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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Musk Watch, Last Lodge, and Spicy

Posted to Instagram by @elonmusksjet

Memphis on the internet.

Musk Watch

Instagram bot @elonmusksjet tracks Elon Musk’s jet and logged a quick visit here Sunday evening, likely checking in on the mysterious goings-on at xAI’s new supercomputer. 

Not mysterious, however, were the details of the flight, according to the bot: 1,025 gallons of jet fuel used, at a cost of about $5,742, and 11 tons of CO2 emissions.

(H/t to u/phoebetoes on Reddit)

Last Lodge

Posted to Facebook by Chris McCoy

“Literally every freak in Memphis is at Black Lodge tonight,” wrote Flyer film and TV editor Chris McCoy of the venue’s final event Saturday. 

Spicy

Posted to Facebook by Memphis Police Department

Memphis Police Department arrested a 15-year-old male last week on charges of vandalism between $2,500 and $10,000. The alleged “Spicy” tagger was prolific in the I-240/Poplar area. He even taunted the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), which had apparently covered his previous tags, with the message, “Thx 4 ur service TDOT,” and a heart.

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 08/29/24

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Although there are over 7,000 varieties of apples, your grocery store probably offers no more than 15. But you shouldn’t feel deprived. Having 15 alternatives is magnificent. In fact, most of us do better in dealing with a modicum of choices rather than an extravagant abundance. This is true not just about apples but also about most things. I mention this, Aries, because now is an excellent time to pare down your options in regard to all your resources and influences. You will function best if you’re not overwhelmed with possibilities. You will thrive as you experiment with the principle that less is more.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus comedian Jerry Seinfeld, now 70 years old, has testified, “As a child, the only clear thought I had was ‘get candy.’” I encourage you to be equally single-minded in the near future, Taurus. Not necessarily about candy — but about goodies that appeal to your inner child as well as your inner teenager and inner adult. You are authorized by cosmic forces to go in quest of experiences that tickle your bliss.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m not saying I would refuse to hire a Gemini person to housesit while I’m on vacation. You folks probably wouldn’t let my houseplants die, allow raccoons to sneak in and steal food, or leave piles of unwashed dishes in the sink. On the other hand, I’m not entirely confident you would take impeccable care of my home in every little way. But wait! Everything I just said does not apply to you now. My analysis of the omens suggests you will have a high aptitude for the domestic arts in the coming weeks. You will be more likely than usual to take good care of my home — and your own home, too. It’s a good time to redecorate and freshen up the vibe.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): These days, you are even smarter and more perceptive than usual. The deep intelligence of your higher self is pouring into your conscious awareness with extra intensity. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, mostly. But there may be a downside: You could be hyper-aware of people whose thinking is mediocre and whose discernment is substandard. That could be frustrating, though it also puts you in a good position to correct mistakes those people make. As you wield the healing power of your wisdom, heed these words from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had an older sister, born under the sign of Leo. Her nickname was Nannerl. During their childhoods, she was as much a musical prodigy as he. Supervised by their father, they toured Europe performing together, playing harpsichord and piano. Nannerl periodically got top billing, and some critics regarded her as the superior talent. But misfortune struck when her parents decided it was unseemly for her, as a female, to continue her development as a genius. She was forcibly retired so she could learn the arts of housekeeping and prepare for marriage and children. Your assignment in the coming months, Leo, is to rebel against any influence that tempts you to tamp down your gifts and specialties. Assert your sovereignty. Identify what you do best, and do it more and better than you ever have before.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When an infant giraffe leaves its mother’s womb, it falls six feet to the ground. I suspect that when you are reborn sometime soon, Virgo, a milder and more genial jolt will occur. It may even be quite rousing and inspirational — not rudely bumpy at all. By the way, the plunge of the baby giraffe snaps its umbilical cord and stimulates the creature to take its initial breaths — getting it ready to begin its life journey. I suspect your genial jolt will bring comparable benefits.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many people living in the Napo province of Ecuador enjoy eating a dish called ukuy, which is a Kichwa word for large ants. This is not an exotic meal for them. They may cook the ukuy or simply eat the creatures alive. If you travel to Napo anytime soon, Libra, I urge you to sample the ukuy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, such an experiment is in alignment with the kinds of experiences you Libras should be seeking: outside your usual habits, beyond your typical expectations, and in amused rebellion against your customary way of doing things.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The theory of karma suggests that all our actions, good and bad and in-between, send ripples out into the world. These ripples eventually circle back to us, ensuring we experience events that mirror our original actions. If we lie and cheat, we will be lied to and cheated on. If we give generously and speak kindly about other people, we will be the recipient of generosity and kind words. I bring this up, Scorpio, because I believe you will soon harvest a slew of good karma that you have set in motion through your generosity and kindness. It may sometimes seem as if you’re getting more benevolence than you deserve, but in my estimation, it’s all well-earned.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I encourage you to buy yourself fun presents that give you a feisty boost. Why? Because I want you to bring an innovative, starting-fresh spirit into the ripening projects you are working on. Your attitude and approach could become too serious unless you infuse them with the spunky energy of an excitable kid. Gift suggestions: new music that makes you feel wild, new jewelry or clothes that make you feel daring, new tools that raise your confidence, and new information that stirs your creativity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): On a Tuesday in August in 2012 — one full Jupiter cycle ago — a Capricorn friend of mine called in sick to his job as a marketing specialist. He never returned. Instead, after enjoying a week off to relax, he began working to become a dance instructor. After six months, he was teaching novice students. Three years later, he was proficient enough to teach advanced students, and five years later, he was an expert. I am not advising you, Capricorn, to quit your job and launch your own quixotic quest for supremely gratifying work. But if you were ever going to start taking small steps towards that goal, now would be a good time. It’s also a favorable phase to improve the way your current job works for you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Three years ago, an Indonesian man celebrated his marriage to a rice cooker, which is a kitchen accessory. Khoirul Anam wore his finest clothes while his new spouse donned a white veil. In photos posted on social media, the happy couple are shown hugging and kissing. Now might also be a favorable time for you to wed your fortunes more closely with a valuable resource — though there’s no need to perform literal nuptials. What material thing helps bring out the best in you? If there is no such thing, now would be a good time to get it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For many years, I didn’t earn enough money to pay taxes. I was indigent. Fortunately, social programs provided me with food and some medical care. In recent years, though, I have had a better cash flow. I regularly send the U.S. government a share of my income. I wish they would spend all my tax contributions to help people in need. Alas, just 42 percent of my taxes pay for acts of kindness to my fellow humans, while 24 percent goes to funding the biggest military machine on earth. Maybe someday, there will be an option to allocate my tax donations exactly as I want. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to take inventory of the gifts and blessings you dole out. Now is a good time to correct any dubious priorities. Take steps to ensure that your generosity is going where it’s most needed and appreciated. What kind of giving makes you feel best? 

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 08/29/24

The Tech Revolution

At Crescent Regional Hospital near Dallas, Texas, patients are for the first time in the U.S. consulting with doctors via hologram, ABC News reported on June 26. The technology, designed by Dutch company Holoconnects, features a life-sized 3D image of the doctor in real time. Raji Kumar, the hospital’s CEO, said the technology will reduce doctors’ travel time between hospitals and clinics. “They can just hop into the studio to have the consult,” she said. She hopes to expand the program to rural hospitals in the area. [ABC News, 6/26/2024]

How Hot Is It?

It’s so hot … Abe Lincoln’s legs are falling off. A 6-foot-tall wax replica of the sculpture of our 16th president inside the Lincoln Memorial is succumbing to the extreme temperatures in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reported on June 24. The statue was placed on the campus of Garrison Elementary School in February with the idea of drawing attention to the Civil War and its aftermath. But as the heat dome settled over the capital, he started melting. “The idea was that the ambient temperature, unless it got to 140 degrees, wouldn’t melt the sculpture,” said artist Sandy Williams IV of Richmond, Virginia. But “even his poor legs are starting to come unglued,” said Melissa Krull, 41, who lives nearby. Lincoln’s head lolled so far backward that the nonprofit that commissioned the work removed it, with plans to restore it to its perch when temps moderated. [Washington Post, 6/24/2024]

Least Competent Criminal

Kelsey Lynn Schnetzler, 34, of Salisbury, Missouri, was charged with stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of lottery tickets from her employer, Casey’s General Store, KTVO-TV reported. Schnetzler’s home-court MO may have been what got her nicked: Every evening during her shift, she told police, she would put a cup over the camera in the store and unlock the safe where the tickets were stored. Her burglaries took place between October 2023 and March 2024; the 36 lottery books she stole were valued at $24,000. She cashed winning tickets in at Casey’s and other locations. She was charged with felony stealing. [KTVO, 6/20/2024]

Pay No Attention to the Body in the Backseat

On the morning of June 22, after Margot Lewis, 32, of North Liberty, Iowa, crashed her car in Olmsted County, Minnesota, police arrived at the scene, the Des Moines Register reported. There they discovered the dead body of 35-year-old Liara Tsai of Minneapolis in the back seat. Tsai was “wrapped in a bedsheet, a blanket, a futon-style mattress, and a tarp,” court documents said. Police said Tsai also had a “large wound on the right side of the neck around the carotid artery.” The medical examiner determined that Tsai’s injuries were not related to the motor vehicle accident. Lewis was arrested for interference with a dead body; her unconditional bond was set at $1 million. [Des Moines Register, 6/26/2024]

Ewwwwwwwww!

The CBC reported on June 18 that conditions at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, have deteriorated so drastically that inmates are literally sharing cells — and more — with rats. Inmate Devon Fitzpatrick told an interviewer that he woke up one morning to the feeling of something moving in the crotch of his pants; when he reached down, he found a rat had given birth there. “Stuff like that happens on a regular basis,” he said of the Victorian-era facility. “They climb on the tables, they climb up the pipes and the wires. They’re everywhere.” He said he’s been bitten about 20 times. Fitzpatrick also described other dehumanizing conditions at the prison; the government has said it’s working with a company to build a new prison, but no improvements have been made in the meantime. [CBC, 6/18/2024]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Countering the DNC

Decrying America’s complicity in the death of 40,000 Palestinians (Photo: Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com)

The Democratic National Convention was happening here in Chicago — my city — and I sat frozen at my desk, staring at my computer. Earlier in my life, yeah, I’d have gone down to the United Center, linked arms with the sane and outraged, joined the cry: Stop funding genocide!

Instead, here I was, gawking at the event’s opening ceremony of day two: A pastor delivers a public prayer, at one point saying we should treat all humans “as sacred creations of the Almighty.” Huh? Is he serious? Does he really mean this? The word “sacredness” has been let loose, joined by “God.” Someone sings the national anthem. The delegates recite the good ol’ Pledge of Allegiance, their hands ceremoniously pressed against their hearts. Then “God Bless America” fills the hall. 

The message I hear, quietly hovering behind the words, is this: Democrats are as patriotic as Republicans! Democrats are as religious as Republicans! We can put on a good show too — our clichés are fantastic.

Ceremony can matter, but when it’s basically just a curtain hiding reality … God help us all. I felt squeezed by fury and frustration. Oh, the platitudes of peace. I shut off my computer and decided, I’m gonna do it. Earlier I had received an email from the American Friends Service Committee, inviting me to an interfaith “Remember Gaza” vigil, happening that night at Montrose Harbor, a few miles from where I live. Suddenly I felt called to be there, at this “interfaith vigil to honor those who have been killed in the genocide in Gaza, to highlight the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire, and an end to U.S. weapons sales to Israel.”

The speakers would be Jewish, Muslim, Christian, as well as people who had lost loved ones in Gaza. And it would be taking place in the wake of the Biden administration’s latest approval of $20 billion in arms sales to Israel — you know, the reality the DNC event was hiding behind its curtain of faith and patriotism.

I had to do something besides sit and stew. Attending a vigil on Lake Michigan at least seemed doable. Would it “solve” anything? Uh … maybe not, but I had to make my opposition to my country’s policy physically apparent, or so I heard my conscience scream from some deep inner place. The tricky part about this is that I’m an old klutz, with achy legs and a disintegrating ability to retain balance. Simply heading off to a lakefront vigil ain’t what it used to be.

I brought my cane and drove to Montrose Harbor. Fortunately, I left an hour early, just in case I ran into unexpected difficulties, which happened immediately. I’d forgotten how complex the area was and wound up parking nowhere near the actual site of the vigil. The park area was full of people: several volleyball games going on, families enjoying themselves. Music was playing. But nothing looked like a vigil in the process of organizing itself. I started fearing that the event had been canceled. I asked the hostess at a lakefront restaurant if she knew where the vigil was and she had no idea what I was talking about. Uh-oh …

By then I had been hobbling around for a mile or so, which (I hate to say it) is a lot more walking than I normally do. I felt exhausted. Grudgingly, I decided to leave — and then I saw a woman holding a Palestinian flag, directing traffic. Big wow. This was it! “The vigil is about 500 yards from here,” she told me, “down a curving walkway.” I kept hobbling. A short while later, a caring couple who were heading to the vigil stopped their car and gave me a ride the rest of the way.

I had made it. Things were just about to start. There may have been as many as 200 people sitting along the concrete steps facing the beach. The sun was setting, the sky was a beautiful reddish blue, the dark waves swooshed into shore. 

“Our souls are tired,” a speaker lamented, and another speaker reminded us that the ground we were sitting on, this very moment, had been Hopi, Ojibway, Potawatomi homeland … forcibly taken through genocide. “Think of the many untold stories of genocide that happened right here on this land.”

That set the tone — for the poetry and grief and mourning, mixed with the sunset and the waves.

One speaker declared: “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, we call upon you to remember the people of Gaza! Our country has the power to be a leader of peace. We want to vote for candidates that are pro-peace. Please give us that choice.”

In a different context, such words might seem trivial, easily shrugged off. But in that moment, they seemed not only deeply felt but real — as real as the wind that swept across the beach and stirred the waves. 

A day later — what? I know that such words amount to virtually nothing by themselves. They only resonate when they are spoken in a context of commitment, plans, and action, a la the civil rights movement. For now, as the DNC continues, I hear them not simply as a cry of hope but as an emerging certainty, the struggle for which will not stop. 

Robert Koehler (koehlercw@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor. He is the author of Courage Grows Strong at the Wound and his newly released album of recorded poetry and art work Soul Fragments.

Categories
We Recommend We Saw You

WE SAW YOU: Party on the Green

Marsha and Mark Anthony (Photos: Michael Donahue)

Guests arrived in shorts and FedEx caps to “Party on the Green,” the fourth-annual bash thrown by Alex and Rick Gardner during the FedEx St. Jude Championship at their home on the 15th green at TPC Southwind.

Alex and Rick Gardner
Veronica Gomez and
Justin Gallagher
Liliana McKenna and
Hunter Parker

The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital connection happened when they began using Evite Online Invitations for the party, says Rick, president of Fremont-Wright, which owns architectural and engineering firms around the country. Evite has “a great system where you can just link to a charity of your choice,” Rick says. So, donating to St. Jude was a “no-brainer.”

Justin Harness and Lexi Brazeal
Micheal Bush and Charles Chandler

This year, they decided to “make it a true benefit for St. Jude” instead of just donating money online. Alex was “actually in communication with people at St. Jude that are involved with the tournament and they helped out with banners and pop-ups in the house.”

Michael Bi and Madison Spence
Nuphet Insixiengmay, Abbey Burgett,
Michael Gardner, and Corinne Gardner

About 150 people attended. “I don’t think there’s anybody who hasn’t known someone who has a child that had to go to St. Jude,” Alex says. 

The party “spread a lot of good cheer.” 

Categories
At Large Opinion

Faith and Camo

Italian political thinker Antonio Gramsci’s definition of a crisis was, “when the old is dead and the new cannot be born.” Those of us living in the United States are in the midst of finding out whether the new can be born (in November), and whether the old is really dead. A crisis? I’d say so.

One thing is certain: Representatives of the old are having real issues with the potential changes in the wind that were evidenced at the recent Democratic National Convention. Venerable conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote: “They stole traditional Republican themes (faith, patriotism) and claimed them as their own.”

Former Fox News commentator and Newsmax host Eric Bolling raged: “We’re losing the race! We’re losing the presidency. … The enthusiasm level on the left is overwhelming. They’re trying to say Democrats are the patriots! They’re wearing camo hats with Harris’ name on it! Camo! That’s ours!”

Democrats as patriots? How can this be? And camo? Really? How dare they! Camo can’t be woke, can it?

It’s easy to understand the GOP’s pain. For decades — at least since Richard Nixon’s presidency — the Republicans have claimed the mantle of patriotism and the title of “real Americans,” wrapping themselves in the flag, Christianity, country music, family values, and military strength. “America: Love It or Leave It” was their mantra. Guns, flags, the cross, and camo clothes were their primary fashion accessories. 

It worked for more than 50 years, from Nixon on through the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and even through the Obama years, when the nation’s first Black president was accused of being born in Africa, which, to Republicans, is as un-American as you can get. Donald Trump, of course, has literally wrapped himself in the American flag on several occasions. 

That’s why seeing 20,000 “Demoncrats” in Chicago waving little American flags had to have driven them nuts, not to mention the sight of that Harris/Walz camo hat on the heads of hundreds of delegates, the Nashville sounds of Jason Isbell and The Chicks, the nightly invocation of prayers, the pledges to defend our NATO allies militarily and stand up to Putin in Ukraine. It was all turf formerly claimed by the GOP. 

But you can hardly blame Kamala Harris and the Democrats for moving in. The house was empty and Republicans left the door wide open by abandoning — or twisting beyond recognition — their foundational principles. And it all started with Trump, for whom there are no principles, foundational or otherwise, only transactional exchanges. The party has been following his lead since 2015.

Republicans exchanged the American flag for the countless variations of Trump flags flown at rallies, and from MAGA pickups, boats, and front porches. “I pledge allegiance to Donald Trump” being the implied new credo. Family values? See: Trump, Donald. Religion? See: Nationalist, Christian. Country music? See: Rock, Kid. Strong military defense? See: Putin, Vladimir, a murderous despot now openly supported by Trump and his acolytes, including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Robert Kennedy Jr., most Fox News hosts, Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and dozens of other GOP senators and congressmen.

The party that once put forth a strong, conservative platform every four years, now has a platform of “whatever Trump says today,” no matter how idiotic or deranged. The party that once spent millions on an election ground game and ad buys in swing states now spends a large percentage of those dollars on Trump’s defense funds and lawyer bills.

The recent polling has been swinging Harris’ way and Trump’s campaign strategists have been urging him to “talk policy” instead of using his rally speeches to air his many grievances, hurl personal insults at his opponents, and brag about his looks. Trump counters that Harris has no policies and has ignored several of the issues he has raised, including the low-flow shower-head crisis, the boat battery vs. sharks controversy, and the problem of solar-powered airplanes that crash when the sun’s not shining. Furthermore, he says, Harris has not had the courage to take a stance on the late, great Hannibal Lecter. And she has the nerve to say Trump is “an unserious man.” What chutzpah!

At any rate, here is where we find ourselves — on the very edge of the approaching hurricane, waiting to learn the course of its final path, waiting to learn the fate of our nation, waiting to discover if the new can be born.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Name-Checking 2026

Lee Harris with friend at last week’s DNC (Photo: Courtesy David Upton)

Politics is like any professional sport you could name in that new rosters, new seasons, and new players are undergoing formation and preparation even as current contests are grinding to a conclusion.

To be specific, there is a ferment of activity in Shelby County right now, aimed at the elections of 2026. Two positions in particular already have potential candidates looking at them seriously and making plans.

The positions are those for Shelby County mayor, where current Mayor Lee Harris will be completing his term-limited time in office, and the 9th District congressional seat, held against all comers by incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen since his election there in 2006.

County mayor: At least six Democrats are looking seriously at the idea of seeking what will be an open seat. (Note: There may well be Republicans eyeing it as well, but, the county’s demographic imbalance being what it is, the GOP is as fundamentally handicapped in seeking local office as Democrats are in attempting to crack the Republican supermajority statewide.)

Melvin Burgess, the current assessor, is known to be contemplating a run for county mayor. He’s been thinking out loud about it since his time serving on the county commission from 2010 to 2018.

His experience in office and genial personality, coupled with the lingering resonance with voters of his father, Melvin Burgess Sr., an erstwhile police chief, give him a leg up.

Harold Collins, the current CAO for Shelby County Government and former city councilman and candidate for city mayor, has acknowledged the likelihood of a race for county mayor and is all but announced.

J.W. Gibson, the mega-developer and former county commissioner who ran for Memphis mayor last year, is holding meet-and-greets with an eye toward a county mayor’s race.

JB Smiley Jr., the erstwhile gubernatorial hopeful now serving as chair of the Memphis City Council, is being somewhat coy about it but has convinced friends he’ll seek the county mayor’s job as a logical stepping-stone from his present power position.

Mickell Lowery is the son of Myron Lowery, a former well-known local city councilman who served a temporary term as Memphis mayor. Having successfully acquitted a term as county commission chair, the younger Lowery is considered ripe for advancement.

Heidi Kuhn, the current Criminal Court clerk, is known to be actively preparing a race for county mayor, one based both on her activist conduct of her present job and her highly saleable personal qualities.

• The outlook for the 9th District congressional seat is somewhat different, in that the seat won’t be open unless the present long-term incumbent, Democrat Steve Cohen, chooses to vacate it.

There is no current indication that Cohen is so minded, and his record of responsiveness to this majority-Black district, along with his unbroken string of successes against a string of name challengers make a direct challenge to Cohen almost prohibitively difficult.

Yet potential candidates are in the wings. Most obvious is current County Mayor Harris, whose prior legislative service on the city council and in the state Senate, where he was Democratic leader, whetted his appetite for such a job. His credentials have meanwhile been enhanced by strong service as an activist mayor.

Another prospect is District 86 state Representative Justin J. Pearson, whose strong activism and oratorical prowess, freshly demonstrated at the just concluded DNC, suit him for a rise in the political ranks.

And yet another prospect, if an open race should develop, is state Senator Raumesh Akbari, unique as a Democratic legislator who enjoys wide respect across political lines and has something of a national reputation as well. 

Categories
Book Features Books

Mississippi Hippie

Our nation has a distinct literary tradition, which some dub the American bildungsroman, that delves into the provincial life of a protagonist in his or her youth, then reveals, layer by layer, the stages of learning and mind-opening encounters by which the narrator learns of the wider world, thereby transcending provincialism and achieving a kind of worldly wisdom. And such books, often loosely autobiographical, can, by way of setting the scene for the protagonist’s eventual escape, offer rich and nuanced portraits of the small-town milieu in which they were raised. Writings as disparate as Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel and Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory paint indelible portraits of daily existence in small towns.

Now, local author, filmmaker, musician, and photographer Willy Bearden has produced such a work about his hometown of Rolling Fork in his semi-fictionalized memoir, Mississippi Hippie: A Life in 49 Pieces. And, in its segmented, episodic telling, it reads like another great fragmented bildungsroman, Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio — but with a laconic Southern drawl.

Like Anderson’s masterpiece, Bearden’s memoir is, as he notes in the first sentence, “a work of literature.” And yet he’s committed to telling the story of his life. “Memory has its own story to tell,” he writes. “But I have done my best to make it tell a truthful story.” 

Bearden has an artist’s commitment to truth-telling, and, as becomes clear over the course of his youthful epiphanies, that unflinching honesty served him well in his quest for a life of some significance. As the Tennessee Williams quote beginning the book states, “No one is ever free until they tell the truth about themselves and the life into which they’ve been cast.”

For Bearden, that starts with a long, hard look at his father. This being a somewhat conversational read, though, it takes him a while to settle on the opening scene. First, he tells the reader of his curious habit, at the age of 11, of listing everyone he’d known who had died. It marks a vivid through-line to the book itself, written in his 70s, filling that same need. 

Then, skipping ahead in time, Bearden confronts the idea of “woke” culture, a descendant of the “hippie” culture that Bearden threw himself into as a teen in the ’60s. And, as he writes, “I am proud of my hippie roots,” yet the book makes clear that such pride comes after long years of confronting the very un-hippie culture of Rolling Fork. 

The book really gets started when, after such preambles, Bearden unearths a short story he wrote in 1984. His father has been returned to the home where Bearden, then 10, was being raised by his mother. “What until now had been the complacent, resigned look of an alcoholic had turned wild and frantic as if some demon inhabited his skinny 130-pound frame.” As the father is unceremoniously dumped into a bed, the stage is set for Bearden’s early years and the chaotic family life he endured.

But, as reflected upon by the author decades later, it’s a thoughtful portrait of such chaos. That’s true of any of the local characters young Bearden interacts with, as the stories skip back and forth in time, often hinting at Bearden’s development as a thinker and a questioner later in life. For, while he wasn’t a great student and didn’t really learn to read until after he was 10, he was doggedly curious and reflective. The folk songs his brother played him jolted him into imagining other values and life ways, and the growing counterculture of the ’60s only confirmed those humanistic values, even if he met some sketchy characters along the way. That in turn served him well as he ventured out into the world (hitchhiking widely from 1969-1976) and greeted all he met with a mixture of Sherwood Anderson’s keen observational eye and Woody Guthrie’s everyman approachability. 

That hopeful, clear-eyed, and even bawdy approach to the world rings out from every page of this book, and it’s still heard in Bearden’s current work as a historian, filmmaker, and raconteur. Knowing that Bearden became a key player in Memphis’ progressive community helps make sense of what he passed through to get there, from the unsavory drunks to the homespun wisdom of Rolling Fork’s working people. Seeing the poverty and racism of his hometown didn’t give him a permanent scowl. Rather, it only made him more determined to keep searching, just over the flat Delta horizon, for some kind of redemption. 

Burke’s Book Store will host a reading and book signing by Willy Bearden on Thursday, September 5, at 6 p.m.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Healthier 901 Fest Returns for Year Two

Try out a fitness class at Healthier 901 Fest. (Photo: Courtesy MLH)

For the past year, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has been challenging Memphians and people across the Mid-South to lose one million pounds as a community within three years through the Healthier 901 initiative. So far, 6,828 pounds have been lost by those who have joined through the Healthier 901 app. 

This Saturday to celebrate the initiative’s first year and push for more success, MLH will host its second annual Healthier 901 Fest on Saturday at Shelby Farms Park. “Everyone is so excited,” says April Wilson, one of Healthier 901’s associates. “We have made it even better this year.”

This year’s fest will have live cooking demos by Kelly English and other local celebrity chefs, giveaways, live music, and food trucks. There will also be fitness classes throughout the day including tai chi, yoga, meditation, hip-hop, jazzercise, aerobics, and more. 

“This year, we really want people to find their fit,” says Sarah Farley, Le Bonheur’s communications specialist. “We’re having the Find Your Fit Zone this year with about 20 different vendors who will be on site with various fitness activities. So you can try it out and see if you like it, and then work with that vendor for a longer term to explore whatever that exercise or activity is. There’s a million ways to get active. You don’t have to go to go to the gym; you don’t have to walk on a treadmill.”

There’ll also be the Le Bonheur Family Zone, which will have pickleball courts, hula hoops, bungee trampolines, a rock wall, a ninja tower, and educational activities. Both Wilson and Farley recommend downloading the Healthier 901 app before attending the fest to get enrolled into the raffles for special giveaways. 

The app and Healthier 901’s website will also have more information about ongoing programming throughout the year. Wilson, for instance, speaks of working with businesses, churches, and schools. “The things that we’re doing out there in the community are really bringing everyone together,” she says. “And what I can see just from outside looking in, people are really enjoying learning about health and just being active. If you’re moving constantly every day on a daily basis, of course, you gonna see pounds drop, but your overall goal is to be healthy.”  

Healthier 901 fest, Shelby Farms Park, Saturday, August 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., free.

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2024 Educators of Excellence

Great leadership is needed in every corner of our community — from the boardroom to the classroom. Educators are essential leaders as their impact and investment is critical to our city’s future success. In response to a gap in citywide investment in educators, New Memphis, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop, activate, and retain talent in the city, created the annual Educators of Excellence Award in 2018. Each year, distinguished educator applications are reviewed and the five exceptional honorees receive a $1,500 award made possible in partnership with the Crews Family Foundation.

“As a former educator myself, I always love hearing the stories of educators and seeing the unique perspective they bring,” says Erin Wendell, New Memphis director of educator and collegian programs. “Reading our Educators of Excellence applications annually brings me joy and reinvigorates my commitment to serve teachers in Memphis. While I wish we had endless resources to recognize everyone doing great work in classrooms across Memphis, I’m grateful to highlight these five incredible educators this year. None of them are in it for glory, and yet they all deserve our praise. I hope our community takes time to learn these winners’ stories and feels inspired to show some love to other educators in our city.”

It’s paramount to recognize the contribution of our best educators, to learn from their experiences, and to support them in their growth. Their work is transformational to students, fellow educators, and Memphis as a whole. With a new school year kicking off, New Memphis unveiled their 2024 Educators of Excellence Award honorees at a co-branded Spillit Center Stage event on August 22nd, focused on educator voices to the theme of “Marathon, Not a Sprint.” Learn more about the 2024 New Memphis Educators of Excellence below and get to know previous award winners at newmemphis.org.

Devon Harkins, Primary Lead Teacher at Libertas School of Memphis

Devon Harkins (Photos: Courtesy New Memphis and Londonz Eye Photography)

Devon (she/her) is currently a primary lead Montessori teacher at Libertas School of Memphis. She came to Memphis through Teach for America in 2016 and has been in the classroom teaching kindergarten and pre-K ever since. Devon received her Montessori credentials in 2022 and now is a trainer herself with Libertas’ own Montessori teacher training program.

Elisabeth Bogart Black, sixth grade social studies teacher at Grizzlies Prep Charter School

Elisabeth Bogart Black

Elisabeth (she/her) is in her eighth year of teaching social studies in Memphis. Currently working at Grizzlies Prep Charter School, she serves as grade level lead, debate coach, and a mentor teacher for the Memphis Teacher Residency. Elisabeth is a 2022 Barbara Rosser Hyde award winner and her debate team are reigning Metro Memphis Urban Debate League Champions. She received her bachelor of arts in history at McGill University and her master’s of education at Johns Hopkins University.

LaDerrick Williams, seventh grade science teacher at Freedom Preparatory Academy – Whitehaven Middle School at Brownlee

LaDerrick Williams

LaDerrick (he/him) is currently a seventh grade science teacher at Freedom Preparatory Academy – Whitehaven Middle School at Brownlee and serves as the science department lead, sixth and seventh grade science content writer, and mentor teacher for the Memphis area Man Up Teacher Fellowship. He received his bachelor of science in biology & pre-medicine from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, his master’s of education in secondary education through Relay Graduate School of Education, and is currently in his fourth year attending Liberty University as a candidate for doctor of education in educational leadership. LaDerrick has 17 years of service in education and has participated in various professional cohorts such as Memphis Teaching Fellows, KIPP Teacher Leader program, and Relay Graduate School of Education, where he served as an assistant professor of practice immediately after his graduation in 2017.

Paige Kusmec, fourth grade ELA teacher at Compass Berclair

Paige Kusmec

Paige (she/her) teaches fourth grade at Compass Berclair and is in her third year teaching in Memphis. She specializes in teaching multilingual learners and has previously taught first, second, fourth, and fifth grade multilingual learner students. She serves as a mentor teacher for the Memphis Teacher Residency and has obtained her master’s degree in urban education from Union University. She is a proud alumna of the New Memphis Stride cohort.

Taylor Price, ninth grade English teacher at Memphis East High School

Taylor Price

Taylor (she/her) teaches English and AP African American studies at East High School and is in her third year of teaching. A proud Memphis native, she is an alumna of Bellevue Middle School and Middle College High School. She is currently the English language arts (ELA) master teacher for East High and serves as a mentor teacher for Memphis Teacher Residency. She holds a master’s degree in urban education from Union University, is a New Memphis Stride alumna, and is currently earning her master’s certification as a reading specialist with Memphis Literacy Institute and Christian Brothers University.