IN THE ISSUE
La Noticia + The Contributor
La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers in the nation, brings Spanish content to The Contributor
Black Bag is brimming with surprising subtleties. Stream it now on Peacock.
Venmo has canceled our account, but you can still pay using Square! You must identify your vendor so we know where to send the payment. Here's how:
Use your phone camera and scan the code on this page or on the top left corner of the cover of this paper. This will take you to the landing page: thecontributor.org/pay.
After clicking “checkout,” type your vendor's name and four-digit badge number in the “Required” field. This allows us to know which vendor to pay.
Please
for one newspaper in consideration of the Square processing fee.
Since The Contributor started in 2007, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2.3 million worth of The Contributor and sold over six million copies, generating over $15 million in income for themselves.
In 2019, our C.O.V.E.R. Program (Creating Opportunity for Vendor Employment, Engagement, and Resources) was the natural expansion of our mission of removing obstacles to housing. We now offer full case management, assistance with housing and rental expenses, addiction recovery, health insurance, food benefits, and SSI/SSDI assistance. We see the one-stop-shop team approach radically transforming a vendor's image of self and their place in community.
Ingrid McIntyre spoke with The Contributor about her work over the years in Nashville nonprofit and advocacy spaces..
Ingrid McIntyre is a prominent local figure. She is the pastor at Glencliff United Methodist Church and an organizer. She is a co-founder of Open Table Nashville, the developer of The Village at Glencliff, an activist who has led marches across the city, a protester who has been carried out of legislative committee meetings by State Troopers, a fighter for the poor and those whose voices are all too often ignored.
McIntyre knows and is known to politicians at local and state levels and is an advisor to some of them while feared by others. When she enters a room, you will know she is present and there to speak up and fight for justice.
“I see myself as someone called to live out the gospel’s demand for justice — not as an abstract concept, but through concrete actions that address the suffering right in front of us,” McIntyre says. “My work flows from the understanding that the church’s mission isn’t complete until everyone has dignity, shelter and hope. I advocate for those society has pushed to the margins because that’s where Jesus consistently placed himself, and where the church is called to be.”
McIntyre spoke with The Contributor about her work over the years in Nashville.
You are a co-founder of Open Table Nashville, a homeless outreach and housing justice group. Open Table Nashville started in response to the 2010 flood. What was the deciding factor for you to launch a nonprofit?
The short answer is housing equity. It wasn’t happening. People weren’t effectively talking about that. The flood was a catalyst that exposed what was already there, how quickly people can lose everything and how inadequate our systems are for the most vulnerable.
I watched neighbors helping neighbors in ways that transcended all the usual barriers and realized we couldn’t let that spirit die when the waters receded.
The deciding factor was seeing that disaster relief was temporary, but the need for community, dignity, and housing justice was permanent, and so we had to build something that would last beyond the crisis.
What are your thoughts about the recent dismantling of Old Tent City, which is the camp that was flooded and started your journey?
The clearing of tent cities is always presented as cleanup or public safety. But it’s really about making poverty invisible rather than addressing it. Every time we dismantle these communities, we’re not solving homelessness. We’re just moving it around and traumatizing people who are already surviving unimaginable hardship.
But what breaks my heart is that we spend more energy moving people along
Q&A with Ingrid McIntyre
Longtime Nashville pastor talks Christian advocacy
BY JUDITH TACKETT
than we do creating the affordable housing and support systems they actually need.
You eventually moved on to build The Village at Glencliff. Explain briefly what The Village at Glencliff is, and why you took on this venture of essentially becoming a developer?
The Village at Glencliff is a medical respite for people who have been homeless or unstably housed and then went into the hospital. And under any other circumstances, they would be discharged, but they can’t be discharged because they don’t have a place to go. We all know that healing doesn’t happen in 95 degree weather under a bridge on a bypass in Nashville, Tennessee, or on a bench, or down by the river. The Village at Glencliff operates under the principle that housing is a human right and not something that you have to earn.
I sort of became a developer because I got tired of asking others to do what we could do ourselves. And I was tired of seeing people die without dignity and die too early.
The nonprofit industrial complex often keeps us dependent on others’ timelines and priorities. So, sometimes you have to build the thing you want to see in the world, even if it means learning skills you never thought you’d need or have.
Politicians in this state have gotten to know you for standing up against and being outspoken about discrimination of all kinds. Most recently, you have been fighting the current political immigration agenda. Why is it so important for people to speak up in these times?
Silence in the face of injustice is complicity, right? And so when politicians are able to scapegoat immigrants, they’re not just attacking policy, they’re attacking the image of God in our neighbors. As people of faith, we can’t stand by while families are torn apart, and communities are terrorized. I’ve seen it up close and firsthand.
Speaking up is important because it breaks the illusion that these policies have broad support, especially in places that are
so red like Tennessee. We say Tennessee isn’t a red state, it’s a non-voting state!
Speaking up gives others permission to find their own voice, I think. I’m sort of the loud one, and that’s OK with me because I think it does give other people permission to raise their voice.
How can people get involved when they want to help, but don’t have the same level of influence or courage that you have? What are your recommendations?
I haven’t always been who I am, but I’ve always been doing the work.
You don’t need my level of influence. I think you need your own. Start where you are, with what you have. I think showing up consistently is the key. This work looks different every day. But showing up consistently to city council meetings, building relationships with people who are not usually in proximity with you. Learn about another person’s neighborhood. Support local organizations with your time, not just your money, although we all need your money, so do that. But also, we need time. That’s what builds relationships and creates change.
Be courageous and challenge discriminatory language when you hear it at work, at church or at family gatherings. The most powerful thing you can do is refuse to let injustice become normal in your own sphere of influence. So, that doesn’t take being somebody else. It takes being you.
And this is real, courage is not the absence of fear. I am often afraid. But it’s acting despite of it because you cannot handle the alternative to speaking up. And courage grows with practice.
What is your current focus area and what do you hope to achieve?
Things right now are so terrible on all fronts, and for good reason. They want us to become exhausted.
For me, my goal is to be a witness in presence. Being in spaces where people are not always comfortable to speak out. Being a public presence of dissent.
It’s really White Christian Nationalism that we’re fighting right now, which goes hand-in-hand with fascism. This is really broad. Under that umbrella there are so many things.
I would encourage folks to start small. You’re not going to eat the whole elephant in one bite, right? The practice of embodiment is what’s important. So, practice that embodiment, even if it’s just going next door and meeting your next-door neighbor. Or whatever the small steps are you can take and do it consistently. That’s what we have to be doing every day. It [will help you] practice coming out of yourself a little bit, getting familiar with things that are in your immediate sphere, so that you can build courage.
Learn More About Forced Treatment
When I was working for Metro government, I often had conversations with Nashvillians from all backgrounds about solutions to homelessness. People were understandably and justifiably upset about people camping out in their neighborhoods or in front of their businesses.
While the majority of people experiencing homelessness do not pose any threats, as the neighbors themselves told me, some of the ones with mental illness and/or substance use may eventually start to display disruptive behaviors.
I received similar feedback from some people living in encampments where they formed a community over time. I recall one particular conversation where a veteran who had set up a small camp with his buddy pulled me aside and asked me if I could help remove a tent across the path from them, whose occupants he felt disturbed the peace.
So today, I am attempting to tackle an issue that neighbors have increasingly demanded from me when I was still working in Metro government, namely that I pursue forced treatment as a solution to homelessness.
I do not believe in it and see it as the usual Band-Aid approach. My response to that remains the same. We have overused Band-Aids. They don’t stick any more.
Now, before I get started, let me be clear. I do not view neighbors who want quick solutions as villains in these discussions. They care. They want solutions. They want people they see living outdoors in their neighborhoods to have a chance to do better and flourish. They want to improve their own quality of life together with the quality of life of the people they don’t know how to help.
But forcing people into treatment, especially via jail, prison or other institutions, is not the answer to homelessness. It is a shortcut for avoiding the investment of time, relationship building, and cost of housing with wraparound support services including recovery services to address mental health and substance use. Those approaches, in fact, would end homelessness — and they are still less costly than forced treatment.
Forced treatment is such a big issue for me that I felt I could not do it justice on my own. Therefore, I spoke with Rob Wipond, the author of Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships.
Here is an excerpt from our recent conversation. Responses have been shortened for brevity.
Give us a synopsis of what your book is about.
There are two levels that the book develops on. One is people’s personal experiences of what it’s like to be forcibly committed, to have these kinds of forced psychiatric interventions, police interventions, and I really explore all the different places in our communities that that is happening.
BY JUDITH TACKETT
And then I look at and take apart the dominant narrative, [which is that] in the 1950s we started closing asylums and all those people ended up on the streets homeless or in prisons. That’s why we have the problems we have today in the streets, so we need to rebuild these institutions. What I show in the book is that this narrative is actually a very deliberately misleading story.
Essentially, all the studies we have that followed the closures showed that all of those people found housing. A lot of funding has gone into building smaller institutions of different kinds, including group homes, nursing homes, different types of places. I am not saying these places are necessarily good, but they were designed to replace the role of asylums.
At the same time that’s been happening, actually the rates of involuntary commitments were going up quite dramatically since about the 1980s and ‘90s. So, we have more and more beds available for putting [people away] long-term. And that narrative is not being told.
Most of what we’re debating right now around these issues is not true, and so we need to get the truth out first and then continue the discussion and debate. That’s what the book does.
As neighbors have become more savvy in organizing against visible homelessness, the pressure on local politicians has increased to implement solutions at a faster pace. I had many conversations with really caring and well-meaning neighbors who made it clear
that they had lost their patience. They want public spaces back. And their suggestion was to arrest people & make them get the services they need. In your view, how should the local government respond to these demands?
Well, local governments are bearing the brunt of the problems and have the least power or responsibility really for causing them. So these problems are largely the result of federal and state governments that have increasingly gotten out of providing subsidized housing, public housing. They have been deregulating housing markets in different ways; private equity has moved into the housing market; banks and credit unions invest heavily in the housing market; so we’ve seen housing prices going up along with the rental costs, and wages — particularly lower- and middle-income wages — have not been increasing. And so we have more extensive poverty.
This is largely the result of both massive market forces and high-level governments not taking responsibility and not really trying to attack these problems. In fact, they continue to make them worse because they don’t have to deal with them.
The people who have to deal with them are
local people. That’s where homelessness appears. And so local governments are stuck with this, but they don’t have the financial resources to deal with it in most cases.
So [local governments] should be better organized, and they should be campaigning up the hierarchy and demanding that state governments respond to this better, demanding that the federal government do something about it.
Unfortunately, when they do that, they tend to focus on things like, “Hey, let’s strengthen mental health laws.” Instead of saying, “you need to get back in the business of housing.”
Basically, this is what’s going on. So we have to address that problem. We can’t just ignore it. But … if you’re trying to solve a problem without the resources to solve it, you often end up proposing really stupid solutions.
And that’s what’s going on right now across the country. We see local governments often feeling pressured into proposing not very good solutions, and they are actually very costly. Let’s be clear about that.
Putting someone into forced treatment is extremely costly. I’m talking $2,000-$3,000 per day. Far more costly than imprisonment, really, which is extremely costly already.
It makes no sense financially. If those governments would get together and collaborate, they’d say, housing is cheaper, even supportive housing is cheaper.
Basically, you seem to advocate for governments to focus on housing first. Unfortunately I have seen too many programs, including in Nashville, too often to only focus on the housing part and then move on or offer only limited services. What about the treatment aspect?
Housing First does work for some people, like, “Give me the housing and I’m good.” But a lot of people, if they’ve been struggling, they have real issues, they need a little more than that. Housing is great. It’s a first step, but they need voluntary supports of different kinds. For some people that may be some sort of mental health supports, but for a lot people it’s things like just day-to-day practical supports like help me get shopping, help me relearn what it means to be living in my own place and make sure I pay my rent on time and whatever these things are that I need to do because I’ve been homeless for so long.
We’ve seen study after study showing us that even providing those kinds of robust, voluntary supports is much cheaper than giving people psychiatric hospitalization.
I wanted to unpack two issues with you. One is treatment when someone has committed a crime like a violent offense, and treatment when folks are simply unhoused and considered a nuisance because they are visible. They may be arrested multiple times for trespassing, public intoxication, illegal camping or other quality of life issues. Why is it important to distinguish between them?
We need to separate these discussions out, because they’re in so many ways unrelated to each other. This entire set of laws and processes for what we call forensic criminal psychiatric commitment, if I do something violent and I plead not guilty by reason of insanity or I’m
declared incompetent to stand trial, there is a whole set of criminal laws that address that situation. And that situation is not great. There are a lot of problems in those laws and processes people need to know about and discuss the result.
But they’re completely different than the whole set of laws that govern what we call civil commitment, which are things like, “How do I help my over-anxious child who won’t go to school?” Or “How do I help my depressed elderly parent who doesn’t get out of bed anymore?”
Sometimes the civil commitment system is supposed to be a helping system. Now, it is also important to understand that these systems are overlapping increasingly because what’s happening is, as you’ve identified particularly with homeless people, governments are trying to control them in any way they can. And ordinary people … are calling 911, they might have the intention of helping the person or they might not. They might just want to get the person in trouble.
Either way, they call 911, the police show up, and these people get arrested for things like trespassing. So it’s not a criminal offense. They’re not dangerous. They’re just on the street. They’re annoying to someone. They’re a nuisance of some kind because they’re stuck living in the street.
These kinds of people are being much more aggressively policed these days in most cities across North America, and they’re either being taken to jail, or they’re being taken to a psychiatric hospital or an emergency room. And then things just start to play out from there.
This system is not working. It’s becoming increasingly aggressive and also happens as the people get thrown into the hospital again because they’re not actually meeting the criteria for civil commitment. They’re just a nuisance, and they’re not really supposed to be in jail either.
So what’s happening then is judges are increasingly thinking they’re doing something good, and they’re just declaring these people incompetent because that’s a pretty broad term. They’re trying to get these people help because maybe they are struggling in some way.
That system is now increasingly backed up and people are sitting in a state penitentiary or a state hospital, sometimes for years, just waiting for their day in court. And it’s chaotic. It’s ridiculous. It’s out of control. And again, because people aren’t being honest and clear about what’s really happening in these systems — the data is not very well collected — we’re not having clear public discussions about what we’re trying to do here, [about] what we think we can achieve as a result. This is just getting worse
and worse. That’s why you hear about the competency crisis.
I want to highlight that my research is finding that this is unique to America. Canada does not have that problem. UK does not have this problem. Something is happening in America where these people are being much more aggressively policed and declared incompetent at rates that this is just not happening in any other country.
So either you have to say people in America are crazier than everywhere else, or you’re going to say people in America are being more aggressively policed in the streets, and for some reason judges and prosecutors are falling into the habit of simply declaring them incompetent because they think that’s a solution. And other countries realize it’s not a solution and just aren’t doing it. So this is something we need to be talking about more, too.
At this point, we shifted our conversation to talk about families that are desperate to help their loved ones who suffer from mental illness but refuse any suggestion to access treatment.
In particular, I shared with Wipond my personal experience. My husband is a Veteran who after multiple deployments has been diagnosed with severe PTSD. At one point, his depression got so bad that he suffered an acute mental health crisis, and I had to make a decision to either call 911 and have him forcibly committed or monitor the situation on my own as best as I could, giving him the options of reaching out for help.
I decided to make sure he had immediate access to a crisis lifeline, in this case 988, and monitor the situation.
Wipond and I then talked about these individualized decisions, and the lack of options that render family members like me feeling helpless. It’s easier to call police on a person we see on the street and feel like we’re helping them than being faced with the decision to make that call when it is one’s own family member.
My decision essentially was based on the knowledge that any forced treatment would reduce the chance of my husband ever getting the help he needed voluntarily, which was necessary for him to stick with it and learn to manage his mental health.
It turns out, I was right. He is now doing much better. But another theme we often overlook is the fact that mental illness tears families apart. I myself was at a point a few years ago where I had to seriously think about my own future, and whether or how I chose my partner’s mental health to affect the rest of my life.
But locking him up and trying to force him into treatment was not the choice that I believed in.
Nashville Street Poetry Project Publishes Debut Chapbook Collection
New publication showcases The Contributor’s poets
BY JOE NOLAN
The Nashville Street Poetry Project (NSPP) has released its first standalone poetry chapbook, Ignite Nashville , marking a significant milestone for The Contributor’s poetry community. The chapbook debuts alongside this poetry annual edition of our newspaper, fulfilling a longtime vision of the paper’s editorial team. The Nashville Street Poetry Project debuted in the fall of 2023, and the journey to the project’s first poetry collection all started on a billboard in downtown Nashville.
I’m the founder of the NSPP, and I’ve been collaborating with The Contributor’s poets since winning a Metro Arts Thrive Award in 2022. That prize funded my first workshop with the newspaper’s poets and resulted in a collaborative poem displayed on the iconic Nashville Sign during National Poetry Month in April 2023. The installation counted more than a million impressions and charmed Southern audiophiles when The Contributor’s former executive director Cathy Jennings shared the project’s poem and story at David Byrne’s (Talking Heads) Reasons to Be Cheerful event at the 2023 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville.
Following the success of the billboard display, the Nashville Street Poetry Project developed when the newspaper’s poets inquired about more workshops focused solely on developing their verses. The program operates as a collaboration between The Contributor’s poets and myself. We hold one-hour poetry workshops twice monthly following the newspaper vendors’ breakfast meetings at Downtown Presbyterian Church.
The workshops provide essential writing materials — journals, paper, pens, pencils, and markers — for poets to have and use during writing sessions and in their ongoing writing practice. There is no writing without writing supplies, and the NSPP ensures these foundational tools remain accessible to The Contributor’s poets.
Another Metro Arts Thrive grant, awarded in March 2025, expanded the program’s reach, inviting local editors, poets, and artists to be guest workshop facilitators this spring. Local artist and creator of the Unbannable Library, Paul Collins; founder of the Free Nashville Poetry Library, Matthew Johnstone; Third Man Books editor-in-chief Chet Weise; and Third Man Books author and poet-preneur Ciona Rouse all joined our meet-ups in May and June. Rouse was one of The Contributor’s first volunteers. Weise issued a limited edition collection of the newspaper’s poetry through Third Man in 2015. Collins’ Unzine project has created a series of lo-res publications that pair the paper’s poets with local artists, and Matt Johnstone regularly includes The Contributor and the NSPP at his small press events at The Packing Plant. Collins also created the illustrations for The Contributor’s first Poetry Issue,
and designed this edition’s poetry illustrations on Pg. 8 and this issue’s cover.
The spring series felt like both a reunion of old friends and an occasion for making new ones. This kind of programming connects NSPP with the city’s broader writing community, helping to integrate The Contributor’s poets into Nashville’s literary scene.
The Metro Arts grant also enabled NSPP and The Contributor co-editor Linda Bailey to produce Ignite Nashville , featuring recent work from workshop participants. The collection spans multiple styles, from personal confessions and anecdotal narratives to formalist experiments, traditional poetry and mythic song lyrics. The poetry book spotlights the creative achievements of the newspaper’s poets while also adding a new revenue stream for all of The Contributor’s vendors, who will be offering the poetry booklet alongside their newspapers.
By expanding The Contributor’s commitment to its longtime poetry pages, the Nashville Street Poetry Project serves as another megaphone for the voices of these poets, providing a dependable creative community, expert guidance, publishing opportunities, and compensation for their creative work. The initiative addresses barriers that can prevent people experiencing homelessness from fully participating in Nashville’s literary spaces. Ignite Nashville embodies NSPP’s mission to empower people experiencing homelessness by building sustainable pathways for creative expression.
Readers can purchase Ignite Nashville from The Contributor vendors throughout the city, and support for the Nashville Street Poetry Project can be made through contributions at www.thecontributor.org
American Rejection Tree Branches
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015
Our forefathers fought for Freedom. Some paid the ultimate price. It’s written in “The Constitution” and in “The Bill of Rights.”
Lady Liberty stands in that harbor shining, Like a beacon in the night. And how I choose to live my life, Should be up to me to decide.
American Rejection, No protection from the hand, Of politicians unwilling to stand, For The Rights of an American. And who do you got to thank?
Well, you can thank your Uncle Sam.
Be careful what you say and be careful what you do. There’s no way to escape it. Big Brother’s watching you. When they say: “You look suspicious boy,” And “What are you up to?”
Tell them “Minding my own business,” And “Taking in the view.” - “What is it to you?”
American Rejection, No protection from the hand, Of politicians unwilling to stand, For The Rights of an American. And who do you got to thank?
Well, you can thank your Uncle Sam.
Now, I can’t deny, My American Pride, I’m true Red, White and Blue. A lot of people wish they could be - Standing in my shoes.
I count my blessings every day - Living in the U.S.A. It might not quite be perfect yet, But we’ve come a long-long ways...
American Rejection, No protection from the hand, Of politicians unwilling to stand, For The Rights of an American. And who do you got to thank? Well, you can thank your Uncle Sam. I said who do you got to thank? Thank your Uncle Sam...
Integrity
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015
The one thing no-one can take from me, Is my reputation for Integrity. Inflexible NonTraditional Excellence
Grounded and Resolute Identity
Truth in Yearning Immovable Negotiable Truth and Espressed through Guided by Reputation for Indicitive of Testimony beyond Yet Ideology Nobility Transparency Equity. GOd. Righteousness. Intelligence. Temptpation. un-Yielding.
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015
Stormy weather when things get rough. Pull together and show the Love. Don’t ignore the knocking at the door. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Now is the time to pull together. We all need help from someone else, At one time or another.
Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree. We may look or see things differently, That doesn’t make us enemies.
Consider each other, As sisters and brothers.
What a Wonderful World this would be.
Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree.
It’s not the color of your skin. What matters lies within. You can’t brand an innocent man, And make him pay for another man’s sin. We don’t wear the same, Labels and Names, When you’re looking for, Somewhere to place the blame. But things get bad and you’re under attack, I’ll bet you’ll be glad, That they’ve got your back.
Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree.
We may look or see things differently, That doesn’t make us enemies.
Consider each other, As sisters and brothers.
What a Wonderful World this would be.
Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree.
“Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water.” You’re a member of the band. “You just call, On me brother, When you need a hand. We all need, Somebody, To lea-ean on.”
Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree. We may look or see things differently, That doesn’t make us enemies. Consider each other, As sisters and brothers. What a Wonderful World this would be. Cause, every man is a different branch, Of the same family tree.
THEME: AT THE CIRCUS
ACROSS
1. *Jumbo The Elephant or Sirius in space
5. “But I heard him exclaim ‘____ he drove out of sight”
8. Young salmon 12. Blood component 13. What Lizzie Borden did
14. Leather razor sharpener
15. “The Famous Five” author ____ Blyton 16. Back of the neck
17. Letter-shaped girder 18. *Feats-of-strength circus performer
20. Indian restaurant bread
21. In need of a muffler
22. Away’s partner
23. Backward
26. Same as ruin
30. Greek R
31. Net sales minus cost of goods sold
34. Europe/Asia mountain divide
35. Approximately, as in date
37. Overnight lodging
38. Inflicted a blow
39. Celestial bear
40. Goose egg
42. ____-AFTRA
43. Frying pan
45. Eating establishment
47. Type of English crs.
48. Traffic accident
50. Wading bird
52. *Sara Gruen’s novel “Water for ____”
56. *Lion tamer’s tool or counter seat
57. Justice’s garb
58. Hit it on the head
59. Run off, as in couple
60. Was in the hole
61. Japanese zither 62. Something ____
63. Movie “Saturday Night” subject matter, acr.
64. FedEx, verb
DOWN
1. Tom Jones’ “____ a Lady”
2. *Big Top
3. Gulf V.I.P.
4. Remodeled
5. Tests
6. Settle a debt
7. Biblical place of bliss
8. *”The Greatest Showman” protagonist
9. Equals length times width
10. Multicolored horse
11. Dashboard acronym
13. Type of heart pain
14. Moses’ mountain
19. Hollywood legend ____ Shearer
22. *Like circus audience’s experience, hopefully 23. Bow-like structure 24. Dodge
25. Trunks
26. *Three-____ circus
27. What phoenix did
28. Batu Khan’s people
29. JD Vance’s “Hillbilly ____”
32. Civil disorder
33. African grazer
36. *Sound of circus 38. Money under mattress, e.g. 40. *Aerialist’s bouncy safety device 41. Piled
44. Twisted cotton thread
46. Give it generously
48. *Funny one 49. James Dean’s famous role
50. It will 51. *Unwelcome reception, pl. 52. Cupid, to the Greeks 53. Sodium hydroxide
____caca, South American lake 55. Trough stuff 56. Witness
We Are Left To Grieve
NORMA B.
A “normal” Monday morning like so many others before —
A new week just beginning you never know what’s in store —
Children go to school to learn
To spend time with friends, to have fun
All of that suddenly came to an end because of someone with a gun
In the blink of an eye, three young children lost their lives
Others hid in fear as they no doubt shed many tears
And though they weren’t hurt physically
They will carry the scars with them through the years
Sadly this story doesn’t end there
Three more lives were lost that day as they tried to protect the young children in their care
Putting themselves in harms way so that others might live
A truly selfless act of love they made the ultimate sacrifice
A community, friends, and families shattered numb in disbelief are left to grieve trying to make sense of this tragedy
Looking for anything to give some relief
To those left behind to pick up the pieces I say
Cherish the photographs and memories of your loved ones in your heart each day
And each night as you close your eyes
Until you see them again in paradise, when you will never again have to leave their side!
Gap Toothed Sun
FREEPRESSGMA
A clear forested river gleaming green in its depths, deep cinnabar under the overspill
A cave under the rapids
Eels swim in I do not.
Tumbled by the plunging water, I swim with joy at meeting my world traveler friends. Their undulating bodies tell tales of far oceans in this landlocked world
The trees, knit bone holding the muddy banks like a lover
The water as plastic as a silk scarf
We’ve highlighted our favorite Contributor Vendor poems from the last year accompanied by custom illustrations.
A Harley Davidson Under my Ass
CHRIS SCOTT F.
What can I do? What can I say?
I signed my life away, (My Life Away?)
To have a Harley Davidson under my ass. I’ve learned a thing or two, From what I’ve been through in the past. Wondering how I’ll ever end up, Coming up with all of the cash?
Nothing lasts forever, Better be Grateful for what you do have. I’ve been through my share of, The Good Things in Life, And I’ve seen my fair share of the bad. There are no guarantees in this life, So just keep “Hanging on for the Ride” Take the good with the bad, And keep on smiling, And learn how to live with that. Every Moment is Magnificent, Unexpected and Unplanned, And from here on out, There’s no turning back, Despite everything that you think that you lack. Yes - Yes - Yes - Yes - Yes ...
16 Years away from here, I was addicted to Crack.
Do I look scared? I am not scared. I’ve already been through that. And I’m still here after so many years?
Overcoming the fears ... The shedding of tears ... Let me make one thing perfectly clear ... I am still here and that’s a fact.
The star of a documentary titled, “Saint Cloud Hill”
I never {pictured} me, Ever being on the right track. There’s a lot of history about me, And the time that’s been spent planning my revenge, For the embarrassing experience, I had to endure,
When the city chose me to Attack? Why Me? I’m basically a nobody ... But somebody had to eventually be, “The Leader of the Pack”
A lot of my friends, Have so little chance,
Of ever winning, Thinking the cards are stacked. The only reason I’ve made it this far? Is by Believing that God’s got my back. All’s well that Ends well at, Boswell’s Harley Davidson, Of Nashville, Music City, Tennessee. Look at who I am right now, From what I used to be.
Democracy
Is The Strength And Courage To Stand And Be Heard
BY DANIEL H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
In the heart of the people, a fire ignites, A whisper of freedom, a chorus of rights. Not a gift from the heavens, nor a crown from the throne, But a struggle, a journey, a seed we have sown.
With each voice that rises, with each hand that’s raised, We carve out our future, through trials we’ve faced. Democracy’s not given, it’s earned through our fight, In the shadows of silence, we summon the light.
Every day is a canvas, where choices are made, In the fabric of justice, our hopes are displayed. With conviction we stand, in the face of despair, For the power of many is a force we can share.
Hope is not lost, though the road may be long, In the depths of our struggle, we find where we belong. For God is our witness, in the battles we wage, In the story of freedom, we write every page.
So let courage be our anthem, let strength be our guide, In the name of democracy, we stand side by side.
With hearts full of purpose, and voices that soar, We’ll shape our tomorrow, forever and more.
In the echoes of history, let our truth be unfurled, For democracy’s strength is the courage to stand, To be heard in the silence, to make a demand, Together we rise, as we claim what is ours, In the light of our unity, we’ll reach for the stars.
Free Show!
JAMES, “SHORTY” R
Hey you!
Do you want to see a free show?
Just look up. It’s in the sky. The sun bright and warm on your face. The clouds light and fluffy. They are sometimes in motion. Sometimes they make weird shapes. Next, the birds. They fly north, east, west, south. They sing to you.
Then, there are the things that are not so nice. Sometimes, the bees, wasps, etc. So, come watch a free show, no internet required!
ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAUL COLLINS
BY LASHIKA
Felonious Sleeping
FREEPRESSGMA
My state I.D. says Tennessee
Our public property is for all to see But don’t touch!
This park is for everyone — but me.
I am a deer trapped on an island, surrounded by deadly roaring car missiles. Seeking escape from coyote, I run.
Seek refuge in the park! Have a little nap — and get a felony. Like a turtle crossing the freeway, my chances are slim. I sleep in the ditch like my English ancestors, thrown there by private property lords
My tent might be missing a stitch Or two
And now I must pay for what’s already ours
So the land that we own — is it really ours?
A mother lets her baby sleep in her arms — in the park. To whom does the felony go?
This land that is ours — is not really ours Our rights, picked down to the bone.
Where is Your Hope?
BY LISA T.
I look around seeing all kinds of pain. The feeling that our worlds have fallen apart. Our confidence shattered as bottom dropped. Our loved one blame us for it regardless of truth. We learn to believe we can never get right. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
However a piece of us dies each trial.
How do you cope when life feels unbearable?
What keeps you trying serving as your driving force?
How can we turn the hurt to wisdom not hate?
In our darkest hour where is hope and love?
How can we force ourselves to seek and hold on?
One day You will cry Because God Answered all Your prayers. One Day
Stepping Out Of Our Comfort Zone
BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
Many men want a Barbie doll type for a girlfriend with measurements to match. And women are expected to maintain these unrealistic expectations concerning their figure no matter what. If they fail to do so they’re often considered lazy or fat. 36-24-36 are the perfect proportions for a woman, or so they say.
But who are “they” to decide how the ideal woman should look and what she should weigh?
Dad bods are acceptable for men. Why is that ok?
Stereotyping is so common in our world today It affects all types of people in our society at the most inconvenient times and all sorts of places, in various ways.
Those with disabilities are often viewed through a distorted lens.
People call attention to what they see as “defects,” anything they feel is “not normal” according to them. They fail to recognize the gifts these people possess and instead view them as “less.”
Rather than pointing out the differences between them and you, why not see them as a diamond in the rough as they are, but also recognize their potential to be so much more.
What about those who use medical equipment outside their bodies like prosthetics, oxygen tanks, or wheelchairs for all to see.
Many have difficulty talking to people who use things like this. They focus on what they see with their eyes rather than the person’s unique qualities and special gifts.
Often these hide deep inside waiting to be discovered like precious jewels in a mine. People fail to recognize the simple truth: whatever differences there may be they have the same cares and concerns as you and me.
There are people with other kinds of issues that are invisible to the human eye.
Consider a woman who desperately wants a child of her own, sitting in a park on a beautiful day all alone, but cancer has taken its toll on her body, and her cervix had to be removed, leading to a serious case of baby blues. What could you possibly say or do for her?
You know in your heart that nothing will take away her pain Why not just try to talk with her anyway?
See what she has to say.
Countless individuals go through life with mental health issues, often suffering in silence thinking no one cares about their plight. Or maybe they’re struggling themselves to express what’s on their mind.
Still, they are human beings and need to vent, right? But who will be there with a listening ear to hear? Many of us run away from discussing such sticky situations out of fear. But did you ever stop and think by taking the time to do something so simple that perhaps YOU could save a person’s life?
So rather than avoid interactions with individuals who are different from you, as if they are criminals or the victims of a crime hemorrhaging blood surrounded by caution tape with a label that reads, “Do Not Go Near.”
Instead, let’s shatter any preconceived notions and form opinions of our own based not on what we think, but what we now know.
Yes, let us help restore the swagger these people once had. If they’ve never had it, let’s help them discover talents and skills that makes them “special,” that someone else would want to meet! No matter who they are or where they’re from, give them something positive and upbuilding to focus on In the process you’ll benefit too, you’ll make a new friend who appreciates you!
Joke of the Issue
BY HOWARD P., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening church service when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the burglar red-handed, and yelled, “Stop! Acts 2:38 (meaning, repent and be baptized...)!” The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. The woman then calmly called the police and explained what she had done.
As the officer cuffed the burglar, he asked, “Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you.”
“Scripture?” replied the burglar, “I thought she said she had an axe and two 38’s!”
“Life is a grindstone; whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of.” - Jacob M. Brad
The other day I was reading my devotional and it had a topic called, “Stop Crowing.” It brought lots to mind. It mentioned David saying I’ve got it made. You know many humans think that way. They trust themselves instead of trusting God. They think they can do it all themselves. They don’t depend on God whatsoever. When
things go great they crow. Years ago I used to watch a lots of preachers preach on TV. Many times my heart got convicted as I listened. Seems as if instead of preaching on television they were talking directly to me. It was as if God was speaking through them to tell me about sins I’d committed in the past. Afterward, I would go
Trust
BY JOHN H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
find a quiet place and pray and ask God to forgive me. Now, I die to sin everyday. I wondered many times do others know when their heart ain’t right?
I sit on my corner many days and people drive by and they turn their head when approaching me. I’ve always been the type, when I approach someone, I look them
Saying or Thinking What You Don’t Know
BY JOHN H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
Poverty: lazy people, alcoholics and drug addicts, people with physical or mental disabilities, criminal minds, outcasts, dropouts from society, people not seeking help just handouts. What causes poverty? And is being poor a choice? I’m not going to try and answer those questions, but I will say from my experience and opinion, I don’t know. When observing homelessness, can I explain how that person became homeless? No I can’t, but I do know how I became homeless. When I see
a person drive by in an $80,000 car, what do I honestly know about that person? Nothing. What about seeing a person in the gutter, dirty and asleep? Do I know how that person go that way? No. Do I have free range on my thoughts and reasoning? I can try, but I will mess that up. Matthew 7:1 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” I do believe this statement. Verse 2 says, “For what judgement ye judge, ye all be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
straight in the eye. Don’t know whether they’re looking down on me or I’m in the wrong neighborhood. (Where I’m “not wanted.”) That’s the vibe I get. I enjoy sitting on that corner waiting for someone to stop so I can share God’s word with them. Actually, much of the time I never worry about what I’m gonna make that day. I just do
what God wants me to do and God always got me. God’s always on time. Maybe many of you should try trusting God like I do.
Butterflies
BY L. VICKERS, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
Butterflies everywhere In the air. On your shoulder. They come in many colors, pink, orange, yellow, blue, purple, black. Different shapes some are big some are little. They land on flowers then, they fly away to only God knows where.
News:
Drug Costs Escalate Over Time Contrary to Popular Belief
BY FREEPRESSGMA, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
It’s a pain I resist reliving
Yet it surfaces every day, sometimes several times a day
Like a mammal coming up for air.
I am an otter, her family killed by toxic sludge No progeny
Alone
Unmoored
Cocaine addicted Dad floated off
To leave us hunted by a killer
Three of us in a 10x10 foot room
A little sister, never stopped with her scornful words
Her unanswered calls
Her lies.
How did I not see?
Like the contours of a wave
Methamphetamine hit us in a bone breaking crash
Decades of loneliness
My sobriety a little raft
“LETTER BOX “ from 1800s door. PHOTO BY CHUCK C., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR #0002.
LA NOTICIA
“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.
“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.
Pe d r o Fe r n á n d e z , una de las figuras más queridas y representativas de la m ú s i c a m e x i c a n a , c o n t i n ú a c o n q u i stando escenarios y c o r a z o n e s c o n s u más reciente gira: el “Ave Fénix Tour” Esta serie de pres e n t a c i o n e s , q u e abarca diversas ciudades en México y Estados Unidos, re presenta no solo un recor rido musical por sus g randes éxitos, sino también un emotivo reencuentro con su p ú bl i c o t r a s a ñ o s d e t r aye c t or i a impecable
Durante el fin de semana del 27 y 28 de junio, dos ciudades del sureste de los Estados Unidos fueron testigos del talento, carisma y energía que caracterizan a este ícono del re gional mexicano El vier nes 27, Pedro Fer nánde z se presentó ante un abar rotado Cobb Energy Perfor ming Ar ts Centre en Atlanta, Georgia, donde miles de fanáticos se dieron cita para disfr utar de una noche inolvidable
Desde que se apagaron las luces y c o m e n z a r o n a s o n a r l o s p r i m e r o s acordes, la emoción fue palpable Con su característica presencia escénica y vestido ele gantemente con traje de char ro, Fer nánde z deleitó al público con un re per torio cargado de nostalgia, pasión y ale g ría Temas emblemáticos c o m o “ Yo n o f u i ” , “A m a r t e a l a antigua”, “La de la mochila azul”, y “Me encantas” provocaron ovaciones y cantos colectivos que convir tieron el teatro en una g ran fiesta mexicana Con más de cuatro décadas de car rera,
-Pedro Fer nánde z ha sabido mantenerse vigente y cercano a su público Su espectáculo no solo es musical, sino una experiencia que conecta generaciones En Atlanta, se vio desde niños hasta adultos mayores cantando con e m o c i ó n c a d a p a l a b r a d e s u s c a nciones Entre tema y tema, el ar tista ag radeció el cariño y la lealtad de su audiencia, provocando lág rimas y sonrisas en igual medida
Al día siguiente, el sábado 28 de junio, la gira lle gó a Raleigh, Carolina del N o r t e , d o n d e e l M a r t i n M a r i e t t a Center for the Perfor ming Ar ts abrió sus puer tas para recibir otra noche memorable En esta se gunda parada del fin de semana, Pedro volvió a dejar claro por qué es considerado uno de los máximos exponentes de la música popular mexicana
Acompañado por una impecable producción escénica, mariachis en vivo y
Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?
Mantenerse callado
Sólo dar nombre y apellido
No mentir
Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos
No revelar su situación migratoria No llevar documentación de otro país
En caso de ser arrestado, mostrar la Tarjeta Miranda sados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un ogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda go de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs Arizona, 4 U S 436, de 1966
un equipo técnico de primer nivel, Pe d r o Fe r n á n d e z o f r e c i ó u n a p r esentación vibrante, emotiva y dinámica Inter pretó canciones que han marcado distintas etapas de su car rera, incluyendo temas recientes como “Te d oy l a v i d a ” , “ D i m e q u e s í ” y “ D u l c e c i t o d e c h a m oy ” , l o s c u a l e s fueron recibidos con la misma emoción que sus clásicos de siempre
El “Ave Fénix Tour” ha sido descrito por el propio ar tista como una etapa de renacimiento, crecimiento y g ratitud Después de una pandemia que impactó profundamente la industria del entretenimiento y del doloroso proceso de perder a seres queridos i n c l u ye n d o a s u m a d r e Pe d r o Fe r n á n d e z h a r e g r e s a d o c o n m á s fuerza, decidido a reconectar con su público y rendir homenaje a su propia historia musical
Más allá del espectáculo en sí, este tour ha generado un profundo sentido de comunidad y orgullo cultural entre los asistentes Las presentaciones se han conver tido en espacios de celebración de la música, la identidad mexicana y el poder de la perseverancia ar tística
Además, el nivel de producción desde las luces hasta el vestuario y el re per torio cuidadosamente seleccionado ha sido destacado como uno de l o s m á s c o m p l e t o s d e s u c a r r e r a reciente
Pedro Fer nánde z, quien inició su car rera siendo apenas un niño con la película “La de la mochila azul”, ha evolucionado hasta conver tirse en una leyenda viva Su voz, inconfundible y p o t e n t e , s i g u e s i e n d o s u p r i n c i p a l instr umento, pero es su carisma natural, su cercanía con el público y su inquebrantable amor por la música lo que lo mantiene en el corazón de miles
La gira “Ave Fénix” continuará en las próximas semanas con presentaciones e n d i s t i n t a s c i u d a d e s d e M é x i c o y
Estados Unidos Entre las fechas confir madas se encuentran:
2 de julio – Ciudad de México (Íntimo de La Ke Buena) 5 de julio – San Luis Potosí, S L P (Palenque)
9 d e j u l i o – G u a d a l a j a r a , Ja l i s c o (Titanes de La Radio – La Ke Buena)
12 de julio – Monter rey, N L (Arena Monter rey)
18 de julio – Tucson, Arizona** 19 de julio – El Paso, Texas)
Estas fechas re presentan nuevas oportunidades para que los fanáticos vivan una experiencia única y se conecten, una ve z más, con el talento y la historia de un ar tista que ha acompañado a tantas familias a lo largo de los años
Con cada concier to, Pedro Fer nánde z reafir ma su lugar como embajador de la música mexicana, llevando su ar te a e s c e n a r i o s i n t e r n a c i o n a l e s c o n d i gnidad, pasión y excelencia Sin duda, el “Ave Fénix Tour” no es solo un re g reso, sino un vuelo renovado hacia nuevos horizontes
Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper com ó 615-582-3757
Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief @LaNoticiaNe ws
Año 23 - No 418
Nashville, Tennessee
“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”
Mexican music icon Pedro Fer nánde z continues his 'Ave Fénix Tour’
Foto: Star Media Consul ing
HOBOSCOPES
CANCER
Meanwhile, Cancer, I’m over here leading the charge to get everybody ready for the county fair. You can’t fully enjoy the wonders of the fair if you’re not prepared. You want to be able to eat six corndogs in two hours? You’re gonna need to start with one corndog today. The only thing between you and a perfect round of balloon darts, is you. You think you’re good at guessing the weights of giant pumpkins now, Cancer? That doesn’t mean you can’t get better with a little more practice. You’ve been telling everybody you set the record for finding your way through the hall of mirrors in 2017, but we all know you got lost in your sister’s master bathroom for 18 minutes last May. This kind of preparation might apply to other areas of your life, I just can’t think of any off the top of my head. Now I want to see you finish that funnel cake! No complaining!
LEO
When I was a kid, all my classmates were really into professional wrestling. I think my TV didn’t get that channel and I was kind of scared of loud, aggressive, sweaty men so I didn’t really understand what the big deal was. But I knew all the characters and their catchphrases. Just the kind of thing you picked up on the playground, I guess. And I knew that the wrestler who seemed to be losing at the beginning was sure to have a miraculous turn-around before the end of the match. Maybe your recent setbacks aren’t a sign of more to come. Maybe they’re just a reminder that you’re part of a show that would be pretty boring without some dramatic losses at the start. And maybe that mania creeping over you now is just what you need to turn this around.
VIRGO
I’ve never been good at fixing broken things. This means I either end up using things that don’t quite work right anymore for way too long (I’m looking at you, one-ear-hook-sunglasses) or I end up throwing things out that somebody could have gotten up and running again (like that electric toothbrush that got stuck in the “on” position so I had to take the batteries out everytime I was done brushing). But it seems to me that this may be a time for repair, Virgo. Maybe take the extra time this week to fix the things you can.
LIBRA
All the things I remember fondly from my youth are being rebooted, Libra. For instance, normally I would get up and drive myself to work while eating a slice of cold pizza from last night and running stop signs so my boss doesn’t yell at me for being late. But this morning, I’m somehow in the backseat of my dad’s maroon Buick on the way to school–listening to Neil Diamond on the radio and trying to hold on to this awkwardly-shaped diorama of the Caprock Escarpment. I guess everything comes back around, Libra, even the things that don’t really make sense. So don’t be surprised to find yourself in familiar situations this week. And don’t be afraid to do things a little differently this time. For instance, when we get to school, I’m definitely not going to try to balance this diorama in one hand while I pick up an orange golf ball off the sidewalk with the other.
SCORPIO
Days like this it’s just all so overwhelming. There are so many strange and scary things happening in the world and it feels impossible for one little Scorpio to change any of it. When I start feeling like I don’t matter and the world is just going to crush everything I love, I like to have a conversation with the moon. I recommend it. The moon is a great listener. And the moon has been up there a long time watching people do all kinds of terrible and beautiful things. And in a week like this one, it can help to get a little perspective on how many things there are in the universe that are unaffected by the things you’re worried about. It won’t fix all the problems, Scorpio, but spending a few minutes talking to the moon might put you in a better position to keep fighting.
SAGITTARIUS
It was a different time, Sagittarius. A performer would get up on a stage and claim to be in league with dark supernatural forces. They’d play some loud, ominous music that would convince you they were telling the truth. And the public would panic and shout about protecting the children from this evil warlock of music. These days, I’m afraid the most influential performers aren’t in metal bands. They’re on screens telling you who to hate and who to fear. Treating people just like pawns in chess. It’s still just an act to get people riled up and engaged, but it hurts real people, Sagittarius. Maybe instead of staying plugged-in to the flood of outrage, Sagittarius, you could just chill and listen to some loud, ominous music. I mean, it’s worth a try.
CAPRICORN
Scientists recently found a fossil from a 10-tentacled ancestor of the octopus which they date to the late Carboniferous period–about 328 million years ago. I recently found a harmonica at the bottom of my bedside-table drawer that I used to keep in my car to entertain myself after my stereo got stolen. I would drive around figuring out how to play hymns and TV show themes and wondering how much a new car stereo actually costs. But that’s not the only thing I have in common with scientists, Capricorn. I also believe that research needs to be repeatable. So I put that harmonica back in my car while they’re out looking for more fossil evidence of early octopoids. Just because it happened once, Capricorn, doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out.
AQUARIUS
The thing I like about this doctor’s office is that in the waiting room they have those little dutch waffles that you set on top of your hot coffee cup and the caramel in the center gets all gooey and it goes really well with just a cup of coffee with no sugar and maybe just a little bit of milk. The thing I don’t like about this doctor’s office is that they want to look at every little dot and freckle on my body and say things like “hmmm” and “we’ll need a scrape of that one.” So I guess every place has its advantages and disadvantages, Aquarius. I think this week it’s just about identifying the things you like about where you are and trying to see if there’s any benefit to the things you don’t like. I’ll find out in 2 to 4 business days. You might find out faster.
PISCES
Imagine we switch places, Pisces. I wake up in your life and you wake up in mine. After you get over the initial shock of seeing a middle-aged amateur astrologer looking back at you in the mirror, you’ll have to find my car keys and go work my shift at the Wandering Hills Super-Video and Tan. No doubt, you’ll find some quick fulfillment as you easily solve the problems I’ve been hiding behind for months but you’ll also learn some valuable lessons as you interact with the people in my life. Meanwhile, I’ll be sitting around your place flipping channels on the TV and waiting for this freaky fluke of a day to end (They always do. I’ve seen the movies.). Now let’s imagine you wake up in your own life, Pisces. And you’ve got a whole day to make things better. What would you do first?
ARIES
Sumo matches can go very quickly. If a competitor takes the right approach and can find their opponent’s weakness, they might push their adversary out of the ring within two or three seconds. It can be fast and decisive. But sometimes it’s less clear who won. Whose foot was outside the ring first? Did this one land on their hand before that one fell onto the clay? If you can’t tell who won, Aries, you’re going to need a mono-ii. A mono-ii is when the shimpan, sumo’s judges, circle up and have “a talk about things.” They say what they saw. They might watch a replay or two. And together they decide who won a contentious match. If you’re unsure what’s happening in the battle for your heart, Aries, you might need a circle of witnesses to weigh-in. Maybe they’ll see something you can’t. Even if not, it’s nice to talk.
TAURUS
They say there are no stupid questions, Taurus. I’m relieved, because I just asked my boss if it was ok if I just work from home today. He said it would make it pretty hard for me to help customers and stock shelves and so then I asked if maybe we could pivot our model to less of an in-person video rental and more of a remote astrological advice service. I’m pretty sure we got disconnected after that, but it’s possible he hung up on me. Sometimes, Taurus, if you want to be sure of the answer, you just have to be willing to ask.
GEMINI
According to the latest polls, Gemini, my approval rating has plummeted. I’m down 6 points with all demographics and I’ve had a shocking 11 point dive among astrology-believing professionals aged 24-36. I can only assume this is because of my failure to predict your recent personal and professional success that virtually everyone has acknowledged except for…well this is an interesting data point Gemini…that everyone has acknowledged except for you. Give yourself some credit, Gemini. You worked hard for this and now you’re acting like it’s no big deal. Celebrate the win that is your recent progress. And if you’re happy with this horoscope, would you mind filling out a brief survey? It could really help my ratings.
Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained teuthologist, or an authorized dunk-tank clown. Listen to the Mr. Mysterio podcast at mrmysterio.com Or just give him a call at 707-VHS-TAN1.
‘Black Bag’ is brimming with surprising subtleties
BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC
Steven Soderbergh’s spy romance Black Bag lit up theater screens back in March. The film deservedly won strong reviews but failed to bring audiences to the box office. Frankly, it’s their loss, because Black Bag is a refreshingly original take on the spy genre featuring a pairing of great actors as husband-and-wife British spooks whose marital trust issues might compromise national security.
British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) finds himself in an impossible situation: he’s investigating a suspected traitor among his colleagues, and his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) is his prime suspect. A cat-and-mouse chase unfolds between high-tech surveillance centers, quiet boathouses and dinner parties at the couple’s London townhouse, where every guest is also a target for George’s legendary spycraft.
The phrase “black bag” refers to classified information the Woodhouses can’t share even with each other. When careers are built on secrets, they provide perfect cover for infidelity — or treason. Ultimately, Black Bag is a marriage story about secrets, trust and loyalty that transcends personal and national crises.
The talented supporting cast — RegéJean Page, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke and Pierce Brosnan — all play agents harboring their own secrets and motives. George employs his uncanny talent for detecting lies to prevent a deadly disaster involving leaked military tech, but the real challenge is navigating between professional duty and personal loyalty.
This is where Soderbergh’s approach becomes both the film’s greatest strength and its commercial weakness. Black Bag is a taut, smart 90-minute thriller that keeps its cards close to the vest. The director unwinds his spy story with methodical precision, building each twist toward a crescendo that’s as violent as it is romantic. He keeps the pacing brisk and the atmosphere claustrophobic, casting domestic spaces as minefields where one wrong word could end careers — or worse.
I suspect critics celebrated Black Bag for the same reason audiences avoided it: Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp mostly dispense with traditional action sequences. One scene revolves around a pistol hidden in a toolbox, but the gun is never drawn. The only explosion occurs in a flashback montage involving a suicide drone.
Compare this to Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), which features married spies working out their issues through car chases and martial arts, punctuated by maximalist gunplay. Soderbergh is more interested in what his characters reveal through conversation. Thanks to a sharp script and two world-class actors, he delivers an entertain-
ing spy movie that unfolds at kitchen tables and front porches, through surveillance cameras and calendar apps.
Cerebral spy movie fans will embrace
Black Bag ’s surprisingly intricate style. Small details — a ticket stub, a sudden heart attack — ripple from the actions of hidden hands. George and Kathryn can’t see all the pieces or know all the players, but they have tricks of their own. Sometimes the
best defense requires provoking an attack to reveal vulnerability. This proves true in both love and war.
Black Bag is streaming on Peacock.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/ songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.
