Slowing down to speed up

by Zach Clayton By 2 p.m., I was ready to quit. Already 10 hours into a daylong silent meditation, my mind was anything but still. As my thoughts raced from topic to topic, my body ached. I’d been sitting cross-legged…

Gratitude and a neighbor

by Settle Monroe Her smile grows slowly, almost creeping its way to fullness as she remembers her life many years ago.  She leans across the table, as if to let me in on a secret, recounting the days of juggling…

Quercus Studio

photograph by Travis Long “When you walk in, you smell whatever I’m burning with the torch. You see what’s going on and hear it and smell it; it’s a full experience. It’s a space to see objects created. What is…

Bringing in the outdoors

by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Catherine Nguyen Anyone who’s gone through purchasing a home knows what a big and sometimes agonizing decision it can be. But when the current owners of this gracious property caught wind of its upcoming sale, the wife’s…

Larkin Andreaus: Building bridges

by Todd Cohen photographs by Juli Leonard Larkin Andreaus is that rare 15-year-old who knows who he is, where he comes from, and where he’s headed. And he has made it his mission to bridge those divides between past, present…

Need for speed at the Wake County Speedway

by Tina Haver Currin photographs by Jill Knight Just fifteen minutes from downtown Raleigh lies a thunderous land of revving race cars, bologna sandwiches, and if you’re (un)lucky, maybe a few flips, fires, and crashes, too. A breezy April evening promises favorable…

Story of a marriage: How to build a house

In the lush garden they planted together after their children grew up sits a small table where, weather permitting, Steve and Betsy Levitas end nearly every day. Drinks in hand, they talk, laugh and love, watching the sun set behind…

Fueling the music: Raleigh’s Port Merch plays key backstage role

by Tracy Davis photographs by Nick Pironio Perhaps you’ve heard the joke about how bands are actually in the T-shirt business? It’s typically told by the musicians themselves – talented ones – and they’re only half-joking. Merchandise – “merch,” in…

Stout and proud: Local options aplenty this St. Patrick’s Day

by Anna Long Time to get your green on: St. Patrick’s Day is here. The annual celebration that began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international excuse for overindulgence. Celebrations across the globe…

James Marshall finds his element

by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio “I like to work in small spaces,” says the artist James Marshall, as he shows a visitor into his North Raleigh garage. At first it’s not clear where that space is, because a shining…

Say yes to the dress

by Mary E. Miller Maybe it wasn’t the starring role, but she did have 27 lines. She’d won the comic relief. And in middle school – as for the rest of life that comes after, that’s something worth owning, I…

Oakwood Cemetery: Segway-style

by CC Parker photograph by Robert Willett I admit it: I chuckle at Segway tours. Lined up like ducks. Helmeted. All leaning forward, slightly bow-legged, intent on their mission… and what is that mission? And yet, there I was, on…

Advertisement