The poetry box
When celebrated poets Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar moved from Oregon to Raleigh in 2008, they brought a love of verse they wanted to share. Laux, a professor of poetry in N.C. State’s creative writing program, had just the…
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Pack mentality: Lee Huggins
words and photograph by Juli Leonard Fifty-two feet, 26 ears and 13 tails swarm and churn around dog walker Lee Huggins near Raleigh’s Ridge Road on a sunny afternoon. A tangle of leashes crisscross Huggins’ chest like rainbow sashes. Poop…
A facelift and a fresh start
by Stacy Chandler photographs by Carla Williams Before a group of Wake County remodelers came to the rescue last fall, the headquarters of the Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, which helps people out of homelessness, was worn out. Its carpet was…
Hot tracks for cool days
Is there a better cure for the cooped-up winter blahs than great music? Walter asked four local DJs for their top picks. Carson Blackley Recent N.C. State graduate Carson Blackley is a radio host and producer for Raleigh’s new country…
Short plants got no reason to….Verbesina olsenii
by Tony Avent In a world where most plant breeders and nursery folks buy into the mistaken proposition that all homeowners want short plants, I embrace a different notion. I can’t imagine anything worse than opening my front door and…
Hometown heroes: The World Series champs next door
by Cam Higgins “Should I use the autograph I’ve been practicing, or just sign my normal name?” Few 13-year-olds get the chance to ask their coach that question, but then again, Dante Defranco and his fellow players on the West…
A farewell to Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
When celebrated poet and Raleigh native Gibbons Ruark heard that Seamus Heaney, his cherished friend of more than 30 years, had died on Aug. 30, he was bereft. Heaney, the Irish Nobel Laureate, had been a hero, kindred spirit, and touchstone…
A house, a dog and love
by P. Gaye Tapp A towering magnolia tree sheltered me from the rush of traffic on Glenwood Avenue for 10 years. There were moments when I thought a car might careen onto the sidewalk, crash into the stucco wall, invade…
Piece by piece
by Jesma Reynolds Born into a family of scientists and doctors, local rocker and entrepreneur Cheetie Kumar was marked at birth when her mother gave her the Hindu name Chitra, meaning “portrait” or “artist.” Her life has been a vibrant…
Delta rising
by Samantha Thompson Hatem Most of Raleigh might have missed it, but Delta Rae, the edgy alt-pop band, has quietly set up home here over the past year, and its six members are now on their way to becoming some…
Hard java
Coffee cocktails are having a moment. Not the steamy, desserty kind, thick with whipped cream and Bailey’s. Not the toddy variety, curing what ails you. This coffee cocktail is serious, and it’s iced. Dry – even lemony – and spiked…
Inner strength
by Charman Driver What a fantastic year of fun and fitness adventures I’ve had with Walter. I’ve run, kicked, jumped, stretched, melted, boxed, danced, climbed – even joined the circus! People often ask me how I maintain the discipline and…
In all its forms: Close ties, deep roots, and forward focus at the North Carolina Symphony
by J. Peder Zane As the hot summer night embraced Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater, sweet smoke drifted through the air, propelling the sell-out crowd to the heights of ecstasy that happen when music meets dance. Gray-haired men in tie-died shirts boogied with…
Up all night with Lionel Vatinet
by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio At 2 a.m., as liquored-up college kids are polishing off a game of cornhole outside the Back 9 Pub in Cary, master baker Lionel Vatinet is arriving at work next door. The yeasty…