A quick dip into the heart chakra can be a way to balance your emotions. (Photo: Atarax42, CC0 | Wikimedia Commons)
Love is a hot topic right now. The concepts of compassion, empathy, and mercy are being talked about in the political and social arenas. And in the microcosm of our lives, it’s February, which means Valentine’s Day is on its way. Maybe love is in the air for you, or perhaps you’re sick of hearing about people’s feelings. Either way, a quick dip into the heart chakra can be a way to balance your emotions.
The heart chakra is one of the seven primary energy centers (or chakras) that are believed to exist in the human body. In Western culture, we mainly focus on those seven primary chakras that are aligned on the spine, although in Eastern medicine they acknowledge and work with many more.
The heart chakra is located in the center of our chests and is known as the fourth chakra. It sits in the middle of our seven chakras and helps connect the lower and higher chakras. Each chakra has a Sanskrit name, and the name of the heart chakra is “anahata,” which means unhurt, unstruck, and/or unbeaten. It serves as our center of love for oneself and others, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. The anahata is associated with unconditional love, compassion, and joy. It is the source of deep and profound truths that cannot be expressed in words.
Anahata is associated with the element air. Air disperses and integrates a spiritual understanding of love, compassion, and connection to everything you encounter. Air, like love, is within and all around us. We can embody this element by keeping our heart center open and our love free-flowing.
The heart chakra is associated with the color green, which represents transformation and love energy. It is believed that the colors and symbols associated with each chakra are reflective of their vibrations. The specific colors and symbols arose when the ancient Hindu masters meditated on the energy of the chakras.
When this chakra is in healthy alignment, you will feel surrounded by love, compassion, and joy, and connected to the world around you. You will feel open to all experiences in life, and it will feel like challenges, especially in relationships, flow through you and are resolved with ease. An open heart chakra allows us to see all of the beauty and love around us, and truly connect to ourselves, our loved ones, and the natural world. This chakra also helps direct love back to ourselves to truly be able to love and accept ourselves and our bodies.
When I do aura and chakra readings at The Broom Closet, I find myself talking a lot about the heart chakra. In my experience, it can be one of the more difficult to keep balanced. It is easily influenced by our lives and our interactions with our loved ones, which can lead to imbalance or stagnant energy.
Blocked chakras can affect the entirety of our being. Blocked energy can have a profound effect on the nature of our mind and mental state. Mentally, an imbalanced heart chakra can result in problematic issues, such as co-dependency, manipulative behaviors, feeling of unworthiness, and an inability to trust yourself or others.
Some signs your heart chakra may be blocked can include isolating yourself excessively, feeling lonely, holding grudges, or feeling jealous or defensive. Someone with a blocked heart chakra may have a fear of intimacy and have difficulty trusting others.
If you are concerned that your heart chakra may be out of balance, there are some easy things you can do to help open it. Cultivating gratitude can help your heart chakra, as well as doing yoga, using heart-opening crystals, wearing the color green, or intentionally eating green foods. Saying heart-opening affirmations can also be a good way of balancing your heart chakra. You could even attend a sacred cacao ceremony, where the sacred cacao is believed to help open the heart center and connect you with the energies of the earth.
If you don’t feel like you are full of love right now, that’s okay. Just take each moment one step at a time. We’re all in this together.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
Every year, the Memphis Flyer asks our readers to nominate outstanding young people in Memphis who are making a difference in their community. We chose the top 20 from an outstanding field of more than 50 nominations. Memphis, meet your future leaders, the 20<30 Class of 2025.
Austin Brown Director of Development and Communications, Community Legal Center (CLC)
A native Memphian, Brown decided to stay in the city and attend Christian Brothers University. There, he became the philanthropy chair for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Brown says the experience changed his life. “We did a bunch of volunteering opportunities. Just getting a chance to see up close and personal the disparities in the city showed me a lot of the things I wanted to address in my professional career, and in any way I could.
“What makes Community Legal Center unique is, unlike some other legal aid organizations you may be familiar with, CLC offers services at a low cost, and on a sliding scale, depending on household income and household size,” says Brown. “We’re about filling in that justice gap and helping the people in the forgotten middle. So, people who probably make too much money to qualify for free legal services, but they don’t make enough to afford a private attorney. I’m here to make a just Memphis. Simple as that.”
Liv Cohen Membership and Community Engagement Coordinator, WYXR
“I grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. Memphis was the cool city to come to on a weekend, and I just kind of fell in love with it,” says Cohen.
She found her niche at the community radio station, WYXR. “I interned my senior year of college, and then just convinced Robby [Grant, WYXR founder,] to keep me around. … I manage all of our individual giving and memberships, so if you’ve ever gotten an email asking to donate to WYXR, it’s probably from me.
“I’ve found myself deeply rooted in the music community here, and it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced or witnessed. People really care about each other here. The music is just unbeatable, and yeah, I’ve really found my people here and I love it. … I would love to see a city that really invests in creative types and puts them in positions of leadership as well.”
Leon Cunningham III Agent, New York Life Insurance
“I think Memphis is, right now, a land of opportunity,” says Cunningham. He’s got a lot of irons in the fire. In addition to his work in the insurance field, he is also dedicated to volunteerism. “I think I’m making an impact here from a financial place, but a philanthropy piece is something that I could hang my hat on at the end of the day.”
One of his passions is mentoring. “Embracing Brotherhood [Foundation] is a social group I kind of started through networking in Memphis. It’s centered around youth, but also minority males, helping them get connections throughout general areas and regions, supporting them in business and life.”
As if that’s not enough, he’s also a professional model, working on national accounts through the Tribe Talent Management. “I was definitely shy. It opened me up. It helped me be comfortable in my skin.”
Hugh Ferguson Biomathematics Research Student, Rhodes College
“I’ve always been interested in being a doctor, since I was probably 11 or 12,” says Ferguson. “I have a heart condition and other health conditions, and the care that I’ve received from other doctors has inspired me to make sure other people have that same access.” He volunteers for Remote Area Medical. “We go into rural areas, mostly in Tennessee, that lack proper healthcare. We set up remote clinics and get doctors around the region to help. We usually treat about a thousand people at each clinic.”
This inspired his research into AI-assisted ultrasound devices. “We’re working on, not replacing [X-ray machines], but offering an alternative to help underserved communities. You can’t learn how to care about someone from just reading about science. You have to go into field work, and experience humanity, what it needs, and realize that you’re more than just a person. There’s a whole story behind you.”
Antonella Reyes Flores Case Manager, Endeavors
When unaccompanied immigrant children arrive in Memphis, Flores takes care of them. “It can be anything from helping them enroll in a school, or connecting them to something like Church Health and getting them their updated vaccinations, or getting them a PCP. If they’re struggling with mental health, connecting with mental health services. Or just connecting them to a local food bank. Maybe they are trying to get onto a local soccer team, or they want to get involved with the church. I’m there to have a feel for what they need, and fill those gaps.
“I want to build an inclusive Memphis. Everyone has their niche in Memphis, whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or you’re a nonprofit or higher education, there are so many overlaps. We need to keep working together to help the next generation of Memphis. We have to put so much back into our youth. These are future doctors, teachers, engineers. We’re doing our part to guide them into helping build such a great Memphis.”
Zavier Hayes Owner, Zavier Hayes Shelter Insurance
During the pandemic, Hayes got a job offer to work in insurance. “I’m thinking, ‘Nobody’s going to take a chance on me. I’m 23 years old! I’ve barely got a year of experience.’ … They took the chance, gave me my own office in Mumford.”
Now, he’s his own boss. “You’re an independent contractor; you’re being your own entrepreneur. There’s some days where it’s harder than others, and there’s some days where it’s like, man, I just wish I could copy and paste this day, and have this be every day. It’s a journey, and I truly enjoy it.”
In his off hours, he coaches basketball at Northpoint Christian School. “I love working with kids. It’s a chance to give back. I tell my players, ‘I was just in y’all’s shoes 10 years ago.’ And this is my chance to say, ‘Hey, if this was younger me, this is exactly what I would teach you guys to do.’”
Raneem Imam Musician
Originally from the Bay Area, Imam’s family is Palestinian- and Lebanese-American. “I call myself an Arabic cocktail, so I’m really mixed with a lot of great things to make a juicy cocktail,” she says. “I’ve always been singing. My mom says I was getting on top of tables and singing to guests, and convincing her to come to my room for short musicals that I would perform for her and my grandmother.”
At Rhodes College, “I ended up majoring in music and falling in love with Memphis music and all the opportunities that I could seize while I was there. I didn’t know where the road was going to lead, obviously, but I feel like it’s just a part of my life motto to start where you are.”
Her plan to hit the ground performing after graduation was stymied by the pandemic, but she found an audience through virtual gigs. Now she’s pursuing music full-time and working on a full-length album. “I’m kind of exploring this line between funk, R&B, and pop, while also toying around with some Arabic influence because I haven’t seen that yet.”
RaSean Jenkins Board Office Advisor, Memphis-Shelby County Schools
“I got a scholarship to University of Memphis when I was studying Japanese history and language,” Jenkins says. “I was going through my neighborhood one day, and I had so many questions about why are we so separated as a city. What led Memphis to be this way? It ended up becoming my major, and I ended up becoming an urban historian.”
Jenkins is currently on track to finish his Ph.D. at the University of Memphis. “I’m writing my dissertation on A.W. Willis and his family’s work to integrate segregated spaces in the Mid-South.”
Teaching is in his blood. “I’ve been a mentor for Memphis-Shelby County Schools since I was 18, and also I do mentoring with the city. I want to be a professor one day, but I am very dedicated to our district here in Memphis and Shelby County. I would not like to leave the district. I would love to stay and just continue to grow here, but I really see myself being a college professor one day for sure, teaching history.”
Alexxas Johnson Associate Attorney, Spence Partners
“I do general litigation, so the easiest way to describe that is, everything except criminal [law] — except when I have to do criminal [law],” says Johnson. “So really, just a smorgasbord of things, which I love, because I’m somebody that is creative by nature. I thought when I decided to become a lawyer, I was a little bummed because I feel like lawyers are in this gray area, with not a lot of time to create and be innovative. There are so many rules and procedures, and of course it’s a very old career field, governed by things that happened in 1935. But thankfully, in the way that I write and craft my arguments, I’ve learned to become creative in this career field.”
A native Memphian, Johnson returned home after attending college at Alabama and a stint in Miami to attend law school. “Who doesn’t want to be a part of Memphis? I mean, everyone steals our swag anyways, so you might as well come here.”
Noah Miller Multidisciplinary Artist
Filmmaker, photographer, printmaker, and painter, Miller does it all. His most recent exhibit, “Days,” ran for seven months at Crosstown Arts. “I’m interested in so many different things. The world is abundant! But most of the time, I have an idea that feels like it could be better represented in a different medium, whether that’s painting, sculpture, music, or film. Film is the greatest medium of all because it’s everything packed into one thing. It scratches every itch for me. But I’m someone who wants to do it all: write the script, build the set, shoot the whole thing myself, edit, and even record the soundtrack. … This is why I’ve gravitated toward painting. I can realistically have something finished by the end of the week.
“Memphis feels like the biggest ‘punk’ city to me in the sense that everyone just does exactly what they want here (or they should be), and you can get away with it! It’s a very genuine place.”
David Oppong Project Engineer, Allworld Project Management
Inspired by his scientist father, Oppong decided to pursue engineering. “I realized that whatever I wanted to do in life, I wanted to have a direct impact on people and help make people’s lives better. I’ve seen that through civil engineering because people are the most direct result of all the infrastructure that we have in this world. I knew that if I could be around to affect the change and have a positive impact on people’s lives, then I would feel fulfilled in my purpose to be an engineer.
“We work with MATA on a number of capital projects, and the very first project that I had a chance to be a part of — and eventually got a chance to lead — was their electric bus program, which was for the procurement and implementation of up to 50 electric buses within their fleet.
“I grew up in the city, and I stayed because I knew that I wanted to be part of the change to make this a better place.”
Phoenix Powell Community Advocate/Health and Wellness Specialist, OUTMemphis
Powell’s work for OUTMemphis includes cooking weekly community meals. “I found that I really have a passion for advocacy and made a decision to do it as my work last year. I feel like advocacy and cooking go hand-in-hand because any civil rights movement that you look at, things like food and music have always been a part of it. I’m able to use food as a way to give back. … Now the stakes feel a little bit higher than they have been.
“The work we do here is really needed. Every day, people come in and tell their stories. The common denominator is, they don’t really have a support system. They don’t have a group of people that they can feel like, ‘This is like my family.’ And when I’m cooking, I never like to shortcut things. These folks come to us when they don’t have anything. I’m not going to give them the bare minimum.”
Juan Sanchez Project Engineer, Turner Construction Company
A native of Memphis with “proud Mexican origins,” Sanchez was the first person in his family to graduate from college. “I was born here, raised here, went to school here, went to university here, currently working here. I’m currently building Memphis and building the communities that I’ve been a part of. So it’s all been full circle.”
Among the projects Sanchez has been the “boots on the ground” for are the Memphis Sports and Events Complex, the Shelby County Health Department, and the soon-to-be-opened Alliance Health Services’ Crisis Center. Project engineer, he says, is “a two-word title, but it has many different responsibilities. … A lot of what I do is coordination and problem-solving among our contractors, design team, and clients to assure construction advances safely, within budget, and on schedule.”
Sanchez takes time to recruit other Hispanic and minority kids into the science and engineering fields. He was the first-ever guest speaker for the University of Memphis’ Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. “There’s much more for Memphis in the future, much more building, and I’m just excited to be a part of that.”
Josh Shaw Musician, Blvck Hippie
“I started playing piano when I was 11,” says Shaw. “Music was just my own way of spreading my wings.”
Shaw’s band Blvck Hippie had a great year in 2024, touring extensively, and playing a huge gig at the Overton Park Shell. “Getting to play the Shell was just crazy! I found this little goal list I wrote out when I was a junior in college — my musical bucket list, basically. The top three were, one, tour. The second one was, do a European tour, and the third one was, play the Shell.”
Shaw completed all three items on their list last year and won the Indie Memphis music video competition for the second year in a row. Even sweeter, they got to bring their young daughter to the Shell show. “She got to see me play for the first time! That was just kind of a dream come true.”
Ciara Swearingen Family Inn Advocate, Room in the Inn
Swearingen was already a volunteer for Planned Parenthood when she became pregnant at 22 years old, while a student at the University of Memphis. “Going through my pregnancy, I didn’t get a lot of support from my OB-GYN,” she says.
After having to advocate for herself while enduring a high-risk pregnancy, she became an advocate for others in the same position. “There are things that, growing up, especially in the Black community, nobody prepares you for when becoming a mother. … There are so many women, especially in the city of Memphis, that are struggling to let their doctors know, ‘Hey, I’m feeling this type of way. Is this normal?’
“Once baby gets here, and you’re in the hospital, that’s the most important time for moms to command and demand in their pregnancy. Luckily, I had my mom there with me when I had my son, but there are a lot of Black women in the city of Memphis who don’t have this support.”
JoElle Thompson Entrepreneur, The Four Way, Center for Transforming Communities
In 2002, Thompson’s grandfather decided to reopen the shuttered Four Way restaurant after seeing it on a Travel Channel list of the best soul food restaurants in America. “It was the only one that was closed,” Thompson says.
Her family devoted themselves to “keeping the legacy alive because so many people from Stax and just around the neighborhood of LeMoyne-Owen College, … even Martin Luther King and notable people around the country, knew about the Four Way when they came to Memphis because it was a community staple. We’ve tried to continue that legacy.”
While working at the restaurant, she also earned a master’s degree in public health and was recruited as a community organizer at the Center for Transforming Communities (CTC). “My project that I’m doing right now with CTC is a community cookbook, specifically based in South Memphis, to honor people like me and some of my friends who are third, fourth, and fifth generation South Memphians because there’s such a rich legacy in our community. I’m trying to capture the history and voices of our community.”
“I love Memphis because it’s in my DNA,” says Thompson. “It runs through my veins.”
Thompson is passionate about politics and wants to spread the word about participating in our democracy. “When I went to Tennessee State University, I had started the bus to the polls, and a lot of students didn’t even know that they could vote. … My wish to every school and university is that we could do better with that in educating our students so they can be involved because our students are the future. They’re going to be the ones to keep us moving forward. And if they don’t know what they’re supposed to do, then we’re going backwards.”
She’s already made a splash in Tennessee political circles. “It is such an honor to serve as the youngest policy director for the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with both Mayor Paul Young and Senator London Lamar. Their leadership and trust in me have been instrumental in my journey, and I truly admire their commitment to serving our community.”
Margaret Tong Entrepreneur, Mochi & Mi, Bao Toan Kitchen & Bar
Tong was born and raised in Memphis, but “growing up, my classmates were predominantly white and Black. It was very rare for me see Asian people. Once I got myself into the Asian community, I felt more sense of belonging, with people that understand you, understand the culture.”
Tong helped put on the first Asian Night Market, which has seen explosive growth over only two years. “We didn’t expect to have such a big turnout because we were like, ‘Oh, the community is small.’ … And then I saw that crowd! I was glad I was behind the table. There was more room behind the table than there was in that crowd!”
Growing up, her mother had a nail business, but the pair decided to go into the food business together. Now, they’re the force behind Bao Toan Kitchen, the newest restaurant in Crosstown Concourse. “I’d like to see a Memphis that helps each other,” she says. “I love the people, the sense of community here, the Memphis pride here.”
Why did Webber become an attorney? “I get asked that a lot, and the answer is that I like to argue.”
An internship at the Davidson County district attorney’s office led him to the Tennessee Innocence Project. “We investigate and litigate cases of wrongful conviction in the state of Tennessee. … We received more applications from Shelby County than any other county in Tennessee. This was clearly where the need was, and they asked me to move here and open the office with them. I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
One of the first cases they tackled was Ricky Webb, who had been convicted of a “heinous crime” in 1976. “We started looking into his case almost 50 years later, and there was a lot of evidence that was covered up that really proved that he was in fact innocent. His conviction was overturned in October [2024]. It became formal on Halloween, and he became the fourth-longest serving exoneree in United States history. He served just shy of 47 years in custody.”
Haley Wilson Actor, Choreographer
Wilson first came to Memphis for the annual United Professional Theater Auditions at Playhouse on the Square in 2019. She made her debut as the lead in A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. “I played one of my dream roles, a country artist that I had always listened to growing up, and also started my company member position at the same time.”
Since then, she has performed in more than 30 shows, earning an Ostrander Award for Best Supporting Actress in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, as well as three other BroadwayWorld Awards nominations. She’s taught and choreographed at Houston High School, St. George’s Independent School, and Memphis University School. “I like to live other people’s stories to the best of my ability,” she says. “Sometimes being yourself is hard, and so getting away and getting to be someone else for a little bit is what I strive for. Today was a hard day for Haley, but I’m going to go be someone else for a little bit and just get away from that.”
The Memphis Flyer extends special thanks to Sondra Pham Khammavong, 20<30 Class of 2024, for serving on this year’s selection committee.
Bar Limina is raising the bar on what a Memphis cocktail establishment should be.
Slated to open in March at 631 Madison Avenue in the Edge District, the space will be “a really great cocktail bar,” says owner Josh Conley, 34. “It’s a technique-driven cocktail bar. Just really well executed cocktails. Some plays on classics.”
In addition to “really high standards of service and really great drinks,” Bar Limina will “feature bartenders from all over the world right in this space with relative frequency.”
He says, “It’s really great for our guests. It offers them this rotating concept: asking bartenders to come in and present an entirely different concept.”
Bar Limina has a lot in common with Conley’s Etowah Hunt Club dinner series. Etowah features at least four pop-up dinners a year, hosted by Conley and Cole Jeanes, chef/owner of Kinfolk Memphis and the upcoming Hard Times Deli. The seasonal dinners feature top chefs from around the country.
“People will want to be here to see what the next attraction is. Same thing with the Etowah dinner series. Just a great extension of that.”
The visiting bartenders, which could be 40 or so people a year, will include some who have been nominated for awards, including the prestigious James Beard Award.
Bar Limina also will feature its own staff of local bartenders, who can learn new techniques, recipes, and ingredients from the out-of-town bartenders. “That’s a lot of knowledge you just don’t get elsewhere,” Conley says. “We want to move the needle as to what Memphis does as a drinking city.”
The same concept is being done in other cities. “The idea of a guest shift at a bar is not an original idea. But doing it at this scale and with this frequency isn’t seen anywhere else.”
As for food, Conley says, “We don’t have a kitchen staff. Just small plates, cheese, charcuterie. That sort of thing. And some other fun things.”
They won’t feature live music inside the bar, which seats about 40 people. “It’s a pretty small place.”
But they have access to a small courtyard. “I can see live music being out there.”
The Bar Limina space was formerly occupied by Inkwell. “We’re in the process of redoing the aesthetics of the space and making it feel like our own.”
It will be “really bright and airy” with a lot of plants. “We’ve got those incredible terrazzo floors that are original to the building.”
The rooms, including the bathroom, feature colorful, intricate tile patterns. “This space originally was a tile showroom, so all the tile through the entire place is wild.”
Colors include “light blues, creamy white, mustard yellow, olive,” he says. The front of the bar, which seats 12, has a black quartz top “with this ox blood enamel finish on the front.”
“I’ll be bringing in some more wood elements to warm it up a little,” Conley says. “We’ve got some early classic leather bar stools. We’ve got light white marble cafe tables.”
And “a great U-shaped leather booth sits back in the corner.”
Art work will include a 12-foot-wide piece of original art by Kyle Taylor behind the bar.
Their neighbors include Ugly Art Co., JEM restaurant, Rootstock Wine Merchants, and the upcoming Hard Times Deli. “There’s a lot of really good synergy in the neighborhood right now.”
Conley, who is from Northeast Arkansas, is a professional bartender, who has worked “in and out of bars. I’ve been around the industry.”
He “instantly gravitated” to the craft cocktail movement. “It was just something I got enamored with, and I made a lot of friends who worked in bars, or worked in coffee.”
“I really mostly learned on my own time,” he says. “It’s my hobby.”
Asked to name his favorite cocktail, Conley says, “I go through phases.”
If he only had one cocktail to drink for the rest of his life it would be a “cocktail à la Louisiane,” which he describes as a “Sazerac and Manhattan mash-up.”
But, Conley says, “I usually drink martinis at home. Gin. Always gin.”
Anneliese Jones and Mike McCarthy (Photos: Michael Donahue)
Memphis filmmaker/sculptor Mike McCarthy threw his annual El-Bow party, in homage to the shared birthdays of Elvis Presley and David Bowie, on January 25th at McCarthy’s Midtown home.
Each icon got his own cake made by Kasey Dees.
John Marvel McCarthyRev. Neil Down and Millet VanceThomas WoodleyRoss JohnsonChris McCoy and Laura Jean HockingGriffin Rone
The party, McCarthy says, “was for people who I worked with and sort of a payback to people I’ve been collaborating with.”
This year, the party was part of a longer series of events dealing with the history of rock-and-roll in Memphis. The Marcialyns with Marcia Clifton, Tim Prudhomme, Rev. Neil Down, and Memphis Flyer reporter Chris McCoy performed.
Tim PrudhommeColton OldsAlison HeverlyDrew Whitmire and Kasey DeesHanna McCarthy and Jake InmanLisa Glaser and David Yandell
McCarthy kicked everything off with his Glam Rock Picnic last June, where he unveiled his 10-foot papier-mâché work-in-progress sculpture of Bowie, who performed in Memphis.
John BeifussHans Faulhaber and Jewell RoeslerEldorado Del Rey, Tricia Parker, and Elliott Bexley
McCarthy will tentatively hold his “next Bowie sculpture awareness event”on February 25th. The four Bowie faces have been cast into bronze by the Lugar Foundry. The statue, which portrays Bowie in the “Tokyo Pop” jumpsuit by Kansai Yamamoto, has four heads, which represent Bowie’s predilection for taking on different identities, McCarthy says.
“Mwelu wanted to share his outfit of the day,” the Memphis Zoo said in an X post. “Is he rockin’ the Snoopy fitted sheet or what?”
Super Bowl-Bound
Posted to X by Memphis Zoo
Three former University of Memphis Tigers will suit up for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX this weekend. Kenneth Gainwell, Bryce Huff, and Jake Elliott (above) all wore Tiger blue.
Grammy winner
Posted by Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Adrian Maclin, choir director at Cordova High School, earned the Grammy’s 2025 Music Educator Award last week. “Known for his philosophy of fostering a ‘choir family’ rather than just a choir class, Maclin emphasizes life lessons alongside musical excellence,” Memphis-Shelby County Schools said in a post on its website. “His dedication has had a positive impact on so many students, and many consider him a father figure in their lives.”
Okay, we are at that stage of political and public developments in which rumors, which have been flying fast and furious, are yielding to reality and tying disparate events together.
To start with what would be newsworthy on its own, the ambitions of various would-be candidates for the office of Shelby County mayor in 2026 are crystallizing into direct action.
As noted here several weeks ago, the list of likely aspirants includes city council member and recent chair JB Smiley Jr., entrepreneur/philanthropist J.W. Gibson, Shelby County commissioner and former chair Mickell Lowery, Assessor Melvin Burgess Jr., Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, and county CAO Harold Collins.
Smiley, Gibson, and, reportedly, Lowery are basically declared and actively nibbling at potential donors. Smiley in particular has been soliciting funding and support in a barrage of text requests.
For better or worse, meanwhile, the erstwhile council chair finds himself also at the apex of events stemming from the ongoing showdown between now-deposed schools Superintendent Marie Feagins and the Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board.
A suit against the board by Feagins quotes Smiley as having angrily responded to Feagins’ petition last summer for a legal order of protection against influential commodities trader and political donor Dow McVean, with whom Feagins had feuded.
The suit alleges that, in a phone call, Smiley “shouted at Dr. Feagins, ‘Don’t you ever file a f***ing police report in this city again without telling me first. … You don’t know these people. … My funders are on me now telling me she has to go because they know I supported you. … They are telling me to get rid of you.’”
Smiley was also quoted in the suit as telling a third party, “We are coming after [Feagins].”
It was that Feagins was the daughter of one of her predecessors and a well-known one at that — none other than Willie Herenton, who served a lengthy tenure as schools superintendent before serving an even longer time as the city’s mayor.
A tall tale, indeed. As it turned out, the rumor was based on someone’s hasty reading of a line in TheCommercial Appeal’s account of the heated school board meeting at which a MSCS board majority voted Feagins out.
The line read as follows: “Prior to reading off her prepared statements, Feagins acknowledged her father and former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, who were in the audience.”
The tell-tale word “were” is the key to the misreading. It indicates clearly that Feagins’ citation of the individuals was plural and not at all of the same person. But, coming late in the sentence, the verb seems to have been overpowered by the previous yoking of “her father and former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton.”
“Were” got read as “was.” And all of a sudden, a short-lived cause célèbre got birthed.
• For that matter, the conflict between schools superintendent and board in Memphis seems to have caused an equally over-excited reaction in the state capital of Nashville, where state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, well-known already for his frequent designs upon what remains of home rule in Shelby County, let loose with brand-new threats against the autonomy of the elected MSCS board.
As noted by various local media, Sexton announced his intention for a state-government takeover of the local schools system. Radio station KWAM, an ultra-conservative outlet, had Sexton on their air as saying, in a guest appearance, that “plans are being drawn up to declare the local school board ‘null and void’” and that “the state will take over the school board.” [Sexton’s emphasis.]
Sophie Thatcher stars as a robot, grappling with the revelation that she’s not a real person.
The word “robot” turns 125 years old in 2025. It was originally coined by Karel Čapek for his 1920 play Rossum’s Universal Robots. It was derived from the Czech word for “slave.”
But no one is more responsible for our modern conception of robots than Isaac Asimov. In his seminal 1950 book I, Robot, he laid out the Three Laws of Robotics: 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
Asimov’s stories weren’t primarily about “gee whiz, how cool would it be to have a robot?” — although there’s plenty of that. They were about the ethical dilemmas presented by the fact that we humans have constructed autonomous beings who we expect to be our slaves.
But wait, you say. It’s not accurate to equate our relationship with machines, which are inanimate objects built for a purpose, with slavery, which is stripping the humanity from a fellow human. When I use a Roomba to vacuum the floor, it possesses no consciousness with which to experience suffering. But in the age of AI chatbots which give the illusion of sentience, that line is increasingly blurred.
Writer/director Drew Hancock’s Companion is a descendant of Asimov’s robot stories. It is near-future America, and Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) are excited about getting away for a weekend at their friend Sergey’s (Rupert Friend) secluded lake house. There, they hang out with Sergey’s girlfriend Kat (Megan Suri), as well as Patrick (Lukas Gage) and Eli (Harvey Guillén). Everyone’s supposed to be friends, but Kat seems pretty cold towards Iris. We also get the sense that Josh and Iris’ relationship may not be very healthy. He generally treats her as an afterthought, but she seems devoted to him.
Then, one morning by the pool, Sergey tries to rape Iris when no one else is around. She seems confused at first, then enraged. She pulls out a knife and plunges it into Sergey’s neck. Iris runs back to Josh, covered in blood and tears. But instead of comforting her, Josh tells her to “sleep.” Iris immediately goes limp because she’s his robot companion.
Obviously Iris violated the First Law of Robotics when she stabbed Sergey. But she was in danger of being raped, which is self defense, as defined by the Third Law, except that there’s the pesky First Law exception. So clearly, something has gone wrong here. And by the way, where did she get the knife? Most people don’t bring weapons with them when they’re lounging by the pool.
If it seems like I’m giving away too much of the plot, trust me that I’m not. Hancock’s screenplay has more than enough twists and turns in store. Even better, each plot reveal is grounded in the premise, surprising in the moment, and seems inevitable in retrospect.
Thatcher is perfect as Iris, who is forced to grapple with the very Philip K. Dick-ian revelation that she’s not a real person, but a stunningly accurate fake. At first, she leans into the robo-bimbo persona, but gets more subtle and human-like as the story progresses. The other big standout in the cast is Harvey Guillén as a conniving houseguest with secrets of his own. It’s a testament to how beloved the What We Do in the Shadows star is that when he made his entrance, half of the people in my screening pointed at him like the Leonardo DiCaprio meme.
Usually, January and February are the months when studios dump films that they don’t know what to do with into theaters. So maybe I’m just happy to see a good screenplay executed well during the dry season, but I haven’t stopped thinking about Companion since I saw it. On the surface, it’s a tight techno-thriller with a sly sense of humor. But it’s also hinting at deeper issues, not just about feminism and the nature of consent, but also about our rapidly changing relationship with technology. At what point does the Roomba deserve rights?
If you live in Memphis, you’ve likely heard phrases like “home of the blues,” “heart of soul music,” and “birthplace of rock-and-roll.” Ask anybody; even Google AI insists (so it must be true). Yet Memphians have also seen their favorite artist skip over FedExForum for a tour stop in Little Rock. Despite the rich musical talent and history, Memphis is not a popular destination for national tours. Last-minute cancellations are not uncommon either, as seen just a few years ago with Drake and Moneybagg Yo. Still, locals pride themselves on a vibrant and historical music scene, which is undeniably true. Stax Records, Royal Studios, the Memphis Drum Shop, Easley McCain Recording, Sun Studio — the list goes on. Online lists of the nation’s distinguished music cities frequently rank Memphis in the top 10. But, over the past couple of decades, Memphis has resembled a black hole in the major touring circuit. If asked why, artists would likely say it’s not personal, just business.
Simply put, ticket sales here are unpredictable. Memphis has a reputation as a “walk-up” city, meaning tickets are typically bought as a last-ditch effort instead of far in advance. This could be related to Memphis’ relatively low socioeconomic level. This is not to say Memphis has no appetite for live music. Just look around: Music is everywhere. There are roughly 60 locations within Memphis city limits that provide live music and entertainment, and these locations would not be paying musicians without their ability to attract an audience.
Last December, a partnership between national entertainment agency Live Nation and Crosstown Concourse spawned the construction of a new Memphis venue. Sitting right next to the Concourse, the 1,500-seat venue is expected to host roughly 100 events a year, ranging from comedy to corporate meetings to concerts. Similar types of events can be seen at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts or The Crosstown Theater, albeit with smaller crowds. According to a press release, the new venue is projected to bring more than 150 music industry jobs to Memphis, with base starting salaries of $20/hour, (theoretically) filling a Nashville-sized hole in Memphis’ professional music market. The press release steers clear of this comparison; rather, their plan is to “honor Memphis’ rich musical heritage while filling a key gap in the market, providing a platform for artists eager to perform in the city.” Here, in this almost-mission statement, lies the mysterious “black hole” of live music in Memphis.
By filling a market gap, Live Nation means providing a more “legitimate” venue for big artists to schedule shows. But what about all the other larger venues in Memphis? There’s Minglewood Hall, Memphis Botanic Garden’s Radian Amphitheater, FedExForum, and even smaller locations like Lafayette’s Music Room that have boasted plenty of national acts. Is this “gap” due to a lack of venues, or is it a lack of artists’ interest? The latter seems more likely. But Live Nation’s massive list of nationwide artists likely bolsters their confidence to “fill the gap.” This is what Sherman Willmott, founder of Shangri-La Projects and local music expert, feels the public should be focusing on.
“I think the lede here … is not the venue; it’s Live Nation booking. They’re filling a big empty hole that started with the death of Bob Kelley. Over that time period of the last 25 to 30 years, there’s been no … full-service promotion in town,” Willmott says. Bob Kelley, booker and promoter of Mid-South Concerts, died in 1998. The booking world since then has become “monopolistic. … There’s very few providers.” Memphis especially is not known for large booking agencies/promoters or music business infrastructure, hence the potential impact of Live Nation booking on the Memphis music scene. Memphians will have access to hundreds more artists in pop, indie, electronic, hip-hop, country, and more. Even if the venue starts out slow, Live Nation will likely be able to keep it afloat long enough to catch on. “There’s no one with deeper pockets,” says Willmott.
The introduction of Live Nation to Memphis could point the city in a new direction regarding industry jobs, but 150 of them is a lot to promise. Willmott says he does not “see them hiring that number of people,” drawing on comparisons between the Orpheum Theatre and The Green Room, each of which has a smaller staff. But if the new venue does hire that many, it’s possible for a larger music business market to open up in Memphis.
Naturally, there are some fears and questions about a nationwide corporation like Live Nation (recently involved in an antitrust lawsuit) digging their claws into the Memphis music community. But Willmott points out the role of Crosstown Concourse in the new venue’s booking process: “Bookings at Crosstown are … between 70 and 90 percent local artists.” After all, Crosstown was designed to uplift the community arts, and events at The Green Room or Crosstown Theater do just that. Further, the vertical village supports education (Crosstown High School) and healthcare (Church Health). It is hard to imagine Crosstown wavering from this community-focused vision, even when working with a corporate giant like Live Nation.
Sure enough, things are changing around Memphis. RiverBeat Music Festival is back for its second year in a row, boasting an even bigger lineup of global artists as well as a surefire program of lively and talented local artists like Jombi and Lina Beach. Grind City Brewing Company and Barbian Entertainment just announced a new venue, Grind City Amp, boasting a max capacity of 4,500 and a deep backdrop of Downtown Memphis. The outdoor venue is set to open in the spring of 2026. Although Live Nation and Crosstown have not specified their venue’s opening date, there seems to be a new era of shows coming to Memphis. Let’s hope our favorite artists start showing up on the bills.
The Chinese lunar calendar attributes each year to an animal. This year’s is the wood snake, representing wisdom, renewal, and a time for transformation. And the Memphis Lunar New Year Fair is occurring jusssst in time for those ringing in the Lunar New Year.
Hosted by the Greater Memphis United Chinese Association and sponsored by the popular Chinese restaurant, Dim Sum King, the fair was created to give participants and their families a day full of fun festivities. “We want all the Memphis community to really get a feel of Lunar New Year because Lunar New Year is not just about the lunar calendar; it’s also about other traditions — the food, culture, and the people, like family getting together and interacting with each other,” says Effie Du, co-chair of the Memphis Lunar New Year Fair.
This event was also intended to help people understand more about Asian culture. “It’s all about the people and the diversity, and seeing the culture and getting a feel of the Asian culture. That’s what we want to bring. It’s not just one thing. It’s a whole package of Lunar New Year, and the diversity and culture that comes with it,” says Du. If you plan on attending, be prepared to be amazed by many cultural performances, such as martial arts demonstrations and the dragon dance, which is a traditional dance said to bless the new year with good fortune and to ward off bad spirits. And feel free to indulge in a variety of Asian-inspired dishes from local food vendors, mahjong lessons, hands-on experience practicing calligraphy, and so much more.
The Memphis Lunar New Year Fair will only be here this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a general admission fee of $15 and free admission for children 10 years old and under. To learn more information about the upcoming fair and where to purchase tickets, visit memphislunarnewyear.com.
Ja Morant dunks the ball against the San Antonio Spurs. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images.)
Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the San Antonio Spurs and came away with a resounding 128-109 victory and moved up to second place in the Western Conference standings.
It was the second night of back-to-back games for Memphis, and Ja Morant returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s matchup with the Bucks due to shoulder soreness.
Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were sidelined with a left ankle strain and back soreness, respectively. But the Grizzlies are no stranger to adapting on the fly when a player is injured, having fostered a next-man-up mentality amongst the players.
The first quarter was a bit of a slog, but Memphis converted six San Antonio turnovers into 12 points in the period and carried that momentum and a six-point lead into the second quarter.
The Spurs had no answer for the Grizzlies when they went on a 19-point run in the second quarter, their biggest of the season. Memphis led by 12 points at halftime, and San Antonio never got within single digits the rest of the game.
And let’s not forget to give the Grizzlies their flowers for winning the turnover battle: Memphis converted 23 San Antonio turnovers into 34 points while holding the Spurs to just 8 points off their own 15 turnovers. This feels significant, given the struggles with turnovers that have plagued the Grizzlies all season.
By The Numbers:
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.
Ja Morant notched 25 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals in his return to action. Morant scored 14 of his 25 points in the first quarter.
Zach Edey finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. This marks Edey’s seventh career double-double and his second in two games after Sunday night’s 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks.
GG Jackson led the second unit with a season-high 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals on 11 of 20 overall shooting and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 11 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are heading to Toronto on Wednesday night to take on the Raptors. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST.
