“Children of Dust,” the new novel from Alabama native Marlin Barton, is by turns deeply moving and acutely chilling.
You may not see the names of the most heroic responders to the 9/11 tragedy in a history book, or take interactive exercises in a science class on the earth’s natural forces. But these are the focus of two exhibits — one open now, one planned — that cause us to reflect on a monumental histo…
“Children of Dust,” the new novel from Alabama native Marlin Barton, is by turns deeply moving and acutely chilling.
The Read Southall Band has a new album coming out Oct. 22. Envision being in the crowd at a young Merle Haggard show and realizing what was to come.
The eight stories that comprise “Skinship: Stories,” the debut collection by Yoon Choi, continue to astound long after their final pages.
Songwriter, pianist and singer Tim McDonald is known for his preference for country music, but he enjoys writing for and performing many genres. He is from Virginia but he has many contacts in Alabama, particularly in Calhoun County.
When many of us re-assessed our lives during the pandemic, we felt the need to be stimulated, to be creative. Going to the movies or reading a book stimulated us. And isn’t that also true when we’re listening to music?
“The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois” is the first novel from poet Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. Its scope is at once ambitious and intimate as it reveals the epic past and the singular present of one African American family.
Music and history bring people together this fall in Oxford and Anniston. A chorus led by a newly appointed director meets to plan its concert season Sept. 13 in Oxford, while a historical society offers a program and meeting Sept. 14 in Anniston centering on the restoration of a landmark theater.
Multiple awards have been given to singer and composer Randy Owen, whom a planned performing arts center at Jacksonville State University honors, while four restaurants vie for the award of championship cook in Main Street Anniston’s Fourth Friday cooking competition Aug. 27.
Sam Williams, 24, resisted being a musician for a while, refusing to trade on the names of his grandfather, Hank Williams, or father, Hank Jr.
The stories that comprise “Filthy Animals,” the intriguingly titled collection by Brandon Taylor, all examine the wintery emotional lives of people living in America’s upper Midwest.
“The Hidden Palace” continues Helene Wecker’s epic tale of both the lower East Side of New York City and the Middle East at the start of the 20th century.
Some will initially think Richard Flanagan’s “The Living Sea of Waking Dreams” to be an uneasy mash-up of two separate genres. That is much too hasty a judgment to make about this extraordinary new work.
Thanks to skillful, gifted and knowledgeable people in our community, we have access to attractions and information that shape and enliven our everyday lives. A multimedia choral work has just been started by composer Annie Brunson, while those interested in family history can get one-on-one…
Bailey Coats is a name I ran across from time to time while covering music in the state of Alabama. That’s testament to her yeoman’s approach to touring and releasing new music from Birmingham. She has a new project rolling out, and I’m pleased that I finally got a chance to speak with her. …
When a couple reaches 50 years in their marriage, a party is usually held.. I’m having a party, too, to celebrate 50 years of arts writing for The Anniston Star.
“Light Perpetual,” the new work from Francis Spufford, author of “Golden Hill,” is a literary novel about everyday life.
Don’t head out to the beach yet! There are two worthwhile events coming up to take in locally. “Nunsense,” a musical comedy, is so ridiculous it’s funny … while “Ducks, Dogs, and Decoys,” a new exhibit at Anniston Museum of Natural History, is educational and serious.
A certain portrait on the second floor of the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County reminds us of a life lived with success, learning and appreciation. The same can be true for the ongoing life of a museum complex in our community, but with the important addition of volunteers.
The plot of “The Plot,” the new thriller from Jean Hanff Korelitz, is an indisputable doozy, plain and simple.
Some people will try to argue that “How Lucky,” Will Leitch’s winning new novel, is as strapped by its premise as its leading character is to his wheelchair. Even Daniel, the novel’s disarming narrator, insists from the outset, “My life is not a thriller. My life is the opposite of a thrille…
Accomplishments in music and theater are high on the arts list this month. The performers’ success offers two benefits: the personal rewards of reaching their goals, and the pleasure audiences gain in attending their concerts and productions.
