The Summer of ‘64
The 1960's remains pivotal in Mississippi's bloody road to ethnic equality. Had it not been for a group of college students and a handful of volunteer organizations, though, Mississippi's leap …
Things we don't know
The Civil War can be a tumultuous topic. Perhaps because it's the source of anguish for some and shame for others, southerners often avoid talking about it at all. The …
Fairytales and Folk Art
A few miles north of Vicksburg on Highway 61 stands a maze of white, red and yellow cinder block towers and hand-painted signs with biblical messages. On top of an …
No Rough Edges
"One Came Home," the first feature film from Rolling Fork native Willy Bearden, is about an idyllic rural community in Mississippi called Magnolia, where all the mamas are nice, all …
Small Town, Big Mystery
Critics have hailed Tom Franklin's latest novel, "Crooked Letter Crooked Letter" (William Morrow, 2010, $24), as his best and most accessible work to date.
One Man's Journey
Bruce Machart's debut novel "The Wake of Forgiveness" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, $26) is a journey down a path of loss and pain, into the emergence of hope and peace.
Rivaling Slavery
Most dystopian novels are cautionary tales. Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" (The New Press, 2010, $27.95) reads like a dystopian novel, but …
Art
Fall Arts Preview 2010
Four times a year, the Jackson Free Press presents an arts and events preview issue packed with listings of what is happening over the next three months in and near …
Change is Here
Change is a good thing, but it can be a hard thing to do. When you are stuck feeling like you are spinning your wheels, then it is time to …
Time to Make a Change
If you know only one thing about Buddhism, it probably has something to do with peace or Zen, and that's perfect. If you know a lot about Buddhism, that's perfect. …
The Art of Reading
Despite oil spills, crazy politicians, unemployment and a host of other bad news, this year has been a good one for books on one of my favorite subjects: art. In …
Fletcher Cox Negotiates with Nature
Fletcher Cox is finishing a pair of doors when I visit his shop on a rainy Wednesday. They're the last in a set of 13 pairs that he's been commissioned …
Coast Snapshots
The end of August marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Coast residents have built new houses and rebuilt businesses and other structures, and, though Mississippi's Gulf Coast looks different …
Southbound, Upward Bound
Southbound may be a new band name, but its members--who hail from Jackson, Philadelphia, Sebastapol and Union--are seasoned musicians who've played all over Jackson, Nashville and everywhere in between for …
