V16n31 - Interview with Big K.R.I.T.

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JACKSONIAN Deeneaus Polk courtesy Deeneaus Polk

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he experiences Deeneaus Polk gained while doing research in Germany help him create and implement policies that focus on poverty and economic disparity in Mississippi.

Polk, now 31 and the director and project manager of the Mississippi Apprenticeship Program, says his time abroad taught him that the socioeconomic problems he saw while growing up in Pascagoula were not inevitable or insurmountable.

“I did an exchange program in Germany when I’d just turned 16, and I just remember never seeing anyone going through the challenges that I was going through back in Mississippi—poverty and things of that sort,” Polk says.

That made him wonder why.

Polk attended the University of Mississippi and received a bachelor’s degree in international studies in 2011. He also received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship that year to return to Germany to teach. Polk served as a policy analyst for the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, now Hope Policy Institute, from October 2013 to July 2015. After leaving MEPC, Polk received a German Chancellor Fellowship to research the country’s vocational education system from July 2015 to February 2017.

He learned that Germany provided pathways for its citizens, including helping

contents

them acquire jobs and learn relevant skillsets, that led to lower unemployment and poverty rates. Polk says he wanted to bring home and apply some of the best practices in Mississippi.

“I know that obviously Mississippi is a very unique place. You will never be able to match exactly what Germany is doing here.

But if you look at it and critically analyze how you go about creating policies, or how you go about implementing workforce development, or vocational and educational systems here, we (would) get much further as a state,” Polk says.

In his current position, Polk seeks to address Mississippi’s mid-level skill gap by offering paid apprenticeships that meet the needs of community businesses as well as address the state’s unemployment rate. He also works to diversify the types of jobs that apprenticeship programs offer, which have historically been predominantly focused in the construction industry, he says. Through his work, he has expanded the types of registered apprenticeship opportunities to include jobs in the technology industry.

Although he says he misses Germany, Polk has focused on applying what he has learned from other contexts to his home state. “It’s home, and it’s a place I want to fight for every day,” he says.

—Laney Lenox

cover photo of Big K.R.I.T.

by Joshua Kissi

6 ............................ Talks 6 .................... Sorensen 12 ........................... Op/Ed 14 ............ Cover Story 25 ........... food & Drink 26 ......................... 8 Days 28 ........................ Events

6 Leaving West Jackson Behind The Jackson Zoo Board voted to begin planning to rebuild in east Jackson.

12 Fighting for Education, Gun Control “When people get fed up enough to go to the streets, they take risks.” —Joe Atkins, “Starting a Revolution”

28 ....................... sports 29 ........ music listings 30 ...................... Puzzles 31 ......................... astro 31 ............... Classifieds

25 Patios, Beer and Crawfish

Celebrate spring with these Best of Jackson categories.

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

4 ............ Editor’s Note

courtesy Half Shell Oyster House; File Photo; Stephen Wilson

April 4 - 10, 2018 | Vol. 16 No. 31

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editor’s note

by Micah Smith, Music Editor

The Birthplace (and Future) of America’s Music

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ver the Easter weekend, I got Mexican food. This was a special trip, as my parents moved to the tiny town of Poplarville, Miss., a little over a year ago. While there is plenty to love in Poplarville, a sprawling food oasis it is not. We drove about 24 minutes, crossing state lines, into Bogalusa, La., for a plate of fajitas and some chips and salsa, which tasted a bit like spicy ketchup but was pretty dang delicious all the same.

When we were driving back, I saw a shiny new sign welcoming us to Mississippi, “the Birthplace of America’s Music.” I have seen this many times before, of course—on shirts, hats, license plates, the wallpaper at a chain restaurant that was trying way too hard to look local.

In this context, though, driving through the middle of nowhere and heading to a small town that does not offer nearly the amount of music options that Jackson does, the state motto just seemed out of place and a bit false. But maybe there is a problem with just saying we’re the “birthplace.” It doesn’t really say that the music still lives here.

Obviously, plenty of great music still takes place all over the state of Mississippi.

We have tons of Mississippi artists in every conceivable genre or combination of genres kicking butt at what they do. We know that. We’re from here. However, as I began thinking of that state motto, surrounded by trees and not much else, I thought of all the performers that would have driven through the area, just passing through. Would they know to look deeper? Would they know that we are more than the birthplace of music, but also a living, growing music scene?

I recently interviewed Mississippi hiphop artist Big K.R.I.T. for this week’s cover story, and while chatting, we got into the topic of the sort-of interstellar ambiance around and in his music, both in terms of the visual and sonic elements of his albums.

I was glad he had put a lot of thought into those aspects, which I think is one of the things that differentiates a good artist from

We have to step our game up now. a great one. But the reasoning behind the outer-space motif was a bit more surprising, and it was something that I really identified with.

“I think some of that comes with me being from Meridian, Mississippi, and sometimes feeling so much like an outsider,” he told me. “I always felt like I needed to bring people to where I was from and having this more outcast, alien perspective when I do go out, because I know that, ‘OK. People may not be as familiar with where I’m from or have never been. I’ve got to take them there.’”

My friends and I try to do the same thing with our band, whether it is in “our story” and how we promote ourselves as

a group or how we talk about Jackson whenever we play shows in other states.

We want to be “a band from Mississippi,” and to bring attention—and more importantly, new visitors—to our home.

Back in September 2017, I spoke with another Mississippi-native artist, indie-pop singer Dent May, who is now based in Los Angeles. While it is a fair guess that he does not share Big K.R.I.T.’s desire to draw as many eyes and ears back to Mississippi—for one thing, May no longer lives here—it was clear that his home state was still an important part of who May is as an artist.

Before talking to him, I had heard of May many times in Jackson, and the impression that I got from some people was that he relocated to California to further his career. Early in our conversation, it became clear that was not the case.

“A lot of people mistakenly think I moved here to make it or something when that couldn’t be further from the truth,” May said. “As far as I’m concerned, ‘making it’ is just making music, and I can do that from anywhere.”

The sad truth is that much of the country does not share his view. We have created musical capitals across America, places like Los Angeles, Nashville and New York City, which basically operate on an artistic crypto-currency—they only have more value than other places because a greater number of people have agreed that they do.

Don’t get me wrong. The artists in those cities have to work hard to get noticed, but the music industry has always played favorites when it comes to which locations have priority. At the moment, we just are not one of them.

Some people in the industry think of the entirety of Mississippi as one thing, one type of artist and one type of music listener. You can see it in the Brandon Amphitheater lineup. As great as it is that we have performers like Chris Young and Chris Stapleton coming here, out of the 10 shows on the venue’s schedule so far, seven are country artists, and white males make up an even larger majority of the lineup.

I am definitely not saying the amphitheater is in the wrong, as the reality is that event promoters have to paint in broad strokes. They are hoping to bring in the most people possible, which means catering to the common denominator.

I hope that people in the Jackson metro area will attend and enjoy those concerts. If anything, having big-name artists traveling here may help to overturn the image of Mississippi as a “just passing through” state for major tours. But much more than that, I hope, when visitors come to the Jackson metro area, they will stick around and see what Mississippians have to offer, not just whichever touring act we are hosting for one night only.

What that means for Jackson’s musicians is that we have to step our game up now. There is the old adage, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

Well, it may take a while before an opportunity comes, but that gives us more time to prepare, to get better at our craft and to go perform in other states.

Start spreading the word that Mississippi is more than “the Birthplace of America’s Music.” We’re its future.

Micah Smith is the music editor of the Jackson Free Press and is in the band Empty Atlas. Write him at micah@ jacksonfreepress.com.

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

contributors

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Ko Bragg

Arielle Dreher

Stephen Wilson

Laney Lenox

Amber Helsel

Rebecca Hester

Kimberly Griffin

Dustin Cardon

City Reporter Ko Bragg is a Philadelphia, Miss., transplant who recently completed her master’s in journalism. She loves traveling and has been to 25 countries to date. She wrote about the Jackson Zoo and the Jackson City Council.

News Reporter Arielle Dreher is working on finding some new hobbies and adopting an otter from the Jackson Zoo. Email her story ideas at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com.

She investigated immigrants’ driver’s licenses in the state..

Staff Photographer Stephen Wilson is always on the scene, bringing you views from the six. He took some of the photos for the issue.

Freelance writer Laney Lenox has lived the last two years in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She works as a research assistant and consultant on storytelling projects. She wrote the Jacksonian story.

Managing Editor Amber Helsel is a feminist, writer and artist.

She loves food, music, anime, storytelling, hoarding art supplies and running sound for CityHeart Church. Email story ideas to amber@jacksonfreepress.com.

She wrote the food story.

Events Editor and Distribution Coordinator Rebecca Hester loves Alabama football, Boston Celtics basketball, the outdoors, music, dogs and volunteering as much as possible.

Send events info to events@ jacksonfreepress.com.

Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin is a Jackson native who loves Jesus, her mama, cooking, traveling, the Callaway Chargers, chocolate, her godson, Mississippi University for Women and locally owned restaurants, not necessarily in that order.

Web Editor Dustin Cardon is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. He enjoys reading fantasy novels and wants to write them himself one day. He wrote the “Week in Review.”

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“I really appreciate—and I think the community will appreciate— that the last three finalists ... that they will have an opportunity to know who they are.”

@JxnfreePreSS

@JaCkSonfreePreSS

— Better Together Commission Co-chairman Charles McClelland on the JPS superintendent search being transparent.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Thursday, March 29 The JFP reveals that, despite supporters of a tough Mississippi gang law talking about the need to arrest white people, everyone arrested under the existing gang law from 2010 through 2017 were African American.

Friday, March 30 An attorney for a black man named Von McDavid presses for more details and video to be released after a Flowood police officer shot into McDavid’s car eight times at a Kroger on March 8.

Saturday, March 31 Six Mississippi teenagers begin a 50-mile walk from northern Mississippi to Memphis, Tenn., as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

Sunday, April 1 Hudson’s Bay Co. announces that a data breach at department store chains Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth and Lord & Taylor has compromised the personal information of customers who shopped at the stores.

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

Monday, April 2 Former state Rep. Andy Gipson of Braxton is sworn in as Mississippi’s eighth agriculture commissioner.

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Tuesday, April 3 The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees announces it will begin advertising for a new JPS superintendent this month and will host community meetings for Jacksonians to express qualities they want in a new district leader. ...

A woman shoots at least four people at a shooting at the Youtube HQ. Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com

Moving Jackson Zoo Leaves Hope Behind

by Ko Bragg

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n an overcast morning in November 2017, the Zoo Area Progressive Partnership hosted a cleanup and brought folks together to paint murals on plywood hung on a chain fence across from the main entrance to the Jackson Zoo. Heather Ivery, president of ZAPP, which helps improve the main corridor to the Jackson Zoo, kept an eye on her 6-yearold daughter as she painted near a hole in the sidewalk that was slightly covered with a plank of wood. Ivery wants west Jackson to thrive again.

“These little kids need to know that this is a place they can be safe and want to grow up and stay here and come back when they get old,” Ivery said then.

Ivery strongly supports the zoo remaining in west Jackson, but on March 27, the Jackson Zoological Society board confirmed it will move to the eastern side of the city to LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, closer to Rankin County than its long-time home on West Capitol Street.

The announcement came after years of whispers that donors would no longer support the zoo if it did not relocate east near the Children’s Museum and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

ZAPP feels left out of the decision and even hurt that the zoo is moving. “This is

Stephen WilSon

Wednesday, March 28 Mississippi lawmakers end their 2018 legislative session after passing a $6 billion budget with most state agencies receiving funding levels comparable to what they got last year. … The City of Jackson announces “Examining Economic Justice 50 Years Later,” a moderated conversation between Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to observe the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, April 4.

@JxnfreePreSS

Jackson Zoo Executive Director Beth Poff is excited to rebuild at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, which is still in Jackson, but hates to leave the old one.

a disinvestment in our community,” Ivery said this week. “I can’t see any major silver lining at this point.”

She added that this move implies “west Jackson doesn’t matter,” as the zoo board has decided to invest elsewhere.

‘Time for Action’ Sitting in her zoo office on April 2, Executive Director Beth Poff said she is ex-

cited about getting to build a zoo from the ground up, but also disappointed that west Jackson is still empty and dilapidated with no new businesses around the zoo.

Optimistically speaking, she said, the zoo probably will not relocate for at least four years considering they have to develop the plan, raise funds and then build the new facilities.

“I want it done before I’m too old to walk around the zoo,” Poff said.

Poff is thrilled to finally have “one clean direction” for the zoo, saying that people have been constantly asking her about its fate over the years. Her hope of staying in west Jackson faded after a surge of excitement in 2013 when the zoo board hired consultants through Schultz and Williams to assess its future.

Talk of a health corridor and Architect Roy Decker’s west Jackson master plan created hope that the zoo might stay put. Poff then created a new site plan for its current location. But, a fundraising feasibility study said otherwise—donors did not want to increase or maintain financial support should the zoo stay in west Jackson.

A 2016 economic-impact study said the zoo employed 36 individuals who produced goods and services valued at $2.5 million. Poff estimates that the new site could employ as many as 300 people. In

“This is a disinvestment in our community. I can’t see any major silver lining at this point.”

— Heather Ivery, president of ZAPP, on the relocation of the Jackson Zoo out of west Jackson.

“We just want to do this thing right and just be a part of the decision, and so far we haven’t been. I hate to be the negative voice, but we haven’t been listened to so far.”

— Phil Reed on ZAPP being left out of the decision to move the Jackson Zoo to east Jackson.

Mississippi Outs Legal Immigrants on Licenses

by Arielle Dreher

Courtesy Abigail Pena Mandujano

carrying my visa because some of them will ask for it,” Mandujano, who lives in Blue Springs, told the Jackson Free Press recently.

Mandujano is not a U.S. citizen, but she is in the country legally. She has Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, meaning her parents brought her to the U.S. as a young child. She has lived in the U.S. for 18 years since her family came from Mexico City when she was 3 years old. When she turned 18 in 2013, she went to get her driver’s license and found that she and fellow DACA immigrants had different licenses than their other Mississippi friends.

Licensing for immigrants varies in different states, but Mandujano said her friends in other states do not carry licenses labeled that way.

Amelia McGowan, an immigration attorney at the Catholic Charities Migrant Support Center in Jackson, said she is unaware of another state with the “Non-US Citizen” demarcation on the license.

Mississippi has a policy that brands immigrants’ driver licenses

“We have a number of clients who with the words “Non-US Citizen” despite the fact that they must apply for driver’s licenses,” McGowan present proof that they are in the U.S. legally to get the I.D. said. “You have to have immigration sta-

the last 10 years, visitation fell from nearly 200,000 in 2006 to just above 100,000 in 2016.

The Schultz and Williams task force presented its recommendations to the zoo board on March 27, and the board accepted the advice the next day to officially move the zoo, Poff said.

The zoo has been candid about its reason for moving—survival. In a June 2017 memo to then-Mayor Tony Yarber and the Jackson City Council, the zoo board stated plainly that the threat of donors pulling out and waning financial support from the City made the zoo’s situation untenable.

“This is a defining time for the zoo, and now is the time for action,” the memo concluded.

This week, Poff referred back to a September 2017 meeting with Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, where he was “firm” about his preference for the zoo to stay in west Jackson, but also open to listen, Poff said.

In October, the mayor told the Jackson Free Press that the City was working

on a Mississippi Home Corporation blight grant, which is now in its early stages, but those efforts did not come to fruition in time to save the zoo.

Now, Poff says she needs to go back to the mayor to work out a “gray area” with the lease renewal coming up in September 2018. Poff wants to stay put and keep the zoo running in the meantime.

Although Beth told the City she needed $1.5 million last year, in the last two fiscal years the most she got from the City was $980,000.

Victim of White Flight, Blight

Despite the “great outpouring of support” Poff says she has received in the last week, she also knows some residents are upset about the move that could leave a huge abandoned facility in west Jackson.

“I think they see it as once again something is not being done in this area and being concentrated in a new area…,” Poff said in her office.

In an interview in October 2017, the

tus … to get a driver’s license, so if you are undocumented you cannot get a license in the Mississippi.”

That’s the unique part of Mississippi’s policy. The “Non US Citizen” could imply that a documented immigrant is not in the U.S. illegally, although undocumented immigrants cannot obtain a driver’s license at all.

“If you are a non-U.S. citizen, you must meet all other requirements for obtaining an operator’s license or identification card except for providing a Social Security card,” the DPS website says. To get a license, an immigrant must present valid immigration papers, a birth certificate that is translated by a state-run university or an approved translator, passport and other proof of residency.

The license is good for the amount of time an immigrant’s visa or papers allow her to stay.

The Jackson Free Press obtained the Department of Public Safety’s “Out-of Country and Non US Citizens License and ID Applicants policy, which was most recently updated in November 2013. The policy shows that the “Non US Citizen” demarcation is required. “All applicants who are Non US Citizens must be issued a credential marked ‘Non-US Citizen,’” it states.

It is unclear how long this has been the policy of DPS or the purpose for this specific designation on an

zoo’s development director Trey Jones said the zoo ends up in the middle of a series of City challenges such as economic development, gentrification concerns, blight programs and generations of white flight.

“We are not the cause or the solution to all these problems,” he said then. “(But), I think there’s legitimate concern about why does north Jackson, everything the east side of the interstate, get all the attention?”

Poff imagines the new zoo with a restaurant where you can sit and see a giraffe passing by as you eat. She wants interactive exhibits where people can pet a rhino or feed a giraffe. But she also hopes the 54 acres left behind becomes something to benefit the community.

“Perhaps this spot can be better than what a zoo can offer,” Poff said. “So that’s one thing that we really want to highlight and talk with people about.”

She has thrown out the idea of having a goat farm for kids to come help care for them, to develop a welding shop, a job center to teach people different skills or per-

more LICENSES, see page 8

haps an urban garden. Poff sees potential in opening up new opportunities for the area.

Ivery is nowhere near as hopeful, especially because she said ZAPP was left out of discussions about moving the zoo.

“There’s tons of ideas, but has someone stepped up and said, ‘hey, yeah, if the zoo moves, we will make this happen’? No,” Ivery said. “And in our experience here in west Jackson is that when stuff gets left, it falls apart.”

Phil Reed of Voice of Calvary Ministries, also a member of ZAPP, echoed Ivery’s frustrations about being left out. He sees the move east as a setback to west Jackson’s development.

“We just want to do this thing right and just be a part of the decision, and so far we haven’t been,” Reed said.

“I hate to be the negative voice, but we haven’t been listened to so far.”

Email city reporter Ko Bragg at ko@ jacksonfreepress.com. Read past stories about the Jackson Zoo at jfp.ms/zoo.

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

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bigail Piña Mandujano had to start carrying her visa with her when she drives because her license is not enough to fend off questions from law-enforcement officials at roadblocks, she says. That’s because “Non-US Citizen Driver License” is emblazoned on Mandujano’s Mississippi driver’s license in red letters.

“[D]own here we have a lot of roadblocks, and the officers will question me, and I’ve had to actually start

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TALK | city

Council Faces $1.6 Million Winter Emergency

by Ko Bragg

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Winter Emergency Costs

As the result of the January freezing temperatures, major water lines broke and the water level in most of the City’s tanks was at or near zero. Then, the mayor signed off on a state of emergency to invoke contracts to beef up water maintenance crews to correct the issue quickly.

Last week, the city council ultimately approved the $1.6 million in various emergency contracts for repairs to water lines and other engineering services, but not without some pushback.

A few council members took issue with the fact that the money would come from the water/sewer fund and later be replenished with money from the 1-percent tax. The 1-percent sales tax increase began

in 2014 when citizens voted to tax themselves to fund infrastructure needs.

Ward 4 Councilman De’Keither Stamps believed the City should have presented these revisions to the budget to the council beforehand. Miller disagreed with Stamps’ insistence that he should have done budget revisions first because the City has Stephen Wilson

ayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba hit pause on paternity leave to attend a meaty and dynamic Jackson City Council meeting March 27.

Public Works Director Bob Miller’s items dominated the night. He presented six contracts for council approval that would cover costs incurred during the winter emergency in January and two others relating to the Environmental Protection Agency consent decree with the City for improper wastewater treatment practices.

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes was not convinced Public Works Director Bob Miller had gone through correct finance process to pay for the winter public-works emergency.

LICENSES from page 7

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

immigrant license. The Department of Public Safety did not respond to repeated interview requests from the Jackson Free Press about the policy or its purpose.

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Bad Impressions

Mandujano is attending Itawamba Community College and wants to transfer to the University of Mississippi eventually. But as a non-U.S. citizen, she does not qualify for state financial aid for school, so she works to pay for her education. Some states have changed their laws to allow DACA recipients to receive financial aid for college.

In Mississippi, Rep. Kathy Sykes, D-Jackson, introduced a similar measure this year, but it got little traction in a Republican-supermajority statehouse that passed legislation banning “sanctuary cities” statewide.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress passed the “Real ID Act” requiring states to upgrade and intensify their I.D.s. This meant a mix of policy changes in different states pertaining to immigrants. The Connecticut state government recently created a drive-only

enough money to pay for these costs now, and would bank on 1-percent tax funds coming in to replace the money so the City can pay bills later.

“What if the budget revision fails?”

Stamps asked Miller.

“Then we will have a serious budget challenge later this year,” Miller said.

Charles Hatcher, director of the Department of Administration, assured the council that everything presented to them had come through the budget office to make sure there was sufficient funding for these emergency contracts in question.

Still, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes was not convinced that the 1-percent commission would allocate the money later. “It seems like musical chairs or the shell game,” he said.

Nevertheless, the council approved the emergency contracts.

Public Works Items

In addition, Miller had nearly a dozen public-works related items on the agenda.

The council approved an interlocal agreement with the Hinds County Board of Supervisors to make improvements up to $250,000 on Cabaniss Circle.

The council also accepted a $19,000 bid from Great Southern Recreation to resurface a playground at Pittman Park, for-

license that allows undocumented immigrants to at least drive around the fairly rural state, Kara Hart, an immigration attorney there, said.

“[I]f someone is stopped for whatever reason, at least they are not going to be cited for driving without for a license, so that removes an enormous worry from people who are driving particularly in places where you may not have access,” Hart said.

Hart said Mississippi’s licensing law is different than other states that she has looked at because the “Non US Citizen” licenses include immigrants who are lawfully present. While Connecticut’s drive-only licenses might be an obvious sign to law-enforcement officers that the person is undocumented, a “Non US Citizen” license in Mississippi gives no such impression—in theory.

In practice, however, Mandujano is asked about her immigration status regularly despite being in the country legally, she says.

“They start questioning, ‘well, why are you here if you’re not legal?’ And I think a lot of people don’t understand that you can be legal but not a citizen, so you’ve got all these questions coming,” she says.

Such instances happen in Walmart or at roadblocks

merly known as Poindexter Park, with an impact-absorbing surface through Community Development Block Grant funds.

The council approved an amendment to an existing Environmental Protection Agency consent-decree related contract to include flow monitoring for a sanitary sewer evaluation survey to comply with the Clean Water Act. Nearly $65,000 will go to CSL Services Inc. to expand its scope of work to include a final report and analysis of the City’s West Bank Interceptor.

Also pertaining to the consent decree, the council approved a loan application from Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to make short-term improvements under the consent decree to bring Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant into compliance with its federal pollution permit. Those repairs are estimated to cost $30 million in total, and as Miller wrote in a memo to the mayor, the City needs a source of funding to finance the cost of this work.

“MDEQ has indicated that they are willing to make the City two loans in successive years, each in the amount of $15 million to fund these short-term repairs and improvements,” Miller wrote.

Email city reporter Ko Bragg at ko@ jacksonfreepress.com and follow her on Twitter at @keaux_ for breaking news.

Most viral stories at jfp.ms: 1. “Only Black People Prosecuted Under Mississippi Gang Law Since 2010” by Donna Ladd 2. “Mayor Lumumba Planning Town Hall Event in Jackson with Bernie Sanders,” verbatim statement 3. “Yolanda Singleton” by Brinda Fuller Willis 4. “Lawyer in Flowood OfficerInvolved Shooting Wants Video, Answers” by Ko Bragg

5. “The Poverty-Crime Connection” by Lacey McLaughlin

Most viral events at jfpevents.com: 1. Fondren After 5, April 5 2. Sipp & Sauce, April 5 3. “…to me from the earth…,” April 5 4. Zoo Brew, April 6 5. Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival, April 7-8 Find more events at jfpevents.com.

when she shows her Mississippi license.

“Even if you are legal here … a lot of DACA recipients still live in the shadows, even though we are legal,” she continued. “… It’s a huge load to carry when people already have a bad impression of immigrants.

Comment at jfp.ms. Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com and follow her on Twitter @arielle_amara for breaking news.

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April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

T I C K E T S N O W AV A I L A B L E AT S A N T E S O U T H . C O M

9

TALK | legislature

At Session’s End: Women, Whiskey, Watchdogs (and Dead Bills)

by Arielle Dreher

Killing the Deal

Republicans have supposedly been working to divert more funds to roads and bridges since 2016, but so far that’s meant a lot of talk and no walk—or drive. As municipali10 ties continue to close bridges and fill potholes, lawmakers

File Photo

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

L

ate in the 2018 legislative session, Rep. Jeff Smith, RColumbus, talked about a night that his son broke curfew. His boy had spent his father’s money on “whiskey, women and wasted the rest,” Smith described. He was answering a question from Democratic Rep. Steve Holland from Plantersville on how hard it had been to confer with the Mississippi Senate and get a bond bill to the floor.

“I beat the Hades out of him, and I called it an attitude adjustment,” said Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, about his son. “To deal with the Senate, there needs to be an attitude adjustment. Or you’re sort of beating your head against a brick wall. It is rather difficult—but not impossible.”

House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, stops short of such sentiments, but when he spoke with reporters on Wednesday, March 28, after lawmakers went home, he emphasized that the House had done its job this session.

“We said we were going to pass education funding, we did. We said we were going to pass a road plan, we did. We said we were going to pass a Medicaid tech bill, we did,” Gunn said. “I will let you draw your own conclusions about why those things don’t seem to succeed on the other side of the building. I can only speak for us.”

Not all Republicans think alike, or at least not in the Mississippi Legislature. Differing opinions on everything from transportation funding to allocating BP settlement funds left several measures dead and gone by the end of March—even bills Gunn and Reeves deemed priorities.

Technically, the Senate did fail to pass several measures that Reeves had prioritized and outlined earlier this year.

He did not even bring up voucher legislation, blaming the House for not having the votes despite not letting his own members vote on it first.

Reeves thought he had the votes for the EdBuild-based school-funding formula to replace the Mississippi Adequate Education Program that the House passed after a contentious debate. It also failed. Reeves said the bill’s failure was a disappointment but chalked it up to the legislative process.

“This was the very first year that there was an actual bill that was brought forward,” he told reporters March 28, noting that it is rare for major policy initiatives to pass the first year they are introduced.

worked several hours in March on proposals to divert more revenue to infrastructure, to no avail.

This is not the first time funding for roads and bridges has failed. Several budget bills died after the House tried to force a conversation on funding for roads and bridges exactly a year ago. The governor had to call a special session to pass budget bills for the attorney general’s office and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. During the offseason, both Reeves and Gunn voiced support for funding what they both agree is a “core function of government.”

But when January 2018 rolled around, the House jumped first, passing a series of bills that outline Gunn’s position for how revenue should be diverted to roads and bridges. The House proposed use-tax diversions, which have recently been boosted since Amazon began collecting it, and other online retailers continue to follow suit. The House plan called for 35 percent of use tax diversions with no caps that to go towards roads and bridges, which totaled around $108 million in new funds for roads and bridges.

The House also wanted to divert any revenue above the 2 percent set aside to go into a special fund for roads and

Rep. Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, told the Mississippi House of Representatives that negotiating with the Senate is difficult—but not impossible.

bridges, passing a bill in January. The total dollar amount for these two proposals would be about $208 million. The Mississippi Economic Council estimates that $375 million annually is needed to fix the state’s infrastructure annually, however, and both the House and Senate proposals relied on uncertain revenue streams, especially with the tax cuts lawmakers passed in 2016.

Every House transportation proposal died in the Senate, and Reeves was mum on road funding until Feb. 19, a few days before the Senate had to pass the measure on deadline. That day, he announced a “billion dollar” road proposal, called the BRIDGE Act. The plan would divert some existing tax revenue, using the sales tax and not the use tax, but also heavily relied on dollars that were transferred from existing Mississippi Department of Transportation funds as well as a matching grant program.

Reeves told reporters that the largest differences in the House and the Senate proposals were settled during budget weekend.

“Ultimately, what really killed the conversation and

the ultimate deal, after making all of those concessions on both sides (was) when the BRIDGE Act left the Senate, we had approximately $40 million in individual projects.

When it left the House it had nearly $100 million in individual projects,” Reeves said, pointing to a highlighted handout showing two extra pages of projects the House added into the road-funding proposal.

Gunn told reporters the House still had problems with how the Senate proposal required municipalities and counties to find new revenue in order to get state-matching grants for roads and bridges under the Senate measure.

“If you’re only going to give them a match from the government for new dollars, and they’re not going to get any sales tax, really they’ve only got two options left … shift dollars over here or raise taxes,” Gunn said last week. “…

[T]hat’s what we saw. We’re not going to pass a road plan that’s going to … result in an increase of their taxes.”

Reeves the Watchdog?

Reeves told reporters the BP oil settlement discussions seeped over into road-funding debate very close to deadline.

He believes that 100 percent of the BP money should go to south Mississippi, he said.

“Before the 6 o’clock deadline on Monday for the transportation bill, we realized the only way they would agree to BP is if we agreed to their list of projects which were substantially similar—though not identical—to the projects that were offered in the BRIDGE Act,” Reeves said. “So what that said to me is a lot of these negotiations hinged on these individual projects—not on what the actual policy was surrounding the major pieces of legislation that were before us.”

That list of projects seemed to irk Reeves, who called himself the taxpayers’ “watchdog.” He mentioned that walking trails in Houston, Miss., and near Eastover Drive were added to the list of projects.

“When the conversation is surrounding local bridges falling in, investing more money in walking trails, in my opinion, is not the best use of what we all agree are limited resources,” he said last week.

Speaker Gunn said the two chambers were close on a BP settlement funds deal. “I think if we are able to come to an agreement, the governor could call a special session, and we could knock it out in half a day,” he said. “So I think we’ve made some progress.”

Many lawmakers point fingers at the lieutenant governor, who is expected to run for governor in 2019, for not getting support for his legislation. Reeves did not apologize for being what he calls “fiscally conservative,” however.

“I believe that I was elected … because of the fact that the taxpayers of this state believe that I will be here to be their watchdog when other people in the building want to spend their money on walking trails and other things—that somebody has got to be willing to stand up and say no,” Reeves said.

Reeves said the Legislature has seen a lot of disagreements over the last several years because the House wants to spend “significantly more” than he is willing to spend.

“So I don’t know if you want to call it ‘heavy-handed.’ … I will call it fiscally conservative, and I do not apologize for standing up for the taxpayers of this state and protecting their interests.”

Read more of what happened in the 2018 legislative session at jfp.ms/msleg18. Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com.

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April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

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11

Starting the Revolution

O

XFORD—Writer and champion of social justice Dorothy Day once said that “fighting for a cause is part of the zest of life. ... What we need is a revolution. Each one of us can help start it.”

I remember doing a lot of “fighting for a cause” in my salad days—and later.

I shouted, chanted, carried signs, sat in, demanded, wrote letters, and argued and plotted endlessly into the night with my fellow “revolutionaries”—whether the cause was civil rights, Vietnam or workers’ rights.

That’s why it gladdened my heart when I saw young people—including students of mine like Jaz Brisack—marching and demanding an end to politically sanctioned gun lawlessness in the recent “March for Our Lives” in Washington, D.C., Jackson, Oxford and across the nation.

“We’re not children anymore. We’re warriors,” 16-year-old Oxford High School junior Anna Claire Franklin told the University of Mississippi’s Daily Mississippian.

The students are “letting our lawmakers on a state and national level know that the upcoming generations … won’t stand by and allow the ease of buying firearms to be prioritized over the safety of our nation’s students,” she said.

The protests have led to greater gun restrictions in Florida, where the deaths of 17 young people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14 prompted outrage against the National

Rifle Association’s political bullying.

Also tickling this old revolutionary’s heart are the massive protests from school teachers in West Virginia and Kentucky that have challenged the Koch Brothers and American Legislative Exchange Council-led effort to destroy public education by starving it of funds so that privately run charter schools can take its place.

That nine-day wildcat West Virginia

“Neither revolutions nor faith is won without keen suffering.” teachers strike forced the state’s governor and legislature to cough up a 5-percent pay hike for all state employees, although the politicians planted enough poison in the deal to make sure teachers get blamed for cutbacks in Medicaid and other services.

Kentucky teachers followed suit this month, marching out of their classrooms en masse after state GOP political leaders proposed cutting their benefits. Under pressure, the Republicans dropped their plan, although some cuts still loom.

Mississippi school teachers are the lowest paid in the nation. A teacher in New York typically makes $37,000 more in annual wages than a teacher in this state. In Mississippi, 13 percent of school teachers

have to have second jobs to make ends meet. Republican leadership, like their counterparts in Kentucky and West Virginia, get their cues from the Koch Brothers and ALEC on public education, just as they do on a host of other issues. They’ll never admit it, but the end of public education is their goal.

So should Mississippi teachers go on strike? In 1985, thousands of teachers across the state marched on Jackson during the 11-week strike, and they finally got the Legislature to agree to a $4,400-overthree-years pay increase. However, it came with a provision that they would never strike again. If they do, they could lose their licenses, and their teacher organizations could face fines of up to $20,000 a day. But, you know, those teachers in West Virginia and Kentucky faced risks, too, just as students protesting against NRA gun lawlessness have already come under attack from right-wing political groups.

When people get fed up enough to go to the streets, they take risks. They know there may “be a price to pay,” Dorothy Day wrote, “sometimes a heartbreaking price. … Neither revolutions nor faith is won without keen suffering.”

Joe Atkins is a veteran journalist, columnist, and professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi.

This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the JFP.

Legislature Budgets for Critical Needs, Neglects Others

T

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

he 2018 legislative session’s story largely revolves around Republicans’ inability to get a lot done due to failed negotiations between the House and the Senate. While a laundry list of bills died this session, lawmakers did manage to fund some critical needs in the state—albeit partially due to lawsuits filed against the state. The state’s crime lab, foster-care system and the Department of Mental Health all remained That either intact or received more funding conversation to continue operations, and hopefully is out of the fend off additional litigation. question.

We applaud lawmakers for understanding the gravity of using taxpayer dollars to fend off lawsuits— that is, until they passed the 15-week abortion ban this session. Beyond passing that unnecessary law, which will cost taxpayer dollars to defend in federal court, lawmakers neglected several other critical needs this session. For example, infrastructure funding, which they claimed to be their focus at the start of this year, went nowhere.

12 The House passed several road and bridge measures in January,

but the lieutenant governor did not respond or even act on them, opting to introduce his own plan in mid-February instead. Discussions seemed limited until deadlines began to close in, and then it all crumbled. Never mind the fact that both the House and Senate plans come nowhere close to the Mississippi Economic Council’s recommendation of $375 million needed annually to restore the state’s infrastructure. Reeves’ plan claimed to be a “billion dollar” infrastructure plan, but large parts of that would just shift existing revenue for the Mississippi Department of Transportation or force municipalities to come up with more money.

Ultimately, the House plan might have reached the MEC recommendation if all the measures had passed together—and state tax-revenue collections did amazingly well in the next few years, which remains to be seen after all those tax cuts. What really needs to happen is a dialogue about raising the state’s gas tax, which is as flat as ever, but with Republicans like Reeves up for re-election next year, that conversation is out of the question. Mississippians will have to wait until 2019 to voice their opinions at the ballot box about roads and bridges, with the knowledge that a supermajority doesn’t necessarily mean productivity on the issue.

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April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

SATURDAY, APRIL 28 FLOWOOD

TH

13

I

n the music world, self-titled albums are common, and self-titled songs are less so. Having two self-titled songs on the same album—well, that is an anomaly.

But then again, Justin Scott, better known as hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T., says that he has always felt like a bit of an anomaly.

It is a feeling that has long been present in his work, from the space-inspired cover art, atmospheric sounds, but also in the meta-narrative behind his music. It is a story that is still unfolding, he says.

The Meridian, Miss., native announced in the summer of 2016 that he had split from Def Jam Records after about six years with the legendary label. Rather than seeking out a new contract with another major label, though, Scott decided to use the opportunity to officially launch his own label, Multi Alumni. More than that, he says that he wanted to take time and create his most personal and expansive recording project yet.

In late October 2017, after about two and a half years of working on the project, Scott put out his third studio album as Big K.R.I.T., “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time,” a 22-track double album that centered on his duality as an entertainer and as a real person.

Scott is currently on the road promoting the album through the “Heavy Is the Crown” national tour, which brings him to the capital city on Thursday, April 5. The Jackson Free Press recently spoke with him over the phone about the process of tackling two sides of himself on “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time,” and taking the reins of his career as an artist, producer and executive.

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

What made you decide it was time for a new album as opposed to another mixtape?

I would say because, you know, mixtapes are what I’ve done. I obviously have a lot more mixtapes than I do albums, and I just had been gone for so long. It was like two and a half years, and I think I did (mixtape) “It’s Better This Way” and “#12FOR12,” which was also pretty much a mixtape, too. But I just didn’t think a tape was how I needed to start off.

In the end, I had been recording so many songs, and I think it was also just that time for me where I really wanted to do a double album. I’d always wanted to do one. I think I actually wanted “Live from the Underground” (his 2012 album) to be one, but we just couldn’t, just with the label and budgets and stuff.

So this one, I was like, “I’m free. I can do exactly what I want to.” We decided to make it a double. I’ve always had a hard time sequencing records because I’d have the trunk-rattling, aggressive car-slab music, and then I’d have a song that was more pertaining to how I was feeling at the time, maybe like “The Vent” or something like that, where it breaks up the entire album. It’s like an abrupt stop sonically on the low, so it was like, “Well, how do I raise people’s spirits again?”

With this album, I decided to really tell my story, the duality of me. On one album, I could go be super hiphop, rapper, superhero vibe, and then the Justin Scott side could be how I feel at home. It could have those elements of, sometimes, the insecurity, the doubt, the depression, the anxiety, but how I keep my faith together in a record like “Mixed Messages,” where sometimes we all have confusing messages that we send out.

It’s a blessing because I think we’re at a place where everyone is starting to realize that there’s a lot going on in 14 society, a lot of social topics, and the presidential aspect.

Mixed

Messages:

An Interview with

Big K.R.I.T.

by Micah Smith

There’s just so much going on. It gave me the opportunity to speak my truth, and people were ready to embrace it. It’s been an amazing journey thus far.

When you have that defined split in terms of tone and lyrics, how do you also communicate that duality in the music?

Thank God that I actually produce, too, because sonically I could tell off the bat what made more sense. A record like “Drinking Sessions,” being so stripped-down and the piano chords and the blues horns, … the elements of that record sounded like “Justin Scott” to me. It didn’t necessarily sound like hip-hop. It sounded like something else.

Even the intro to “Justin Scott,” and I worked with DJ Khalil on that record, and it was important that I didn’t rap on it because when I’m at home, as a music lover, I just love soul music, so I play records that I have nothing to do with and just vibe out. I wanted that to kind of (show) how I listen to music at home.

A lot of people don’t even realize that I sampled the “Justin Scott” intro for the “Big K.R.I.T.” intro and then rap on the “Big K.R.I.T.” intro because that’s what I do.

That’s what people know me for.

But just sonically, “Price of Fame” would not have worked on the “Big K.R.I.T.” side. “Mixed Messages” would not have worked on the “Big K.R.I.T.” side because it would have diluted everything on that side had it been on it. But it makes so much sense on the “Justin Scott” side because it’s more vulnerable. It’s the transparent part of me.

And I’ve always been this way, but you put that face on, that mask on, to go out in the world and be able to deal with the negativity and to try to embrace positivity. Then, you get back home and deal with all that. There might be one comment while you’re at home, and it makes you question everything.

When you’re putting not just your name as an artist but your name as a person on the album, you’re kind of saying, “This represents all of me.” Was that difficult for you?

Yeah, just a tad bit because you still leave yourself out there people to be like, “Mm, I don’t like that vibe, and

mm, I don’t like that vibe. I would rather you rap about candy-paint (metallic finish) and cars,” you know what I’m saying?” [Laughs] Like, “Oh, no. We don’t want to be sad.”

… But I think about a lot of old-school artists. I think about the Bobby Womacks, the Curtis Mayfields, Al Green, Willie Hutch and all these people. When they were doing these songs, I don’t think they were much concerned about what people think about the songs as much as, “I have to tell you about this. I have to speak on this.”

I had to look at it from that perspective. If people don’t get it now, then maybe when they’re 40, 50, 60—Lord willing, people still listen to my music—they’ll go back and something will resonate with them. That’s what timeless music is. And I have to grow as an artist.

If the people who listen to me aren’t there yet … or maybe don’t recognize anxiety yet, or maybe they feel like they’re not abusing their vice or they don’t understand what that may be doing to them, then maybe when they do get to that point, my song will make more sense, and it’ll be helpful to them to know, “I went through it, too. I understand, and we can relate.”

Once I started to look at it from that perspective, it made it so much easier to put my government name on my album. But it’s also made it easy to do interviews. We have conversations like this, and like a lot of the radio people that I’ve talked to, they’ve also gone through depression.

The room opens up, and we start having conversations that aren’t surface, you know? It’s a beautiful experience, man.

Your fans might recognize the connection between the titles of “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time” and several of your past releases, including “Return of 4eva” and “4eva N a Day.” What’s the reason for that?

Well, all of my albums have a story I’m telling, and I have no idea how it’s going to end. [Laughs] But it started with “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here” (his 2010 album) even, that idea of more of an alien perspective or a being somewhere, and letting people know that I’ve been there, I’ve done this, or I’m a part of this whether you realize it or not. Then, going to “Return of 4Eva,” and that having still more of an outerspace experience to it, trying to take people somewhere.

This is also your first release through your label, Multi Alumni. What was the experience like having to be both an artist and an executive on this album?

Scary! [Laughs] It was scary at first because it’s the realization, “Ooh, the ball is in your court now,” you know? But having the strong team that I have, my manager (Sheldon “Dutch” John) and (Steven “Steve-O” Brown of public-relations company GFCNY) on the marketing level, definitely helped.

These are people that I’ve been working with for years, and (they) have a really good understanding of what my vision has always been for my music and how to take it to the next level.

I’ve been branding Multi since 2005, right? But it’s one of those things where 2010 is where we really started, and even when I was signed to Def Jam, I never stopped screaming Multi and never stopped building what that meant. If anything, that was something I had the opportunity to do while signed to a major (label) was continuously putting my brand at the forefront.

So once we left Def Jam, Multi was still there and active, and people know that it’s not just about me, but it’s about being a king or queen of whatever you do, and having to multi-task and play more than one position in life to ensure your success.

The fact that I produce, and I rap, and I can mix my own records and (engineer) my own records, it put me in a position where I could survive off music longer than most. And then, it puts us in a boss situation where I’ll never sign as an

artist (on another label). It can only be partnerships from this point on because now I have Multi.

Why did you decide to go through the process of launching Multi Alumni instead of trying to shop the album out to have another major record label to release it?

Well, we went through BMG (Rights Management for distribution), but the thing about the label, in most cases, is the way that you create music having a mind for business is very important because business can get in the way.

It can really affect how you are in the studio, affect the music or affect how you record. Even your delivery on a song can be affected by the people in the room and what they may be looking for.

I’ve spent a lot of time sitting down in a boardroom, playing my album for people and hoping that they got it.

If they didn’t get it, then you’re kind of fighting an uphill battle at that point, you know? This is the first album where I just (said), “This is the album. Let’s go.”

It’s not where you have to play it for a lot of people, and they go, “Well, this is going to be the single.” I was like, “No. This is the single. These are the videos. This is the album cover. This is how it looks, and this is the feel. Let’s go.” And even better, it was like, “This is the date. This is when we drop it.”

It just was a freedom where it’s so crazy because I’m so used to always working. The deadlines are usually so short that you work clean up until the deadline, and then, you go on tour immediately.

more

KRIT

see page 16

Joshua Kissi

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

I think some of that comes with me being from Meridian, Mississippi, and sometimes feeling so much like an outsider. I always felt like I needed to bring people to where I was from and having this more outcast, alien perspective when I do go out, because I know that, “OK. People may not be as familiar with where I’m from or have never been. I’ve got to take them there.”

And you know, I love sci-fi. I think outer space is the only place we all look at in awe, the stars and the planets, and there’s just this mystery behind it.

So creating my albums, even “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time,” I’m still giving it that space where it fits with “Return of 4eva” and fits with “4eva N a Day,” which was the first (release) where I really showed people that I had two sides—that album cover with the little boy, the church being on the left side and a strip club on the right, the Bible on his left but the bottle on the right, and having to deal with that.

So I’ve always been putting that in my music.

I just think this is the first time I could materialize it with two different albums and really be playing with exactly what the album is about and even show it with the album cover.

I’ve never been the type of person to put my face on album covers, so this was the first time that I was like, “No, I have to put my face. I have to show the energy and how it’s different.”

15

Move your auto loan in the right direction and walk away with ...

1%

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

Cash Back!

16

&

This is the first time where I was done with the album, everything was getting pressed, everything was working, and I was like, “So what am I supposed to do? What do you need me to do?” I’m asking my manager who’s like, “Just chill! I don’t need nothing from you!” [Laughs]

I would try to kind of deal with whatever I was dealing with in life and not write about it. But I definitely put it all in this album.

“Drinking Sessions,” I was going through something the day that I wrote that, and I recorded it as it was. People can hear it and feel that I was being genuine.

What have you learned since putting out your last album, “Cadillactica,” in 2014 that you wanted to apply to “4eva”?

Man, life—I started living a little more. I spend so much time in the studio, man, that I really wasn’t going outside and just enjoying nature and wherever I was at and actually being in the moment.

I was always thinking about the next song. I was always thinking about the next move and musically what I could do differently, and trying to compete and chase accolades … in between “Cadillactica,” that tour, getting off the label and what that meant and felt like, almost going to a point where people almost forgot about me.

Even without chasing the accolades, “4eva” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, No. 5 on the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, No. 4 on the rap albums chart and No. 2 on the independent albums chart. What was it like to see that kind of impact after working on it for so long?

It means that people still want to hear my music. It means that I wasn’t wrong about taking this route, the road less traveled. It paid off. It builds a certain amount of confidence that people, you know, can always expect me to do my best and always try to grow and to not conform and fit into whatever the latest trend might be, either.

After Big K.R.I.T., a Meridian native and hip-hop artist, announced that he had split from Def Jam Records in 2016, he decided to officially launch his own record label, Multi Alumni.

90

Days No Payment!

ShaCamree Gowdy for being named the

Jackson Free Press Freelancer of the Month for March

You know, I pretty much went broke doing the album because I was investing all my money into it without the label knowing. I wanted to finish it without asking for any budget or anything. And man, I realized that money doesn’t make you happy, and I realized that I had been abusing my vice in different ways.

That was affecting my emotions and the people around me. And my lady (neosoul artist and singer-songwriter Mara Hruby) was a very impactful person in my life because she would get me out of the studio, get me out of the house, and we’d go experience things, and we’d travel.

It just helped with getting back in the studio and helped with writing and being more vulnerable on songs when, normally,

Joshua Kissi

up to

KRIT from page 15

People don’t necessarily come to me or listen to my music for that. I think they enjoy that I’m going to give them something a little different.

(It shows) that you can be 100-percent yourself and still crack those numbers, still get the radio support and still do the radio interviews and be able to perform onstage with other artists, get the tours and all that by just being yourself without having to be (about) the shock value.

Big K.R.I.T. performs at 8 p.m., Thursday, April 5, at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). General admission is $28.50, the early entry package is $100, and the meetand-greet package is $150 at ticketfly.com.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Visit bigkrit.com.

APRIL 12-14, 2018 MALCO GRANDVIEW + HAL & MAL’S

award winning

F I L M F E S T I VA L www.CrossroadsFilmFestival.com

Welcome to the 19th Crossroads!

We are honored to welcome you to the 19th annual Crossroads Film Festival.

Selig Polyscope Company congratulates Crossroads on 19 years!

Thanks to our wonderful sponsors and volunteers who so generously give of themselves to make this festival possible. Crossroads couldn’t happen without you!

Thank you to the talented wÂ?““>ÂŽiĂ€Ăƒ >˜` `i`ˆV>ĂŒi` wÂ?“ Â?ÂœĂ›iĂ€Ăƒ whose hard work and passion give this festival meaning. We are excited and privileged to showcase such important work for our wonderful Crossroads audiences. Have a great time! Enjoy the festival and the Southern hospitality!

Jenni Smith and Philip Scarborough Co-Presidents, Crossroads Film Society

celebrating 19 years of film

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE THURSDAY, APRIL 12 1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM

Mississippi Student Showcase of Films | Screen A Urban Country | Screen A Five @ 5:00 | Screen A How They Got Over | Screen A &URVVURDGV .LFN 2Čž DW 'Č€7DQJOHG 6DORQ )21'5(1

FRIDAY, APRIL 13

30 &KDVLQJ WKH %OXHV _ Screen A 30 $IUR &HQWULF &LQHPD ,QWHUQDWLRQDO %ODFN )LOP Collective | 6FUHHQ % 8:00 PM Music Video Showcase | Screen A 8:15 PM Mississippi Madam: The Life of Nellie Jackson | 6FUHHQ % 9:00 PM $IWHU 3DUW\ # 2ČžEHDW 5HFRUGV 0,'72:1 FRYHU free for passholders

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

1:00 PM Animation Station | Screen A 30 )LJKWLQJ IRU 6RFLDO -XVWLFH _ 6FUHHQ % 1:30 PM Global Snapshots | Screen C 30 &RPHGLHV , /LJKW 5RDVW _ Screen A 3:15 PM Wonder Women: Stories by Female Filmmakers | 6FUHHQ % 3:45 PM The “Funk� in Dysfunctional | Screen C 5:30 PM Comedies II: Extra Dark Roast | Screen A 5:45 PM Fantastic Stories: Sci-Fi and Fantasy | 6FUHHQ % 30 /*%74 6WRULHV (QGLQJV &KDQJHV DQG

%HJLQQLQJV _ Screen C 30 3XUJDWRU\ 5RDG _ Screen A 7:45 PM Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2 | 6FUHHQ % 8:30 PM Smells Like Teen Spirit | Screen C 8:00 PM Tales of Terror | Hal & Mal’s 10:00 PM After-Party sponsored by SAG-AFTRA @ Hal & Mal’s

'2:172:1 FRYHU SUHPLXP IRU SDVVKROGHUV

THURSDAY - APRIL 12, 2018 *Daily schedules read in columns from top to bottom.

1:00 PM / Screen A

Mississippi Student Showcase of Films Sponsored by Belhaven University Solitude Short Narrative (8 min.) / Dir. Julia Bhansali, Prod.

Julia Bhansali & Maddie Gall In 1944, a woman is forced to experience the true meaning of solitude.

It’s Not Your Fault Youth (3 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Samuel Graef A depressed teen can’t take it anymore.

From Woolworth’s to #BlackLivesMatter: Protesting for Life, Freedom and Dignity Youth (6 min.) / Dir. Joshua Wright, Prod. Chauncey Nettles & Z’eani Furdge Recreation of the Woolworth’s sit-in.

Lunch Student (6 min.) / Dir. William Bristow Co-workers quarrel over a place to meet for lunch.

Weekday at Belhaven Student (9 min.) / Dir. Michael Clement Two students try to cover up a potentially disastrous situation.

Four Eyes Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Michael Clowater, Prod. Jessica Miller / Canada Brian and Helen are trying hard to fit in.

August 29th Student (5 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Audrey Christina Video dairy of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on a Biloxi woman.

Urban Country (World Premiere) Feature Narrative (85 min.) / Dir. Teddy Smith, Prod. Matt Keith / Mississippi City-girl Faith moves to a horse ranch in the country to help her dying mother.

Bird Student (3 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Katie Jeffrey Experimental take on a young woman’s reflections.

5:00 PM / Screen A Five @ 5:00 Cubeman Short Narrative (19 min.) / Dir. Linda Dombrovszky, Prod. CINEMART KFT, Ferenc Szohår / Hungary A retired man attempts to finish his life’s work.

Dodgeball Student (3 min.) / Dir. Jonathan Dolansky A friendly game of dodgeball takes a sudden turn.

Perfect Breakfast Short Narrative (6 min.) / Dir. David Bornstein, Prod. Taylor Salan & Laura Allen / USA Cooking the perfect egg becomes an obsession.

Roxie’s Revenge Student (14 min.) / Dir. and Prod. Will Durham A detective tries to solve a murder.

Happy Together Short Narr. (26 min.) / Dir. Marie De Hert & Ellen Pollard, Prod. Poolhert Productions / Belgium What happens when three elderly pensioners run over a refugee on a deserted road?

Expedition Saffron Student (10 min.) / Dir. James Farris, Prod. James Farris, Garrett Shearman & John McCoy Legendary adventurers seek the Philosopher’s Stone.

You Need No Sun Student (10 min.) / Dir. Alejandro Verastegui, Prod.

Alejandro Verastegui Dezmon decides to go outside.

3:00 PM / Screen A Urban Country

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to host the >;??>;-0? 5/7 !Ĺ&#x160; $1/1<@5;:

Deviled Eggs Student (15 min.) / Dir. Shawn Steven Jones, Prod.

Shawn Steven Jones, Samuel Reed Zander unknowingly summons a demon.

Brainstorm (Remue-Meninges) Short Narrative (6 min.) / Dir. Christophe Clin, Prod. Paul MĂŠranger & Giuseppe Conti (Abyssal Process) / Belgium What happens in your head?

Indian Short Narrative (29 min.) / Dir. Balazs Simonyi, Prod. Balazs Simonyi, Peter FĂźlop / Hungary Teen Galambos is strongly influenced by his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascination with Native Americans.

7:00 PM / Screen A How They Got Over How They Got Over Feature Doc (87 min.) / Dir. ROBERT CLEM, Prod.

Mike Tannen, Robert Clem / MS / Music The style and spirit of many gospel quartets were hugely influential on early rock and roll.

PASS PRICES * Crossroads Society Members, Students, and 65+ Seniors

SINGLE TICKET

SATURDAY PASS

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ALL-ACCESS PASS STUDENT PASS

Good for receptions,

ČżOPV DQG SDUWLHV DOO weekend

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INDUSTRY PASS

All-Access pass UHFHSWLRQV ČżOPV DQG SDUWLHV DOO ZHHNHQG Çź PXVW EH RQ 06 )LOP 2É FH industry list or IATSE member roster

is proud to sponsor the Mississippi Student Showcase of Films

FRIDAY - APRIL 13, 2018 8:00 PM / Screen A Music Video Showcase

8:15 PM / Screen B Mississippi Madam

“Damaged” by American Automatic (5 min.) / Dir. Greg Johnson, Prod. Greg Johnson, Jordan Shotts / USA

Well-Behaved Women Don’t Make HerStory: The Dorie Ladner Story Short Doc (22 min.) / Prod. Yasmin Gabriel, Kendall Givens-Little / USA The experiences of a foot soldier in the Civil Rights movement.

“Sentimental” by Cheshi (5 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Daniel Wyland / USA “Glory, Glory” by Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band (5 min.) / Dir. Jeff Dennis, Prod. Derek Brown / MS

6:00 PM / Screen A Chasing the Blues Soggy Flakes Animation (6 min.) / Dir. & Prod. The Affolter Bros. / Canada / Comedy A support group for has-been cereal mascots.

Mordechai Short Narrative (13 min.) / Dir. Benjamin Bee, Prod.

Maria Caruana Galizia / UK / Comedy Touching fable about family, faith & the roles we play.

Chasing the Blues Feature Narrative (75 min.) / Dir. Scott Smith, Prod.

Jacqueline E. Ingram, John Fromstein, DeAnna Cooper / USA / Drama Two rival record collectors attempt to con an old lady out of a rare but cursed 1930s blues record.

6:15 PM / Screen B Afro-Centric Cinema

Sponsored by International Black Film Collective

Lawman Short Narrative (13 min.) / Dir. Matthew Gentile / USA / Drama A U.S. Marshal questions law and justice in a country that doesn’t accept people of color.

“Manna” by King Woman (7 min.) / Dir. Vincent Jude Chaney / USA “My Golden Rule” by Melissa Gail Klein (3 min.) / Dir. Sally Sherwood / USA “Serve All” by Stace and Cassie (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. J. B. Lawrence, Stace and Cassie Shook / MS “Till I Cross Your Mind” by Young Valley (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Drew McKercher / MS

Cowgirl Up Short Doc (5 min.) / Dir. Nathan Willis, Prod.

Sherry Anderson / Mississippi / Biography A Mississippian wants to be the first AfricanAmerican female in the National Finals Rodeo.

Mississippi Madam: The Life of Nellie Jackson Feature Doc (81 min.) / Dir. Timothy Givens & Mark K. Brockway / Mississippi / Drama In Natchez, Miss Nellie ran a brothel 60 years with full knowledge of police and other officials.

“Bubblewrap” by Baron Von Rumblebuss (3 min.) / Dir. Marsh Nabors / MS “Class Dismissed” by Too Many Vices (4 min.) / Dir. Robert Van Zandt, Prod. Konnor Megginson, Johnny Brio, Shelby Overby / USA “A Hard Rain” by Stace and Cassie (6 min.) / Dir. J.B. Lawrence, Stace and Cassie, Prod.

Stace and Cassie & Old Trace Record /MS “Moss Point Mississippi” by Don Smith (2 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Don Smith / MS “World Gone Crazy” by 61 Ghosts (6 min.) / Dir. Coop Cooper, Prod. Joe Mazzari / MS “How Much” by Ormond White (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Ormond White / MS

Congratulations on 19 years from

Holt Collier Short Doc (17 min.) / Dir. James Mathews, Prod.

Heather D. Mathews & Hunter Gardner / MS Story of the legend of the Teddy Bear.

Digging Deeper: Confronting Youth Crime’s Causes and Solutions Youth (10 min.) / Dir. Raha Maxwell, Prod. Leslyn Smith, Ruben Banks / Mississippi An analysis of youth crime in Jackson, MS. Wasted Talent Student (17 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Larry Boyce, Andrew Arehart, Jack Arehart & Matthew Arehart / Canada / Drama A homeless teen struggles to balance school and finding a place to sleep.

Night Call Short Narrative (18 min.) / Dir. Amanda Renee Knox, Prod. Phabillia Afflack-Borja, Miriam Anwari / USA / Drama A policewoman is forced to make a tough choice.

Retaliation (Vindicte) Short Narrative (26 min.) / Dir. Ange-Régis Hounkpatin, Prod. Topshot Films / Germany After her father’s murder, Awa gets involved.

Why Film in Mississippi?

From initial contact to wrap, you can expect the assistance of the Mississippi Film Office: location scouting & research, pre-pro help with casting/crew/equipment, and trouble-shooting during production. We’ll work with you every step of the way. And we have one of the strongest incentive programs in the country. As a cash rebate program, the incentive returns 25- 35% on Mississippi production expenditures and resident cast and crew payroll within 90 business days after submission. Our $50,000 minimum spend is one of the lowest in the country, and video game production, national commercials, webisodes, shorts, documentaries, television, and features are all eligible. There are also tax reductions on the rental and purchase of specific production equipment. We’re committed to the continued development and support of the film industry in Mississippi and look forward to assisting with your next production. www.FilmMississippi.org

SATURDAY - APRIL 14, 2018 The Art of Aping Animation (5 min.) / Dir. Ananya Anil, Prod. Nilima Eriyat / India / Satire Western culture isn’t as civilized as it seems.

Sog Student (10 min.) / Dir. Jonatan Schwenk, Prod.

Jonatan Schwenk / Germany / Drama Can fish and men coexist peacefully?

Compartments Animation (15 min.) / Dir. Daniella Koffler, Uli Seis, Prod. Eitan Shefer / Drama A young woman wants to immigrate to Berlin.

1:00 PM / Screen A Animation Station Our Wonderful Nature - Common Chameleon Animation (4 min.) / Dir. Tomer Eshed, Prod.

Tomer Eshed / Germany The feeding habits of the common chameleon.

Darrel Animation (3 min.) / Dir. Franc Planas, Prod. Daniel Martínez Lara / Drama How many opportunities have you let slip by?

Ugly Experimental (12 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Nikita Diakur / Germany / Drama An ugly cat struggles to exist in a dying world.

Good Boy Student (7 min.) / Dir. Rachel Beltran, Nicole Myers, Prod. Claudia Marino / USA A blind date takes an unexpected turn.

Cupid Is Not a Terrorist Animation (5 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Bellopropello / Switzerland / Comedy The thrill of the chase!

Au Revoir Balthazar Animation (10 min.) / Dir. Rafael Sommerhalder, Prod. Stella Händler, Claudia Frei / Switzerland A scarecrow, a storm, a broken leg...

Big Booom Animation (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Marat Narimanov / Russian Federation / Drama The history of the world... in four minutes.

The Basket (Tokri) Animation (15 min.) / Dir. Suresh Eriyat, Prod.

Nilima Eriyat / India / Drama Two insignificant lives lost and found in time.

Citipati Student (7 min.) / Dir. Andreas Feix, Prod.

Francesco Faranna / Germany After a meteorite impact, a dinosaur attempts to battle the horrific aftermath.

1:30 PM / Screen C Global Snapshots When We Listen Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Amr Moustafa, Prod. Red Deer College, Amr Moustafa, Mikayla Howard / Canada / Drama Amal doesn’t speak English, but she still needs someone to listen.

Black Canaries Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Jesse Kreitzer, Prod.

LANTERNA / USA / Drama Isolated and desperate, Clarence decends into the mine that blinded his son.

The Real Thing Short Narrative (7 min.) / Dir. Brandon Kelley, Prod.

Jon Gestal / USA / Drama A soldier returns home to a changed daughter.

1:15 PM / Screen B Fighting for Social Justice

River Made | John Ruskey Short Doc (7 min.) / Dir. David Ross / MS John Ruskey and Mark “River” Peoples paddle down the Mississippi River.

Someone (Irgendwer) Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Marco Gadge, Prod.

Mike Brandin, Marco Gadge, Francis Fulton-Smith / Germany / Drama With the Red Army close at her heels, can Greta still find hope?

Forgive Me Short Narr. (15 min.) / Dir. Besim Ugzmajli, Prod.

Besim Ugzmajli, Agron Shala / Kosovo Two brothers struggle over the morality of joining an army at war.

sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign

Citizen Student (15 min.) / Dir. Robert Bracker, Prod.

Marissa Messina / USA / Drama A female Border Patrol agent must choose between her job and her family.

Reconstructing Reality Experimental (11 min.) / Dir. Alice Wong, Prod. / Netherlands / Drama Sometimes more information actually obscures the truth and the “real story” is an oxymoron.

Where Medgar Evers Lives Today Youth (6 min.) / Prod. Destini Ruffin, Kelvin Walton & Zale Smith / Mississippi Doc about civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

The Incident Short Narrative (21 min.) / Dir. Meedo Taha, Prod.

Wesam Nassar / Lebanon / Drama Things are not always as they appear.

The Sad Monk Short Doc (11 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Diana Frankovic / Germany / Drama The rhythm of life in the monasteries of Nepal.

The Eternal Journey (Ananta Yatra) Experimental (15 min.) / Dir. Sunil Pandey, Prod.

Sunil Pandey / Nepal / Drama Director Sunil Pandey’s poignant eulogy to his beloved grandmother.

The Equal Justice Initiative Short Doc (5 min.) / Dir. Gabriel Diamond / USA Seeking systemic reform, Equal Justice Initiative litigates cases with potentially broad impact.

Flag Flap Over Mississippi Short Doc (27 min.) / Dir. Rex Jones / Mississippi Does the state flag represent history or hostility?

is proud to partner with the Crossroads Film Festival!

congratulates Crossroads on 19 years!

SATURDAY - APRIL 14, 2018 3:00 PM / Screen A Comedies I: Light Roast Cautionary Tales Short Narrative (8 min.) / Dir. Chris Barrett, Luke Taylor, Prod. Medb Riordan / UK Aaron’s unusual facial disfigurement leads him to seek support from other outcasts.

Home Short Narrative (12 min.) / Dir. Clark Duke, Prod. / USA / Drama A young man travels home to reconnect with his ailing father.

Pay the Piper Short Narrative (6 min.) / Dir. Maggie Bushway, Prod. Casey Dillard & Glenn Payne / MS The piper takes his revenge, but soon realizes he’s made a grave mistake.

To Wendy Who Kicked Me When I Said I Love You Short Narrative (12 min.) / Dir. Dan Castella, Prod.

Lewis Partovi / UK / Comedy Wendy and Sidd try to connect.

Krampus Short Narrative (19 min.) / Dir. Christof Pilsl, Prod.

Lüthje Schneider , Florian Schneider, Maren Lüthje, Andreas Hörl / Germany In every legend, there is a kernel of truth.

Cold Storage Short Narrative (9 min.) / Dir. Thomas Freundlich, Prod. Lumikinos Production Oy / Finland On a desolate shore, a lonely fisherman discovers something frozen in the ice.

3:15 PM / Screen B Wonder Women: Stories by Female Filmmakers Lacrimosa Short Narr. (18 min.) / Dir. Tanja Mairitsch, Prod.

Viktor Perdula, Klaus Schiebel, JewelLabs Pictures, Liquid Films Medienproduktions GmbH / Austria Mila learns that love also means to let go.

Truth Rises Short Narrative (3 min.) / Dir. E. J. Carter / MS Siblings talk after mistakes are made in the family business.

Footsteps Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Hannes Thor Arason, Prod. Hannes Thor Arason, Arnar Benjamin Kristjansson / Iceland / Comedy A football game brings back memories.

Girl Meets Roach Short Narrative (17 min.) / Dir. Christopher Zatta, Prod. Alison Zatta / USA / Comedy A brokenhearted young woman forms an unlikely friendship.

Great Dane Short Narrative (10 min.) / Dir. James Webber, Prod.

Alexei Slater / United Kingdom / Comedy Two disparate souls... neither seeming to be quite who they claim to be.

Three Red Sweaters Student (8 min.) / Dir. Martha Gregory / USA Sometimes we use technology to record our lives at the expense of being present for them. /GGVKPI /CE)WHƂP Animation (10 min.) / Dir. Catya Plate, Prod. Catya Plate & Todd Aven / USA / Sci-fi In a post-apocalyptic future, a groundhog climatologist tries to restore balance to Earth.

Towards the Sun Student (20 min.) / Dir. Monica Santis, Prod. Rosa Santis / United Kingdom / Drama A pre-teen girl embarks on a healing journey.

An Act of Terror Short Narrative (16 min.) / Dir. Ashley Paige Brim, Prod. Ashley Paige Brim, Chris Riddle, Elizabeth A. Lyons / USA / Drama The true story of Virginia, accused of murder in the Jim Crow South.

After the Spring Short Doc (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Mathilde Babo / France Ahmad discusses his early days in the Syrian revolution.

Dark Social Short Narrative (10 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Catharina Isenburg / Austria / Crime A policewoman becomes obsessed.

Dear Mr. Bryant (not in competition) Short Doc (7 min.) / Dir. Robbie Fisher, Jenni Smith / Mississippi / Social Justice Mississippi faith leaders tell their Governor why a harmful anti-LGBT law is not welcome in “The Hospitality State.”

HAPPY

19 BIRTHDAY TH

CR O SSROADS!

+ Crossroads = delicious partnership

CELEBRATES TTHE H E 19TH 18TH

ANNUAL

CROSSROADS FILM FESTIVAL

SATURDAY - APRIL 14, 2018 Easy As...

Short Narrative (16 min.) / Dir. Andrea Niada, Prod.

Oliver Sunley & Chiara Cardoso / UK Two (very) English gentlemen try to find something easy.

State of Emergency Motherfucker!

Short Narrative (6 min.) / Dir. Sébastien Petretti, Prod. Lovo films , Abyssal Process, WFA Pictures Sqarefish / Belgium / Comedy Samy really needs some companionship.

3:45 PM / Screen C The “Funk” in Dysfunctional Interrogation Student (14 min.) / Dir. YueCheng Liu, Prod. Luis Mendez Jr. / USA / Drama When her husband is detained, Frankie must decide whether to sacrifice secrets to save him.

Forever Now Short Narrative (19 min.) / Dir. Kristian Håskjold, Prod. Siri Bøge Dynesen / Denmark A couple’s breakup reveals more than they expected.

Teenage Threesome (Scheideweg) Short Narrative (4 min.) / Dir. Arkadij Khaet, Prod.

Arkadij Khaet / Germany / Comedy One boy, one girl, and her stepbrother… A date gone wrong.

Nicole’s Cage Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Josef Brandl, Prod.

Rike Steyer / Germany / Drama A coveted apartment becomes available in an exciting part of the city.

Call of Cuteness Student (4 min.) / Dir. Brenda Lien, Prod. Brenda Lien / Germany / Drama This cat fail compilation alludes to a consumerist nightmare.

Vore Student (13 min.) / Dir. Lauren Erwin / USA What this woman needs to be sexually satisfied may be a little hard to digest...

Face Short Narrative (13 min.) / Dir. Luke Tierney, Prod.

Michelle Hardy & Luke Tierney / Australia / Comedy James needs a ride to the pharmacy.

Bucket Short Narrative (12 min.) / Dir. Sean W. Mangan, Prod. Sean W. Mangan, Phil Wiedenheft / USA A family is torn apart after the death of a pet.

Hard Way, The Action Musical Student (30 min.) / Dir. Daniel Vogelmann, Prod.

Fireapple Bandel. Gengnagel GbR / Germany Hard men with hard feelings sing and dance their way through enemy territory.

5:45 PM / Screen B Fantastic Stories: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Roach Student (14 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Jonathan Hashiloni / Israel A peculiar love story between Penny, Izzy, and a troublesome cockroach.

Spark Student (6 min.) / Dir. Aharonit Elior / USA A girl finds someone to spark her flame.

Quantum Short Narrative (11 min.) / Dir. Ryan Willard, Prod.

Brenden Hubbard, Brenden / USA / Sci-Fi A boy battling a brain tumor gets a message.

Polybius Animation (5 min.) / Dir. Brad Pattullo / USA An arcade game is a portal for a journey.

Passion Gap Short Narrative (20 min.) / Dir. Matt Portman & Jason Donald, Prod. Gavin Schneider & Matt Portman / United Kingdom / Drama Elani must manage Mikey’s ego for one more night.

CROSSROADS Crossroads Film Society presents the award-winning Crossroads Film Festival. We are a multi-cultural, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to international, national, and local film and video.

We also encourage discussion and production of film and video, particularly as related to the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of the state and region. Our society’s objectives are met through year-round programming, including special events, lectures, workshops, and the annual festival.

Crossroads Film Society celebrates the art of filmmaking in all of its diversity and depth. The Crossroads Film Society facilitates and promotes a broader spectrum of film and video for the community, presents and honors films and videos related to Mississippi and the South, and provides educational opportunities and facilitates general discussions for film lovers and aspiring filmmakers. The Society aspires to be a cultural crossroads, bringing the world to the Deep South and sharing Southern perspectives with the world.

XRFilmFest

CrossroadsFilm CrossroadsFilm

CrossroadsFilmFestival.com Recall Short Narrative (20 min.) / Dir. Dániel Reich, Prod. Péter Fülöp / Hungary Beni starts taking photos with an old camera.

Mouse Short Narrative (11 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Celine Held, Logan George / USA / Comedy A poor couple with a can of beans tries to squeeze out every penny.

Ashes Animation (4 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Luciana Digiglio / Argentina / Fantasy A mysterious clock is the starting point of a destructive race.

5:30 PM / Screen A Comedies II: Extra Dark Roast Gloria Talks Funny Student (18 min.) / Dir. Kendall Goldberg, Prod.

Michael Stanziale / USA / Dramedy A struggling voice actress sets her sights on reprising her role as the famous BioBoy.

about

King Grandpa (Koenig Opa) Short Narrative (13 min.) / Dir. Martin Grau, Prod.

Jan M. Scholz, Martin Grau / Germany Storytelling becomes a way for Clemens to keep his grandfather’s memory alive.

Snowgirl Short Narrative (28 min.) / Dir. Ilina Perianova, Prod. Yagama (aka Marianna Perianova), Maria Kriisa & Ilina Perianova / Bulgaria / Fantasy A story about miracles and trusting the divine forces at work in our lives.

SATURDAY - APRIL 14, 2018 5:45 PM / Screen C LGBTQ Stories: Endings, Changes, and Beginnings

8:30 PM / Screen C Smells Like Teen Spirit Hikikomori - Life Through the Lens Student (30 min.) / Dir. Arkadij Khaet, Leonard Ostermeier, Mickey Paatzsch, Prod. Clara Schlicker, Melinda Pacariz / Germany Nino is full of self-doubt and fear of failure.

Sponsored by Hampton H. Stennis and Jax-Zen Float

Little Potato (not in competition) Short Doc (14 min.) / Dir. Wes Hurley, Nathan M. Miller / USA The obstacles of growing up gay in Russia.

Sunset (not in competition) Short Narrative (15 min.) / Dir. Katie Ennis, Gary Jaffe, Prod. Skylar Landsee, Gary Jaffe, Katie Ennis / USA / Drama A duty-bound young man must decide whether to serve overseas or stay in New York City with his streetwise male lover.

Prudence (not in competition) Short Narrative (9 min.) / Dir. Angela Jude, Prod.

Lauren Mok / USA / Drama A dishonorably discharged World War II nurse seeks to dance with her beloved one last time.

Out Again (not in competition) Short Narrative (11 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Robin Cloud / USA / Drama A comedic short about a queer woman whose mother has Alzheimer’s.

7:30 PM / Screen A Purgatory Road Taste of Love Student (5 min.) / Dir. Paul Scheufler, Prod. Htblva Graz – ORTWEINSCHULE Paul Scheufler / Austria Is the taste of love sweet, sour, or even salty?

hashtagwill Short Narrative (22 min.) / Dir. Per Sundström, Prod. Per Sundström / Sweden / Drama A teenage Video blogger is must gain control of both his mind and his destiny.

Walking Home Short Narrative (17 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Max Richert / Germany Two students from different countries meet on the last night of their school trips.

Lotus Short Narrative (10 min.) / Dir. Blake Ternacz, Prod.

Blake Ternacz, Matt Toll / Australia An aspiring actress succumbs to the pressure.

Purgatory Road Feature Narrative (108 min.) / Dir. Mark Savage, Prod. Chris Smernes / Mississippi / Drama A priest and his brother invite a psychotic woman into their circle, beginning a chain of bloody events.

7:45 PM / Screen B Lindy Lou Minor Setback, Major Comeback: Supporting Black Dollars and Businesses in Jackson, Mississippi Youth (8 min.) / Dir. Kenytta Brown, Prod. Makallen Kelley, Imani Khayyam, Kaitlyn Fowler/ Mississippi Interviews with business owners on historic Farish Street in downtown Jackson.

Older Than What (not in competition) Short Narr. (13 min.) / Dir. Steen Starr / USA Individuals speak about being older and LGBTQ. Girl-hearted (Maedchenseele) Short Doc (37 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Anne Scheschonk / Germany / Drama Seven-year-old Nori has the heart of a girl but the body of a boy.

Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2 Feature Doc (84 min.) / Dir. Florent Vassault, Prod.

Jean-Baptiste LeGrand / France / Drama Lindy Lou asks her fellow jurors to remember the trial where they sentenced a man to death.

Thanks, Hampton H. Stennis!

“Overall, the LGBT community, we’re the same, we’re like everybody else. Except we’re better looking and more stylish.”

– Wanda Sykes

Human Rights Campaign is the proud sponsor of the Fighting for Social Justice Film Block

SATURDAY - APRIL 14, 2018 HAL & MAL’S 8:00 PM / Hal & Mal’s (Patio & Brewpub) Tales of Terror Who Decides Short Narrative (8 min.) / Dir. Mylissa Fitzsimmons, Prod. Kristen Murtha, Brenden Hubbard / USA / Horror Death can no longer be denied. AS The Dark Skin of the Soul Short Narrative (10 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Allan J. Arcal / Spain / Horror In torment, Carlos searches for his daughter.

9023 Short Narrative (8 min.) / Dir. Sotiris Petridis, Tania Nanavraki, Prod. Dimitris Tsakaleas / Greece / implement an unorthodox policy.

The Quandary Short Narrative (12 min.) / Dir. & Prod. Paul A young activist is invited to participate in a program that promises to change his life.

3:08 Short Narrative (3 min.) / Dir. Arash Hadavi, Prod.

Arash Hadavi / Iran / Horror Strange things happen at night.

Crop Student (16 min.) / Dir. Kyle Ginzburg, Prod. Emily Dalmas, Chloe Jury-Fogel, Kyle Ginzburg / USA A vampire questions his nature when he encounters a mysterious woman.

Home for the Holidays Short Narrative (13 min.) / Dir. Scott Vasey, Prod.

Jason Gruich, Ted Souppa, Scott Vasey / Mississippi / Horror overdue homecoming.

Fortune-teller (Adivina) Short Narrative (20 min.) / Dir. Gonzaga Manso, Routine and red sausage have led Mauricio to lose things he took for granted.

Alice (Alicia) Short Narrative (10 min.) / Dir. Daniel M. Caneiro, Prod. Pedro Palacios, Luis Ferrón, Daniel M. Caneiro, Ricard Sales / Spain Alice’s only lifeline to the world is a cellphone and an unknown caller.

proud sponsor of the Saturday After-Party at Hal & Mal’s

congratulates Crossroads Film Festival on 19 years!

SPECIAL THANKS to our sponsors Barrelhouse Dr. Fran Baker Jayne Buttross Campbell’s Bakery Buford Plumbing Cups Espresso Café Sid Davis Michelle B. Dawson DeBeukelaer Cookie Company Robbie Fisher

Green Floral Jax-Zen Float Lagniappe Foundation Melody Johnson / State Farm Insurance MadGenius Vickye Murray Snyder’s Lance Studio Chane Visit Jackson Jackson Free Press

food&drink

JFPmenus.com

Best of Jackson, Spring Edition

Paid advertising section. Call 601-362-6121 x11 to list your restaurant

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINE

by Amber Helsel

Eddie & Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snack Bar 7BMMFZ 4U +BDLTPO t

I

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s officially spring time, which means itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the season for things like sitting outside, enjoying cold beers and eating more seafood. Celebrate spring with these 2018 Best of Jackson Food & Drink winners. See more at jfp.ms/bojfood2018.

Courtesy Half sHell oyster House

Best Outdoor Dining: Keiferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (120 N. Congress St., 601-353-4976; 705 Poplar Blvd., 601-355-6825, keifers.net) Best Outdoor Dining finalists: Babalu Tapas & Tacos (622 Duling Ave., Suite 106, 601-366-5757, eatbabalu.com) / CAET Wine Bar (3100 N. State St., Suite 102, 601-321-9169, caetwinebar.com) / Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drive-In (3016 N. State St., 601982-2633, walkersdrivein.com) / The Pig & Pint (3139 N. State St., 601-326-6070, pigandpint.com) Best Local Crawfish: The Crawdad Hole (1150 Lakeland Drive, 601-982-9299) Finalists: Mudbugs (1299 Old Fannin Road, Brandon, 601-992-5225; 151 W. Government St., Suite D, Brandon, 601706-4751; mudbugscrawfish.com) / Sal & Philâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood & Lounge (6600 Old Canton Road, Suite B, Ridgeland, 601-9571188) / Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Beauxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crawfish and Catering (941 Highway 80 W., Clinton, 601-9264793; 5752-B Terry Road, Byram, 769230-3855; tbeauxs.com) / The Crawfish Hut (6956 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland, 769-572-4350) Best Place to Buy Beer: McDadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Markets (Multiple locations, mcdadesmarkets.com) Finalists: Hops & Habanas (2771 Old Canton Road, 769-572-4631, hopsandhabanas.com) / LDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beer Run (5006 Parkway Drive, 769-208-8686) / Lucky Town Brewing Company (1710 N. Mill St., 601-790-0142, luckytownbrewing.com)

Eddie & Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snack Bar is one of the original fish houses that still serve their original homemade batter recipe.

Gumbo Girl )XZ 8 +BDLTPO t The best Gumbo and Cajun specialties in town for your events, special occasions or just lunch and dinner.

The Iron Horse Grill 8 1FBSM 4U +BDLTPO t The smell of charcoal greets you, the music carries you inside.

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen / 4UBUF 4U +BDLTPO t The Manship transforms the essence of Mediterranean food while maintaining a southern flair.

Celebrate spring with restaurants such as this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner for Best Seafood and Best Place for Oysters, Half Shell Oyster House.

PIZZA The Pizza Shack & 'PSUJm DBUJPO 4U +BDLTPO .4 t The Pizza Shack, serving new inventive pizzas and the classics.

Apps, sandwiches, salads, and beer options awaits you too!

Best Seafood; Best Place for Oysters: Half Shell Oyster House (115 Laurel Park Cove, Suite 105, Flowood, 769-257-7586, halfshelloysterhouse.com) Best Seafood Finalists: Dragoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood Restaurant (1005 E. County Line Road, 601-957-1515, dragosjackson.com) / Saltine Restaurant (622 Duling Ave., Suite 201, 601-982-2899, saltinerestaurant. com) / Seafood Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evolution (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Suite 9015, Ridgeland, 601-853-3474, seafoodrevolution. com) / Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drive-In (3016 N. State St., 601-982-2633, walkersdrivein.com) Best Place for Oysters Finalists: Dragoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood Restaurant (1005 E. County Line Road, 601-957-1515) / Saltine Restaurant (622 Duling Ave., Suite 201, 601-982-2899, saltinerestaurant.com) / Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oyster Bar (116 Conestoga Road, Ridgeland, 601-853-0105, shuckersontherez.com) / Seafood Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evolution (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Suite 9015, Ridgeland, 601-853-3474)

BARBEQUE E & L Barbeque #BJMFZ "WF +BDLTPO t Serving BBQ to Jackson for over 25 years, we smoke every rib, tip and link and top it with our award winning BBQ sauce!

Hickory Pit $BOUPO .BSU 3E +BDLTPO t The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Butts in Townâ&#x20AC;? features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and poâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;boys.

The Pig and Pint / 4UBUF 4U +BDLTPO t Winner of Best of Jackson 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best BBQ.â&#x20AC;? Serving competition-style BBQ and a great beer selection.

MEDITERRANEAN/GREEK Aladdin Mediterranean Grill -BLFMBOE %S +BDLTPO t Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma.

STEAK & SEAFOOD Dragoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood Restaurant & $PVOUZ -JOF 3PBE +BDLTPO t Dragoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offers authentic New Orleans-themed seafood dishes, including

ZOO BREW

Do you like animals and craft beer? Make sure to check out this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Zoo Brew at The Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The event will have around 100 different craft beers, signature cocktails from Cathead Distillery and Fondren Public, a wing-eating competition and cook-off, and live music. The animals will be out until dusk. VIP tickets are $70 and include entrance into the festival at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Those who purchase those have the opportunity to judge the homebrewing contest, have free food and drinks in the VIP lounge, and get items such as an official T-shirt, poster and signature VIP tote bag. General admission is $40 in advance and $45 on the day of the event, and tickets for designated drivers are $20. The event is Friday, April 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, find the event on Facebook.

Eslavaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grille Seafood, Steaks and Pasta

Seafood, steaks and pastas with a Latin influence.

HEALTHY Freshii .BD,FO[JF -O 'MPXPPE t Eat. Energize. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our motto. Serving up made to-order burritos, soups, fresh salads and much more.

April 4 - 10, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

their famous Charbroiled Oysters and fresh live Maine lobsters.

Eslavaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grille -BLFMBOE %S 'MPXPPE t

25

THURSDAY 4/5

FRIDAY 4/6

SATURDAY 4/7

“Sipp & Sauce” is at The Flamingo.

The “Run Now, Wine Later” 5K is at the Renaissance at Colony Park.

NatureFEST! is at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

BEST BETS April 4 - 11, 2018

The MLK50 Bell Toll is at 6:05 p.m. at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (222 North St.) to observe the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Free admission to the museum all day, extended hours and a “History Is Lunch” featuring speakers Charles McLaurin, James Meredith and Flonzie Brown Wright. Free; mdah.ms.gov. ...

Attend the “Slavery By Another Name” documentary screening and discussion about incarceration and injustice from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 939 W. Capitol St. Call 314-910-1496.

Bradford Watkins Creatives

WEDNESDAY 4/4

Papadosio, a spacerock band from Asheville, N.C., performs at Martin’s Restaurant & Bar on Tuesday, April 10.

THURSDAY 4/5

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

courtesy Aundi Marie Moore

Fondren After 5 is at 5 p.m. in Fondren. The street festival includes live entertainment, food and drinks for sale, art and crafts vendors, pop-up exhibits, pet adoptions and more. Free admission; fondren.org. … Big K.R.I.T., a Mississippi-native hip-hop artist, performs at 8 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). Also CyHi Da Prynce.

Doors open at 7 p.m. $28.50-$100; halandmals.com.

vendors and more. Exhibits will stay open until dusk. $40 in advance, $45 day of event, $70 VIP, $20 for designated drivers; jacksonzoo.org. … “First Friday” is from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at ISH Grill & Bar (5105 Interstate 55 N.). Includes performances from comedian Rita Brent, and music from Clinton Babers and DJ Unpredictable 601. $15 admission, VIP sections $150 and up; find it on Facebook. ... deFrance performs at 10 p.m. at Martin’s Restaurant & Bar (214 S. State St.). The Arkansas rock-and-roll band’s debut album is titled “Home.” Admission TBA; martinslounge.net.

SATURDAY 4/7

Aundi Marie Moore performs composer D.J. Sparr’s “...to me from the earth...” in collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra at the Mississippi Museum of Art on April 5 and April 8.

FRIDAY 4/6

Zoo Brew is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The annual craft-beer festival 26 and fundraiser includes live music, a wing-eating contest,

We Slay Soiree #4 is from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Lucky Town Brewing Company (1710 N. Mill St.). The event highlights women who are serving the Jackson community. Speakers include Tara Blumenthal, Nancy Loome, Rep. Kathy Sykes and Rep. Alyce Clarke. Tonja R. Murphy is the master of ceremonies. Free admission; find it on Facebook.

SUNDAY 4/8

by Rebecca Hester

events@

jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

The Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). The festival includes artists from across America, live music, children’s art activities, a 5K run, the Sante South Wine Festival on Saturday and more. Additional date: April 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admis-

sion; ridgelandartsfest.com. … “...to me from the earth...” is at 4 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Soprano Aundi Marie Moore performs the piece from composer D.J. Sparr in collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Limited seating. Additional date: April 5, 7 p.m. $25; msmuseumart.org.

MONDAY 4/9

Taste of Mississippi is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The South Warehouse and The Railroad District (627 E. Silas Brown St.). The 31st annual event features food from more than 40 restaurants in the Jackson metro area, drinks, live music, a silent auction and more. Proceeds benefit Stewpot Community Services. $70 in advance, $90 at the door; tasteofms.org.

TUESDAY 4/10

Papadosio performs at 8 p.m. at Martin’s Restaurant & Bar (214 S. State St.). The Asheville, N.C.-native quintet is known for its blend of electronic music, jazz and progressive rock. Bluetech also performs. Doors open at 7 p.m.

For ages 18 and up. $20; martinslounge.net.

WEDNESDAY 4/11

“History Is Lunch” is from noon to 1 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.). Author Gerard Helferich discusses his latest book, “An Unlikely Trust: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Roots of Federal Regulation.” Free admission; call 601-576-6998; email info@mdah.ms.gov; mdah.ms.gov.

IS

Lounge BACK!

Thanks to our customers and supports for a great March!

We loved seeing you at our St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day celebration and at CelticFest 2018.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk about ideas to make Jackson great.

Thursday, April 26 | 5:30-7pm

-Door Prizes -Food -Drink Specials -Networking

Now come visit us for great food and company at Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub, 7 Days a Week!

% &ORTIl CATION 3T s www.fenianspub.com -ON &RI AM AM s 3AT PM AM s 3UN PM AM

JFPmenus.com Paid advertising section. Call 601-362-6121 x11 to list your restaurant

BARS, PUBS & BURGERS

Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub & 'PSUJm DBUJPO 4U +BDLTPO t

Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.

Green Room #PVOET 4U +BDLTPO t Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still #1! Best Place to Play Pool - Best of Jackson 2016

Hal and Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4 $PNNFSDF 4U +BDLTPO t Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant and Lounge 4PVUI 4UBUF 4U +BDLTPO t Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.

ASIAN

Wednesday Pie Day!

11 AM -2 PM $3.14Â ANY SINGLE SLICE COMBO

Dine-In Only ~ Ask Your Server For Details

Brandonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new dine in and carry out Japanese & Thai Express.

Fusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine 5SFFUPQT #MWE 'MPXPPE t " )XZ .BEJTPO t Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, our extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushi.

Surin of Thailand 0ME $BOUPO 3E +BDLTPO t Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Newest Authentic Thai & Sushi Bar with 26 signature martiniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and extensive wine list.

4 PM - 9 PM 15% OFF TAKEOUT ORDERS Call 601.368.1919 These may not be combined with other discounts/offers.

Not available online & or for delivery.

April 4 - 10, 2018 â&#x20AC;¢ jfp.ms

Bonfire Grill 4FSWJDF %S #SBOEPO t

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Live Music Every Thurs, Fri & Sat Night!

COMMUNITY

April 5 - Stevie J Blues

April 6 - Jamell Richardson

April 7 - Davis Coen & The Downstream Drifters

www.underground119.com 119 S. President St. Jackson

E TH G

O RO M

E RE N

-Pool Is CoolThank you for voting The Green Room “Best Place to Play Pool” once again, extending our run of a Best of Jackson winner since 2006!

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

INDUSTRY HAPPY HOUR Daily 11pm -2am DAILY 12pm BEER- 7pm SPECIALS

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POOL LEAGUE Mon - Fri Night

DRINK SPECIALS "52'%23 s 7).'3 s &5,, "!2 '!4%$ 0!2+).' s ")' 3#2%%. 46 3 LEAGUE AND TEAM PLAY B EGINNERS TO A DVANCED I NSTRUCTORS A VAILABLE

444 Bounds St. Jackson MS

601-718-7665

Events at Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.) • #MLK50 Bell Toll April 4, 6:05-7 p.m. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum tolls a bell in observance of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Includes free admission to the museum all day and extended hours. Free admission; mdah.ms.gov.

• History Is Lunch April 11, noon-1 p.m.

Author Gerard Helferich discusses his latest book, “An Unlikely Trust: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Roots of Federal Regulation.” Free admission; mdah.ms.gov.

Examining Economic Justice 50 Years Later April 4, 7 p.m., at The Alamo (333 N Farish St.). The town hall event in honor of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. includes a moderated discussion between Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Free; find it on Facebook.

Zoo Brew April 6, 5-9 p.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The craft-beer festival includes live music, a wing-eating contest, vendors and more. $40 in advance, $45 day of, $70 VIP, $20 for designated drivers; jacksonzoo.org.

Taste of Mississippi April 9, 7-10 p.m., at The South Warehouse and The Railroad District (627 E. Silas Brown St.). The 31st annual event features food from more than 40 restaurants, drinks, music, a silent auction and more. Proceeds benefit Stewpot Community Services. $70 in advance, $90 at the door; tasteofms.org.

SLATE

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

Events at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) • “No Place Like Home” Spring Benefit April 6, 7-10 p.m. The museum fundraiser features live and silent auctions, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres from It’s Happening, desserts from La Brioche Patisserie, and music from The Vamps. $100; msmuseumart.org.

• “Independent Women: Passion and Practice in Mississippi’s Artists” April 11, 11:30 a.m.noon. Museum curator Elizabeth Abston leads the discussion of prominent women artists from Mississippi. Free; msmuseumart.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

We Slay Soiree #4 April 7, 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m., at Lucky Town Brewing Company (1710 N. Mill St.). The event highlights women who are serving the Jackson community. Speakers include Tara Blumenthal, Nancy Loome, Rep. Kathy Sykes and Rep. Alyce Clarke. Free admission; find it on Facebook.

KIDS NatureFEST! April 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Includes animal encounters, behindthe-scenes research tours, fish feedings, magic shows, food trucks, hiking, face-painting, games, door prizes and more. $6 for adults, $4 for ages 3-18, free under age 3; mdwfp.com.

FOOD & DRINK Sipp & Sauce April 5, 5-9 p.m., at The Flamingo (3011 N. State St.). Includes a live taping of “The Roguish Gent” podcast, music, all-youcan-eat chicken wings and Champagne. Must purchase in advance for food and drinks. $1 for wings and Champagne; find it on Facebook.

the best in sports over the next seven days

by Bryan Flynn, follow at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports

The MSU women’s basketball team’s heartbreaking loss in the national championship game doesn’t overshadow an incredible season. Hopefully, the program will stay in contention over the next few years.

Fondren After 5 April 5, 5 p.m., in Fondren. The family-friendly street festival takes place on the first Thursday of each month and includes live entertainment, food and drinks for sale, art and crafts vendors, pop-up art exhibits, pet adoption drives and more. Free admission; fondren.org.

Jazzy Jeans Brunch April 7, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The fundraiser includes a silent auction, vendors, food, drinks and more. $65; candiesimmons@hotmail.com; find it on Facebook.

LITERARY SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) • “Still Wrestling: Faith Renewed Through Brokenness” April 7, 2-4 p.m. Les Ferguson Jr. signs copies. $14.99 book; call 601-3667619; lemuriabooks.com.

• “The Line Becomes a River” April 9, 5 p.m.

Francisco Cantu signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $26 book; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com.

Golf (2-7 p.m., ESPN): First-round coverage of the Masters Tournament will be a must watch to see if Tiger Woods can compete for the title.

Golf (2-7 p.m., ESPN): Round two of the Masters sees the top players begin to move up the leader board. … College baseball (6:30-10 p.m., SECN+): The SEC West-leading Rebels travel to face the Bulldogs.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7

Golf (2-7 p.m., CBS): Tune in to see which golfers separate themselves from the pack in round three of the Masters. … College baseball (2-5 p.m., SECN+): The MSU Bulldogs will try to turn a dreadful season around at home against the UM Rebels.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8

Golf (1-6 p.m., CBS): One winner will walk away with the coveted green jacket during the final-round coverage of the

Masters. … Wrestling (4-11 p.m., WWE Network): WrestleMania showcases top matches such as Rhonda Rousey and Kurt Angle versus Stephanie McMahon and Triple H..

MONDAY, APRIL 9

Fencing (4-6 p.m., ESPNU): Set your DVR for the NCAA Fencing Championships.

TUESDAY, APRIL 10

College softball (6-9 p.m., SECN+): Mississippi State hosts Alcorn State out of conference in between SEC series against Texas A&M and UM. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11

College softball (6-9 p.m., SECN+): UM hosts Belmont, as the Rebels try to push their winning out-of-conference record even higher.

The MSU women will look back at the disastrous third quarter as a major reason for their championship loss. Notre Dame went on a 16-1 run that tied the game heading into the fourth quarter.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS

EXHIBIT OPENINGS

Big K.R.I.T. April 5, 8 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The Mississippi-native hip-hop artist’s latest album is titled “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time.” $28.50-$100; halandmals.com.

“A World Away” Reception April 5, 5-7 p.m., at Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive). The exhibition features work from Mississippi Arts Commission fellowship grant recipients Roger Allan Cleaves, Amelia Key and Robert Long. Free; find it on Facebook.

Papadosio April 10, 8 p.m., at Martin’s Restaurant & Bar (214 S. State St.). The Asheville, N.C.-native quintet is known for its blend of electronic music, jazz and progressive rock. Bluetech also performs. $20; martinslounge.net.

Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival April 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., April 8, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). The festival includes art vendors, music, children’s activities, a 5K run, the Sante South Wine Festival from 6:30-10 p.m. on Saturday and more. Free admission, $25-$150 wine festival; ridgelandartsfest.com.

“The Farm” Opening Reception April 5, 5-7 p.m., at Fischer Galleries (736 S. President St.).

The exhibition features new paintings from artist Martha Ferris paired with jewelry from Shelby Ferris Fitzpatrick. Free; find it on Facebook.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

Music listings are due noon Monday to be included in print and online listings: music@jacksonfreepress.com.

1908 Provisions - Bill Ellison 6:30 p.m.

Alumni House - Pearl Jamz 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Gator Trio 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Lounge 114 - “Poets & Jazz” feat.

Calligraphy 8-10 p.m. $5 Pelican Cove - Keys vs. Strings 6-10 p.m.

Shucker’s - Proximity 7:30-11:30 p.m.

Soul Wired Cafe - Grant Terry 7:30 p.m.

Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

APRIL 5 - THURSDAY Bonny Blair’s - Phil & Trace 7-10 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Maya Kyles & the F. Jones Challenge Band 10 p.m. $5 Feathered Cow - Doug Bishop & James Bailey 6-9 p.m.

Fenian’s - Joe Carroll 9 p.m. free Georgia Blue, Flowood - Aaron Coker Georgia Blue, Madison - Jason Turner Hal & Mal’s - Big K.R.I.T. w/ CyHi Da Prynce 8 p.m. $28.50-$100 Hops & Habanas - Betsy Berryhill 7 p.m. free Iron Horse - James Travis 6 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Steele Heart 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Lost Pizza, Brandon - TJ Duo 6-8:30 p.m.

MS Museum of Art - “...to me from the earth” feat. MS Symphony Orchestra w/ Aundi Marie Moore 7 p.m. $25 Old Capitol Inn Rooftop - Ronnie Brown 6-9 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Barry Leach 6-10 p.m.

Shucker’s - Road Hogs 7:30 p.m.

Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

Underground 119 - Stevie J Blues 7-10:30 p.m.

APRIL 6 - FRIDAY 1908 Provisions - Chris Nash 6:30 p.m.

Ameristar, Vicksburg - The Anteeks 8 p.m.

AND Gallery - Outer Core 7-10 p.m. $5 Bonny Blair’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 7:30-11:30 p.m.

Cerami’s - James Bailey & Linda Blackwell 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m.

Club 43, Canton - Jason Miller Band midnight Drago’s - DoubleShotz 6-9 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Johnnie B & Ms. Iretta midnight $10 Fenian’s - Ariel Blackwell 10 p.m. free Georgia Blue, Flowood - Shaun Patterson Georgia Blue, Madison - Skip McDonald Hal & Mal’s - Bill & Temperance 7-10 p.m.

Iron Horse - John Bull Band 9 p.m.

ISH Grill - First Friday feat. Clinton Babers, DJ Unpredictable & comedian Rita B 9 p.m. $15 Kathryn’s - Faze 4 7-10:30 p.m.

Martin’s - deFrance 10 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Road Hogs 6-10 p.m.

Pop’s Saloon - Trouble Trio 9 p.m. $10 Shucker’s - Andrew Pates 5:30 p.m.; MS Moonlight 8 p.m. $5; Billy Maudlin 10 p.m.

Soulshine, Ridgeland - Brian Jones 7-10 p.m. free Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Underground 119 - Jamell Richardson 8:30 p.m.

Wasabi - “The Crush” feat. Kujho & The Nasty Sho 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

WonderLust - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.

APRIL 7 - SATURDAY 601 South Street - Siggno 8 p.m.

Ameristar, Vicksburg - Smackwater 8 p.m.

American Legion Post 112 - The XTremeZ 9 p.m.-midnight Char - Bill Clark 6 p.m.

Club 43, Canton - Shatterframe 9 p.m. $10 F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $5; Lonn’e George & Flasche midnight $10

APRIL 8 - SUNDAY 1908 Provisions - Knight Bruce 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

The Hideaway - Sunday Jam 4-8 p.m. free Hot Shots, Byram - Sunday Showcase feat. Georgetown 3-7 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Jeff Reynolds Band 6-9 p.m.

MS Museum of Art - “...to me from the earth” feat. MS Symphony Orchestra w/ Aundi Marie Moore 4 p.m. $25 Offbeat - Sunday Nite Slow Jams feat. DJ Young Venom 6-9 p.m. $5 Pelican Cove - Ronnie Brown noon-4 p.m.; Ravenstone 5-9 p.m.

Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 3:30 p.m.

Table 100 - Raphael Semmes Trio 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dan Michael Colbert 6-9 p.m.

Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

APRIL 9 - MONDAY Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - Central MS Blues Society (rest) 7 p.m. $5 Kathryn’s - Stevie Cain 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Anna Livi 6-10 p.m.

Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

APRIL 10 - TUESDAY

Clinton Babers Fenian’s - Johnnie B & Ms. Iretta 10 p.m. free Georgia Blue, Flowood - Dustin Moulder Georgia Blue, Madison - Brandon Greer The Hideaway - Splendid Chaos 9 p.m. $10 Iron Horse - Jesse Cotton Stone 9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Travelin’ Jane 7-10:30 p.m.

Last Call - DJ Unpredictable 601 & Wheezy Cortez 9 p.m.

Martin’s - Cedric Burnside Project w/ Trenton Ayers 10 p.m.

The Med - “’90s Kickback” Open Mic & Karaoke feat. DJ Undeeniable 8 p.m. $10 Pelican Cove - Dagnabbit 1-5 p.m.; Jason Turner Band 6-10 p.m.

Pop’s Saloon - Spunk Monkees 9 p.m.

Shucker’s - Steele Heart 3:30 p.m.; MS Moonlight 8 p.m. $5; Josh Journeay 10 p.m.

Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Underground 119 - Davis Coen & the Downstream Drifters 9 p.m.

WonderLust - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-3 a.m. free before 10 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - Raphael Semmes & Friends 6-9 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Keys vs. Strings 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Last Call - DJ Spoon 9 p.m.

Martin’s - Papadosio w/ Bluetech 8 p.m. $20 Pelican Cove - Shaun Patterson 6-10 p.m.

Table 100 - Chalmers Davis 6 p.m.

APRIL 11 - WEDNESDAY 1908 Provisions - Bill Ellison 6:30 p.m.

Alumni House - Johnny Crocker 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 6-9 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Robin Blakeney 6-10 p.m.

Shucker’s - Proximity 7:30-11:30 p.m.

Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

Submit listings to music@ jacksonfreepress.com by noon Monday for inclusion in the next issue.

COMING UP

_________________________

WEDNESDAY 4/4

OPEN FOR DINNER _________________________

Thursday, April 19

BIG KRIT

NIKKI LANE

THURSDAY 4/5

Doors: 7:00 PM - Show: 8:00 PM 18 and over - $30 Tix available @ Hal & Mal’s and online @ ticketfly.com _________________________

FRIDAY 4/6

BILL & TEMPERANCE

Dining Room - 7pm - Free _________________________

w/ IDA MAE

nashville rebel brings country heat to jackson

Friday, April 20

YOUNG VALLEY

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW come party with jackson folk rock heroes

Saturday, April 21

SATURDAY 4/7

THE LONE BELLOW

MONDAY 4/9

Tuesday, April 24

BLUE MONDAY Dining Room - 7 - 11pm

w/ SHANNON MCNALLY

TUESDAY 4/10

Wednesday, April 25

Dining Room - 6-9pm - Free

PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG

OPEN FOR DINNER _________________________ CENTRAL MS BLUES SOCIETY PRESENTS: $3 Members $5 Non-Members _________________________

DINNER, DRINKS & JAZZ W/ RAPHAEL SEMMES

_________________________

THURSDAY 4/11

NEW BOURBON STREET JAZZ BAND Dining Room - 6pm - Free _________________________ UPCOMING: _________________________

4/12 - Consider This: #MeToo Now What?

4/13 - Johnnie B & Mrs. Iretta Sanders 4/14 Pierce Edens 4/19 Brian Jones 4/20 - Barry Leach Live 4/21 Thomas Jackson 4/25 New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 4/26 D’Lo Trio 4/26 The Mammoths 4/27 Singer Songwriters 4/28 Sherman Lee Dillon 4/30 Blue Monday 5/5 - JFC 11th Annual $10,000 Drawdown and Silent Auction _________________________ OFFICIAL

HOUSE VODKA

Visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and event schedule

601.948.0888 200 S. Commerce St. Downtown Jackson, MS

one of our favorite indie folk acts returns!

RAILROAD EARTH an awesome show with the jam band icons

w/ FUNK YOU

one of the hottest new funk and jam bands out!

Friday, April 27 LARRY RASPBERRY AND THE HIGHSTEPPERS legendary memphis rockers return to duling!

Thursday, May 3

EMI SUNSHINE

child singer - might be small but has a huge voice!

Friday, May 4

JON LANGSTON

future country star jon langston in the house!

Get on the Hip Ship COMPLETE SHOW LISTINGS & TICKETS

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April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

APRIL 4 - WEDNESDAY

MICHAEL CARSON

MUSIC | live

29

46 Two-___ toilet paper 47 Incas’ mountains 48 Goof 51 Teensy carpenter 52 European peak 53 Tiny mythical creatures on patrol?

59 2004 Jude Law drama 61 “Music for Airports” composer 62 “Come ___, we’re expecting you ...” (“The Love Boat” theme lyrics) 63 Confident finish?

64 Armitage who plays “Young Sheldon” 65 Frosty maker 66 ___ Thèrëse, Quebec 67 Gambler’s numbers

BY MATT JONES

34 Cocoa container 35 Really dislike 36 Equipment used at the Winter Olympics 38 Viciousness 39 Sunup to sundown 42 Back muscle, for short 44 Actor Banderas 46 Shepherd’s pie bit 47 “Black Beauty” novelist Sewell 48 Colorful parrot 49 “___ right back!”

50 Many residents of Erbil in Iraq

51 Limber 54 Some baseball stats 55 “Gosh darn it!”

56 Name in spiral notebooks 57 Noddy creator Blyton 58 Mumford & ___ 60 Melancholy ©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

Last Week’s Answers

For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #871.

Down

“En Vacation” —they all come up short.

Across

1 1/1760th of a mile 5 Baseball Hall of Famer Ripken 8 Came down softly?

14 Margarine, colloquially 15 Brewhouse brew 16 Party appetizer 17 Poet/dramatist Hughes 19 Quirky French title role of 2001 20 Furniture to display cheesy stuff?

22 ___ Soundsystem 23 Baled stuff 24 Symptom that might require eye drops

26 Attach, as a button 29 Pre-flight org.

31 Stewart who sang “Maggie May” 32 Till the soil 33 Hot off the presses 34 Changes gradually, graphically 37 Kiwi’s much larger cousin 38 Go faster 40 Sturdy tree 41 Dress shirt component 43 Connectivity issue 44 U.S. : counter(clockwise) :: U.K. : ___(clockwise) 45 “Captain Underpants” creator Pilkey

1 Part that’s egg-centric?

2 Jai ___ (fast-moving sport) 3 Landlord’s check 4 Competition for toys?

5 Comic strip character known for saying “Ack!” 6 Tons 7 “Girls” creator Dunham 8 Balancing device 9 Mention a connection, perhaps 10 “First of all...”

11 Body of water that’s surrounded?

12 Humongous movies 13 “Dirty ___ Done Dirt Cheap” (AC/ DC song) 18 Read a QR code 21 Underwire’s locale, maybe 25 Neither companion 26 Built to ___ 27 “Sesame Street” character voiced by Ryan Dillon since 2013 28 Is totally up for nestling in bed?

29 Golf prop 30 Get bigger 33 “Science Friday” airer

BY MATT JONES Last Week’s Answers

“Celebrity Sudoku”

Solve this as you would a regular sudoku, except using the nine given letters instead of numbers.

When you’re done, each row, column and 3x3 box will contain each of the nine given letters exactly one time. In addition, one row or column will reveal, either backward or forward, the name of a famous person. psychosudoku@gmail.com

MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

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April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

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Monday-Wednesday Nights at Eslava’s Grille Dinner Hours: 5pm-10pm

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ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Eighty-three-year-old author Harlan Ellison has had a long and successful career. In the course of publishing hundreds of literary works in seven different genres, he has won numerous awards. But when he was in his 30s, there was an interruption in the upward arc of his career.

The film production company Walt Disney Studios hired him as a writer. During his first day on the job, Roy Disney overheard Ellison joking with a co-worker about using Disney characters in an animated pornographic movie. Ellison was fired on the spot. I am by no means predicting a comparable event in your life, Aries. On the contrary. By giving you this heads-up, I’m hoping you’ll be scrupulous and adroit in how you act in the early stages of a new project—so scrupulous and adroit that you will sail on to the next stages.

Are you an evolving Taurus or an unevolving Taurus? Are you an aspiring master of gradual, incremental progress or a complacent excuse-maker who secretly welcomes inertia? Will the theme of your next social media post be “The Smart Art of Compromise” or “The Stingy Glory of Stubbornness”? I’m hoping you will opt for the former rather than the latter in each of the three choices I just offered. Your behavior in the coming weeks will be pivotal in your long-term ability to animate your highest self and avoid lapsing into your mediocre self.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

If you fly in a passenger jet from New York to London, the trip usually takes more than six hours. But on Jan. 8, 2015, a powerful jet stream surging across the North Atlantic reduced that time significantly. With the wind’s extra push, several flights completed the trip in five hours and 20 minutes. I suspect you’ll have comparable assistance in the course of your upcoming journeys and projects, Gemini.

You’ll feel like the wind is at your back.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Actor Keanu Reeves’ career ascended to a higher level when he appeared as a lead character in the film “Speed.” It was the first time he had been a headliner in a big-budget production. But he turned down an offer to reprise his starring role in the sequel, “Speed 2.” Instead he toured with his grunge band Dogstar and played the role of Hamlet in a production staged by a local theater company in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I admire him for being motivated more by love and passion than by fame and fortune. In my estimation, Cancerian, you face a choice that in some ways resembles Keanu’s, but in other ways doesn’t. You shouldn’t automatically assume that what your ego craves is opposed to what your heart yearns for and your soul needs.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

A Leo sculptor I know is working on a 40-foot-long statue of a lion. Another Leo friend borrowed $30,000 to build a recording studio in her garage so she can pursue her quixotic dream of a music career. Of my other Leo acquaintances, one is writing a memoir of her time as a black-market orchid smuggler; another just did four sky dives in three days; and another embarked on a longpostponed pilgrimage to Slovenia, land of her ancestors.

What about you? Are there any breathtaking challenges or smart gambles you’re considering? I trust you can surf the same astrological wave.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

How sexy is it possible for you to be? I’m referring to authentic soul-stirring sexiness, not the contrived, glitzy, counterfeit version. I’m alluding to the irresistible magnetism that wells up in you when you tap in to your core self and summon a reverent devotion to your life’s mission. However sexy it is possible for you to be, Virgo, I suggest you unleash that magic in the coming weeks. It’s the most reliable strategy for attracting the spiritual experiences and material resources and psychological support you need.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

According to my analysis of the cosmic omens, your impact is rising. You’re gaining influence. More people are tuning in to what you have to offer. And yet your stress levels also seem to be increasing. Why is that? Do you assume that having more power requires you to endure higher tension?

Do you unconsciously believe that being more worried is the price of being more responsible? If so, banish that nonsense. The truth is this: The best way to manage your

growing clout is to relax into it. The best way to express your growing clout is to relax into it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

The immediate future will challenge you to revisit several fundamental Scorpio struggles. For best results, welcome these seeming intrusions as blessings and opportunities, and follow these guidelines: 1. Your control over external circumstances will increase in direct proportion to your control over your inner demons. 2. Your ability to do what you want will thrive to the degree that you stop focusing on what you don’t want. 3. Your skill at regulating and triumphing over chaos will be invincible if you’re not engrossed in blaming others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

I’m about to say things that sound extraordinary. And it’s possible that they are in fact a bit overblown. But even if that’s the case, I trust that there is a core of truth in them.

So rejoice in their oracular radiance. First, if you have been hoping for a miracle cure, the next four weeks will be a time when you’re more likely than usual to find it or generate it.

Second, if you have fantasized about getting help to address a seemingly irremediable problem, asking aggressively for that help now will lead to at least a partial fix. Third, if you have wondered whether you could ever retrieve a lost or missing part of your soul, the odds are more in your favor than they’ve been in a long time.

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SERVICES

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:

Post an ad, call 601-362-6121, ext. 11 or fax to 601-510-9019.

Deadline: Mondays at Noon.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

The French government defines books as an “essential good,” along with water, bread, and electricity. Would you add anything to that list of life’s basics? Companionship? Stories? Deep sleep? Pleasurable exercise and movement? Once you identify your “essential goods,” I invite you to raise the level of reverence and care you give them. Take an oath to treat them as holy treasures.

Boost your determination and ability to get all you need of their blessings. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to enhance your appreciation of the fundamentals you sometimes take for granted.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Buckingham Palace is the home and office of the Queen of England. It has been the main royal residence since Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837. But in earlier times, the site served other purposes. The 17th-century English lawyer Clement Walker described the building occupying that land as a brothel, a hotbed of “debauchery.” Before that the space was a mulberry garden where silkworms tuned mulberry leaves into raw material for silk fabrics. I see the potential for an almost equally dramatic transformation of a certain place in your life, Aquarius. Start dreaming and scheming about the possibilities.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Poet Carolyn Forché is a role model for how to leave one’s comfort zone. In her early career, she earned writing degrees at placid universities near her childhood home in the American Midwest. Her first book mined material about her family; its first poem is addressed to her grandmother.

But then she relocated to El Salvador, where she served as a human-rights advocate during that country’s civil war.

Later she lived and wrote in Lebanon at the height of its political strife. Her drive to expand her range of experience invigorated her poetry and widened her audience. Would you consider drawing inspiration from Forché in the coming weeks and months, Pisces? I don’t necessarily recommend quite so dramatic a departure for you, but even a mild version will be well rewarded.

Homework: Buy or make yourself a present that encourages you to be more generous. Report results at Freewillastrology.com.

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Listings for Fri. 4/6 – Thur. 4/12 Listings for Fri. 4/7 – Thur. 4/13

Blockers R Smurfs: The Lost A Quiet Place PG Village PG13 Going in Style PG13 Chappaquiddick PG13 The Case for Christ The Miracle PG

Ready Player One Beauty and thePG13 Beast Pacifi(2017) c Rim PG Uprising PG13 Kong: Skull Island PG13 Paul, Apostle of Christ PG13 R Logan Sherlock The Shack Gnomes PG13 PG Get Out R Tomb Raider PG13 Life R I Can–Only (Sun Thur only) Imagine PG

Season The Zookeeper’sPG Wife PG13 The Leisure Seeker Ghost in the ShellR PG13 Tyler Perry’s The Boss Baby Acrimony PGR The Belko A Wrinkle In Time R PG God’s Dead: A Experiment PowerNot Rangers (2017)in Darkness PG13 (Sun – Thur only) Light PG Black Panther PG13

April 4 - 10, 2018 • jfp.ms

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

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