Arts & Culture

'Big Fish' Author Pens Fifth Novel

Alex Granados and Frank Stasio — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:18:41 +0000

Daniel Wallace is best known for his debut novel “Big Fish,” which became a Hollywood movie. which became a Hollywood movie and is soon debuting as a musical. But he's written four more novels since then. His latest is called "The Kings and Queens of Roam," and it follows two sisters as they grow up in an imaginary former textile town.

Poet Explores How Childlike "Boyishness" Exists Where You'd Least Expect It

Nicole Campbell and Frank Stasio — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:07:04 +0000

Tanya Olson will tell you that being an eight-year-old child in the world allows you a lot of room to be whoever and whatever you want. You can be a whale, a man, a spaceship, and few will tell you otherwise. After that age though, the feeling doesn't necessarily go away. She explores that desire to transform in her first book of poems, "Boyishly" (YesYes Books, 2013). Tanya Olson is a poet and an English professor at Vance-Granville Community College.

UNC Professor Educates Maya Descendants

Frank Stasio and Alex Granados — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:41:25 +0000

Patricia McAnany had a moment of clarity when a young girl of Maya descent asked her why all the Maya people had to die. McAnany knew that the ancient Maya civilization collapsed in the 8th and 9th centuries, but she also knew that the Maya people continued to exist right up until the modern day.

Mad Men Mondays: Episode 8 Analyzed By Duke's Hartman Center

Laura Candler and Lynn Eaton — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:42:38 +0000

This is a weekly column written by the Hartman Center, part of Duke University's Rubenstein Library that studies advertising history. Each Monday they dig through their archive to find ads for items referenced in the latest Mad Men episode. Here is this week's column (originally posted on their blog) written by Lynn Eaton and the Hartman Center.

Why Do Political Activists Burn Out?

Shawn Wen and Frank Stasio — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:17:30 +0000

Claudia Horwitz was a young political activist who worked to raise awareness around hunger and homelessness. She found a high burn-out rate among activists she worked with it. Through her career, Claudia saw people drop out of political organizing for a variety of reasons, such as exhaustion, lack of progress, illness and addiction.

Local Musician Puts Out New Album With The Dead Tongues

Isaac-Davy Aronson and Frank Stasio — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:35:27 +0000

After spending some time on instrumental projects, Triangle music scene fixture Ryan Gustafson decided it was time to write lyrics again. His latest project is The Dead Tongues, which released an album earlier this year.

Kenny Roby Uses Country And R&B Influences In New Album

Eric Hodge — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:12:04 +0000

Kenny Roby was raised in South Carolina, but he moved to Raleigh as a young adult and began playing music.

He started with a punk band. From there, he formed the influential Six String Drag, which put out two well received country rock records in the late 90s at the same time Whiskey Town was getting rolling.

The Kids Are Alright. In Fact, They're Knitting and Baking Bread!

Shawn Wen and Frank Stasio — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:45:28 +0000

You may have noticed a DIY trend among young people these days. Some are getting into knitting sweaters; others are keeping backyard chicken coups. Otherwise, they are making cheese, canning, beekeeping and growing their own vegetables. These labor-intensive homemaking projects may not be just a trend towards rustic pleasures.

Emily Matchar calls this movement the New Domesticity. And she documents this phenomenon in her new book, "Homeward Bound: Why Women are Embracing the New Domesticity." Generally, she is writing not about people who embrace DIY culture out of necessity, but rather as a voluntary lifestyle.

New Music Incorporates Stories of North Carolina Jews

Isaac-Davy Aronson and Frank Stasio — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:40:02 +0000

The Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina has been collecting the stories of the state's Jews for years. Now, those recorded interviews are part of an original musical composition - "Down Home: The Cantata."

Artists, Events Announced For Raleigh's 'Wide Open Bluegrass' Festival

Gurnal Scott — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:33:25 +0000

Organizers of the World of Bluegrass are gearing up for their inaugural year in North Carolina's capital. They've announced many of the acts and events that will highlight the festival later this year.

Grammy-winner Alison Krauss will join Steve Martin and North Carolina's own Steep Canyon Rangers as featured performers. North Carolina bands like the Grass Cats and Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road will also take center stage at several venues at what's being called the "Wide Open Bluegrass Festival".

But it's not just about the music.