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From Almeda to Zilphia: 

June 5, 2024

Arkansas Women Who Transformed American Popular SongBy Stephen Koch • Illustrated by Katherine Strause  By Erin Wood Bonnie Dodd became known as a songwriter and steel guitar player, particularly in country and Western swing music. Nicknamed “Little Blossom” by iconic singing cowboy Tex Ritter, her songs of heartbreak have been recorded by everyone from country music legend Hank Williams to the family gospel group The Staple Singers (“I’ll Take You There”).

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From Almeda To Zilphia: Arkansas Women Who Transformed American Popular Song

March 2, 2024

By Erin WoodArkansongs, the award-winning syndicated radio program examining Arkansas people, places, and especially its music, celebrated its 25th year on February 18 at The University of Central Arkansas’s Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.  With storytelling and musical entertainment by Arkansongs writer-host Stephen Koch, the program featured Arkansas musicians Almeda (aka “Granny”) Riddle, Jimmy Driftwood, Sippie Wallace, Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Black Oak Arkansas, and many others. 

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We Are Animals: Essays on the Nature and Politics of Motherhood

November 25, 2023

By Erin WoodConway resident and UCA Creative Writing professor Jennifer Case’s book We Are Animals: Essays on the Nature and Politics of Motherhood will be published in September 2024 with Trinity University Press.  We Are Animals examines key moments in Case’s life where the conflicts between her identities of being a child-bearing mammal and a woman in twenty-first-century America (with one of the highest maternal death rates among developed countries

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Arkansas Books: “Quantum Pearls: Finding Spiritual Wisdom in the Mundane Moments”

November 9, 2023

By Erin Wood A long list of accolades makes up the curriculum vitae of Dr. Christopher M. Jones: MIT-educated rocket scientist, holder of four additional degrees including one in physics and another in math from Morehouse College, ordained minister, and first African American gubernatorial nominee by a major party in Arkansas. He also takes great pride in being the father of three daughters and the husband of emergency medicine physician

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“One True Scrapper” by Kaden Peebles

August 1, 2023

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

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“From Cotton to Silk” by Crystal Mercer

July 3, 2023

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,

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“Unstuck”

June 1, 2023

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

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Cypress Knees and Tupelo Trees

May 6, 2023

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

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The Celebrate! Maya Project

April 8, 2023

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

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Arkansas Books: Easter Books

February 27, 2023

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

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Arkansas Books Winter’s Reckoning

November 26, 2022

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

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Beanies, Ball Caps, and Being Bald

October 2, 2022

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

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“The Nutcracker”  Courtesy of Edmond Cooper Photo Design by Rhonda Panasenko  There’s something magical about this time of year in Hot Springs! As the holiday season draws near, the Hot Springs Children’s Dance Theatre Company is hard at work preparing for its annual production of “The Nutcracker”—a beloved holiday tradition that brings

Celebrate the Season in Style 

Annie Smith and Melodi Cone of The Velvet Attic Boutique bring a Western Chic touch to fall with horse graphics, flowing maxi skirts, statement belts, and boots. Navy, taupe, and black reflect the season, while turquoise jewelry and fringe add personality.  November brings a shift in fashion as holiday gatherings,

Feast Month – November 1 – 30 

Give Our Advertisers a Taste of Your Support!  Hot Springs celebrates the Spa City’s diverse restaurant scene during Feast Month – November 1- 30, which means three things: it’s time to redeem restaurant deals, dine at your favorite spots, and vote for your favorite restaurants – from best BBQ to best

Fall Provides Perfect Weather for Hiking and Biking Our Trails 

Located just minutes from downtown Hot Springs, the Northwoods District is one of eight exciting districts in the local trail system. It features 31+ miles of trails around Bethel, Dillon, and Sanderson lakes for mountain biking, hiking, and trail running.   The Northwoods District is directly accessible from historic downtown and