Valentine’s Day is just around the corner; that most vibrantly-hued demi-god of holidays that ensures a sugar rush and an inevitable bittersweet feeling of both overly-saccharin sentiment and sickeningly sticky bitterness. Row upon on row of discount treats in all their glorious vermillion cellophane will soon bombard the clearance isles and charm their way, if not to our hearts, then our eager bellies. All the confection of red and pink making you blue? Love comes in all packages my friends – with and without labels and bows.
Louisville is no stranger to writers sharing their talent. Our city’s cup overfloweth with the bounty of words, poetry and local voices lifting up their words to the ceiling for the pleasure of our eager ears. I would know, as I am making quite a nice a career seeking them out and writing about their writing. And while December and January may have been rather “lean months” for those on the prowl for some free and tasty literary tidbits, the Spring harvest is ripe for picking, my friends!
Oh, to stop and smell the roses…In the hustle and bustle of this day and age, our machine-minded, fast-paced locomotive bodies are far more likely to blindly trample every innocent flora in our path rather than saunter slowly in admiration of their delicate scent. But vegetation shapes our metallic world and wired-up psyches far more than we give them credit; we have many a tree to thank for shade and paper and clothing and food and oxygen – yes, that’s a pretty big one, too.
Louisville loves its boroughs. Ask any Louisvillian well-settled into the beat of the city and they will readily identify their geographical roots within the realms of River City’s myriad and vibrantly-varied neighborhood communities. I cut my teeth in the East End, a safe – albeit stereotypically bland – atmosphere of well-oiled machines, manicured people and strip malls of various ages. The burbs are a good place to ride your bike when you’re little. Now, several years into the prime of my adult life, my heart lies in Old Louisville.
My Grandfather was seventeen-years-old when the city of Louisville was swallowed alive by the surging waters of the Ohio some seven decades ago. The pictures are old and grainy – depicting a Louisville in a faded mantle of sepia and smoke that looks so unfamiliar to the streets we now traipse by heart. I pass flood markers everyday on my bus trek to work, shifting a sleepy gaze on the tin sign bolted to the corner streetlight of 4th and York. The water level was high; the bottom of the sign grazing a measurement well into a comfortable swimming level.
I just can’t get over how ridiculously cute Spoon and the Moon: A Naughty Fairy Tale is. Spoon and the Moon is the latest endeavor by Wickedly Sisters creative team, and it has Louisville all over it. It’s a tale set in Louisvillle, featuring Louisville artists and musicians, displayed as an E-book in app form. It’s also full of fun facts and history tidbits about the Derby city.
The first month of the New Year is winding to a sleepy-eyed close; most folks have long since shook the Holiday hangover and found solace in the quiet lull following a freshly-minted year. But let us not grow bland as we settle into a comfortable grind! After a healthy Holiday hibernation, Sarabande Books’ 21c Reading Series is bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to spice up your Monday nights once more. The 2012 series premiere starts tonight at 7:30pm, and poets H.L.
There is more to Kentucky than just fast horses and good bourbon – although, quite frankly, a healthy epicurean doesn’t really need much more than that. It is an unfortunate fact that much of our fair and famously Blue-grassed state is overshadowed by sad images of poverty and poor education in the eyes of our neighbors. But Kentucky’s historical contributions are a vibrant and potent mixture of culture, innovation and progress. Long before our whiskey changed the world, Kentucky was moving and shaking in the young republic. Historian James A.
As I have mentioned recently, delectable bites and delicious books often go hand-in-hand; rich words and rich food both satisfy our bodies with the delights of their palate-pleasing plumpness. Despite our well-known and collective dependency on the drive-thru (and ill-penned fluff), the trend of whole foods, good foods and adventurous eats are all trending in a positive pulse with those in the know.
Honey is one of those rare substances that makes just about everything magical; a subtle and delicate sidekick of amber glory that accompanies both the sweet and the savory with a gentle boost of love. Pancakes? Of course. English muffin? Duh. Lamb? Slather it up! Liquid gold shining sweet and decadent; a slow, sultry syrup that makes the simplest of dishes indulgent. I’m a fan. And while I have yet to baste a book in the lovely natural confection, honey and writers apparently go hand-in-hand. Good fortune!
