Arts Fell on Alabama

In a quiet room at the Homewood Public Library, young adult author Randi Pink is chasing her dream one sentence at a time. Here why Randi is working to put her name -- and Black stories -- literally on the map.

A church organist reflects on a “two‑week” fill‑in job that became a 50‑year calling and shares how sacred music, sacrifice, and joy shape her life at the keyboard.

C.H. Wilson is a Navy veteran living in Birmingham who finds healing and community while participating in InToto Creative Arts programs at his local VA.  

Bethany Moody weaves history and sustainable practices into her fiber art, proving that even things that have been discarded can become useful once again. 

Music: Victor Military Band, Emil Waldteufel, and Walter B Rogers. Dreams of Childhood. 1913. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-133896/

Meet Timothy Huffman III: Birmingham drummer, keyboardist, and founder of Exposure Community Development Corporation. Free music lessons changed the course of Tim’s life. Now, he’s helping the next generation of Birmingham kids find their groove through his nonprofit.  

Montgomery-based writer Bob McGough shares how a lifetime of playing Dungeons and Dragons prepared him for writing novels and short stories -- and vice versa!

Treat yourself to some of 2024's best deleted scenes from your weekly dose of Southern creativity. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from the Arts Fell on Alabama team!

Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Greta Lambert reflects on the joys and challenges of adapting Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a one-woman show during the coronavirus pandemic. In conversation with Annemarie Anderson. 

Peace Smith and Travis Hicks of Huntsville, AL, explain how they fell in love with stained glass through a workshop at Burritt on the Mountain, and have gone on to teach the craft themselves.

Visual artist and retired Auburn art professor Zdenko Krtić explains why 45 minutes of daily creativity are an essential part of his morning routine.

800 years ago, the Mississippian cultural center now known as the Moundville site was the largest city in America north of Mexico. Discover how art and creativity contribute to our ability to understand the past and imagine the future.

Music soothes the seasick (and homesick) soul, live from Korea circa 1952. Special thanks to Burgin Matthews and the Southern Music Research Center for their collaboration on this episode.

We take a drive down county road 29 to Gees Bend, where handmade quilts on the clothesline flutter in the October breeze.

Sheila Smith, treasurer of the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy, reflects on a childhood growing up among quilts and quilters in Wilcox County, AL. This episode was first produced by Deb Boykin and intern Ren Carroll in 2023.

Mobile-based artist and writer Ardith Goodwin takes on us a fantastical journey to Mardi Bay and the City of Elibom, and explains how her decade-long painting project turned into a middle-grade fantasy series. 

Courtney Bennett, director of Main Street Montevallo, explains how the city uses art--and fire hydrants--to empower citizens to make a mark on their community.

Tyler Jones, director of the Birmingham-based narrative studio 1504, describes the creative process behind a new, collaborative installation of artist Joe Minter's work in Titusville.

Elvie Schooley, executive director of DRUM, The Program, shares how she teaches healthy communication and decision-making to kids and adults through West African cultural arts.

Dr. Charlotte Pence, the city of Mobile's inaugural poet laureate, shows us what is possible with a piece of paper, a pencil, and paying attention to what's happening in your own backyard.