city forester, but only on a part-time basis while the grant lasted. There isn’t a permanent position now.” As Mike Larrivee says, it boils down to political will: “Memphis gets compared to Detroit a lot because our demographics and economy are similar. But for years, Memphis did not have a paid arborist or tree team until Mark got that part-time funded position. By comparison, the city of Detroit has a tree team of 20 on the city payroll. Same size city, with the same sort of density and coverage of urban canopy, and they’ve had an urban tree team for 100 years. So we just do not prioritize or allocate resources in a way that’s befitting the assets we have.” The West TN Chapter of the TUFC will hold its annual meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Thursday, April 21, at 1 p.m. Bill Bullock will speak on battling invasive plants in Overton Park’s Old Forest.
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COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m
Live music at
steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Sixteen Candles april 14th - 6:00pm Lucky 7 Brass Band
april 15th - 7:00pm 40 Watt Moon
By Abigail Morici
If you never had a Sweet 16 party or never got invited to one and you’re still just a bit bitter, my advice, other than to get over it, would be to swing by the Dixon Gallery & Gardens for its “Sweet 16,” where you will be most welcome. This “Sweet 16” is, of course, a bit different than what Molly Ringwald would’ve wanted when her parents forgot her 16th. Sure, you won’t find Jake Ryan, but you will be treated to 16 independent exhibitions, one for each of the Dixon’s 16 galleries. From mid-19th century portraits from a Memphis family collection to Hattiloo Theatre’s collection of commissioned portraits, the Dixon offers a sampling of different art forms across centuries and geographical PHOTO: JAMES LITTLE/COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS boundaries. James Little, Legacy of Thieves and Pundits The decision to include such a variety was intentional since, as Dixon’s director Kevin Sharp says, “Art has this tremendous capacity to speak to the plurality of the human condition, to our diversity, to the multiplicity of ideas that drive our existence.” One of the many highlights of this show is “James Little: Homecoming.” Little was born and raised in Memphis, having attended Hamilton High School and the Memphis College of Art before relocating for his MFA program in 1976 to New York, where he’s since lived. “He’s an amazing artist,” Sharp says. “He does these geometric abstractions that are very carefully lineated. He goes so far as to make his own paint. They’re really, really powerful works of art. … He’s had a very important career in New York for the last 40 years. He’s about to be in the next installment of the Whitney Biennial — it’s a recognition of a lifetime of brilliant, brilliant work. “It’s just satisfying for us to reintroduce him to the community he came from,” Sharp adds. “I think it’s nice for any artist to have a major museum show in their own town.” “Sweet 16,” which opens April 17th, will be on display through July 10th. Admission to the Dixon is free through the end of 2024. “SWEET 16,” DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, OPENS SUNDAY, APRIL 17TH, 1 P.M.-5 P.M.
april 16th - 7:00pm Obruni Dance band
4/21 - 7pm
April 14-20, 2022
Lucky 7 Brass Band
4/22 - 7pm
Benton Park & Friends
4/23 - 7pm
Shara Layne & The Drive
4/28 - 7pm
Neal Francis
railgarten.com
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2 1 6 6 C e n t r a l Av e . Memphis TN 38104
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 14th - 20th “Image of Resilience” Opening Reception Goodwyn Gallery, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Thursday, April 14th, 5-7 p.m., free From the archive and collection of Eric Echols, “Image of Resilience” honors and analyzes the meaning and significance of early images of African Americans and works by African-American image-makers from the early- to mid-20th century. Through the lenses of image-makers of color, this collection will showcase and highlight the importance of preserving photos, leaving a legacy of images for others to share, and feature key images from this rare collection that reflect family, purpose, love, hope, and resilience.
The Crappening: A Shyamalan S**tfest Double Feature Black Lodge, Thursday, April 14th, 7:30 p.m., free Join Black Lodge for an especially painful edition of S**tfest, where they screen and tear down the worst movies ever made. On this night, they’ll dishonor M. Night Shyamalan and unleash a double feature of unbelievably horrible movies: The Happening and The Last Airbender. This is no silent screening. Give these unholy cinema abominations the punishment they so richly deserve. Razzing, riffing, and drunkenly yelling at the screen is highly encouraged. Drinks and food will be available for purchase.
Tree Tour of Elmwood Elmwood Cemetery, Saturday, April 16th, noon-1:30 p.m., $20 Elmwood is home to almost 1,400 trees. Many of these trees are tagged, but there’s so much more to know about a tree than its scientific and common name. Some of the trees that live in Elmwood are older than the cemetery itself — those are called witness trees. They lived through the changes taking place around them, silently, majestically, for sometimes 300+ years. You will see a few of these and much more on this special tree tour. This is a walking tour, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Rain will cancel this event. Order tickets online at elmwoodcemetery.org.
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Iris Blooms and Keeps Blooming It’s Iris Orchestra’s final concert, but not the end of Iris. of performance.” And, as Stern sees it, this season’s last program embodies all of Iris’ ideals at once. “We have a wonderful piece from the 20th century, not one but two new pieces by essential American composers, and then an iconic work from the canon. That, in a nutshell, is what Iris is about.” Stern is especially enthusiastic about the new works. “When we started Iris 22 years ago,” says Stern, “the express intention was, in part, to nurture and promote the music of our time, especially American composers. So this is quite a lovely thing, to have a cocommissioning relationship with two pieces in the program.
two years because of Covid, this is a long overdue and very welcome performance. “And Jessie Montgomery is one of the most compelling voices of the last two or three years, for good reason,” Stern continues. “I’ve done quite a few of Jessie’s works now. This piece especially, Rounds for Piano and String Orchestra, is playful and dancing and really lovely. Awadagin Pratt is making his solo piano debut with us on Jessie’s piece, which she wrote specifically for him. He is a force. A wonderful pianist, a wonderful musician.” That forward-thinking spirit is also apparent in the classics Iris will present on April 23rd, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, and Prokofiev’s
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF IRIS ORCHESTRA
Awadagin Pratt
The musicians committed to the idea that they simply would not let Iris go away. “Jonathan Leshnoff has been a great partner and friend to us since we commissioned him to write his first symphony, which was a companion piece to Beethoven’s 9th. This new piece was written to commemorate our 20th anniversary in 2020, which is why he called the piece Score. It’s not only a reference to sheet music, it also means 20 years. Since the premiere got delayed by
Symphony No. 1, Op. 25, the “Classical.” Stern describes the latter piece as “turning a Haydn symphony on its ear. Through the prism of the early 20th century, Prokofiev writes this really tongue-in-cheek and wonderfully energetic music, doing something new. Beethoven, in his time, was also doing something new. He often said he was writing music for the future. Prokofiev was writing at the dawn of the 20th century, and Beethoven was writing at the dawn of the 19th century. And both were trying to find a new way of speaking in the world.” Iris Orchestra, featuring Awadagin Pratt, piano, presents Where Past & Future Gather, Saturday, April 23rd, 7:30 p.m. at GPAC; and Iris at the Brooks: Beethoven, Sunday, April 24th, 3 p.m. at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m
PM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
T
he Iris Orchestra’s closing concert of the 2021-2022 season, on April 23rd and 24th, was nearly its swan song. For a moment, it appeared that the much-loved collection of virtuosos from around the world, who gather in Memphis for a few select concerts every year, was unsustainable. The notion was deeply troubling for founder and conductor Michael Stern, but he wanted to do the moment justice. “We expressly chose Beethoven’s 5th Symphony because we thought for a moment that we’d be suspending operations, and that this would have been our last concert ever,” says Stern. “I wanted to bring full closure. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony closed our very first concert ever, in 2000. So I thought, if this is going to be our last concert, let it also feature the piece that closed our first concert. But with joy I can say that Iris is not going away!” As it turns out, Iris will stick around, albeit in new form. After the upcoming concerts, Iris Orchestra will be known as the Iris Collective. “The musicians themselves grouped together, committed to the idea that they simply would not let Iris go away. It was absolutely musician driven. And Iris will continue on. It’s going to have a different feel. I will be less involved, and it will be an amalgam of ensembles, chamber music, orchestra concerts, and new ways of imagining community engagement,” Stern says. The fortuitous change will be foreshadowed by Iris’ chamber music concert on April 24th. “It’s entirely Iris musicians playing Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major, and it’s a fantastic group. It gives a little taste of what the Iris Collective is going to be about.” Reinvention is par for the course for an organization that’s been dedicated to reimagining music from the beginning, founded to be “an ensemble for the 21st century — flexible, non-hierarchical, and passionate about the highest standards
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Kappa Alpha Psi Incorporated - Coat of Arms
MEMPHIS ALUMNI CHAPTER
KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY, INC.
MADISON SIMONE BRIGHT Hutchison School
LAURYN ELIZABETH BROWNLEE Germantown High School
ROD’NIYA DONISE MARTIN Germantown High School
MALLORIE SELESTE COVINGTON Whitehaven High School
SYDNEY NICOLE MORRIS Collierville High School
2022 Debutantes
MICAH MICHELLE CROSS Lausanne Collegiate School
ZION DOROTHY THOMAS Collierville High School
CHI’CONNA GLORI GOBER Collierville High School
LAYLA NZINGA TRUITT Hutchison Upper School
TALIA DON’A HODGES Collierville High School
PEIGHTON ROSE WILKINS Gateway Christian School
JOI NICOLE LOVE Collierville High School
PAYTON NATALIA WRIGHT Germantown High School
April 14-20, 2022
The Memphis Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has been fostering the development of young African American women of culture and honor and facilitating their formal introduction into society for 71 years. After more than seven decades, daughters, granddaughters and even great-granddaughters of past Debs dawn their white gowns and celebrate their matriculation into society and womanhood at the “Kappa Debutante Presentation.” The presentation is similar to graduation in that it is the last event of the “Debutante Experience.” For parents, the purpose of a debutante presentation is to show society how prepared, beautiful, poised, and confident their daughter has become. It allows them an opportunity to showcase her efforts up to this point in life and encourage her to take her rightful place in the world.
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CALENDAR of EVENTS:
April 14 - 20
A tranquil garden of flower and kimono paintings. Through April 16. L ROSS GALLERY
“Sweet 16”
Each of the Dixon’s 16 gallery spaces will feature an independent, Dixon-organized exhibition. Sunday, April 17-July 10. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“You Can Dance Underwater and Not Get Wet” Exhibition of work by Kevin Brisco Jr. Through April 16.
King of Vintage, Cameron Silver, will speak at the Dixon during a special luncheon to share his fashion expertise and promote his love of sustainable dressing. $75. Tuesday, April 19, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Comedian Lavell Crawford is quickly becoming one of the hottest stars in the biz today. Thursday, April 14, 8 p.m.; Friday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.; Saturday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.
“Image of Resilience” Opening Reception
Opening reception for exhibition that honors and analyzes ideas about the meaning and significance of early images of African Americans and works by African-American imagemakers. Thursday, April 14, 5-7 p.m. BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
ART HAP P E N I N G S
B O O K EVE N TS
Artist Talk: “One Part of My Small Story”
A Novel Book Club:
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
Lavell Crawford
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
TONE
Open house for exhibition by Hamlett Dobbins, who reflects on moments of whole-body pleasure. Saturday, April 16, 11 a.m.
PHOTO: KAREN PULFER FOCHT
CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE
Represent!
A one-woman comedy show with Lucy Wang. Free. Friday, April 15, 7:30-9 p.m. GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
This month’s book: Never Let Me Go. Wednesday, April 20, 7 p.m. NOVEL
Stax Book Event
Lecture and book signing for Move on Up: Chicago Soul
Sleezy and Son Comedy Show Music and Cultural Power by author Aaron Cohen. Thursday, April 14, 7-9 p.m. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
C O M E DY
Henry Rollins: Good to See You 2022
On this tour, Henry Rollins will faithfully recount the events of his
life in the brief pre-Covid period since the last tour and when things got even stranger over the last several months. $22.50-$165. Monday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
DO GOOD. BETTER.
Featuring Deric Sleezy Evans and Jaelon Evans. $20. Friday, April 15, 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 16, 8 p.m. THE COMEDY JUNT
continued on page 18
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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m
“Carol Adamec: In A Japanese Garden”
The Memphis Botanic Garden hosts an egg-citing egg hunt across its 96-acre grounds.
Cameron Silver Luncheon and Talk
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ART AN D S P EC IA L E X H I B ITS
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
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CALENDAR: APRIL 14 - 20 continued from page 17 E AST E R E V E N TS
Easter Egg Hunt
Over 500 egg prizes. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. $1/person. Saturday, April 16, 2-4 p.m. MID-SOUTH ARTIST GALLERY
Easter Egg Roulette
Don’t get caught with egg on your face. IYKYK. If you don’t, well, you’ll see the funniest thing to do on Easter with your LGBTQ+ community. Sunday, April 17, 6 p.m. THE PUMPING STATION
Easter Egg-Stravaganza
Food, entertainment, an egg hunt, and activities. Free. Saturday, April 16, noon-3:30 p.m. THE SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER
Easter Eve Egg Hunt at Beck & Call
An adults-only egg hunt with exciting prizes to find all night long! Saturday, April 16, 4 p.m. BECK & CALL
Easter Picnic and Egg Hunt Be there to find the 45th Anniversary Golden Egg! Sunday, April 17, 2 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK
Egg Hunt
Hunt for eggs and meet the Easter Bunny! $8-$10. Saturday, April 16, 9:30-11 a.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Family Egg Hunt at the Garden
Hop through the garden and collect treats along the way. Attendees will also enjoy the epic 96-acre hunt for over 50 “golden” eggs. $10-$15. Saturday, April 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
FA M I LY
A Family Star Gazing Event
April 14-20, 2022
A night celebrating National Look Up at the Sky Day with a STEM interactive book reading, food trucks, music, and more! Thursday, April 14, 5-8 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK
F E ST IVA L
Africa in April
APRIL 26-M AY 1, 2022
ORPHEUM THEATRE ORPHEUM-MEMPHIS.COM BROADWAY SEASON SPONSORED BY:
Africa in April has chosen to salute the Republic of Malawi for its 35th festival of live performances, vendors, and the International Diversity Parade. Wednesday, April 20-April 24. ROBERT R. CHURCH PARK
Bluff City Blues Crawfish Festival
Enjoy a day of blues music, arts and crafts vendors, crawfish, and other delicious foods! Benefiting A Betor Way. Saturday, April 16, noon-6 p.m. CAROLINA WATERSHED
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Farm to Tap Festival
Sample beers brewed with
agricultural products from across Tennessee. Saturday, April 16, noon-4 p.m. CAROLINA WATERSHED
Shelby Forest Spring Fest
Live music, food, arts and crafts vendors, wildlife and cultural exhibits, and a corn hole tourney! Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. MEEMAN-SHELBY FOREST STATE PARK
Urban Earth Spring Flicker Fest
Shop new spring arrivals. Enjoy local music, food trucks, refreshments, workshops, and activities for the kids. Saturday, April 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. URBAN EARTH GARDENS
F I LM
Facing Down Storms: Memphis and the Making of Ida B. Wells
National premiere of featurelength documentary on Civil Rights activist Ida B. Wells. Tuesday, April 19, 5:30 p.m. THE HALLORAN CENTRE
Foreign Correspondent
Expertly paced, this film finds Alfred Hitchcock honing the formula of a breathless chase across multiple locations. $5. Thursday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Overton Square Movie Nights: Brian’s Song
Bring a blanket or a chair to watch this flick. Free popcorn provided! Thursday, April 14, 8 p.m. OVERTON SQUARE
Remembering Carroll Cloar: A Documentary Film Screening
Memphis filmmaker Willy Bearden’s latest documentary, Carroll Cloar: A Life in Art, celebrates Cloar’s work. $10. Tuesday, April 19, 6-7 p.m. ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Saturday Morning Soul Cinema: Three the Hard Way
A free screening of the 1974 film. Monday, April 18, 7-9 p.m. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
The Crappening: A Shyamalan S**tfest Double Feature
Black Lodge will unleash a double feature of unbelievably horrible movies from M. Night Shyamalan: The Happening and The Last Airbender. Free. Thursday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. BLACK LODGE
FO O D A N D D R I N K
Old Dominick Distillery Glass Half Full Charitable Fund Reception Kick-Off
Join Old Dominick Distillery and the Glass Half Full board
members for an evening reception benefiting Old Dominick’s newly established Glass Half Full Charitable Fund. $50. Thursday, April 14, 6-8 p.m. OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY
Dinner on Stage
Includes an inside peek into the stories and history of the Orpheum as told by President and CEO Brett Batterson, a cocktail reception, a Q&A session about upcoming shows, and more. $80. Wednesday, April 20, 6 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE
P E R FO R M I N G ARTS
The Painted Knife
A traveling drag program like no other! Featuring the edgeworthy talents of Memphis drag stars. $15. Friday, April 15, 9 p.m. BLACK LODGE
S P EC IA L EVE NTS
Silent Disco at Overton Square Spring Break 2000 theme! Friday, April 15, 8-11 p.m. OVERTON SQUARE
S PO R TS
Memphis Redbirds vs. Omaha Storm Chasers Monday, April 18-April 24 AUTOZONE PARK
Wilson Race Series: Bunny Hop 10K and 5K All levels of runners/walkers are welcome. $25/general admission. Saturday, April 16, 8-10 a.m. WILSON TOWN SQUARE
T H EAT E R
Cicada
Set in rural Mississippi, this coming-of-age ghost story is deeply rooted in the life of a small Southern family on the verge of transformation. $25. Through April 16. THEATRE MEMPHIS
The Band’s Visit
In this joyously offbeat story, set in a town that’s way off the beaten path, a band of musicians arrive lost, out of the blue. $29, $125. Through April 16. ORPHEUM THEATRE
TO U R S
After-Hours Tour of Elmwood Cemetery
Join Elmwood’s executive director Kim Bearden for this after-hours tour and learn about Victorian cemetery symbolism, the majestic trees, and the many fascinating people who reside in the cemetery. $20. Friday, April 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. ELMWOOD CEMETERY
FOOD By Michael Donahue
The Cool Gelato Man Sweet Magnolia to open new location in April.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ugh Balthrop is opening a Around 2011, Balthrop, who “always new Sweet Magnolia Gehad this entrepreneurial spirit,” enrolled lato Co. location in April in in the annual Penn State Ice Cream Short Crosstown Concourse. Course, where he studied ice cream and the “I’m taking the space that was Area 51 science of ice cream. He also studied under [Ice Cream] next to French Truck Coffee,” a gelato master at The French Pastry School Balthrop says. in Chicago. He’s also working on a children’s book Balthrop opened his first gelato business about gelato. Adults might want to read in a 2,000-square-foot industrial building in it, too. “When I first got into this business Clarksdale. He got the idea for his business [I had to] and to this day, I still explain to name while holding hands with his daughpeople what gelato is.” ter on a walk. “It was a breezy day. We had a Gelato is “just ice cream; but it’s denser bunch of magnolia trees, and at some point because it has less air/overrun than tradiI just got a whiff of the magnolia flower.” tional American ice cream.” Everything came together. “It hit me like a When he decided to open a business ton of bricks.” in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Balthrop didn’t Balthrop began creating flavors. He want to get into an oversaturated market wanted “something Southern, either balike coffee or breweries. He wanted to take nana pudding or watermelon or blueberry.” “the road less traveled.” He used “local ingredients from local farmBalthrop, who now lives in Oxford, ers. Anything I could get my hands on … Mississippi, features more honey, sorghum, pecans.” than 500 Sweet MagnoBalthrop then began lia Gelato Co. flavors. selling. “Initially, what He currently is offering I did was start knockan old favorite, Lotus, ing on restaurant doors. which is based on the I was like, ‘Take these gelato served at the old samples, just give me an Justine’s restaurant. He honest opinion. That’s all discovered it years ago I require.’” If they didn’t in a newspaper article. like a flavor, Balthrop “My relationship with “went back to the drawMemphis — it’s my other ing board. That’s what we home … I started talking did and what we do to to some folks, particularly this day.” older folks that are familWhen the Clarksiar with Justine’s. They dale building was sold, PHOTO: DONALD “DON GELATO” SUTTON thought it was a great Balthrop and his family Hugh Balthrop idea, so I recreated it.” moved to Oxford, where Lotus, which is only available in Memthe manufacturing business and his other phis at South Point Grocery, is “lemonretail store are now located. based with a little lemon zest. And toasted Karen Carrier, whose restaurants inalmonds. It has almond essence as well. It’s clude The Beauty Shop Restaurant, recently a unique taste.” sent Balthrop an order for 20 gelatos. She Balthrop originally owned First World came up with most of the flavors, includGallery, which he opened in 1995 in Washing Cinnamon Mexican Chocolate Chili ington, D.C. “It was art from the African Chunk and Jamaican Rum and Mango diaspora.” He closed his gallery, and he and Vanilla. He got the order on a Monday and his wife, Dr. Erica Balthrop, moved to Chihe delivered the gelato, some of which he’d cago, where she could finish her residency. never made before, on Friday. They then moved to Clarksdale, where his Balthrop’s gelato is also available for wife, as a child, spent summers with her shipping, and as for more retail stores, he grandparents. says, “We might have another Downtown Balthrop became a “stay-at-home presence.” dad” and did the cooking for their three And Balthrop does have a nickname. children. “My tradition was to wake them “The Gelato Man,” he says, with a laugh. Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co. is at 1350 Conup with mango, pineapple — tropical fruit. course; (662) 313-6551. They liked it.”
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FILM By Chris McCoy
The Best of All Possible Worlds Everything Everywhere All at Once is a multiverse masterpiece.
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April 14-20, 2022
n this reality, from Rick and Morty to Doctor Strange, the multiverse is having a moment. Written and directed by Daniels, the team of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, who begins the story at the end of her rope. She is a Chinese American who runs a little laundromat with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). She’s having a hard time accepting that her teenage daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) has a girlfriend (Tallie Medel), and now that her father (James Hong) is visiting from China, Evelyn is desperate to keep the truth about her daughter’s sexuality from him. Her passive-aggressive machinations manage to alienate both her daughter and father. As if that’s not stressful enough, the laundry is getting audited by the IRS, and no-nonsense agent Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis) is not happy with Evelyn’s tax deductions. Why would a laundry need a karaoke machine? It’s for Evelyn’s singing career, she says. What singing career? “She confuses her hobbies with business,” explains Waymond. Somehow, that’s the worst cut of them all. Evelyn came to America with big dreams, but nothing turned out how she planned. And things are about to get worse once Waymond serves her with the divorce papers he’s had drawn up.
Michelle Yeoh (above) The “perfect” version of Evelyn, which Jobu teases her with, The Last Temptation of Christ-style, looks a lot like Michelle Yeoh’s real life: She’s an acclaimed actress attending the red carpet premiere of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Jamie Lee Curtis flexes her considerable comedic talent as several versions of the cranky IRS agent — at one point, she stalks Evelyn with a machete, just as Michael Myers
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For Evelyn, it’s increasingly hard to focus on her downward spiral because she’s been secretly contacted by a Waymond from an alternate universe. There, he’s married to a version of Evelyn who invented technology to travel through the multiverse — or at least, he used to be before she was killed by a mysterious figure named Jobu Tupaki. The fashion-forward temporal villain is creating a doomsday device to destroy the multiverse. Waymond thinks this Evelyn can defeat Jobu, even though many other versions have failed, because she is living the worst possible version of her life and remains full of potential. Daniels have crafted a tour de force of pop surrealism on a budget that wouldn’t cover Avengers: Endgame’s catering bill. Yeoh plays dozens of different versions of her character, some of which reference movie roles from her storied career.
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FILM By Chris McCoy stalked her in Halloween. The great James Hong, who has appeared in 450 films in his 93 years, is razor-sharp, differentiating different versions of Gong Gong (Chinese for “grandpa”) with both subtle expressions and a mechanized battle wheelchair. Ke Huy Quan, who played Indiana Jones’ sidekick Short Round, returns to the screen after a 20-year absence and absolutely slays, switching from dweebish failed husband to swashbuckling time warrior, often in mid-sentence. The story is witty and inventively structured, but it never cracks under the weight of self-reference. The random acts the
CARRY NARCAN
reality-travelers have to perform to tilt the quantum probabilities make for some great visual comedy, especially during a wild, Hong Kong-inspired fight sequence inside the IRS building. Daniels don’t shy away from the philosophical implications of the multiverse, although they explicitly reject Rick and Morty-style nihilism in favor of a more Candide approach. Since the roads not taken are unknowable, who’s to say we don’t live in the best of all possible worlds? Everything Everywhere All at Once Now playing Multiple locations
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If you need help, support, or referral to treatment, please call Lincoln Coffman (901) 495-5103 This project is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
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REAL ESTATE • EMPLOYMENT • SERVICES SHARED HOUSING
POOL BOYS LLC HELP WANTED Looking for energetic, reliable, hard working able adult. Must have valid license (insurable commercially) and clean driving record. Must be self motivated. Job Requirements: Cleaning swimming pools, skimming, brushing, cleaning debris, opening pools, removing pool covers, keep up with schedule in timely manner, maintains equipment, etc. Great company to work for! Competitive Pay. Contact: (901) 282-8463
FURNISHED ROOMS Airways/Lamar, Bellevue/McLemore, Jackson/Watkins. W/D, Cable TV/Phone. Call 901-485-0897.
April 14-20, 2022
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MIDTOWN: ROOM FOR RENT Furnished, w/fridge, microwave, wifi, utilities, bus line. Safe, clean. $150/wk + dep. 901-654-3053.
WE BUY JUNK CARS! Call 901-870-6238.
SOUTH MEMPHIS 1 furnished room for mature lady in Christian home. Nice area on bus line, near expressway. Non smoker. $450/ mo, includes utilities, cooking/laundry privileges. 901-405-5755 or 901-518-2198.
AUTO AUTO AUCTION Culp & Sons Towing, 3614 Jackson St., Memphis, TN 38108 on April 21st., 2022, between 12 & 3 PM. 2000 Toyota Camry, VIN: JT2BG22K2Y0452180.
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T H E L A S T W O R D B y B r y c e W. A s h b y a n d M i c h a e l J . L a R o s a
Ending Title 42 It’s well past time to live up to our nation’s ideals — and close this anti-immigration loophole.
THE LAST WORD
“Title 42,” an obscure section of a 1944 law authorizing extraordinary [anti-]immigration powers during public health emergencies, was “discovered” by the Trump administration in 2020 as Covid-19 spread globally. They interpreted the title “loosely,” using it to deport people and deny asylum seekers access to the USA. With the election of Joe Biden, most hoped for relief and a return to policies that reflect the generosity and spirit of the United States — a “nation of immigrants.” Yet, the past 16 months have proven difficult in walking back Trump’s inhumane immigration policies, revealing the timidity of Biden and the Democrats’ approach to the ongoing immigration conundrum. Trump, together with his brash, anti-immigrant senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, genuinely believed that closing off the nation to immigrants (well … certain immigrants) and asylum seekers would win them re-election in 2020. The “Muslim Ban” was one of their first noxious acts upon arrival in office. Trump — sensitive diplomat always — referred to certain African nations and (in our own hemisphere) El Salvador and Haiti as “shithole countries.” He made it clear that the U.S. should do more to promote immigration from places like … Norway. Trump rejected our obligations under the Geneva Conventions and our own legal and moral obligations by refusing to process asylum seekers, preferring instead to leave them living in squalor on the Mexico side of the U.S./Mexico border. He also cut the number of refugees we accept down to a fraction of our usual acceptance rate, thus undermining our moral standing in the world. He seized on the pandemic, took authority under Title 42, and expelled asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors, under the contention that they posed a health risk to the American public. Most immigrant advocates believed Biden would end the use of Title 42 on the first day of his presidency since it appeared to be an illegal and factually unsupportable use of the law. Many thought Biden would quickly end Trump’s “Wait in Mexico” policy, which has served only to strand thousands of Central Americans, Haitians, and Venezuelans (among others); the policy has benefited smugglers of narcotics and of human beings, and the criminal networks that prey on the vulnerabilities of people who can’t or won’t return to their nation of origin. What to do? First, let’s change the narrative on immigration. This means being truthful about “why” people are fleeing to the United States. In the case of Haiti and El Salvador, our nation has supported (in recent history) repressive, corrupt “anti-communist” regimes that have not been kind to their people. Second, let’s stop the racist nonsense about immigrants. Norwegians don’t want to come here! They live in a nicely socialist state of prosperity with full healthcare, long life-spans, and plenty of oil to sell. Third, our economy prospers thanks to the work, contributions, creativity, and energy of immigrants. The arguments “against” this statement are simply fake news. If we continue to cut off legitimate paths to immigration and immigrants (for short-term political gains), we run the risk of becoming Japan or Italy, with an aging population, political and social hostility to immigrants from the global “south,” all leading to long-term economic stagnation. The palpable anger and hostility on the far right in this nation does not translate to long-term economic growth and/or social stability. Take a look at January 6, 2021, as a prime example. The “Recent Right” is simply interested in winning; they want short-term political gains, so they can control budgets, power, and money. Period. The open hostility, last month, of some senators toward an eminently qualified Supreme Court nominee hardly helped bring the nation together, and when our own Marsha Blackburn asked a Harvard-trained judge to define the word “woman,” most Americans rolled their eyes in wonder. The real wonder? How did this unqualified person win statewide office here in Tennessee? The media has distorted the facts on immigration with sensationalistic reporting and frightening stories of “waves” of migrants heading to our (southern) border. The fact is people are allowed to come here, apply for refugee status, and receive a hearing before a judge — assuming their case is deemed credible. Our nation’s immigration laws are unique in this regard, and rather than bemoan the fact that people want to come here, we should celebrate the story of America as an open, immigrant-friendly nation. An immigrant-friendly nation whose prosperity — culturally, socially, and economically — has centered on the welcoming of immigrants. If comprehensive immigration reform is legislatively impossible, Biden needs to implement a comprehensive executive policy. He failed to immediately rid us of Title 42, and he can’t win the political argument by attempting to placate the unreasonable right with half-measures and reliance on Trump-era policies. Biden must reframe the narrative with policies that demonstrate who we are as a people. Immigrants are instrumental to the prosperity of our nation — it’s always been this way. Biden should make this argument; he needs to spend some of his waning political capital to demonstrate a clear commitment to the bedrock ideals that have made America great. Bryce Ashby is a Memphis-based attorney and the board chair of Latino Memphis. Michael LaRosa teaches history at Rhodes College.
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