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KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com
CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC.
ANNA TRAVERSE Chief Executive O cer
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Controller/Circulation Manager
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Mem ! 10
Music Export Memphis marks a decade of success with a Birthday Bash at W.C. Handy Park.
Brandon Kinder of e Wealthy West
PHOTO: COURTESY MUSIC EXPORT MEMPHIS
Red Hot Pokers Mulch ado about not mulch.
PHOTO: ARTEM KNIAZ | UNSPLASH
PHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
THE fly-by
{ WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Memphis on the internet.
REUNITED
e Memphis subreddit reunited a lost camera with its owner in 19 hours last weekend.
Redditor u/ Legal Mermaid found a small digital camera on the Blu Walk Downtown, went through some photos for ID, posted a couple to Reddit, and bada-bing.
“My boss just sent this to me,” wrote u/Cool_Card2182. “I thought I lost it for good.”
DRONE SHOW
Alex da Ponte captured amazing video of the Independence Day drone show over Tom Lee Park that preceded the reworks show. Drones made images of juking, playing guitar, e Pyramid, the Grizzlies logo (above), and more.
ELON AND SNEAKO
Memphis businessman and trillionaire Elon Musk excitedly agreed with disgraced, broke Sandy Hook denier and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on X on Sunday.
Musk has had a beef with creator Sneako for a while now. (We don’t have room here to tell you why.) Over the weekend, Sneako posted a video allegedly declaring New York as a Muslim state.
Jones tweeted, “Deport him NOW!!” Musk responded “Yes!” to Jones, who once claimed the crystal skull in the Pyramid was an elaborate occult conspiracy.
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Overton Park, Schools, & Execution
Public opinion on the park’s future, takeover blocked for now, and GOP lawmakers want answers.
OVERTON PARK UPGRADES
e Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) is inviting the public to share their thoughts on developments for the Rainbow Lake and East Parkway.
e conservancy said changes are focused around the lake, playground, pavilion, and dog park in the Rainbow Lake area. Leaders proposed boardwalks, a reworking of the playground to be environmentally sustainable, and replacing the current pavilion.
For the East Parkway area, leaders want to enhance the pavilion, playground, and open picnic areas. is renovation also presents the opportunity for playground reimagining and upgrades.
e survey portal on the OPC website closes Saturday.
TRANSPORTATION CUTS
Better Transit for a Better Memphis (BTBM) urged local elected o cials to pass resolutions opposing the Build America 250 Act, which they said would reduce federal funding for public transit.
“ is would be a potentially existential blow to our bus and trolley system, slashing federal funding for transit by 25 percent,” BTBM said. “MATA is expected to lose out when the federal budget is allocated by those who prioritize neither transit nor Memphis.”
GOP URGES EXECUTION REVIEW
Eight GOP senators sent a letter last week to Gov. Bill Lee requesting that he initiate a review of the botched execution of Tony Von Carruthers on May 21st.
Lee called o Carruthers’ execution when medical personnel failed to nd veins for a backup line and a central line to administer lethal drugs as part of the state’s execution protocol. But Lee has declined to delay other executions, despite requests from death penalty opponents.
“ e e ort dragged on for well over an hour before the execution was called o . is was a failure of the State of Tennessee to carry out a lawful sentence of its own courts,” the letter to Lee says.
e senators want a full accounting of how medical
personnel for the execution were selected, including their credentials and quali cations for performing the procedures.
In addition, before another execution is attempted, the senators want every de ciency identi ed in a review to be corrected, as well as independent testing of lethal drugs for potency, sterility, and contamination, con rmation the drugs aren’t expired, and veri cation that personnel are quali ed.
JUDGE BLOCKS SCHOOLS TAKEOVER
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Memphis school takeover board’s authority last week a er school o cials said it could delay the start of the school year or even force building closures as the district prepares to welcome students back to class in less than a month.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. granted the temporary restraining order, ordering the state and MSCS to “maintain the status quo before” the new takeover law took e ect.
e new oversight board control could signi cantly hinder MSCS’ ability to respond quickly to start-of-school emergencies, including HVAC failures, creating “immediate operational deadlock” during one of the district’s busiest times of year, the district alleged in last week’s court ling. Tennessee Lookout and Chalkbeat Tennessee contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: OVERTON PARK CONSERVANCY Seen on the East Parkway side, the pavilion is Overton Park’s oldest remaining structure. It could get a renovation in the reimagining of the park.
By Allie Maury
{ STATE WATCH
Are the Kids Alright?
Tennessee’s children rank 37th in the U.S. for overall well-being.
The newest Kids Count Data Book reveals that Tennessee ranks 37th in the country for children’s wellbeing, with improvements in family and community wellness and declines in some health, education, and economic well-being metrics.
e report, released on June 8th, features annual public rankings across states. is year’s data book also features a new scoring system that can be used to compare states’ child well-being data to the highest scores seen before Covid, in 2019.
ese scores, between one and 1,000, re ect the di erences between states and whether a state has made improvement from 2019 to 2024. e percentages referenced are also compared to those from 2019.
According to the report, Tennessee ranks 42nd nationwide for children’s family and community well-being, with a score of 524 out of 1,000. e state saw improvements across all measured metrics in this category, including fewer children in single-parent families (37 percent to 34 percent), fewer children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma (11 percent to 10 percent), fewer children living in highpoverty areas (10 percent to 9 percent), and fewer teen births per 1,000 (24 to 20).
“Tennessee continues to distinguish itself through notable gains in educational attainment,” said Mandy Spears, executive vice president of e Sycamore Institute, Tennessee’s member of the Casey Foundation’s Kids Count network. “Other areas of child well-
Despite some improvements, Tennessee kids show mixed progress.
being, particularly economic well-being and health, show more mixed progress in comparison.”
While family and community scores have improved, numbers in other categories remain mixed. Tennessee ranks 42nd in economic well-being with a score of 454. While the percentage of children living in poverty decreased (20 percent to 19 percent), the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment remained stable (28 percent), and the percentage of children living in households with a high housing cost burden increased (26 percent to 29 percent) along with teens not in school and not working (6 percent to 8 percent).
Tennessee, with a score of 524, ranks 39th in health. Fewer children were born at low birth weights (9.2 percent to 8.8 percent), and a smaller percentage of children and teens aged 10-17 are obese (36 percent to 33 percent) compared to 2019. However, a greater percentage of children lack health insurance and the number of child and teen deaths per 1,000 increased (32 to 38).
Tennessee’s education statistics either remained stable, as with the percentage of eighth graders not pro cient in math (69 percent), or worsened, as with the percentage of children aged 3 or 4 not in school (61 percent to 62 percent), fourth graders not pro cient in reading (65 percent to 68 percent), and high school students not graduating on time (10 percent to 11 percent).
PHOTO: ARTEM KNIAZ | UNSPLASH
By: Shua ee e Coo o
AT LARGE
By
Bruce VanWyngarden
Red Hot Pokers
Mulch ado about not mulch.
Iwas leaving a restaurant a er dinner the other night, when I noticed a man bent over, pointing his phone at a ower growing in a nicely mulched bed near the sidewalk. I stopped and looked at the plant but didn’t recognize it.
“I can’t get an ID on it,” said the man.
“Let me try,” I said.
I took a picture and clicked the little “ID this plant” icon on my iPhone. I was quickly informed that I’d taken a picture of a red hot poker, or technically a Knipho a, a plant native to Africa also known as a torch lily. “ ere are many varieties of red hot poker, or torch lily,” I read aloud to my new ower friend, “and they bloom at di erent times during the growing season. e owers are red, orange, and yellow.”
e one we photographed was brilliant yellow.
“Red hot poker? Good to know,” he said. “ anks.”
ballroom, of course, has now morphed into a billion-dollar “national defense center,” with a command-and-control room located in a giant underground bunker and snipers permanently stationed on the roof. Meanwhile, the White House South Lawn, recently the site of a UCF cage match, looks like Tom Lee Park used to look a er a rainy Music Fest weekend — a muddy disaster area.
“No problem,” I said. “I’ve never seen one of these before.”
“Me neither.”
O he went and o I went. It was a nice random encounter on a nice random night between two strangers who might never see each other again. It happens all the time, almost everywhere, except, I don’t know, maybe Washington, D.C.? I bring up our nation’s capital because it’s been much in the news lately, and from the coverage I’ve seen, it appears unlikely that strangers are currently walking the streets sharing quaint moments of bonhomie over the local ora. It’s an occupied city, for one thing, with National Guard troops patrolling everywhere, including the National Mall, currently the site of the “Great American State Fair,” which almost no one is attending. (I’m sorry to tell you that you just missed “MAHA Monday,” which featured fun- lled programs on how “the future of health is made exciting, accessible, and full of possibility.”)
e Guard is also “protecting” the algae-and- oating-paint- lled Re ecting Pool, now fenced from vandals who never existed, including a former U.S. Olympic cyclist who got indicted on felony charges by “Judge” Jeanine Pirro for stopping (along with many other tourists) and touching a piece of oating paint.
To make matters worse, all over the city, architecturally and historically signicant federal buildings are now festooned with giant banners featuring the scowling “Blue Steel” mug of Fearless Leader. e place where he lives, sometimes — e White House — also stands behind newly erected fences, dwarfed by the ongoing construction of a giant “ballroom” where the historic East Wing used to sit. e
But wait, there’s more! e president is planning to build a 250-foot-tall “Arc de Trump,” which will eliminate the historic view from Arlington National Cemetery to Washington’s monuments. He’s announced the destruction of a large grove of Washington’s storied cherry trees, to be replaced by a practice range for a golf course makeover Trump is personally overseeing. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Trump’s “National Garden of American Heroes,” which will feature statues of 250 Trump-selected Americans at a cost of $400 million. Bidding for slots will start soon, no doubt, if it hasn’t already.
And speaking of 250 Trump-selected Americans … About that many members of the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, marched around the nation’s capital on July 4th, wearing masks (of course), displaying Confederate ags, and demonstrating for their beliefs, which include antisemitism, hatred of immigrants, and generic racism against anyone or anything not Caucasian. is putrid Nazi-fest was occurring in Washington on the same day the president was giving a speech warning anyone who would listen (an increasingly smaller group) that the Democratic Party was trying to force America to become communist, which “they’ve been trying to do for hundreds of years,” he said. Which would no doubt be a surprise to the late Karl Marx.
It’s too much to take in, sometimes — week a er week of narcissistic ignorance, waste, and madness. It’s enough to make me want to grow a garden full of red hot pokers. I know just where I’d stick one.
UPER SPONSOR R. THOMAS RATLIF
PHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
Mem ! 10
Music Export Memphis marks a decade of success with a Birthday Bash at W.C. Handy Park.
Way back in 2017 when J.D. Reager rst reported on Music Export Memphis (MEM) for the Flyer, the little nonpro t bent on taking Memphis music to the world was only a year old. Yet even then, a sense of momentum was building. Founder and executive director Elizabeth Cawein told Reager, “My vision was to build a system that bene ts musicians and also drives results for the business and tourism communities,” and the simplicity and focus of what she imagined was making people nod in agreement from the start. It was almost as if, amid a jumble of bands, studio owners, promoters, and city initiatives that had puzzled for decades over how to make Memphis “the next Seattle” or “the next Austin,” Cawein had simply held up a lens, gathering the light onto what mattered most: the bands. “I’m passionate about this city and our musicians,” she told Reager. “I’m passionate about telling their story.”
Now, 10 years into the MEM journey, that sentiment still drives both Cawein and the nonpro t. As she puts it today, “We’re de nitely incredibly artist-focused, that’s for sure.”
at’s one reason the Birthday Bash that MEM’s throwing — all a ernoon at W.C. Handy Park on Saturday, July 25th — will likely draw a sprawling community of well-wishers, from bands and artists who have bene ted from MEM’s assistance to grateful fans on the other side of the coin. As a nonpro t known for putting bands rst, MEM will certainly walk the walk with this free concert of some of the city’s nest musos: Black Cream, Keia Johnson, Deonna Sirod, Nick Black, Raneem Imam,
Optic Sink, and Hi Rhythm featuring Jerome Chism and Lina Beach. And they will in turn draw their various loyal followings, which are growing with MEM’s help, and so goes the self-reinforcing cycle that has built a palpable updra for the local music scene in recent years. MEM has been part of that every step of the way, having paid out, by Cawein’s reckoning, over $1 million to Memphis bands and artists over its rst decade, with $272,050 awarded in tour grants, and $115,960 awarded in merch grants; the latter, requiring artists to share merch costs and use local vendors, led to $286,901 spent with Memphis-based businesses on grant-funded merch projects. at’s quite a he y impact for the city at large and the many bands who have bene ted.
What MEM Gets Right
Music Commission is at a crossroads.”
Not long a er Lauterbach’s story, Cawein, a er graduate studies in clarinet and voice, had decided that she “enjoyed making music with people, but it was clear to me I wasn’t ever going to be a professional musician. I’m not a star, and that’s ne. I wanted to write about it.” at in turn led her back home. “I moved back and got the job at the Memphis Music Foundation [the Memphis Music Commission’s fundraising arm], which was this immediate introduction to all these people that were making music then, like Star and Micey. I remember seeing them at the Hi-Tone, and tons of other bands too. It was really cool.”
Flyer in 2007, revealed the
It hasn’t always been thus when agencies and authorities have tried to boost the local music economy. Preston Lauterbach, writing for the degree to which such e orts were mired in a malaise at the time. Funding had just diminished as “the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted down a resolution to transfer $50,000 to the music commission for the purpose — in classic music-commission-style vagueness — of ‘enhancing the music industry,’” he wrote. “With government support waning and a suspicious public looking on, the embattled Memphis and Shelby County
It’s signi cant that the story of MEM begins with her immersion in the music scene.
COVER STORY By Alex Greene
John Doyle, executive director of the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, says, “I rst knew Elizabeth through her marketing rm at the time, Signal Flow PR, and she was doing a lot of pro bono work for musicians and things like that, so she was very in tune with the music community.”
As Cawein mulled over the then-current state of music in Memphis, and her newfound love of local bands, an idea began to germinate. “I crystallized on the idea of Music Export Memphis, and actually wrote the name out for the rst time, during a panel on international export o ces at AmericanaFest in 2014,” she recalls. “I was listening to these people from the U.K., Canada, Germany, wherever else, talk about their work, and it was just like this light bulb went o . I was just like, ‘Okay, so this is scalable, you are just helping artists who live where you live do what they do in other places, understanding that that has a bene t for where you live.’ I was like, this is simple math, we can do this, and I felt like I could really see clearly at the center of that Venn diagram, where this bene ts the artist and it bene ts the city, you know?”
From there, Cawein found allies in Amy Daniels and the late Phil Trenary at the Greater Memphis Chamber, and soon set her sights on the 2016 AmericanaFest. “In 2014, I came up with the idea at AmericanaFest, then started having meetings in 2015, and then in 2016 we did our very rst event there, the Memphis Picnic, which was like a day-long party, and we had a transportation sponsorship that year too, so there was a bus that drove up from Memphis with a bunch of the artists. It was really fun.”
And, as Cawein told Reager in 2017, “We got some phenomenal earned media at AmericanaFest … Our artists were covered in No Depression, Paste, American Songwriter, and more.” MEM was making waves.
Dollars and Sense
As it turned out, Cawein’s personal epiphanies in 2014 anticipated a whole new way of thinking about the
ined, was thinking on the scale of how bands nance themselves, rather than being xated on huge swaths of the music market sector at a time. at also conveniently dovetailed with MEM’s paltry co ers in the early years.
“When you know that we started with $10,000 in seed money from Memphis Brands, that was it, and now we are well into the six gures awarded just since 2018, I think that speaks volumes, just knowing that we started with such a small amount,” says Cawein.
ties between music and place gaining popularity at the time, loosely constituting the “music cities” movement, o en involving the London-based Sound Diplomacy consultancy, leading to conferences on that theme being sponsored across the country (including one in 2017 that Cawein helped to bring to Memphis). is new perspective also helped Cawein narrow her focus more specically on living, working musicians of Memphis, in spite of the sometimes overwhelming, if venerable, musical shadow of Memphis’ past.
“I went to the Music Cities Convention in Washington, D.C., in 2015 — the very rst one in the U.S. — and it was this space for me to just sit and hear from all these di erent people in di erent communities who were working on cool music-related projects,” Cawein recalls. “Now, the conversation that we were always up against when I was at the Music Foundation was ‘the legacy versus contemporary music.’ And I was like, okay, I’ve been at this twoday conference with all these people from across the world talking about music in their cities, and no one’s talking about that, and it doesn’t seem like that’s real. I think it’s a red herring. I think it’s a thing that we’re stuck on, and it’s keeping us from actually coming up with solutions to what the challenges are. I really felt like we had to move away from that.”
And part of that, she imag-
“To me, that tells a story. It’s what I have said from the beginning, and I still say it to people: We can move mountains with a small amount of money. Please don’t get me wrong, it would be really great if we were more resourced and could do more. Any arts organization in our city would say that, but what’s also true is, I think that we have built some really smart ways to think about grants as subsidies to working musicians, understanding that what we do is never going to cover 100 percent of your costs, but we are going to give you 40 percent of the money you’re going to spend on merch, and it makes it more possible for you to buy the merch in the rst place, and then you’re going to make more money per item when you actually sell them, right? And all that money is then going into a Memphis business, so then we also have that number, here’s how much our artists have actually spent with Memphis-based businesses.”
Beyond that, MEM has helped along the city’s “night economy,” that bustling stew of clubs, concerts, bands, and buskers that serves to create our local nightlife, even as it helps bands promote themselves elsewhere. It’s a paradox that MEM seems to embrace: As you support touring bands “exporting” their sound, you also support the economy in which they’re embedded back at home. at’s been recognized by Mayor Paul Young’s administration more than any city government before, and Cawein is here for it. “I’m encouraged by everything that has happened with DeMarcus Suggs and the O ce of Creative and Cultural Economy since Mayor Young took o ce. It’s a massive, massive step forward to have that kind of voice and leadership and strategy happening at the highest level,” she says. “I mean, something that I de nitely have learned through years of getting to work with other cities and seeing how other communities are doing music
continued on page 10
PHOTO: KRISTEN ARCHER
Elizabeth Cawein
PHOTOS (OPPOSITE PAGE):
COURTESY MUSIC EXPORT MEMPHIS
Rachel Maxann & band; Christopher Barnes; Reba Russell
PHOTOS (ABOVE):
COURTESY MUSIC EXPORT MEMPHIS
Marcella Simien; Cedric Burnside; Talibah Sa ya
CELEBRATING LIVE MUSIC 365 DAYS A YEAR! in Memphis
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
OPEN JAM NIGHT @ HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY @6:30PM
THURSDAY, JULY 9
CONGRESS THE BAND @ MINGLEWOOD HALL @7PM
FRIDAY JULY, 10
PERREOLAND @ MEMPHIS COLISEUM @9AM
SATURDAY, JULY 11
FOLK ALL Y’ALL: JESSYE DESILVA @ THE GREEN ROOM @7:30PM
SUNDAY, JULY 12
AARON ENGLISH @ UNITY CHURCH @5PM
MONDAY, JULY 13.
RED THOMAS @ RUM BOOGIE CAFE @7PM
TUESDAY, JULY 14
continued from page 9
ecosystem-related work is that there is always going to be a ceiling to what you can accomplish if there isn’t support from City Hall. Maybe the Chamber is involved, and that’s great, that’s essential, and maybe tourism is involved, and that’s also great and essential, but until city government says this is important, there’s just a limit to what you can accomplish.”
The city signaled its commitment to the music ecosystem early on, when it revealed its Comprehensive Music Strategy and Economic Impact Study in 2025, outlining a $721.6 million industry and a path for it to grow even more. Things are now in place for some serious synergy in the local music scene. And now, a decade later, how does Memphis look to those Music City Conventions?
conferences in Kansas City, New Orleans, and beyond.
The impact on local artists making these trips has been profound. In one MEM annual report, Talibah Safiya writes of her trip to Colombia, “Thank you so much Music Export Memphis for helping to facilitate this trip. I had the time of my life taking South Memphis to South America!”
JAZZ JAM SESSION: HOSTED BY THE ALEX UPTON QUARTET @ THE GREEN ROOM @7:30 PM WWW.MEMPHISTN.GOV/OCCEENGAGE
“Music Export Memphis is, in fact, one of their case study examples,” Cawein says, “of how you can support artists directly in a community. Plenty of the cities that they work with are interested in helping their artists export, and so we’re a case study that they’re pointing to all the time.”
“Cities want to help their artists export, and we’re a case study they point to. ”
Send Them Out Into the World
And yet, while Cawein and MEM have always had one eye on the city’s big picture, they’ve nonetheless taken their original focus on the experiences of bands to heart. Their goal: Send them out into the world. And MEM’s reach has come a long way since that first Memphis Picnic three hours down the road at AmericanaFest. A decade later, they’ve sent Memphis artists to international destinations, as with their songwriters’ exchange program with the city of Liverpool (U.K.) called “Memphis to the Mersey,” or the Cali Blues & Folk Festival in Cali, Colombia, or Toronto’s NXNE conference, or the upcoming English Folk Expo next March in Manchester, U.K. Then there are the regular Memphis Picnics at SXSW in Austin and what’s now the Pure Memphis Happy Hour at AmericanaFest, not to mention showcases at the A3C Festival and Conference in Atlanta and the Folk Alliance International
The artists who have been assisted through MEM are legion, partly because the organization presents its most comprehensive awards to three artists at a time. The Ambassador Access program, launched in 2022, over-invests in artists who’ve traditionally been under-resourced to create pathways to sustainable touring careers. Every year, a group of three ambassadors takes part in group workshops on topics from audience development to tour management to personal finances, receives one-on-one coaching in marketing and booking, tours in multiple states, and is matched with mentors aligned with their career goals. Then, they walk away from the program having built a proposal for their $5,000 unrestricted grant.
Others receive the aforementioned merch grants, which have grown to include short-run vinyl releases by Memphis Record Pressing. Or, as I know from my time with James & the Ultrasounds, a simple tour subsidy from MEM can facilitate staying in cheap hostels instead of sleeping on the floors of generous fans during, say, those particularly cold winters in Northern Europe. At the scale of a band or a solo artist, the smallest subsidy makes all the difference.
There’s plenty more available at MEM, and the nonprofit’s offerings are always evolving. What was called the Tambourine Bash for years, wherein Cawein threw together impromptu hybrid bands by mixing and matching MEM artists, all performing at the Overton Park Shell, has now evolved into the Co-Lab, a similar fundraising concert that, come October 16th, will carry on the tradition of “bring[ing] together diverse groups of Memphis musicians in genre-bending collaborative sets, creating a one-of-a-kind night of live music that raises the creative ceiling in our music scene and sparks new artistic partnerships.”
MEM has grown over the years, and by now Cawein has a team assisting her (as well as a board that, full disclosure, includes the CEO of Contemporary Media, Anna Traverse), but it’s striking how much of the organization’s success comes down to her drive and passion for music. John Doyle may put it best when he says Cawein is chasing “her vision of a city where musicians can earn a living, where musicians can progress in a career and promote the city in doing so. And to do that, she hustles. It’s interesting, because a lot of people talk about hustling, but I’ve never heard Elizabeth brag about it.”
Visit musicexportmemphis.org for more information.
FRIDAY, OCT 9TH
FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms
Join us for a fantastic evening of great tastes and great fun, bringing together bourbon and whiskey distillers from around the region PLUS great bites from some of your favorite local restaurants! VIP Admission starts at 5pm, GA at 6pm.
TICKETS AND MORE
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Stage Meets Sketchbook
Traditional gure drawing gets a theatrical twist at Stage & Sketch, a free monthly program at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens where artists of every skill level gather to sketch performers dressed in imaginative costumes.
Co-organized by Memphis artist Shelda Edwards and Dixon Public Programs Coordinator Lacy Mitcham, Stage & Sketch grew from a shared vision to make gure drawing more expressive and accessible. e two rst connected through the Dixon Community Day’s Women in the Arts programming and quickly realized they both wanted to create a drawing session featuring performers whose costumes, makeup, and personalities would inspire artists in new ways.
“With traditional gure drawing, the model is usually dressed simply or nude,” Mitcham says. “Here, you get interesting fabrics, textures, props, and personality. Because the models are performers, they’re comfortable engaging with an audience, and that adds another layer of creativity.”
By Kimberly Ham
MAKE YOUR CLOSET HAPPY, MANE.
Edwards, founder of Rainbow Rumble, recruits a di erent performer for each session, ensuring no two evenings are alike. While models hold classic timed poses — beginning with quick 30-second gestures before progressing to longer poses — they occasionally surprise participants with a spontaneous performance or prop change.
e program welcomes everyone, from rst-time sketchers to experienced artists. Participants bring their preferred drawing supplies, whether paper or digital, while a limited number of extra materials are available. Mitcham says the sessions have also become popular as creative date nights.
e atmosphere is intentionally relaxed. So music plays while participants spread out on bean bags, chairs, or the carpeted oor, creating a comfortable environment where creativity takes center stage rather than perfection.
Beyond practicing drawing skills, Mitcham hopes attendees leave with something even more meaningful. “We’re seeing regulars alongside new faces, and people are making connections,” she says. “With so many adults experiencing loneliness, having a place where people can gather creatively in a welcoming environment is really valuable.”
Like all Dixon admission, Stage & Sketch is free, re ecting the museum’s commitment to removing barriers to arts participation. Held on the second ursday of each month, the upcoming session will be on July 9, and the next session will be on August 13. Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the rst time in years or sketching every day, Stage & Sketch o ers a low-pressure opportunity to create and connect.
Page to Stage: Su s Listening Party Novel, ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
Celebrate the Broadway tour of Su s with an evening of music, conversation, and civic engagement at Novel’s inaugural Page to Stage event. In partnership with the Orpheum eatre and the League of Women Voters, this listening party invites guests to enjoy the Tony Award-winning musical’s cast recording while exploring the history of the women’s su rage movement through a letter-writing activity. Tickets are $10 and include all letter-writing supplies, light refreshments, button-making materials, and the opportunity to connect with representatives from the League of Women Voters.
Munch and Learn: Tangible Memories in the Café Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Wednesday, July 15, noon-1 p.m. Spend your lunch hour exploring the stories behind every cup at Munch and Learn: Tangible Memories in the Café. Co-owner and roaster Alexander Roach of Boycott Co ee will share insights from his 13 years in the co ee industry and discuss how his work as an English teacher in co ee-producing communities has shaped his mission to bridge the gap between language, culture, and co ee. Guests are encouraged to purchase lunch from the Park + Cherry café and bring it into the auditorium for the free noon lecture.
Grow your indoor gardening skills at the Houseplant Repotting Workshop. Perfect for beginners, this hands-on class teaches the essentials of repotting and caring for popular climbing houseplants. Each participant will receive a 4-inch plant, choosing from select varieties of monstera, pothos, or philodendron, then learn how to mix an aroidfriendly soil blend and properly stake their plant to encourage larger, more dramatic foliage. Instructor Sheryl, who brings years of experience caring for Urban Earth’s plants and her own collection, will also cover long-term plant care and answer questions throughout the workshop.
STAGE & SKETCH, DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK AVE., THURSDAY, JULY 9, 6-8 P.M., FREE
PHOTO: SHELDA EDWARDS AND LACY MITCHAM Stage & Sketch
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule
July 9 - 15
2 Quarts Low
Sunday, July 12, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S DOWNTOWN
Basketcase
Classic rock, pop, and party hits. ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
THE PEABODY ROOFTOP
HEAT.WAV
A multi-genre dance event.
Saturday, July 11, 10 p.m.
WISEACRE BREWING COMPANY HQ
Kennard Farmer
Saturday, July 11, 9 a.m.
MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET
Patrick McGee
With Joe Matthews. Friday, July 10, 5 p.m. FLYWAY BREWERY
Debbie Jamison Band
Tuesday, July 14, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Elmo & the Shades
Featuring Eddie Harrison.
Wednesday, July 8, 7 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
John Williams & the A440 Band
ursday, July 9, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Pretty Boys
Sunday, July 12, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S EAST
Wendell Wells
Sunday, July 12, 9 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
2000’s Rave
2000’s hits, remixes, and EDM. Friday, July 10, 9 p.m. GROWLERS
Almost Famous
Saturday, July 11, 8 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Avid Violin
Saturday, July 11, 6 p.m. CENTRAL BBQ
Basketcase
Saturday, July 11, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Cam Girl
With Pan de Muerto. Sunday, July 12, 7 p.m. GROWLERS
The Chaulkies
Sunday, July 12, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
Cody Clark
Friday, July 10, 9:30 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Congress the Band
ursday, July 9, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Data Drums
With Dead Ringers, Hondo.
Tuesday, July 14, 9 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Deborah Swiney Duo
ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
THE COVE
Devil Train
ursday, July 9, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
DJ Livin & DJ
Rhinestonee
July Dyke Night: White Lies Party. ursday, July 9, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Folk All Y’all: Jessye
DeSilva
Americana roots and genredefying songwriting. Saturday, July 11, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM
Jazz Jam Session with the Alex Upton Quartet
Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Sunday, July 12, 6 p.m.
THE COVE
Keelyn Ellis
Sunday, July 12, 12 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Mineral King
With Holdfast, Aidan Osias, Jombi. Sunday, July 12, 7:30 p.m.
THE HI-TONE CAFE
Mondenel
With Phases and Serg. Saturday, July 11, 8 p.m.
THE HI-TONE CAFE
Pinch
Friday, July 10, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Sarah Spain and the Nightshades
Sunday, July 12, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Shara & Sky
ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Shorty & the Grooves
Saturday, July 11, 6 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Sleazebagjones
With John Coupe, Sex Image, Steel Waves, IDK IDC. ursday, July 9, 8 p.m.
THE HI-TONE CAFE
Strictly Jazz: Jazz
According to Prince Led by Darryl Sanford, specializing in jazz, fusion, and funk. Sunday, July 12, 6 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM
Suburban Downgrade
With e Wasted, Pornstar. Monday, July 13, 8 p.m.
THE HI-TONE CAFE
Whimsyhaus ese artists use music, owers, lights, and sounds in this immersive experience. Friday, July 10, 7 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
A Shoals Tribute to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Jordan Dean presents this heartfelt tribute. Saturday, July 11, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Gia Welch
Americana, folk, and bluegrass. Friday, July 10, 6 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
India Ramey
Sharp songwriting and fullforce honky tonk energy. ursday, July 9, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Kody Harrell and Bryan Shaw
Modern Mississippi blues. Friday, July 10, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Live In Studio A Summer Series
From soul and R&B to contemporary sounds. Tuesday, July 14, 2 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Duane Cleveland Band Sunday, July 12, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S COLLIERVILLE
Ghost Town Blues Band Sunday, July 12, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S GERMANTOWN
Richard Wilson
Soulful jazz and bossa nova. Sunday, July 12, 2 p.m.
DELTA BLUES WINERY
PHOTO: COURTESY HOPE CLAYBURN
Hope Clayburn
CALENDAR of EVENTS: July 9
- 15
Send
DUE TO
ARTS AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
Incognito Art Auction & Party 2026 is acution and art party returns with over 100 original, unsigned works by Mid-South artists. Explore a one-of-a-kind collection where mystery meets creativity; the artist behind each piece remains a secret until a er the auction closes. Free. rough July 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Lit”
is exhibition shows artist Catherine Erb’s ongoing exploration of light, presence, memory, and the transformative qualities of photography. rough July 18.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“What We Surround Ourselves
With”
Serves as a love letter to the evolution of the cra , work, and stories shared through the Metal Museum’s community. rough July 31.
METAL MUSEUM
ART HAPPENINGS
Opening Reception: “The Art of Community - 90 Years of Service”
Enjoy this opening reception for an exhibition celebrating nine decades of philanthropic legacy and community progress. Tuesday, July 14, 5:30 p.m.
TOWN OF COLLIERVILLE MORTON MUSEUM
Incognito Art Auction & Party invites art lovers, collectors, and curious creatives to embrace the unknown.
Residency Artist Talks
Hear from Crosstown Arts’ Summer 2026 residents Jack Eubanks, Madisen Sago, Armaine Dela Cruz, Daniel Portis-Cathers, Corinne Jones, and Anuj Bhutani as they share the ideas,
Crossword
31 See 49-Across 33 Graphic representation of history
58 Subj. involving telescopes or microscopes
59 Army NCO
61 Grassy field
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0702
On the ___ (fleeing)
14 Crown for Miss America
15 Satellite signals 16 ___ Jima 17 Actor with the same initials as Michael Rezendes, his role in “Spotlight” 19 Nuke
20 Sloth, for example
21 Have a go at 22 Put in a tandoor
23 ___ Mahal
26 Citrus garnish in a mixed drink
28 Used a riflescope, say
29 For fun
35 Fake ID user, often
Fruity drinks 37 Image on the back of a dime 39 Cell messenger
Serpentine letter
Strong string 43 Floating mass in the North Atlantic
Eye woe
Regularness
With 31-Across, actor with the same initials as Alfred Hitchcock, his role in “Hitchcock”
Performer with a baton
Construction girder
Didn’t do takeout at a restaurant
Altar promise
Like lumber
62 Actor with the same initials as Jake Blues, his role in “The Blues Brothers”
67 Do the wrong thing
68 Fall bloom
69 Set of moral principles
70 Former fast jet, in brief
71 ___ nova (Brazilian music style)
72 “So I was wrong” DOWN
1 It’s stuffed with dough
2 Acapulco aunt
3 Musical sense
4 Temple cabinets 5 ___ status (survey information)
6 Not working 7 Southpaw punches
8 Lack
9 How doodles are generally drawn
10 What that is, in Tijuana
11 Actress with the same initials as Linda Marolla, her role in “Arthur”
12 Come to 13 Relatives of scooters 18 Oral only
22 Establishment that might have a lot of hogs in front 23 “Cheerio!” 24 Parenthetical
processes, and experiences shaping their work. Free. ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
BOOK EVENTS
Tara Sexton: The Greatest Game Soccer is life, but love is the greatest game of all. Even Marcee Ackerman’s competitiveness might not be enough for her to win. Saturday, July 11, 2 p.m.
NOVEL
COMMUNITY
Shopfront Tails: Art + Adoptions
Create. Relax. Pet dogs. Meet the adoptable pups from Alive Rescue Memphis, shop local dog-themed art, and enjoy surprises. Free. Saturday, July 11, 11 a.m.
THE SHOPS OF SADDLE CREEK
Muse: Transformation
Learn how to create your own persona with pop star Vixxen. Choose your name and collage your persona’s vibe. Monday, July 13, 6:30 p.m.
BAR DKDC
CLASS/WORKSHOP
Stage & Sketch
Participate in an evening of gure drawing the fantastical, the dramatic, and the interesting, organized by Shelda Edwards. Ages 18+. Free. ursday, July 9, 6 p.m.
DIXON GALLERY AND GARDENS
FAMILY
Summer Splash on the Greensward Overton Park Conservancy is popping up waterslides on the Greensward, next to Veterans Plaza. Bring the kids to cool o this summer. Free. Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m.
OVERTON PARK CONSERVANCY
FILM
As Goes the South is lyrical 2025 documentary explores the evolving identity of the American South through artists, musicians, writers, and everyday voices wrestling with history, memory, and cultural transformation. ursday, July 9, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
PERFORMING ARTS
New Works Series Featuring Hattie’s Boy
A reading of excerpts from Hattie’s Boy, a ctional work-in-progress by Sharon Spence Bailey. Set in 1920’s rural West Tennessee, a rst-born sister confronts an impossible ethical dilemma in the wake of family tragedy. Free. Sunday, July 12, 5:30 p.m.
THEATRESOUTH
THEATER
Sweeney Todd
An unjustly exiled barber returns to 19thcentury London seeking revenge. As he partners with a pie-maker, Mrs. Lovett, to dispose of his victims in her baked goods, a gruesome and darkly comedic tale of obsession, injustice, and revenge unfolds. $20-$40. ursday, July 9-Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m. | Sunday, July 12, 2 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Your Romeo
It’s 1847, and actress Charlotte Cushman and writer Matilda “Max” Hays are a sensation, playing Romeo and Juliet while carrying on a romance o stage. When their relationship ends, Max sues Charlotte for alimony, and it inexorably leads to a nal confrontation. Friday, July 10-Saturday, July 11, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, July 12, 2:00 p.m. THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
People — and at least one dog — were spotted through an iPhone lens during this “People on the Street” edition of We Saw You.
Locations included Superlo Foods, e Pancake Shop, South Main Trolley Walk, Liquor & Wine Depot, Dvour Desserts, Earnestine & Hazel’s, and AT&T in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
above: (le to right) Jess Faro; Landon Abernathy, Miller Sykes circle: Danarious Muse
below: (le to right) Vivian Jones, Virginia Hannah, Aubreigh Seymour; Marcie and Al Quesada; Antonio Jones; Steve Cole bottom row: (le to right) Justin Durham, Gary Wilkes; Kay and Jim Kelly and Bella
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
FOOD By Michael Donahue
The Pancake Shop
e iconic eatery has served Memphis for almost 70 years.
Hunter Myers is still rocking his “breakfast socks.” ose are the socks with pictures of bacon and eggs or pancakes and wa es on them that he wears to work at e Pancake Shop.
“I have a di erent pair for every day,” Myers says. “I order them online.”
His mother bought him his rst pair — gray socks with fried eggs and bacon design — when he bought the iconic diner at 4838 Summer Avenue on March 1, 2022.
“ at was her original idea when I got the place. She found me a pair of breakfast socks. And that has been her thing ever since. I continue to buy them ‘cause I like them.”
Since he bought the restaurant, which opened in 1958, Myers has changed the hours of operation. But he’s tried to keep its same vibe and look. Foodwise, the only thing he did was upgrade to a better quality sausage link, Myers says. “Otherwise, the bacon, the sausage patties, the ham, the pancakes, the hash browns, the biscuits, everything is the same.”
And, he adds, “All the same recipes. All the same purveyors get us products to make said recipes. Nothing changed. I wanted to leave it as original as I possibly could.”
Aesthetically, he says, “what you hear from the younger generation nowadays is that the vibe is ‘immaculate.’”
“When I bought it they were closing between 8 and 9 at night. ey were trying to stay open for a dinner rush that really never came. So, for seven months a er I bought it, I le the same hours that it was.” But not many people were coming in later in the day. “I couldn’t get enough momentum to make it worthwhile.”
e Pancake Shop is now open 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every day except Wednesday, the one day it’s closed.
In addition to changing the hours and the sausage links, Myers himself has changed since buying e Pancake Shop: he’s lost 60 pounds. at’s despite the ease with which one picks up weight as a restaurant owner, he says. “ at happens. You’re around it and it’s tough. It’s tough not to smell that French toast cooking and those delicious pancakes. You own the place. You can go back there and make whatever you want.”
Young people on social media “just love the buzz of the place. e way it looks.
e iconic Memphis pictures.”
Myers also painted the walls. “I thought that the walls were kind of a high yellow,” he says, but he discovered they were actually white. “ ey had turned yellow through the years of cigarette smoking inside. Which now has, obviously, been outlawed.”
ey were restored to their original color with one coat of paint. “I put all the decorations back that were there,” he says. “I just came in and gave it a breath of fresh air.”
e Pancake Shop is “the melting pot of Memphis restaurants,” Myers says. “We have an extremely diverse customer base. Everybody loves a good American breakfast, but e Pancake Shop is just that spot where everybody feels welcome.”
Myers changed e Pancake Shop’s hours of operation out of necessity. It was open 24 hours a day for years.
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Jack and
Myers now looks like he could be the older brother of his 23-year-old son Jack, the restaurant’s general manager. And through social media, Jack has gotten the next generation to start eating at e Pancake Shop.
As for future plans, Myers says, “I would like to open up another Pancake Shop in another area of town. Bring it closer to people.”
And then there’s that famous redand-white sign on the street out front. “A lot of people I talk to say they’ve been in Memphis their whole life and they haven’t seen that sign,” he says. So Myers is thinking about “getting a more vibrant sign, or a bigger one people can see from the street.” But, he adds, “I promise if that ever happens, I will take that iconic sign that’s been out there for decades and decades and clean it up and make it a permanent xture inside e Pancake Shop.”
Hunter Myers
SPIRITS By Buddy Jones
Beers and Bodyslams
Like peanut butter and jam, wrestling and beer go hand in hand.
U
nless you’ve been doing your 12-ounce curls under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that the modern cra beer movement has popped up all over America like mosquito bites on your legs during a thick, lingering heat on a July summer night. From macrobreweries to microbreweries and even home breweries, brewmasters everywhere wrestle with brewing the perfect barrel of suds. e traditional four base ingredients of yeast, malts, hops, and water create the avor, color, and alcohol content of your beer. Adding adjuncts such as corn, rice, fruits, and spices helps supplement the traditional core four ingredients. But if you want to drink like a champion, your beer needs more head — as in headlocks.
e 2026 Memphis Brewfest transpired last month at Shelby Farms, featuring Memphians’ favorite local breweries like Ghost River, Crosstown, MFS, Meddlesome, Flyway, and Souls & Spirits, along with prominent out-of-towners. While Brewfest has always been a main event on its own, this year it brought in an enforcer: Memphis Wrestling. With pilsners and piledrivers, IPAs and DDTs, stouts and
most hated villains of the square circle have changed over the years, the reigning defending tag team champions of fun are still beer and wrestling. If you’ve never experienced drinking a Tiny Bomb while witnessing a power bomb, you’re just letting the best things in life pass you by.
Picture this: Fans gathered around the ring with their souvenir 2026 Brewfest cups. e cold beer meets their lips, and they take a slow, satisfying gulp, wiping away a eeting trace of white foam with the back of their hands. e ring announcer steps to the middle of the ring. e entrance music plays. e good guy explodes through the sound of an upbeat, high-energy track that encourages cheering. e sinister bad guy walks out to slow menacing themes that draw boos.
Beer pours down fans’ throats with a light, crisp zz. is is universally followed by a sharp exhale or a hearty, contented “ahhhhh” exhale as the drinker catches their breath. “Ding, ding” echoes throughout Shelby Farms, signaling to the rowdy, alcohol-fueled crowd that all hell is about to break loose.
suplexes, Beermania was running wild.
Many people could make a strong case that pro wrestling is Memphis’ favorite pastime. Monday nights, Saturday mornings, Mid-South Coliseum, and Channel 5 all conjure up images of the city’s rst pro sports team. Watching Jerry Lawler slam Jimmy Hart while we slammed beers hit harder than a Memphis pothole. Even Adam West, yes that Adam West, enjoyed mixing beer with bodyslams. In 1976, he made a special appearance on Memphis wrestling TV and allegedly smelled and sounded like he needed a designated driver for the Batmobile. You can nd the video on YouTube.
Dustin Starr of Memphis Wrestling brought his crop of the next generation of future Memphis legends to Brewfest. Although the faces of our favorite heroes and
e Brewfest I saw featured an internet title match, a tag team match, a grudge match, a women’s match, and a battle royal to crown the King of Brewfest. Twinkies were ying at the hated villains, women were beating each other with trash cans, and fans voluntarily gave up their beers so the good guys could drench their opponents with suds. e bad guys cheated.
e inebriated fans could see more than the blind referee as they shouted, “He’s gotta chain!” e card was more loaded than the crowd. e wrestlers brought the bumps, lumps, and thumps. e fans reacted with cheers, jeers, and beers.
No matter the style, pilsner, IPA, stout, or sour, nothing feels better than a beer in your hand (or one in each hand) and beer never tastes better than drinking it while watching a guy in spandex come ying o the top rope. Beer and rasslin’ go together like Prince Mongo and dirty feet. Drink responsibly. Don’t spill your beer as you’re raising your hand while your favorite wrestler gets the 1, 2, 3. Yes, you can have a great time drinking beer without watching wrestling or vice versa, but why take that chance?
Buddy Jones is a longtime Memphis bartender and comedian who hosts a weekly comedy night at Peoples on Beale.
PHOTO: J.D. REAGER
Mended Therapy
Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.
Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com.
She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.
Surviving Retrograde
Don’t panic! ese practices can help you glide through the ride.
Few astrological events inspire as much panic, memes, and misunderstanding as Mercury retrograde. Brace yourselves, we’re in for a retrograde ride until July 23rd.
e moment someone’s phone crashes, an ex reappears, or an email disappears into the void, people rush to blame Mercury retrograde. But while the jokes can be entertaining, this astrological transit is not actually a cosmic punishment.
Mercury is associated with communication, technology, travel, contracts, learning, and mental processes. When it appears to move backward from our perspective on Earth, astrologers believe those areas of life can become tangled, delayed, or complicated.
Mercury retrograde exposes weak spots in our routines and communication habits. Maybe we speak before thinking. Maybe we avoid di cult conversations until they explode later. Maybe we move too quickly and ignore important details. During retrograde periods, those issues o en become impossible to ignore.
is is not usually the best time to sign major contracts, purchase expensive electronics, or rush into life changes without careful thought. But it can be an excellent time for re ection and reevaluation.
Retrogrades are ideal for revisiting old projects, reorganizing your home, reconnecting with your spiritual practice, journaling, or reviewing goals that may have dri ed o course. Sometimes the universe is less interested in pushing us forward and more interested in helping us notice what still needs healing.
From a magical perspective, this retrograde is also a reminder that words carry energy. Communication becomes especially important during these periods. Misunderstandings can happen easily. I encourage people to pause before responding, double-check plans, and clarify expectations whenever possible.
A spiritual practice I recommend during retrograde periods is throat chakra work. Because Mercury rules communication, this transit highlights imbalances connected to speaking honestly, listening carefully, or expressing ourselves clearly.
Blue candles, calming teas, journaling, singing, or meditation focused on the throat chakra can all help create energetic balance. Crystals like blue lace agate, sodalite, or lapis lazuli are also commonly associated with communication and clarity. Incorporating certain yoga poses such as Fish Pose and Lion Pose can also help. You can also try di using essential oils believed to work on the throat chakra such
as lavender, frankincense, or peppermint.
Protection and grounding work can be helpful during Mercury retrograde, especially for people who struggle with feeling anxious or mentally overwhelmed. When schedules suddenly change or technology becomes frustrating, it’s easy to spiral. Grounding practices help us stay centered.
Something as simple as carrying a protective charm, taking cleansing baths, walking barefoot outside, or lighting a candle with intention can create a sense of stability during chaos. Magic is o en less about controlling the universe and more about changing how we move through it.
I also encourage people not to blame every inconvenience on astrology. A retrograde does not remove personal responsibility. If problems keep appearing in your life, the retrograde may simply be illuminating patterns that already existed. Astrology o ers awareness, not excuses.
Tarot can be especially useful during these periods because retrograde energy naturally encourages introspection. Cards like e Hermit, Justice, or the Eight of Pentacles o en re ect the need for patience, re ection, and careful attention. Most importantly, remember that the retrograde is temporary. Like every astrological season, it eventually passes. e delays resolve. e confusion clears. If approached thoughtfully, Mercury retrograde can actually become a valuable spiritual tool. It teaches patience in a culture obsessed with speed. It reminds us to listen more carefully, communicate more intentionally, and re ect before reacting.
Perhaps that’s why Mercury retrograde captures people’s attention so strongly. It interrupts autopilot. Sometimes, the universe needs us to slow down long enough to truly hear ourselves think. Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
PHOTO: WIKIDEAS1, CC0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are only two types of humans, right? Some of us serve beauty, truth, and goodness, while the rest pledge their allegiance to illusions, lies, and shadows. Our planet is now caught in a colossal showdown between these two sides. And it’s high time for you to align yourself with one or the other. JUST KIDDING! The truth is far messier and more interesting: Every one of us is a blend of luminosity and ignorance. And now is a perfect moment to study how those two currents move within you. When you clearly see how you contribute to the murky jumble, your commitment to love, harmony, and justice will soar.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll move with style and purpose if you take quick jaunts, dare gentle risks, and make a few nimble leaps of faith. You’ll go awry and astray if you wander too far afield, chase swaggering adventures, or try vaulting across yawning chasms. Keep it light, sharp, and intuitive, Taurus. Refrain from lugging heavy emotional baggage or drifting into daydream limbo. It’ll be wise to trust your sprightly impulses, but foolish to dissect them so ruthlessly that the magic leaks out. The color amber and the number three will be your allies. Somber gray and the number four will not. Align with sly visionaries and soulful realists but sidestep bitter contrarians and nostalgic clingers.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I swear I’m smarter in some places than in others. My intelligence soars in Barcelona, Kyoto, Aix-en-Provence, France, and Florence, Italy. But I seem dull-witted in Munich, Moscow, and Washington, D.C. Even in Northern California, my longtime home, some areas bring out the best in me. I feel mediocre on Valencia Street in San Francisco, for instance, whereas I’m extra wise in downtown Berkeley. Why is this? The branch of astrology known as astrocartography says that my strengths are more likely to shine in certain spots than others. In the coming weeks, Gemini, I urge you to experiment with the possibility that this may be true for you, as well. Wander far and wide. Find out where you feel most aligned with your deep, bright, genuine self.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo-born oceanographer Marie Tharp created the first comprehensive maps of the ocean floor. Her work was pivotal in proving theories about plate tectonics. She did much of this work in the 1950s, when women weren’t even allowed aboard research vessels. She had to rely on data collected by others, never seeing the terrain she mapped. But her limitation became her advantage; distance allowed her to perceive patterns that field researchers missed. I suspect that you, too, are working with incomplete information, Leo. Does this disqualify you
By Rob Brezsny
from drawing conclusions? No! I believe your inability to access certain details will compel you to see larger patterns. What you’re missing might be precisely what enables you to see what others can’t.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The “problem” confronting you right now is unusual: Your vision is too sharp, your thinking too precise, and your words too unambiguous. This would usually be good news to celebrate, but at the moment it’s blocking you from noticing the subtle openings life is presenting. Those portals may only reveal themselves if you soften your intense scrutiny and call on a creative, blurry logic. It’s like how, at night, you sometimes see more clearly when you peer from the edges of your vision rather than staring straight ahead.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This is a perfect moment to express your own unique power more than ever before. I invite you to act with conviction, assert your influence, and claim what you’ve earned. For best results, clarify your ambitions and assert your authority. Write down a formal vow or two. Don’t wait for approval from anyone higher up, and don’t waste time wondering whether destiny is on your side. The succulent opportunities aren’t somewhere else or someday later. They’re here and now.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’m exultant when a vigorous bike ride up the trail of my local mountain leaves me so cleansed and energized that a flash of truth strikes and instantly dissipates the illusions I’ve been clinging to. I get a delightful shock when, while wandering through a city’s maze of asphalt and litter, a sudden breeze carries the earthy aroma of a rebellious garden. I love it when the reckless choices of misguided leaders jolt my community into doubling down on our quest for audacious harmony, inventive affection, and untamed wisdom. How about you, dear Scorpio? Where do you search for your awakenings and salvations? Keep your inner radar tuned; they’re circling close.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Sagittarian physicist Freeman Dyson (1923–2020) proposed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations might build megastructures around stars to capture their energy. These “Dyson spheres” would be detectable from Earth as unusual infrared signatures. We haven’t found any yet, but his idea revolutionized how we think about looking for alien intelligence. Moral of the story: Valuable contributions can come from inventing the framework for how to search for unknown things. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, you might not solve problems, but you could redesign the questions. You may not find the answers, but you could create better tools for exploration.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Male humpback whales in the Pacific Ocean change their songs over the years. New phrases can spread across thousands of miles as other whales take up and transform them. Researchers don’t know why, but the pattern is clear: The whales value novelty even in their ancient rituals. They create an evolving musical tradition. Consider what this practice might suggest for your own relationship with the past, Cancerian. The memories and patterns you’re carrying don’t have to remain frozen. You can honor your history while remixing it, adding new verses, and changing the key. What needs to be preserved isn’t the exact form but the living spirit.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do you have a muse? If not, please find one. You shouldn’t go another day without a provocative, inspiring presence to stir your imagination and drive you deliciously wild. If you already have a muse and that genius has been faithfully fueling your creative fire, bestow a reward. Give a gift or blessing that provides a muse-like boost to your muse. And if your existing muse has grown quiet lately, go off on an adventure together. Dream up plans to stimulate the bursts of kaleidoscopic energy that you two are capable of generating.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In some monastic traditions, practitioners engage in “work prayer.” They transform ordinary labor into spiritual practice not by thinking holy thoughts while working, but by bringing complete presence and fond attention to ordinary labors. Chopping vegetables becomes meditation. Sweeping floors becomes devotion. The sacredness arises from their wholehearted attitude. This would be an excellent experiment for you to try, Aquarius. Divine solace and inspiration will arrive as you perform your daily duties with verve and gratitude. Try this: For a few days or even two weeks, approach routine duties and familiar obligations with a ceremonial reverence. Be joyful for the privilege of being alive in the most ordinary ways.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ve entered a phase when your magnetism and charisma will expand as you focus on ruminating deeply about what’s most meaningful to you. Seeking out new teachers and fresh lessons will bring lucky breaks and helpful influences into your sphere. Each fresh insight will polish your allure, and every surge of curiosity will add to your glow. Be extra sexy and ultra smart: Cosmic energies will work in your favor as you weave your id and intellect together.
TV By Chris McCoy
Cursed Home
Widow’s Bay brings superb horror-comedy to Apple TV.
Ever since 2017, there has been a hole in the television schedule that’s shaped like Twin Peaks. David Lynch and Mark Frost’s groundbreaking supernatural mystery rede ned what television could be upon its debut in 1990, bringing full-blown surrealism into the living rooms of unsuspecting ABC viewers. e prequel Fire Walk With Me — the most harrowing entry in Lynch’s legendary lmography — cemented the show’s cult following, and the long-anticipated third season, aired 25 years later as promised, provided the mind-expanding climax to the director’s career.
ough many have tried to emulate its mixture of horror, humor, and stealthy social commentary, there simply can’t be another Twin Peaks. It would take a generational talent like Lynch and about a decade of intensive transcendental meditation practice to even come close. e latest contender to the throne is Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay Widow’s Bay is an island community somewhere o the coast of New England
whose roots trace back to the Puritans. Compared to most of the island’s longtime inhabitants, Mayor Tom Lo is (Matthew Rhys) is a relative newcomer. He sees big potential in the quaint shing village; a er all, Martha’s Vineyard is old hat. Tom thinks the upcoming visit by a New York Times travel writer (Bashir Salahuddin) is his chance to put the Bay on the map.
As Wyck Crawford (Stephen Root) points out, the reason why Widow’s Bay has never attracted a big tourist crowd is because it’s been cursed for the last 400 years or so. is is not a good place for visitors. Spooky stu is constantly happening on Widow’s Bay. Phantom church bells ring. Monsters appear out of the fog. Supernatural nor’easters carry away the unwary. And, worst of all, if you’re born on the island, you can’t leave or you will die. is is a problem for Tom’s son Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), whose mother succumbed to the island’s curse while she was giving birth. Tom can’t quite bring himself to believe the locals’ ghost stories, but he has never let his son
leave the island, either. Evan, for his part, just wants to be a normal teenager and hang out with his stoner friends.
He’s not the only one trapped in Widow’s Bay by a quirk of fate. Tom’s executive assistant Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) grew up on the island, but she never became a book club wine mom like her classmates because she was the only person to survive an encounter with e Boogeyman (Airon Armstrong), a local serial killer, and no one believes her story of how it happened.
Over the course of the 10-episode season, e Boogeyman returns, supernatural storms ravage the island, tourists meet grisly fates, and the 400-year-old founder of Widow’s Bay (Hamish Linklater) returns from the dead. Tom freaks out, while the locals take it mostly in stride. Sure, weird stu happens, but it’s just
Stephen Root, Matthew Rhys, and Kate O’Flynn star in Widow’s Bay.
another day in Widow’s Bay.
e assembly of talent both on and o screen (including director and executive producer Hiro Murai) makes Widow’s Bay exceptional. Creator Katie Dippold broke into the biz as a writer on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Parks and Recreation, so while the show aims for a Peaks-like tonal mixture, it achieves greatness by leaning farther in the comedic direction. While it never achieves Lynchian gravitas, it mines laughs from its well-developed characters and o ers many scenes which are quite scary. If you’re a Twin Peaks fan, or just like good television, Widow’s Bay can scratch that itch.
PHOTO: COURTESY APPLE TV
Our critic picks the best films in theaters. Moana (2026)
Ten years ago, the story of the Polynesian princess who sets sail to find the demigod Maui and save her island from starvation became one of Disney Animation’s biggest hits. Now, the live-action remake boat has arrived, and once again Dwayne Johnson is starring as Maui, and yes, that’s a wig. Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia stars as Moana, Jemaine Clement voices the evil crab Tamatoa, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs are back on the soundtrack.
The Invite
Director Olivia Wilde co-stars with Seth Rogen as Joe and Angela, a
bickering married couple whose relationship is thrown into turmoil when they invite their noisy upstairs neighbors Pína (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) to dinner. Did I mention Pína is a sexologist? Make of that what you will.
Evil Dead Burn
Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies were all about people who go to secluded cabins in the woods, but instead of fishing and hiking, they find demonic possession and ultraviolence. The version by French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček, hand-picked by Raimi, has a funeral for a child turn into the “family reunion from hell” when the mourners unleash the power of the Necronomicon.
THE LAST WORD By
Jesse Davis
Book a Trip to the Local Library
Beat the heat with a good book.
In this week’s Memphis Flyer feature “Report: Tennessee Ranks 37th in Country for Child Well-being” by Allie Maury, I read the troubling statistic that, based on the newest Kids Count Data Book, between 65 and 68 percent of fourth graders are not procient at reading. at 37th ranking is a dire warning. ere are only 50 states, so ranking anything below 25th should amount to a ve-alarm re. e reading stats are particularly abysmal, with close to 70 percent of fourth graders struggling with reading.
Setting aside the fact that these kids will one day be adults who need to think and make decisions, vote, and get jobs, the atrociously low reading stats hit home for personal reasons. Namely, because I review books, and books — not to mention book reviews — require readers.
We have got to get these kids reading; our nation’s future (and my monthly car payment) depend on it.
In all seriousness, reading is a foundational skill that opens doors to the acquisition of other abilities. Whether a child dreams of being an astronaut or a neuroscientist or a veterinarian or an electrician, they will surely have to read a few textbooks to make that dream a reality.
Additionally, reading and writing are practices that help us structure our own thoughts. As a writer, I o en nd myself challenging my own assumptions as the process of writing forces me to think critically about a subject, or requires me to synthesize additional sources of information. e end result is almost always both a stronger piece of writing and, on my part, a deeper understanding of my subject. at nal moment of comprehension relies on the act of writing as a tool to guide my thoughts; the “doing the work” portion is the most crucial component.
Creating an avid reader doesn’t require a large personal book collection. e rst and best resource for parents actively working to turn their children into readers will always be the public library. I will never forget my rst trip to the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library at the Memphis Public Libraries (MPL, memphislibrary.org). I checked out Brian Jaques’ e Outsider of Redwall and Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, and I’m still checking books out of my local library more than 30 years later. ere are more than just books at the library, too; there are toys, activities, book clubs, classes, story times, and more all at the MPL. ough mere proximity to books won’t help a child’s literacy level, in my experience with my toddler-age son, a kid who plays at the library will, on occasion pick up a book, even if the train set and sh tank are the main attractions.
e library also has regular sales when patrons can scoop up pre-owned books for pocket change. My son’s bookshelves are full of library casto s, and I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than $5 at a time at a library sale. Not a bad option for the budget-conscious parent of a young reader. Oh, and in the wake of the recent excessive heat warnings, would it be a good time to mention that libraries are typically air-conditioned, and that reading is an age-old, go-to indoor activity?
All-time Tennessee hall-of-famer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (imaginationlibrary.com) has been sending books, free of charge, to children from birth to age 5 since 1995. “When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. ey dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer,” Parton says on the Imagination Library website. “ e seeds of these dreams are o en found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
I was fortunate enough to be introduced to reading at an early age. I was a latchkey kid with a library card, and I quickly discovered that, though real-life travel presented challenges of cost and logistics, I could get to Pern or Camelot or Baskerville Hall for free if I was willing to turn some pages. For anyone who is struggling with literacy, however, Memphis boasts other resources as well. Literacy Mid-South (literacymidsouth.org), Memphis Li (memphisli . org), and the Memphis Literacy Institute (memphisliteracy.org) all o er a di erent array of options.
Memphis is host to more locally owned bookstores, literacy resources, and professional storytellers (be they writers, musicians and rappers, or lmmakers) than most American cities of its size. It would be a shame to let those resources go to waste, or to allow the kids of Memphis to grow up without a strong connection to their heritage as one of the United States’ most storied cities.
Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, were cultivated in local libraries from a young age.
PHOTO: THOMAS R MACHNITZKI | CREATIVE COMMONS | VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Memphis Public Library
The Hot Tamale Capital of the World invites you to enjoy an eclectic collection of events and entertaining stops.
» MAY « Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Festival, including Frog Fest and Leland Craw sh Festival LelandChamber.com
Future Tour Golf Championship
» JUNE « Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf Event facebook.com/DeltaSoulGolf
Lake Washington’s “Straight O The Lake” Music Festival
