Memphis Flyer 1/19/2023

Exceptional Women in Medicine

SHARA CLARK Editor

SAMUEL X. CICCI

Managing Editor

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There has been a lot of talk about eggs lately. I can’t tell you how many egg memes I’ve seen, with people attempting to make light of pocketbook pangs from purchasing this kitchen staple. Friends out west are paying more than $7 a dozen, and down south I’m hearing reports of 18-packs costing around $11. So what’s the deal? I did some digging to try and help crack the case (yes, I went there) on egg prices.

I needed to pick up a few things, eggs included, so I stopped at the nearest Superlo last Monday. The shelves were much more bare than usual, with none of the fancy cage-free/ organic options available at all. A few stacks of Best Choice regular ol’ eggs were on offer, ranging from about $3.99 to $5.99, depending on size and color (don’t ask why brown eggs are higher — or why some eggs are brown to begin with; those are questions to explore another day). So, okay, something is going on here — but what?

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) listed the December 2022 national average for a dozen eggs at $4.25. For comparison, that number was $3.59 the previous month, and $1.79 a year ago. On January 12th, the DOL released its current Consumer Price Index, showing increases and decreases (mostly the former, sadly) in various spending categories.

According to the release, “The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 1.0 percent in December [from November], as the index for eggs rose 11.1 percent.” A closer look at the report shows that items in the “food at home” category rose 11.8 percent from December 2021 to December 2022. Under that umbrella, several groupings saw significant year-over-year increases — cereals and bakery products (16.1 percent); meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (7.7 percent); and dairy and related products (15.1 percent) among them. Ouch.

Alright, we know inflation has hit a number of industries, but what else? One major factor is the 2022 avian flu outbreak, which to date has affected nearly 60 million chickens in 47 states, exceeding the 50.5 million birds in 21 states that were affected by the 2015 outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that caused egg prices to soar to a then-record-high of $2.96/dozen in September of that year. The CDC data shows that from September to December 2022, more than 150,000 chickens were affected in Tennessee facilities alone.

In an email response, Dale Barnett, executive director of the Tennessee Poultry Association, says that beyond the effects of bird flu, inflation, and “lingering supply chain challenges due to Covid,” there’s another component: “The exorbitant costs associated with the ongoing conversion to cage-free egg production systems (to meet the near-future goals and requirements of an increasing number of major grocers and restaurant chains) has been substantial.”

Barnett directed me to an editorial by Terrence O’Keefe in Egg Industry magazine for further clarification. O’Keefe writes that “10 U.S. states have passed legislation mandating sales of cage-free eggs, either now or at some future date.” Tennessee is not included among them at present. He continues, “The two largest grocers in the U.S., Walmart and Kroger, each backed away from prior 100 percent cage-free egg purchase pledges in the summer of 2022. This means cage-produced eggs will be available at retail in many U.S. states for several years. … Who an egg producer sells to and what states the customer does business in will determine whether a farm will go cage-free or keep its cages.”

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4

POLITICS - 8

AT LARGE - 10

COVER STORY

“EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN IN MEDICINE”

BY FLYER STAFF - 12

WE RECOMMEND - 18

MUSIC - 19

AFTER DARK - 20 CALENDAR - 21

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 22 BOOKS - 24 FOOD - 25

NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26 ASTROLOGY - 27 TV - 28

CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent Egg Markets Overview states that current cage-free commitments require “66.7 billion cage-free eggs per year to meet 100 percent of needs from an approximate cage-free flock of 221.4 million hens … indicating a shortage of 133.4 million hens.”

As you can see, there’s much ado in the egg world (way more than I’ve been able to lay — heh — out here). There’s no clear timeline for when we’ll see things balance out, but one thing’s for sure: If the chicken comes before the egg, we’re going to need a lot more chickens.

Shara Clark shara@memphisflyer.com

NEKO CASE

FEBRUARY 4

Honey-voiced alt-country chanteuse who matured into a thoughtful, stylistically adventurous indie pop singer/songwriter.

— ALLMUSIC

FEBRUARY 9

A unique voice supported by an intelligence and full- edged musicality, which light up every note she sings. —Jessye Norman

THE fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

LISA MARIE

{CITY REPORTER

By Kailynn Johnson

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

Lisa Marie Presley passed away last week. She was 54. Fans poured out sympathy for the Presley family online and celebrated Lisa Marie’s life.

“She was the most passionate, strong, and loving woman I have ever known,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement.

Panic Button

Cell 411 app allows community response to emergencies.

Memphis community organizer Keedran Franklin is urging people to use the app Cell 411 to improve safety e orts in the city.

According to Cell 411, the app can “alert your friends, neighbors, and even emergency service providers when you are in danger, experiencing medical distress, or just need assistance.” e app was created by activists, and users can report acts of police brutality, illegal searches, and more.

e user’s location and alerts can only be seen by people that they speci cally allow.

“She was very loving 2 me,” tweeted Billy Idol. “In Memphis in the [’90s] she gave me a viewing of the private sections of Graceland which was very special.”

“So sad to hear of Lisa Marie’s passing,” tweeted Julian Lennon. “She was so lovely when I met her. My heart goes out to Priscilla. I’m so sorry.”

“Rest in peace, beautiful Lisa Marie,” tweeted Yoko Ono. “Our love and deepest condolences go out to Priscilla, Riley, Finley, and Harper and all the Presley family — our hearts are with you. love, yoko.”

“ ere is not enough love to share for Lisa Marie,” tweeted Kid Rock. “Please pray for her, her children, and family. Only god knows why.”

Franklin is encouraging people to download the app and create their own “cells,” which are groups of friends, neighbors, and family that can be alerted at any time. He also encourages people to create their own safety modules.

e app was created by activists, and users can report acts of police brutality, illegal searches, and more.

As a “walking and professional organizer,” Franklin said that once he recognizes a problem, he sets out to make solutions. He said it is his civic duty to do things for other people.

“ ere are only 1,900 police o cers here in the city of Memphis,” said Franklin. “ ey can’t be everywhere and serve everyone in time. is app will allow Memphians to connect to one another instantaneously by the click of a panic button.”

e panic button is a feature on the app that will send noti cations to people within a 10-mile radius of the location of the incident. It can also provide a live video feed.

Franklin said that with public safety being an issue in the city, he believed there needed to be some formality for citizens to help protect themselves.

e app, according to Franklin, is a call-and-response app. Users do not have to worry about picking up the phone and dialing a number.

“I can just press a button, and I can have eyes on me at any time,” said Franklin.

According to Franklin, the app is similar to Facebook without statuses. He said that the app is strictly about communicating to people like family, friends, and coworkers.

“It has my map on there. ere’s a ring that has di erent options of con ict. Some may say a panic button, or ‘I am being harassed,’ or ‘I’m being pulled over by the police,’” said Franklin.

e app o ers di erent options for users; however, Franklin said that having instant access for people to see exactly what’s going on in the present moment is important. He said this app can be useful to people such as sex workers and women.

“ ere are a lot of women coming up missing, and some are being found dead and some are just still missing. At the point of something happening, you can hit a button, and people can have instant access to where they are, what’s going on, [and] video of what’s going on. It’s one of those free owing apps that we can use however we want to.”

As a native Memphian, Franklin said he has worked to nd a solution to Memphis’ crime problem for years.

“I’m an organizer. I like socioeconomic issues. I’m in street orgs myself, so I’m tuned in to the streets just as much as I’m tuned in to public safety and local politics and national politics. I also organize around the country for an organization called Black Men Build.”

“There are only 1,900 police officers here in the city of Memphis. They can’t be everywhere and serve everyone in time.”

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY ELVIS PRESLEY’S GRACELAND

POSTED TO TWITTER BY BILLY IDOL

PHOTO: CELL 411

{CITY REPORTER

By Toby Sells

The Year in Hate

Hate crimes in Tennessee continued to rise in 2021.

Tennessee hate crimes rose in 2021 — the most recent year recorded — for the second year in a row, according to new state and federal data.

State data show 133 hate crimes recorded in 2021, higher than the 122 recorded in 2020 and the 112 in 2019. Most hate crimes in Tennessee in 2021 were based on race and ethnicity (62). Most of these (46) were against Black people. Twenty crimes were against whites. However, TBI data show that most hate-crime victims (67) were white, followed by Black victims (34).

e next most a ected group was the LGBTQ+ community with 13 crimes reported. Most of Tennessee’s hate crime victims (29) were between 35 and 44 years of age.

Tennessee hate crimes mostly happened in homes or residences (55), but they also happened in commercial spaces (27), schools (20), government buildings (8), public transportation (26), roads and alleys (17), parking lots or garages (9), and recreational spaces (6).

Most of these crimes were simple assaults (133). In them, o enders used their hands, sts, feet, arms, and teeth (30). ey also used “dangerous weapons” (15); rearms (6); motor vehicles (3); asphyxiation by strangulation, gas, or drowning (1); and re or explosives (1). In 17 cases the weapon was unknown.

destruction of property, one robbery, and one simple assault. Six o enders were Black and three were white.

e Shelby County Sheri ’s O ce (SCSO) recorded four hate crimes in 2021. ree of those were anti-Black, one was anti-white, all of them simple assaults. Two happened in schools, one in a restaurant, and the other in an unknown location. All four o enders were Black, according to the data, and one victim was a law enforcement o cer.

Germantown Police Department recorded one hate crime, an anti-Asian simple assault by a white person that happened in a restaurant. Millington Police Department recorded one anti-LGBTQ+ simple assault by a Black person happening in a restaurant.

Bartlett Police Department recorded

In Tennessee, most hate crime cases are not solved. In 2021, 40 hate crime cases were cleared with an arrest. However, 83 cases were not cleared. In other cases, prosecution was declined or the victim refuse to cooperate.

e Memphis Police Department recorded six hate-crime incidents in 2021, according to the FBI data. ree of these were anti-Black, two were anti-Hispanic or Latino, and one was anti-LGBTQ+. In them, there were six counts of intimidation, one aggravated assault, one case of

two hate crimes in 2021, one anti-Black, the other anti-white. One happened in a home, the other in a medical setting like a doctor’s o ce, drug store, or hospital.

Of the suburban cities that reported such data to the FBI, Collierville had the most in 2021. Two of them were anti-Black, one was anti-LGBTQ, and another was anti-Protestant. e victims were three individuals and one religious organization.

e University of Memphis reported zero hate crimes to the FBI. So did the state park rangers at Meeman-Shelby State Forest, law enforcement at Memphis International Airport, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Neither Lakeland nor Arlington reported data to the FBI.

However, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said national reporting of the data is “consistently inconsistent,” noting that the 2021 report is “drastically incomplete,” making comparison between previous years “almost meaningless.”

Most hate crimes in Tennessee in 2021 were based on race and ethnicity.

PHOTO: JASON LEUNG | UNSPLASH Most hate crimes here are not cleared with an arrest.

Enroll Your Child in Pre-K

Pre-K will help give your child the basic skills they will need later in school. Plus some programs provide extra support, like devices, for home learning. And, depending on your income, it’s all free.

To enroll your child in Pre-K, visit: PrekMemphis.com

High-quality early childhood programs benefit the whole community. First 8 Memphis coordinates services for kids birth through third grade.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

And From the GOP…

Some weeks ago in a year-end article in the Flyer we speculated on the unlikelihood of there being a white Republican candidate for Memphis mayor. At the time a few names in that category had been oated — those of former Sheri and County Mayor Mark Luttrell and City Councilman Frank Colvett prominent among them.

As of this writing, there is little reason to believe that either one of those personages will become a candidate, but a new name has surfaced — that of John Bobango, who served a term on the Memphis City Council and is well-known as a lawyer of some eminence and as a donor and broker of numerous successful political campaigns on the part of others.

Bobango is known to have been making numerous phone calls of late, notifying friends and potential supporters of his potential availability to make a mayoral race. And, given his own past and current immersion in the political sphere, he has to be taken seriously as a possible entrant.

Should he become a candidate, Bobango’s name would not be as fresh with Memphis voters as either of the aforementioned names. His term of active political service ended in 2001; whereas, Luttrell’s term as county mayor was as recent as 2018, and Colvett is still serving on the council, having served a term as its chair.

What Bobango has in spades is nancial resourcefulness, stemming from his own hugely successful career as a lawyer and investor, and from his presumed high potential to raise additional money from his extensive network of associates.

What he lacks, like all other potential white candidates, is membership in the city’s demographic majority. In theory, American politics is color-blind. In actuality, it is not, given the clear tendency of voters, in Memphis as elsewhere, to vote within

the con nes of their own ethnic connections.

e chances of any white mayoral candidate would be problematic. A white Republican like Bobango would face another disadvantage, that of belonging to a political party that clearly has minority status locally.

It is obviously meaningful that, in last year’s Shelby County election, Democrats prevailed so totally that not a single Republican was able to win a countywide race. And the Democratic base of Memphis is proportionally even larger — a fact that is relevant even in what will be a technically nonpartisan city election.

To be sure, a white candidate in this year’s mayoral race would be running against several African-American candidates and in theory would bene t from a voter-base split among them.

e current incumbent mayor, Jim Strickland, undoubtedly bene ted from such a split in his initial 2015 victory, and, to go with his identity as a Democrat, he had the kind of support from the city’s Republican voters that Bobango would hope to have.

But Strickland, at the time, was an active o ce-holder on the city council, and his mayoral ambitions had been known for years.

Bobango’s active service in o ce was a generation ago.

But he was a factor in the city’s politics then, and, should he run, it would be instructive to see what he can make of the long-odds challenge that would confront him.

• Meanwhile, stop the presses! Another Republican, this one an African American, is apparently ready to join a mayoral eld that is already rife with entries. is would be former County Commissioner James Harvey, who changed party a liations some years back and has long meditated on a mayoral race, whether of the county or the city kind.

Harvey has sent out a notice under the letterhead “James Harvey - Mayor 2023” announcing a “Call to Action Campaign Meeting” scheduled for Friday evening of this week at the Southwind country club.

PHOTO: COURTESY FARRIS BOBANGO John Bobango

Does a Republican candidate have a chance in the (theoretically) nonpartisan mayor’s race?

Of Wanda and Wallabies

So, what do beleaguered County Clerk Wanda Halbert and a wallaby have in common? Well, one of them was found wandering around near Lick Creek in Overton Park last April a er having escaped the ooded Memphis Kanga Zoo. e other was seldom to be found, as her o ce struggled mightily for months to get new Tennessee license plates to Memphis drivers. ey have in common the fact that both of their stories were among the Top 10 viewed in 2022 on memphis yer.com.

It’s an odd list, sort of representative of the year past, but also representative of just how easily some o eat stories can go viral, well, just because. It can be a matter of lucky timing, or maybe a national website picks up a story, or maybe it just gets a lucky tweet from a celebrity.

Consider the human-interest story that Flyer Grizzlies writer Sharon Brown posted in May. She’d spent weeks trying to get an interview with star guard Ja Morant’s mother, Jamie Morant. When Brown nally got the go-ahead, she struck gold. Morant was forthcoming and frank and opened up about her own childhood and how she taught Ja to respect women. Here’s one exchange from the story:

Brown: Ja once said that you are his best friend and that you taught him to celebrate women every day, that he carries with him in his treatment of his sister, his daughter, and other women. Why was it important to you to teach that to him?

Jamie Morant: Treating everyone with respect is important, but as a man you should treat women with the utmost respect. I mean, you came from a woman, right? We see enough of the opposite in the world and I wanted more for my son.

anks to a few retweets from national writers and in uencers, Brown’s insightful story became the Flyer’s most-read piece online in 2022.

Right behind that story was a clear example of how serendipity can shape readership — and not in a heart-warming way. Arguably, one of the darkest days in Memphis last year occurred in

early September, when a young woman named Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped and murdered while on an early morning jog near the University of Memphis. A man named Cleotha Abston was soon charged with the crime, as we reported at the time. But strangely, it was not Abston’s rst appearance in the Flyer, as googlers from all over soon discovered.

In a story from 2001, former Flyer reporter John Branston recounted the troubling tale of Memphis lawyer Kemper Durand. Here’s an excerpt: “Durand was walking to his car around 2 a.m. on May 25, 2000, a er attending a party on Beale Street when a lone gunman walked up behind him, took his wallet, and forced him into the trunk. e abductor, Cleotha Abston, drove around and picked up friends then, a er about two hours, escorted Durand into a Mapco station to withdraw money from an ATM. A uniformed Memphis Housing Authority o cer entered, Durand yelled that he had been kidnapped, and the kidnappers ran away.”

So, it turned out that 22 years before he kidnapped and killed Eliza Fletcher, Abston had kidnapped someone else. No one had publicly made this connection until we noticed Branston’s story getting a lot of web tra c later in September. Abston pled guilty in 2001 and served nearly 20 years before being released — with disastrous and tragic results.

Also scoring in the Top 10 was Toby Sells’ story about a controversial, Democrat-hating preacher from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, named Greg Locke. Sample quote: “If you vote Democrat, I don’t even want you around this church,” Locke said in a sermon. “You can get out. You can get out, you demon. You can get out, you baby-butchering, election thief.” Yeah, so, he’s a lot like Jesus, and our readers gobbled it up.

Rounding out our top stories of 2022 were a couple that you might have expected to get a lot of tra c: a column (with pictures) that I wrote about exploring the Mississippi River bottom at its all-time low, and another photo feature in which Flyer lm editor Chris McCoy posted a bunch of amazing shots of the same phenomenon. Sometimes the bottom can rise to the top, I guess.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAMIE MORANT

Jamie and Kaari Morant

Some o eat stories that caught our attention last year.

AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

ith over 30 years’ experience researching, reviewing, and selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and credible healthcare research and information company. Our mission is to help people nd the best healthcare by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare providers.

Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels. Its online nomination process is open to all licensed physicians in America who are able to nominate physicians in any medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well as indicate whether the nominated physician(s) is, in their opinion, among the best in their region in their medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their medical specialty. en, Castle Connolly’s research team thoroughly vets each physician’s professional quali cations, education, hospital and faculty appointments, research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary history, and, if available, outcomes data. Additionally, a physician’s interpersonal

skills such as listening and communicating e ectively, demonstrating empathy, and instilling trust and con dence, are also considered in the review process. e Castle Connolly Doctor Directory is the largest network of peer-nominated physicians in the nation.

rough the nomination process, Castle Connolly also identi es female physicians for their annual Exceptional Women in Medicine award. is award was created by Castle Connolly in order to recognize female physicians who are o en underrepresented among award recipients in the medical community.

Physicians selected to be recognized for this honor are a subset of the female Top Doctors on their website who are the best in their specialties, in their communities, and throughout the nation, delivering exceptional patient care. is award not only recognizes physicians who have greatly contributed to healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education, and leadership, but they have also improved healthcare outcomes for issues speci c to women. Physicians do not pay and cannot pay to be selected and pro led for Exceptional Women in Medicine award.

hen an apple a day doesn’t cut it, a professional medical opinion is likely in order. Luckily, Memphis and the Mid-South contain an abundance of clinics and hospitals that strive to keep everyone in tip-top shape and stay on the cutting edge of medical research.

Within these hallowed medical halls are women who have dedicated their lives’ work to improving healthcare

conditions for their patients, no matter the ailment or stage of life.

Exceptional Women in Medicine W W

Let this year’s list of Exceptional Women in Medicine be your primary resource while seeking a doctor, whether it’s for a stomach ache or a sprained ankle. Every specialist on this list has been chosen by their peers as one of the best in their eld. Whether it’s allergies, dermatology, pediatric cardiology, or nephrology, the doctors on the list are prepared to help.

ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY

Nora Daher

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Daher Asthma and Allergy Clinic

2136 Exeter Road

Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 203-6055

Christie F. Michael

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Jennifer S. Morrow

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Stern Cardiovascular 8060 Wolf River Boulevard Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 271-1000

Maureen A. Smithers

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Saint Francis Hospital Bartlett Sutherland Cardiology Clinic 7460 Wolf River Boulevard Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 763-0200

PHOTO: KURHAN | DREAMSTIME.COM

Neeraja Yedlapati

Methodist University Hospital - Memphis

UT Methodist Physicians Cardiology

Stern Cardiovascular 8060 Wolf River Boulevard

Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 271-1000

CHILD NEUROLOGY

Tanjala T. Gipson

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital 848 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (866) 870-5570

Amy L. McGregor

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

848 Adams Avenue, Suite L400 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

Robin L. Morgan

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center

848 Adams Avenue, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

Namrata S. Shah

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

Neurology Clinic 848 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

CLINICAL GENETICS

Jewell C. Ward

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Methodist University HospitalMemphis

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists 51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

DERMATOLOGY

F. Gwen Beard

Memphis Dermatology Clinic

1455 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 726-6655

Luella G. Churchwell

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Dermatology East 1335 Cordova Cove Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 753-2794

Robin H. Friedman-Musicante

Memphis Dermatology Clinic

1455 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 726-6655

Frances K. Lawhead

Memphis Dermatology Clinic

1455 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 726-6655

Purvisha J. Patel

Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Associates

7658 Poplar Pike Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 759-2322

Dr. Heather Pearson Chauhan

Whether it was an embarrassing lm shown in middle school health class or the notorious e Care and Keeping of You: e Body Book for Girls from American Girl, many women can target some sort of “how-to” guide as their formal introduction to puberty. However, Dr. Heather Pearson Chauhan began talking to women who were in their late 30s to early- and mid-50s and felt like there wasn’t the same amount of resources for how their bodies change during that period of their life.

“ e only two things that happen to you, if you are born with female anatomy, are puberty and menopause,” says Chauhan. “ ere’s not, like, a video that everybody gets at age 40 that says, ‘Here’s what might happen over the next decade of your life.’ So we don’t get a lot of great educational resources or information about what’s coming.”

According to Chauhan, there has recently been a lot more attention toward women in menopause and perimenopause, and on recognizing this as an area that’s lacking in research. Chauhan also says there is a lack of data, which, if available, could help women age well.

Malika Tuli

Mid-South Dermatology 6644 Summer Knoll Circle Bartlett, TN 38134 (901) 372-4545

DEVELOPMENTAL-BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS

Toni M. Whitaker

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists 51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Sue C. Kaste

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Department of Diagnostic Imaging 262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 220 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 595-3347

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES, & METABOLISM

Lisa M. Myers

Endocrinology and Diabetes Specialists

1920 Kirby Parkway, Suite 102 Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 334-5464

“Historically, we [women] haven’t been designed to live to be 90. And now we are living to 90. Menopause, in many women, is at least a third of your life. In some women it’s more than that. It’s a big chunk of time that we haven’t spent a great deal of e ort and energy trying to maximize the quality of it for women and addressing what their speci c concerns are … all these things that go into what makes you be a feel-

FAMILY MEDICINE

Ericka L. Gunn-Hill

Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis Jackson-Randle Family Healthcare 5142 Stage Road, Suite 100 Memphis, TN 38134 (901) 382-2040

Aparna K. Murti

Methodist University HospitalMemphis Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital Methodist Medical Group 2589 Appling Road, Suite 101 Bartlett, TN 38133 (901) 752-2300

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY

Linda M. Smiley

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis West Cancer Center 7945 Wolf River Boulevard Memphis, TN 38138 (901) 683-0055

HEMATOLOGY

Marquita N. Nelson

Regional One Health Sickle Cell Center 880 Madison Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 545-8535

ing, thinking, functioning human, and it’s not fair to a woman to say, ‘You’re just getting older.’ Many women have been told that for decades.”

When Chauhan rst started to open her practice, Exceed Hormone Specialists, located at 7512 Second Street in Germantown, she admits she didn’t know if there was enough demand for what she was aiming to do, but she knew she was passionate about the work. However, she says seeing the number of women with di erent types of concerns, looking for di erent resources and education about their bodies, has been rewarding.

“Each one of us, as an individual, when we have something going on with our health, it’s like a puzzle,” says Chauhan. “As the patient, you have all the pieces, but frequently you need someone to help get you organized into the right framework to put the pieces together.”

Chauhan says meeting new patients, feeling honored to hear their stories and experiences, and guring out what help she can o er in order to help the patient function better and have a better quality of life has made her work worthwhile. — Kailynn Johnson

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Shirin Mazumder

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

Methodist Medical Group - Infectious Disease

1325 Eastmoreland Avenue, Suite 370 Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 758-7888

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Joan Michelle Allmon

Aim Allmon Internal Medicine 526 Halle Park Drive Collierville, TN 38017 (901) 910-3246

Martha N. Taylor

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Methodist Medical Group 7690 Wolf River Circle Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 756-1231

Natascha S. Thompson

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis University of Tennessee Medical Center Baptist Medical Group - Internal Medicine 8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102 Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 227-7900

PHOTO: ALLISON RODGERS

Catherine R. Womack

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown

Hospital

UT Internal Medicine BMG

8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102 Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 227-7900

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Sylvia S. Richey

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Methodist University HospitalMemphis West Cancer Center 7945 Wolf River Boulevard Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 683-0055

Carmel S. Verrier

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis West Cancer Center 7945 Wolf River Boulevard Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 683-0055

NEPHROLOGY

Lynn Ebaugh

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Collierville

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City Memphis Kidney and Hypertension 7640 Wolf River Circle, Floor 2 Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 755-0208

NEUROLOGY

Violiza Inoa Acosta

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

Regional One Health

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Semmes Murphey Clinic 6325 Humphreys Boulevard Memphis, TN 38120 (901) 522-7700

Barbara Cape O’Brien

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Collierville Neurology Clinic

8000 Centerview Parkway, Suite 500 Cordova, TN 38018 (901) 747-1111

OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Lanetta Anderson

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women Women’s Physicians Group 681 South White Station Road, Suite 111 Memphis, TN 38117 (901) 273-1190

Heather Pearson Chauhan

Exceed Hormone Specialists 7512 Second Street Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 312-7899

Claudette J. Shephard

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Regional One Health Outpatient Center

880 Madison Avenue, Suite 3E01 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 515-3800

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Lauren C. Ditta

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

University Clinical Health Hamilton Eye Institute 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

Mary E. Hoehn

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital University Clinical Health Hamilton Eye Institute 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

Natalie C. Kerr

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital University Clinical Health Hamilton Eye Institute 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 287-7337

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Victoria L. Lim

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Collierville Shea Clinic

6133 Poplar Pike Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 761-9720

Courtney B. Shires

West Cancer Center 7945 Wolf River Boulevard Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 683-0055

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Karine Guerrier

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center

51 North Dunlap Street, 2nd Floor Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 870-5570

Nithya Swaminathan

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center

51 North Dunlap Street, 2nd Floor Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 870-5570

PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY

Teresa S. Wright

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Methodist University Hospital - Memphis

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

Alicia M. Diaz-Thomas

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

51 North Dunlap Street Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY

Margaret C. Hastings

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

Rima Zahr

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center

51 North Dunlap Street Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 870-5570

Dr. Courtney B. Shires

Her patients inspire her, and surely she inspires them.

Dr. Courtney Shires is an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) oncology surgeon at West Cancer Center & Research Institute. Patients present to the head and neck oncology team at West with cancers of the tongue, lips, throat, jaw, thyroid, voice box, skin, and neck.

ese types of cancers cannot be hidden, Shires said, as the patients have trouble swallowing, talking, and breathing. It’s their willingness to ght back that so inspires her.

Shires’ journey to medicine — and such specialized medicine — began years earlier in car rides from her childhood home in Jackson, Mississippi, to Memphis. She had several serious ear infections growing up, was hospitalized on multiple occasions with mastoiditis, and had several ear surgeries. So, even as a small child, “I wanted to be an otolaryngologist to help people like myself.”

With a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College, Shires earned her

doctor of medicine from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Her turn to otolaryngology came as a resident, intrigued by the surgeries and treatment options available for head and neck cancers.

at draw took her even deeper. An interest in robotic surgery for head and neck cancer took Shires to the Univer-

sity of Pennsylvania. ere, Dr. Gregory Weinstein and Dr. Bert O’Malley were pioneering the eld and she was “blessed” to train with them, especially learning techniques for skull base surgeries.

Shires has been succeeding in her eld in a time when the number of female otolaryngologists has lagged far behind that of male counterparts. Studies and surveys show that women comprise around 15 percent of the nearly 9,500 otolaryngologists practicing in the U.S. e American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery seeks to close the gap with its Women in Otolaryngology program.

Professionally, Shires continues to look to the future. She hopes the work with her colleagues at Emory University will produce immunotherapies that can slow the number of deforming, radical surgeries for cancer patients.

Her future, she said, is also at West Clinic, working with those patients that continue to inspire her. — Toby Sells

PHOTO: WEST CANCER CENTER & RESEARCH INSTITUTE

PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Rosemary Stocks

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center

51 North Dunlap Street, 1st floor Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 870-5570

PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY

Patricia J. Dubin

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists

51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

Tonia E. Gardner

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists 51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 4 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY

Linda K. Myers

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Rheumatology + Dermatology Associates, P.C. 8143 Walnut Grove Road Cordova, TN 38018 (901) 7530168

PEDIATRIC UROLOGY

Dana W. Giel

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists 51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 100 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

PEDIATRICS

Michelle Bowden

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Le Bonheur Outpatient Center 51 North Dunlap Street, 3rd Floor Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 870-5570

Janet D. Geiger

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

River City Pediatrics 6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 610 Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 761-1280

Elisha M. McCoy

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists 51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 287-7337

Dawn H. Scott

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Pediatric Consultants

51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 310 Memphis, TN 38105 (901) 523-2945

Ellen J. Stecker

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

River City Pediatrics 6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 610 Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 761-1280

PLASTIC SURGERY

Patricia L. Eby

Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis

Cosmetic Surgery Specialists of Memphis 6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 360 Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 752-1412

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

Jenny Tibbs

Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis Department of Radiation Oncology 5959 Park Avenue Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 765-2050

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY/INFERTILITY

Amelia Bailey

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Fertility Associates of Memphis 80 Humphreys Center, Suite 307 Memphis, TN 38120 (901) 747-2229

SURGERY

Alyssa D. Throckmorton

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Baptist Medical Group Memphis Breast Care 6215 Humphreys Boulevard, Suite 208 Memphis, TN 38120 (901) 227-8950

Lindi Hanna Vanderwalde

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital Baptist Medical Group Memphis Breast Care 6215 Humphreys Boulevard, Suite 208 Memphis, TN 38120 (901) 227-8950

Virginia Weaver

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

UTMP Weight Management and Wellness Center 57 Germantown Court, Suite 204 Cordova, TN 38018 (901) 758-7840

UROGYNECOLOGY/ FEMALE PELVIC MEDICINE & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

Val Y. Vogt

Methodist University HospitalMemphis

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

The Conrad Pearson Clinic 1325 Wolf Park Drive, Suite 102 Germantown, TN 38138 (901) 252-3400

Congratulations to ALL THE EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN IN MEDICINE.

For over 100 years, the Stern Cardiovascular Foundation has delivered on its mission of Excellence in Cardiovascular Medicine, Research, and Patient Care.

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Artificially Intelligent

We are all scared of the robots overtaking us. Is this a gross generalization? Of course. But if horror movies (*cough* M3GAN) have o ered us any insight into humankind, it’s that a lot of us are a little bit skeptical of what has been dubbed arti cial intelligence (AI) even though we use it every day, from opening our phones with facial recognition to asking Alexa to play our favorite jams. In most cases, you could even say we take AI for granted without truly understanding what it is or how it works. at’s what the Museum of Science & History is seeking to rectify, with two new exhibitions opening this week: “Arti cial Intelligence: Your Mind & the Machine” and “Web of Innovation: AI in Memphis.”

By Abigail Morici

MoSH explore AI.

e “Arti cial Intelligence” exhibition has traveled throughout the country and features interactive displays that will demonstrate, for instance, how a computer recognizes faces or how a self-driving vehicle navigates a street. “It really tries to explain how the human brain and how computers interact in the world, and how our brains and AI will work in the future,” says Raka Nandi, director of exhibits and collections. “Visitors will learn about the history of AI, what it is, what it isn’t. … AI is really the way in which we try to make machines behave and think like humans.”

To accompany the traveling exhibition, MoSH has also curated “Web of Innovation,” which highlights the use of AI technology among local entrepreneurs and researchers, such as those at the Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and even FedEx. “We tend to think that all of this is happening on the West Coast, but right here in Memphis there are innovators who are doing a lot of good stu that is making the city better,” Nandi says. “We’re hoping that the local component, as well as the traveling one, inspires young people to focus on career-connected learning and to really think about how AI is part of their daily world and also how it’ll be a big part of their life in the future.”

Nandi adds that the museum hopes people of all ages will see and enjoy the exhibit with all its interactives that make complex ideas much more accessible (and fun). Prior to working on these exhibitions, Nandi admits that even she didn’t know much about AI. “I think we all feel like we understand AI, but we don’t,” she says.

By the time visitors leave the exhibits, Nandi hopes that they will also consider philosophical questions that might be raised. “Machines are using complex mathematical equations to recognize things, to make decisions,” she says. “But it’s just that — it’s math. It’s not a moral code. It’s not societal cues; it’s not social cues. ose are all human ways of thinking that cannot be mimicked by a machine.”

“ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: YOUR MIND & THE MACHINE” AND “WEB OF INNOVATION: AI IN MEMPHIS,” MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY, SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 - MAY 6.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES January 19th - 25th

“Jet

Lag” Opening Reception

e Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Arts, Friday, January 20, 5-7 p.m.

e University of Memphis Department of Art in collaboration with UrbanArt Commission is pleased to present “Jet Lag,” an exhibition of works from 16 of the artists comprising the new art collection at the Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B.

e art collection spans a variety of media and includes a selection of purchased and commissioned works from emerging and established artists who represent an ever-evolving arts community that meaningfully contributes to the rich cultural fabric of this city.

e exhibition will remain on view until February 24th.

e Scottsboro Boys Playhouse on the Square, opens Friday, January 20, $30

Presented as a vaudeville-style variety show, e Scottsboro Boys is a retelling of the landmark trial of nine Black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train near Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. e trials and repeated retrials of the Scottsboro Boys sparked an international uproar and produced two landmark U.S. Supreme Court verdicts, even as the defendants were forced to spend years battling the courts and enduring the harsh conditions of the Alabama prison system.

Performances will run through February 19th, ursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Enjoy a special preview live performance broadcasting on WKNO-FM’s “Live Lunch,” Friday, January 20th, at noon.

Crosstown 10K/5K

Crosstown Concourse, Saturday, January 21, 8 a.m., $35-$45

e race begins at Crosstown Concourse and features a picturesque route through the neighborhoods around Overton Park and Rhodes College.

A erward, family and friends can enjoy the best post-race party in town, with food tastings from Church Health Kitchen, beer, entertainment, and more. All proceeds bene t Church Health!

e Prism Pages Writers’ Salon Cafe Brooks, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Wednesday, January 25th, 6-9 p.m.

Join hosts Moth Moth Moth and all her friends from Focus for a night of stories, poems, spells, and testimonials from the writers published through e Prism Pages

PHOTO: MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY Two new exhibits at

Remembering Gangsta Boo

il Wyte began listening to Gangsta Boo when she was in ree 6 Ma a. He was 12. “She had the hardest verses,” Wyte says. “About demonic, crazy, insane shit. I was scared. It intrigued me because it was such a talented female rapper that could be that cutthroat on the microphone.”

Adds Al Kapone: “Very few female rappers can hold their own with the male rappers.”

Boo was “as strong as her male counterparts, but she didn’t lose her femininity in the process. She was able to spar toe-to-toe with the male artists.”

Kapone and fellow rapper Wyte reminisced about Gangsta Boo, who died January 1st in Memphis.

Born in Whitehaven, “Gangsta Boo” was her stage name. Her real name was Lola Chantrelle Mitchell.

Wyte was hooked a er he heard Boo on “I Don’t Love ’Em” on Kingpin Skinny Pimp’s album, King of da Playaz Ball. “It was just her word play,” he says. “Her lyrics and her cadence and the way she could talk so much crap, and she was only like 16, 17 at that time.”

Wyte met Boo in 2001 a er he was signed to ree 6 Ma a’s label. “She was not too thrilled — being honest — about singing with a white artist. She felt like ree 6 Ma a had all they needed. Years later, we talked about it and joked about it and became friends.”

He was executive producer for Gangsta Boo and La Chat on the 2014 album, Witch. at album is “probably the hardest gangsta rap album to ever come out of Memphis. One of those gems that’s been overlooked. I love the album. It’s like they were playing tennis on it. Going back and forth. Boom. Boom. Boom. Just every single. Just killing every bit of it.”

Kapone met Boo in the mid ’90s. “Whenever me and Boo, throughout the years, saw each other it was always love,” he says. “She always showed me the utmost respect. She always gave me props. Let me know my early music inspired her and motivated her.”

He remembers her quoting the words to his song, “Lyrical Drive By.” “It’s one of the rst early Memphis rap songs that inspired a lot of the Memphis rappers. And she let it be known that song did it for her.”

ey did a song together, “Girls Like to Get Rich,” in 2015. “Her voice had a level of aggression, but it was totally feminine.

“She could rap slow styles or speed

up rapid- ow style. Like really, really transition between those two styles with ease.”

Over the years, Kapone and Boo “kept in touch through texts. We always commented on each other’s Instagram posts. Again, always giving each other love and props.”

Wyte and his wife, Nicole Lanshaw, kept in touch with Boo a er she moved to Los Angeles about two years ago. “She did a lot of cool little podcasts with people out there,” Wyte says. “She got more into the online scene.

“We were just together two weeks ago. Laughing, smiling, doing great. Everybody had money in their pockets. Everybody looked good, smelled good. She had that look of success. So for that to happen two weeks later was like, ‘Wow.’”

Wyte won’t forget when he heard

COURTESY LIL WYTE

Lil Wyte rst met Gansta Boo in 2001 when he signed to ree 6 Ma a’s record label.

Boo died. “All of us have that last date on that calendar.”

He got a call while he and Lanshaw were driving back to Memphis from a concert. Lanshaw started crying, but Wyte held it together. “Nicole told me Gangsta Boo would call me a bitch right now if she saw me crashing.”

Kapone was at an airport when he heard the news. He believes Boo was about to get a “whole new resurgence” among artists. “ e new generation of female artists was going to give her her props and let people know she was their in uence and she supported them.”

ese rappers include GloRilla and Gloss Up out of Memphis and Latto out of Atlanta. Kapone believes these artists feel, “We’re here because of her.” ose women were going to “take her to a whole new level. Give her a whole new resurgence.

“ e writing was on the wall: 2023 was going to be a big year for Gangsta Boo. And to lose her the rst day was unbelievable.”

PHOTO: COURTESY AL KAPONE Gangsta Boo and Al Kapone in 2019

PHOTO:

e rapper and native Memphian passed away January 1st.

An Evening with Van Duren

With special guest Madaline Collins. Saturday, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m.

SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS

GeminiiDRAGON and the New Orleans Trauma Unit Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.

BLUES CITY CAFE

International Blues Challenge

Representing the worldwide search for those blues bands and solo/duo blues performers ready for the international stage, yet needing that extra big break. Tuesday, Jan. 24-Jan. 28.

BLUES FOUNDATION

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Sunday, Jan. 22, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Richard Wilson

Friday, Jan. 20, 4-7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 21, 4-7 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Tas Cru Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

The Dylan Morgan Band Friday, Jan. 20, 10 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Brian Conklan Saturday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

ROCKY’S EAST MEMPHIS

Martin & Taylor Friday, Jan. 20, 7-11 p.m.

SIDECAR CAFE MEMPHIS

Rusted Root Revisited with Michael Glabicki and Dirk Miller Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

The Amber McCain Band Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.-midnight.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Anemoia, Killbozby, Vermin Fate, Risky Whispers $10. Saturday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.

HI TONE

Area 51 Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM Basketcase Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Cable Collision Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Creative Aging: John Angotti

$5. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1:30 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

Cruisin’ Heavy Acoustic Friday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Deaf Revival, Turnstyles, Spacer Friday, Jan. 20, 9:30 p.m. B-SIDE

DJ Zac and DJ Emily Dance-off Party Saturday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.

BAR DKDC

GA-20 Saturday, Jan. 21, 8-10 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

JD Westmorland Band Monday, Jan. 23, 10 p.m.

B-SIDE

Lafayette’s All-Stars Band Friday, Jan. 20, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Mugshot, Cell, No Cure, Kill Order, Rosary $12. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m.

HITONE

Optic Sink, Ibex Clone, DJ JB Horrell Friday, Jan. 20, 9 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Pam & Terry Monday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Record Release Party!

The Smokin’ Jays with JD Reager, Magnum Dopus & Flying V’s $10. Saturday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

B-SIDE

Reed Stewart with Little Baby Tendencies and Cyberoptics $10. Thursday, Jan. 19, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

HI TONE

Richard Wilson Friday, Jan. 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

Rick Camp and the Suburban Trunk Monkeys

Sunday, Jan. 22, 3:30 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Roxi Love Thursday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Salo Pallini Friday, Jan. 20, 7:30-10 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Samantha Fish with Special Guest Jeremiah Johnson Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

School of Rock Germantown $10. Sunday, Jan. 22, 12:30-9 p.m.

1884 LOUNGE AT MINGLEWOOD HALL

Shlump, Jason Leech, Drewbeats, Tryptamine $17-$20. Thursday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Star & Micey Saturday, Jan. 21, 8-11 p.m. LOFLIN YARD

Steve Hopper Saturday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

The Memphis Winslows Saturday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.

THE COVE

Turnt Sunday, Jan. 22, 2-5 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Vinyl Frontier First in a series of voyages featuring all vinyl DJs. Lineup includes Justin Hand, Jason Crawley, FreeWill, and N8. $10. Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 p.m.2:30 a.m.

GROWLERS

Whiskey South Saturday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

WiMM Presents: Raneem Imam & Tiffany Harmon Wednesday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m. B-SIDE

Zashed, Aversive Control, East of Eden, Lachance $10. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

Hottie Buying

Cody Johnson featuring Randy Houser

$45-$130. Saturday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.

LANDERS CENTER

Tanya Tucker Saturday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. EAST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The Delta Bombers Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY

Bee Gees Gold

The Bee Gees’ music is stayin’ alive. Friday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.

BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER

Hillbilly Mojo Friday, Jan. 20, 7-11 p.m.

TONY’S TROPHY ROOM & ALL AMERICAN GRILL

Joel Frahm $35. Friday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Kelso Mojo Friday, Jan. 20, 9 p.m. SHAKERAG

The Milk Carton Kids Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

You were at the Madison Cash Saver last weekend picking up a six-pack of Meddlesome. Great choice! I was the dark-haired chick in the Spacer shirt eyeballing you from across the aisle. You had on a Memphis Tigers tee and were wearing socks with sandals. Weird flex, but okay! Would love to grab a pint with you.

Have you spotted a hottie around town? A missed connection been bugging you? Are you the one described in this ad? For more info on how to submit your missed connections or replies, email isawyou@memphisflyer.com.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: January 19 - 25

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“2023 Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards”

Exhibition featuring more than 135 artworks by area public, private, and independently schooled youth. Friday, Jan. 20-Feb. 19.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“AI Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine” Learn how AI touches lives — now and in the future. Sunday, Jan. 22-May 6.

OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

MUSEUM

“Community Art Gallery: Southern Buildings”

This series of small-scale watercolor paintings by artist David Rawlinson gives new life to abandoned buildings and homes found in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Through March 4.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

“Cry Now”

Exhibition of work by Jesse Butcher. Through Jan. 21.

TOPS GALLERY

“Evicted”

An immersive experience bringing visitors into the world of renter evictions and its impact on the family and community. Through Jan. 21.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

“Fun and Games” Exhibition of work by John McIntire. Through Jan. 21.

TOPS GALLERY

“Gentle Awakenings, The Art of Keith Burns” Exhibition of woodwork by Keith Burns. Through April 22.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL

John McIntire’s “Fun and Games,” on display at Tops Gallery, closes this Saturday. The exhibit explores the artist’s love of the absurd.

“Never Done Making History”

Highlighting the legendary Tennessee State University’s Tigerbelles track team and one of the most triumphant Olympic stories. Through Feb. 28.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“Incognito

Art Auction and Gala”

Over 100 of the Mid-South’s beloved artists are creating a collection of original, unsigned works … incognito! Artwork will be on view in person with online bidding.

Through Jan. 27.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Jeanne Seagle: Of This Place”

Jeanne Seagle’s perceptive drawings portray the landscapes surrounding Memphis with a remarkable precision.

Through April 9.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Jet Lag”

An exhibition of works from 16 of the artists comprising the new art collection at the Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B. Friday, Jan. 20-Feb. 24.

THE MARTHA AND ROBERT FOGELMAN GALLERIES OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

“Looking Back” Exhibition of Lynda Watson’s

work that incorporates materials such as metal, felt, and charcoal, in addition to found objects, creating a detailed 3D scrapbook of her memories. Through Jan. 29.

METAL MUSEUM

“Mending in a State of Abundance”

Exhibition of work by Katrina Perdue exploring the emotional and physical labor of

repair, offering an alternative response to the modern realities of material excess. Through March 5. CROSSTOWN ARTS

“Mending Things” Exhibition of Kelly S. Williams’ small tondos and diptychs. Through Feb. 11.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Salmon Skin Fried … and Other Delicacies” Exhibition of work by Sharon Havelka who constructs mixedmedia quilt sculptures from old clothing and other found objects. Through Feb. 25.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Sons and Daughters” Exhibition of Anne Siems’ work featuring tattooed figures centered around children who have all been deeply affected by mental health conditions. Through Feb. 11.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

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memphisflyer.com

“Summer

in Shanghai”

A three-part video series of reflections and meditations during the hottest time of the year in China’s biggest city. Through March 5.

CROSSTOWN ARTS

“Tarred Healing”

A photographic exhibition by award-winning Black photographer Cornell Watson. Through March 20.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“The Making of Elvis Movie Exhibition”

Exhibition looking at the beginning of the creative process for Baz Luhrmann’s film and following it through its journey to the big screen. Through Sept. 4.

GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER

“Those Who Hold Dominion Here” Exhibition of work by Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo takes inspiration from serpents in Incan mythology and Southern snakes. Through March 5.

CROSSTOWN ARTS

ART HAPPENINGS

Black Artists in Context: A Conversation with Carl E. Moore A conversation between Henry Ossawa Tanner

scholar Theresa Leininger-Miller and local artist Carl E. Moore. Free. Saturday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Double Time Flows: A Night of Nostalgia

Atomik, Ryan Celsius, Ten_to_Two, and Bent Custom Neon will be collaborating with a the best of Memphis creatives. This will be a night of art, music, and fashion. $15. Friday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m.

MEATY GRAFFITI GALLERY

“Fall 2022 BFA Exhibition” Artists’

Reception

Featuring works by graduating seniors in the department of visual and performing arts. Friday, Jan. 20, 5-8 p.m.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Jet Lag” Opening Reception

An exhibition of works from 16 of the artists comprising the new art collection at the Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B. Friday, Jan. 20, 5 p.m.

THE MARTHA AND ROBERT FOGELMAN GALLERIES OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

New Year’s Tattoo Battle

The first battle of the new year. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m.

LYFESTILE CLOTHING AND INK STORE

“Shared Spaces” features pieces that were sketched by George Hunt before his death and later finished with paint and collage by Rob Gonzo.

Opening Reception, “Gentle Awakenings”

Enjoy an after-hours opening reception for the special exhibition. Admission and refreshments are offered free of charge. No reservation required. Thursday, Jan. 19, 5-7 p.m.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

“Salmon Skin Fried … and Other Delicacies” Opening Reception

Exhibition of work by Sharon Havelka who constructs mixed-media quilt sculptures from old clothing and other found objects. Friday, Jan. 20, 5-8 p.m.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Shared Spaces: Works by Rob Gonzo & Collabs with George Hunt” Artist Reception

Meet the artist. Friday, Jan. 20, 5-7 p.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

The Prism Pages Writers’ Salon Join hosts Moth Moth Moth and her friends from Focus for a night of stories, poems, spells, and

testimonials from the writers published through The Prism Pages for the first time over the past year. Free. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6-9 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

BOOK EVENTS

January Book Club

Discussing Wendell Berry’s collection of essays, The World-Ending Fire. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2-3 p.m.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

Meet the Author: Kristen R. Lee Novel welcomes Kristen R. Lee to celebrate the launch of Sun Keep Rising, a compelling story about a teen mom navigating income disparity and racial inequality. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

Most actors don’t hold real ones, informally

Language from which “Saskatchewan” comes

Part of an announcer’s home run call

Exhibit a male gaze, perhaps

Word with big or goat

Light on packaging

Biblical verb with “thou”

League leader, informally

E.U. alliance

Setting for a plastered cast?

Start of some juice portmanteaus

Makeup experts?

Tom’s partner

Opposite of calm

e.g.

Bender

Reading and Book Signing with David Wesley Williams

The rain-sodden, southern world of David Wesley Williams’ Everybody Knows overflows with satiric fun. Thursday, Jan. 19, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

BURKE’S BOOK STORE

CLASS / WORKSHOP

Beginner’s Photography Class

Learn about shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and how these settings affect your exposure. $76. Saturday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

Bend Neon and 3D Collage Basics

Learn bending neon basics and collab with artist Ten_to_Two. Leave with your own original piece! $125. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

MEATY GRAFFITI GALLERY

Houseplant Care Seminar: Aroid Edition

Learn about a popular houseplant family that consists of many favorites like pothos, monstera, philodendrons, and more: aroids! Free. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10-11 a.m.

URBAN EARTH GARDENS, NURSERY & MARKET

Intro to Crochet

Learn one-five basic crochet stitches to start crocheting the winter blues away! Price includes all supplies including a hook and yarn to take home. $30. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2-4 p.m.

SOUTHERN VINTAGE CO.

Learn to Knit a Hat

Fiber artist Whitney Wiggs will take you through every step to learn how to knit a hat on circular needles! All supplies are included. $50. Saturday, Jan. 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

ARROW CREATIVE

Metalsmithing Foundations with Brandy Boyd: Statement Rings

In this workshop, attendees will create a oneof-a-kind ring that is meant to turn heads. $60-$75. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

and Dave Chapelle Comedy legends and co-headliners Chris Rock

CALENDAR: JANUARY

and Dave Chappelle are making their FedExForum debut.

Monday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

Marvin Hunter

$22-$40. Friday, Jan. 20-Jan. 22.

CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes is an Emmy-winning stand-up comic, writer, actress, and producer. $39.50$89.50. Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

THE ORPHEUM

FAMILY

Kids Winter Ball Junt

A night of elegance and fun. Saturday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m.

THE COMEDY JUNT

Magic Carpet: Grit and Grind with Grizzlies Grannies

Wear your Griz gear, grab your growl towel, and get moving. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST.

MARY’S SCHOOL

FILM

3 Women

A woman’s hero worship evolves into something far stranger and more sinister. Thursday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Roman Holiday: 70th Anniversary

The love story between a modern-day princess and an American newspaperman. Sunday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.

MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

Vertigo

The haunting surreal mystery thriller of doomed romance, toxic obsession, and murderous intentions. Free. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 5 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Video Game Movie

Night!: Street Fighter & Mortal Kombat

Two fun, fighting-filled action flicks based on iconic games. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Crosstown 10K/5K

Benefitting Church Health, the race begins at Crosstown

Concourse and features a picturesque route through the neighborhoods around Overton Park and Rhodes College. Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

Let’s Get Moving: Yoga Participate in a yoga experience to stretch the body and soothe the mind. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

CORDOVA BRANCH LIBRARY

Release.Revive.Thrive

Group Hypnosis with Mindful Solutions Consulting

Get out of your conscious habits and allow hypnosis to easily and effectively use your subconscious mind to recognize harmful thoughts. $40. Saturday, Jan. 21, 2-4 p.m.

THE BROOM CLOSET

PERFORMING ARTS

Afabulous: Fairyspit in Wonderland

Featuring Onyx Davenport, Al Nitelong, Jake Adams, Angel of Azerath, AphroHoops, and Daff Odil. Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

The 13th Annual Memphis Monologues

Memphis women will tell real, personal stories. Some will be funny, some uplifting, some sad, some eye-opening. $25- $500. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7-10 p.m.

DCA MEMPHIS

The Boom Boom Effect

Aubrey Ombre hosts your favorite bombastic talents of Brenda Newport, JR Stone, Justin Allen Tate, Shanice R. Cassadine, Kera Mason, and this month’s guests: Charnay Maletti Cassadine and Raen Kelly. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

The Dynasty

The Dynasty are back to show you why they are forever the kings of Memphis. Friday, Jan. 20, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

SPECIAL EVENTS

Broadway Rave

A traveling dance party celebrating musical theatre. 18+. $17-$25. Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

19 - 25

UrbanArt Commission opens “Jet Lag” this week to showcase works from 16 of the artists featured at the airport’s Concourse B.

Dolly Parton’s Birthday Party!

A birthday celebration for the greatest woman to walk the planet. Saturday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m.

WISEACRE BREWERY

Mr.

& Miss Mid-South Pride Pageant

The annual pageant is back! $15. Saturday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m.

THEATREWORKS

The Dolly Party

The Dolly Parton inspired country Western disco dance party, where you’ll dance to the music of Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves, Orville Peck, Shania Twain, Miley Cyrus, Whitney Houston, and more. 18+. $15-$25. Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 p.m.

LODGE

BLACK

SPORTS

Memphis Americans vs. Columbus Rapids

Exciting National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) action. See the Memphis Americans men’s and women’s teams as they battle for the 2023 championship. Friday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.

LANDERS CENTER

Memphis vs. Wichita State Thursday, Jan. 19, 6 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

THEATER

Escaped Alone

Caryl Churchill’s conventiondefying play juxtaposes backyard tea with environmental disaster, exploring themes of politics, crisis, communication, and culture. Friday, Jan. 20-Feb. 5.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

If Pekin Is a Duck, Why Am I in Chicago?

A gangster in 1920s Chicago kidnaps a lyricist and a composer to win a bet saying he can find two men to write music better than the music that is currently popular. Through Jan. 29.

THEATREWORKS

Sondheim Tribute

A concert presentation celebrating the body of work of Stephen Sondheim, covering every aspect of his career and contains some of the all-time musical theatre favorite songs and orchestrations. Through Jan. 29.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

The Scottsboro Boys

A retelling of the landmark trial of nine falsely accused black teenagers. This case would eventually give rise to the Civil Rights Movement. Friday, Jan. 20-Feb. 19.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

ORPHEUM THEATRE

BOOKS By Alex Greene

Memphis Going Down?

Memphis has been a crucible for sounds and songs that have come to define America, yet many of the volumes covering the topic keep a narrow focus on particular artists, labels, studios, or genres. The sprawling history of Memphis music as a whole is simply too huge for most authors to cover in one fell swoop. Most authors, that is, except James L. Dickerson.

His Memphis Going Down: A Century of Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Sartoris Literary Group) is a welcome exception to the narrow focus of most books on the subject. And, in a sense, we’ve known this for almost 30 years: The book was originally released in 1996 under the title Goin’ Back to Memphis. But that edition and the reprint that came out 10 years ago are both out of circulation. Now, a new edition has been released with a title that leans into the dire thread running through Dickerson’s story. No one is going back to Memphis, it seems to say. Memphis has only gone downhill, and that’s where it will stay.

Yet Dickerson does not arrive at this gloomy prognosis without some serious research, backed up with considerable firsthand experience in the Bluff City. The Greenwood, Mississippi, native was a reporter and columnist for years at several newspapers, including the Jackson Free Press and The Commercial Appeal. He has written over 30 books and over 2,000 articles in magazines and newspapers. Indeed, Warner Brothers bought the rights to his 2001 biography of Colonel Tom Parker as the basis of last year’s hit film, Elvis Thus, while he offers no footnotes or citations here, the book’s extensive bibliography will likely bear out his claims. It hardly beggars belief when he claims in the book’s opening line that “In 1905 Memphis, Tennessee, had a national reputation, but not for music. It was the murder capital of the United States.” He repeats that claim as the decades roll by, chapter by chapter. What’s new is to contextualize the city’s music thus. “America’s Distribution Capital,” it turns out, has been a veritable Sin City for much of its existence, chronically plagued with prostitution, addiction, and homicide.

While he draws no precise lines between such facts and the city’s remarkable music, it does help set the socio-political stage for the ascension of one W.C. Handy, whose first attempts to notate the blues were sparked by E.H. Crump’s need for a campaign song. From there, the author astutely notes that “at the turn of the century, Beale Street was the only entertainment district in the nation openly hospitable to women entertainers.” What follows are brief biographies of three Memphis legends: Memphis Minnie, Alberta Hunter, and Lil Hardin. While many know of the former, the Memphis roots of the latter two are not as often celebrated, but Dickerson corrects that tendency.

And that’s only in the first 30 pages. Chapter Two touches on Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, and “Fiddling Abe” Fortas, who’s really only notable for having made the journey from Beale Street entertainer to U.S. Supreme Court justice. Moving along briskly by decade, the book’s a decent introduction to the deep jazz and blues roots that Memphis boasts. And as the author writes of the ’30s and ’40s, he begins to incorporate his own interviews with players from those times who were still alive when Dickerson was a journalist.

The book covers more familiar territory as the 20th century wears on, limning the stories of Sun, Stax, Hi, and more. But curiously, after the ’70s, when Stax closed shop and Elvis Presley died, the book becomes overly fixated on the city’s lost glory days. The ’80s are chiefly notable in the author’s eyes as the decade when Ringo Starr and The Fabulous Thunderbirds came here to record. Discussions of activity in the ’90s, like Stax co-founder Jim Stewart’s latter day work, are enlightening, but one can’t escape the author’s predetermined conclusion that Memphis music was dying. The rise of the Memphis underground, from the Panther Burns to the Oblivians to the burgeoning hip-hop scene, practically don’t exist, in part because Dickerson is focused mostly on the Billboard charts. By the time the 2000s arrive, Dickerson can write about little more than Justin Timberlake. Memphis Going Down? After the book’s more informative earlier chapters, better to turn elsewhere to find signs of Memphis rising.

James L. Dickerson chronicles the spiraling history of the Bluff City’s music.

Dino’s Grill Turns 50

ino’s Grill is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. So hold up a Dino’s homemade ravioli and toast the iconic Midtown restaurant.

Not many Memphis restaurants can say they’ve been around for half a century.

“I think a lot has to do with the atmosphere,” says owner Mario Grisanti, 43. “Not too many places have that kind of decor or the oldschool feel of what around here would be considered a diner. I think that’s a major reason that sets us apart.”

The restaurant was named after the late Dino Grisanti, father of Mario’s dad, Rudy Grisanti. Rudy retired, but he still helps out at the restaurant. “For some people it’s like stepping back in time, to tell you the honest truth,” says Rudy, 72. “We haven’t really changed a lot of anything in the last 50 years.

“It’s like going home. It’s like comfort food. And people feel comfortable, like family.”

The anniversary dates to when Dino’s Grill opened as Dino’s Southwestern Grill on January 2, 1973. “My direct family — father, grandfather, great-grandfather — have been making food for people and living off of that for 80-plus years,” Mario says. “It’s a very humbling experience to know that people come in to eat what we make.”

never got to it.

“I ordered seven different crusts and 10 or 12 different pepperonis, five or six sausages. And I just kind of had to play around with the cheese and the dough and the toppings to get a flavor that I wanted. That took a little while to do, but it all came together.”

They offer cheese, meat, supreme, veggie, and chicken pesto pizzas. “The pizza sauce we use isn’t really a pizza sauce. It’s our marinara sauce. That sets it apart from a lot of other people’s pizza.”

Mario also introduced their Italian Chicken Philly sandwich. “We already had all the ingredients to make it.”

food. “We do a plate lunch during the day, like meat-and-three. Chicken and dressing and meat loaf. Fried catfish on Fridays. Grilled calf’s liver, chicken livers. And the greens, corn, creamed corn, beets, yams, mashed potatoes, green peas.”

e restaurant also is known for its all-you-can-eat spaghetti on ursday nights. As for who holds the record for eating the most spaghetti on a ursday night, Mario says, “I’ve heard nine plates from a Rhodes football player. As for me, personally, I’ve only seen someone eat four.”

Mario, who took over ownership from his dad four years ago, made some changes. “Pretty much just make it look fresh. Make it look new again and not old and worn out. Like painting and getting new floors, making sure everything was clean.”

He also added pizzas. “It’s one of the things I thought we should have been doing a long time ago, but I

Asked what people might not know about Dino’s, Mario says, “I don’t know how many people coming in realize we sell frozen raviolis. ey’re all handmade from scratch. I don’t put it in a machine or a former. Each one looks di erent ’cause they’re all handmade. I don’t know of any other places that make them like we do.

“My great-grandfather [the late Frank Benedetti, Dino’s stepfather] started doing frozen raviolis down on Beale and Main at the State Cafe, but he would only do them on Thursdays. When my dad moved over here in ’73, that’s when he put them on the menu full-time.”

Dino’s doesn’t just offer Italian

Running a restaurant was in the cards, but Mario also played drums in the Kuldips rock band when he was a high school freshman. “I thought it would be cool to do the music thing. [But] I always wanted to be in the restaurant business.

“I found a letter the last time we moved. It was from myself in second or third grade. And it was, ‘What do you want to be in the future?’ And I said I wanted to own a restaurant and have a red sports car.”

Mario got the restaurant. What about the red sports car? “No. I got a blue one.”

Dino’s Grill is at 645 North McLean Boulevard; (901) 278-9127.

[The secret] is our marinara sauce. It sets us apart from a lot of other pizzas.

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Rudy and Mario Grisanti

Michael Donahue

Toast the legendary Memphis eatery and order another round of homemade ravioli.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

Likely Story

Police in Mathura, India, reported to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act court that more than 500kg of marijuana, confiscated and stored in two police stations, had been “eaten” by rats, Gulf News reported. Officers told the judge that mice and rats, although small, do not fear police. A district judge ordered police to eradicate the “mice menace” and provide proof that the critters actually consumed the weed by Nov. 26. [Gulf , 11/24/2022]

That’s One Way To Do It

With home prices in New Zealand taking their biggest drop in 30 years, one homeowner who’s looking to sell is trying to sweeten the offer. The owner of 22 Dungloe Avenue in Flat Bush is offering a free Tesla with the purchase of their $1.8 million home, Sky News reported. The new owner will be asked to choose the color of the electric car, which will be ordered new and delivered to the home from the manufacturer. And with six parking spots, they can park it sideways if they want. [Sky , 11/17/2022]

Family Values

On Oct. 26, 12-year-old Ayden was picked up unexpectedly by his dad from a birthday party in Los Angeles and was told they were going to a park. Instead, KABC-TV reported, the man started driving to Las Vegas, and Ayden became concerned because he believed his dad was driving drunk. (The fact that Dad was wearing a Las Vegas Raiders helmet might have been a clue.) Ayden called 911 and explained his situation; he told the dispatcher the car has “Raider plates on the front and in the back.” Officers finally caught up with the car, and Ayden’s dad faces charges of DUI and child abuse. [KABC, 11/23/2022]

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

RayLee Holladay and her husband, Bubba, live in Lascassas, Tennessee, where they raise cows. About six years ago, WKRN-TV reported, RayLee had been seeking a venture of her own to bring in money on the farm when she discovered Rent The Chicken, a business founded by Phil and Jenn Tompkins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today, RayLee’s Rent The Chicken

franchise is thriving. Customers can either rent egg-laying chickens for about six months or hatching chicks, which can be returned about two weeks after they hatch. “It’s great for teaching kids a little responsibility,” RayLee said. “And this is a trial. It’s not like getting a puppy for Christmas.” Chickens can be rented by families or by schools, day cares, and senior living facilities. If renters grow attached, they can adopt the fowl for an added fee. Since its beginning 10 years ago, Rent The Chicken has expanded into 24 states, the District of Columbia, and into Canada. [WKRN, 12/5/2022]

Questionable Judgments

A 72-year-old woman was arrested on Nov. 29 in Berlin after she allegedly turned off her hospital roommate’s ventilator — twice! — because the sound of it was annoying her, The Washington Post reported. After the first incident, police said, the woman was told the machine was necessary to keep the roommate alive, but she switched it off again later in the evening. The other patient had to be revived, although she is expected to recover. The suspect was charged with suspicion of attempted manslaughter. [Washington Post, 12/1/2022]

On Dec. 5, as Hassan Chokr, 35, appeared virtually from jail for a hearing in Wayne County, Michigan, he became frustrated with Judge Regina Thomas and started yelling and pointing at the camera, Fox News reported. Thomas asked for his microphone to be muted, and things escalated: “I want the record to reflect that … now he has removed his pants to show the court his backside,” Thomas said. “I don’t know why anyone would think it is appropriate to pull down his pants and show the court their behind during a court proceeding.” Chokr’s attorney agreed with Thomas that a mental health evaluation “probably would be a good thing” and said Chokr was just exercising his right to free speech. Thomas wasn’t buying it, though. “We don’t get to do and say anything we want to without the consequences of those actions,” she said. “That’s where your client finds himself today.” [Fox News, 12/7/2022]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Good news, Aries! During the next episode in the ageold struggle between the Impulsive You and the Farsighted You, I predict the latter will achieve a ringing victory. Hallelujah! I also foresee you overcoming the temptation to quit a project prematurely, and instead pushing on to complete it. There’s more! You will refrain from knocking your head against an obstacle in the vain hope of toppling it. Instead, you will round up helpers to help you wield a battering ram that will produce the desired toppling.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may not have a clear picture of where you’ll be going in the next five years. The detailed master plan that your higher self devised for you before you were born might even be obscure. But I’m here to tell you that in the coming weeks, a new lucidity can be yours. You can summon an acute instinct about which way is forward, if only you will recognize the subtle ways it’s speaking to you. In fact, I believe you will regularly know what move you should make next so as to expedite your long-term evolution. Life will be rewarding you with mysterious step-by-step guidance. Now please write a short statement affirming your intention to love, honor, and obey your intuition.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you believe in the existence of guardian angels and spirit guides and ancestors who can intervene in your behalf from the other side of the veil? Do you wonder if maybe your invisible friends from childhood show up in your vicinity now and then to offer you support and kindness? Or how about the animals you loved earlier in your life but who have since passed away? Is it possible their souls have never left you, but are available if you need their affection? Even if your rational mind tells you that none of these possibilities are authentic, Gemini, I suspect you will nevertheless be the beneficiary of their assistance in the coming weeks and months. Their influence will be even more potent if you proceed as if they are real.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Among your potential strengths as a human being are empathy, sensitivity, and emotional intelligence. You may or may not choose to develop these natural gifts. But if you do, they can be instrumental in helping you achieve the only kind of success that’s really meaningful for you — which is success that your heart and soul love as much as your head and your ego. According to my astrological analysis, you are moving into a phase of your cycle when you will have extra power to ripen your empathy, sensitivity, and emotional intelligence — and thereby enhance your ability to achieve the kind of success that’s meaningful for you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Dear Rob the Astrologer: The computer firewall at my youth hostel is blocking your website. I am being told you practice ‘Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales.’ What the hell? Can you do anything at your end to get me access to your wonderful horoscopes? Maybe cut back a bit on your Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales? Haha. Just kidding. I love that crazy stuff. — Deprived Leo in Ireland.” Dear Deprived: Many of you Leos have lately had problems getting all the Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales you need. I hope you will push hard to compensate. In my estimation, you currently have a strong need for dreamy stories that appeal to the Wild Child in you. They’re essential to your mental and spiritual health.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life, Donald Miller acknowledges that fear can be a “guide to keep us safe.” Being afraid may indeed have its uses and benefits. But Miller adds that it’s also “a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” In my astrological opinion, Virgo, fear will be of service to you — a guide to keep you safe — about 9 percent of the time in 2023. Around 83 percent of the time, it will be a manipulative emotion not worth acting on. For the other 8 percent, it will be neither. Please plan accordingly.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Select two sticky situations in your world that you would love to reinvent. Let other annoyances and glitches just slide for now. Then cultivate a focused desire to do everything in your power to transform the two awkward or messy circumstances. Proceed as if you will have to do all the work yourself — that nothing will change for the better unless you take full responsibility. If you’re absolutely sure this involves other people altering their behavior, consider the possibility that maybe your behavior needs to shift as well.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Three out of four toxic waste dumps in the U.S. are located in predominantly African-American or Latino communities. Two million tons of radioactive uranium tailings have been dumped on Native-American lands. Three hundred thousand Latino farm workers in the U.S. suffer from pesticide-related sicknesses every year. These travesties make me furious. More importantly, my rage motivates me to mitigate these travesties, like by educating my readers about them and donating money to groups crusading to fix the problems. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, I hope you will take advantage of your astrological potentials by using your anger constructively, too. Now is a favorable time for you to fight fiercely and

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What are “brain orgasms”? Can you seek them out and make them happen, or do you have to wait patiently for them to arrive in their own sweet time? When they occur, what should you do? Surrender into them with all your welcome fully unleashed? Or should you question whether they’re real, be suspicious of their blessings, or dismiss them as irrelevant flukes? I encourage you to meditate on questions like these. That will raise your receptivity to the stream of brain orgasms that life will offer you in the coming weeks.

tenderly for what’s right.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I predict that love will bring you many AHA! moments in 2023. You can’t fully prepare yourself for them — and that’s a good thing! The epiphanies will be brighter and deeper if they are unexpected. Your motivation to learn the available lessons will be wilder and stronger if you enjoy being surprised. So be ready for lots of entertaining rumbles and reverberations, Sagittarius. The adjustments you will be asked to make will often be strenuous and fun. The inspirations you will be invited to harvest will require you to outgrow some of your previous beliefs about the nature of intimacy and togetherness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some insects are helpful to humans. For example, ladybugs devour aphids, which are highly destructive to crops. Damsel bugs eat the pests called leafhoppers, and lacewings feed on the pernicious nuisances known as mealybugs. I also remind you that some bugs are beautiful, like butterflies, dragonflies, and jeweled beetles. Keep these thoughts in mind, Capricorn, as you contemplate my counsel. Metaphorically speaking, you will have experiences with bugs in the next three weeks. But this won’t be a problem if you ally yourself with the good, helpful, and beautiful bugs.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My Piscean pagan friend Valie says God is stealthy yet blatant, like a green chameleon perched on a green leaf. After analyzing the astrological omens, I conclude that this is a helpful, all-purpose metaphor for you to use in the coming weeks. I encourage you to be alert for beauty that is hidden in plain sight. See if you can spy the miracles embedded within the ordinary. Ask life to pleasantly blow your mind over and over again. Here’s your phrase of power: open secret

The Fungus Among Us

Post-apocalyptic stories hit di erent these days. It’s not that the Covid-19 pandemic was a civilization ender — the real-life virus’ current worldwide death toll is 6.7 million people, while, to pick one example from post-apocalyptic lit, the Captain Trips virus from Stephen King’s e Stand is 99 percent fatal. It’s that now, we have a much better appreciation of what kind of disruptions that even a “normal” pandemic can create. And, of course, the fear of infection inherent in the zombie genre is much more relatable.

e Last Of Us was released for Playstation 3 in June 2013, right at the height of the last zombie craze and three years into the run of e Walking Dead. It was an immediate hit and is now considered a classic for its cinematic, character-based storytelling, and a Psycho-like protagonist switcheroo, as the character you play initially, Sarah, dies on the rst day of the zombie outbreak.

In the HBO adaptation of e Last of Us, Sarah is played by Nico Parker, who charms instantly. It’s her father Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday, and she wants to do something nice for her hardworking single parent. But Sarah’s little jaunt into the city to get Joel’s watch repaired is cut short by a jittery shopkeeper who, it turns out, pays a lot more attention to the news than she does. Her bus ride home becomes a less comic version of Shaun of the Dead, where the background action belies the encroaching chaos, but not everyone understands what it means yet. By the time showrunner Craig Mazin stages his own version of the famous one-shot car escape from Children of Men, the problem is obvious: A mutated fungus

that takes over the brains of humans and hijacks their bodies to spread via bite is spreading rapidly.

en, the story jumps ahead 20 years. Joel is grimly holding on in a radically changed world. What’s le of Boston is a Quarantine Zone run by the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), which also seems to be all that’s le of the American government. e deeply traumatized population bristles a er two decades of military rule, and a group calling itself the Fireies wages a furtive rebellion to restore some semblance of democracy. Joel and his partner Tess (Anna Torv) are planning on busting out of the QZ to nd his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) who might be in a Fire y settlement in Wyoming. But their plans are complicated by the arrival of Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenager who wanders in from the contaminated wasteland with a big secret: She was bitten by an Infected, but resisted the fungus. e Fire ies want to get her to a group of

surviving scientists, who they think can use her to create an antifungal vaccine.

Mazin, who won two Emmys for his excellent Chernobyl series, and Neil Druckmann, who wrote the source material, have an unerring eye, and o en more importantly, an ear for the creepy. Pascal, freed from the helmet of e Mandalorian, is perfect as the taciturn Joel, while Ramsey, last seen

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as the erce Lady Mormont on Game of rones, de ly hints at the depths behind Ellie’s eyes. e Last of Us is the rare video game adaptation that actually works on its own terms. Even if you’re as burned out on zombies as I am, it’s worth a look.

e Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max and Hulu.

HBO updates the zombie thriller with the video game adaptation e Last of Us

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey make for uneasy post-apocalyptic companions as Joel and Ellie.

Our critic picks the best films in theaters this week.

Skinamarink

Four-year-old Kevin (Lucas Paul) and 6-year-old Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) awaken to find their parents have disappeared, and there’s no way out of their house. Then, things start to vanish, and the walls close in. Based on an actual nightmare, this no-budget horror sensation from YouTuber turned first-time director Kyle Edward Ball has a lot of social media buzz.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Scarlet Bond

The best-titled anime series in recent memory has spawned a film. Murdered salaryman Satoru Mikami is trapped in a

fantasy world where ogres and orcs fight a ruinous war. The less-creatively-named Hiiro must save his adopted queen from a deadly curse.

M3GAN

Allison Williams stars as a roboticist who creates the perfect companion for her orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Things go bad when M3GAN gets a little too protective. Come for the pressurewasher murder scene, stay for the subtext debate on A.I. ethics.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Should you just give up and go see James Cameron’s 3D sci-fi epic? Probably. He spent 13 years on it, and it’s going to break his heart if it doesn’t hit $2 billion at the box office.

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The Way to Nonviolence

Peace on Earth is possible … and it’s coming.

More than 60 years ago, as many are aware, civil rights activists began organizing to desegregate businesses in Birmingham, Alabama. By the spring of 1963, tensions were at a boiling point due to a series of sit-ins, boycotts, and demonstrations designed to draw attention to racial injustices in the city. On April 12, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham for not having an o cial permit.

In his germinal “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King, while incarcerated, laid out the principles of nonviolent protest and social change. His message was that each voice — and life — is worthy of respect, dignity, and equality. And, love is the answer, not war — or hate. Deep down, we are alike more than we are di erent. When I taught freshman writing at Northwest Florida University, Cape Fear Community College, and Shepherd University, this was my favorite essay to teach. Every semester, without fail, his impassioned plea for nonviolence garnered more discussion and re ection than any other piece we studied. Many of the resulting student essays made me cry.

In his letter, Dr. King di erentiates between two kinds of peace. “Negative peace,” as King explains, is the absence of tension; it’s an attempt not to rock the boat or cause con ict. Whereas, “positive peace” is the active pursuit of justice. Rather than opposing people “on the other side,” as peace-builder Ryan Wallace writes: “Positive peace challenges the status quo to make way for a more just world, expecting con ict to follow.” Instead of using violence to make change, peacebuilders use nonviolent direct action.

King writes: “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. … We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

It is crystal clear that in the United States we are seeing the e ects of a violent culture in our schools and on our streets. So too, violence and violent con ict, rather than natural disasters, are now the primary driver of forced displacement and refugee ight worldwide. While con ict is inevitable, violence is not. It is merely one way of dealing with our di erences. It’s time we move beyond violent con ict and toward nonviolence.

A wise friend once shared with me that as peace-builders, we are not merely “anti.” While many of us are anti-racist, anti-discrimination, anti-oppression, we are also standing up for something. Rather than being just anti-war, we are for peace. By default, being merely “anti” can easily lead us into creating enemies or creating an “us” versus “them” situation. Taking this type of warlike approach — in word or deed — ensures defeat. is is why Kingian Nonviolence Principles encourage people to “ ght injustice, not people.” We must keep an open mind and heart — and embrace the principles of nonviolence — as we seek to dialogue with others and make change. As A.J. Muste said, “ ere is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” It may take longer to collaborate and negotiate, but the results are longer lasting, and everyone bene ts. Everyone is connected to everyone else, and all that must be achieved for universal change is for the momentum to build enough to create a tipping point for good. Each person makes this so every day from the inside out. Each person can challenge themselves to learn and grow, as each personal realization is literally a realization for the planet.

Rest assured, peace and nonviolence aren’t just hearts and rainbows. ere is growing proof that nonviolence is practical. It works. In 2011, social scientists Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan demonstrated that nonviolent movements are twice as e ective as violent movements in achieving their goals. In their book, Why Civil Resistance Works, they share the data they collected from 323 protest movements between 1900 and 2006. ey found that 53 percent of the nonviolent movements “managed to achieve their goal, usually a change of regime, compared with 26 percent of the violent movements.”

In his letter, Dr. King also touches on our interdependence. He writes: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever a ects one directly a ects all indirectly. Never again can we a ord to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”

Let us each become a “vehicle” for this monumental shi toward a more evolved way to manage our con icts. ough a challenging endeavor, peace on Earth is possible … and it’s coming. Since my rst peace journalism trek in 2013, much has changed. People are waking up, becoming engaged, and taking action for what they believe. e soil is ripe for pioneering peace activists and peace journalists to rock the world.

Susan Beaver ompson is a peace journalist and grant writer for United Way of Southern Nevada.

PHOTO: UNSEEN HISTORIES | LIBRARY OF CONGRESS | UNSPLASH Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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