By Erin Wood“The book is a love story to the town that made me,” says debut author and Nashville, AR, native Kaden Peebles regarding the July 11 release of her book One True Scrapper: A Memoir of Childhood Cancer, Good Eyeliner, and a Fighting Spirit from Et Alia Press. “I hope it will help others fighting cancer or facing challenges of any kind.” Soon Peebles will begin her second year
By Erin Wood“A feast for the eyes and the spirit of all Black children. Mercer has blended fine art, quilting, and literary excellence,” says fiber artist and storyteller Bisa Butler about Little Rock poet and textile artist Crystal C. Mercer’s children’s book, From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair. On Juneteenth, the book was released in paperback. About the paperback release, Crystal shares, “Based on a true story,
By Erin Wood “Our brains are wired to avoid risks and first steps in new projects,” Benton author and motivational speaker Cara Brookins shares. “But Unstuck provides a proven system to work with our brains to overcome this avoidance and get big things done.” In her new guide to overcoming procrastination and reshaping the way readers think about productivity, Brookins shares how to reach goals that once seemed impossible. Released
By Erin Wood “Take a minute to look and listen to the world around you because you never know what you will discover,” says Cathy Melvin, a resident of Hensley, Arkansas, and author and illustrator of the children’s book Cypress Knees and Tupelo Trees: Discovering Plants and Animals of the Swamp. Released on Earth Day, April 22, it introduces readers to nearly 50 plants and animals living alongside two majestic
By Erin WoodThe Celebrate! Maya Project—a nonprofit started in 2014 with the goal of promoting the life, contributions, and history of Dr. Maya Angelou and helping youth find their voices and prepare for successful futures—has recently announced a three-year capital campaign to raise $600k. About the Campaign, founder Janis F. Kearney says, “When 11 brave women came together nine years ago to create a day of remembrance for Dr. Maya
By Erin Wood This Easter, if you’re looking to fill baskets with local creations, two books by Arkansas writers may be just what you’re searching for. Kids and adults alike will marvel at The Exquisite Egg: One Artist’s Embellished Creations, featuring images of over 100 blown hen, goose, duck, turkey, emu, and ostrich eggs, transformed by maker Isabel Anthony into striking works of art through embellishment with decoupage, paint, Austrian
By Erin Wood Debut central Arkansas novelist Dr. Adele Holmes was a practicing pediatrician before retiring to write Winter’s Reckoning, released this fall. In pre-publication, it won honorable mention in the William Faulkner Literary Competition and first place in the Chanticleer International Book Awards—Goethe Award. Her book’s protagonist, Madeline Fairbanks, is an early 1900s herbalist healer in the American South whose progressive views about race, education, and women’s rights are
By Erin WoodLittle Rock author and past Little Rock School District Teacher of the Year Tracy Peterson’s second children’s book, Beanies, Ball Caps, and Being Bald: Different Isn’t Bad, Different Is Just Different was released at the end of Alopecia Awareness Month on September 27. Peterson says, “It has been such a meaningful experience to share my brave former first-grade student Matthew Shelby’s experience of being diagnosed with alopecia and
By Erin WoodThe Six Bridges Book Festival has recently announced another thrilling author lineup for October 20-30, 2022. This annual festival of the Central Arkansas Library System features dozens of renowned national and international authors for adults and children, as well as interactive sessions, cooking workshops, exhibitions, and other special events. One of the featured authors, Janis F. Kearney, has a long literary history in Arkansas, including being appointed by
What the Marriage of Two Couples Therapists Reveals About Risk, Transformation, and the Astonishing Healing Power of Intimacy By Erin WoodMaumelle author and therapist Dr. Judy Tiesel-Jensen has won the prestigious Nautilus Book Award as well as an Independent Publisher Book Award for her book, Invitation to Intimacy: What the Marriage of Two Couples Therapists Reveals About Risk, Transformation, and the Astonishing Healing Power of Intimacy, released November 16, 2022.
By Erin Wood Following the Oscar’s slap heard ‘round the world, public recognition quickly grew for a condition that impacts millions of Americans: alopecia. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease impacting the skin, which causes hair loss on the scalp, face, and other areas of the body. It affects as many as 6.8 million people in the US, and is not limited
By Erin Wood Just over a year ago, on March 20, 2021, Crystal C. Mercer’s children’s book From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair launched on the birthday of her late grandmother, in whose honor she sewed the book’s pages. Reflecting 467 hours of hand-stitching, the textile renderings that became the book’s pages incorporate fabrics Mercer studied as part of her graduate work in Ghana, Africa, textured with
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“Moku Playland” Photo of Kate Zunick Courtesy of Hot Springs Sister City Kate Zunick relaxes in one of the most beloved features of the Moku Playland exhibit — a giant wooden “hot springs” tub filled with hundreds of smooth wooden balls inspired by the bubbling thermal waters of Hot Springs. Hidden somewhere among the
Moku Playland Pop-Up Opens June 1 with Interactive, Screen-Free Fun for Families Families and visitors to downtown Hot Springs will have the opportunity to experience a unique style of hands-on play this summer as Moku Playland opens June 1 for a special month-long pop-up at 831 Central Avenue. Open Thursday-Tuesday
The Hot Springs Fire Department entry nears the finish line in the 2025 Running of the Tubs. — Courtesy Visit Hot Springs The lineup is complete for the 2026 Stueart Pennington World Championship Running of the Tubs bathtub races through historic downtown Hot Springs. The race starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday,
Where are we?” Missy Conry and Melissa Stevens By Missy Conry & Melissa StevensCan you spot where we took this picture? Take a selfie in front of the same mural and text to 501-651-0545 for a free drop-in class! You can also text us for hints if you need a clue. As we reflect
