What I’m writing: May 2014

These are stories I wrote that were published this month.

How the Babysitters Club Changed My Life: A Reader at BEA

The No. 1 event on my BEA wish list was meeting “The Baby-Sitters Club” author Ann M. Martin. For better or worse, her autographing session for her forthcoming book, “Rain Reign,” was first thing Thursday morning. I quickly learned I wasn’t the only person whose excitement was nearing panic-attack levels; Stacey, a high-school teacher from Baltimore, was equally thrilled to read the woman who wrote books almost as fast as we could read them. Read more “How the Babysitters Club Changed My Life” at churchstreetshop.com.

 

Dream Come True: Heading to New York for Book Expo America

For the past several years, I’ve listened with envy as my publishing industry friends have recounted their tales from the Book Expo of America. I’ve been almost equally obsessed with reading and writing for as long as I can recall (at least since age 4). It was mind boggling to me that people I knew got to attend a conference focused on books, the object I treasure above all others. Then I realized I, too, could attend this conference. Read more “Dream Come True” at churchstreetshop.com.

  Lee Bains III shares how his band, The Glory Fires, ended up signing with Sub Pop Records

Lee Bains III has worked his way around the Birmingham music circuit for a while, with notable past appearances in Tuscaloosa-based Dexateens and his own Arkadelphia. Now Bains is making noise as the front man of Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. We caught up with him to talk about the band’s latest album, Dereconstructed, which releases today via Sub Pop Records. Although it’s the band’s second album, it’s their first on the label, which has garnered respect by releasing albums from bands such as Nirvana, Band of Horses, The Head and the Heart and more. You’ll find that interview in the June issue of Birmingham magazine, but in honor of the album’s release, we’re including an additional snippet of our conversation with Bains below. Read more “Lee Bains III shares how his band, The Glory Fires, ended up signing with Sub Pop Records” at bhammag.com.

Meet Birmingham magazine Account Associate Amy Cash

Since Birmingham magazine’s staff is small, we don’t often have the luxury of seeing interns become employees. But Account Associate Amy Cash is one of two current employees who hold that distinction. Before joining our staff full time in 2013, Amy was a marketing and advertising intern at the magazine. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Account Associate Amy Cash” at bhammag.com.

A Toast to Do Dah Day

An event that grew out of a group of friends gathering for happy hour will celebrate its 35th anniversary this year. In the late 1970s, Boutwell Recording Studios founder Ed Boutwell would meet his advertising industry friends for a drink at Dugan’s every Friday. During one of these gatherings, Boutwell mentioned that Birmingham didn’t have a go-to spring event. One of the friends gathered suggested a parade, and Do Dah Day was born. “We drank our way through the formation of that,” Boutwell, 76, recalls. Read more “A Toast to Do Dah Day” at bhammag.com.

Crestline Park: This Birmingham neighborhood includes a number of businesses tucked into a residential area

In 2012, I moved from a three-bedroom, one-bathroom, 1,100-square-foot house to a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 750-square-foot home. I’m not an empty nester who was looking to downsize; rather, I was a 30-year-old who had been steadily amassing “grown-up” furniture and art. So why would my roommate and I opt to give up the spare bedroom and extra dining space our previous home offered? Because the trade-off was a home in Crestline Park, a charming east Birmingham neighborhood within a short drive of our downtown offices, adjacent to Mountain Brook’s amenities as well as Eastwood’s shopping options and within walking distance of several neighborhood restaurants. Read more “Crestline Park” at bhammag.com.

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