Imani Abdullah-Lutes

by Todd Cohen photograph by Carla Williams Some would say the odds have been stacked against Imani Abdullah-Lutes from day she was born 18 years ago. Those people don’t know this young woman. When Imani’s biological mother went into labor,…

A teacher first: Lope Max Diaz

by Amber Nimocks photographs by Juli Leonard Bold, staring orbs, fractured picture frames, and bright geometric elements give the sculptural paintings of Raleigh’s own Lope Max Diaz a visceral presence. Through his signature use of shape and color, Diaz can…

Editor’s Letter: June/July

WALTER was delighted to welcome the author Frances Mayes to a special luncheon with 125 WALTER readers at the Umstead Hotel & Spa on a Sunday in late April. This latest in our series of WALTER EVENTS combined literary conversation with gourmet food…

Making music: Raleigh’s instrument restorers keep the town in tune

by Corbie Hill photographs by Lissa Gotwals Violins are made to be repaired. Their tops aren’t flush to their sides, like a guitar’s. Instead, those tops are designed to be removed, so violins can be tended to over multi-hundred-year lifespans….

The “norm” of the Berkeley: On being a regular

text and photographs by Scott Huler Playing barroom pool once, during one of the multi-hour lunches that define the life of a journalist, I heard my name called. “Huler!” cried the bartender. “Your editor called. She says get your butt…

That’s some asparagus: Rohdea japonica

by Tony Avent illustration by Ippy Patterson I first became enamored with Rohdea japonica back around the time President Richard Nixon uttered that immortal line, “I am not a crook.”  As I was always on the lookout for new plants…

A better ‘bot

photographs by Tim Lytvinenko At Dorton Arena one recent afternoon, groups of teenagers wearing kooky matching outfits huddled together, eyes fixed on an obstacle course of sorts – but machines were navigating it, not people. As the teenagers looked on, robots…

Spotlight: Author with a purpose

by Jessie Ammons Paul Leonard has always been an intentional observer. “When I have experiences and they move me, I write about it,” he says. “I don’t necessarily journal every day, but when I see something that means something to me,…

Southern maidenhair fern

by Tony Avent illustration by Ippy Patterson I’m not sure why gardeners are so attracted to maidenhair ferns, but odds are the plant’s romantic common name – which aptly describes its dainty foliage – has something to do with it….

Alter Egos

photographs by Geoff Wood We all have one. Another side to the one most folks know. For some, it’s a small thing: A hobby, interest, or minor talent. For others, it’s a big part – if not the main part…

Dave Rose: Raleigh’s man behind the curtain

by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio In a modest bungalow along the grassy, unmowed edge of Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Hospital campus, Dave Rose presides over the Triangle’s most comprehensive music and entertainment empire. Unless you’re a music geek or one of…

Ashley Harris’s Vermillion turns 10

by Liza Roberts Ten years ago, Ashley Harris was an optimistic 27-year-old entrepreneur with a bank loan and a big idea: to sell high-end designer fashion in Raleigh. Today, she’s a successful and seasoned retailer whose Vermillion boutique has earned real…

Art and empathy

by Sarah Schroth Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University Art museums are, for me, almost sacred spaces of contemplation. If I slow down and take enough time to look at a work…

CAM docents: Leading the way

by Liza Roberts On the first Friday of any given month, when Raleigh’s galleries and museums are all open late, art lovers head out to see the latest shows and mingle with their peers. When they walk under the cantilevered…

Advertisement