Managing Editor Amber Helsel is a Gemini, feminist, writer, artist and otaku. She loves travelling, petting cats, hoarding craft supplies and more. Email story ideas to amber@jacksonfreepress.com. She attended Hinds Community College and the University of Mississippi.
Recent Commentary
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Doing Good Things in JXN
In a 2008 study, researchers at Harvard University found that doing good deeds raises a person's level of happiness. Other studies have shown that happiness can create a positive feedback ...
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: One Person, One City in Jackson
Community is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and it's something we should all put more emphasis on. After all, if you look at it from the universe's perspective, ...
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: 'Tis the Season for Kindness
I will be the first to admit that "make America kind again" is a super hokey phrase, but it's a good reminder, and also so necessary right now when we're ...
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Making the Most of Jackson
If you look at a photo of downtown Jackson from 50 years ago, the neighborhood today is very different. Many of the businesses that used to be there are now ...
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Pride, from Detroit to Jackson
Jackson needs people who are willing to do the hard work—to attend city council meetings to see what's happening, to push back when the city's government isn't sticking to their ...
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Move ... Because Your Life Depends On It
Running is an intense exercise, so while it may be amazing for some people, it may be tough for others. But find a thing you can do, and do it.
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Midterm Madness Comes to Mississippi
Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd and Publisher Todd Stauffer started Best of Jackson almost 16 years ago to uplift the city because back then it was in a bad place, much worse ...
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jackson, Get Your Community Together
Sure, if you come from a bigger city, there may be less to do here in Jackson, but you have many options, even if it's just going to the Mississippi ...
Art
EDITOR'S NOTE: Simple Ideas for Effecting Change
A study from the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association shows that 45 minutes of visual art-making can lower stress levels in adults, and other studies show that for ...
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: All Those Crazy Jackson Ideas
When Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White first moved to Jackson in 1979, he said it was a fairly straight-laced city where people went to work, church, school and ...
Recent Stories
Art
Metaphor in the Mississippi River
The Great Flood of 1927 affected many cities in Mississippi, including Greenville, the setting of New Stage Theatre's production of Marcus Gardley's "Hell in High Water."
Fly
Ring in the Jackson New Year
2018 has flown by fast, and 2019 is fast approaching. Celebrate the new year with these events from local businesses, restaurants and people.
Food
New York-Style Deli to Open in Jackson
In crafting the menu for Ariella's NY Delicatessen, Alivia Ashburn-Townsend developed deli staples such as the frankfurter with sauerkraut, along with Italian items she thought would complement the restaurant's theme.
Person of the Day
Lisa Potts
While working with Teach for America from 2011 to 2013, current Woodward Hines Education Foundation Communications and Impact Coordinator Lisa Potts says she saw a lot of needs among the ...
Food
Season’s Eatings
The Jackson metro area has plenty of food options for the holidays, with many restaurants serving specialty items and offering take-home meals.
Fly
Gifting Local Joy
Christmas is coming up soon! Do you have all your shopping done? Here are some handmade and local ideas.
Business
Cultivating the Technology Sprout
If you have ever used the camera search tool on the Amazon app, you can, in part, thank the team behind Partpic, including Jackson native Nashlie Sephus, the owner of ...
City & County
Sweets & Succulents
The first thing people might see when they walk into The Prickly Hippie is not the titular "prickly" cacti, but instead a bevy of soft sweets in the dessert case.
Art
Mississippi-Made Holiday
Need ideas for gifts for loved ones this season? Check out our gift guide full of Mississippi-made items.
