Birmingham magazine interns are essential to the publication, and readers often see their work in print. But there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes, as Editorial Intern Abby Colella can attest. She’s been hard at work this semester on our annual Beautiful People issue, which will be published in June. This isn’t Abby’s first time working at Alabama Media Group, either; last summer, she interned with specialty publications in Huntsville. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Editorial Intern Abby Colella” at bhammag.com.
AL.com’s Red Clay Readers, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Literary Arts, is a book club designed to take a fresh look at a southern classic with the help of our readers. Today, Birmingham magazine Managing Editor Carla Jean Whitley takes a look at Chapters 27 and 28 of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Click here to get 20 percent off your copy of the book at Books a Million.
Atticus Finch has lost his case. Tom Robinson has died.
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee’s masterpiece novel, is winding down. Several of the book’s central conflicts have resolved, but there are lessons yet to learn. Read more “Lessons yet to learn as Red Clay Readers near the end of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird” at al.com
We’ve all spotted them: the people who slip out of a worship service immediately after—or sometimes, even before—its conclusion. Preston Graham, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) in New Haven CT, approached some such folks to find out why. They didn’t feel like they belonged, he learned. In a church built around the Yale University community and led by a pastor with a degree from that institution, less educated and affluent residents didn’t think they fit in.
“That’s when we realized we were expecting people of all communities and cultures to become like us,” Graham says. “We decided we had to find another way.” Read more “Churches reaching a variety of communities for Christ” at pcamna.org.
Our interns are a crucial part of our team, and Alexis Nord has brought her enthusiasm to the sales team. Alexis is a Homewood resident and a sophomore at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She hails from Mobile, where her parents, three older siblings and two mini shih tzus reside. In addition to her studies and work at the magazine, Alexis is a tutor at Glen Iris Elementary School and a sales associate at Lotus Boutique. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Sales Intern Alexis Nord” at bhammag.com.
One of my greatest joys as managing editor of Birmingham magazine is getting to work with young journalists. They’ve taught me so much about being a manager and a leader, and they always bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to our office.
This semester, Samford University senior Hayley McDonald has been a tremendous asset to our team. Hayley stays busy outside of work, too; she’s the editor-in-chief of Samford’s Exodus magazine and works part-time at Seibel’s in Homewood. With graduation on the horizon, we’re eager to see where she lands next. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Editorial Intern Hayley McDonald” at bhammag.com.
If you’ve ever advertised with a publication in Birmingham, chances are you’ve worked with Birmingham magazine Senior Account Executive Garrick Stone. Garrick has worked in advertising and media for 20 years, and the last five have been with Birmingham magazine. (Lucky us!)
This University of Alabama at Birmingham alumnus lives in Vestavia Hills with his beautiful wife, twin daughters and a dog. After working hours, you’re likely to catch G, as we call him, on his bike. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Senior Account Executive Garrick Stone” at bhammag.com.
In Vintage, author and secondhand store enthusiast Susan Gloss weaves together the lives of three very different women in a story filled with humor and heart.
Violet Turner, the 30-something proprietor of Hourglass Vintage, has a passion for making something out of the hand life has dealt. Growing up in small-town Wisconsin, she was always a bit offbeat but found safety in dating a popular boy. With dogged determination, Violet continued to live the life she thought she should live. But when she realized that she wanted more from life and that her husband was a good-for-nothing alcoholic, Violet took off for the state capital and a new life. Read more “Vintage: Boutique Bonds” at bookpage.com.
In the latest novel by accomplished author Jean Hanff Korelitz (Admission, A Jury of Her Peers), which shares the title of its main character’s book, relationship challenges raise questions of how often we really know what’s best, whether living the life we’ve envisioned necessarily means we’re living it right, and how we overlook our instinctive responses to the people we meet. Read more “You Should Have Known: Take your own medicine” at bookpage.com.
Had she caught me in the act, my roommate would have wondered why the heck I was sitting on the kitchen floor, the contents of our pantry strewn about me as I bent over my laptop computer. I’m a bit obsessive and certainly a list maker, but cataloging every spice and vegetable in the house was taking my organizing tendencies to a new level.
But if she had asked what on earth I was thinking, I would have showed her recipecrafters.com. And then she would understand. Read more “Cook What You Buy: A new website helps users keep track of the food they have on hand” at bhammag.com.
For The Heavy Hearts, quite a lot. The Americana band contemplated a number of options before settling on a name that they hope represents their sound. They’ll reveal that to listeners on May 2 with the release of “Keep Your Light On,” their first full-length album. Read more “Shining Light on Heavy Hearts: These folks singers aim to use music to lift spirits” at bhammag.com.
Haley Isbell is no stranger to Birmingham. She and husband Bobby were born and raised here, and all of their immediate family call Birmingham home. “Both sides of the family get along super well so I’m crazy spoiled,” says Moody resident Haley, who is four-and-a-half months pregnant with the couple’s first child.
It’s no surprise, then, that in 2013 Haley jumped at the chance to work for Birmingham magazine. She’s transferred six years of experience in marketing to her work as a sales account executive. “I thought it would be an awesome way to stay connected to the community with a little bit more of a creative aspect involved,” the University of Alabama graduate explains. The magazine staff already knew her as mom to Raleigh, a Weimaraner who was a finalist in the 2013 Cutest Pets contest. Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Account Executive Haley Isbell” at bhammag.com.
I’m not sure I could have previously pinpointed what that sounded like. But as Nickel Creek performed a variety of songs from their four main albums, I felt as though I was taking an audio tour of my past.
“The Lighthouse’s Tale” took me back to Saturday game nights during my senior year of college. We knew two albums were sure crowd pleasers: a mid-90s rock mix a friend made, and Nickel Creek’s self-titled album.
“This Side,” in hindsight, was the perfect song to carry me into that awkward year after college. The band released that album the month I would have started my senior year (had I not decided to finish early). Life felt foreign, indeed, on that side of graduation.
“When You Come Back Down” is one of several songs that remind me vividly of moving back to Alabama and finally chasing down my dream: a career in journalism. When I enrolled in grad school at Alabama, I wasn’t sure I would make it in this field. I had always been told I was a good writer, but I knew journalism was a competitive, intense industry. I realized how much I had to learn in my first semester, thanks to the Intro to Reporting class (a course I earned a B in, but now teach). I was terrified, but I was taking a chance I believed was worth taking.
It was hard to believe it would pay off during nights when I would lie awake, obsessing over how I could strengthen my resume and skill set in order to get a job. When I couldn’t quiet my mind, I’d return that self-titled album to my CD player. By track three, “Out of the Woods,” I would be breathing easier. By the song’s end, I would usually fall asleep.
My favorite band seemed to change with me, with instrumentals on each album exploring new territory (I love “Ode to a Butterfly,” but “Smoothie Song” and “Scotch and Chocolate” took my growing interest in instrumental music a step further). Every time “First and Last Waltz” begins, I remember again how it seamlessly transitions into “Helena,” showing how a voiceless piece of music can set the tone for what’s to come.
“Doubting Thomas,” and “Why Should the Fire Die?” as a whole, carried me further still. The album came out while I was working my first job. I knew journalism was the right fit–I loved it even more than I imagined I might–but I was also struggling with the adjustment that accompanies working full time and figuring out life on your own. The answers weren’t always easy, and the journey didn’t always look like what I expected.
“Reasons Why” has always encapsulated the struggle of those unmet expectations. There were nights, particularly in 2002, when I would play the song on repeat. It remains my official favorite song of all time.
When I first heard “Hayloft” on the band’s latest album, I was taken aback. It felt jarring in the context of both their previous work and “A Dotted Line.” But the song has grown on me, and seeing it performed tonight reminded me of how much Nickel Creek has matured in the 13 years I’ve loved their music. These songs and musicians have been the soundtrack to my growing up.
Nickel Creek, Alabama Theatre April 16, 2014
Destination / The Lighthouse’s Tale / Scotch and Chocolate / This Side / Rest of My Life / Out of the Woods / Ode to a Butterfly / When In Rome / 21st of May / Anthony / Smoothie Song / You Don’t Know What’s Going On / Reasons Why / Doubting Thomas / Elephant in the Corn / Somebody More Like You / Hayloft / The Fox
Encore: First and Last Waltz / Helena / Cuckoo’s Nest / Where Is Love Now
Before rejoining the Birmingham magazine staff in 2006 (she was our fall 2004 intern), Carla Jean spent two years working at newspapers in Central Alabama. This University of Alabama graduate also works as an adjunct instructor at both her alma mater and Samford University. Although she’s a Birmingham native, she spent 15 years in Florida and earned her bachelor’s degree at Florida State University. –-Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Managing Editor Carla Jean Whitley” at bhammag.com.
Today Birmingham magazine and the rest of the Alabama Media Group’s Birmingham hub moved into a new space in the Young & Vann building at 1731 First Ave. N.
Take a quick video tour of our new office, and read more in the stories linked below. –Read more “Take a Tour of the New Alabama Media Group Birmingham Hub” at bhammag.com.
The countdown is on: My manuscript is due to my editor three weeks from yesterday. (EDITOR’S NOTE: For those wondering, that deadline has changed. Lots of work still to do!)
Although it’s been 11 months since he verbally accepted my proposal and nearly nine months since I received the signed contract, these final days are proving the most intense part of the book-writing process. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised; writers, like people in a number of other fields, are renowned for their procrastination tactics. Just earlier today, a former newspaper columnist told me she enjoyed having written, past tense. –Read more “Keep Calm and Get Over Yourself” at postscriptblog.com.
David Magee may be new to Birmingham magazine, but he has a long career in both print and digital media—just look under “M” in your favorite bookstore. David spent a decade as an author, and he has also served as the managing editor of theInternational Business Times and assistant managing editor/digital of The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger. He is also Alabama Media Group’s statewide publications manager. –Read more “Meet Birmingham magazine Editor David Magee” at bhammag.com.
Logan Dillard and Stephen Stinson knew they loved filmmaking. But it wasn’t until a school project that the pair realized their artistic passion could become their life’s work.
Dillard and Stinson became friends during their freshman year at Samford University, and though they shared a passion for the art, the duo had not worked together. That changed when Stinson enrolled in a music video class his senior year. Although Dillard wasn’t in the class, Stinson asked his friend to join him in identifying a Birmingham-based band for whom they could make a music video. –Read more “Telling Stories” at bhammag.com.
Attorney Melinda Sellers works with a number of beer manufacturers and distributors, but it used to be that the best way she could demonstrate her familiarity with the business was to tell them that her husband Michael is an owner of Good People Brewing Co. That changed in September, when Sellers became a Certified Cicerone. –Read more “Know Your Beer” at bhammag.com.
A shadow is darkness, but you can’t have it without light. It’s appropriate, then, that singer-songwriter Preston Lovinggood’s second solo album, “Shadow Songs,” opens with high-fidelity takes of five songs from his previous effort, “Sun Songs.”–Read more “Out of the Shadows” at bhammag.com.
I’m not being the best friend right now–and that’s hard for me. I love being able to swing by a friend’s house when she calls and says dinner’s on, or enjoy a mid-week girls’ night with another while her husband is out of town. But right now, I’ve got to hunker down and write.
My manuscript is due on April 7. It’s hard to believe! And there’s still plenty of work to do (isn’t how these things always go?). But I’m excited to be racing toward the finish. I’ve left the “I can’t do this!” phase, am growing increasingly comfortable in the “I can probably do this” phase, hope to soon move into “I can do this!” and can’t wait to get to “I’ve done it!”
In the meantime, I’m still allowing myself a few minutes here and there to write personal projects–including my semi-regular blog posts for Church Street Coffee and Books, where I’m documenting my journey as a first-time author.
The countdown is on: My manuscript is due to my editor three weeks from yesterday.
Although it’s been 11 months since he verbally accepted my proposal and nearly nine months since I received the signed contract, these final days are proving the most intense part of the book-writing process. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised; writers, like people in a number of other fields, are renowned for their procrastination tactics. Just earlier today, a former newspaper columnist told me she enjoyed having written, past tense.
The old Birmingham Chamber of Commerce slogan “It’s nice to have you in Birmingham” found new life in 2013, thanks to the Magic City Mural Collective. The group of artists formed to inject color into the city. Its first project was painting that slogan on a wall facing Woodlawn’s 55th Place South. Read more “21 Reasons to Love the City” at bhammag.com.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones (Photo by David McLister)
If their careers continue along their current trajectory, this time next year I won’t be able to interview Paul Janeway and Browan Lollar over a cup of coffee.
It’s not that they wouldn’t be up for it. These are down-to-earth guys. Their schedules may be busier in the future, but heck—they played 170 dates in 2013 and still found time for a two-hour chat at Urban Standard. And it’s not that their publicist is difficult; Jim Flammia was a dream to work with in scheduling this interview, even as release dates were altered and meetings rescheduled. Read more “Band on the Rise” at bhammag.com.
I told a friend last week that I met my boyfriend on match.com, and her reaction caught me by surprise: “It seems like that’s how everyone meets these days.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have been taken off guard; my boyfriend and I are one of three couples in our social circle who met through that online dating site. Murray and Shayne met in 2011, became engaged 10 months later and were married in May 2013. (You can read their story in the winter/spring issue of Birmingham Weddings and Celebrations.) Holly and Brad met in 2012, rented a house together in 2013 and became engaged six months later. And Put and I have been going strong since our first date on Sept. 3, 2012. Read more “I Gave Match.com A Chance” at bhammag.com.
What have you done for your health lately? Regardless of your answer, the University of Alabama at Birmingham hopes to help. Read more “Get Healthy” at bhammag.com.
Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis may be best known for roles in such films as “A League of Their Own,” “Thelma and Louise” and “Hero.” But when she visits Birmingham this month, the actress’ work for gender equality will be in the spotlight. Davis has a long history of activism in the field, and in 2007 launched The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which works to increase female characters in the entertainment industry and reduce stereotyping in the field. Read more “Motivating Women” at bhammag.com.
“Rebecca Winter” remains a household name, thanks to the iconic photograph “Still Life with Bread Crumbs” that catapulted her art career into the public eye. But Rebecca Winter, the person, has changed significantly in the decades since she captured that domestic image of her kitchen counter after her husband and son retired for the evening. She’s no longer married, for one. And it’s been so long since she made a significant sale that she can no longer afford the upscale Manhattan apartment that contains the kitchen immortalized in that famous picture. Read more “Still Life with Bread Crumbs” at bookpage.com.
There are a lot of mental and psychological gymnastics that go into the book-writing process, at least in my experience. I’ve written about those a fair bit since I began documenting the process of writing my first book. But I haven’t written as much about the nuts and bolts of writing. Read more “Writing Checklist” at postscriptblog.com.
Philip Morris’ figurative fingerprints cover Birmingham. As executive editor of Southern Living from 1976 to 1991 and an editor-at-large with Southern Progress Corporation until 2000, Morris was able to research and report on design issues throughout the south. In his retirement, he’s volunteered on the design committees of such projects as Vulcan Park and Museum’s renovation, Railroad Park, Red Mountain Park, Operation New Birmingham, Mountain Brook villages and more. Read more “Groundbreakers” at bhammag.com.
The lineup has changed several times over. The sound may vary. But this month, Birmingham band Through the Sparks celebrates 10 years of making music with the Jan. 21 release of its latest collection, “Invisible Kids.” The album includes live performances, unreleased tracks and alternate takes that span the band’s history. Band members Jody Nelson and Shawn Avery say the band’s prolific output ensures it will always have extra material for such collections. Read more “Behind the Music” at bhammag.com.
Urban Standard’s menu has been tweaked over the café’s six-year existence and is often updated to reflect the season’s produce, but the grilled cheese sandwich remains a perennial favorite. And as temperatures drop, sales increase, notes General Manager Trevor Newberry. Read more “Comfort Food” at bhammag.com.
Whether the notifications popping up on your phone and in your email are from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, social media has become so integrated in some of our lives that it can be difficult to take a step back. And according to some experts, complete disconnection may not be the best choice. Read more “Disconnect” at bhammag.com.
Rachel Joyce’s masterful second novel, Perfect, explores how one event can unravel a life. Byron Hemmings is an ordinary British schoolboy in 1972. He’s not the most sociable child, but Byron has a best friend in James Lowe. Like many adolescents, he’s got a curious mind. And so, when James reads in a newspaper that two seconds will be added to time, Byron becomes fixated on how, when and what the ramifications might be. Read more “Perfect” at bookpage.com.
What inspires a female writer whose work runs the gamut from a Pulitzer Prize-winning column to best-selling novels to thought-provoking essays? Anna Quindlen says she admires a number of female writers. Read more “Anna Quindlen” at bookpage.com.
Regardless of the field in which you work, you’ve probably identified a role model or two. It may be your boss (lucky you!), a beloved professor, a family friend or a star in the field.
One of mine is Anna Quindlen. Her nonfiction work for the New York Times and Newsweek and the resulting collection of columns paint a portrait of a smart, informed woman who uses her pen to engage the world around her. Quindlen is award winning—she received a Pulitzer in 1992 for her Times column “Public and Private”—but she’s not exclusively a “career woman.” She’s also a mom and a wife whose family seem to be at the heart of her world, judging by the way she writes about them in her columns and book dedications. (As I recently finished “Rise and Shine”—one of the few Anna Quindlen books I hadn’t read—I marveled at the dedication to her daughter Maria. “Fearless, powerful, utterly amazing. I want to be you when I grow up.”)
I’m a fairly young woman and a journalist, but I also love essays (“How Reading Changed My Life” was my introduction to Quindlen’s work) and fiction. I’m fortunately surrounded by people whose paths show me that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for life as a woman, whether you stay at home with children or work an office job—or something in between. And I’m also lucky to have the careers of such women as Quindlen and Nora Ephron for inspiration.
So when I persuaded my editor at BookPage to let me send a few questions Quindlen’s way on the occasion of her latest novel’s publication, one of the first things I asked was about her own female role models. You can read how she answered–as well as the rest of our discussion–at BookPage.com, and you can read my review of “Still Life with Bread Crumbs” in the February issue of BookPage. (The book was published today, and it’s my favorite Quindlen novel yet.)
My submission for a photo contest at SPJ’s JournCamp. The assignment was to take a mobile photo inspired by the word “work.”
One of my biggest goals as a teacher is to prepare my students for jobs. Without fail, every semester someone asks whether he or she should join the professional organization affiliated with their future career. And every time, I’ve said yes. There’s great benefit in these organizations, whether it’s beefing up your resume (one of the top priorities of college students!), networking opportunities or educational elements.
Last semester, I finally heard the hypocrisy in my answer. Although I repeatedly urged my class to join the Public Relations Student Society of America, as most of them were interested in PR careers, I had yet to join the Society of Professional Journalists.
Oops.
When I was in grad school, I used the same excuse my students employ now: I’m broke. I can’t afford it. That probably wasn’t true a decade ago (student membership is only $37.50!), and it certainly isn’t true now. So I spent time looking through the benefits listed on spj.org, emailed with Alabama Pro chapter folks and finally plunked down my $75 for a professional membership in October.
And it’s already paid off. The weekly emails are genuinely informative. I haven’t yet received any assignments based on the organization’s freelance directory, but I quickly submitted my information. I dogeared page after page of my first issue of the quarterly magazine, Quill.
Then I received an email announcing SPJ JournCamp in Nashville. The one-day workshop ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., included two meals and three sessions–and was only $35 for members. I deliberated for about half an hour before I realized I was being silly. I needed to go to this.
So Friday morning, I drove to Nashville. I’ve recently realized the value of bumping brains with other writers without having an agenda in place–a lesson I spoke of during a creative-writing class at Mountain Brook Junior High School that very morning. And so I was nearly as eager to spend time with my friend Trisha, managing editor of BookPage, and Nashville Lifestyle’s managing editor Erin Byers Murray as I was to attend the conference itself. That evening, I texted my boyfriend to tell him I was having a very, very good day and had lots to tell him. I went to be energized by conversations with writers and editors whose passions overlap with mine.
That adrenaline level spiked during Lane DeGregory’s two-hour narrative storytelling session on Saturday morning. Within minutes of the session’s start, I wrote “I love her” on a notepad and slid it to my friend Marty. Unlike some of the other folks in the room, I wasn’t previously familiar with Lane’s work. She won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, and her work is apparently now taught in journalism classes. (In my defense, I graduated well before she won!) But I was quickly bowled over by her insight. Lane’s talk was both affirming and inspiring; it was filled with “me too” moments, as well as practical advice for building my storytelling skills. I was nearly brought to tears as she told stories that reinforced the tips she offered.
Afterward, I joined a line of conference attendees waiting to speak to Lane. When I reached the front, I said, “At the risk of being too human, can I give you a hug?” She pulled me in for a bear hug and said, “There’s no such thing as being too human.” (During the session, Lane said she will tell sources anything about herself except her opinion. That was a light bulb moment for me; I’ve always believed I’m a human before I’m a journalist, and therefore I shouldn’t check my personality or conversational ability at the door. But I’ve struggled with where to draw the line between being myself and doing my job.)
So why did I join SPJ? To practice what I preach. I always tell students to ask people they admire for advice or insight into their careers, and one session of a one-day workshop reminded me how encouraging the results can be.
I’ve published 542 posts on this blog over the course of 10-and-a-half years (this entry will make No. 543). That’s a lot of creative output, especially for a hobby, and I’ve long wished for an aesthetically pleasing way to capture those words in print. Years ago, I kept a running Word Document with those entries, and I periodically printed and clipped them into a three-ring binder. That worked OK, but it wasn’t precisely what I was after.
Last month I learned my daydreams could be fulfilled by the Espresso Book Machine. I received a press release announcing that a local Books-A-Million would install an EBM, which allows for on-demand printing of a variety of books as well as self-publishing options. My interest was piqued, and after I told her I wanted an excuse to use the machine, the publicist for the launch party suggested I print a copy of my blog.
Genius!
Today, that dream became reality. I spent about an hour at the bookstore, working with the technician to ensure that my PDFs met specifications and then watching my book being printed. It was a remarkably simple process, although I must confess I had a few advantages. One, I work in publishing, and so I was already familiar with the process of setting up a PDF. Two, my sister is a photographer and was willing to design the cover for me. (I promise you, it wouldn’t look nearly as professional if I’d taken the project into my own hands!)
I spent a week fussing over the pages, determining which entries to include and which to leave out. (Ultimately, I went for a near-completionist approach. I omitted a few password-protected entries for which I no longer recall the password and a few memes.) I decided to use the font this blog theme utilizes, and then I decided which photos to leave in and which to delete. I wrote an about-the-author blurb (awkward!) and told Cheryl what I hoped to have on the cover. And then I dumped my files onto a USB drive and took them to Books-A-Million.
The final project cost about $39–$20 for the set up and $16 for the printing, plus sales tax. I decided to make this a one-time-only run; while I was eager to hold my blog in printed form, I have no interest in distributing it to others.
And I’ve got to say, it was worth it. I giggled with delight when the book came off the press, and I’ll be working on excuses to use this device again.
The cover being printed
My front cover. My sister snuck up on me in New York City’s Strand while I was doing what I do best–browsing shelves of books.
By Amos Paul Kennedy, kennedyprints.com. Note that this piece has nothing to do with the Art Speaks series, save for its civil rights relevance. I just happen to have it in my house and I like it.
The act of creating art is often romanticized. People speak of waiting for the muse to visit or being moved to create. But when you make a vocation of your avocation, that luxury is gone. As a professional writer, I rarely have time to linger over an assignment. Yes, I try to prepare in advance and allow plenty of time to deal with lack of inspiration, blocks and fact checking. But a deadline’s a deadline, and I know I can’t wait around for luck to light on me.
So it’s a special treat when I am able to spend nearly nine months, from conception to arrival, on a story. I first learned about “Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project” on Dec. 14. The Birmingham Museum of Art photography exhibit, which opens Sept. 8, depicts children the age of those who died in racially motivated violence on Sept. 15, 1963, alongside adults who are the age those children would be today, had they lived. The subjects of these portraits and the locations in which they were photographed are all from Birmingham, which was of course at the heart of the civil rights movement. As soon as I read about this project, I contacted the museum’s communications director and began brainstorming the best way to cover the exhibit.
That exhibit is one of three, plus a performance, that comprise the museum’s Art Speaks series. After nine months of brainstorming, researching, interviewing and writing, my story about the series is in the September issue of Birmingham magazine. While I don’t get to spend this kind of time on every assignment, this is precisely the work I love. I was able to dig in deep to get a thorough understanding of the story, and in turn I got to write about an important moment in my community.
Birmingham of the 1950s and early ’60s truly was black and white. Neighborhoods, schools, lunch counters and water fountains were segregated. The Lyric Theatre saw integrated audiences, but black people were relegated to balcony seating. And at the Birmingham Museum of Art, blacks were allowed through the institution’s doors once a week on Negro Day.
That division was abolished in June 1963, when Birmingham removed segregation ordinances. And in the 50 years since, BMA and other institutions have wrestled with questions of how to be more inclusive with regard to who walks through their doors and what they see once inside.
Those concerns have taken center stage during 2013, the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement. BMA’s three-exhibit series “Art Speaks: 50 Years Forward” is certainly not the museum’s first effort toward that end. But the lineup, which includes performances, multimedia and contemporary art exhibits, is an attempt not only to remember, but to encourage the community’s advancement.
Read more “Art Speaks,” and pick up the September issue of Birmingham magazine for the story and images in all their glory.
The subject line comes from the song “Come On and Move Me” by Monarchs (now simply known as Celeste).
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AL.com’s Red Clay Readers, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Literary Arts, is a book club designed to take a fresh look at a southern classic with the help of our readers. Today, Birmingham magazine Managing Editor Carla Jean Whitley takes a look at Chapters 27 and 28 of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Click here to get 20 percent off your copy of the book at Books a Million.
We’ve all spotted them: the people who slip out of a worship service immediately after—or sometimes, even before—its conclusion. Preston Graham, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) in New Haven CT, approached some such folks to find out why. They didn’t feel like they belonged, he learned. In a church built around the Yale University community and led by a pastor with a degree from that institution, less educated and affluent residents didn’t think they fit in.
In Vintage, author and secondhand store enthusiast Susan Gloss weaves together the lives of three very different women in a story filled with humor and heart.
In the latest novel by accomplished author Jean Hanff Korelitz (Admission, A Jury of Her Peers), which shares the title of its main character’s book, relationship challenges raise questions of how often we really know what’s best, whether living the life we’ve envisioned necessarily means we’re living it right, and how we overlook our instinctive responses to the people we meet. Read more “You Should Have Known: Take your own medicine” at bookpage.com.
Had she caught me in the act, my roommate would have wondered why the heck I was sitting on the kitchen floor, the contents of our pantry strewn about me as I bent over my laptop computer. I’m a bit obsessive and certainly a list maker, but cataloging every spice and vegetable in the house was taking my organizing tendencies to a new level.
