MemphisFlyer 03/05/2026

LIVING IN LUXURY

SATURDAYS IN MARCH | 6PM – 10PM

100 POINTS = 1 ENTRY

ONE FREE ENTRY DAILY

Earn entries Now – March 28 (MAX 10 PER DAY)

GRAND PRIZE

WEEKLY DRAWINGS |

10PM

10 MEMBERS ARE DRAWN TO WIN CASH, FREE PLAY, OR A LUXURY GRAND PRIZE

Grand Prizes include...

March 7 – Home Theater Package

March 14 – Premium Massage Chair

March 21 – Outdoor Jacuzzi

March 28 – $250,000 IN COLD HARD CASH

Hourly drawings in March from 6pm to 9pm to win FREE PLAY! SCAN TO LEARN MORE

SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief

ALEX GREENE Managing Editor, Music Editor

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editor

TOBY SELLS

Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor

MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers

KIMBERLY HAM Calendar Editor, Copy Editor

JESSE DAVIS, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, AJ KRATZ, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters

GRACIE DRIVER Editorial Intern

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director

NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer

KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, SHAUNE MCGHEE Senior Account Executives

JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution

KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101

Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com

CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC.

ANNA TRAVERSE Chief Executive Officer

LYNN SPARAGOWSKI

Controller/Circulation Manager

JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer

MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer

KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director

Spring Arts Guide

Courtside Vacancy

Support Local Free Press

We’re always independent. We’re always free — we won’t ever charge you for a copy of the Flyer, or for access to our website. And we strive to keep you informed about and connected to our city.

Whether you can help in the form of a few dollars a month or a larger one-time contribution, you’ll be making a di erence. ink of this as an investment in our shared future.

If you are not in a position to give nancially, there are other ways you can support the Flyer — such as by patronizing and supporting our advertisers, by reading and sharing our work, and by passing along this message to others.

Above all, thank you for being part of our community. We’re in this together.

fly-by

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Memphis on the internet.

WHOLESOME

e Memphis10

subreddit usually focuses on street drama. What gang member is bee ng with who? Who stole whose gold chain?

Who’s posing with guns and money on Instagram? is week, though, the community was just there for each other. ey talked about litter in poor neighborhoods, sought advice about what to do when “this bitch gave me herpes,” advice on how to nd out if a baby is yours, sports (“Grizzlies so fuckin weak”), and u/Empty_Lobster_9300 wondered generally “How’s work and life been for y’all?”

UNWHOLESOME

Tmoney SoFunny popped up in “Memphis Forgotten” Facebook group last week. And it was worth another look.

Back around 2022, he was cranking hilarious Reels from his “If [Some Movie] Was in Memphis” series. e Color Purple. Scarface. Barbershop. John Q. We can’t print the hilarious (and downright unwholesome) insults here. But check them out (and grab your headphones if you’re at work).

DOLPH AND YO

“A DJ got the internet talking a er spinning Young Dolph at a Moneybagg Yo celebration party,” Traps N Trunks tweeted last week. “And Memphis folks got opinions heavy.”

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

ACLU, Trooper Surge, & xAI

e city sued for public records denial, cops up and wrecks down, and another founder leaves.

MEDICAL INEQUITIES

A bill that would prohibit health care providers from refusing pregnancyrelated care based on their “right of conscience” was introduced in the Tennessee legislature.

e Maternal Health Care Protection Act seeks to protect expecting mothers from discrimination from health care providers. Lawmakers said this is in response to the state’s historically high maternal mortality rate.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tennessee had the highest maternal mortality rate in the country from 2018 to 2022.

Tennessee Highway Patrol said about eight troopers were assigned to Shelby County in 2009. at number could be 100 next year.

Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), the senate bill sponsor, said these deaths were preventable, a result of systemic inequities like medical racism, gaps in coverage, delayed treatment, and other factors.

“ is bill directly addresses the dangers pregnant women face when a doctor decides to engage in cultural wars rather than the professional oath they swore upon,” Oliver said.

ACLU SUES CITY FOR RECORDS

Memphis drew a lawsuit from advocates a er a “blanket denial” of records requests about police use of force and drew an accusation that city leaders have made no real police reforms.

e American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Stand for Children Tennessee led the suit last week. e groups said the city failed to answer a request for public records sent in May 2025. at request sought to review whether or not the Memphis Police Department (MPD) “has taken any steps to address misconduct and civil rights violations identi ed in the 2024 Department of Justice report.” at scathing report began in the wake of the police killing of Tyré Nichols in 2023. e report found that MPD used excessive force; conducted unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; unlawfully discriminated against Black people; and unlawfully discriminated in their responses to people with behavioral health disabilities.

e ACLU said it seeks routine records that departments are required to maintain under MPD policy. Speci cally, the group wants use-of-force reports and eld investigation memos.

THP: TROOPERS LOWER CRASHES

e Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) linked increased trooper positions in Shelby County to a “massive decrease” in fatal car crashes on interstates here.

e topic arose in a Senate budget hearing last week. THP Col. Matt Perry said in 2009, eight THP troopers were assigned to Shelby County. By 2023, nearly 50 troopers were assigned here and the number now is closer to 75. If lawmakers approve the agency’s additional budget request, Perry said that number would rise to around 100.

He linked those higher trooper counts to decreases in fatal crashes. In 2023, the county saw 259 fatal crashes, Perry said. In 2024, there were 219. In 2025, there were 143.

ANOTHER x AI FOUNDER LEAVES

Engineer Toby Pohlen — the one who created the xAI logo — was the seventh xAI co-founder to leave over the past three years when he resigned last week.

e departures have been amicable, as far as the public tweets from the co-founders suggest. Speculation in the tech press reads them as aligning with indications that SpaceX, xAI’s parent company, will go public.

Pohlen shared on X last year the he designed the xAI logo. On that post, another xAI engineer, Christopher Stanley, said that he and Pohlen “have watched ducks walk through a hotel lobby together. True story.” at can only be a reference to e Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

G R A C E L A N D . C O M

By Toby Sells

{ STATE WATCH

Hunting in the City

State GOP seeks to limit local governments on gun laws.

State lawmakers want to legalize hunting in the Memphis city limits.

Even though this goes against city law, state lawmakers say the rule has been on the books. A new bill to allow hunting inside any city limit across the state would only explicitly create a law to satisfy a recent court decision on duck hunters in East Tennessee.

Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) brought the legislation before a Senate committee last Wednesday. He said it asserts the state’s authority to regulate “taking wildlife” in Tennessee and “prevents locals from passing ordinances to the contrary.”

Six duck hunters in Sweetwater ran afoul of a local law recently. e court agreed the hunters broke city law in the case and were charged with hunting on private property, he said.

ment to be 100 yards away from the nearest structure. He said such requirements “are less likely to create hunting opportunities” in urban settings as opposed to rural areas.

“As far as a general sentiment on whether or not someone’s using rearms for a lawful purpose, it’s not the domain of a city council or a county commission to determine if the Second Amendment is being used appropriately,” Lowe said. “It’s their authority to regulate public safety and those laws are not touched by this bill.”

“ ey had abided by all of the restrictions necessary to safely hunt in those environments,” Lowe said. “ e only thing that they were in violation of was the city ordinance on the discharge of the rearm. is is to clear up what was found by the court all because the state law did not expressly clarify this. “ at’s the purpose of this bill.”

Memphis’ gun law does not allow for hunting.

“It shall be a misdemeanor to discharge any pistol, gun or rearm of any description within the city, except in self defense or while executing some law, or within a legally established gun range or shooting gallery,” the law reads.

e law even makes it a misdemeanor to discharge any “air gun, air pistol, air ri e or BB gun” inside the city, except at a legally established target range or shooting gallery. It is even a misdemeanor to discharge “any replica gun, or realistic toy gun” within the city.

Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) asked how Lowe’s bill would a ect “larger populated cities like Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, or Nashville, where someone may not understand that someone is hunting and could confuse someone having a ri e with a public safety situation.”

Lowe said legal restrictions on ring a gun would kick in, like the require-

Memphis’ gun laws do not allow for hunting.

e bill undermines that authority, said Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville).

“ is bill removes local ability to adopt reasonable safety measures that t the unique geography, con guration, population density, and nature of their communities,” Campbell said. “While I can understand in the scenario that the sponsor brings up that this might actually be a viable bill, I’m not sure that it’s a one-size- ts-all kind of approach when we’re thinking about really populated areas like Nashville.”

Tennessee Wildlife Federation ofcial Horace Tipton said local governments would still have the ability to enforce state criminal gun laws on things like reckless discharge of a rearm. He explained the bill only covered hunters “as long as they’re lawfully hunting.”

Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) emphasized that the law does not change anything.

“We’re not taking anything away from the locals,” Pody said. “ ey still can make sure a safe thing is done. We’re just kind of keeping things status quo.”

Lowe agreed, but clari ed: “We’re making it clear that this is one of those situations where we have not granted authority to locals to regulate hunting and shing and the activities thereof.”

At Dermatology East, led by Dr. Michael Schneider and Dr. Luella Churchwell, we are pleased to welcome Kayla Spidle, a certified laser technician and certified surgical technologist with years of advanced experience in medical laser treatments, dedicated to delivering safe, e ective, and personalized care to our patients.

Using advanced PicoSure, KTP, Diolux lasers, we help patients say goodbye to unwanted pigment, acne scars, and dull skin, often with little to no downtime. Treatments address sun damage and brown spots, melasma, fine lines and wrinkles, redness, rosacea, cherry angiomas, tattoo removal, spider veins, laser hair removal, and overall skin rejuvenation.

• Fast treatments

• Minimal discomfort

• Little to no downtime

Germantown | 901-753-2794

Call for your free consultation — where precision meets confidence.

LARGE By Bruce

VanWyngarden

John Bradford Ryan

Farewell to a Memphis original.

John Ryan shows up in my Facebook Memories at least three or four times a month. We’ve had hundreds of good times together through the years and many of them were noted on the Book of Face. Last Tuesday, for example, a 2015 post from John showed up on my feed. It read: “I went to see the hot new lm, Fi y Shades of Gary. I think I might have gone to the wrong theater.”

It made me smile, just as it did 11 years ago when he rst posted it. It made me smile, even though John had died the day before at Methodist LeBonheur from the e ects of a stroke. He was 71, a number he would have been proud to have had on his golf scorecard.

John was an immensely gi ed painter, one whose works were almost always rooted in nature, but who saw the natural world and took it in new and inspired directions. His paintings — large and small — grace the homes of countless Memphians and various private and museum collections.

invariably delighted. John’s colors and lines and techniques were stunning in their originality. Even his hand-cra ed frames were works of art.

John was a devoted sherman whose y-casting on a trout stream was a thing of rhythm and grace. He also enjoyed bass shing, especially sculling an old jon boat in the funkier waters around Memphis. For years, he maintained a regimen of catching at least one bass a month. “A man needs goals,” he’d say. In addition, he loved going to the Destin, Florida, pier, where he shed with friends and with his brother, Andy. Needless to say pictures of John holding a sh are plentiful among his family and friends.

He was also known to be an occasionally excellent golfer whose game featured its own variety of artistic license. John never hit the ball straight, at least not on purpose, preferring to “shape” shots — even if they sometimes were shaped into the nearest water hazard. He could cuss most artfully, as well.

John was a thri -store habitué, “checking his traps,” as he called it, at various venues each day. His Midtown house was stu ed to the beams with treasures: furniture, lamps, rugs, stereo equipment, guitars, “$200 sunglasses,” and watches, so many watches. In one corner stood maybe 25 shing rods. A hand-scrawled sign was taped to the stack: “Yes, I DO have enough shing ‘poles.’ anks for asking.”

John grew up in Midtown, one of three children of novelist John Fergus Ryan and Carla Jean Ryan. He attended nearby Snowden Elementary and Junior High, before graduating from Central High School, where the lanky youngster excelled at baseball and basketball. He went on to play JV basketball at the University of Memphis, where he graduated in 1977.

But art was always John’s true calling. He began selling his paintings and sketches as a teenager and never stopped. As he liked to say, “Everything I ever painted, I sold.” He mostly worked on commission, rarely accumulating enough paintings at his studio for a gallery show, though he had several through the years. If you wanted a John Ryan, you paid him what he asked and you got what he painted — sight unseen — and you were

Aside from his hundreds of gorgeous paintings, John’s biggest legacy is the large circle of friends who came into his world via his art and his love of outdoor pursuits — and his wicked and ever-present sense of humor. He was a kind and thoughtful man and was loved by many people from all walks of life.

His sister, Carla, put it best: “John was a profoundly gi ed gentleman artist with a cheerful, optimistic outlook on life, enjoying simple pleasures like good food and conversation. He had our father’s sense of humor, once described by Memphis Magazine as ‘Faulkner, if cross-wired with Jonathan Winters.’ He had a large family of friends who loved him. He will be missed by us all.”

John’s brother Andrew added: “John is the best big brother imaginable. He’s also my best friend. I use the word ‘is,’ not ‘was,’ because he’ll always be with me.”

As he will be with me and with so many others. Fly on, John Ryan. You were a true original and a true friend. We won’t see your like again.

SPORTS By Frank Murtaugh

Courtside Vacancy

If basketball is played poorly in front of empty seats, did it really happen?

For more than ve decades, the University of Memphis football program played in a stadium — the Liberty Bowl, now called Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium — at least 50 percent too large for its fan base. A healthy crowd of 40,000 on a fall Saturday would be framed by 20,000 empty, concrete seats. On the heels of the greatest decade in the program’s history (and at a cost of more than $200 million), the stadium is being redesigned and will feel cozier — with a smaller capacity — and more modern when the Tigers take the eld this fall.

Alas, we now have University of Memphis basketball at FedExForum. Even under the guidance of a certi able Memphis icon — head coach Penny Hardaway — the Tigers are playing their games in front of more empty seats than human beings. Tigers games averaged fewer than 7,000 fans in 2024-25, a season that ended with Memphis in the NCAA tournament (and with a secondteam All-America in uniform). is winter, it’s been even gloomier. A pair of gigantic black drapes dangle from the ra ers, blocking the arena’s upper deck on the north and south sides, an attempt at minimizing the bad look. It hasn’t worked.

Mid-South Coliseum being brought back to life. Attendance at Larry Finch’s old barn maxed out at 11,000. Current attendance trends would still breathe life into a smaller arena, but no meaningful basketball game has been played under that silver dome since 1991. If you think recon guring the Liberty Bowl was problematic, you might double the concerns over the seating, plumbing, and bones of that once-loved gym. (Among my happiest Memphis sports memories are RiverKings hockey games at the MidSouth Coliseum. Small arenas enhance the communal experience of cheering the home team. Or booing the bad guys.)

If not FedExForum, though, where might the Tigers play? Elma Roane Fieldhouse sits on the U of M campus, but can seat only 2,500. You sco , but look at the picture below. It would have been tight on February 8th, but could have worked.

I’ve been at games that tipped o with sections of the lower bowl almost entirely empty. ese are premium seats for Division I basketball. More painful for longtime Memphians: ese are premium seats for Memphis Tigers basketball. is is an institution that galvanized this town long before there was such a thing as AutoZone Park or a Memphis Grizzly. Long before the Tigers football team started going to bowl games with regularity. Also, it should be said, long before digital media provided ways to consume basketball without so much as leaving one’s bedroom, let alone one’s house.

Something must be done. e current arrangement is not healthy for FedExForum management, U of M athletics, Hardaway, or the players who choose to play for the Tigers. And it’s not healthy for the still-devoted fans who choose to spend their money and time by attending games.

ere are times I fantasize about the

8th.

e dwindling attendance comes at a time when college basketball teams are as good as the money they can pay their players. Whether NIL (name/ image/likeness) or directly from the athletic department, cash pays for contenders, and fewer ticket sales mean fewer dollars to spend. Hardaway’s job is harder today than it was when he took the gig in 2018. Building a roster for long-term success? at’s so 2010. What kind of talent can you attract in the transfer portal for next season, and can you pay them enough to stay?

It’s been a forgettable season for Tigers basketball. e program is staring at its rst losing season since 1999-2000, and its most losses in 56 years. Here’s hoping brighter, louder, more crowded days are ahead. e program, the city, and a still-loyal fan base deserve better. e days of black drapes must end.

Spring Arts Guide

MEMPHIS CREATIVITY COMES ALIVE.

The light is lingering just a little longer each evening, patios are stirring back to life, and my inbox is nudging me with a new assignment: putting together this “Spring Arts Guide” for 2026. For this Flyer newbie, that’s all the con rmation I need that spring is not only arriving, but just beginning to stretch its arms. And with it comes the early bloom of arts events across the city: gallery walls brightening with fresh work, stages warming up with theater and dance, and a creative energy slowly, surely spilling into every corner of Memphis.

ON DISPLAY

“A Well-Trained Eye: e Work and Collections of David McCarthy”

A celebration of over three decades of teaching and scholarship through works from a personal collection. Clough Hanson Gallery, through March 28

“From 200 to 250: America’s Bicentennial Bash of 1976” rough photos, artifacts, and rsthand stories, this exhibition revisits Collierville’s role in America’s big Bicentennial birthday. Morton Museum, through April 18

“Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy”

A major exhibition honoring one of the South’s most in uential independent art schools.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through September 27

“Four Hearts”

A meditation on the realms beyond, through works from artists across various mediums, exploring the ways we gather, connect, and remember.

Sheet Cake Gallery, March 7-21

“Grit x Art: e Musical Fashion Show + A er Party” is fashion show, featuring celebrity guest Lance Gross, will be a full-scale Memphis experience where runway, live music, and creative energy collide. 1167 Warford Street, March 8

Wiley Henry, Lawrence Matthews, and Karl Erickson is exhibition brings together portraiture and storytelling of Wiley Henry, the spiritually in ected, heritage-centered gurative works of Lawrence Matthews, and the boundary-pushing, ecosystem-inspired animations of Karl Erickson into a dynamic dialogue across generations. Crosstown Arts, March 13-June 7

Amy Hutcheson, Phyllis Boger, and Alisa Free

Works by three visual artists whose dialogue between their styles becomes part of the experience.

Germantown Performing Arts Center, March 16-May 4

Billy Renkl: “A Weedy Garden”

Colorful garden paintings by Billy Renkl that combine complexity and vibrancy.

David Lusk Gallery, through April 11

“Metal Petals + Healing Roots” Exhibition e Metal Museum’s show of artwork created out of gun parts.

Evergreen Presbyterian Church, April 12

“Summer Art Garden: A Flash of Sun”

Memphis-based artist and designer Khara Wood presents an installation of sun-drenched shades, dazzling patterns, and geometric sculptures.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 17-November 17

“Mary Sims: A Retrospective”

Mary Sims’ artwork moves from her early intaglio prints in the last 1950s, to spare, optically at portraits from the 1960s and 1970s, to her later-career

PHOTO (ABOVE): COURTESY SHEET CAKE Wheel of Fortune, Stephanie Howard

canvases.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens, April 19June 7

“Dorothy Gunther Pugh: Nature Yearns” is show features Pugh’s drawings and watercolors of trees and their twisting branches, fallen limbs, and rotting stumps covered in lichen.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens, April 19June 7

“Memphis Art and Fashion Week 2026”

Style, creativity, and community take center stage during this seven-day celebration of cultural expression, headlined by internationally recognized fashion designer Michael Ngo.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, May 4-9

“Minor Arcana”

e second of a two-part group exhibition where artists reimagine each card of the Tarot deck.

Sheet Cake Gallery, May 9-June 27

“Of is Moment”

Featuring drawings and watercolors by Jeanne Seagle and paintings by Annabelle Meacham.

e Medicine Factory, May 31

“Debbie Likley Pacheco: Living in Layers”

Pacheco works in mixed media, combining digital and analog methods to create layered images.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens, June 14-September 27

“What We Surround Ourselves With”

e private collection of Metal Museum blacksmith Jim Masterson serves as a kind of love letter. Metal Museum, through July 31

Stephanie Howard Solo Exhibition

Howard is inspired by work from self-taught artists, rich traditions of Southern storytelling and folklore, and her own experiences navigating patriarchal systems.

Sheet Cake Gallery, August 15-19

ON STAGE

Brazil By Night

Collage Dance Collective and Iris Collective present Brazilian themed music, dance, cocktails, and food. Collage Dance Center, March 28

Dragon Medicine

A medicine turns the pain of overlooked “dragons” into sharp, funny monologues, showing that humor can heal even the deepest wounds. eatreworks @ e Square, March 13-22

Seussical

is beloved musical captures the essence of Dr. Seuss’ characters. Playhouse on the Square, March 13-April 12

Jamie Barton in Recital

A once-in-a-generation voice, and a deeply compassionate human, Barton is an artist whose time has truly come. Opera Memphis, March 21

Shakespeare in the Cemetery

Experience Romeo & Juliet like never before, with 90 minutes of sword ghts, dancing, and timeless poetry performed outdoors by the Tennessee Shakespeare Company. Picnics encouraged.

Elmwood Cemetery, March 21

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

Emotionally charged performances that blend heart-pounding music, ery duets, and festive ensembles, honoring the rich tradition, romance, and storytelling of Hispanic heritage.

Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center, March 27

Verdi’s Requiem

Verdi’s masterpiece sung by a quartet — with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis Symphony Chorus — will leave you breathless.

Opera Memphis, March 28

Clown Bar

is darkly comedic play mixes crime noir with slapstick humor, plunging the audience into a smoky underworld of clown gangsters, love, and betrayal.

eatreworks @ e Square, April 3-12

e Shawshank Redemption

When Andy Dufresne is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in Shawshank prison, he nds a way to keep himself and his hope alive.

eatre Memphis, April 3-19

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

In 1927 Chicago, Ma Rainey, the erce “Mother of the Blues,” battles to control her music during a recording session, while her ambitious trumpet player Levee seeks fame — with a powerful drama of rage, racism, and exploitation unfolding in this gripping 1982 play by August Wilson.

Hattiloo eatre, April 10-May 10

continued on page 13

Stru ing into the Spotlight

For Memphis Brooks Museum of Art creative director Ramona Sonin, Memphis Art & Fashion Week has always been about more than a runway. It’s about what happens when a city decides to show up for its creatives.

“What makes Memphis Art & Fashion Week special is how the city truly shows up for it,” Sonin says. “It’s not just designers on a runway — it’s artists, students, stylists, shop owners, musicians, creative entrepreneurs, and people who simply love fashion all in one space.”

Now in its third year, Memphis Art & Fashion Week 2026 is bigger and bolder than ever. What began ve years ago as a single sold-out runway — born from a conversation between Sonin and museum leadership — has evolved into a full week of programming in partnership with the University of Memphis fashion program. “ at rst show packed in extra seats and sold out in seven minutes. e appetite was undeniable,” Sonin re ects.

“Memphians are showing up for fashion, and we’re giving them a place to do it,” Sonin says. “We’re taking something that’s been here all along — passion and community around this art form — and giving it a life of its own.”

is year’s headliner signals just how far the week has come. Celebrity designer Michael Ngo — whose clients include Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande — will present 30 looks on the runway, including ve brand-new pieces inspired by Memphis. He’ll also headline ursday’s Art & Apéritifs panel alongside stylist Joey ao and jewelry designer Kyle Chan, o ering insight into the intersection of art, fashion, and entertainment.

“Michael has dressed icons, and now he’s designing pieces just for Memphis,” Sonin says. “ at tells us Memphis is in the national conversation.”

Still, the heart of the week remains local. University of Memphis fashion students will

debut their senior collections on the same runway as emerging and featured designers — a professional launchpad beyond campus walls. Friday’s immersive runway transforms the museum galleries into a living, breathing celebration.

“You can’t miss the runway,” Sonin says. “ e museum is completely transformed. People are cheering, feeling fabulous, and taking it all in. It feels like a citywide celebration.”

e celebration extends beyond one night. From Monday’s Met Gala Watch Party to Wednesday’s Fashion Lunch and Saturday’s family-friendly Artful Paper Dolls workshop, the week invites everyone in. Shop Memphis — the o cial retail activation — keeps the momentum going all month with a “passport” connecting attendees to local boutiques, spas, and storefronts.

As the Brooks prepares to open its new downtown home later this year, fashion is poised to play an even larger role in shaping the museum’s identity as a cultural hub. Sonin, chair of fashion at the museum, envisions expanded programming through the Couture Collective and future roo op runways.

“When audiences leave,” she says, “I hope they feel the excitement — and know there is a true, inclusive fashion community here. ere’s something happening in Memphis. And everyone is invited to be part of it.”

Memphis Art & Fashion Week 2026, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Monday, May 4-Saturday, May 9

Raising the Curtain on the Future: The Orpheum’s Next Act

For nearly a century, the Orpheum eatre Group has stood as a cultural cornerstone of Memphis, its iconic marquee promising nights of music, laughter, and Broadway magic. But for President & CEO Brett Batterson, honoring that legacy is only part of the mission. e real work — and the real joy — lies in what happens inside the historic walls of the Orpheum eatre.

Programming a Broadway season is both art and strategy. Batterson says he makes a point to include at least one family-friendly title each year — a conscious investment in the next generation of theatergoers. In the current 2025-2026 Orpheum Broadway season, that means Disney’s beloved classic, Beauty and the Beast, brought to life in a new touring production. “It doesn’t get any family-friendlier than a Disney classic,” he says, noting that audiences can expect the same level of spectacle and heart they experienced with stage adaptations of Frozen and e Lion King. For Memphis families, it’s more than a night at the theater; it’s an introduction to the shared wonder of live performance. at shared energy is equally central to the return of SIX, the high-octane pop musical that reimagines the wives of Henry VIII as a erce girl group. Coming back to Memphis for a second engagement at the end of April, SIX re ects a programming philosophy driven by audience demand. “If it sold well the rst time and there’s enough enthusiasm for its return, I try to work it into our schedule,” Batterson explains. A second (or even third) run ensures that those who missed out the rst time — or simply want to relive the experience — get their chance.

While the Orpheum’s architecture speaks to history, its impact is decidedly contemporary. Partnerships with organizations such as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Memphis, along with concerts, comedians, education initiatives, and the Halloran Centre Presents series, keep the programming dynamic and community-centered. “We are shaped by our history,” Batterson says, “but we are always looking to the future.”

In an era of streaming and at-home entertainment, he believes live theater’s power remains unmatched. “Laughing, crying, cheering, and feeling joy as a collective mass of 2,300 people in the theatre is irreplaceable,” he says. e key is continuing to welcome everyone — young and old — through the doors, nurturing tomorrow’s audiences by encouraging adults to bring children to experience Broadway in their hometown.

So when patrons raise a glass a er March 16th’s 2026-2027 Orpheum Broadway Season Reveal to “another unforgettable year,” Batterson hopes they’re toasting more than marquee titles. He hopes they’re celebrating the excitement, anticipation, and communal joy of gathering together. With a loyal audience and an eye rmly on the future, the Orpheum’s next act looks as bright as its storied past.

Beauty and the Beast, Orpheum eatre, Tuesday, June 2, to Sunday, June 7; SIX, Orpheum eatre, Tuesday, April 21, to Sunday, April 26

Carlene Carter

MAR. 7 / 7:30PM

continued from page 13

Oliver!

This Broadway adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist follows an orphan navigating life in Victorian London after falling in with Fagin’s gang of pickpockets.

Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, April 10-12

Romeo & Juliet

Every breathtaking moment of artistic director Steven McMahon’s rendition of Shakespeare’s tragic love story is charged with both intimate passion and the sweep of social forces.

Ballet Memphis, April 10-12

LGBTQ identity.

Germantown Community Theatre, June 5-21

Legally Blonde, The Musical

Elle Woods seems to have the perfect life until her boyfriend leaves her for Harvard Law School. Determined to win him back, she cleverly gains admission to the same prestigious school to prove herself.

Theatre Memphis, June 5-June 28

Sweeney Todd

Stephen Sondheims’ chilling story of vengeance and dubious pies.

Opera Memphis (co-produced with Playhouse on the Square), June 12-July 12

Julius Ceasar Brown Sugar Diner: The Last Slice — A ’50s Soulful Murder Mystery

This soulful interactive murder mystery blends doo-wop charm, diner nostalgia, and a twist-filled whodunnit.

The daughter of June Carter Cash and granddaughter of Maybelle “Mother” Carter, Carlene Carter begun singing with The Carter Family at the young age of 17 before beginning her solo career with her self-titled debut album. Following the advice that “all music is good if you’re being yourself” from her stepfather Johnny Cash, Carlene Carter creates music that is honest and evocative with songs like “I Fell in Love,” “Every Little Thing,” and “Me and the Wildwood Rose.”

Halloran Centre, April 12

Julius Ceasar

An all-female cast performs this true classic of political intrigue from the mind of William Shakespeare.

Germantown Community Theatre, April 17-May 3

SIX

From Tudor Queens to pop icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 500 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power.

Orpheum Theatre, April 21-26

An Unforgettable Afternoon with Misty Copeland

An inspiring conversation with Misty Copeland, the first African American female principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, featuring live performances by local dance companies and the ballet film Flower

Canon Center for the Performing Arts, May 21

Little Shop of Horrors – Teen Edition

This show keeps the beloved dark humor and rock-infused score of the original while tailoring content and performances for a younger cast and audience.

Theatreworks @ The Evergreen, May 22-31

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

“A tale as old as time” in the structure and tone of the story that made Disney history.

Orpheum Theatre, June 2-7

Falsettos

By William Finn and James Lapine, this 1992 musical follows a Jewish family in the ’70s and ’80s through their evolving relationships, including the father’s

The Music Man

Strike up the band for the ultimate feelgood musical as fast-talking con man Harold Hill rolls into River City, only to find himself in over his head.

Theatre Memphis, August 14-September 6

From Footlights to Spotlights: Black Theatre’s Path

On Hattiloo Theatre’s anniversary, From Footlights to Spotlights takes the Orpheum stage to celebrate Black theatre’s legacy and impact, tracing its historic milestones. This sweeping tribute honors the past, celebrates the present, and envisions the future of Black theatre.

Orpheum Theatre, September 22

AROUND TOWN

Bloom Saturdays: A Weekly Spring Tradition

At the heart of the season is BLOOM Saturdays, a weekly, all-ages celebration that transforms each Saturday into a make-a-day-of-it Garden experience. Memphis Botanic Garden, March-May, 2026

An Evening with David Sedaris

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. Germantown Performing Arts Center, April 22

Art for All Festival

The Dixon, in partnership with Shelby County, will host the 2026 Art for All Festival, a day celebrating creativity and community with live performances, hands-on art activities, and local talent.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens, May 9

Stories of Stone

Discover the hidden meanings behind Elmwood Cemetery’s monuments in this walking tour with staff member Amanda Zorn, who will explain the symbolism, artistry, and traditions behind these historic memorials. Elmwood Cemetery, April 18

Love, Loss, and Leadership at Ballet Memphis

When Steven McMahon arrived in Memphis from Scotland in 2004, he wasn’t plotting a rise to artistic leadership. “I just wanted a job,” he says with a laugh. Fresh o the plane and focused on dancing, he quickly sensed something singular about Ballet Memphis — its adventurous repertory, its narrative drive, and its deep community roots.

Under the mentorship of founding artistic director Dorothy Gunther Pugh, McMahon gained insight into the company’s inner workings. Choreography soon beckoned. By the end of his rst season, he had created his rst piece, and commissions followed naturally. “My career unfolded in a beautiful, natural way,” he says. When Pugh retired in 2018, she tapped McMahon as her successor. e past six years, he says, have been “a whirlwind of learning,” shaped by challenge, growth, and continual reimagining of what the company can be.

is spring, Ballet Memphis revisits McMahon’s sweeping Romeo & Juliet at the Germantown Performing Arts Center, set to Sergei Prokoev’s lush, cinematic score. When the ballet premiered in 2012, it marked his rst choreographic encounter with William Shakespeare. “ e music is so laid out dramatically,” McMahon says. “You just have to ride it.” Proko ev’s vivid orchestration provided a roadmap; McMahon’s task was to fuse movement and narrative into something visceral and immediate.

Ballet Memphis Season 39 Romeo & Juliet.

Revisiting the ballet in 2026, he views choreography as a living entity — never too precious to evolve. A new generation of dancers brings fresh emotional texture to the iconic roles. “I like to see where my sensibilities have shi ed,” he says. “How can I build on what was good?” For many dancers, Romeo and Juliet are dream roles. McMahon asks them to read the play, unpack its archetypes, and enter the studio willing to risk vulnerability. e rehearsal process demands trust, patience, and connection — qualities mirrored in the young lovers themselves.

What still feels urgent about the story is its intensity. ough synonymous with romance and tragedy, McMahon is drawn to the intimacy of the bond at its center — not just physical passion, but emotional recognition. e speed of the lovers’ devotion, and the devastating consequences that follow, re ect both the best and worst of human nature. “We all just want to love who we want to love,” he says. External pressures — family, politics, expectation — constrict that freedom, and catastrophe follows. In the end, “nobody wins.”

Staging the ballet at GPAC for the rst time expands its scale while preserving its emotional closeness. For McMahon, theater is reciprocal: Dance only has meaning when shared. In that exchange between artist and audience, even tragedy becomes sustaining — a reminder that, in Memphis, art continues to make space for empathy and connection.

Romeo & Juliet, Ballet Memphis | Germantown Performing Arts Center, Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Etowah Dinner Series

By Gracie Driver

e nonpro t known as the Etowah Collective, which features bespoke meals by celebrated chefs at rotating venues, has grown since we last featured them in 2023. Not just in the grandeur of the event spaces and the quality of the food, but in their exciting plans to come. ey’re in it for the long run.

Co-founders Cole Jeanes and Josh Conley began this dinner series at a dove hunt in the middle of a soybean eld. Unusual and creative venues have become their trademark ever since. Along with co-owning Hard Times Deli and Gussied Up and owning Kinfolk, Jeanes covers all things back-of-house at Etowah events. Conley owns Bar Limina and covers all things front-of-house.

On Saturday, March 7th, they’re hosting a dinner featuring Executive Chef Lucas McKinney from Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, a Michelin-recommended Houston restaurant that focuses on Gulf Coast cuisine. e event will feature ve courses, including a red sh dish with jambalaya risotto and a Tasso ham-style brined pork loin that takes two weeks to prepare.

Charlie Purpura, sommelier at Rootstock, carefully selects family-owned wines for each course. During the colder months, he leans towards richer, fuller-bodied and more savory wines, and while Conley usually covers the seasonal cocktail of the night, McKinney’s former beverage director at Josephine’s will take center stage at this dinner to unite the duo for one night only.

A er an event in 2024, Jeanes and Conley had an idea. “What if we took the money we’re making o of these, and we turned it into a research grant opportunity for food and beverage professionals?” says Conley.

But around the same time that the collective was picking up momentum, Conley says, “we all had a bunch of kids, and we all opened a bunch of new restaurants, and it just sort of got back-burnered.”

at is where Sarah Cai (owner of Good Fortune) comes in. She took on the role of coordinator and has kept Jeanes and Conley on track with their dream. e idea is to raise funding, have a quali ed board si through applications, and choose a select few to travel and get inspired. While such staging (temporary) internships are incredible learning opportunities, they’re o en unpaid. Etowah wants to fund these life-changing positions and help to make the food industry a rst-pick career.

Jeanes says, “We’re trying to plant those seeds and instill in the younger cooks and front house workers that this is something you can do, especially if you’re creative and want to express yourself.”

Tickets are going fast. Be a part of this amazing event and sign up for their mailing list to get upcoming details on their next dinner in three months.

ETOWAH DINNER

e Orchestra Unplugged: Who Was Gustav Mahler?

Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, 225 South Main Street, Friday, March 6, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Step into the vivid, emotional world of Gustav Mahler, from youthful heartbreak to celestial wonder. e Austro-Bohemian composer, also considered a brilliant conductor, bridged the Romantic era with the 20th-century modernism that followed.

Explore his intimate Songs of a Wayfarer, the triumphant Symphony No. 1, and the heavenly vision of Symphony No. 4. Music director Robert Moody conducts the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the talent of Opera Memphis as he guides you through the mind of a composer who poured his soul into every note.

Opening for “A Path Integral”

ShapeShi er Art School, 680 Oakleaf O ce Lane, Friday, March 6, 5 p.m. Eva Langsdon’s show, “A Path Integral,” explores the intersection of spatial constructs and natural forms, o ering a visceral interpretation of the in nite nature of the universe alongside the nite nature of existence.

Langsdon’s work balances rigidity and control with the emergence of organic forms, creating con gurations that suggest a metaphysical universe where the viewer is invited to question the boundaries between the material and immaterial. Structural and organic shapes dri within their paper or wood con nes, brought to life through watercolor, gouache, and acrylic, re ecting an ongoing dialogue between order and the unpredictable ow of nature.

Memphis Roller Derby’s Skate School

Pipkin Building, 940 Early Maxwell Blvd., Monday, March 9, 6:30-9:30 p.m. $15.

Maybe your true calling is to become a roller derby pro? Memphis Roller Derby’s Skate School is a seven-week program designed to teach prospective members how to skate, introduce them to roller derby skills, and go over a few of the sport’s rules. e kicko date is on Monday, but the program’s one-time $15 fee covers the entire seven-week period, through April 22nd.

Memphis Roller Derby has loaner gear and skates available, in limited sizes and quantities, given out on a rst-come, rst-served basis. A gear- tting will be arranged before the start of Skate School, with details on the date posted on social media closer to the event.

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Pretty Little Room

Opera Memphis premieres a tragic tale from local history, nearly a decade in the making.

Anyone with an ear for opera tends to think in centuries rather than years, given the historical provenance of so many of the form’s classic works, but casual readers may not realize that even when developing and commissioning new operas, you have to play the long game. Case in point: Pretty Little Room, written by Memphian Robert Patterson of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and Mississippi native Jerre Dye, which Opera Memphis will premiere at Crosstown eater this Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th.

e work has been nearly a decade in the making. “It goes back to 2017 when we commissioned a short version of it,” says co-director Ned Canty of the opera’s evolution. “We then got to commission a full evening, then we had a libretto workshop, and a piano vocal workshop. en, during Covid, we had the orchestra workshop. But when we hosted the Opera America Conference [in 2025], we could no longer get the dates that we needed to do this show, so we ended up remounting it. So now, I think there’s a huge sense of excitement among all the players and all of us at Opera Memphis that we’re nally getting to do it.”

“There was this practice of girls kind of pretending to date each other. And it was called ‘chumming.’”

Even ve years ago, the heart of the drama was in place, and the story Canty limned out at the time was unforgettable. “ e libretto is by Jerre Dye, and the music is by Robert Patterson, a Memphisbased composer and musician at the MSO, and it tells the story of Alice and Freda, two young women in the 1890s who went to school together, fell in love, and were going to run o together. Alice was going to live as a man and marry Freda. And their families found out, forbade them from seeing each other, and Freda’s family moved upriver. Alice became more depressed, and when she found out Freda was visiting family in Memphis, she went down to the cobblestone landing and slit Freda’s throat.

“And there was a ‘trial of the century’ that went on for a year, in all the papers. It was a time before the word ‘lesbian’ even existed. And Alice was judged insane for believing that two women could live together as spouses, and was sent to the

Bolivar asylum. Now the two of them are buried near each other in Elmwood Cemetery. It’s a story that actually happened, that still resonates today.”

Loaded with all the extremes of passion and tragedy, it’s a tale that cries out for an operatic treatment. At least that’s what Patterson, who plays horns in the MSO and is a resident composer with the Luna Nova Ensemble, thought when he rst learned the history of Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward. It inspired him to pull out all the stops, this being his rst full-length opera. “I do get the feeling that he’s putting everything he’s learned into this one piece,” says Canty. “What I hear is that contemporary classical approach, using strings, piano, and percussion, and also including harpsichord, and in the arias and choral writing, there are some amazing sections. Some of the most powerful sections are where the chorus is the other patients at the asylum. I also hear the work of somebody who has been playing in an opera orchestra pit for decades, so has been a part of creating 300 years’ worth of operatic pieces.”

Co-directing the production with Canty is Dr. Joy Brooke Fair eld, associate professor and chair of media studies at Rhodes College, with a background in LGBTQ theater and performance art. In this story, she saw a chance to evoke nascent issues of non-cis identity before American culture even had the language for such things. “In this particular era, right before the 1900s, the word ‘homosexual’ had not been invented, basically. e term lesbian wasn’t being used. ere was really no framework for thinking through same-sex relationships and we were in the middle of this, like, separate spheres ideology, which was a very strict segregation of what women and men did. And so in that time, there was this practice of girls kind of pretending to date each other. And it was called ‘chumming.’”

Yet young women who took chumming “too far” faced stigmatization. Which brings us to that still looming, now abandoned building complex that haunts Bolivar, Tennessee, the Western State Mental Hospital. “One thing I learned through the research of this project was just how much bourgeois or middle class men sent their wives and daughters to the asylum when they were sick of dealing with them,” says Fair eld. “And I think that’s perhaps been erased a little bit in the conscious memory about how much this entity of the asylum was used to manage any kind of mental health issues, probably a lot of di erent kinds of neurodiversity.”

Meanwhile, Fair eld thinks they’ve found the perfect team to express this darkly romantic milieu. e New York

PHOTOS: BRITANI CAMPBELL-NOWLIN (right) Alice (Perri DiChristina) and Freda (Tina O’Malley) share a moment in the rose garden, while (below) Alice’s mother looks on; (bottom) chums in love

Times, for instance, calls conductor Micah Gleason, winner of last year’s American Prize in Conducting, an “easygoing yet ercely skilled conductor and singer.”

And, Fair eld adds, “ e opera is cast so well. We’re really working with some really amazing singers who were able to help bring out parts of the story through their own performance, that really add to it. ere’s one aria about how men hoard all the words, that the men have all the

words — ‘the lion’s share.’ Our current cast and our Alice are doing such a great job of trying to claim words. I love how Ned describes the way opera works speci cally on the emotions and bypasses some of the intellect. In performance art, we also talk about bypassing the intellect. e goal is to work on the nervous system, even if it’s shocking or gets people distressed. And you know, I think maybe we have a little bit of that in here too, hopefully.”

Mended Therapy

Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.

Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders.

For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com.

She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: March 5 - 11, 2026

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

is week at GPAC’s Peanut Butter & Jam series, the world-renowned Iris Collective helps families combine learning with movement.

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

Anna Gregor, Chris Peckham, Bobby Smith Works by these three artists share a certain harmony. rough March 28.

TOPS GALLERY

“Art in Bloom”

An art exhibit by Heather Howle, Leigh Anne Sandlin, and Jennifer Williams. rough March 31.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Black Artists in America: “From the Bicentennial to September 11” e nal installment of the Dixon’s Black Artists in America series. rough March 25.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Creative Dialogues”

An exhibit highlighting the artistic relationships that form between teachers and students during high school. Free. rough April 24.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Ed Rainey: A Retrospective” Rainey brought a grounded yet fearless sensibility to his work. rough March 27.

ANF ARCHITECTS

“Food: Science, Culture, and Cuisine”

A multi-sensory feast of an exhibition incorporating sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound. $21. rough May 24.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

“Meet the Dixons”

Learn how the Dixon Gallery & Gardens began. rough May 31.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy”

A celebration of the Memphis College of Art’s faculty and students. rough Sept. 30.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Pinkney Herbert: “In Between” Exhibition

Herbert translates energy, place, and sound into gesture, color, and form. rough March 14.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“River Coral”: New Works by Anthony Lee Fantastic, uid gures and shapes. rough March 30.

BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Roger Allan Cleaves: “A World on Fire” Cleaves’ Forget Me Nots Land series is a complex Afrofuturist fantasy. rough April 12.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Sharon Havelka and Eva Langsdon

Two new solo exhibitions, each exploring material and meaning. rough April 18.

SHAPESHIFTER ARTSCHOOL AND GALLERY

“Three Visions of Nature”

An exhibit exploring nature through the camera lenses of Becky Ross McRae, Michael

Pachis, and Allen Sparks. rough March 27.

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

“What We Surround Ourselves With”

A love letter to the evolution of the cra , work, and stories shared through the museum’s community. rough July 31.

METAL MUSEUM

ART HAPPENINGS

“Art in Bloom”: Opening Reception

Meet the artists featured in this exhibit. Sunday, March 8, 3-5 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Bloom” by Sophie Samuels Artist Reception

Opening for an exhibit that feels like a joyful garden party. Sunday, March 8, 3-4:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

Eva Langsdon: “a path integral” Opening Reception for an exhibit of geometric ethereal paintings. Friday, March 6, 5 p.m.

SHAPESHIFTER ARTSCHOOL AND GALLERY

BOOK EVENTS

Alice Faye Duncan - Blues Boy: The BB King Story

Telling King’s story, from his childhood in the Jim Crow South to his reign as the King

of Blues. Saturday, March 7, 2 p.m.

NOVEL

CLASS / WORKSHOP

Beginning Casting: Garden

Markers

A metal casting class for novices. $120. Saturday, March 7, 1-5 p.m. METAL MUSEUM

Birding Basics

Learn to identify birds at this beginnerfriendly workshop. $45. Tuesday, March 10, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

OVERTON PARK GOLF CLUBHOUSE

Export 101: Live

Level up your performance from the stage to the soundboard. Free. Tuesday, March 10, 6-7:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Memphis Roller Derby Spring Skate

School

Learn to skate or improve your skating skills. Monday, March 9, 6:30-9:30 p.m. | Wednesday, March 11, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

PIPKIN BUILDING

COMEDY

Katt Williams: The Golden Age Tour

Acclaimed comedian Williams brings his tour to Memphis. Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. FEDEXFORUM

Sports! - An Improv & Sketch

Comedy Revue

A celebration of the intersection between athletics and theatrics. $12/advance, $15/at door. Friday, March 6, 8-10 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 8-10 p.m.

THEATREWORKS

We Them Ones Comedy Tour

Featuring eight comedy greats. Friday, March 6, 8 p.m.

LANDERS CENTER

COMMUNITY

21st Annual Tree Planting

Help further reforestation efforts in the Wolf River watershed. Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m.

WOLF RIVER CONSERVANCY

Like Really Creative MUSE: Speed Portrait Swap with Justin Williams

A laughter-inducing art game. Monday, March 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Mardi Growl at Overton Bark

Bring your dogs to this festive free event. Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. OVERTON BARK DOG PARK

Memphest!

Learn about Memphis libraries with free food, live music from local bands, a story time, and craft making. Saturday, March 7, 1-3 p.m.

OFFICER GEOFFREY REDD LIBRARY BRANCH

Women in the Arts

Enjoy a vibrant day honoring the creativity, talent, and voices of women artists. Free. Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

FILM

Beale Street Monster Club - The King of Cool Vs. The King of Goo Celebrate the life of The King of Cool, Steven McQueen, and the legacy of The Blob (1958). Free. Saturday, March 7, 1-3 p.m.

A. SCHWAB

Like You Film Club: Flow

Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Saturday, March 7, 3 p.m.

CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

LECTURE

Munch and Learn: Art and Practice

Artist Carl E. Moore talks about his art and

practice. Free. Wednesday, March 11, noon-1

p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

PERFORMING ARTS

One Enchanted Evening

An elegant evening of song and sorcery featuring Memphis magician, mentalist, and musician Joe M. Turner. $50. Saturday, March 7, 7-8:15 p.m.

THE PEABODY MEMPHIS

Pretty Little Room

World premiere of this new opera by Memphis composer Robert Patterson and librettist Jerre Dye. Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Peanut Butter & Jam: Iris Collective

Animal Jam

Families are invited to come learn and move. Free. Saturday, March 7, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

SPECIAL EVENTS

13th Annual TEP Gumbo Contest

TEP’s annual celebration brings together teams from near and far to compete for the best gumbo in Memphis and support the Mid-South LGBTQ community. $35/general admission, $60/VIP admission, $400/VIP table

(limited number), $30/gumbo team registration. Sunday, March 8, 4:30-7 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

The 3rd Annual MPACT Awards

The 3rd Annual MPACT Awards celebrate effective poverty-fighting efforts in Memphis by recognizing nonprofits based on the results of Slingshot’s Impact Study. Free. Thursday, March 5, 6-8 p.m.

SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Winter Browns Fashion & Faith Expo

Enjoy a fashion event featuring trending fashion, live entertainment, and music. Sunday, March 8, 6 p.m.

RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER

THEATER

Back to the Future: The Musical When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. $46.70, $151.60. Thursday, March 5, 7:30-10:15 p.m. | Friday, March 6, 7:30-10:15 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 2-4:45 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 7:30-10:15 p.m. | Sunday, March 8, 1-3:15 p.m. | Sunday, March 8, 6:30-9:15 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls follows an all-girl Motown singing group on the path from obscurity to superstardom in the 1960s and ’70s. Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Godspell

A show that revisits the idea of Jesus as a revolutionary figure, one who challenged authority and preached a new, radical message to the world: “love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.” Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

Mama Mia!

This energetic and irresistible story is set on a remote Greek island where a young girl plans her wedding while trying to discover who of three men may be her father. Featuring the classic hits of ABBA. Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. THEATRE MEMPHIS

Simba’s mate in 23-Down 5 Snoozefest 9 Not fully open

First mate? 14 “Runnin’” college team 15 “Call me the greatest!” 16 56-Across, roughly translated

18 Where to have your hair done 19 Song that opens and closes 23-Down and whose title is literally described in this puzzle’s center

Fully

West Coast air hub, for short

Bastille Day season 26 “Can’t be”

27 “Put a tiger in your tank” gas brand 30 Greek group that’s not in Greece 32 Tries to lose some pounds 34 Actress Fanning

Seasoning that can lead to high blood pressure

Misfortunes

Show again 41 One who’s looking

Only continent larger than Africa

Radio band options 44 Repeated “Survivor” setting

Globes

QB tackle

Slip-___ (shoes)

Dominate

Dug in, in a way

Enthusiastic

56 Song from 23-Down

60 Getting long in the tooth

61 23-Down setting

65 Gentrification raises them

66 Spill the beans

67 The “E” in HOMES

68 Best Picture winner based on events of 1979-80 69 College that awarded the first Ph.D. in the U.S.

23-Down villain

1 One of the Bobbseys, in children’s literature

Big fuss

Martial ___

1998 BP purchase 5 Pack animals

Suffix with hypn-

List quickly, with “off”

___ Sea (almost dried-up body)

Director of 23-Down on

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

It was chilly outside and chili inside at the Blu City Fire & Ice Polar Bear Plunge, which was held February 21st at the Pipkin Building and Tiger Lane.

e cook-o , held inside the Pipkin Building, featured prizes for red chili, salsa, people’s choice, and showmanship. Braver souls took part in the plunge, which was held in a tank outside near the entrance of the Pipkin Building on Tiger Lane.

e annual event was presented by Special Olympics of Greater Memphis.

Andrew Martin, Geno Spiotta, Hunter Stroud, Jacob Frasure circle: Jake Bainbridge

right row: (top and below) Sully, Neil, and Fiona Tatum and Natalie, Nick, and Mitch Wagner; Lethelea Grayer, Michael omas, Lonnie Hurt, Rio Hannah, Timothy Gri n, Don Taylor below: (le to right) Jerrol and Kimberly Tate; Joseph Madison, Steve Burns; Kandinsky Dogan Sar; Clint Browne bottom: (le to right) Eli Blair, Noah Rowland, Jackson Martineau; Ali Alhussaini, Derrick Nguyen

FOOD By Michael Donahue

PERSONAL PROPERTY

PUBLIC NOTICE

As required by Tennessee Code

Annotated Section 67-5-903, the Shelby County Assessor will be mailing Tangible Personal Property Schedules to all active businesses Within Shelby County by Friday, January 9, 2026. The filing Deadline is March 2, 2026. Please call the Shelby County Assessor’s office at 901-222-7002, if you needassistance.

Fascinating Food at Lao Sze Chuan

Iam glad I met Jake Johnson. If I hadn’t, I might never have known about “Spicy Sour Pickled Snakehead Fish Fillet,” which is the most delicious new dish I’ve tried.

Johnson is the general manager of the new Lao Sze Chuan at 5849 Poplar Avenue. He suggested some items to try, including my new favorite, which doesn’t actually include the head of a snake. “Snakehead” is a type of sh. Its head is the same shape as a water snake’s head. But his description got me. “A sautéed base made of fresh chilis, garlic, ginger, spring onions, and pickled mustard greens combined with a so , delicate, sh stock. A er it’s brought to a boil, rice vermicelli and thin sliced boneless sh let are added to it.” It was out of this world.

In addition to his colorful descriptions of dishes at Lao Sze Chuan, Johnson’s stories about his travels in the culinary world were also amazing.

Johnson, 45, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but moved to Memphis when he was young. Both his parents worked as high school teachers.

Johnson’s rst restaurant job was cooking at the old Bahama Breeze when he was 18. e kitchen got to him in a good way. ”I like the grind — when you’re in the weeds and really pumping,” he says, adding, “and plates coming at you. And the tickets.” He recommends aspiring chefs “do high volume for a while. Be on the line slinging plates and knocking out dishes fast. It makes you a better chef.”

Johnson got a job as a pastry chef at a ne dining restaurant in Cookeville, Tennessee, when he was 19. “I learned a lot but it was a little bit over my head.” A er returning to Memphis, Johnson worked at the old Zanzibar. “I really learned Mexican cuisine there. I learned from a lady from Tijuana.” He also worked at Hard Rock Cafe and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

But working under chef/owner Cullen Kent at the old Cafe Society was a pivotal point in his career. “He was one of the chefs that formed my ideas about cooking early on,” he says. Kent was “put up or shut up” when it came to working in the kitchen. “He dogged me out a few times.”

But Kent also taught him techniques Johnson never forgot. Like how to properly sear a sh. “When you’re searing sh, you’ve got to get a good hard sear when you put it in the pan.” Otherwise, it “won’t let go of the pan.”

Johnson enrolled in the culinary program at Southwest Community College when he was 24. “I went through that program to get a little more credentials and learn more about it.”

A er he married, Johnson and his wife,

who is Cantonese but moved to Memphis when she was nine, decided to move to Hong Kong. He was supposed to go to work at the Hard Rock Cafe there, but then it closed the month before he arrived. So, Johnson found himself without a job.

He and his wife moved to Mui Wo, a little seaside town on the outer islands of Hong Kong. ey lived there for a while with her aunts, who taught Johnson how to cook Asian food.

Johnson then got a job teaching “basic phonics, grammar, and reading” at a kindergarten in Hong Kong. “ ey o ered me more money than I ever made,” he says, adding, “I was there for six and a half years. And then I kind of went up and up and I was vice principal of the school for a while.”

His wife also was teaching at the time, so the couple spent their paid vacations backpacking in Southeast Asia, Europe, India, and the Middle East. A er meeting some people in Nepal who had a hemp factory, Johnson learned how to make hemp backpacks, guitar cases, and other items, which he began selling wholesale.

A er seven years in Asia, they returned to the states and moved to Cookeville. “My grandmother was in cancer treatment. We stayed with them for a while to help out. ey have a big farm, which is the farm where I l live right now.”

Even though they didn’t have jobs, Johnson and his wife eventually moved back to Hong Kong. Johnson thought, “We might as well travel and have fun and enjoy our life. We didn’t have a pot to piss in, but we knew people. I started back cooking.”

Johnson ran the kitchen at a Caribbean beach bar. He also learned how to cook Jamaican food from one of the owner’s relatives, who was from Trinidad.

He returned to teaching a er their rst child, a son, was born. Along the way, he learned how to make beef jerky. He thought it would be a good way to make money. He le his teaching job and rented a little place to house his food factory/ restaurant.

He named his jerky business “Lantau Jerky” and sold beef jerky to convenience stores and “boutique grocery stores.” “Southside” was the name of his restaurant, where he sold soul food “meat and three” combinations, which included half roast chicken, fried sh, and burgers. Johnson also sold cra beer at the restaurant, which featured 200 hot wing avors.

In late 2023 Johnson and his family decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee. “I sold the jerky concept to one guy and I sold the restaurant to another one.” He went into the catering business. “My sister is an event planner in Nashville,” he says, adding, “She introduced me to people who did catering there.”

Johnson began working at Lao Sze Chuan last January. It was a perfect t. “I like the cuisine. When I was in Hong Kong, this is the Chinese cuisine I’d eat the most if I went out to eat because I like spicy stu .”

In China, spice avors range from “fragrant,” which is “warm, spicy, but never overpowering,” to “maala,” a spice made with Sze Chuan peppercorns and dry chilis that “makes your mouth tingle.”

Popular dishes include Ma Po Tofu, a “so tofu in a rich spicy oil based sauce,” and dry chili chicken: “Fried cubed dark meat chicken tossed in an aromatic sauce of dried chilies and fragrant house-made chili oil.”

e Lao Sze Chuan menu also includes “traditional Chinese dishes for Americans. Some are pretty straightforward. Various adaptations of things like orange chicken.”

One thing they don’t have on the menu right now is something made with frogs, Johnson says. “Frog is my favorite food. If it’s on the menu, I’m having frog.” Sze Chuan “has some of the best presentation of frog in the culinary world. is is part of my country roots. But frog is everything good about chicken and everything good about sh put together. e avor of chicken and the texture of sh. One of the world’s most perfect foods.”

By Emily Guenther

The Pisces Invitation

Heightened sensitivity and a pull toward re ection lead the way.

Every year, March arrives with a particular so ness, an atmosphere that feels less like a date on the calendar and more like a threshold. Winter hasn’t quite released its grip, but spring hasn’t stepped fully into view. e air is cool, the light is shi ing, and something in us begins to stir. Astrologically, this moment belongs to Pisces, the nal sign of the zodiac, and its season o ers a unique kind of invitation: to pause, to listen, and to let ourselves be changed.

Pisces is o en described as dreamy, intuitive, or emotional, but those words only scratch the surface. In astrology, Pisces represents the oceanic space where boundaries blur and imagination expands. It’s the realm of the subconscious, the symbolic, the spiritual, and the unseen. When the sun moves through this sign, as it does from late February through most of March, we’re encouraged to step out of linear thinking and into a more uid way of experiencing the world.

have become too heavy to hold? Pisces encourages us to dissolve these old patterns gently, like salt melting into water. is is also a season of intuition. Many people nd their dreams become more vivid, their instincts sharper, or their creativity more active. Pisces energy opens the door to inspiration, but it also asks us to trust the quieter parts of ourselves — the hunches, the whispers, the subtle nudges that o en get drowned out by daily noise. Now is a wonderful time to keep a journal by the bed, take a walk without headphones, or simply sit in silence for a few minutes each day. ese small acts create space for insight to surface.

Because Pisces is a water sign, emotions may run a little higher during this time. at isn’t a aw. It’s an opportunity. Feelings that rise to the surface now o en point to areas of life that need compassion or healing. Instead of pushing them away, Pisces season invites us to meet them with curiosity. What is this emotion trying to tell me? What part of me needs care?

It doesn’t require belief in astrology to feel its e ects. Many people notice that early March brings a heightened sensitivity, a pull toward re ection, or a desire to reconnect with something meaningful. Even the natural world mirrors this energy. Seeds are stirring underground. Animals begin to shi their patterns. e earth itself seems to be dreaming of spring. Pisces season ampli es that dreamlike quality, nudging us to look inward and ask what is ready to awaken in our own lives.

One of the most powerful themes of Pisces is release. As the nal sign of the zodiac, it represents the end of a cycle, a time to let go of what we’ve outgrown so we can move forward with clarity. is is an ideal moment to examine the emotional or mental clutter we’ve been carrying. What stories are we still telling ourselves that no longer t? What habits or fears

When we approach our inner world with gentleness, we o en discover that what felt overwhelming is actually a doorway to deeper understanding.

As we move through March, we’re also approaching the astrological new year, which begins when the sun enters Aries later in the month. Aries is bold, ery, and action-oriented — the opposite of Pisces’ quiet waters. at shi marks a new beginning, but Pisces season prepares us for it. ink of this time as the deep breath before the leap, the moment of stillness before movement returns. By tending to our inner landscape now, we set the stage for more purposeful action later.

Ultimately, Pisces season is a portal, a passageway between what has been and what will be. It reminds us that growth doesn’t always look like motion. Sometimes it looks like rest, re ection, or surrender. Sometimes the most important transformations happen beneath the surface, long before they become visible.

As the month unfolds, consider giving yourself permission to dri a little, dream a little, and listen more closely to the quiet wisdom within. You may nd that this gentle, watery season carries exactly the guidance you’ve been needing. Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

Nominations Are Open!

It’s time to pitch us on the best and brightest leaders in Memphis.

OF

THE YEAR 2026

Every year, Memphis Magazine honors several CEOs who have proven to be exemplary in their fields, leading their companies to success on local, regional, national, and international stages.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2026 CEO of the Year awards. Memphis is blessed with tremendously talented executives in charge of their companies and organizations, and we want to hear from you about the best in the business. Pitch us on why they should get the award: vision, achievements, business philosophy, employee relations, management style, and special qualities. Several candidates will be selected for the 2026 awards and will be featured in the May issue of Memphis Magazine. A breakfast will be held to honor the winners on May 21st at Memphis Botanic Gardens, Hardin Hall.

Please send nominations to nominate@memphismagazine.com by: Friday, March 13th

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

The Tech Revolution

• Everything’s up to date in Heber City, Utah, where the police department has been trying out an AI program that writes up reports based on body camera footage, FOX13-TV reported on Jan. 4. “I’m saving myself about six to eight hours weekly now,” said Sgt. Rick Keel. But one report went a little sideways: The AI said an officer had shape-shifted into a frog. “The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be The Princess and the Frog,” Keel said. “That’s when we learned the importance of correcting these AI-generated reports.” So much for all that saved time. [FOX13, 1/4/2026]

• Many hospitals single out the baby born closest to midnight as the new year turns over, as did Lifebridge Health’s Carroll Hospital in Westminster, Maryland. WMAR-TV reported that Hudson Oakley Winkler was the star this year, born just after midnight on Jan. 1. Hudson’s parents didn’t have any problem agreeing on a name for their new son; “Hudson’s name was generated and selected using ChatGPT!” the hospital announced. Hudson’s parents work in the county’s police department and public school system. [WMAR, 1/4/2026]

Fish Story

Popular Japanese sushi chain Sushizanmai made news on Jan. 5 when its parent company paid $3.24 million for a single bluefin tuna, Reuters reported. It was the highest price ever paid at the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo. “I thought that [the winning bid] would come in a little bit lower,” said Kiyoshi Kimura, the company’s CEO, who is also known as the Tuna King. The 536-pound fish was transported to the chain’s headquarters, then sliced up and distributed to its restaurants. [Reuters, 1/5/2026]

Buried Treasure

About 500 miles north of Perth, Australia, local Quoin Sellenger got a tip last week from a friend who was diving in the crystal-clear Indian Ocean: There was a safe in the seabed. So, ABC News reported, Sellenger and his daughter headed up to the site. They lifted the heavy box onto the back of their Jet Ski and took it back to land, where he posted a photo on Facebook in search of the owner. Sellenger then recruited his friend

Brad to help break into the safe, which was emitting a strong smell. “I was hoping there was like a big gold bar in there, I guess,” Sellenger said. But alas, the only treasure was an expired and pungent package of beef jerky. “It’s a very wellknown reef in Shark Bay, and someone has put it there with the intention of it being found, I believe,” Sellenger said. He has handed over the safe to the Western Australia police. [ABC News, 1/6/2026]

Need a Job?

Smithsonian Magazine reported on Jan. 7 that the British Museum has a job opening: dedicated treasure hunter. In 2023, the museum revealed that 1,500 of its Greek and Roman artifacts had been stolen, were missing, or had been damaged. The items include gems, glass, and jewelry dating back to between the 15th and 19th centuries B.C. “We want to get as much staffing as we can to try and push ahead,” said Thomas Harrison, head of the museum’s Greek and Roman collections. About 600 pieces have been recovered already after being listed on eBay or coming up for auction. No information on the qualifications for such a position, although owning a fedora and whip couldn’t hurt. [Smithsonian, 1/7/2026]

Bright Idea

A Chinese shopping center has solved its problem of people smoking in the restrooms, Oddity Central reported on Dec. 31. The Shuibei International Center posted signs reading, “Smoking makes the glass transparent.” And sure enough, when smoke is detected, the special doors become see-through. “Resist the urge to smoke, unless you want to become internet famous!” reads another sign. When the glass clears, a loud announcement rings out: “This is a public place where smoking is prohibited. For your own health and the health of others, please do not smoke here.” One social media commenter posted, “Smoking in men’s restrooms in China is practically [ubiquitous]. I think this is a great idea.” [Oddity Central, 12/31/2025]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Many ancient cultures had myths that explained solar eclipses as celestial creatures eating the sun. In China, the devourer was a dragon. A frog did it in Vietnam, wolves in Norse lore, and bears in several Indigenous American legends. In some places, people made loud noises during the blackout, banging drums and pots, to drive away the attacker and bring back the sun. I suspect you are now in the midst of a metaphorical eclipse of your own, Aries. But don’t worry! Just as was true centuries ago, your sun won’t actually be gobbled up. Instead, here’s the likely scenario: You will rouse an appetite for transformation that will consume outdated ideas and situations. Whatever disintegrates will become fuel for new stories. You will convert old pain and decay into vital energy. Your luminous vigor will return even stronger.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Maybe you have been enjoying my advice for years but still haven’t become a billionaire, grown into a potent influencer, or landed the perfect job. Does that mean I’ve failed you? Should you swap me out for a more results-oriented oracle? If rewards like those are the dreams you treasure, then yes, it may be time to search for a new guide. But if what you want most is simply to cultivate the steady gratification of feeling real and whole and authentic, then stick with me. PS: The coming days are likely to offer you abundant opportunities to feel real and whole and authentic. Take advantage!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1557, a Welsh mathematician invented the equals sign (=) to avoid repeatedly writing the words “is equal to.” Over the next centuries, this helped make algebra more convenient and efficient. The moral of the story: Some breakthroughs come not from making novel discoveries but from finding better ways to render and use what’s already known. I’m pleased to say that you Geminis are primed to devise your own equivalents of the equals sign. What strengths might you express with greater crispness and efficiency? What familiar complications could you make easier? See if you can find shortcuts that aid productivity without sacrificing precision.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): One benefit of being an astrologer is that when I need a break from being intensely myself, I can take a sabbatical. My familiarity with the zodiac frees me to escape the limits of my personal horoscope and play at being other signs. I always return from my getaway with a renewed appreciation for the unique riddle that is my identity. I think now is an excellent time for Cancerians like you and me to enjoy such a vacation. We can have maximum fun and attract inspiring educational experiences by ex-

By Rob Brezsny

perimenting. I plan to be like a Sagittarius and may also experiment with embodying Aries qualities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In Scandinavian folklore, there’s a phenomenon called utiseta. It involves sitting out at night in a charged place in nature, like a crossroads or border. The goal is to make oneself patiently available for visions, wisdom, or contact with spirits and ancestors. I suspect you could benefit from the equivalent of a utiseta right now, Leo. Do you dare to refrain from forcing solutions through sheer will? Are you brave enough to let answers wander into your midst instead of hunting them down? I believe your strength is your willingness to be still and wait in a threshold.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You are a devotee of the sacred particular. While others traffic in vague abstractions, you understand that vitality thrives in the details. Your attention to nuance and precision is not fussiness but a form of love. I get excited to see you honor life by noticing all of its specific textures and rhythms! Now, more than ever, the world needs this superpower of yours. I hope you will express it even stronger in the coming months. May you exult in the knowledge that your refusal to treat the world carelessly or sloppily isn’t about perfectionism but about respect.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Architect Antoni Gaudí spent over 40 years designing Barcelona’s Sagrada Família cathedral. He knew he wouldn’t live to see it finished. It’s still under construction today, long after his death. When he said, “My client is not in a hurry,” he meant that his client was God. I invite you to borrow this perspective, Libra. See how much fun you can have by releasing yourself from the tyranny of urgency. Grant yourself permission to concentrate on a process that might take a long time to unfold. What a generous and ultimately productive luxury it will be for you to align yourself with deep rhythms and relaxing visions! I believe your good work will require resoluteness that transcends conventional timelines.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The ancient Chinese philosophical text known as the Tao Te Ching teaches that “the usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness.” A vessel full of itself can receive nothing. Is it possible that you are currently so crammed with opinions, strategies, and righteous certainty that you’ve lost some of your capacity to receive? I suspect there are wonders and marvels trying to reach you, Scorpio: insights, inquiries, and invitations. But they can’t get in if you’re full. Your assignment: Temporarily empty yourself. Create space by releasing cherished positions, a defensive stance, or stories about how things must be.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In systems theory, “critical points” are moments when long periods of small changes gradually accumulate, and then suddenly erupt into a big shift. Nothing appears to happen for a while, and then everything happens at once. Ice becomes water, for instance. I suspect you’re nearing such a pivot, Pisces. You’ve been gathering strength, clarity, and nerve in subtle ways. Soon you will be visited by what we might call a graceful, manageable explosion. The slow, persistent changes you’ve been overseeing will result in a major transition.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Yoruba concept of ashe refers to the power to make things happen. It’s the life force that flows through all things, and can be accumulated, directed, and shared. Right now, your ashe is strong but a bit scattered, Sagittarius. You have power, but it’s diffused across too many commitments and half-pursued desires. So your assignment is to consolidate. Choose two things that matter most and fully pour your ashe into them. As you concentrate your vitality, you’ll get more done and become a conduit for blessings larger than yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What’s holding you back? What are you waiting for? A nudge from destiny? A breaking point when you’ll be compelled to act? A hidden clue that may or may not reveal itself? It’s my duty to tell you this: All that lingering and dallying, all that wishing and hoping, is wasted energy. As long as you’re sitting still, pining for a cosmic deliverance to handle the hard parts, the sweet intervention will keep its distance. The instant you claim the authority to act, you’ll see it clearly: the path forward that doesn’t need a perfect sign, a final push, or fate’s permission slip.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If you’re anything like me, you wince as you recall the lazy choices and careless passivity that speckle your past. You may wonder what you were thinking when you treated yourself so cavalierly, pushed away a steadfast ally, or let a dazzling invitation slip by. At times I feel as if my wrong turns carry more weight in my fate than the bright, grace-filled moments. Here’s good news for you, though. March is Amnesty Month for all Aquarians willing to own up to and graduate from their missteps. As you work diligently to unwind the unhelpful patterns that led you off course, life will release you from the heavy drag of those old failures and their leftover momentum.

MAKE YOUR CLOSET HAPPY, MANE.

Killing Time

The newest Scream installment answers the question “What if Sidney Prescott had a gun?” Unfortunately, that’s about all it does.

Long gone are the days where horror legend Wes Craven used the franchise as an outlet for his unique grasp of the meta conventions of horror, paving the way for a new era of self-aware slasher lms. Instead, the latest installment, directed by Scream writer and Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson, is a lazy copout which hides behind a curtain of familiar faces in an attempt to ee the controversy around the movie.

e franchise garnered negative publicity in 2023 when it was announced that actress Melissa Barrera had been red from the upcoming project for social media comments on the Israel-Palestine con ict. Burgeoning scream queen Jenna Ortega exited shortly a er, leaving the impending lm without its previous protagonists.

ese departures le questions of what was to become of the next entry into the

Ghostface saga. Now we know the result was a bastardized product built from nostalgia and the skeletons of the last two Scream movies.

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is actively pursuing a life of normalcy a er being haunted by Ghostface and the repercussions of her mother’s decisions. Sidney lives a guarded, but outwardly normal life married to police o cer Mark Evans (Joel McHale). e two live in Pine Grove, Indiana, while raising their daughter Tatum (Isabel May.)

Tatum’s namesake o en leads her to question her mother’s past — something Sidney is o en dismissive about. e only glimpses into Sidney’s early years are through the media and the infamous, in-universe Stab franchise which exploited the Woodsboro murders. Any insight into the old life she’s trying to distance herself from o en comes in the form of precaution, like when she warns Tatum to be careful with her boyfriend Ben (Sam Rechner).

Sidney’s reality is interrupted by a call from Ghostface. No stranger to the game,

Sidney takes the call. However, things take a turn when the caller requests to video chat and reveals himself to be an aged Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard).

Stu informs Sidney that her daughter is his next target and that he is outside of Tatum’s high school theater, where she and her friends are rehearsing a school play.

What follows is a story banking on nostalgia (and unfortunately AI) to continue a narrative that didn’t need to be continued. Scream 7 is a symptom of Hollywood’s inability to come up with new stories, while relying on familiar faces to keep the fans coming back.

I genuinely can’t tell you anything that’s happened post-Scream 4, but the lm manages to tell its story without that

needed context. is is a plus for someone who couldn’t nd the time for a crash course, but a disservice to those who’ve been devoted since the rst time Ghostface rang.

e opening scene of a Scream movie is not just important to the plot, but should also be a nod to the series’ legacy. “Hello Sidney” has become pop culture iconography, and once signaled a whole ra of expectations. We didn’t get that though — or any thoughtfulness as to why this story was being continued in a modern era.

Scream 7 opens with a poorly executed take on America’s true crime obsession, a missed opportunity to comment on society’s obsession with glamorizing trauma that Craven would have never fumbled.

I’m not 100 percent anti-revival — in fact, I think that it’s been done really well in certain spaces. But what made Scream so special was that it didn’t rely on the conventions that slasher and horror films had rested on. The characters were smart, and the series’ signature wit sprang from self-awareness. Scream 7 forgets its pedigree and instead proceeds with an air of predictability and pointless dialogue.

Still, there are glimmers of self-awareness. There’s a kill which mimics Drew Barrymore’s famous demise — a notable star left with a seemingly unnecessarily gory fate. Unlike its predecessor, though,

this murder seems like the kind of pointless, cheap attempts at shock a Scream movie is supposed to make fun of. A bulk of the slayings are quite unnecessary, as I didn’t know enough about the characters to care that they’ve fallen victim to Ghostface. Even worse, the special effects at times look like scrapped Goosebumps episodes from the ’90s.

I’d liken my Scream 7 experience to watching the last and weakest season of my favorite show, like when Gilmore Girls lost the Palladinos, or when Mischa Barton left The O.C. Unfortunately, I’m not confident in saying this was the “series finale” of Scream

Scream 7

Now playing

Multiple locations

LAST WORD By Patricia

Lockhart

Plant the Seed

Picky teens can still nd fun in old-school enrichment.

I have some really cool teenagers: a 17-year-old boy, twin 14-year-old boys, and a 12-year-old girl. Recently, they have decided to conduct their own “masterclass,” complete with PowerPoint presentations and everything. My daughter has decided she is going to do a class on ballet. One twin will do his on learning to play an instrument. While the other two teenagers haven’t quite landed on their masterclass topic yet, I’m sure it’s going to be delightful.

But as amazing as my teenagers are, they aren’t fans of everything. None of my kids are into playing basketball. ey don’t get excited about sports in general. I can’t dangle parties with loud music over their heads to get them to do what I want. Just as photography doesn’t make their hearts utter, there are some things and places in Memphis that my teenagers just aren’t into. It’s not that these places are bad, it’s just that they don’t tickle their fancy. My kids are not entirely fans of skating parks or community centers, but both places are perfect places for teenagers to be a part of a community and become mentally enriched as well.

Memphis Community Centers

When I was younger, I used to love going to the Ed Rice Community Center. I most loved their tennis courts and hilly terrain. Community centers have always played a crucial role in supporting and strengthening Black communities. ey’ve been hubs for educational resources. My mom even has pleasant memories of having access to routine medical check-ups at her local community center. Even today, these centers are hubs for nancial information, health classes, majorette teams, free play, and meeting rooms. I would love for my teens to say, “Hey, Mom! We’re gonna hang out at the community center for a little bit. We’re meeting our friends there, too.” Oh how pleasant that would be! But community centers just aren’t their cup of tea. e last time we went, we engaged in arts and cra s. e entire family made bracelets and necklaces. We watched some kids play soccer in the distance. And lastly we stopped inside the Gaisman Community Center to cool o . (Yeah, it’s been that long.) But have they begged to go back? Nope. (I wonder if they have video games to lure them in.)

While my teenagers might not be begging to go, I will de nitely be engaging in Gaisman Community Center’s Books ‘N’ Breakfast. You are treated to a full spread breakfast and a free book! Hey now! Don’t tempt me with a good time. Check out the Memphis Community Centers by visiting memphisparks.com. Pro tips for visiting any one of Memphis’ 26 centers: 1) Get a membership at memphisparks.recdesk.com/Community/Home. 2) Plan out your visit using the calendar of events. 3) Go o en!

Raleigh Skate Park

Once upon a time, during COVID, we bought a skateboard for our kids. ey had never skateboarded before, but my husband and I thought they needed a new outdoor hobby. So began a short a air with the skateboard. We would wake in the mornings and go outside immediately a er breakfast. ey would take turns skateboarding up and down the street. Slowly and carefully. But it did not last long. One by one, the kids lost interest in skateboarding. We tried taking them to Society Skate Park a couple of times, but they never got completely hooked on it.

But is skateboarding awesome? Absolutely. Sure it gets the kids out of the house, and away from their phones and devices. But did you know that the skateboarding community is extremely supportive and encouraging?

It’s no secret I love going to the library, speci cally my home library in Raleigh. I o en reward myself with a trip if I complete three laps of the walking trail. is trail goes around a beautiful lake and extends to the Raleigh Skate Park. I have witnessed older men teaching young kids how to land tricks safely. I have heard the encouraging cheers and claps from fellow skateboarders. But it’s not only skateboarders who hang out there. ere are bikers and roller skaters too. It’s an eclectic community on wheels, and I would love for my teenagers to be a part of it. Just because it’s not their “thing” doesn’t mean it isn’t a great place for teens to hang out. And maybe that’s just part of raising teenagers. ey don’t have to be interested in what I want them to be interested in.

Community centers and skate parks may not be their thing right now, but that doesn’t take away from their value. Memphis is full of spaces that build connection and character. My job? Keep introducing them. Plant the seed. And wait for it to bloom. Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s a librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep.