It’s a challenge to find new ways each year to tell the timeless story of Christ’s birth. But through the skill of singers and instrumentalists performing time-honored and new compositions, it’s possible to experience anew the wonder of Christmas.
“The Cheffe,” the new novel from Marie NDiaye, has at its center a female culinary artist determined to make her way in a traditionally male profession.
The sights and sounds of Christmas are already with us. Visual merriment is available now at the Magic of Lights show in Oxford, while a more meditative lights event is the Anniston Civitan Club’s Luminary on Dec. 7 at Forestlawn Gardens.
This year, a record number of 45 local children will be on stage when the Knox Concert Series presents the Alabama Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” holiday ballet. The young dancers, who range in age from 7 to 15, will appear in Act 1 as partygoers as well as soldiers and mouse warrio…
“Olive, Again” is Elizabeth Strout’s continuation of the life of her most cantankerous and best-known creation.
“Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA” is the astonishing first-hand account of one woman’s literal and figurative initiation into adulthood during her nearly two decades as a member of the CIA. It is also the equally absorbing account of the emotional price she paid by accepting that a…
There’s much to be said for going to area arts events this month. Several works on display at Nunnally’s Custom Frame and Gallery in Anniston reflect various vistas from countries near and far. Viewers can share the experiences of world travel in one afternoon without even leaving the galler…
With Christmas lights, quantity usually means quality, and Oxford has more than a million lights ready to show off this week.
“The World That We Knew” continues to explore the ideas that readers have come to expect from the works of Alice Hoffman. Like those before it, this novel is about mothers and daughters, good and evil, magic and faith. It is very much about survival, too — take a minute to think about the us…
Let’s cheer and energize our spirits early in the holiday season by attending two concerts and a comedy this week. There are inspiring melodies in a community chorus performance, powerful and passionate works in an orchestra presentation, and laughable lines in a theater production.
It would be fair to say that established norms in the music business are gone. In their place are new charts, DIY musicians and tech-savvy artists with innovation only a few keystrokes away. A new generation has created musical landscapes that are chopped beats and distorted notes without sa…
Dance music has morphed into an essential element in a new cultural interchange. Where BPMs and late-night clubs once stood lonely, there now exist entire ecosystems with layers of fashion, art in uncountable mediums and, of course, music. The underground is becoming a louder voice, taking o…
The title of “Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy” pretty much says it all. The book is certainly not meant to be an exhaustive biography of one of the South’s most admired contemporary literary voices.
The Rembrandts have a new album and plans to tour in early 2020. The new songs are strong; each one is rooted in the jangly style the duo is known for, but also drenched in near-mint harmonization.
The origin of Hillyer High, known as the “on the mountain” residential section of Anniston, is a part of local history that says much about our citizens and their contributions to the area’s development. This is the subject of Tuesday’s program at the Calhoun County Historical Society meetin…
The queen for this year’s Maskers ball was Jessica McCauley. She was escorted by her husband, Arlin McCauley.
There are certain mediums in entertainment that take us to another place in our mind and memory as they shift our emotions from melancholy, to peace, to excitement. Several offerings this month — a concert, church tours and an art exhibit — have the power to help us imagine and enjoy as the…
The latest book from Ann Patchett, “The Dutch House,” is one of the most satisfying novels of the year. It’s very much about family, forgiveness and the myriad meanings of inheritance.
Janiva Magness is an artist adept at playing many roles. Her chief endeavor is that of blues chanteuse and keeper of the flame for the legends who lived those songs and travelled our country’s dusty trails. She’s also a published author and passionate advocate for at-risk children.
While the temperatures outside are dropping, the volume of entertainment events is rising. This afternoon, First Baptist Church of Oxford is on tour as part of the Oxford Historic Church Tour. On Nov. 3, Lakeview Baptist Church welcomes visitors into their sanctuary to see 12 lovely stained …
“The Guardians,” the newest legal thriller from John Grisham, a true wizard of the form, is certainly not going to disappoint. Fans of the author are going to find it wholly satisfying, even as Grisham seems to be rather subtly experimenting with the genre that has afforded him the acclaim h…
From haunted houses to pumpkin patches, we've got you covered.
On a night characterized with dark skies and near biblical rain, the difference inside the BJCC Concert Hall in Birmingham on Monday couldn’t have more striking. Bastille and indie rocker cohorts Joywave electrified with a jaunty show that disproved the notion that technology is slowly killi…
It’s finally fall, and there’s creativity in music, architecture and visual art coming up this month.
