The Flyer presents our guide to seasonal arts offerings. PHOTO: HALO | @ITSJUSTHALO
PHOTO: BRANDON DILL
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
MARATHON REMINDER
Plan ahead for some road closures this weekend as the city makes way for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend.
It’s looking to be another chilly one. So throw on a hat and gloves and go cheer on the runners. If nothing else, be willing to be patient.
GOOD ROADS?
Never mind potholes aplenty and Poplar’s perilous far-right lanes, Memphis roads got some actual good reviews in a Reddit thread last week.
Reddit user u/Jcb0304 started the conversation saying their favorite stretch was Walnut Grove from Union to Germantown Road, calling it “delightful.” Others liked North Parkway, Belvedere, Raleigh Lagrange, Belleair, Cooper, Riverside, and more.
IT’S BEGINNING TO
…
It’s happening. Maybe it already happened. e holidays are here, and it’s everywhere you look. Novel kicked o Christmas last weekend with story time, hot chocolate, and a visit with the Grinch.
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Youth, State Budget, & Rockin’
More kids could end up in adult prison, revenues ag on tax breaks, and a Christmas classic.
YOUTH SENTENCING
In January, a new “blended sentencing” law will go into e ect in Tennessee that could usher hundreds of children into the adult criminal justice system with fewer checks than the existing adult transfer process. It will also keep those kids in the juvenile justice system longer.
Children as young as 14 could be subject to blended sentencing. ese children will be required to serve juvenile sentences until they turn 19. ey will also face up to four years of adult prison or probation. Initially, this adult sentence is stayed, meaning it will only take e ect if certain criteria are met. Only one of these criteria concerns whether a child has committed another delinquent act. As a result, kids could end up in adult prison without committing another crime.
percent and total tax growth at 1.25 percent to 2.15 percent for scal 2025-26.
With this year’s overall budget at $52.8 billion, the board maintained the total growth rate projection for scal 202425 at -1.68 percent to -1.34 percent. e board was forced to roll back projections at mid-year because of weak revenue.
FEW HELD BACK DESPITE GOP LAW
Some 60 percent of Tennessee third-grade students scored below pro ciency in English language arts on 2024 state tests. Fewer than 1 percent of them were retained under the state’s reading and retention law, and about 2.5 percent are no longer enrolled in public schools, according to new data. Among fourth graders who were promoted by receiving tutoring during the 2023-24 academic year under the same law, just over 1 percent were held back this school year, while at least 4 percent have le their public school.
e ndings show some of the e ects of Tennessee’s 2021 reading intervention and retention law, aimed at accelerating learning a er the pandemic. e controversial statute was pushed by Governor Bill Lee, who said he wanted to draw a hard line to “stop the cycle of passing without preparation.”
STATE REVENUE SLOWS ON BIZ BREAKS
Tennessee’s State Funding Board approved conservative growth rates last week as revenue ags in the wake of a major business tax reduction.
e board, which is made up of the state’s three constitutional o cers and nance commissioner, set a growth rate in general fund revenue of 1 percent to 2
Economic experts told the board earlier this month that the economy is in good shape but that growth is slowing a er double-digit revenue two years ago. e state also is facing a $1.9 billion business tax reduction over several years a er lawmakers approved a request by Lee to eliminate the property portion of the state’s franchise and excise taxes. at came on the heels of a business tax break the previous year.
‘ROCKIN’’ RECOGNIZED
e holiday classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is now the o cial holiday song of Tennessee and its singer was set to be recognized this week.
e song was o cially designated as a state song earlier this year, with legislation by Representative Jason Powell (D-Nashville) signed into law by Lee in April. e song’s performer Brenda Lee, a longtime Nashvillian, was set to receive a proclamation on the designation in a ceremony this week.
Chalkbeat TN, Tennessee Lookout, and MLK50: Justice rough Journalism contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: ANDREA MORALES FOR MLK50
e exterior of the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court in Downtown Memphis
Cleaning Up the Streets {
CITY REPORTER
By Kailynn Johnson
Memphis City Council grilled state o cials on routine road maintenance schedules, litter collection, road repairs, and landscaping in Memphis in a meeting last week.
ey asked the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) about all of these, especially asking them to establish a timeline for cleanup e orts and employment outreach.
ey were speci cally concerned about Madison Avenue, I-40, and South Parkway, due to the “signi cant amount of trash that accumulates in these areas.” Council member Jana Swearengen-Washington also asked about additional resources and partnerships that the city can implement to help in cleanup e orts. She commended the work that had been done around the airport, saying that it’s looking better, but they need “long-term planning to maintain these areas consistently.”
Katie McGinnis, TDOT District 49 manager, said since they last met with the council they have set up initiatives to clear out vegetation so that trash
and debris doesn’t get trapped. McGinnis said, though, that most of their e orts are geared towards asphalt and potholes. So far, TDOT does not have a permit for a resurfacing plan for I-240.
“We’re constantly having to send out forces to patch those repeatedly over and over again in lieu of having that resurfacing project,” McGinnis said. “ at’s why you’re seeing a lot of the larger debris. We don’t have that time. So we handle the safety-sensitive objects rst which would be the paved surfaces — anything that could cause an accident. at’s where the lack is.”
O cials said they are tackling sections of pavement and working to restore them, but noted they are still prepping for winter weather. Last year’s winter storm “killed” TDOT’s maintenance budget, o cials said, resulting in a “reduction in what they were capable of doing.”
Councilwoman Rhonda Logan asked how the state agency monitors
gra ti. McGinnis said TDOT and the Memphis Police Department were able to capture a 15-year-old who was known for spray painting “spicy” on structures in and around the I-240 corridor. McGinnis noted a signi cant decrease in gra ti, but that TDOT does not try to catch gra ti artists.
Council members also o ered solutions for the TDOT’s sta ng issues, asking if their outreach could extend to juveniles to help clean the city.
“Is there a program where they can
get out here and clean this mess up and give them some accountability and responsibility?” asked council member Yolanda Cooper-Sutton. “ ey’re terrorizing the city.” TDOT said they are not yet hiring those kinds of workers as they are still lling in positions from reorganizing the agency. For clean roadways, they pointed to the highway adoption program. ey also work with the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) to occasionally get crews to help with litter and light landscaping.
Cody Joyner, TDOT’s team lead for Shelby County, explained that the TDOC had experienced sta ng issues, meaning they didn’t have enough o cers to send over with inmates for road cleanup. Joyner said when they do have enough, they are typically staging them in places with “a lot of litter” such as Elvis Presley Boulevard and Lamar Avenue.
She didn’t just teach me to garden … She taught me to plant seeds and watch them grow.
Musk’s DOGE
Elon Musk’s plans for the Department of Government E ciency would throw wrenches in many gears of the U.S. economy.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are partnering to create a new U.S. government agency, the Department of Government E ciency (DOGE).
Musk underwrote the Trump campaign with $200 million in donations (AP estimate) and his own brand of buying votes.
Supposedly, the acronym comes from Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, the Doge. Whatever. When Heather Cox Richardson says the name of the pending Musk/Ramaswamy agency, she pronounces it doggy. She’s authoritative enough for me.
So yes, Musk paid for his new appointment, which represent a colossal con ict of interest, as that agency reportedly, avowedly, will shut down many regulations that currently govern aspects of Musk’s enormous U.S. government contracts. Getting his new powers involved corruption — a person really isn’t supposed to pay to acquire powers in the U.S. federal government. Can there be a shred of doubt that corruption won’t feature in nullifying EPA regulations on SpaceX, Tesla, and other Musk holdings?
But that is just toxic foreplay. Musk and Ramaswamy tell Forbes they will cut some $2 trillion in U.S. federal spending (sparing all the contracts with Musk-owned corporations, no doubt). What do they intend to defund? ey will get rid of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which tells us, “We protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices and take action against companies that break the law.” anks, Elon, for planning to deep-six this one.
lion federal support for public radio and TV. ey actually called that “unauthorized spending,” even though Congress authorized it. You may not get public TV — so long, Sesame Street — but you will get a full display of gaslighting.
e Veterans Administration healthcare funding is targeted by Musk — interesting, a white South African deciding the U.S. military veterans should stop getting healthcare.
e World Bank and the International Monetary Fund imposed “austerity” measures on some poor countries that were not managing to repay loans and the impacts were severe, with poverty increased and government services decreased, even eliminated. e targeted countries — such as Greece, Kenya, and many more — reacted with cries of extreme pain and many of those harmful punishing policies were curtailed.
Musk says his DOGE will in ict hardship. Many Americans will lose their jobs, both inside the government and outside. e government contracts with many companies and when DOGE decides those contracts are not going to be honored, the losses will be severe in some quarters. Add to that the rising consumer prices that are widely predicted from Trump’s tari s on Canada, Mexico, and China (and possibly everyone else), and the American lifestyle may be in for the biggest shock since 1929.
Goodbye, Department of Education. Populist demagogues like Trump have railed against such an unwanted department for decades, clearly tired of spending funds on schools that serve marginalized communities
DOGE will get really vicious with organizations like Planned Parenthood, which averages approximately $50 million a year in federal funding. Reproductive help for women is almost certainly taking that hit.
Musk will make headlines when he and Ramaswamy end the $535 mil-
When Trump was desperately seeking votes from retirees and those who love them, he promised not to cut Social Security, and even added that he would stop the practice of the IRS taxing Social Security. We will see if Musk lets him keep that promise.
It is astonishing that, in a roaring Biden-Harris economy that is bene ting literally every class of Americans, Trump garnered more votes than Harris and will throw wrenches into many of the gears of that economy, if Musk succeeds.
Dr. Tom H. Hastings is coordinator of con ict resolution BA/BS degree programs and certi cates at Portland State University. His views, however, are not those of any institution.
Welcome to fall, the season of changing leaves, falling temperatures, and, of course, open enrollment for employer bene ts. Open enrollment is the period of time when eligible employees can enroll or make changes to their employer-sponsored bene ts.
Unless you experience a qualifying life event, such as getting married or having a baby, open enrollment is the only time of year to make changes to your insurance coverage and spending account contributions. at’s why it’s important to carefully review all options and select bene ts that make sense for your particular situation.
Following are eight common open enrollment mistakes to avoid.
curred over the past year, such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, etc. Failing to account for these important changes may leave you underinsured or lead to higher-than-necessary costs.
4. Selecting the wrong type of health insurance coverage
Many health insurance plans o er different levels of coverage. Selecting the wrong level may result in insu cient coverage or require you to pay higher premiums than necessary.
5. Missing out on employer matching contributions
If your employer o ers a 401(k) match, make sure you’re contributing enough to take full advantage of this money.
1. Failing to review all options
Many employers o er multiple types and levels of health, life, and disability insurance coverage. Be sure to review all options available to you and select coverage levels that make sense for your personal life and nancial situation. Your wealth manager can help you evaluate your options and select appropriate levels of coverage.
2. Overlooking plan changes
Don’t assume this year’s coverage is the same as last year’s. Both employers and insurers can change plan details, such as coverage levels, premiums, in-network providers, and out-ofpocket costs. at’s why it’s important to carefully review all plan documents for updates.
3. Forgetting to consider how your life has changed
It’s important to reevaluate your bene ts in light of any major life events that oc-
6. Overlooking the bene ts of exible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) FSAs and HSAs o er a taxadvantaged way to save for quali ed medical expenses. Take time to understand how these plans work, the di erences between the two plan types, and how you can maximize your contributions.
7. Failing to update bene ciaries
If you have employer-sponsored life insurance or retirement accounts, it’s important to regularly review your bene ciary designations to ensure they continue to re ect your wishes as your life evolves over time.
8. Procrastinating
Waiting until the last minute to enroll in bene ts can lead to rushed decisions and missed opportunities. Begin the open enrollment process as soon as possible, and work with your wealth manager to ensure your bene t elections are in line with your overall nancial plan and long-term goals.
Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory rms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s nancial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
have a bank that looks out for me.
Barbara, proudly independent for 26 years.
It may not be so radical now, but when I started my financial relationship with i-bank 26 years ago, i-bank’s commitment and support of my financial needs as a woman was a breath of fresh air. As a longtime social worker and champion of Memphians, I felt at peace placing my trust in an institution that truly welcomes all walks of life. In a world that often places technology first, it’s nice to have a bank that values real people.
Barbara Nixon
Start your story with i-bank today, and find out why being proudly independent is the most rewarding way to bank.
PHOTO: NAPPY | UNSPLASH
COVER STORY By Abigail Morici
Winter Arts Guide
THE FLYER PRESENTS OUR GUIDE TO SEASONAL ARTS OFFERINGS.
This year, to save you from tears, we’ve made you something special: the Winter Arts Guide. As with every Flyer Arts Guide, we’ve compiled a list of all the exhibitions, plays, musicals, and more that ought to be on your radar. We also had a chance to speak with DeMarcus Suggs, Memphis’ director of creative and cultural economy; Greely Myatt, the man behind the Brooks’ latest installation; and Preston Jackson, the Metal Museum’s Master Metalsmith. Oh, and right now is ARTSmemphis’ ARTSweek.
ON DISPLAY
“Healing rough Color”
Exhibition by Alexandra Baker. Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s School, through Dec. 16
“A River I Loved”
New works by Maysey Craddock. David Lusk Gallery, through Dec. 21
“ANA•LOG, Size Matters, Still”
Work by Lester Merriweather, Alex Paulus, and Michelle Fair. Crosstown Arts, through Jan. 19
“Green Fountain”
Justin Bowles’ fanciful garden installation. Tops at Madison Avenue Park, through Feb. 16
“Beyond the Surface: e Art of Handmade Paper”
Explore paper’s shape-shi ing quality.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through Apr. 6
“Loose Ends”
Work by Brittney Boyd Bullock.
Sheet Cake Gallery, Dec. 14
“Back for Seconds”
Work by Roger Allan Cleaves, Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Howard, and Clare Torina.
Sheet Cake Gallery, Dec. 14
“Small Spaces”
Jennifer Watson’s bright and kaleidoscopic art.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Jan. 26-Apr. 13
“ omas Dambo’s Trolls: Save the Humans”
omas Dambo’s folklore-inspired troll sculptures.
Memphis Botanic Garden, Feb. 1-May 21
“An Occasional Craving”
Chris Antemann’s porcelain gures.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Feb. 9-Apr. 6
“House of Grace”
Floyd Newsum will have the rst major exhibition of his art in Memphis, despite his untimely death on August 14, 2024.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Feb. 9-Apr. 6
ON STAGE
Clara & the Nutcracker
Tennessee Ballet eater’s rendition of the beloved holiday tale.
Cannon Center For e Performing Arts, Dec. 8, 2-4 p.m.
e Nutcracker
Ballet Memphis’ stunning new production is both familiar and unexpected. Orpheum eatre, Dec. 13-15
e Nutcracker
Singleton’s Esprit de Corps Dance Company performs this holiday classic.
Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center, Dec. 20-Dec. 22
Wurlitzer Wonderland
Orpheum House Organist Tony omas plays a special one-night concert featuring the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Orpheum eatre, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.
Magic of Memphis
Featuring the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus — and dancing Santas.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin
Follow two actors as they prepare for their most signi cant role yet: Joseph Stalin. e Circuit Playhouse, Jan. 10-Jan. 26
Land of Enchanted Sweets
Scott Carter, Bowed, “Energy States”
Say It Loud: e Overlook Quartet
An eclectic program of music by underrepresented composers.
Green Room at Crosstown Arts, Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Inherit the Wind
Two great legal giants of the century battle over state law banning the teaching of Darwin’s eory of Evolution. eatre Memphis, Jan. 17-Feb. 2
Parade
In 1913, Leo Frank is caught in a grueling trial a er the murder of his factory worker. Playhouse on the Square, Jan. 17-Feb. 16
American Maestro, with Bernstein’s West Side Story
e MSO will also perform Bernstein’s Slava! and works by other composers. With Carl St. Clair, conductor.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Jan. 19, 2:30 p.m.
Cirque Kalabanté
Afrique en Cirque shares the beauty, youth, and artistry of African culture.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Jan. 24, 8 p.m.
Black Odyssey is vibrant reimagining of the Odysseus saga is set in modern-day Harlem. Hattiloo eatre, Jan. 24-Feb. 16
PHOTO: COURTESY BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS Nutcracker:
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Carmen Bizet’s sizzling epic.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Jan. 24-25
Steve Martin & Martin Short: e Dukes of Funnytown!
Two of the funniest, most in uential and acclaimed talents come to Memphis. Orpheum eatre, Jan. 25, 8 p.m.
Skeleton Crew
As the Great Recession looms over a Detroit auto stamping plant, workers confront tough choices.
e Circuit Playhouse, Jan. 31-Feb. 16
Alison Cook Beatty Dance World-class dancers enmesh classicallybased modern technique with elements of contemporary movement.
Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s School, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
eir Eyes Were Watching God Collage Dance’s reimagining of Zora Neale Hurston’s iconic 1937 novel as a ballet. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 1-2
e Minutes
A scathing new comedy about small-town politics and real-world power. New Moon eatre, Feb. 7-23
Dance eatre of Harlem
A dynamic force in the ballet world, captivating audiences both nationally and internationally.
Orpheum eatre, Feb. 7-8
Valentine’s Day with Kortland Whalum
A night of music and romance with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Feb. 14, 8 p.m.
Hamilton
Follow the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
Orpheum eatre, Feb. 18-Mar. 2
Variations on a eme: Love, Longing, and Lederhosen
A curated evening of music and one-act operas.
Opera Memphis, Feb. 15-16
Winter Mix
Ballet Memphis presents two new commissions and the reprise of an audience favorite, Trey McIntyre’s e Barramundi Playhouse on the Square, Feb. 21-23
Yo-Yo Ma
e renowned cellist appears with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.
In 2020, the city of Memphis and Shelby County declared ARTSweek as an o cial holiday. A brainchild of ARTSmemphis, the week’s purpose is to drive awareness of local arts’ impact, demonstrate the creativity of Memphis’ artistic contributions, and grow community engagement with the arts. is year’s ARTSweek has already begun, starting on December 1st with its end date on Sunday, December 8th.
MUSIC
Moon Taxi
e ve-piece band hails from Nashville.
Minglewood Hall, Dec. 6
Kortland Whalum
Kortland Whalum is a singer-songwriter and actor whose talents span from music to the stage.
Green Room at Crosstown Arts, Dec. 6
Handel’s Messiah
Featuring the MSO’s Memphis Symphony Chamber Chorus.
Germantown United Methodist Church, Dec. 5
Jolly Jam Sessions
Young musicians celebrate the start of the Christmas season with classic holiday jazz favorites. Pink Palace, Dec. 6
Memphis Black Arts Alliance Presents an Evening of Ellington
A star-studded cabaret of jazz.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Dec. 7
Jonathan McReynolds: Red & Green
A new sound for the holiday season. Minglewood Hall, Dec. 8
THEATER & DANCE
Annie Jr. the Musical
Everyone’s favorite little redhead on stage.
Germantown Community eatre, Dec. 6-22
A Motown Christmas
Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with this Christmas musical. Hattiloo eatre, through Dec. 22
A Christmas Carol
A classic holiday ghost story. eatre Memphis, Dec. 6-23
Nutcracker: Land of Enchanted Sweets
Buckman Dance Conservatory’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. Buckman Performing Arts Center, Dec. 6-8
Tía Pancha: A Christmas Story
e classic Christmas story of Scrooge with a Latin twist. eatreWorks at e Evergreen, Dec. 7-8
Who’s Holiday!
Cindy Lou Who takes center stage. e Circuit Playhouse - e Memphian Room, through Dec. 22
Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder
Junie B. Jones is facing a challenging week.
e Circuit Playhouse, through Dec. 22
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star
A story of love and redemption. Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center, Dec. 6-8
An evening of holiday songs and hilarious slapstick humor. eatreWorks @ e Square, Dec. 6-8
e Wizard of Oz
Dorothy Gale gets her Oz on. Playhouse on the Square, through Dec. 22
Twel h Night
Shakespeare’s most charming comedy. Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Dec. 6-22
VISUAL ARTS
Artist Meet & Greet
A free evening of conversations and connections at e Memphis Art Salon.
Minglewood Hall, Dec. 4
“All Aboard: e Railroad in American Art, 1840 - 1955”
Examine the relationship between painters in the United States and the passenger and freight trains.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through Jan. 26
“Energy States”
Scott A. Carter’s sculptures.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through Jan. 19
Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scienti c Illustration
Hidden gems and unique masterworks from the American Museum of Natural History’s rare book collection.
Dixon Gallery and Gardens, though Jan. 26
“Intertwine”
MadameFraankie’s new media works.
Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery, through Dec. 13
Gallery Talk with Elle Perry
Arts and culture journalist Elle Perry delivers a gallery talk about Andrea Morales’ show.
Brooks Museum of Art, Dec. 7, 2 p.m.
Holiday Bazaar
Join Arrow Creative for a monthlong shopping event.
Arrow Creative, through December 22
“Roll Down Like Water”
Andrea Morales presents 65 photographs spanning a decade of work.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through Jan. 31
“Pissarro to Picasso: Masterworks from the Kirkland Family Collection”
Enjoy 18 art treasures from the Kirkland family’s collection.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through Jan. 26
MidSouth Toy Fest 2024
Your gateway to a treasure trove of collectibles.
e Great Hall & Conference Center, Dec. 7
PHOTO: MEGAN CHRISTOFERSON Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder
YOUR SINGLE
SOURCE FOR EVENTS
DURING
(AND THE OTHER 51 WEEKS, TOO)
HOW DO YOU TURN $2.6 MILLION INTO $100,000,000? Working behind the scenes to grow the foundation of Memphis’ arts
Reframe Culture
In October, the city of Memphis hired its rst ever director of creative and cultural economy — DeMarcus Suggs — as part of the newly established O ce of Arts and Culture.
Suggs describes his position as one of a centralized collaborator and convener, supporting artists and cultural organizations while boosting their economic impact. It’s about making sure the city’s ecosystem — businesses, restaurants, hotels, sports, and cultural policy — complements, welcomes, and retains the arts on a citywide scale.
DeMarcus Suggs
“Memphis has a lot of really talented artists,” Suggs points out. “We also have some really grit-and-grind entrepreneurs that have a vision. ey have a dream, and they’re willing to build it.”
With this in mind, Suggs is ready to listen. So far, he’s been in conversation with arts organizations and philanthropists, and now he’s ready to talk to individual artists in a town hall listening event on December 9th, with more to come. He wants to hear the strengths and weaknesses of Memphis. “I’m an optimist that loves to have the full picture, and so I don’t ignore the challenges,” Suggs says. is rst year, he adds, will be themed “reframe culture.” “ at’s really us being able to use [and collect] data,” Suggs says. “We’re going to be framing what success looks like for us as a city.”
Artist Listening Session, Madison Tavern, Monday, December 9, 5-7 p.m.
Starry, Starry
You don’t need to look too far in the sky to see the stars, not at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. at’s where Greely Myatt has installed his Starry, Starry starscape for the museum’s inaugural Winter Art Garden — an installation which opened at the end of November and stemmed from the artist’s recent obsession with stars.
A massive star — aptly titled Big Star, with a nod to the Memphis-based band — sits against the Brooks Museum near its entrance; at night, neon lights the star’s ve edges made of scrap signposts. To the side of it, on the pedestals where statues Spring and Summer once stood, another star is propped up, this one made of charred wood. “It’s a fragmented star,” Myatt describes. “When I was making the other stars [for previous shows], I kind of became interested in, instead of the completeness of it, letting the mind mentally nish it.”
Greely Myatt’s Star Fall
e wood of this fragmented star — Star Fall — comes from a pine tree Myatt grew himself. Meanwhile, Sirius (Dog Star and Pup), which is suspended between two trees, is made of broom handles, and Star Sprays, which spring up from the plaza’s tables like bouquets of sparklers, are made of tra c signs.
Re ecting on the use of stars in his work, Myatt says, “ ey’re abstract, but they’re real. It’s kind of like Dave Hickey once said, ‘A Pollock doesn’t mean anything, but it has meaning. [We can nd meanings for it, if we care to.]’” Starry, Starry, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through January 2025
continued on page 14
PHOTO: ABIGAIL MORICI
PHOTO: AMBER N. FORD
Q&A: Preston Jackson
Earlier this year, the Metal Museum named Preston Jackson as its 38th Master Metalsmith. “A Hidden Culture,” the exhibition now on display in honor of Jackson’s achievement, features 16 freestanding sculptures and four paintings by the artist, who describes the show as revealing “history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” e Flyer had a chance to speak with Jackson about the show.
Memphis Flyer: What was your reaction to being named the Metal Museum’s Master Metalsmith?
Preston Jackson: When I got the call to get involved in this, especially being in Memphis, you know, where my ancestors are from that area, I jumped at that opportunity, and I took it on, even preparing new works for the show. So it was an upli to do what you’re supposed to.
I didn’t realize it had inspired new works.
Some of the pieces, maybe two or three, are in the show, and the one at the [Memphis] Botanic Garden,
there’s a very large relief piece there [Tales of the River Cities].
Your work goes into history and wants to uncover hidden histories, right? Yeah, things that people feel uncomfortable talking about. … I nd that looking back and re-understanding, rethinking about things that were only a hint in your past because you didn’t have the facilities to understand them or express them, it’s almost like admitting it’s good to be human.
Did you always know that you wanted to tell stories of other people, or was this kind of like something that you developed?
A lot of these traits that I have today were discovered, as my parents tell the story of my growing up, many years ago, right at the beginning of my little life as a young kid. Growing up in Decatur, Illinois, a product of the great migration that happened, my life is so much a part of that history. My exhibit gave me a chance to express my feelings about that.
And when you’re looking at these stories, are you doing a lot of research? Yeah, you don’t want to be wild in your thinking, because of how important it is to tell the truth. Just look at our politics today. Truth is sought a er, and it’s valuable. If we live a lie
or believe in lies, we’re going to sort of destroy the entire civilization. “A Hidden Culture,” Metal Museum, through January 26
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST/METAL MUSEUM
Preston Jackson
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Rock On
By Abigail Morici
Memphis Rox boasts itself as the largest nonpro t rock climbing gym in the world — but it’s not just about rock climbing. It’s about community, and rock climbing just happens to be a part of it.
Located in South Memphis and founded in 2018, the gym operates on a pay-what-you-can model and houses space for tness classes outside of climbing, like yoga, karate, and swing dance. “ en there’s all of the outreach and service programs that we do,” says Jon Hawk, director of operations. “We have a very sizable unhoused population that comes out in the mornings, and we o er them coffee. And we have a free lunch program. We provide the meals every weekday. We give them clothes whenever we see that they need it, but we also have a community closet, like a sundry store.”
Rox also is home to Juice Almighty, which o ers those who cannot a ord a meal to “pay” by volunteering at the gym, assisting with neighborhood cleanups, or serving at another nonpro t. e gym also partners with Sister Supply to o er free menstrual products to those who need them, and it o ers an a er-school program for 12- to 17-year-olds.
Because of all these e orts, the nonpro t gym has garnered international attention, with news pieces and lms centered around its story. “It just made people all over the world excited,” Hawk says.
Now as the year comes to a close, Rox is preparing for its largest fundraising event of the year — its annual gala on December 11th and online auction — and it’s asking for Memphis’ support.
“ e gala is going to be food, drinks, a little bit of music, telling a few stories, just talking about we’ve been up to this year, trying to inspire people,” Hawk says. e online auction, meanwhile, has lots of items and experiences that would appeal to Memphians in particular, like Memphis Grizzlies oor seats with a locker room tour, a recording session with Matt Ross-Spang, suite tickets to Ballet Memphis’ e Nutcracker, and much more. e auction (tinyurl.com/4vc8kz88) closes on December 11th at 7:30 p.m.
If you can’t support through the gala or the auction, Hawk says, “We always accept monthly donations, which is always huge, because that’s something we can count on every month, and then we have an end-of-the-year fundraiser campaign going on right now.”
For more information about Memphis Rox, visit memphisrox.org.
Urban Art Commission, 422 North Cleveland, ursday, December 5, 5-8 p.m., free
Join UrbanArt Comission for a festive karaoke night celebrating art, music, and community. Whether you’re a seasoned karaoke pro or just love singing your heart out, this event is perfect for everyone!
Browse the art currently on display — much of which is available to take home with you. Food, desserts, and beverages will be provided.
Season of Delight
Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse, Friday, December 6, 5-8 p.m.
Join Crosstown Concourse for a night of festivities in the Central Atrium, featuring live music, cra s, holiday lms, games, and the magical annual atrium lighting.
Gather at 6 p.m. for the festive annual atrium lighting countdown.
Guests will taste hot chocolate from Global Cafe and a seasonal cocktail from Art Bar; enjoy a jazz band, an orchestra, choir performances, holiday classics, and more; play Wacka-Grinch and Tic-Tac-Snow; and take home a fun holiday portrait from a caricature artist, plus spin art, balloon art, and more.
Crosstown Arts will screen A Christmas Story for free in the eater and open their residency studios during their Open Studio event.
Autumn Art Party: Art, Cocktails, & Connection
Urevbu Contemporary, 410 South Main, Saturday, December 7, 4-8 p.m., free/general admission, $25/VIP Urevbu Contemporary presents this evening lled with art, music, and a signature cocktail and charcuterie.
is is more than an event — it’s an experience. Expect an intimate evening surrounded by inspiring art and passionate people. Dress to impress. You must RSVP online at tinyurl.com/26xs549v.
Stumbling Santa Flying Saucer, 130 Peabody Place, Saturday, December 7, 7 p.m.
Stumbling Santa welcomes Santa Clauses, reindeer, and elves to gather toys for local preschool-age children at Porter-Leath, all while enjoying the best of Downtown’s bar scene. e festivities kick o at 7 p.m. at the Flying Saucer.
Participants will roam from bar to bar, with stops planned at Rum Boogie Café, King’s Palace Café Tap Room, Silky O’Sullivan’s, e Absinthe Room, Blues Hall Juke Joint, Alfred’s, Courtside Grill, and Tin Roof.
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS ROX Memphis Rox Gala
MUSIC By Alex Greene
WYXR Vibrations
e Raised By Sound Fest celebrates the global impact of Memphis music.
Raised By Sound Fest, the music festival and fundraiser staged by community radio station WYXR and Mempho Presents, is once again in the o ng, scheduled to have the Crosstown Concourse bursting with sound this Saturday, December 7th, and, as with the event’s previous iterations, the mix of performers is intriguingly eclectic.
rough its short history, Raised By Sound has earned a reputation for drawing top-tier artists for its main concert event, always held in the Crosstown eater, and this year is no di erent. In 2022, when Jody Stephens’ reconstituted Big Star quintet planned only a few shows in honor of #1 Record, the Raised By Sound Fest was a pivotal performance for them. And last year, Cat Power made Memphis one of their rst stops when they began touring their Dylan tribute album, e 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert is year, WYXR has outdone itself once again for Raised By Sound’s main concert, presenting a live score to the William Eggleston lm, Stranded in Canton, performed by J Spaceman and John Coxon of Spiritualized. “We just heard they had a really incredible show in London,” says the station’s executive director Robby Grant, “and in the U.S., Memphis is the only city they’re doing it in, outside of New York and L.A.”
As Grant notes, these marquee events all came together by way of the station’s openness and centrality as a meeting place for creatives of all kinds. “We keep our antenna up,” he says. “We have a huge window. We’re very welcoming. We’re very transparent. ere’s a lot of bene t to that and making these connections.” e Spiritualized event is a case in point, as WYXR DJ David Swider, owner of Oxford’s e End of All Music record store, told Grant that the group’s live score was slated to be released on the Fat Possum label; the next day, Winston Eggleston (son of the photographer/ lmmaker) mentioned that the group had reached out to him about permission to use the lm. ings simply clicked by virtue of the station’s network.
Yet that capstone event, now sold out, is only one of many musical experiences that Raised By Sound will o er. roughout the day, many other performances will echo in the columns of the Central Atrium, and that will only heat up once the nal credits roll for Stranded in Canton, as the ticketed a er-party kicks o in the East Atrium at the top of the red staircase, with a DJ set by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys and performances by hip-hop legends Tommy Wright III and Lil Noid.
e free music begins at 1 p.m., when artists from the University of Memphis’ Blue T.O.M. Records will perform, including Meaghan Christina, Ozioma, and Canale. “It means a lot to us to be able to give [Blue T.O.M. artists] that level of exposure,” says WYXR’s program manager Jared Boyd, “and we’re also promoting an educational component, partnering with Grammy U, Stax Music Academy, and Crosstown High School. It creates a level ground for them to be on the same bill as the Black Keys and Spiritualized. It’s bringing it all under one house.” at revue will be followed by Fosterfalls, a solo performer also based in Memphis. “ ey’re a really interesting solo artist,” says Grant. “ ey’re kind of acoustic, very ethereal, with a lot of loopytype stu , and they’re a great example of a local artist who’s getting out there and working really hard and just doing it.” Also in the hard-working vein is the blues-rock HeartBreak Hill Trio, fronted by Matt Hill, a longtime presence on the Memphis scene, known for his axe work
with wife Nikki Hill. Once the trio has livened things up, Brooklynite Max Clarke, aka Cut Worms, will take the stage. His 2019 album Nobody Lives Here Anymore was produced by Matt Ross-Spang. And nally, the a ernoon will close out with a solo show by Hurray for the Ri Ra ’s Alynda Segarra, who has close ties to New Orleans despite being from the Bronx.
Indeed, all of the artists happen to have ties to Memphis. Celebrated Memphisborn photographer Tommy Kha, for example, has worked closely with Hurray for the Ri Ra . Yet the festival organizers are not strict about that as a criterion for inclusion. As Boyd notes, “We wanted to be able to present homegrown artists as well as artists who have some sort of signi cant Memphis or regional in uence. Some are from elsewhere, but were called to Memphis because of music.”
“You don’t have to be a Memphisconnected artist to be booked for Raised By Sound Fest,” adds Grant, “but we found that every artist we booked has some connection. Like, no matter who we book,
because Memphis is such a music city, there’s some connection.” at even goes for the performers from Spiritualized, who rst debuted their live score for Eggleston’s lm a decade ago at the Barbican Gallery in London, as part of Doug Aitken’s Station to Station festival. Now, a recording of that has been released by the local heroes at Fat Possum.
e a er-party, too, will have strong Memphis roots. e Black Keys, based in Nashville, are not only steeped in the North Mississippi blues via that same record label, but have worked closely with Memphis’ Greg Cartwright. And, of course, Tommy Wright III and Lil Noid were on the ground oor of the local hiphop revolution that gave rise to superstars like ree 6 Ma a. Wright is arguably the better known of the two, his music having been embraced by the skateboard scene. As Boyd notes, “ ere’s even a skateboard hardware company in L.A. called Shake Junt, and their entire brand image is an homage to Memphis rap culture!” But Lil Noid’s pro le is also rising, and, tying it all together, he’s even featured on a new Black Keys track, “Candy and Her Friends.”
All told, the Raised By Sound Festival will provide a compelling glimpse and staggering diversity of music in Memphis, but other dimensions of the city will be represented as well. Community groups like Music Export Memphis, Memphis Music Initiative, and CHOICES will have tables, and visual artists like Sara Moseley, Darlene Newman, and Toonky Berry will have works either on display or being created as the music plays on. It’s all part of a concentrated celebration of what Memphis brings to the world. As Boyd says, “We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent. And if you grew up in it, you may not always realize that most places are not like this.”
PHOTO: (ABOVE) COURTESY FAT POSSUM RECORDS J Spaceman and John Coxon
PHOTO: (BELOW) COURTESY WYXR Tommy Wright III
The staff at Twin Oaks Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home takes great pride in caring for our families, and has made a commitment to provide you with a beautiful, lasting tribute to your loved one. Honoring your loved one is our top priority, and part of that is assisting you deal with grief during this difficult time.
Everyone’s needs are different, and for that reason, families can entrust their loved one’s wishes to our staff. We have a wide range of resources to support you not only today, but in the weeks and months to come. Here, everyone is welcome.
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule
December
5 - 11
PHOTO: DONALD HIGHT
DJ Prince Paul
Billy Strings: Fall Tour 2024
e award-winning singer, songwriter and musician brings a bluegrass experience to Memphis. Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. |
Saturday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Matthew Law
e Philadelphia-bred DJ and producer is part of the Fool’s Gold Records team. Friday, Dec. 6, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Prince Paul DJ set (De La Soul, Gravediggaz)
A rare DJ set by the one and only Prince Paul. Free. Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
CENTRAL STATION HOTEL
Ted Horrell & The Monday Night Card
A record release show for Horrell’s new LP, Mid-South Fare. With Brandon McGovern.
Friday, Dec. 6, 7-9 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
Grind City Brass Band: New Beginnings e inaugural concert of this brass band playing holiday favorites. $20/general admission, $10/university ID & K-12 teachers, $5/K-12 students.
Monday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.
SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
Zazerac Soul Jazz Trio
Friday, Dec. 6, 9 p.m.
BOG & BARLEY
D.O.A.: Dope On Arrival Hip Hop Showcase
Artists will perform a song for the D.O.A. team. Winners get an automatic spot on February’s show. D.O.A. has R&B acts as well. Rappers and singers may perform. In-person registration only.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 4-7 p.m. GROWLERS
Fearless Dave and The Tsunamis With Stay Fashionable, e Groove Troop [Small RoomDownstairs]. Monday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Jazz Saturdays Hear the Memphis Jazz Workshop. $18/adult, $15/ adult 55+, $15/student, $8/ youth. Saturday, Dec. 7, noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Jonathan McReynoldsRed and Green Tour
e Grammy Awardwinning, top-selling singer, songwriter, and musician brings his show to Memphis.
Sunday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
1221 (Rush Tribute)
ursday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Alexis Jade & the Gemstones
Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Ally London
“Reminiscent of Sad Pop icons like Ethel Cain and Phoebe Bridgers” (Josh Jordan, Operation615).
ursday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Almost Elton John & the RocketMen
Friday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Ariel Reign and Doter
Sweetly
A er enjoying studio visits with Crosstown Arts resident artists at 5 p.m., hear what these resident musicians have created in the Green Room. Friday, Dec. 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Billy Allen & The Pollies With Cyrena Wages. ursday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m.
1884 LOUNGE AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Kortland Whalum
Whalum is a singer-songwriter and actor whose talents span from music to the stage. Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Luna Nova Winter
Concert
A concert of beautiful chamber music from the 16th century to the present day. Free. Monday, Dec. 9, 7-8 p.m.
GRACE-ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Memphis Knights Big Band
A 17-piece orchestra (plus two singers) featuring standards and popular hits.
Monday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Mojo Brookzz
$45.90. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8-10
p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Moon Taxi: 2024 North American Tour
Friday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Punks vs. Tennessee
With Dru the Dri er, e
Back Alley Hookers, Ryan Kidd & the Kobras, Blu City Vice, e Macrophonics, 666.
Friday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Rob Leines
ursday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
The ShotGunBillys
Sunday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Unto Others - Never, Neverland Tour
Sunday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Vol. 2 Memphis Made Release Show With Optic Sink, Handsome Girl Pretty Boy, Suroor, Your Mom. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Jesse & Noah Bellamy
A birthday bash for Mark Parsell. Saturday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
The Gathering Presents: The Undugu II
A live hip-hop music event focused on local Memphis artists. Saturday, Dec. 7, 3-5 p.m.
LEVI LIBRARY
Christmas Concert in the Moravian Tradition
Kingsway will present its annual Christmas concert in the sanctuary. e audience will enjoy sacred and secular Christmas favorites as they eat Moravian buns and apple cider. Free. Sunday, Dec. 8, 5-6:30 p.m.
Books & Bites: A Novel Book Club Holiday Potluck & Book Swap
Bring a dish or drink and enjoy great conversations about the best books of the year.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 6-8 p.m.
NOVEL
End of All Art BooksPop-Up Bookstore
e End of All Art is a new and used art book shop that will host a series of pop-up events throughout 2024.
e bookstore features art, photography, counterculture, avant-garde, weirdo, and more. ursday, Dec. 5, 5-8 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 6, 5-8 p.m.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
George Flinn — Memphis Memories:SunnyPhoto
Album Vol. 1
Flinn is not only a celebrated medical doctor; he has also penned textbooks, non ction works, and three bestsellers, and is the owner of Flinn Broadcasting. Sunday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m.
NOVEL
Jan Brett: Alice in a Winter Wonderland e legendary picture book
author and illustrator will present her latest work and sign books. Free. Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m.
COLLIERVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Willy Bearden: Mississippi Hippie: A Life in 49 Pieces
A book signing including readings from Bearden’s memoir. Free. Saturday, Dec. 7, 1 p.m.
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
CLASS / WORKSHOP
“Home for the Holidays” Floral Demo
Florist John Mark Sharpe will share ways you can bring the magic of the holidays into your house. ursday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. | ursday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Macrame & Mimosas: Tree Wall Hanging with Kristina Tubinis
Cra a festive wall hanging that brings joyful, handcra ed cheer to your home. $49. Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
ARROW CREATIVE
“New” iPhone
Photography Workshop Learn how to take amazing pho-
tos with just your iPhone. Free. Saturday, Dec. 7, 1-4:30 p.m.
COLLIERVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Studio and Flash Lighting “101” is class will start from the ground up as participants learn how to position their lights and their subjects. Free. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:30 a.m.-noon.
COLLIERVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Winter Watercolor Workshop with Drew Blake
Explore winter through watercolors. $45. Saturday, Dec. 7, 1-4 p.m.
ARROW CREATIVE
COMEDY
Billy Wayne Davis
A night of stand-up with one funny Tennesseean. $20/ discount online ticket. Friday, Dec. 6, 8-10 p.m.
HI TONE
COMMUNITY
Holiday Open House
Local fare, music, and cheer. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 5:307:30 p.m.
CORDELIA’S MARKET
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 EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
Buster Keaton’s is a comic masterpiece of silent lm.
Deck the Paws
e Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County’s annual event. $20. Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
HUMANE SOCIETY OF MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY
Memphis Habitat’s Volunteer Blitz’n Help build ve homes. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:15 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS HABITAT HOMES
Porter-Leath Toy Truck at Poplar Plaza
Donate and help bring holiday joy to 2,000 local preschool children. ursday, Dec. 5, 7
Gifts of Green A seasonal shop open in the visitors center through the end of the year, with tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties. rough Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Krampus Holiday Market
Find the perfect holiday gi s and oddities while drinking with friends, and take a photo with Krampus. Saturday, Dec. 7, 5-10 p.m.
HI TONE
Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market
Over 30 Memphis artists showcasing their art work in pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, fabric/ ber, mixed media, photography. Silent Auction to bene t Miracle League of Memphis. rough Dec. 24. GATTAS PLAZA
FAMILY
Wildlife Conservation Day
Keepers and education sta meet face to face with guests and teach them how to be
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
conservationists. The first 200 guests in line receive an elephant plushie. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS ZOO
FILM
Andre Rieu’s Christmas Concert
An extravagant holiday concert captured on film. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.
MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX
For King & Country Concert Film: A Drummer Boy Christmas Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone lead audiences on a sonic journey that blends the sights and sounds of the season with the music, heartwarming storytelling, and dazzling production.
Test your film knowledge against returning Trivia Masters John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal and Chris McCoy of the Memphis Flyer. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
The General Buster Keaton’s epic comic masterwork, named after the train at the heart and soul of the film.
It features comic sequences on board and alongside trains and a painstaking recreation of the Civil War. Free. Thursday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
FOOD AND DRINK
Stumbling Santa Holiday Pub Crawl
The 20th Annual Flying Saucer Stumbling Santa pub crawl presented by Vaco returns. Saturday, Dec. 7, 7-11 p.m.
FLYING SAUCER DRAUGHT EMPORIUM
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Frosty Fest at Carriage Crossing
Bring the family out for a magical holiday experience. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2-5 p.m.
THE SHOPS AT CARRIAGE CROSSING
Holiday Wonders
This unique and expansive holiday exhibition is a delight for all ages. Perfect for a date night or a family outing, attendees can enjoy signature cocktails, hot chocolate, and apple cider. Through Dec. 28.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Overton Square Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration
The Square’s most beloved annual event, in support of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. The Square will be filled with snow and Santa Claus will make an appearance. Music by Deep Roots. Saturday, Dec. 7, 5-7 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE
Saturday with Santa Visit with Santa and Peppermint Sparkle while taking in the sights and sounds of Winter Wonderland. Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS
Starry Nights
The spirit of the season comes to life with dazzling displays featuring millions of lights. Festive fun is in store for kids and kids at heart at this drive-through holiday event. $38-$200. Through Dec. 29.
SHELBY FARMS
The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees
A benefit for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital that fills the Pink Palace Mezzanine with beautifully decorated trees as teddy bears beckon, trains chug, elves work, and penguins play in the snow. Through Dec. 29.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY AT THE PINK PALACE
Zoo Lights
The zoo transforms into a twinkling wonderland full of festive fun for the whole family. Wander through the sparkling Truist Courtyard Winter Wonderland and visit Santa at Santa’s Workshop. $20. Through Jan. 4.
MEMPHIS ZOO
LECTURE
Munch and Learn: Photographing the Pennsylvania Railroad by William H. Rau (1855-1920) with Ellen Daugherty
Ellen Daugherty holds a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Virginia, her specialties being American art, modernism, the history of photography, and public monuments. Free. Wednesday, Dec. 11, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
PERFORMING ARTS
“Sweet Tea Sundays”
Featuring a tea dance and show. Sunday, Dec. 8, 3-6 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Friday Night Lasers: Motown
A light and music extravaganza at the AutoZone Dome Sharpe Planetarium. Friday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
SPORTS
First Saturday Paddle on the Wolf River
A 6.4-mile section of the Wolf River between the Fayette County cities of Rossville and Piperton,
Tennessee. Participants on this trip will be paddling a wide, unchannelized portion of the river. Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
WILLIAM B. CLARK STATE NATURAL AREA
Lucky Dog Barrel Races and Rodeo
A fun, fast-paced event in a family-friendly atmosphere! Friday, Dec. 6-Dec. 8.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Sacramento Kings Thursday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
THEATER
A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage
Everyone’s favorite televised holiday classic comes to life in a spectacular new touring production featuring the music of Vince Guaraldi. $30-$60. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2-3:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 7, 5-6:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 7, 7:30-9 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Fivers
Nickname for Cleveland Browns fans
Talking in a movie theater, e.g.
Withered
Tome
Like Guinness
Dandies
Twelfth Night, or What You Will Shakespeare’s most charming comedy is set in a topsy-turvy world of cross-dressing lovers, yellow cross-garters, and crossed identities. Written specifically for the close of the Christmas season, the play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.
Crossword
62 Noah Webster’s alma mater
Star ___
Request needed to understand four clues in this puzzle
Barely manage, with “out”
It’s generally not played so much
Directed by Stephanie Shine. Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. | Sundays at 3 p.m.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Who’s Holiday!
A riotously funny and heartwarming adultsonly comedy, where Cindy Lou Who recounts the Christmas Eve she met the Grinch. Through Dec. 22.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
TOURS
Bicycle Tour
The cemetery’s winding carriage paths and treelined streets are perfect for bicycling. Bring your bike to Elmwood and take a riding tour with legendary tour guide Susan Hatchett. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2 p.m.
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Graceland Christmas Tours
Enjoy the beauty of Elvis Presley’s Graceland decorated for the holidays, including hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size Nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh, and Presley family Christmas artifacts. Through Dec. 23.
GRACELAND MANSION
Haunted Pub Crawl
Visit three local bars for ghost stories, dark history, and tales of the paranormal. Named one of the spookiest tours in the country by House Beautiful magazine. Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30-10 p.m. THE BROOM CLOSET CALENDAR: DECEMBER 5 - 11
Edited by Will Shortz No.
org. — or a former court org.
Issa of “Insecure”
Boston Garden legend Bobby
See 51-Down
They can carry a tune
Crime film genre
67 Pass
One of Thanos’s foes in the Avengers movies
Vet school subj.
It may have a big mouth
___ souci (carefree) 72 Popular bait for catching striped bass
One who doesn’t believe
Subject of Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon”
Rubs oil on
Label on some packages of jerky
5 Pale wood
6 Sexy, muscular man 7 Gaffe
8 Oozed 9 Bobs and bouffants 10 Doesn’t sit idly by 11 Common riddle ending
Spoiled
Tear-jerker 18 Cry of surprise
“Got it”
Wonder Woman, for one
Big news regarding extraterrestrials
Barbecue griller’s purchase
Moderate’s opposite
“We totally should!”
Terrier type
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
An autographed jersey from former Memphis Grizzlies player Mike Miller was one of the live auction items at the Bourbon & Blues Cocktail Party & Auction.
e jersey went for $2,300, says Jim Meeks, who founded the fundraiser with his wife Natalie. “And then Mike matched that. So it actually brought in $4,600.”
Miller, a sports agent and former University of Memphis men’s basketball team assistant coach, and his wife Jennifer were among the 200 guests at the sold-out event, which also included a live auction of about 100 items. e silent auction featured “about 15 rare bottles of bourbon,” Meeks says.
e event, held November 21st, raised more than $70,000 for the Forrest Spence Fund, which assists with non-medical needs of critical or chronically-ill children and their families, and for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises money for pediatric research. Meeks, a managing partner at Northwestern Mutual, says he and his wife began the fundraiser on a smaller scale three years ago. e rst two were held at Ghost River Brewing Co.
e event also included an open bar, a bu et, and music by Wyly Bigger and Jad Tariq.
above: Jim and Natalie Meeks, Brittany and David Spence circle: Dillon McCann below: (le to right) Chris and Dana Cathey, Jennifer and Mike Miller; Lauren and Jake Deason; Adrianne and Dylan Haskins bottom row: (le to right) Alli Pierce, Emily Kroeze, and Tyra Taylor; Haley Hanson and Cameron Kremers; Jad Tariq and Wyly Bigger
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Michael Donahue
The Art of Cooking
When Ben Smith, chef/ owner of Tsunami, asked Emily LaForce to come cook, she could’ve said, “May LaForce be with you.”
LaForce, 35, who began working at Tsunami in Cooper-Young about two months ago, is also a force of nature. She hasn’t let anything stand in the way of expressing her creativity, whether it’s cooking or painting.
Art was rst. She has a picture her mother gave her when she was 3 years old. It’s a “little picture of somebody painting on an easel,” she says. And on it LaForce wrote, “I want to be an ‘ardes.’”
LaForce was about 13 when she began looking at food in a new light. Her mother showed her how to make crème brûlée. “I was like, ‘What is that?’ We grew up with Southern food.” Not long a er, LaForce successfully cooked salmon a er watching a TV cooking show demonstration.
At 16, LaForce got a job as a dishwasher at New York Pizza Cafe in Bartlett. e owner taught her how to make sauce and dough and how to throw pizzas using a kitchen towel. She later worked at another pizza parlor, but, she says, “ is is the only job I was really red from.
“It was a rainy Sunday. We were bored. One of my managers was like, ‘Do something to make me laugh.’” LaForce made a little sculpture out of dough scraps. “I made it look like Wendy from the Wendy’s restaurant. But then it was R-rated. It involved a sausage and two meatballs.”
She posted a photo of it on Facebook, thinking she shared it on a private group page that included the restaurant’s name. But LaForce accidentally posted it on the restaurant’s corporate page. She was red from the pizza restaurant and was banned from working at any of the other restaurants in the chain “in America.”
LaForce moved on. She learned how to make hibachi and sushi at the old Rain restaurant. She continued to honing her skills as a student at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, where she worked at e Grill at school and another pizza parlor. She continued to paint, but her style changed. “I started doing a bunch of acid and it started changing a er that.”
“I started doing just whatever people wanted at the time because I needed money. So I would just do commissions and murals. I painted the gas pump at the gas station in McKenzie.”
A er graduating with an English degree, LaForce returned to Memphis.
In 2013, she set up a booth with her original paintings and prints at CooperYoung Festival. Business wasn’t so good
until LaForce found a way to get noticed. “ is guy dressed as a banana was walking around and handing out condoms to people.” LaForce, who brought a cooler of beer with her, told him, “I’ll give you beer all day long, as much as you want, as long as you stay around my booth.”
“Because he was attracting attention,” she says, “I ended up making double what I was selling it for because of this banana.”
LaForce also worked for a time on two di erent pot farms. Her job at one was “keeping the goats from eating the weed.”
She got into cooking big time a er moving back to Memphis in 2014 working with chef Kelly English when he was at e 5 Spot at Earnestine & Hazel’s. “It was the rst time I really got my eyes opened to di erent kinds of foods, like a real chef.” ere, she met Majestic Grille owners Patrick and Deni Reilly and eventually landed a job at Majestic Grille — another eye-opener. “I knew basic stu , but I didn’t know the proper way to do things.”
Two years later, LaForce went to chef/ owner José Gutierrez’s River Oaks Restaurant. She was there seven years. “I started as a line cook and le as chef de cuisine.”
LaForce and her wife Ashley ate at Tsunami a er Smith o ered her a job. When he paid for their dinner, Ashley told Emily, “When a chef does that, that’s a good sign.” Emily is impressed with Smith. “His avors are very di erent from anything I’ve experienced. It’s like a perfect balance.” And, she says, “He’s badass.”
Asked her long-range goal, Emily says, “To be an artist.” Emily, whose murals grace Saltwater Crab and Meddlesome Brewing Company, wants to have an art show titled “Back of House,” which will be “paintings of things you don’t normally see in restaurants. Just in the back of the house. Just the crazy shit that happens. e beautiful things, but also the horrifying things.”
Mostly, Emily says, “I want to show the beauty of it.”
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Emily LaForce
Emily LaForce wears two hats.
Holiday Temperance
Finding balance in oppositions this Sagittarius season.
The ancients certainly seemed to know what they were doing when constructing the zodiac wheel.
ey placed the mutable, ery sign of Sagittarius in the middle of the holiday season. ose born under the astrological sign of Sagittarius are thought to be optimistic, adventurous, curious, and independent. And these traits translate well into how many Americans spend their holidays.
As a re sign, Sagittarius is passionate and drawn to new ideas, philosophies, and travel. Sagittarius is represented by the centaur — a half-human, half-horse creature — o en carrying a bow. Also referred to as “ e Archer,” Sagittarius uses a trusty bow and arrow to dream big and aim high.
the art of balancing. e iris owers are indicative of the Greek goddess Iris who provides the link between the gods and humanity, acting as a messenger and using rainbows to travel. Like Sagittarius, she travels from one end of the world to another, building upon something that is bigger and brighter than herself.
In tarot, each zodiac sign is associated with a major arcana card. Sagittarius is associated with the Temperance card in tarot, card number 14 of the major arcana. e Temperance card refers to the blending, moderation, and tempering of disparate elements to achieve a balanced whole that is greater and more harmonious than the sum of its parts. e Greek philosophers, beginning with Socrates, spoke of four natural virtues: prudence, or virtuous use of the intellect; temperance, or virtuous regulation of the emotions; fortitude, or virtuous e ort of the human will; and justice, the result of the combined virtuous activity of the other three.
Temperance is the card of acceptance, where the cycle of life and death, passion and division, and all other oppositions nd unity for a shared cause. It unites the masculine with the feminine, keeping us in balance when situations require strength and endurance, or tenderness and compassion, depending on the moment. is card speaks of personal and spiritual growth, one that leads us toward the point of self where we understand how inner conicts and troubles lead to certain re ections and problems in the outer world. Its symbolism is one of the alchemy of life, and it is signi cant in a reading, for it represents the point where we get answers needed to change the course of fate or in uence our life to change what is needed.
As we glide through Sagittarius season, we are reminded of the Temperance card. Temperance is all about striving for balance — which can o en mean taking the middle road. To a Sagittarius, the middle road is almost never enticing. Yet it is not always a compromise, but another solution that can combine both extremes.
Both Sagittarius and the Temperance card are constantly striving for a more enlightened state of being. e angel in the tarot card here demonstrates this by slowly pouring the liquid from one golden cup into another, a culinary process called “tempering.” Similarly, Sagittarius accomplishes this by exploring the far reaches of both the physical and philosophical worlds to expand on or “temper” what is already known. e angel’s red wings represent blood or life, while the triangle on her dress means spirit, but it is also the elemental symbol for re. e angel’s feet are also symbolic of the eternal pilgrimage or spiritual journey. By showing one foot in the water and the other on the shore, we are reminded that our greatest wisdom lies in
As a mutable re sign, Sagittarius is bold and con dent. Fire is not naturally a mutable element, so Sagittarius is already operating in oppositions. It’s through the alchemy of temperance that we can learn about balancing these oppositions.
Our lesson for this season is to nd balance in opposition. How can we learn to accept and mold the outcome into something more desirable? With Mercury in retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius, we may need to be more detailed in our projects and more understanding when things don’t go as planned. Embrace the optimistic energy of Sagittarius and pivot with the challenges. Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
PHOTO: VVICTORI DREAMSTIME.COM
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Great News
Two months after Rayne Beau, a Siamese cat owned by Benny and Susanne Anguiano of Salinas, California, went missing during a trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the 2-year-old cat was reported found by the Placer SPCA shelter in Roseville, California — some 800 miles from where the cat had gone missing. USA Today reported that the Anguianos had tried for several days to locate Rayne Beau, but were finally forced to leave the cat behind when their reservation ran out on June 8. But on Aug. 3, a voicemail from the shelter claimed that the cat had been located and identified via microchip, and the Anguianos were reunited with Rayne Beau. “He was really little, all skin and bones. He was in starvation mode,” Benny said, but the cat recovered quickly. [USA Today, 9/19/2024]
Great Art?
A work of art at the LAM museum in Lisse, the Netherlands, was mistakenly thrown away by an elevator technician in late September, CNN reported. All the good times we spent together by French artist Alexandre Lavet appears to be two empty beer cans, but, the museum said, it is really “meticulously hand-painted with acrylics, with each detail painstakingly replicated.” The work was displayed in the facility’s glass elevator shaft, and when a technician came in to work on the lift, he helpfully pitched it in the trash. “He was just doing his job in good faith,” said Sietske van Zanten, the museum director. The cans were later recovered, cleaned, and returned to display, albeit in a different location. [CNN, 10/8/2024]
What’s My Fetish?
revealed that he had been cited at least four times in Nebraska, and that he had touched a woman’s ankle in a grocery store. He admitted to authorities there that he “is sexually attracted to women’s feet” and “at times, can’t control his sexual desires.” Johnson was charged with three counts of voyeurism and three counts of disorderly conduct and held on $10,000 bond. [AZFamily, 9/26/2024]
Creepy
In late September, Derek Johnson, owner of JVI Secret Gardens in Donelson, Tennessee, was alerted by an employee that someone was walking around the garden center wearing a clown mask, WTVF-TV reported. But Johnson was not about to physically confront the creepy clown, whom he could see on surveillance video. Johnson clicked on his security system’s speaker, but before he could say anything, the clown backed off: “I’m leaving.” He left behind a propane tank and a saw blade that he had picked up to steal. “This is a sweet little garden center,” Johnson said incredulously. Police are investigating. [WTVF, 9/27/2024]
Jesse Johnson, 28, was arrested on Sept. 24 in Gilbert, Arizona, after three instances in which he allegedly spied on women’s feet as they vacuumed their cars, AZFamily reported. Police said Johnson’s M.O. at the Super Star Car Wash in Gilbert was to park next to a woman’s car at the vacuum station, then slide underneath her car for a few minutes before climbing back out. One victim said she felt “very violated and I’ve been having nightmares.” It’s not the first time Johnson has been caught lusting after feet: Court documents
We Regret To Inform You … Tizi Hodson, 70, of Lincolnshire, England, sent off an application in January 1976, hoping to become a motorcycle stunt rider, the BBC reported on Oct. 5. Recently, the letter was returned to her with a note: “Late delivery by Staines Post Office. Found behind a draw(er). Only about 50 years late.” “How they found me when I’ve moved house 50-odd times, and even moved countries four or five times, is a mystery,” Hodson said. “I was so disappointed because I really, really wanted to be a stunt rider on a motorcycle.” Instead, her life’s work has included being a snake handler, horse whisperer, aerobatic pilot, and flying instructor. “It means so much to me to get it back all this time later,” she said. [BBC, 10/5/2024]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blaming others for our problems is rarely helpful. If we expend emotional energy focusing on how people have offended and hurt us, we diminish our motivation to heal ourselves. We may also get distracted from changing the behavior that ushered us into the mess. So yes, it’s wise to accept responsibility for the part we have played in propagating predicaments. However, I believe it’s also counterproductive to be relentlessly serious about this or any other psychological principle. We all benefit from having mischievous fun as we rebel against tendencies we have to be dogmatic and fanatical. That’s why I am authorizing you to celebrate a good-humored Complaint Fest. For a limited time only, feel free to unleash fantasies in which you uninhibitedly and hilariously castigate everyone who has done you wrong.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What you are experiencing may not be a major, Earth-shaking rite of passage. But it’s sufficiently challenging and potentially rewarding to qualify as a pivotal breakthrough and turning point. And I’m pleased to say that any suffering you’re enduring will be constructive and educational. You may look back at this transition as a liberating initiation. You will feel deep gratification that you have clambered up to a higher level of mastery through the power of your intelligent love and feisty integrity.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are now about halfway between your last birthday and next birthday. In the prophecy industry, we call this your Unbirthday Season. It is usually a time when you receive an abundance of feedback — whether you want it or not. I encourage you to want it! Solicit it. Even pay for it. Not all of it will be true or useful, of course, but the part that is true and useful will be very much so. You could gather a wealth of information that will help you fine-tune your drive for success and joy in the months to come.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Legend tells us that the Buddha achieved enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree in Bihar, India. He was there for many weeks. At one point, a huge storm came and pelted the sacred spot with heavy rain. Just in time, the King of Serpents arrived, a giant cobra with a massive hood. He shielded the Buddha from the onslaught for the duration. Now I am predicting that you, too, will receive an unexpected form of protection and nurturing in the coming weeks. Be ready to open your mind about what help looks and feels like. It may not be entirely familiar.
By Rob Brezsny
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In written form, the Japanese term oubaitori is comprised of four kanji, or characters. They denote four fruit trees that bloom in the spring: cherry, plum, peach, and apricot. Each tree’s flowers blossom in their own sweet time, exactly when they are ready, neither early nor late. The poetic meaning of oubaitori is that we humans do the same: We grow and ripen at our own unique pace. That’s why it’s senseless to compare our rate of unfoldment to anyone else’s. We each have our own timing, our own rhythm. These ideas are especially apropos for you right now, Leo.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope you will hunker down in your bunker. I hope you will junk all defunct versions of your spunky funkiness and seek out fresh forms of spunky funkiness. In other words, Virgo, I believe it’s crucial for you to get as relaxed and grounded as possible. You have a mandate to explore ultimate versions of stability and solidity. Shore up your foundations, please. Grow deeper roots. Dig down as deep as you can to strengthen and tone your relationship with the core of your being.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Every one of us is a hypocrite at least some of the time. Now and then, we all ignore or outrightly violate our own high standards. We may even engage in behavior that we criticize in others. But here’s the good news for you, Libra. In the coming weeks and months, you may be as unhypocritical as you have ever been. According to my analysis of the astrological, omens, you are likely to be consistently faithful to your ideals. Your actual effects on people will closely match your intended effects. The American idiom is, “Do you practice what you preach?” I expect the answer to that question will be yes as it pertains to you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author George Orwell advised us that if we don’t analyze and understand the past, we are likely to repeat the mistakes of the past. Alas, few people take heed. Their knowledge of our collective history is meager, as is their grasp of recurring trends in their personal lives. But now here’s the good news, dear Scorpio: In the coming months, you will have exceptional power to avoid replicating past ignorance and errors — IF you meditate regularly on the lessons available through a close study of your life story.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The name of my column is “Free Will Astrology” because I aspire to nurture, inspire, and liberate your free will. A key component in that effort is to help you build your skills as a critical
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his song “Voodoo Child,” Sagittarian musician Jimi Hendrix brags, “Well, I stand up next to a mountain / And I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” I encourage you to unleash fantasies like that in the coming days, Sagittarius. Can you shoot lightning bolts from your eyes? Sure, you can. Can you change water into wine? Fly to the moon and back in a magic boat? Win the Nobel Prize for Being Yourself? In your imagination, yes, you can. And these exercises will prime you for an array of more realistic escapades, like smashing a mental block, torching an outmoded fear, and demolishing an unnecessary inhibition or taboo. To supercharge your practical power, intensify your imagination’s audacity.
thinker. That’s why I encourage you to question everything I tell you. Don’t just assume that my counsel is always right and true for you. Likewise, I hope you are discerning in your dealings with all teachers, experts, and leaders — especially in the coming weeks and months. You are in a phase of your cycle when it’s even more crucial than usual to be a good-natured skeptic who poses exuberant, penetrating questions. To serve your soul’s health, refine your practice of the art of creative rebellion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be like a beautifully made fountain that people love to visit, Aquarius. Not like a metaphorical geyser or stream or waterfall out in the natural world, but a threetiered marble fountain. What does that entail? Here are hints: The water of the fountain cascades upward, but not too high or hard, and then it showers down gently into a pool. Its flow is steady and unflagging. Its sound is mellifluous and relaxing. The endless dance of the bubbles and currents is invigorating and calming, exuberant and rejuvenating. Be like a fountain.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Around this time of year, persimmon trees in my neighborhood have shed their leaves but are teeming with dazzling orange fruits. Pomegranate trees are similar. Their leaves have fallen off but their red fruits are ready to eat. I love how these rebels offer their sweet, ripe gifts as our winter season approaches. They remind me of the current state of your destiny, Pisces. Your gorgeous fertility is waxing. The blessings you have to offer are at a peak. I invite you to be extra generous as you share your gifts with those who are worthy of them — and maybe even a few who aren’t entirely worthy.
By Chris McCoy
Not Easy Being Green
ntiheroes are everywhere these days. e concept of the hero who exemplies the virtues of the society that produced them dates to the dawn of storytelling. Achilles was a strong and brave Greek hoplite whose toxic vanity was part of the package. Red Horn was a model Mississippian sportsman who challenged giants of the underworld to a game of tchungkee. Luke Skywalker was a farm boy turned ghter pilot who learned to master his emotions and ght for the greater good.
e antihero, on the other hand, never embodies their society’s virtues, but instead exposes its vices. In Homer’s Iliad, ersites, the “ugliest man who came to Troy,” calls out Agamemnon’s vainglory and gets beaten to death for his troubles. Don Quixote turns the virtues of the Medieval knight on their heads, changing steadfastness into stubbornness, faith into delusion. If America had universal healthcare, high school chemistry
teacher Walter White would never have started cooking meth to pay for cancer treatment.
One way writers pull o this trick is to retell a story from the villain’s point of view. John Gardner made Beowulf’s enemy into a hero of society’s outcasts in Grendel. In 1995, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked did it with e Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West. Maguire gave L. Frank Baum’s antagonist a name, Elphaba, and framed her alleged wickedness as political propaganda. A er all, isn’t the fake wizard lording over the land of Oz the real villain of the story?
Wicked became a Tony-winning Broadway musical in 2003 and has been running constantly ever since. In retrospect, it’s ba ing that a lm adaptation took so long. A er years in development hell, director Jon M. Chu has nally created a worthy big-screen version.
One element common to antiheroes is that their ambitions are always doomed to failure. We hear of Elphaba before we meet her. She’s already been killed by Dorothy Gale, and the
Munchkins are celebrating with a song, “No One Mourns the Wicked.” But for Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande), the celebration is muted. She knew Elphaba from back in the day, when they were roommates at Shiz University. Glinda, who was then Galinda, was the child of privilege studying sorcery for prestige. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) was a wild magic talent who almost didn’t get admitted to the prestigious university at all. She was only there to help her wheelchair-bound
younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) when an accidental display of her magic powers brought her to the attention of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Elphaba and Galinda become the best of frenemies. Elphaba’s green skin marks her as a permanent outsider, and she carries a big chip on her shoulder. Galinda is the apex mean girl, complete with an entourage of sniveling
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande go big in Wicked
FILM By Chris McCoy
sycophants (Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James, perfectly despicable). Yet both sympathize with, and kind of envy, the other. They compete for the attention of Madame Morrible, but when she’s summoned to see The Wizard, a sublime Jeff Goldblum, Elphaba insists on taking Galinda with her. In this telling, the Wizard is a tyrant, bent on removing Oz’s talking animals from society. Elphaba’s selfish wish was for the Wizard to change her green skin to a more socially acceptable color, but instead she decides to petition Oz the great and powerful on behalf of the oppressed animals.
Wicked cannot be faulted for its craftsmanship. Chu’s crew has created an Oz that feels vibrant and alive, from Elphaba’s swirly glasses to the Wizard’s massive clockwork train. Erivo is
flawless as the long-suffering outsider whose glimpse into the inner workings of the elite radicalizes her to drastic action. Likewise, Grande lends depth to the Good Witch while belting out the Broadway bangers.
Wicked’s biggest problem is that it’s Hobbit-tized. At 180 minutes, it’s longer than the stage show, but it only tells half the story. Showstopper “Defying Gravity” still leads into the intermission, but in this case, the intermission is going to be a year long. None of the new material feels necessary, but with Erivo and Grande leaving it all on the screen, you probably won’t mind.
Wicked Now playing Multiple locations
THE
LAST WORD
By Alex Hensley
Make It So
Bold local policy to protect wins and defend our communities is more important than ever.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election, with promises to gut federal programs like the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and further harm marginalized communities, many are le asking: How can we ght back?
We are not powerless. Our local elected o cials have a lot more power than we think (or than they’d like us to believe) — even in a red state like Tennessee. I would know, having dra ed and led successful local e orts to pass policies for social, economic, and environmental justice during the rst Trump administration and under an extremist supermajority legislature.
Now more than ever, local leaders must be bold and imaginative. ey need to step up and ll the gaps le by any federal neglect.
To address the in ation that will likely worsen under Trump’s leadership, local leaders could implement policies like grocery stipends for low-income residents (especially if GOP legislators once again block e orts to end the regressive grocery tax).
Alex Hensley, policy chair of Decarcerate Memphis, and members at a February press conference, unveiling the 2024 Driving While BIPOC report and demanding an end to a bill that would have threatened police accountability in Tennessee.
With the president-elect signaling an end to key healthcare subsidies, local governments can build and protect healthcare safety nets for our community. We can also nd creative ways to navigate restrictive state laws. For instance, while we may not be able to mandate living wages or rent control outright, local leaders can o er incentives to businesses and landlords that voluntarily adopt these policies. is is our moment for decisive, fearless action to improve our economy, safeguard our environment, and protect the rights of Black and LGBTQ residents, women, and immigrants. If we don’t act now, families will face deeper economic insecurity, more children will go without quality education, and entire communities will feel the brunt of healthcare cuts and environmental devastation. e rst months of Trump’s new administration could set us back years unless we prepare local defenses now.
I rmly believe we have more tools at our local policy ngertips than we realize; we just need the political will and creativity to make them a reality. We’ve already seen governors Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, and others step up, vowing to sue the federal government if they come a er their constituents’ rights, protections, and funding. By the way, these states also have their own agencies to aggressively ght climate change that don’t rely on the whims of federal policy (now there’s an idea).
We need more leadership like Memphis City Council Chairman JB Smiley, who led local e orts to push for common-sense gun control, even as the state threatened to strip local sales tax revenue in retaliation for challenging their inaction on gun violence. Chairman Smiley showed us that we don’t have to accept the status quo or bullying; we can challenge it and win.
Rather than accepting the likely response from local leaders that their hands are tied by this incoming administration and our legislature, we should be asking, “What can you do?” We all can, and should, as Michelle Obama told us, “do something.” I’m not talking ashy or bully pulpit politics; it’s about advancing practical policy that addresses the root causes of poverty, violence, lack of healthcare access, and environmental injustice, no matter where you sit.
For community members deeply concerned about the fate of our future: is is our ght, too. Get involved with local organizations that push for impactful legislation and systemic change, like Decarcerate Memphis, Just City, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, Memphis Community Against Pollution, Memphis For All, Protect Our Aquifer, Stand for Children Tennessee, and the o cial Black Lives Matter chapter.
Get to know your local elected leaders, too — what they lead on (or don’t) — and hold them accountable. Show up where decisions are made: city council meetings, public hearings, and town halls. is is where elected power is exercised, and where we can witness if their votes align with their promises.
But we must go beyond just demanding action — this is the easy part. We also need to work with our leaders to develop thoughtful, actionable solutions. ose closest to the problems are o en closest to the solutions, and they know best what their communities need. Now is the time to push for bold, concrete solutions that directly address the challenges facing our communities.
ese local ghts matter more than ever. ey not only build our capacity for larger-scale work but also set a precedent that can inspire other cities to follow suit.
We all have a role to play, and nothing will change if we don’t believe it can and act accordingly. As organizer Mariame Kaba reminds us, “Hope is a discipline.” It requires commitment to become the very hope we seek. e moral arc of the universe doesn’t bend towards justice on its own; we have to make it so.
Alex Hensley has championed 10-plus justice-centered laws as former special assistant to Mayor Lee Harris and policy chair of Decarcerate Memphis. She is the founder of Co•mentum Strategies, a political and advocacy rm, and the creator of the Strategy Studio, a course for emerging policy advocates. Find her on Instagram @alexhensley.
PHOTO: BRANDON DILL
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