text and photograph by John Rosenthal In 1996, Gibbons Ruark, Raleigh native and well respected poet, wrote a splendid poem called Swamp Mallows. It was inspired by the remarkably beautiful Ben Berns painting of the same name in the North…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio Meg Lowman believes in a lot of things: The sanctity of the treetops. The importance of insects, curiosity, resilience, and adventure. She believes in “no child left indoors” and “the power of one.” And kismet. “I find…
by Scott Huler photographs by Lissa Gotwals Danielle Centeno tastes in shapes. Centeno, head chocolatier of Escazu Artisan Chocolate on North Blount Street, has synesthesia – a conflation of two senses – that causes her, when she eats, to experience not just taste…
by Amber Nimocks photographs by Juli Leonard You scan the surrounding trees and spot other chairs likewise suspended, their rungs seeming to run through the trunks, at various heights and angles throughout the small, sparse clump of forest. It takes…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Robert Willett David Brooks sits astride his favorite polo pony on a banner day at Crooked Creek Farm, his home in northern Orange County. In a royal-blue jersey, polo helmet and knee boots, mallet and…
by Allie Higgins photographs by Geoff Wood John McHugh never imagined he would drive the train at Pullen Park; he was too busy clowning around. That started early, at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, back in 1978….
by Liza Roberts photographs by Lissa Gotwals When Broadway star Lauren Kennedy was growing up in Raleigh, she put in her time doing wholesome-kid things like catching salamanders in the creek near her house, and playing games like freeze tag with her…
by Ann Brooke Raynal photographs by Juli Leonard As drivers whiz down I-40, heading into Raleigh, a glance to the right will reveal a green swath, vivid evidence that the region’s agricultural roots are alive and well. Thanks to miles of farmland…
by Amber Nimocks photographs by Tim Lytvinenko Edge Barnes has always been “in beta,” long before always being “in beta” was cool. “If there’s not something new going on, there’s something wrong,” he says. It might seem incongruous for a gray-bearded potter…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Mark Petko As Bett Padgett welcomes yet another stranger into her Raleigh home on this bright-green evening, she’s doing something she considers vital: Sharing music. Tonight, she’s sharing it with about 90 people who have…
by Amber Nimocks photographs by Robert Willett Kazem Yahyapour,58, started running to keep his heart beating. He kept running because it feeds his soul. Yahyapour was 48 when he had a heart attack, five years younger than his father had…
by Charman Driver photograph by Mark Petko “Move as if your body is seaweed, and water is washing over you,” says Chelsea Jones. I close my eyes and imagine what it looks (and feels) like to move like washed-over-seaweed. Here…
by Lewis Beale photographs by Geoff Wood Colin Clarke is used to thinking big. This is no huge surprise, since the coach of the Carolina RailHawks has played in England’s first division, and for Northern Ireland in the World Cup….
by Liza Roberts photography by Jessica Crews When copywriter Tina Haver, 26, and Indy Week music editor Grayson Currin, 30, (left) get married on June 8, they’ll do it in a style all their own. The ceremony, reception – and…