The arts have many purposes, one of which is coming to the aid of fundraiser themes. This month, literature is the fine art that underscores the theme for a benefit for Community Enabler.
“The Parade,” the new novel from Dave Eggers, is about progress; it is a subtle contemplation of the dire effect that progress can have on its surroundings. This is all tied up in a plot that is worthy of, say, an absurdist like Samuel Beckett.
Nathan Englander’s new novel “kaddish.com” is a contemporary fable of redemption and forgiveness. It quietly pays tribute to classic works of Bernard Malamud and Philip Roth, as well as Englander’s own exquisite novel from 2017, “Dinner at the Center of the Earth.”
A dozen stand-alone essays come together to turn “Black Is the Body,” the new book from scholar Emily Bernard, into a most exquisitely written and poignant memoir, a memoir that questions identity, race and what it is to be a woman in America.
A silent auction on April 5 at the Anniston Country Club will feature artworks by several prominent local artists.
The War and Treaty is both the musical and literal marriage of Michael and Tanya Trotter. Their union is characterized by soulful hymns with gospel roots and tinges of folk. Tanya’s soaring vocals complete this timeless and never-tired collaboration.
“Lost Children Archive,” the latest novel from Valeria Luiselli, is as timely as it is challenging. It confronts the current American political landscape even as it gauges echoes of the waning American dream.
Music can enliven the spirit or sooth the soul. Two upcoming concerts offer both. First United Methodist Church in Anniston is hosting the Highland Consort, a Birmingham-based choral ensemble, on April 5. The Jacksonville State University A Cappella Choir and the JSU Chamber Winds will perfo…
Tokyo Police Club has been a band on the rise, inked record deals and watched the recorded music business both collapse and begin to reinvent itself. They’ve emerged on the other side a nimble collective dedicated more to creativity than commerce.
Last Sunday, this column highlighted Anniston as a potential “Bike City, USA.” This week is on “The Marble City” — Sylacauga. And judging from all of the concerts coming up in the area I unofficially declare Oxford, Anniston and Jacksonville “Music Cities”!
How art can both enhance and hinder our lives in unexpected ways is the absolute essence of “The Weight of a Piano” by Chris Cander. The novel’s chapters alternate between the experiences of one woman whose troubled life is kept at bay by the music she can draw from the piano and the experie…
The invitation is out: Come on in to the concert hall, the theater and the art exhibits this month. The arts are expecting you.
Let’s just get this out of the way as soon as possible. It is highly unlikely that “‘Broadsword Calling Danny Boy’: Watching ‘Where Eagles Dare,’” Geoff Dyer’s new book, resembles any book that anyone has ever come across.
Catherine Britt is an artist on the rise. Her authentic country style evokes 1940s Nashville and painstaking takes in smoky recording studios. Her aching vocals puts one in mind of a younger Dolly Parton, while her guitar playing wouldn’t sound out of place on a jukebox in your downtown neig…
If you have any doubt that theater communicates on a universal level, you may change your mind after seeing four area upcoming shows. These productions bring messages about morals, commitment, what’s really important in life and family complications at weddings. Light or serious in mood, the…
Dani Shapiro is the author of five novels and four previous memoirs. “Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love,” her new book, is likely to become her best known as well as be remembered as her most moving.
Brent Cobb is an artist on the cusp of many things. His fan base is expanding, his stage presence is immaculate and his songwriting craft is in a true creative ascent. He'll be at Saturn in Birmingham on Thursday at 8 p.m., and fans can expect an artist in true control of his career and arti…
The written word, acting and local history intersect next month with a play in Gadsden based on a favorite American novel and a presentation on the entertainment scene from the 1880s through the 1950s in Anniston. Both events promise to be not only enlightening but enchanting (especially in …
Chris Hammer’s career as a journalist for over 30 years certainly sets him in good stead in “Scrublands,” his first novel. A native Australian, Hammer has covered his country’s national politics as well as international affairs. Already a bestseller in Australia, “Scrublands” is now newly pu…
“Bama” is a parody trailer of the Oscar-nominated movie — but with an Alabama twist
'Raisin in the Sun' will be the first CAST play to have an African-American director.
In colder weather, it’s time to enjoy some bright, indoor attractions. This weekend offers three events with three different art forms and venues, all with one goal: to support our community’s artists and their hard work for our entertainment.
This month seems to be a time of fresh starts and new beginnings in area arts. Susie Dempsey’s three pianos have just returned to her Jacksonville home, waiting for new melodies after the March 19 tornado. A quilt display including an Alabama Bicentennial quilt will open later this month fea…
To read “Elsey Come Home,” the new novel from Susan Conley, is to come into contact with any search for self that any individual might ever have experienced. The novel is an intimate declaration of independence. It’s a story told many times over, true, but Conley tells it with such understan…
In the past year since her feature film “Best Mom” premiered, former Anniston resident Meg Weidner has been on an emotional roller coaster. “I probably need to make a playbook about what to do, and what not to do, for the next go-around,” she said. “In order to minimize the stress and maximi…
