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I remember roaming the aisles of the Big Star grocery store with my mom when I was little. We mostly ate simple, quick meals with canned vegetables and biscuits, chicken legs, Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Roni, things like that. Potted meat with crackers was a favorite snack of mine, preferable over Vienna sausages. Sometimes I could pick a box of Little Debbies, but usually those were only a special treat at grandmother’s house. I remember, too, my mom pulling food stamps, as they were called, from a coupon booklet, and handing them to the cashier at check-out. It looked like money to me, similar to a dollar in size, but I knew there was something di erent about it.
I also recall visits to the WIC center in our small Mississippi town, and returning with King Vitamin cereal and other goodies (all I cared about was the cereal, so I don’t remember the speci cs). As a young, single, working mother attending college, my mom genuinely needed assistance. I got the feeling that she was not proud of this. It seemed like something we shouldn’t share or show; the stamps a sign of some no-good, lazy somebody who just doesn’t want to work, according to other folks. at was the impression I got. It didn’t feel great. But I understood that we didn’t have much money, that clothes would be hand-me-downs, and extras were few and far between. Yet my mama always prepared meals for us; peas with pork chops and homemade cornbread, spaghetti soup (noodles, tomato sauce, and butter), breakfast potatoes, or some meat and two. I don’t know what we’d have done without the food stamps or WIC. I don’t recall how long we used what is now referred to as SNAP. But I know, at a time when a working adult with two children needed help the most, those resources meant we didn’t go hungry. I wasn’t able to get the fresh, new pair of Nikes I wanted, but I never wondered if I’d go unfed.
In September, 152,265 people relied on SNAP bene ts in Shelby County. at is 152,265 people who have to nd ways to feed themselves and their families while funds hang in the balance. And that’s a er “the average price of food in the United States rose by 3.1 percent in the 12 months ending September, according to the latest in ation data published October 24, 2025, by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.” at is not taking into account the rising costs of other necessities, including power bills, clothing, and toiletries. ( e Walgreens brand toilet paper increased 100 percent — from $1.99 to $3.99 — for a four-pack in recent weeks. Absurdity!) All while the United States minimum wage has not changed since 2009, and jobs are increasingly harder to nd. is is not about giving money to people who don’t want to work. It’s about making sure people — including children — are fed. If you are someone debating whether or not the less privileged deserve to eat, you may want to take a long hard look inside. is should be a moral issue, not political.
NEWS & OPINION
THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 8 FINANCE - 9 AT LARGE - 10 COVER STORY
“MAMA’S WAY” BY DAVID WATERS - 12
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WE RECOMMEND - 16 MUSIC - 18 AFTER DARK - 19 CALENDAR - 20
NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21
WE SAW YOU - 22 FOOD - 24
NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26
ASTROLOGY - 27 FILM - 28
NOW PLAYING - 29 CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31
I’m sorry, mamma, if you read this and get mad at me for sharing your personal business. I’ve always been an oversharer. But the truth is that sometimes people need help. At one time, those people were us. at kid was me. ere is no reason food should be held hostage in these United States of America.
Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com
PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
e rst Food Stamp Program launched in 1939.
fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
DA HALLOWEEN
TO FACEBOOK BY STEVE
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy and his wife, Amy, dressed as e Gravedigger and e Purple-Haired Hippie this Halloween.
BIRD THIEF
POSTED TO NEXTDOOR BY ULISES HERNANDEZ
In a brazen, WTF moment caught on a doorbell camera, Colonial Acres neighbor Ulises Hernandez posted on Nextdoor that the man seen in the image above stole his birds from his porch over the weekend.
BLENDING IN
POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY TENNESSEE NATIONAL GUARD
“Have a happy and safe Halloween, Memphis!” the Tennessee National Guard posted on Facebook over the weekend. ey posed in photos with kids and families around Downtown.
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Rentals, ICE Vigil, & Crime Stats
Report shows “unsafe” conditions, a protest, and Memphis crime falls again.
RENT CONDITIONS
Renters in Memphis and Shelby County are continuing to report problems of “unsafe, unhealthy, and unlawful” conditions.
In a report, the Memphis Public Interest Law Center (MPILC) found that 80 percent of renters have “serious” problems with the conditions of their homes. One-hundred percent of those with poor housing conditions said it has impacted their health.
O cials from the law center said these consistent problems shed light on the intersectionality of housing and health.
“ ese are not isolated stories — they are a pattern,” said Jamie Johnson, executive director of MPILC. “When so many families are living in unsafe homes, we’re not just talking about housing anymore. We’re talking about public health.”
ICE VIGIL IN MASON
A Sunday vigil was planned for Mason, Tennessee, to highlight “lives lost in ICE detention centers,” alongside dozens of others across the country as part of Disappeared in America Day of Action. Mason was selected because the Board of Aldermen there approved a contract in August with CoreCivic, a private prison company that operates throughout Tennessee, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for use of the then-shuttered West Tennessee Detention Facility.
e Community Vigil for Justice and Due Process was hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN), West Tennessee For e People, and partner organizations, faith leaders, and community members. ACLU-TN contended the contract for the ICE facility violated the terms of the city of Mason’s charter. e group said the deal will generate $30 million in pro t for CoreCivic.
Last week, the group joined the lawsuit by several Memphis lawmakers that challenges Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s constitutional right to deploy the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis.
“ e Tennessee Constitution was written to prevent exactly this kind of executive overreach,” said Lucas CameronVaughn, ACLU-TN senior sta attorney.
BROOKS SET FOR 2026 OPEN
e Memphis Brooks Museum of Art announced that it will open its new Downtown campus to the public in December 2026. Once there, it will take the name of the Memphis Art Museum. e news follows the announcement of Patricia Lee Daigle’s appointment as chief curator. Daigle joined the museum team in 2021 as associate curator of modern and contemporary art.
REPORT: CRIME DOWN IN MEMPHIS
Data from the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission shows that major reported crime in both the city and county declined “signi cantly” from January to September compared to last year.
So far this year there were 9,570 o enses in the rst three quarters of this year, resulting in an overall 21.5 percent drop in violent crime compared to the same period in 2024. Murders dropped by 14.3 percent and reported rapes declined by 26.3 percent. e rate of aggravated assaults declined by 21.6 percent.
However, another crime reporting agency, e Vera Institute, found that Memphis — along with other cities — saw an increase in homicides by the end of 2024. While murder rates are falling, they are falling slower in Memphis, the commission said.
e commission, along with the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute, used data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
POSTED
MULROY
PHOTO: (LEFT) MEMPHIS PUBLIC INTEREST LAW CENTER; (RIGHT) JOHN PARTIPILO/ TENNESSEE LOOKOUT (le ) Renters have reported problems with their homes that have impacted their health; (right) protestors stood vigil when Mason leaders approved the CoreCivic contract in August.
SNAP Decisions
A roller-coaster week played political football with food assistance bene ts.
Food assistance bene ts will ow to recipients this month but details of the move were not available at press time.
e decision came late last week when judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration to use reserves to pay beneciaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) despite the ongoing shutdown of the federal government.
e wrangling to get to a decision before millions lost SNAP bene ts on November 1st brought a bill idea from Congress, political nger-pointing, some governors stepping in to o er temporary assistance their citizens, and repeated statements from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, traveling in Asia, that the state just could not help.
Here’s how the week played out in stories from our website:
Monday: U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined an e ort to keep food bene ts owing to nearly 690,000 Tennesseans as the federal
government shutdown drags on.
Tennessee o cials rang the alarm bell on the situation last week with a brief memo online. e Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) said it received noti cation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that federally funded SNAP bene ts for November will be unavailable if the shutdown persists.
Shelby County would be hardest hit in Tennessee if SNAP bene ts do not arrive. In September, 152,265 people here relied on SNAP bene ts for food.
ese bene ts typically total around $33 million each month in Shelby County. e missing funds could also mean a monthly $33 million hole in the local economy as those without food assistance will be less able to shop at area grocery stores.
Tuesday: Food assistance bene ts would not be issued on November 1st, according to the federal government, and while many governors, including Republicans, have mobilized and set aside money to help, Tennessee Governor Lee has said the state can’t help and
is on a state business trip in Asia.
ough Tennessee has more than $2 billion in “rainy day funds,” Lee said he could not help.
“ e SNAP program is federally funded and operated, and Tennessee is unable to utilize state dollars to provide the bene t, as states do not have a mechanism to load bene ts onto customer cards,” Lee’s o ce said in a statement.
ursday: Lee responded to the looming cuts to food assistance with a website showing local resources across the state and a politically charged message for Democrats.
Lee announced the launch of FeedTN.org, “a platform that will connect Tennesseans with resources and opportunities to serve.” e subject line of the email from his o ce said the website was for “Tennesseans impacted by Democrat-led federal government
{STATE
By Toby Sells and Kailynn Johnson
shutdown.” e partisanship in his message continued throughout the ofcial statement.
“Democrats can ensure hardworking Tennessee families receive the resources they need by reopening the federal government now,” said Lee. “ eir failure to fund federal nutrition programs cannot be solved by states, and the void cannot be lled with temporary xes that would only drain state resources and prolong the misery of this shutdown.”
Friday: TDHS o cials said the agency does not have the capacity to recreate a temporary SNAP system. ey said they can only determine SNAP eligibility and communicate with a vendor who manages this “distribution mechanism” through bene t cards.
“We have turned over every stone that is in the resource bag of the Department of Human Services to make available for our consumers,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “All that we can do we have made available through FeedTN.org.”
PHOTO: RANDY BOYD | FACEBOOK
Bill Lee at the Good Ole Tennessee bar in Tokyo
By Jackson Baker
The Plot Gels
Developments in the coming election (plus ‘Two-Shay’ does a book).
GRACELAN HOLIDAY LIGHTING WEEKEND D
e District 13 seat on the Shelby County Commission was, in a partisan sense, the major swing seat in the last two county elections, when Democrat Michael Whaley defeated competitive Republican opponents Richard Morton in 2018 and Ed Apple in 2022.
District 13 sprawls across a generous section of Midtown and Northeast Memphis, and includes such neighborhoods as Central Gardens, Chickasaw Gardens, High Point Terrace, and Binghampton.
e district will draw attention again in 2026, a time when Apple is rumored to be thinking of a second try (Whaley is term-limited out). But even if no signi cant Republican-vs.Democrat race develops, there will be an interesting scramble for the Democratic nomination.
One announced candidate so far is Amber Huett-Garcia, a member of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board, the composition of which recently became a cause célèbre on the commission, which voted in favor of con ating the board’s previously staggered terms in 2026, largely over the hot-button controversy of ex-Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Marie Feagins’ ring.
Huett-Garcia voted against the Feagins ouster, while one of her declared commission opponents-to-be, former MSCS counselor LaGina Mitchell-Scott, is getting stout support in her own commission bid from board member Towanna Murphy, a Feagins adversary. e newest wrinkle on the District 13 Democratic side is the justannounced candidacy of technology consultant Lena Chipman, who, if successful, would be only the second transgender o cial elected in Tennessee. (Olivia Hill serves on the Nashville-Davidson County Metro Council.)
• e mayoral component of the 2026 Shelby County election got o to a fast start Tuesday night when the Germantown Democratic Club held an open forum for declared mayoral candidates at the Great Hall & Conference Center of Germantown. Scheduled to be on hand were candidates Melvin Burgess, Harold Collins, Heidi Kuhn, Mickell Lowery, and JB Smiley Jr.
e event was still pending at press time, but a report on it will be available by mid-week at memphis yer.com.
• Some years ago, in an election year that had just begun I went to a Downtown bistro to catch a meet-and-greet by a candidate named Denise Parkinson, who was eyeing a city council seat. Or so I thought.
No sooner had I entered the smoky environs of the place than I was greeted by a stocky good-natured AfricanAmerican lad who introduced himself as Antonio Parkinson and expressed gratitude that I was interested in his race for state representative. I realized that I had misread the invitation and had turned up at a wholly di erent event for a wholly di erent candidate than I’d intended.
And it didn’t take me long to realize I was in the right place a er all. is Parkinson (whose nickname was “TwoShay,” he would explain in short order) was an ebullient, likable, well-informed candidate who seemed to be running for all the right reasons — which boiled down to a desire to advance the interests of the underserved people of his North Memphis District 98.
A reman and ex-Marine, Parkinson seemed fully capable of reaching his goals, and he communicated both leadership skills and charisma. I was unsurprised when he would go on not only to be elected but to become a power broker in his own right and a legislative leader.
I am now further unsurprised by the many nuggets and home truths in his newly published book Stop Praying for More When You’re Still Full of Sh*t!: e Raw Truth About Making Space for Your Blessings (available on Amazon), a warts-and-all record of his own (o en troubled) self-development and a useful primer for the rest of us. Highly recommended.
PHOTO: STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANTONIO PARKINSON | FACEBOOK Antonio Parkinson
Avoiding Lifestyle Creep
These tips can help you maintain financial security.
For many people, one of the best benefits of a salary increase is the ability to spend more on purchases and luxuries. However, taking this approach has the potential to significantly harm your wealth-building potential over time. Commonly referred to as “lifestyle creep,” the tendency to spend more as you make more can have long-term consequences for your overall financial security.
In other words, as your income increases, it can be easy to “creep” toward spending more. While it’s okay to reward yourself with a nice lifestyle, this lifestyle creep can become a problem when it begins to impact your long-term financial security. And the consequences can impact everyone who experiences lifestyle creep, including high-net-worth individuals.
A common challenge with lifestyle creep is that often it prevents people from saving enough for the future. Remember that as your lifestyle standards increase, so does the amount you need to save to maintain those standards over the long term. That means your savings needs to grow alongside your lifestyle. This may seem obvious, but many people fail to increase the amount they save at the same rate they increase the amount they spend. And failing to do so can lead to big challenges down the road.
Let’s consider an example. Let’s say you recently received a promotion at work, which came with a nice raise. You’re a golfer and decide to reward yourself with a country club membership, something you’ve always wanted. Your membership costs $25,000 per year, which you can easily take on with your new salary. But ask yourself, “Will I want to remain a member after I retire?” If you decide that your retirement goals include regular rounds of golf at the club, it’s important to save for this lifestyle expense in order to maintain it in the future. If it stresses your budget too much to pay for the membership and increase your savings, this lifestyle creep may put you in a tough spot once you’re no longer drawing an income. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid lifestyle creep.
1. Spend less than you make. This simple budgeting basic applies to everyone, even those with a high net worth. As your income increases, you may be tempted to spend more in order to “keep up with the Joneses.” Perhaps you’re afraid of missing out on opportunities with high-income friends, or you have a desire to showcase your success
with a larger home or expensive car. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s important to make sure your purchases leave enough room in your budget to save and plan for the future.
2. Focus on your priorities. What matters most in your life? Spending time with family? Traveling the world? Supporting charitable causes? Avoiding lifestyle creep doesn’t mean adopting a nospending lifestyle — it means prioritizing your spending on the things that matter most to you while also taking steps to help ensure you’ll be able to continue focusing on those things in the future.
3. Pay yourself first.
Another great way to avoid gradual lifestyle creep is by making a commitment to paying yourself first. As your income increases over time, make an effort to prioritize increasing your savings rate as well. This doesn’t mean you can’t spend on yourself. Rather, it serves as a reminder to give yourself a cushion to help ensure you’re able to maintain your lifestyle over the long term.
4. Find balance.
As you grow your income and success over time, it’s important to spend money to enjoy life along the way. The key is to make smart, strategic spending decisions to increase your long-term financial independence rather than hamper it. Finding the right balance between treating yourself to life’s luxuries along the way and making sure you’re able to continue enjoying life long into the future can be a challenge, but it’s an important one to tackle head on.
This commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/ client relationship. Past performance of any market results is no assurance of future performance. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.
Katie Stephenson, JD, CFP®, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit creativeplanning.com.
LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden
Boat People
We’re sailing in dangerous waters.
The sleek 30-foot cigarette boat was leveled o , on plane, its twin 200-horse-power outboards whining as it scudded at top speed over the light chop. Two men were seated a , their cargo — 1,200 pounds of brick cocaine — hidden amidships beneath a tightly tethered white tarp. ey had business to the north and were in a hurry to get there, unaware they were being closely observed.
“Here they come,” said the pilot into his mic. “Right on schedule.”
“Roger that,” came the reply. “Proceed at will. Take ’em out.”
Forty seconds later, just a mile north of the Helena bridge, the boat was hit with high explosives, disintegrating instantly, showering the muddy Mississippi with pieces of its hull, its powdery cargo, and bloody body parts.
“Got ’em,” said the pilot.
“Yep, it’s all on video,” came the reply. “Nice work. See you back in Memphis.”
Far-fetched? Not really. Is anything far-fetched at a time when American cities are occupied by anonymous, masked, paramilitary operatives racially pro ling people and seizing them o the street without warrants? Is it far-fetched that a president would set up the American military as judge, jury, and executioner, having killed, as I write this, 61 people cruising in international waters? It’s barbaric, immoral, and un-American — or at least it used to be.
e victims in these 14 attacks (and counting) are nameless, faceless, and dead, and none of those three things is an accident. e administration claims the unknown people they’ve killed were running drugs to the United States, but they’ve o ered no proof for that claim, and they clearly don’t intend to.
Six weeks ago, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, Armed Services Committee chairman, and his Democratic counterpart, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, wrote a letter asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide a legal basis for the military’s attacks on alleged drug boats. ey also asked to see the directives Hegseth approved for the strikes and unedited videos.
ey got no response until Monday, when Trump’s Justice Department simply proclaimed that the United States had the right to continue summarily executing people it deemed drug runners. Period.
Trump himself has said on numerous occasions that he plans to continue the military attacks without Congress passing an o cial declaration of war, a
clear violation of the law.
“I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be, like, dead.”
Yeah, like, dead, dude. Okay?
Even if you take the administration at its word (a dubious proposition, at best), and accept that it has irrefutable evidence that its air strikes are killing drug runners headed to the United States, it’s still wrong. Getting convicted of drug tra cking will get you sent to prison, but it’s not a capital o ense. In fact, no one in the United States has been sentenced to death solely for drug crimes since the death penalty was reinstated in 1988. But anonymous brown people in small boats in the middle of the ocean? Sure, kill them, like, dead. Who’s going to stop us? If we accidentally blow up a shing boat, well … oops.
In July 2024, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States granted presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for “o cial acts.” At the time, the concern was that it granted Trump freedom from prosecution for the crimes he was charged with from his rst administration, such as hiding o cial documents and interfering with a federal election, but legal scholars also saw it as creating a potential permission slip for a president to abuse his authority.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the SCOTUS decision “e ectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding.” She wrote further: “If a president orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune, immune, immune. … In every use of o cial power, the President is now a king above the law.”
Trump once boasted, “I could stand in the middle of Fi h Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters!” at bit of hyperbole has become nightmarishly real, and now we’re all in the same boat, subject to the whims of a king above the law.
Nancy Hearn outside of e Way at St. John’s United Methodist Church
COVER STORY By David Waters
PHOTOS By Karen Pulfer Focht
The late a ernoon sun lit the stained glass on the church sanctuary’s western wall. e pews were empty, but it was early. e Way, the regular Friday evening recovery service at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Midtown, wouldn’t begin for nearly two hours.
at gave Nancy Hearn plenty of time to prepare her welcome station.
“Each pot makes about 100 cups of co ee, and we’ll need all three pots,” said Hearn, age 86. She talked as she covered two folding tables in the vestibule with owery tablecloths and unpacked stacks of paper co ee cups, plastic lids, napkins, and cream and sugar packets. “As you can tell, I’m a kitchen person. I think we connect through food. If we can eat together, we can talk.”
Hearn has been serving hot co ee, cold bottled water, and other forms of hospitality, tangible and intangible, here in her church home every Friday since e Way opened in 2010. She remembers missing only two services: once when her late husband, Lloyd, had bypass surgery; once to attend her friend’s retirement party.
“We didn’t go out; we didn’t do anything on Friday nights because I had e Way,” Hearn said. “ e kids would say, ‘Oh, it’s Friday, mother’s going to
e Way.’ ey didn’t understand it, but it’s something that’s a part of you when you get into it. And I feel like it is a blessing. What else am I going to do when I grow old?”
e Way, now in its 15th year, has endured the suicide of its founding minister, Rev. Dr. John Kilzer; two years of wandering in the digital wilderness during Covid; the loss of major donors; and several changes in church leadership. e one constant through all the years has been Nancy Hearn — better known around here as Mama Way.
“John once asked me why I was doing what I was doing,” said Hearn, “and I said, ‘If you were gone and came home, your mama would pull out a tablecloth and she would empty the kitchen with everything you like that she could provide. And that was your welcome home.’ And John said, ‘So you’re Mama Way.’ at’s what people have been calling me ever since.”
Everyone calls her Mama Way. e ministers and band members who lead worship. e volunteers who brew co ee and tote water, make sandwiches and ll food bags, sort shirts and shoes and other articles of donated clothing. And the dozens of guests who come just as they are from wherever they are in their recovery — at home, in a
(below) David Bingham, director of e Way, and Denise Linebarier at St. John’s United Methodist Church (right) Nancy Hearn serves hundreds of cups of co ee. (bottom right) A client waits outside the door of e Way.
halfway house, or on the street.
“So many people are just ignored,” Hearn said. “You look through them. You don’t see them. I know I did. ose people. at’s the way I felt about it when it started. Suddenly we were going to have those people sitting on our fancy pew cushions. A lot of us in the church were anxious about it. But Lloyd and I talked about it and we decided the best thing for us to do was go and see what it was about. And we were fascinated by it. And the next week it was not hard to go back. And at that point, I was in tears. I went to John and said, ‘I’m wrong. Let me help you. What can I do?’”
Kilzer, himself a recovering addict, said he called it e Way because in the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the way”; because early Christians were called people of e Way; and because the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are known as a way to recovery. “ is isn’t a replacement for AA,” Kilzer told me in 2010. “ ose of us in recovery still need to go to AA meetings, still need to work the program, still need to rely on whatever that higher power means. In our case, that higher power is Jesus Christ.”
Like many in recovery, Kilzer got lost along the way. In March 2019, he died by suicide at the Hazelden Betty
Ford treatment center in Minnesota. He is remembered as a survivor and casualty of addiction, a gentle and tormented soul whose life and death, head and heart, darkness and light were a parable, a revelation, a psalm. “Oh, it just broke my heart,” Hearn said. “It felt like an immediate family member had died. I still get emotional about it. We all struggled a er that, but we had to keep going.”
e Way went on a er Kilzer’s death, led rst by Rev. Dr. Johnny Je ords, the church’s senior pastor at the time; then by Rev. Mimi White, the associate pastor; and all mothered by Nancy Hearn. “When John died,” Je ords said, “Nancy was bound and determined to continue the work, in part as a way to walk through her grief, but even more because the people mattered. Stopping was not an option.”
A year a er Kilzer’s death, the pandemic pushed e Way online. Many regulars don’t have electricity, let alone Wi-Fi. So when circumstances permitted, Hearn and others organized e Way gatherings in the church’s parking lot, serving co ee, food, and fellowship. e Way returned to the sanctuary in May 2022, led by David “Bing” Bingham, a friend and former colleague of
continued on page 14
Kilzer who began attending e Way services in 2013 and went on to found a Way-inspired recovery service in Shreveport, Louisiana. “Finding e Way is the only way I nd myself sober today,” Bingham said. Under Bingham’s leadership, e Way’s attendance has grown from a couple dozen to 150 or so every week.
e worship service hasn’t changed. Bingham welcomes his fellow travelers. e band, a talented mix of local musicians, performs several songs, including “Jesus on the Mainline.” A recovering addict talks about one of the 12 Steps. Participants recite the Serenity Prayer. Bingham o ers words of comfort, encouragement and blessing. “ at is the core promise of a life of recovery,” Bingham said one recent Friday a er the band played Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Free.”
Way with his own recovery.
“John died and then my sponsor died, and my restaurant closed,” Edwards said. “I was in a deep funk. But when I ran into Bing at the grocery store in 2022 and he told me they wanted to start serving food again at e Way, something just clicked. I knew this was something I wanted to do, an act of service, and my depression immediately li ed.”
Or grandchild. Every week, e Way’s volunteer corps is bolstered by students from the Civic Service Organization at Memphis University School, led by history teacher Jonathan Large. e students include Hearn’s grandson, Wallace. “He had over 500 hours of volunteer service before school started this fall,” said Wallace’s proud grandmother. “And he decided, as part of his civic involvement, to bring classmates here. So we started out with two friends. We’re up to eight now.”
lieves in the hospitality of the ministry, and she is a pillar around that.”
Other forms of service at e Way have changed. Volunteers once provided a sit-down dinner with hot food cooked at the church or catered by local restaurants such as e Cupboard, Central BBQ, and Just for Lunch. Now, participants are given sack lunches made by highly trained volunteers such as veteran Memphis restaurateur Mac Edwards and local caterer Randy Jefferson. Edwards credits Kilzer and e
Acts of service multiply like loaves and shes at e Way. While Hearn and her church friends, David and Jan Melton, serve co ee on the east side of the vestibule, Denise Linebarier runs Ches’ Clothes Closet on the west side. e ministry provides shirts, shoes, hygiene products, and other donated items to e Way participants. Chip Linebarier, Ches’ father, provides water for Hearn’s station. Ches’ Closet is a memorial to the couple’s son, Chester, who died in a single-car crash in 2018. He was 31. “I’ve seen Denise sit on the oor with a man’s foot in her lap and put shoes on him until she found one that t,” Hearn said. “ ere is no love like a mother’s love for her child.”
Your mama would pull out a tablecloth and empty the kitchen with everything you like.
Hearn has been bringing her grandchildren to e Way since the beginning. Joseph, the eldest, is now in college. “When he was just a kid, Joseph loved to sit up on stage with John and the band,” Hearn said.
“He was fascinated by the musicians.” Granddaughter Katherine, 15, o en sits next to her grandmother at the co ee table. “She’s the mini-me. I’m training her,” said Hearn. Evelyn, 10, is next in line.
“Nancy is one of those spiritual forces of nature any pastor is blessed to have in her or his congregation,” said Rev. Dr. Brad omas, who was St. John’s senior pastor when e Way began. “She be-
Over the years, Mama Way has been called into service as Nurse Way. “I’ve sent three people here to the hospital,” said Hearn, who worked for years as a registered nurse. One man was having a heart attack. Another man with COPD was having trouble breathing. A third man who was wearing a colostomy bag had an infection that had become septic. “Once a nurse, always a nurse,” she said.
Once a mother, always a mother. Lloyd and Nancy were married for 60 years before he died in 2023. ey raised two daughters, Barbara and Susan. ey have four grandchildren. Mama Way has countless honorary children.
“I’ve had more people hug me and call me Mama,” she said. “And it’s a blessing. ese people are like my family in a sense. I just think we miss the boat when we don’t take an opportunity to share God’s love. Jesus washed feet for people. He took the dead and revived them. He made sure everyone had enough food to eat. I don’t care what you do, but you’ve got to be involved in something besides your own little world. God needs us to do that.”
David Waters, a longtime Memphis journalist, is associate director emeritus for the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis. continued from page 13
(le ) Clients wait outside the door of e Way, a weekly recovery service now in its 15th year at St. John’s United Methodist Church. (above) Nancy Hearn and her granddaughter
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We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
The Porch
By Abigail Morici
e Porch, a Nashville-based nonpro t, brings its programming to Memphis for writers “of all ages and stages” for the rst time this weekend. Folks can join in on two creative writing workshops and a community reading, hosted at Crosstown Arts and Novel respectively.
A literary arts organization, e Porch o ers classes, readings, festivals, and partnerships across Tennessee. “ e Porch is a really strong model for literary citizenship,” says Ashley RoachFreiman, co-organizer of e Porch @ Memphis. “Writers love to teach, we love to write, we love to share our work, and we love to meet other writers. So literary citizenship is [participating in] that community for other writers.”
For Roach-Freiman, being a good literary citizen meant bringing e Porch to Memphis: “We have an incredible arts and music and food scene, and there are wonderful writers that come through and are hosted at Novel, but I just thought there’s more we could do for writers.”
During e Porch’s rst foray in Memphis, Timothy “Urban oughts” Moore and Kendra Leigh Vanderlip will lead workshops at Crosstown Arts. A nationally recognized educator, award-winning writer, and multiple-time spoken word slam champion, Moore will focus his workshop on the “Weight of a Pause,” how silence and the unsaid can be a tool in poetry. Meanwhile, the workshop from Vanderlip, a University of Memphis creative writing professor, will discuss writing while healing from pain.
Both classes cost $50 to attend, but anyone with a student ID can register for $30. “And if someone really feels strongly that they would love to take a workshop, but [the cost is] too much for whatever reason, then we can make scholarships attainable for anyone who wants that,” Roach-Freiman says. Just email Yurina Yoshikawa, director of education, at yurina@porchtn.org.
“We’re not gatekeeping writing,” Roach-Freiman says. “I really do think everyone is a writer, and a lot of people don’t see themselves that way.” Indeed, these workshops are intended for people, she says, “who live and work in Memphis, who really value learning as opposed to demonstrating.”
A er the workshops, e Porch will present readings at Novel by Urban oughts and Kendra Leigh Vanderlip, followed by a community open mic where workshop attendees and the writing community at large can share their work.
All in all, Roach-Freiman hopes the day’s e orts will lead to more chances for literary citizenship from e Porch. For full details and registration, visit porchtn.org.
THE WEIGHT OF A PAUSE WITH URBAN THOUGHTS, CROSSTOWN ARTS, 1350 CONCOURSE AVENUE, SUITE 280, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 10 A.M.-NOON, $50. WRITING THE HARD STUFF WITH KENDRA LEIGH VANDERLIP, CROSSTOWN ARTS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1-3 P.M., $50. COMMUNITY OPEN MIC, NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXTENDED, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 6 P.M., FREE.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES November 6th - 12th
Memphis Monster Con Pipkin Building, 940 Early Maxwell Boulevard, Saturday, November 8, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., $15-$100 Memphis Monster Con is back bigger, badder, and bloodier than before as the ultimate fright fest returns.
Dive into two full days of celebrity guests, cosplay contests, panels and Q&As, food trucks, and 100plus vendors and artists. Whether you’re a die-hard slasher fan or a casual creature-feature end, Memphis Monster Con is your one-stop shop for all things horror. Don’t miss the madness — get your tickets today … before they vanish into the night.
Memphis Cra s & Dra s Festival Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Saturday, November 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Join us for the best Memphis holiday shopping event with serious personality. Shop 90-plus of the Mid-South’s most creative makers, cra ers, and artists — just in time to nd those perfect, not-so-basic gi s.
While you shop, enjoy some of the best local and regional seasonal brews and soak up the good vibes in our Cra s & Dra s Beer Garden — plus, all the festive fun Crosstown has to o er, including a chance to visit with Santa!
Memphis Jazz Workshop Live in ’25 Crosstown eater, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Crosstown eatre, Sunday, November 9, 6 p.m., $63.74
Join the Memphis Jazz Workshop for an unforgettable evening of jazz featuring the incredible talents of faculty, alumni, and students — including a powerful performance by the soulful ensemble, e Soul Ingredient. is is more than a concert — it’s your chance to be part of a live album recording that captures the heart and soul of Memphis jazz. All ticket proceeds go directly to support Memphis Jazz Workshop programs. Purchase tickets at memphisjazzworkshop.org.
PHOTOS: COURTESY THE PORCH Moore and Vanderlip
CELEBRATE THE CITY ALL YEAR LONG WITH THE GIFT OF MEMPHIS MAGAZINE ! Give a year (12 issues) of Memphis Magazine for just $18, and each of your recipients will receive the special 2026 VANCE LAUDERDALE CALENDAR along with a personalized gift card .
Vance Lauderdale has once again ransacked his archives for some of the best local history stories and images. Don't forget to gift yourself a subscription, too. You'll also receive the Vance Lauderdale calendar! ORDER TODAY MEMPHISMAGAZINE.COM Use code HOLSUB 25 or call 901.575.9470
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MUSIC By Alex Greene
The Autumn Defense
Side project by two Wilco members conjures the lush arrangements of California rock.
“Our very rst show was opening for the Panther Burns!” ere’s something perfectly wrong about that when the band in question is e Autumn Defense, a group founded in 1999 by two singer-songwriters, John Stirratt and Pat Sansone. Sansone, speaking to me while en route to see Paul McCartney in Atlanta, is recalling that moment by way of explaining how out of place he and Stirratt felt when they started the group. Who else in 1990s New Orleans was playing originals emulating the orchestral, harmony-laden pop rock of the ’60s and ’70s? e Autumn Defense’s stylistic gambit perplexed more than a few at the time, including, one can safely assume, many fans of the self-described “art damaged” Tav Falco’s Panther Burns on that fateful inaugural night.
“A lot of writers didn’t know quite what to do with [the band] because it didn’t quite t into what was happening in indie rock at the time,” says Sansone of those earliest days, long before he joined Stirratt as a member of Wilco. “But, you know, we just wanted to make records that t in well with the records that we would listen to for pleasure, as if we were thumbing through our vinyl collections.”
In the years since, Memphians have come to know Sansone’s vinyl collection well, via his show on WYXR FM, Baroque Down Palace, described as having “a focus on songs that incorporate symphonic touches or classical in uences,” such as Roberta Flack, e Who, e Le Banke, José Feliciano, Dusty Spring eld, Tim Buckley, and Isaac Hayes. Doubly tting, then, that Sansone and Stirratt (with bassist James Haggerty and drummer Greg Wieczorek) will be singing their own songs inspired by those very artists just upstairs from the WYXR broadcast booth this Friday, November 7th, at the Green Room at Crosstown Arts. Appropriately enough, they’ll have a string quartet and ute section joining them.
As any devotee of a particular era of musical history can a rm, Sansone and Stirratt’s love of uid melodies, dense harmonies, and orchestral colors didn’t go away over the past quarter century. ey’ve only deepened their appreciation and understanding of ’60s and ’70s artists (and arrangers) since they rst started the group. Now, with Here and Nowhere, their sixth album, the duo and longtime rhythm section have picked up right where they le o , o ering a deeper, darker take on what
some call the Laurel Canyon sound, with their own distinctive blend.
Meanwhile, Stirratt has had his own way of curating and exploring music that feeds the band’s aesthetic — while developing his own lodge in the Berkshire Mountains. “I really wanted to focus on an immersive experience for guests, and a big part of that was music,” Stirratt noted in a statement. “We have an FM station on the campus and all the rooms have radios broadcasting these playlists I curate every spring, full of deep cuts and lost tracks, so between that and Pat’s radio show, we found ourselves exchanging records and sharing new discoveries all the time like the old days.”
Part of that discovery, says Sansone, has been learning about the arrangers working in the wings behind his favorite records. Carl Marsh, who arranged orchestral parts for the original Big Star recordings, naturally looms large for Sansone, who played in early tributes to Big Star’s 3rd and still plays with the Big Star Quintet. He also mentions Jimmie Haskell, who arranged the strings on “Ode to Billie Joe,” and the great Tony Visconti. Fans of Sansone’s radio show o en learn a thing or two: “ at is the Monkees with ‘Porpoise Song’ from the soundtrack to their
1968 lm called Head,” quipped the DJ on a recent show. “ e song, sung by Micky Dolenz, was written by Carole King and Gerry Go n and features a string arrangement by the great arranger Jack Nitzsche, who also arranged for Neil Young’s early albums. Conducted by the great producer Russ Titelman.”
Beyond his radio presence, Memphians may recognize Sansone as one fourth of Mellotron Variations, a quartet (also including Robby Grant, Jonathan Kirkscey, and John Medeski) that made a splash in 2018-19 with performances and recordings made only with di erent models of the Mellotron, an archaic keyboard and proto-sampler that, with its warbly tape-loops of orchestral instruments, was a xture of late-’60s pop albums. Sansone is known for adding that sound to Wilco tracks as well. But its in uence on the new album was more indirect. “ ere’s a couple of little touches of Mellotron on the album,” says Sansone, “but not much. All of the orchestral elements that you hear are real orchestral instruments. e utes and strings and woodwinds are all the real deal.”
Now in the habit of giving arrangers their due, Sansone points out the new album’s inventive string parts by Matt Combs and woodwinds by Jim Hoke. “It’s one of the great things about being in Nashville,” says Sansone. “ e guy that played most of the strings lives ve minutes from my house. I just wrote out my arrangements on Mellotron, sent him those parts, and then he recreated them, with some embellishments here and there.”
e result is perhaps the most cohesive and powerful album to date from e Autumn Defense, which certainly basks in nuanced harmonies, utes, horns, and strings as much as ever, but also, not unlike Big Star or the late, great Elliott Smith, takes those tender melodies, sung with an air of youthful wonder, into some dark lyrical territory. Meanwhile, the overall sound has a period-perfect warmth, thanks to the band laying down tracks together at Nashville’s Creative Workshop studio, an analog oasis founded in 1970 by the (also) late, great Buzz Cason.
For Sansone, though, it’s not about being retro or nostalgic. It’s about a kind of musicality that happened to fall out of favor for a time, but is now being embraced once more. “We didn’t want to do a pastiche, or wear costumes, right?” he says. “We’ve always tried to be authentic with it. e songwriting is coming from an authentic place, where we’re just being ourselves.”
PHOTO: MIKAEL JORGENSON Pat Sansone and John Stirratt of e Autumn Defense
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule November 6 - 12
Ghetto Sh!T Vol. 2
Friday, Nov. 7, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Brian Blake / Erin McLendon
Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Brass band music incorporated into a blend of bebop jazz, funk, and R&B. $53.85. Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:30-9 p.m.
HALLORAN
ING
Laser Live: Marcella Simien ft. Infinity Stairs
Saturday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM
PRIZM Ensemble
Led by co-founder Lecolion
Washington and the Renaissance Quartet. Free. Saturday, Nov. 8, 6-8 p.m.
SHADY GROVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Pulse (Pink Floyd Tribute)
$10. Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Scotland’s Cantrip
With border pipes, ddle, guitar, and three rich voices.
ursday, Nov. 6, 7-8:30 p.m.
BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER
American Pope: An EP Release Show
Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Avon Park With Izzy Arthurs, Blvck Hip-
pie. Sunday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Chaos for a Cause
Friday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Chiodos
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
dead voices on air
Friday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
Hayes Carll Sunday, Nov. 9, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Iris Fellows & Artists: The Road Ahead Music by Lacerda, Gonzaga, Shostakovich, and Fuller. $20.
ursday, Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Jamille “Jam” Hunter & Mood Swing
A live take on house music.
$20/advance, $25/at the door.
Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Jazz Jam: Hosted by the Alex Upton Quartet
Free for participants. $7. Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Sunday, Nov. 9, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
Knox Wednesday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Like Really Creative MUSE: Collaborative Love Song Writing Write a love song, including lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation, with Raneem Imam.
$10. Monday, Nov. 10, 6:308:30 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Memphis Jazz Workshop
Live in ’25
A live album recording featuring the MJW’s faculty, alumni, and students, and new ensemble e Soul Ingredient.
$63.74. Sunday, Nov. 9, 6 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER
Memphis Monster Con Afterparty
With Crystal Palace, F!rst, Subperceptual. Saturday, Nov. 8, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Memphis Tribute to Guy Clark’s Old No. 1
With Nancy Apple, Brian Blake, Davey Coleman, Eric Lewis, and others. Saturday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
B-SIDE
MPL Workers United Union Rally For Memphis Public Libraries workers. Music by Frank McLallen, Sweet Darlin, Little Baby Tendencies. Saturday, Nov. 8, 4-8 p.m.
JAVA CABANA
PJ Morton
Monday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Rachel LaRen
With Jay Jones, Jake Smith. Sunday, Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Sex Mex With the King’s Disease, Zoe Dominguez. Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Shakey Graves Friday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Slumdog
With Saps, Star ghter Yellow Superoverdrive. Monday, Nov.
10, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
The Autumn Defense
Featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone. With Dream Journal. $25/advance, $30/at the door. Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Vedo
Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Nik Parr & the Selfless Lovers
ursday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Willie Watson
Sunday, Nov. 9, 5 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Booker T. Jones
A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer who began at Stax. $60. Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.
BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Jazz in the Box: Misha Piatigorsky Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
PHOTO: DARIOUS WILLIAMS Memphis Jazz Workshop
CALENDAR of EVENTS: November 6 - 12
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
Amy Hutchison Exhibition
Hutchinson says, “Through biomorphic and geometric visual language, I dismantle and reconstruct the world around me.” Monday, Nov. 10-Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Brantley Ellzey –
“Reflection + Ritual + Refuge”
The spiral turns through the exhibition like a silent logic — natural, ancestral, unstoppable. Through Jan. 25.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
David Onri Anderson: “Altar of Earth”
Paintings rooted in communing with angels, spirits, and the environment. Through Nov. 8.
SHEET CAKE
“Drawn of the Dead”:
A Mid-South Cartoonists Association Art Exhibition
An art show running in conjunction with Germantown Community Theatre’s Frankenstein. Through Nov. 10.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY
THEATRE
“From Paris to the Prairie”: The George H. Booth II Collection
Eleven prints, including works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Peter Ilsted, Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and Rockwell Kent. Free. Through Jan. 11.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Her Star is On the Rise”: New Works by Leanna Carey
The Hue Gurus are painters who work regularly with instructor Nocifora. Through Nov. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Last Whistle: Steamboat Stories of Memphis”
Featuring detailed model boats and original steamboat artifacts. Through June 26.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“L’Estampe Originale: A Graphic Treasure”
This rare portfolio features 95 works of graphic art by 74 artists. Free. Through Jan. 11.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Mary K. VanGieson:
“Chasing the Ephemeral”
Featuring prints, sculptures, and installations using alternative materials such as coffee filters and foraged plants. Through Dec. 31.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Master Metalsmith
James Viste: “Let Me Tell You a Story”
An exhibit filled with whimsy, humor, memories, and anecdotes, underscoring the innovation found in smithing techniques of the past. Through Feb. 1.
METAL MUSEUM
“Navigating Knowledge”
An exhibition exploring vessels and navigation as metaphors for the containment and transmission of knowledge. Through Oct. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
New Works by Rebecca Chappell
New encaustic and cold wax paintings. Free. Through Nov. 26.
WKNO
“Redemption of a Delta Bluesman: Robert Johnson”
A painting series that reimagines the story of the mythical crossroads where the bluesman purportedly made a deal. Through June 30.
GALLERY ALBERTINE
“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin” Exhibition
An exploration of Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. $20/adult, $18/senior, college student, $17/children 5-17.
Through Dec. 31.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Wolf River Arts Show
A curated community of artists, collectors, and creatives rooted in connection and creativity. Thursday, Nov. 6-Nov. 8.
ST. GEORGE’S INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
ART HAPPENINGS
Art & Aperitifs: Susan Rogers discusses “Of Salt and Spirit”
Join Memphis-based artist, designer, and quilter Susan Rogers for an intimate conversation exploring her exhibition “Of Salt and Spirit.” $20. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m.
THE MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Bettye’s Bin”: Opening Reception Opening reception for “Bettye’s Bin: The Personal Archives of Stax Songwriter Bettye Crutcher.” Live music, conversation, and a tribute to the Stax legend. Free. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-7:30 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL
MUSIC
Gallery Opening Reception for New Works by Leanna Carey
Meet the artist behind “Her
PHOTO: COURTESY STAX MUSEUM
Bettye Crutcher
Star Is on the Rise.” Friday, Nov. 7, 5-7 p.m.
BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
Ideas Over Lunch: Threads of Tradition
Join curator Kristin Pedrozo for a closer look at “Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South.” $14.50.
Friday, Nov. 7, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Opening: Heirloom House Holiday Collection
The collection includes local art, small gifts, retro holiday ornaments, and vintage finds.
Thursday, Nov. 6, 5-8 p.m.
HEIRLOOM HOUSE
Opening Reception: New Works by Rebecca Chappell
Meet Chappell at the reception and see her new encaustic and cold wax paintings. Free. Friday, Nov. 7, 5-7 p.m.
WKNO-TV/FM
Tour: Beauty Standards and Fashion Evolution
Explore how society’s views shape artistic expression through the ages. $10. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6:30-7:15 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Tour: Spectacular Still Lives
Discover how artists breathe life into ordinary objects, unraveling their hidden narratives. $10. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6:30-7:15 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
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 EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
Portfolio Day
Learn about the art of Kalamkari, an ancient textile painting art form from Andhra Pradesh, India. Free. Saturday, Nov. 8, 1-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Rhythm & Roots
Memphis Youth Arts Initiative presents high-energy music and dance lessons for youth ages 6 to 17. Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS YOUTH ARTS INITIATIVE CENTER
Stage and Sketch
Shelda Edwards, artist and coproducer of the game show Rainbow Rumble, teaches unique figure drawing. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Super SaturdayIndigenous Heritage Month
This November, learn about artists like Dyani White Hawk. Free. Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Wax-Resistance
Portraits: Patterns of Home & History with Mia Saine
Tour: The It Girls of Modern and Contemporary Arts
Some of the best works created by women artists in the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection. $10. Sunday, Nov. 9, 2-2:45 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Wolf River Arts Show and Cocktail Reception (21+event)
The Wolf River Arts Show is a vibrant, professional art show that brings together a curated community of artists, collectors, and creatives for an engaging experience rooted in connection. Friday, Nov. 7, 6-9 p.m.
ST. GEORGE’S INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
BOOK EVENTS
Billups Allen: I Exhibited Films for a Year, I Lost Money, But I Think I Made My Point
The author discusses his recent book with Zach Mitchell. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m.
BURKE’S BOOK STORE
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Cast Pewter Rings and Pendants
Designed for novice-level students.$50. Saturday, Nov. 8, 8:30-10 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-noon, 1-2:30 p.m., 3-4:30 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
Intro to MIG Welding: Mini Rocket Stove Welding classes are designed for students with no experience. $240. Saturday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
EXPO/SALES
Gifts of Green
A variety of tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties make perfect gifts. Tuesday, Nov. 11-Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Memphis Home and Lifestyle Show
Explore the latest in home improvement, remodeling, and outdoor living. Meet with local contractors and remodeling experts. Friday, Nov. 7-Nov. 9.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Memphis Monster Con
The premier horror convention in Memphis — now packing more thrills, chills, and killer surprises than ever before. $30/weekend tickets, $20/Saturday tickets, $15/Sunday tickets, $100/VIP weekend tickets. Saturday, Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
PIPKIN BUILDING
2025 Fall Vesta Home Show
Make a unique work of portraiture using wax relief, dye methods, and visual storytelling. 16+. $35. Saturday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Wildlife Photography Class
Allen Sparks and Curt Hart lead this class. $14. Saturday, Nov. 8, 9-10:30 a.m.
LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER
COMEDY
Next Top Comic
Who will it be? Saturday, Nov. 8, 8:30 p.m.
HI TONE
Stavros Halkias
His latest special, Fat Rascal, is out now on Netflix. Thursday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
THE SOUNDSTAGE AT GRACELAND
Steve Hofstetter
One of YouTube’s most popular comics. 18+. $32.99/GA, $60.82/VIP advance (first five rows), $168.04/meet & greet + VIP advance (first five rows). Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m.
GROWLERS
COMMUNITY
Greenway Soirée
Celebrate four decades of conservation and community at the Wolf River Conservancy’s event. Saturday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m.
FEDEX EVENT CENTER
Streetdog Foundation’s Howl at the Moon 2025
With music, food from local restaurants, beverages, live and silent auctions, live bands, and an all-around good time. $100. Saturday, Nov. 8, 6-11 p.m.
THE WAREHOUSE
Visit the Vesta Home Show and see some great home ideas you can use. Thursday, Nov. 6-Nov. 12, closed Mondays. HIDDEN CREEK
FAMILY
November Family Day
Celebrate Family Day at Stax Museum with free admission, live music, food trucks, crafts, games, and more. Fun for all ages. Free. Saturday, Nov. 8, 1-5 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Special Story Time
Event: The Nutcracker with Ballet Memphis
A special holiday story time event! After she is given the gift of a nutcracker, young Clara learns that the world is more splendid than she imagined. Saturday, Nov. 8, 10:30 a.m. | Saturday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. NOVEL
FESTIVAL
Fall for Haiti Festival
An outdoor fall festival benefitting the I.C. Haiti Ministry. Sunday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Memphis Crafts & Drafts Festival Holiday Market
It’s the best holiday shopping event of the year! Free. Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE
FILM
Mars Attacks Free, locally brewed beer with with your ticket for a side of classic movies. Thursday, Nov. 6, 5:30 p.m.
CTI 3D GIANT THEATER
PHOTO: COURTESY CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE
Crosstown will spring to
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Bring your picnic blankets and folding chairs to enjoy this free, fun, and relaxing evening of cinema in the courtyard under the stars. Free. Thursday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE
FOOD AND DRINK
Autumn Alchemy (21+)
A hands-on workshop blending the art of mixology with autumn botanicals. $45. Sunday, Nov. 9, 1-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
International Food Tasting
Experience global flavors at Memphis’ premier food event with 20-plus international kitchens, live music, cocktails, and skyline views. $50. Saturday, Nov. 8, 6-10 p.m.
MARIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL AMPHITHEATER
Meddlesome Meandering 0.5K
One ticket grants access to four local food vendors; proceeds go to Stax Music Academy. $40. Saturday, Nov. 8, 4-10 p.m.
MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Collierville Veterans Day Celebration
Enjoy live music, moving tributes, and a special salute to our heroes. Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m.
COLLIERVILLE TOWN SQUARE
Veterans Day Brunch
The Memphis Parks Aquatics Department invites veterans and their spouses to brunch in honor of their bravery, sacrifice, and service. Monday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
HICKORY HILL COMMUNITY CENTER
Veterans Day Ceremony
The ceremony will be held under the A. Keith McDonald Pavilion. Tuesday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m.
W.J. FREEMAN PARK
Veterans Day Ceremony
Featuring speaker Bobby Singleton. Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.
VETERANS PLAZA IN OVERTON PARK
Veterans Day Luncheon
With Boar’s Head meats, Milano’s pizza, and homemade soups. Saturday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
ABANDONED ANTIQUES
Veterans Day Parade
From Newport & Navy to Church & Navy.
Staging begins at 9:30 a.m. along Jack Huffman Blvd. Reception for veterans at City Hall. Saturday, Nov. 8, 10:30 a.m.
MILLINGTON CITY HALL
Veterans Day Picnic
Great food, free games, a silent auction, live music from Bryan Hayes, and local vendors. A benefit for WarHorses for Heroes. Sunday, Nov. 9, 1-4 p.m.
LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER
LECTURE
Black Elders: the Meaning of Age in American Slavery and Freedom
The Marcus Orr Center for the Humanities presents Howard University’s Frederick Knight, who asks how the meaning of age, especially older age, has changed since the 1800s. Thursday, Nov. 6, 5:30-7 p.m.
UNIVERSITY CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
Sacred, Secular, Syncopated: Theology & the Music of Kendrick Lamar Writer, podcaster, and theologian Femi Olutade will explore the sacred themes pulsing through Lamar’s music. Free. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6:30-9 p.m.
THE ATRIUM AT OVERTON SQUARE
THE UNKNOWN |
Speaker Luncheon with Rachel Briggs, Wiseacre Artist
Briggs will speak on her signature handdrawn can designs for the brewery. $25/ AAF member, $30/nonmember, $20/student. Thursday, Nov. 6, 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m.
WISEACRE HQ
PERFORMING ARTS
Classical Comedies & Cocktails: Tartuffe
An entertaining reading of Moliere’s audaciously-rhyming satire of religious hokum and secular pretension. Sunday, Nov. 9, 3 p.m.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
“The Get Down: A Night to Dance & Donate”
Bust a move and support Youth Empowerment Connection programs. $50/presale VIP, $25/ presale general admission. Saturday, Nov. 8, 7-11:30 p.m.
BALINESE BALLROOM
The Porch @ Memphis - Readings & Open Mic
An evening of the spoken word and community celebration. Readings by Urban Thoughts and Kendra Leigh Vanderlip. Saturday, Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m.
NOVEL
SPORTS
Girls on the Run 5K Celebration
A community event where all our GOTR teams come together to celebrate the completion of their program, and you’re invited to join in the festivities and 5K event. $20/early bird adult pricing, $25/regular adult pricing, $10/early bird youth pricing, $15/regular youth pricing. Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Turkey Trails - Memphis
A 5K and a 10K Thanksgiving-themed event that is perfect for the whole family. $25.98. Sunday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-noon.
SHELBY FARMS - CHICKASAW TRAIL
Crossword
White-petaled daisy
32 Vault
Host Allen of TV’s “Chopped”
*The outcome of a story might hinge on one 14 Get some air
Hotheadedness 16 Brief, abrupt changes in direction
*One might say “Home Sweet
34 ___ boots
35 Who said “When I’m ready to fight, my opponent has a better chance for surviving a forest fire wearing gasoline drawers” 36 Bet (on)
38 “My heavens!”
42 With 23-Across, modicum
Nursing ___
Vibe 45 Prominent 1990s Washington duo
*Kind of average
C7H5N3O6
Development centers?
52 Comic actor Seth 53 Fairly small hail size
Contribute
54 Subtract a year or two from one’s age, say
55 Mentally goes [grumble grumble grumble]
57 Gulager of old TV and film
59&61 What President Wilson proposed for a lasting peace … or what’s missing from the answers to the starred clues
64 Fictional schnauzer
65 Area of educ.
66 Nativity scene
67 *School overlooking the Hudson
Certain intersection
Drill command
*Locate precisely
Good “Wheel of Fortune” buy for CHEESE WHEEL
Time to indulge
Grp. that trademarked the phrase “Helping Survivors Survive” 5 Provides (for)
By birth
*Malcolm Gladwell best seller, with “The”
8 Something to run 9 Notarized paper
Attire not usually worn outdoors, informally 11 World’s mostvisited museum 12 Sweet Rosie of old song
THEATER
Junie B. Jones: The Musical
The outspoken first grader Junie B. Jones embarks on adventures and misadventures in the classroom. Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
Quark Theatre Presents: Not Alone
Unhappy
A darkly funny triptych about mortality, meaning, and connection in a world that won’t stop talking. Friday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
The Thanksgiving Play
Four well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theater artists create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving. Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m. THEATRE MEMPHIS
___ fly 19 Title usually abbreviated to its first, fifth and sixth letters
Goes on and on and on
Visceral shock
Author Sarah ___ Jewett
*Part of a
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Jonathan Mah made sure that people didn’t go away hungry a er they met him at his Meat Me in Memphis station.
Mah, owner of SideStreet Burgers in Olive Branch, Mississippi, featured Korean marinated beef tenderloin with teriyaki sauce and sriracha, spicy smoked sausage with bacon, and cream cheese and candied jalapeños.
He was one of the vendors featuring dishes made with meat at the annual fundraiser for the Monogram Foods Loves Kids Foundation founded by Karl Schledwitz and Wes Jackson. e gala was held October 23rd at the Renasant Convention Center.
Again this year, the event featured music by Sound Fuzion from University of Memphis.
above: Don Brunson and Karl Schledwitz
below: (le to right) Nick Black; Eve Vong, Emily Bartosch, Sam Bartosch, Jonathan Mah, and Arron DeShazo; John and Stephanie Prather bottom row: (le to right) Carter Beard and Terry Reeves; Hugh Balthrop; Harris Smith and Charlie Long
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
below : (le to right) Isabella Salas and Zeke
Mark and Judy Long; Otis and Elaine Sanford
bottom row: (le to right) Emma Benzina, Jacob Burns, Hank Fleming, and Sadie Zoellner; Gail Schledwitz and Susan Glassman
above: (le to right) Jaquila, Blake, and Erling Jensen; Nathan and Heather Pease; Tiarrne Gatewood and Darious Robertson
Wright;
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Seeing Red
Spaghetti marinaras at longtime Italian spots.
E
ven though I make a mean marinara, I usually order it with spaghetti or ravioli at Italian restaurants. ere’s no meat in marinara, so I always think it’s healthier.
I recently realized I didn’t actually know the meaning of “marinara.” So I went online and found many de nitions. ey boil down to this: “ e word comes from the Italian word marinara, meaning ‘sailor style,’ because it was a simple, long-lasting sauce sailors could prepare on ships” … “possibly invented by sailors or their wives as a quick, hearty meal.”
e marinara recipe I use came from an old pamphlet, Louisiana’s Fabulous Foods and How to Cook em It was part of the spaghetti recipe for “Stu ed Steak Marinara à la Pittari” from the now defunct T. Pittari’s restaurant, which opened in 1895. It’s made with just garlic, olive oil, whole canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
I knew Ann Barnes, owner of Corinne’s Very Special Catering, could tell me a thing or two about the sauce. She’s a fan. “I like the avor. Fresh and tomato-y.”: It’s lighter, she says, “unlike a heavier sauce like meat gravy or puttanesca, a tomato sauce that has anchovies.”
Barnes, who made marinara recently for the pasta station at an “IndianItalian wedding,” says an Italian woman she knew in Little Rock, Arkansas, is responsible for her marinara prowess today. “When I was dating my husband — now 58 years [married] — she said, ‘You’ve got to make the marinara.’ I didn’t even know what that was. We grew up and called it ‘spaghetti sauce.’ Most of the time we put meat in it.” e woman told her, “You’ve got to learn to make THE SAUCE.” And she made sure Barnes learned how to make it. “When I was a young bride, she gave me an Italian cookbook.” She still “pretty much” goes by that recipe, but “I might have put in my own touch here and there.”
I visited some of Memphis’ iconic Italian restaurants to try their spaghetti marinaras.
I was hooked on Valle’s when I tried it for the rst time at the lunch-only restaurant at 1636 Winchester Road. e marinara is thick and bright red. “It’s my mother’s recipe,” says owner Louie Valle. “But she got it from my grandmother on my father’s side.” Valle’s recipe isn’t exactly the one that came from his grandmother. “It has evolved a little bit.”
e recipe his sister, Doris Fragale, uses, from the early 1950s, is probably closest to his grandmother’s. Doris and her husband, Ray, were two of the original owners of Valle’s when it was called Valle’s Italian Rebel.
“Ours is a combination of di erent styles of tomato, like some crushed tomatoes, puree, and paste all blended together with all the seasonings that go along with it,” Valle says. ey use the basic ingredients found in many marinaras, including salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and onions. Of course, Louie has his secret ingredients. “I’ve added my own couple of little things I think blend in there well. It’s been consistent like that for 40-plus years.”
About 25 percent of his customers order marinara sauce, he says. Some may order the meatballs on top, so they’re still getting some meat. But, like me, Valle believes marinara is a healthier option. “You’ve got red meat in there, so [with marinara sauce] you’re staying away from the beef.” en there’s the classic spaghetti marinara at Pete & Sam’s at 3886 Park Avenue. I asked Sammy Bomarito, one of the owners, about it. “We’ve been making it the same way for as long as I can remember,” he says. “I don’t think it’s changed over the years.
“We use whole peeled tomatoes. We crush those up, grind them, and then add garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, pepper.” ey use Stanislaus brand tomatoes. “ ey’re consistent, quality. Unmatched,” Bomarito says.
A sweeter marinara is used in their eggplant Parmesan. “It kind of complements the eggplant.”
Like most of the restaurateurs I talked to, he said fewer people ask for spaghetti marinara. “Compared to our meat sauce, that’s less than 10 percent.”
Mario Grisanti, owner of Dino’s Grill at 645 North McLean Boulevard, describes their marinara sauce as “denitely chunkier.” You can see chunks of celery and tomato in it.
It’s “looser,” not as thick as some other marinaras, he says. “It doesn’t look like tomato paste.”
Some people add a lot of water when they start cooking marinara “to get all the avoring going.” Grisanti does this, then reduces it down to get rid of most of the water, “so it’s not soup. … e reason it takes long is because you’re cooking all the water out that you added at the beginning.”
I’m also a big fan of Dino’s ravioli with marinara sauce. e raviolis are stu ed with spinach instead of meat. at seems like another healthier option.
Dino’s marinara is made with salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil, celery, onions, and petite diced tomatoes. “Making a gravy every day, it’s a time-consuming process. Over the years, we’ve done it more e ciently with canned stu rather than boiling tomatoes, peeling them, squashing them.
“A lot of people ask if we put sugar in it, for some reason. at’s a ‘no.’ And they ask if we put red wine in it. And that’s a ‘no.’” ey use marinara on their ravioli, in their pizza sauce, and in their eggplant polenta torta. Describing that dish, Rudy Grisanti, Mario’s dad, says they put marinara on the plate. “We put the polenta on it, and then it gets a slice of mozzarella cheese. On top of that we put a scoop of the Italian spinach. Arranged around it, we put the fried eggplant medallions.”
Between 5 and 10 percent of their customers ask for marinara over the meat sauce, Mario says. But, he says, “Our gravies are essentially the exact same thing for our meat and marinara. e only di erence is we put our beef in one, the other we put petite diced tomatoes in.”
As far as he knows, this is the same recipe used by his grandfather, Frank Benedetti, at his restaurant, the State Cafe at Main Street and Beale. Benedetti opened that restaurant in 1941, Mario says. “It’s the only way I’ve ever made it.”
Coletta’s Italian Restaurant is celebrating its 102nd anniversary this year. For about a third of that time, they’ve
been serving marinara sauce, says Jerry Coletta, owner of the restaurant at 1063 South Parkway East. “We didn’t have marinara back in the day,” Coletta says. “We just had meat sauce. We were getting calls for meatless sauce, and we thought, ‘We have to have that.’ I know we’ve had it on the menu 34 years.”
Like the other restaurants, spaghetti marinara isn’t a top item. “For every 100 gallons of meat sauce we make, we probably make 10 gallons of the marinara. So it’s probably 10 to one.” eir recipe? “It came from my wife. And it came from her mother. I don’t know where her mother got it, though.” ey use canned crushed tomatoes, he says. ey also include basil, onion, and garlic. “We don’t put oregano in it,” he says. ey also use marinara sauce in spaghetti and their linguine marinara. “It’s kind of like fettuccine, but not as wide. A at, narrow noodle. Like spaghetti, but not round.”
e marina is also used over manicotti. “Light marinara sauce goes very well with manicotti, a tubular pasta lled with cheese lling.
“We also serve it with fried cheese sticks. I probably eat that once a week,” Coletta says.
en there’s that special time of year. “During Lent I eat a lot of marinara. On Fridays, Catholics can’t eat meat. It is a go-to over [meat].”
To get the right mood for the accompanying photo above, Coletta’s manager, Sharlene Burns, helped me set up. I gured they had one of those Bell’Agio Chianti bottles in the wicker basket. ey did. I posed that with a lit votive candle in a red jar, a glass of red wine, and their great red marinara sauce on the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. Bellissima!
PHOTOS: ZACHARY BARNES/MICHAEL DONAHUE
Ann Barnes ladles out marinara; (circle) picture-perfect sauce from Coletta’s
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Awesome!
SAT NOV 8
10a-4p CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE
It’s the holiday shopping event with serious personality! Meet some of the Mid-South’s most creative makers, crafters, and artists - just in time to find the perfect, not-so-basic gifts.
While you shop, enjoy seasonal brews and good vibes in our Crafts & Drafts Beer Garden, plus all the festive fun Crosstown has to offer.
Shop local. Sip seasonal. Celebrate creativity. Crosstown has to offer.
On Sept. 25, when an 86-year-old Oskaloosa, Florida, woman took her granddog for a walk, she didn’t return after 10 to 15 minutes, as she generally does, her husband said. He called 911 and reported her missing, ABC News reported, and a sheriff’s deputy set out to look for her. Deputy Devon Miller soon came upon Eeyore the dog, standing in the middle of the road. The dog “practically dragged” Miller to where the woman had fallen, and help was summoned. Recovering from her hospital bed, the woman was amazed that Eeyore had saved the day. “You’re such a good boy. Grandma loves you,” she said.
Don’t Eat That!
• An elderly woman named Zhang in Hangzhou, China, heard a rumor that swallowing live frogs could alleviate back pain, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 8. She asked relatives to capture some frogs for her (without explaining why) and consumed five in one day, and three the next. When her stomach pain became unbearable, her family rushed her to the hospital, and doctors determined that “Swallowing live frogs damaged the patient’s digestive system and allowed parasites to enter her system,” one physician announced. She was suffering from a Sparganum tapeworm. Zhang recovered and was discharged after two weeks.
Oct. 2. “I noticed my register is gone; it’s the same MO, he’s not destroying anything,” she said. “There are bars on the window, so you have to be super skinny to fit through those bars.” Baltimore police are investigating, but the perp wears gloves and a face covering during the intrusions. “It’s a violation to me when you steal,” Hamilton said.
The Aristocrats
As if the idea of toddlers driving motor vehicles wasn’t breathtaking enough, now you can purchase a luxury car for your wee one, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 1. For the low, low price of $49,000, your tot can proudly sport around in a Russian-made scaleddown Mercedes-Benz SL300 with a top speed of 28 mph. The model, popular in the 1950s and ’60s, features adjustable leather seats, functional lights, and a subwoofer, for the kids’ refined listening tastes. Happy motoring!
Bright Idea
Stephan Marcum of Stanton, Kentucky, is in hot water for his choice of Halloween decorations, LEX18-TV reported. Police were called to Marcum’s residence on Oct. 4, where they found five “bodies” in trash bags with labels on them. The labels were “district judge,” “mayor,” “SIS,” “C.A.,” and “zoning mgr.” Marcum has reportedly had an ongoing dispute with the city over failing to hook up legal water, sewer, and electrical services. The threatening decorations were erected sometime after a Sept. 30 court hearing about those violations. Marcum was charged with intimidating a witness in the legal process and third-degree terroristic threatening.
What’s in a Name?
• Nathan Rimington, 33, a truck driver from Yorkshire, England, got a craving for gummy candies and went all in, ordering a 6.6-pound bag of Haribo cola bottle sweets, the Manchester Evening News reported on Oct. 1. Then Rimington went all in on eating them, finishing off the bag in three evenings — all 10,461 calories. A couple of days later, terrible stomach cramps sent him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with diverticulitis caused by the gelatin in the candies. After six days of IV fluids, he went home and hasn’t touched a gummy since. “It was my own stupid fault, I’ve not eaten a cola bottle since,” he said.
Repeat Offender
A business in Greenmount, Maryland, has been victimized three times by the same burglar, the owner, Tia Hamilton, believes. According to WMAR2-TV, Hamilton’s store, DiGi Business Center, was broken into on Feb. 6, Sept. 30, and
Avon and Somerset Police in England are hunting for Morgan Freeman, the Somerset County Gazette reported on Oct. 8 — no, not THAT Morgan Freeman. This fugitive is 27 years old, white, 5-feet-4, and has light brown hair. “He is wanted on recall to prison after failing to comply with license conditions,” police said. Maybe he’s on the beach with Andy Dufresne.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to the American wildlife area known as Yellowstone Park after a 70-year absence. They hunted elk, which changed elk behavior, which changed vegetation patterns, which stabilized riverbanks, which altered the course of the Lamar River and its tributaries. The wolves changed the rivers! This phenomenon is called a trophic cascade: one species reorganizing an entire ecosystem through a web of indirect effects. For the foreseeable future, Aries, you will be a trophic cascade, too. Your choices will create many ripples beyond your personal sphere. I hope you wield your influence with maximum integrity.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I authorize you to explore the mysteries of sacred laziness. It’s your right and duty to engage in intense relaxing, unwinding, and detoxifying. Proceed on the theory that rest is not the absence of productivity but a different kind of production — the cultivation of dreams, the composting of experience, and the slow fermentation of insight. What if your worth isn’t always measured by your output? What if being less active for a while is essential to your beautiful success in the future?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are not yet who you will become. Your current struggle has not yet generated its full wisdom. Your confusion hasn’t fully clarified into purpose. The mess hasn’t composted into soil. The ending that looms hasn’t revealed the beginning it portends. In sum, Gemini, you are far from done. The story isn’t over. The verdict isn’t in. You haven’t met everyone who will love you and help you. You haven’t become delightfully impossible in all the ways you will eventually become delightfully impossible.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): By the time he became an elder, Cancerian artist David Hockney had enjoyed a long and brilliant career as a painter, primarily applying paint to canvases. Then, at age 72, he made a radical departure, generating artworks using iPhones and iPads. He loved how these digital media allowed him to instantly capture fleeting moments of beauty. His success with this alternate form of expression has been as great as his previous work. I encourage you to be as daring and innovative as Hockney. Your imaginative energy and creative powers are peaking. Take full advantage!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Black activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” He was proclaiming a universal truth: Real courage is never just about personal glory. It’s about using
Rob Brezsny
your fire to help and illuminate others. You Leos are made to do this: to be bold not just for your own sake, but as a source of strength for your community. Your charisma and creativity can be precious resources for all those whose lives you touch. In the coming weeks, how will you wield them for mutual uplift?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Who would have predicted that the first woman to climb Mount Everest would have three planets in Virgo? Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei did it in 1975. To what did she attribute her success? She described herself not as fearless, but as “a person who never gives up.” I will note another key character trait: rebellious willfulness. In her time, women were discouraged from the sport. They were regarded as too fragile and impractical for rugged ascents. She defied all that. Let’s make her your inspirational role model, Virgo. Be persistent, resolute, indefatigable, and, if necessary, renegade.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Among the Mbuti people of the Congo, there’s no word for “thank you.” Gratitude is so foundational to their culture that it requires no special acknowledgment. It’s not singled out in moments of politeness; it’s a sweet ambient presence in the daily flux. I invite you to live like that for now, Libra. Practice feeling reverence and respect for every little thing that makes your life such an amazing gift. Feel your appreciation humming through ordinary moments like background music. I guarantee you that this experiment will boost the flow of gratitude-worthy experiences in your direction.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Apophenia is the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in seemingly random data. On the downside, it may cause a belief in delusional conspiracy theories. But it can also be a generator of life’s poetry, leading us to see faces in clouds, hear fateful messages in static, and find key revelations in a horoscope. Psychologist C.G. Jung articulated another positive variation of the phenomenon. His concept of synchronicity refers to the occurrence of meaningful coincidences between internal psychological states and external events that feel deeply significant and even astounding to the person experiencing them. Synchronicities suggest there’s a mysterious underlying order in the universe, linking mind and matter in nonrational ways. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, I suspect you will experience a slew of synchronicities and the good kind of apophenia
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Philosopher Alfred Korzybski coined the phrase “the map is not the territory.” In other words, your concepts about reality are not reality itself. Your idea of love is
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Martin Luther King Jr. said that harnessing our pain and transforming it into wise love can change the world for the better. More than any other sign, Scorpio, you understand this mystery: how descent can lead to renewal, how darkness can awaken brilliance. It’s one of your birthrights to embody King’s militant tenderness: to take what has wounded you, alchemize it, and make it into a force that heals others as well as yourself. You have the natural power to demonstrate that vulnerability and ferocity can coexist, that forgiveness can live alongside uncompromising truth. When you transmute your shadows into offerings of power, you confirm King’s conviction that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
not love. Your theory about who you are is not who you are. It’s true that many maps are useful fictions. But when you forget they’re fiction, you’re lost even when you think you know where you are. Here’s the good news, Capricorn: In the weeks ahead, you are poised to see and understand the world exactly as it is — maybe more than ever before. Lean into this awesome opportunity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Babies are born with about 300 bones, but adults have 206. Many of our first bones fuse with others. From one perspective, then, we begin our lives abundant with possibility and rich with redundancy. Then we solidify, becoming structurally sound but less flexible. Aging is a process of strategic sacrifice, necessary but not without loss. Please meditate on these facts as a metaphor for the decisions you face. The question isn’t whether to ripen and mature — that’s a given — but which growth will serve you and which will diminish you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Beneath every thriving forest lies a lacework of mycelium. Through it, tree roots trade nourishment, warn each other of drought or illness, and make sure that young shoots benefit from elders’ reserves. Scientists call it the “wood-wide web.” Indigenous traditions have long understood the principle: Life flourishes when a vast communication network operates below the surface to foster care and collaboration. Take your cues from these themes, Pisces. Tend creatively to the web of connections that joins you to friends, collaborators, and kindred spirits. Proceed with the faith that generosity multiplies pathways and invites good fortune to circulate freely. Offer what you can, knowing that the cycle of giving will find its way back to you.
FILM By Chris McCoy
Weird Things
Jesse Plemons tries to save the Earth from Emma Stone in Bugonia
W
hy do people believe the Earth is at? Why do people believe that vaccines are some kind of conspiracy to pollute the human genome? Why do people believe airplanes are spewing “chemtrails?” Why do people believe climate change isn’t happening or isn’t caused by human activity?
e fact is, humans have known the Earth is a sphere since antiquity. Vaccines have been the greatest lifesaving invention in history, and the biggest reason why infant mortality is now a shocking event instead of a common tragedy. ose long, white trails you see in the sky are made of water vapor condensing in the wake of passing airplanes, mixed with some carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. No, they’re not mind control drugs; yes, they’re contributing to global warming, which is real and getting realer all the time.
In the case of our nal example, some people don’t believe in climate change because they’re the targets of a multi-decade-long program of disinformation and propaganda funded by oil companies. e oil economy has enabled much human progress and produced some of the richest companies and people in human history. But continued use of their products is causing great harm, and a global catastrophe is possible if we don’t wean ourselves o of oil. So the oil companies took a page from the tobacco companies’ playbook and used their vast wealth to muddy the waters and sow doubt. e campaign, now in its fourth decade, proved so e ective that the same techniques and channels were pressed into service for other political propaganda means. Not believing in climate change became a marker of identity for people, just like not believing vaccines work, or not believing the Earth is round. Ironically, the propaganda campaign itself contributed to its own success. People understand they’re being lied to, so they don’t trust anything. is is the ultimate goal of propaganda. As Voltaire said, those who believe absurdities can be made to commit atrocities. ere have been a slew of movies in the past few years which ask why people believe weird things. Eddington, for example, zoomed in on one rural community torn apart by suspicion and disinformation during the height of the Covid pandemic. Now Yorgos Lanthimos tackles the issue with Bugonia. e picture, a remake of the
2003 South Korean lm Save the Green Planet!, reunites the Poor ings director with Academy Award-winning star Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, who played three roles in Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness. When we rst meet our stars, they’re living very di erent but weirdly parallel lives. Stone is Michelle Fuller, the CEO of Auxolith, a major pharmaceutical company. She lives by herself in a giant, modernist house and drives a severelooking Mercedes SUV. Plemons is Teddy Gatz, who lives in a huge house in rural Georgia and drives a brokendown station wagon. His day job, we will nd out, is in Auxolith’s ful llment center, but his passion is beekeeping.
(Calling shipping warehouses “fulllment centers” is one of the most visibly dystopian features of our current late-capitalist hellscape. But I digress.)
Both Michelle and Teddy practice yoga and martial arts; Michelle with videos and private instructors, Teddy with his developmentally disabled cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), who lives with him. Michelle is preparing to launch a corporate damage control campaign to make up for some hideous misstep. Teddy and Don are preparing for something, too. ey’re visiting the hardware store for locks and chains, because they’re going to kidnap Michelle. Teddy goes one step further. He belittles Don into taking chemical castration drugs, to insure that Michelle’s feminine charms will have no e ect on them. ey must achieve “maximum focus,” explains Teddy.
e pair stake out Michelle’s house, where they ambush her while wearing Jennifer Aniston masks. ings don’t go as planned. Michelle’s kung fu skills prove to be a nasty surprise for Teddy. But in the end, the power of sedatives wins, and Teddy and Don
load an unconscious Michelle into the back of her SUV. On their way back to Teddy’s place, Don shaves Michelle’s head. When she wakes up, disoriented and chained to the bed in his basement, they tell her the reason for the radical haircut. Michelle is an alien from the Andromeda galaxy who uses her long hair as antennae to communicate with her mother ship hiding on the dark side of the moon. In four days, a lunar eclipse will provide the opportunity for Michelle to return to her ship, at which time Teddy intends to use her as a hostage to force a negotiation with the alien emperor over the future of humanity. Michelle protests. She is obviously not an alien from Andromeda. In fact, she is a very important person for whom the police will spare no e ort to recover. But while her monologue is as coherent and convincing as Teddy’s is paranoid and nonsensical, it does not work. In fact, her cold, logical delivery, born of business school and years of cutthroat corporate negotiations, only serves to reinforce Teddy’s belief that she’s not human. A test of wills ensues between hostage and captor, while a farcical police manhunt closes in.
Bugonia is essentially a two-hander between Stone and Plemons, who are both at the top of their game. ey spend most of the movie talking past each other. As they build toward the story’s bizarre climax, Lanthimos and screenwriter Will Tracy (a former editor of e Onion) reveal Teddy’s psychosis with subtle hints of traumatic loss and references to some of the wackier and scarier internet subcultures. Michelle, meanwhile, is a purely transactional creature who has found great success in the world by saying whatever it takes to get her way — which also means that Teddy, sensing her inherent insincerity, believes none of it.
Bugonia is ultimately much more successful than Eddington in addressing our problems distinguishing truth from lies, mostly because Lanthimos nails the ending. Sure, it’s one of Lanthimos’ signature surrealist dark comedies, but it’s also a window into the comfort desperate people feel when they believe weird things.
Bugonia
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Emma Stone’s Michelle is a CEO; Jesse Plemons’ Teddy works in a “ful llment center.”
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
Predator: Badlands
The latest in the Predator franchise revival is a standalone story by Prey director Dan Trachtenberg. Elle Fanning stars as Thia, a damaged synthetic human who has been dumped on a remote planet where the predator aliens hunt for sport. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi co-stars as an outcast predator who must prove his worth to the tribe because he is a “runt.” Yeah, the Predator is the good guy in this one.
Die, My Love
The great American director Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin) directs Jennifer Lawrence in this adaptation of a Spanish novel by Ariana Harwicz. Lawrence stars as
Grace, a young New Yorker who moves to Montana with her new husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson). But the quiet life loses its luster after a new baby arrives, and postpartum depression sets in. Nick Nolte, LaKeith Stanfield, and Sissy Spacek co-star, and Martin Scorsese executive produced this story of madness.
Nuremberg Academy Award-winner Rami Malek stars as Douglas Kelley, an American Army psychiatrist whose job it is to ensure the Nazi defendants at the 1946 Nuremberg war crimes trials are competent to stand trial. He meets his match with Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), head of the Luftwaffe and Hitler’s right-hand man. Can the United Nations bring justice to the vile Nazi war criminals?
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,
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Slow Down
A few Memphis spots to rest and reset this fall.
Ahhh … fall is in the air, and I’m fully embracing it. e chilly mornings, the leaves shi ing from green to gold, the shorter days — it all feels like the season is giving me permission to slow down and breathe. As a mom of four — a 17-year-old, twin 13-year-old boys, and a 12-year-old — life rarely moves at a relaxed pace. But this time of year, I nd myself craving small moments of calm wherever I can nd them. Here are a few of my favorite little Memphis oases — the places where I reset, refuel, and remember the joy of slowing down.
It’s Juiced What You Needed
546 South Main
is little oasis is big on two things: avor and decor. I’m a sucker for all things green and growing, and It’s Juiced What You Need doesn’t disappoint. e space feels like stepping into a living art piece — lush plants hanging from every corner, sunlight dancing through colorful lanterns, and local artwork that tells its own Memphis story. e vibe is pure bohemian comfort: cozy chairs, warm lighting, and the quiet hum of people sipping something good for their soul. e drinks are vibrant and full of life — cold-pressed juices that taste like sunshine in a cup. No, seriously, you must try the Sun-Kissed Lemonade. Every sip feels intentional, like your body knows it’s being taken care of. And I’m already planning my return trip for their soups.
Overton Park
1914 Poplar
Whenever I need a little fresh air, I head to Overton Park. ere’s something grounding about this stretch of green tucked right inside the city — the kind of quiet that hums instead of shouts. No bugs to swat at, no rush to keep up with, just me and my thoughts moving at a grocery-store pace of a 25-min a mile. It’s my low-stakes version of self-care: a simple walk under a canopy of trees, sunlight ickering through the leaves like the park’s own disco ball. Sometimes I’ll spot a jogger, but mostly it’s me catching my breath and remembering that rest doesn’t always mean stillness. When life feels noisy — which, with four kids, a husband, and a career it o en does — this path is my reset button. No fancy meditation apps or spa days required. Just a pair of sneakers, some shade, and a Memphis fall breeze that never disappoints.
Hustle & Dough
477 South Main
Nothing is more comforting than a bowl full of grits! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — Hustle & Dough has the best grits in the city. ey’re creamy, buttery, and somehow taste like Saturday morning peace in a bowl. ere’s something special about this spot — the way the light hits the tables, the smell of co ee in the air, and the o chance that I get to pet someone’s dog makes me want to stay a little longer. It’s not just breakfast; it’s a moment to slow down. For me, this is what comfort looks like: so jeans, cozy sweater, warm grits, and nowhere else to be for a couple of hours.
Novel and Scholastic Book Fair
387 Perkins
One of the bene ts of being a school librarian is that I still get to attend the Scholastic Book Fair. Yes — the very same one where you used to spend all your dollars on trinkets, posters, and those cool pencil sharpeners you never actually used. Some things never change, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. is time, the Book Fair lined up with my own little Novel restock — talk about perfect timing! By Friday, I had a fresh stack of stories just waiting to be devoured. ere’s something about slowing down with a good book.
In a world that moves too fast, reading feels a little rebellious. It’s my way of pressing pause — no noti cations, no noise, just me and the page. And maybe a snack and wine, because reading is always better with snacks and wine.
Fall always reminds me that slowing down doesn’t mean standing still. It means making space for small joys — a quiet walk, a warm bowl of grits, a new book, or a bright sip of juice. As a mom of four, life rarely o ers full silence, but these little oases scattered across Memphis remind me that peace can be found in pockets.
Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s a librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep.
PHOTO: PATRICIA LOCKHART It’s Juiced What You Needed
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