LOCAL RUN CLUB INVITES ’EVERY PACE, EVERY FACE’

Oct 2, 2024 

About 70 novice and seasoned runners strode around Shelby Farms’ Hyde Lake on a rainy Sunday in September.
Faster runners who had finished the loop chatted over a live DJ’s mix. They sipped on celebratory local beer, cheering on every runner finishing after them. It was the one-year anniversary of the 901 Run Club’s first run. Read more.

MEMPHIS ROLLER DERBY OFFERS COMPETITIVE FITNESS ON WHEELS

Apr 1, 2025 

Roller derby is fun and challenging. And it can be intense, says Kendall Olinger, the marketing director and a skater for Memphis Roller Derby (MRD).

Olinger joined the skater-owned and -operated non-profit eight years ago after moving to Memphis and seeking an athletic outlet.

“When I found MRD, I felt like I found my community,” Olinger says. “I found my thing.” Read more.

BORN TO DANCE

Oct 2, 2024

Answorth Robinson, 73, has been dancing since sixth grade when he and two classmates choreographed a routine to perform in a youth talent competition at the Arkansas State Fair.

Several decades later, Robinson, a former professional dancer trained in jazz, tap, and ballet, still loves all forms of dance. That love for dance inspires him to teach 12 dance classes a week in the Memphis area. Read more.

BRINGING FITNESS TO THE CLASSROOM

May 1, 2025

Three years ago, Lauren Mueller was challenged to share one of her passions with her students at Crosstown High School through a hands-on learning class.

Mueller, a writing teacher and coordinator of the school’s APEX program, a space for students to explore interests outside of traditional learning, took the opportunity to bring her love for wellness into the classroom. Read more.

Photos courtesy of Tindall Stephens

“There is No Line”: The Troubled State of Our Immigrant Community

Sep. 6, 2018

Oscar spent his ninth birthday alone in a Florida detention center for immigrant minors, eating tortillas and ham. He’s been detained at the Homestead, Florida, shelter and separated from his dad, Kevin, since mid-May. Read more.

Abortion Battle Lines

Aug. 15, 2019

If abortion had not been an option for former addict Ashley Howell when she unexpectedly got pregnant two years ago, she might have relapsed. She wasn’t in a good place and was not ready to have a child. Read more.

Poverty in a Pandemic

Apr. 29, 2020

As COVID-19 rampages through the country, its effects are disproportionately affecting people in disenfranchised communities — those living in poverty, the undocumented, certain African-American neighborhoods — and the children in these communities. Read more.

“Like Trying to End Rain”: Working to Solve Homelessness in Memphis

Feb. 20, 2020

On a recent rainy Wednesday afternoon, Reggie, wearing an oversized poncho and carrying a backpack full of his belongings, walked into St. Mary’s Episcopal Church to attend a H.O.P.E. meeting. Read more.

Photos courtesy of Justin Fox Burks

Black and Proud

Jul. 8, 2020

Beyond police brutality and systemic racism, Black people, because of their hairstyles, music of choice, sexual orientation, and culture, often face discrimination, microaggressions, and prejudice in everyday life. Read more.

Making His Mark

April 2, 2020

Anyone who ventures down the right streets in Memphis and comes across enough art-adorned walls and buildings is likely to see the work of Michael Roy, more commonly known as Birdcap. Read more

When It Takes Form

Dec. 10, 2019

An occasional purr from the cats in the next room hums along with the Little Dragon album playing in the background of the small studio. Outfitted much like a laboratory, the room has large and small instruments lying about or hanging in dedicated places on the wall. Read more.

Local Treasure: Home Court Advantage

Feb. 17, 2020

A few cracks, likely caused by wear and tear from hundreds of feet and thousands of balls, run through the dark-green tennis surface. On the far end of the seasoned court, a brick wall, also painted green but a few shades lighter, boasts “Epiphany Court” in black letters.  Read more.

Photos taken by me