2023 Issue 5 Sept/Oct Focus - Mid-South Magazine

Serving the Mid-South LGBT+ Community and its Allies | Sept+Oct 2023 

FREE 

GO! 

BENTONVILLE 

THE SOUTHEAST’S 

SURPRISING SANCTUM 

OF FINE ART 

WEIRD & WONDERFUL 

DAY TRIPS TO ARKANSAS 

AND ALABAMA 

KAYAKING IN MEMPHIS 

UNIQUE REGIONAL SPOTS TO VISIT 

7 

HIDE BEFORE PRINT FINAL 

TIPS FOR SOLO 

LGBTQ+ TRAVEL

Rediscover. 

Explore. 

Seek. 

Find.

BROWSE THE STORES IN LAURELWOOD. 

EXPECT TO BE IMPRESSED. 

Ami Austin Home 

Babcock Gifts 

Blu D'or Interiors 

Chico's 

Cotton Tails 

Dinstuhl's Fine Candy 

Company 

East Memphis Athletic Club 

Fleet Feet Sports 

Frost Bake Shop 

Heather 

Hot Yoga Plus 

J McLaughlin 

J. Jill 

James Davis 

Joseph 

Joseph Men 

King Furs & Fine Jewelry 

Kittie Kyle 

Libro 

Lori James Contemporary 

Boutique 

Nicole Barre Bridal Boutique 

Novel. 

Orvis 

Panera Bread 

Pavo - Salon.Spa 

Pigtails & Crewcuts 

Restaurant Iris 

Sachi 

Sissy's Log Cabin 

Stovall Collection, Fine 

Stationery and Gifts 

Vignettes Interior Design 

ZupMed 

SPONSORED BY... 

POPLAR AVE @ GROVE PARK ROAD SOUTH 

/laurelwoodmemphis @ShopLaurelwood @shoplaurelwood 

LAURELWOODMEMPHIS.COM

the 

team 

MANAGING EDITOR 

+ DIGITAL MEDIA 

Dr. Chellie Bowman 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

+ ADVERTISING DESIGN 

Daphne Butler 

DISTRIBUTION 

+ SUBSCRIPTIONS 

Nancy Bontly 

OPERATIONS + PROMOS 

Ray Rico 

ADVERTISING+FINANCE 

billing@rayricofreelance.com 

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CONTENTS | Sept+Oct 2023 

7 MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

8 THEME: GO! 

10 LIFE 

Unleash your inner adventurer as a solo 

traveler with these 7 tips 

12 LIFE 

A poetic journey across America on a 

Greyhound bus 

16 LIFE 

Interesting in kayaking around Memphis? 

Here are some local options 

20 HEALTH + WELLNESS 

How travel can benefit your mental health 

24 TRAVEL 

Bentonville, a surprising sanctuary for fine 

art in the Southeast 

28 ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT 

Prism Pages No. 9 

32 TRAVEL 

Weird and wonderful day trips to Arkansas 

and Alabama 

38 FAITH + SPIRITUALITY 

Metaphysical gifts, oddities, and spiritual 

services at a new midtown shop 

40 TRAVEL 

Recommendations for unique regional 

spots to visit! 

44 TRAVEL 

Joey Amato takes a pride journey to Athens, 

GA and shares everything it has to offer 

46 LIFE 

New FULL horoscope readings for every sign! 

ON THE COVER 

photo by Brandi Rinks 

ON THIS PAGE 

George Segal: Three People on Four Benches, 1979. 

Sits on a path beneath Frank Lloyd Wright’s 

Bachman-Wilson House at 

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

Photo by Drew Stanford. Find the story on page 24. 


FEATURED WRITERS IN THIS ISSUE 

CONTRIBUTORS 

We rely on community contributors for Focus magazine news and stories. 

A huge thanks to these dedicated writers! 

Whitney 

CARTER 

Whitney is a native of 

Mississippi who’s been able 

to call the Memphis area 

home for almost seven years. 

She is a poet, writer, and 

deep thinker who genuinely 

loves to love. She has a 

bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s in human 

and social services. 

Tricia 

DEWEY 

Tricia is a longtime Memphis 

transplant, who has grown to 

admire the ‘grit and grind’. She 

is also a mom, wife, runner, 

reader, recovering lawyer, tree 

hugger, and ally. 

Minnassa 

GABON 

Minnassa Gabon is a Southern 

Californian now living in the 

Mid-South. She is the C.E.O. of 

Minnassa Wellness, a psychic 

intuitive, Reiki Master, and the 

Chair of OUTMemphis’ Senior 

Services. 

MUD 

Ethan James "Mud" McVay 

is a writer, stagehand, and 

interdisciplinary artist working 

in sculpture, performance, and 

installation art. 

Brandi 

RINKS 

Brandi Rinks is an Arkansan 

by birth and a Memphian 

by choice. She’s the host 

of Puttin’ on Airs Sunday 

mornings at 9am on WYXR 

Memphis, and she prefers her 

chocolate fried pies gritty. 

William 

SMYTHE 

William is a local writer and 

poet. He has been published in 

multiple magazines, both online 

and in print, and works with the 

community creative workshop 

collective, Memphis Writers. 

Other Contributors 

Joey Amato 

Lena Chipman 

Nancy Bontly 

Elaina Nicholas 

Chellie Bowman Shahin Samiei 

Have a story that needs to be told? Pitch your story ideas to editor@focuslgbt.com 

Sept+Oct 2023 | focuslgbt.com | Go! 7

theme 

Portia Munsion: The Garden, 1996-2019. 

21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, AR 

photo by Mud 

Find the story on page 24. 


FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

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Get all your LGBT+ content online at focuslgbt.com 

9 Go! | focuslgbt.com

life 

Go, Embrace, and Explore 

7 Tips for LGBTQ+ 

Solo Travelers 

Making Memories, Unleashing Freedom 

In a world opening up to diversity and acceptance, embarking on a solo journey as an LGBTQ+ traveler is not just fine, 

it's a chance to craft unforgettable memories that resonate with your true self. Don't wait for the perfect moment; create 

it! Solo travel isn't about escaping life but embracing it with open arms. So pack your bags, throw on your rainbow 

colors, and explore the world together, one step at a time 

. 

Unleash Your Inner Adventurer 

with These 7 Tips 

1 

2 

3 

Embrace Your Identity 

Everywhere 

Your rainbow-hued identity deserves to shine 

everywhere you go. Express yourself openly and 

confidently, from your choice of clothing to your 

mannerisms. Most places welcome diversity, and your 

authenticity can be a beacon of positivity for others. 

Research LGBTQ-Friendly 

Destinations 

While the world is changing, not all places are equally 

accepting. Research destinations known for their 

LGBTQ+ inclusivity. From vibrant cities to tranquil 

islands, there are countless welcoming spots. 

Connect with Local LGBTQ+ 

Communities 

Every corner of the globe boasts unique LGBTQ+ 

communities eager to share their stories. Use apps 

to connect with locals. 

Engaging with these 

communities can unlock 

an immersive experience, 

providing insights into 

the local culture from the 

perspective of fellow LGBTQ+ 

members. 


4 

5 

6 

7 

Prioritize Safety and 

Well-being 

While solo travel is exhilarating, safety is paramount. 

Share your travel itinerary with a trusted friend or 

family member. Keep important documents and 

emergency contact information handy. Research 

local laws and customs to ensure you're wellprepared 

and aware of any potential challenges. 

Bonus: If you have a close friend you can trust, you 

can share your location with them on your phone. 

Be Open to New 

Connections 

One of the joys of solo travel is meeting new people. 

Be open to forming friendships and connections 

along the way. Strike up conversations with fellow 

travelers or locals, attend social events, and join 

group tours. These interactions can lead to lifelong 

friendships and incredible memories. 

Trust Your Intuition 

Intuition is your greatest travel companion. If a 

situation doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and 

remove yourself. Listen to your gut feelings when 

choosing accommodations, activities, or interactions. 

Your safety and comfort should always come first. 

Capture the Moments 

Document your journey through photographs, 

journals, or blogs. These keepsakes will allow 

you to relive your experiences and inspire and 

empower other LGBTQ+ individuals to embark on 

their solo adventures. 

Solo travel isn't just about discovering new destinations; 

it's about uncovering new layers of yourself. As an 

LGBTQ+ individual, you can shape your narrative, explore 

the world on your terms, and leave footprints of pride 

and authenticity. Embrace the unknown; every journey 

is a step toward personal growth, understanding, and 

connection. So, what are you waiting for? Go, embrace, 

and explore the world with the vibrant colors of your true 

self. Your solo adventure awaits! 

Season tickets start at $32 per show! 

Explore the season online at 


life 

That Vast 

American Sea 

Two Weeks on 

a Greyhound 

by William Smythe 


It’s eight in the morning, the beginning of February, 

and my bus is leaving the station. I’m nerve-wracked but 

excited about spending two weeks on the road. First: 

I head to Portland to see an author on his book tour. 

Afterwards, I will take another bus to my old college town, 

Missoula, in Montana. Then, finally, I will traverse another 

three days following the Mississippi back home. In my 

possession are: (1) a blank notebook that I intend to fill 

with poetry; (2) a book by the author I am going to see; 

and (3) a couple of granola bars for the road. My attention 

is firmly set on the world outside my window. I see a lone 

horse grazing by a power station. Let the journey begin. 

Just outside Little Rock, after we pass by a thousand 

tarpaper homes and abandoned farms, there’s a sign for 

the AR POWERBALL. Its slogan simply states: IMAGINE! 

YOU WINNING! I write this down as a motif in my poetry 

book since I can’t pass up a good metaphor. And it 

certainly applies to a few moments. 

As we coast into Texarkana, our first pit stop, the driver 

informs the passengers that we have thirty minutes. He 

adamantly admits that he will drive off without us. So, I 

make ample use of my time, by relieving myself and buying 

a few Gatorades. When I pop back onto the bus, the driver 

wastes no time shipping off. 

But, not two miles away from the depot, the bus breaks 

down. Most of us, including me, wail because our transfer 

waits in Dallas. I certainly can’t afford to miss it. I can 

not be stranded in Texarkana. One businessman angrily 

leaves the bus and says to just come back for him, he’s 

going to wait at the depot. Our driver tells him we won’t 

come back for him, but he just tells the driver he’s full 

of ‘bull shit’. But, the driver wasn’t lying since, not two 

minutes later, the bus leaves without the man. I watch 

him become a distant point 

in the winter void behind us. 

Imagine. You winning. 

After that dead-of-night 

departure from Dallas, our 

ship of sailors swings into 

Amarillo around two in 

the morning. Here’s this 

American scene: ponytail 

drug deals, businessmen 

sniffing their fingers; 

migrant mothers, holding 

their crying children like 

the Pietà; and, one of 

many characters on my 

journey, a broken beatnik 

searching the routes for 

answers. 

Clark Fork River in Missoula 

Road Out Towards Texarkana 

photos on this page 

by William Smythe 

Street Art in Missoula, MT 

by Unknown Artist 


His name is Rick. And he’s been everywhere. From his 

home in California to Montana to NYC to New Orleans 

to this stop right here to ask me if I could watch his bag 

for him. We have become fast friends, popping each 

other’s backs and watching those backs in turn. This is 

the communion of the road, I soon realize. You have to 

trust people. 

Where his final destination was or would be, I do not 

know. He departs my life in Salt Lake City, refusing all of 

my gifts, all of my offerings. He knows the ways of the 

road better than I ever could. So I ordain him a saint of the 

streets in my heart. 

I might be painting a desolate picture, but I don’t mean 

to. There’s beauty on the road as well. A great example 

comes from my poem Colorado Dawn. 

“A picturesque pastoral of / muted grey and soft blue 

rekindles / when a daffodil paintbrush lifts up / the veil 

of night. A frontier fire blazes up again, / where cattle 

and horses lazily graze (...) / I open my canteen and 

swallow / cold clear water from a river running freely / 

about a mile past the horizon. (...) Outside, a few cattle 

moan like whales do at breach.” 

There are many more moments like this during my 

travels, where the road takes on this ethereal quality. 

Moments where you can’t see anything but the world’s real 

beauty. It makes trips like these worth it, by car or by bus. 

Another wonderful moment comes after my Portland 

stay. I hop onto my bus to Montana and meet a lady named 

Pixie. She’s an ex-Mormon lesbian with doll-red hair, and, I 

later found out, she had been confirmed in her former faith 

the same day I was born. Throughout the night we talk 

and smoke weed at every bus stop with watchful eyes. The 

drivers and depot authorities will find any excuse to kick 

you off the trail. Especially if what you’re doing is on the 

edge of legality. 

One such instance happens during the Olympia station 

stop. Two elderly travelers try sneaking a garbage bag full 

of PBR into the underside of the bus. Of course, the bag 

rips open and beer spills out everywhere. Both culprits 

blame each other but the cops don’t care. They both get 

escorted off the property. 

In Spokane, where Pixie lives, we say our goodbyes. She 

leaves me with the rest of her weed and a lovely kiss on 

the cheek. My next destination will be back to the halls of 

memory, back in Missoula. 

Missoula is shaped like a bowl, because it used to be 

a glacier. 

The winding passes where the Clark-Fork rushes 

through, whipping cold wind like a cat-o’-nine-tails to the 

face. In fact, I describe Montana perfectly in my poem 

Passing into Montana, where I say: 

“canyons, with their / creek cut bottoms; / pines hiking 

uphill; / snow; / train tracks; / river’s run; / snow; / icy 

roads;/ ice flows; / deer grazing; / eagles hunting; / 

snow; and / snow; and / snow.” 

When the bus drops me off at the depot, I’m facing that 

wind, marching towards my friend’s place where I’ll be 

staying. You can save money when you travel by having 

people you know at each stop. That, or budget for a hotel. 

Firstly, I go back to the college and visit all my old stops. 

It’s all stayed the same: bleary-eyed students working on 

assignments; teachers sipping their morning coffee. After 

a short nostalgia trip, I go back downtown, get a burrito 

from Taco Sano, and bother the baristas at Butterfly, 

just like old times. In that coffee shop, I write down in my 

poem Missoula, that: 

“Nothing’s changed really. / The ghosts still haunt 

where they haunt / and I stick to the same old routes. I 

stay / on the paths I know and have known.” 

There’s nothing bad about that. Sometimes, an oasis 

is all you need on a long journey. After a few days and 

an assorted adventure that I further detail in the poem I 

quoted, I got back on the bus to head back home. 

My next destination: the Mississippi River, on my way 

home again. On the trip to the mouth of that great river, 

I nap. A man from Nigeria had given me his pillow to rest 

my head on. I want to thank him, but he departs while I 

sleep. The trip back home is just as eventful as the trip out 

West but without much beauty. It has the equivalence of a 

comedown or a hangover. The party’s over, so all I have left 

are storms and cornfields. 

Still, I scribble down poems about this side of the 

country. In The Woods Grow Dark and Deep, after the 

Iowa cornfields, 

“we find ourselves in a stalemate / the sky outside 

opening [up] for a storm. / The drone of wind and lowhanging 

/ fruit of one-paycheck-away patrons / seems 

to me the perfect mix / for tornado warnings / and 

hurricane dreams.” 

Well, just before we reach Little Rock, that exact 

storm descends. 

Tornados, two of them, make us crest to the roadside 

and wait. It reminds me of Job getting yelled at by God, 

which I use in, Coming Home Again. I write how, if there is a 

God, then He made all of this, 

“the sun and moon / the stars and sky / the earth 

and sea / the tragedies / the comedies / the singing 

homeless / the bastardizing rich / the hopeless and 

callous / the young and dumb / the old and worse!” 

While we sit here, a man starts wandering up and 

down the bus, yelling about how he’s been stabbed. This 

man must be our modern Job himself. But no one cares. 

Because at the moment, I think all of us felt like Job. 

All I know is I’m glad that home is a short three hours 

away. 

There’s this surreality you can only experience when you 

take a long trip like this. Plus, a strange camaraderie exists 

on this long road. People like Pixie and Rick are maybe 

some of the kindest people I have ever met. 

Would I do this again? Possibly a shorter trip. Maybe to 

the East Coast. 

Do I regret the trip? Not at all. I’m glad I got to see 

America right. 


Be 

PrEPared. 

Learn more about 

HIV prevention at 

Planned Parenthood. 

866.711.1717 

PlannedParenthood.org/Tennessee 

TO ALL OF THIS 2023 

FOCUS AWARDS 

HONOREES AND 

YOUR CONTRIBUTION 

TO THE COMMUNITY! 

DR. THOMAS 

RATLIFF

life 

Paddling Around 

Memphis 

by Tricia Dewey 

photo courtesy of Blues City Kayaks 

Kayaks, first built by the 

Inuit from sealskin and 

used for hunting, have been 

around for approximately 

4,000 years. Most kayaks 

are now made from plastic, 

but the basic shape and 

simplicity of design have 

continued. Interest in 

recreational kayaking, 

which was growing in 

popularity even before the 

pandemic, has increased 

exponentially by 87.3 

percent between 2010 

and 2021. It is low impact, 

great aerobic exercise, 

and such a calming way to 

get outside. But kayaks 

require a body of water. As 

it happens Memphis, not 

generally thought of as a 

kayaking mecca, has several 

surprisingly beautiful places 

to put a kayak in the water 

not far from downtown 

and one relatively new 

option for getting out on 

the Mississippi. 

One does not have 

to go far from central 

Memphis to put a kayak in 

the water. Shelby Farms 

Boat House at Hyde Lake 

rents canoes, kayaks, and 

stand-up paddle boards 

for reasonable fees in 

the spring and summer, 

but you can paddle your 

personal float in Hyde Lake 

anytime the park is open. 

Conditions around the lake 

can sometimes be tricky 

and windy but usually Hyde 

Lake is a spacious and easy 

location for Memphians 

to try out some paddling 

with easy access and an 

accessible boat ramp. The 

lake is a particularly lovely 

place to view the local 

sunset. Don't forget another 

local favorite, Poplar Tree 

Lake at Meeman-Shelby 

Forest State Park, in 

Millington, approximately 

a 30-minute drive from 

Memphis. The put-in for 

this paddle is a ramp at 

the end of the parking 

lot on Grassy Lake Road. 

Kayaking around the rim of 

the pond is a 1.5 to 2-hour 

trip, where it’s possible to 

see bald eagles, herons, 

and owls. There are rangerled 

paddles in the summer. 

Becky France, a Memphian 

who is one of those newer 

kayakers, enjoys paddling 

here and stopping at the 

Shelby Forest General 

Store for lunch or a snack 

afterward—a great day trip. 

Several other easypaddle 

ponds to check out 

within an hour of Memphis 

are lakes at Wapanocca 

National Wildlife Refuge 

(just over the bridge in 

Arkansas), Sardis Lake (due 

south on I-55), and Big Hill 

Pond State Park (southwest 

of Memphis). 

Any survey of paddling in 

and around Memphis must 

include the Wolf River and 

the Wolf River Conservancy 

(WRC). Founded in 1985, 

the WRC has protected 

almost 19,000 acres along 

the Wolf River as it runs 

from its source—springfed 

Bakers Pond in Holly 

Springs National Forest— 

northwest for about 100 

miles. Without the WRC the 

Wolf would not provide the 

great habitat for 430-plus 

plants and the recreational 

space both on the 

Greenway and on the Wolf 

itself. The Wolf empties into 

the Mississippi slightly north 

of Mud Island and along the 

way provides plant, bird, 

and animal habitat, flood 

and pollution control, and 

recharge of the Memphis 

Sand Aquifer. 

There are three sections 

of the Wolf River that 

offer good opportunities 

for kayaking. The Ghost 

River section, preserved 

in 1995 by the WRC as 

the Ghost River Natural 

Area, meanders from La 

Grange to the Bateman 

Road Bridge, and offers 


five distinct ecosystems, 

including cypress- tupelo 

swamp. The river channel 

spreads out here and 

becomes a “ghost of a 

river.” Blue trail markers help 

to guide boaters through, 

although it might be best 

to go with a guide for the 

first time. Cypress knees, 

downed trees, and Class I 

moving water make the river 

here and in the Lost Swamp 

section slightly more 

technical and difficult. WRC 

runs day trips here and to 

other sections of the river 

on the first Saturdays of 

the month. Sign up on their 

website at www.wolfriver. 

org. The Ghost River section 

is about 9.5 miles and takes 

approximately six hours. 

The Lost Swamp section 

of the Wolf River is not as 

well known as the Ghost 

River, but offers another six 

miles of the upper, more 

pristine Wolf River from 

Bateman Road Bridge 

to Moscow and takes an 

average of four hours to 

paddle. Again this can be 

an intermediate paddle 

because of bald cypress 

knees and tight turns 

that can make the trail 

more challenging. This 

summer, paddlers saw 

egrets, kingfishers, and 

beaver tracks, among other 

wildlife. This section has a 

cypress filled swamp known 

as the cathedral, where 

on occasion the bells of 

Moscow Methodist Church 

ring you in. 

The urban section 

of the Wolf River from 

Germantown Parkway to 

Walnut Grove is a wider, less 

technical section and takes 

about an hour to paddle. 

This section is not as wild 

as the upper Wolf, but it is a 

fun and an easy paddle and 

convenient trip that gives 

some perspective of being 

on the Wolf River. 

ANDe Demetriou of 

Blues City Kayaks started 

as a volunteer guide 

for WRC and has been 

running trips to the Wolf 

River since 2019 when he 

realized that there wasn’t 

a local canoeing outfitter. 

He explained that in the 

summer of 2020, when 

outdoor activities were 

more possible, business just 

took off. “People wanted to 

get outside and do some 

active things. It happened 

to be good and bad timing 

at the same time. There 

were weekends we were 

running four tours.” Blues 

City Kayaks only offers 

rentals with guided tours 

Matthew Burdine, Owner of 

Mississippi River Expeditions 

MS River Expeditions 

Views on the Wolf River. 

Photos courtesy of Blues City Kayaks 


Kayaking with the 

Wolf River Conservancy 

Kids enjoying their adventure with the 

Wolf River Conservancy 

as part of their focus on 

safety. Demetriou says, “We 

want to be able to reach 

out to people who may be 

a little bit uneasy about 

getting out on the water 

and make them feel a little 

bit safer.” Blues City Kayaks 

also offer river kayaking 

skills courses for those who 

want to improve skills and 

learn safety techniques. 

Demetriou says he would be 

remiss not to offer one last 

bit of safety advice—always 

wear a life jacket. 

Currents in Memphis’ 

crown jewel, the mighty 

Mississippi, have always 

made it tricky to paddle, 

but one new outfitter has 

figured it out. Mississippi 

River Expeditions is an 

exciting and novel way of 

seeing the Mississippi River 

in 30-foot custom-made 

sailing canoes that hold 

10 to 12 people. Started 

in 2021, owner Matthew 

Burdine says he wanted to 

bring a little of the Grand 

Canyon rafting experience 

to the Mississippi. The 

group is based at Mud 

lsland Marina with several 

trips offered ranging from 

one to three hours, half 

day, full day, and multi-day 

camping expeditions. Some 

trips might include crossing 

the river to Loosahatchie 

Island, a swim in the calmer 

western waters, and 

charcuterie on a sandbar. 

Each canoe comes with an 

experienced guide. These 

are privately chartered 

trips with just your group, 

no experience necessary. 

Burdine says the most 

popular outings are sunset 

cruises. These put in at 

the marina, head upriver 

to the mouth of the Wolf, 

paddle across and set up 

charcuterie, and afterward 

begin the paddle back 

toward downtown with the 

sunset in view. He says these 

paddles show Memphians 

a whole new perspective 

of themselves. With these 

canoes Burdine says he 

is able to do what Native 

Americans were doing on 

the Lower Mississippi for 

about 10,000 years. 

This fall and winter 

commune, connect, and 

rejuvenate in the waters 

in and around Memphis. 

If you look for the water 

(and paddling buddies on 

Facebook groups), you can 

find it. 

A bridge on the Wolf River Greenway. 

photo courtesy of Wolf River Conservancy 


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BY DRIVING RESULTS. 

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health+wellness 

Mental Health 

Benefits of Travel 

by Shadeau Rhodes, LCSW, CFTP 

Ferren Family Counseling 

When people hear about traveling it seems as though 

they respond with either excitement and fun or stress and 

anxiety. I’m sure you’ve heard both wonderful and chaotic 

traveling stories from friends, family, and others in your life. 

You probably even have your own travel stories. 

Travel doesn’t have to be something big or 

extravagant, like a weeks-long vacation. It can be 

something as simple as a change of scenery for a couple 

of hours or a day trip to somewhere new. Taking a few 

hours regularly can change how we see our lives to 

create a more positive outlook. 

While traveling can create stress and anxiety, there are 

strategies that can be used to decrease levels of stress 

when preparing for a good trip. Once you decide on your 

destination, start figuring out the details–where to stay, 

what to pack, available activities, and transportation. You 

can make these as detailed as you need. Some people 

thrive with more general information and choices while 

others may prefer checklists and itineraries. Do what 

makes you feel comfortable. 

Even though traveling can be stressful, research 

shows that there are numerous benefits for our mental 

health. Overall, traveling can reduce stress and decrease 

symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can also give 

people something to look forward to and can help 

increase creativity and performance. Travel often gives 

people a way to live their lives and engage in activities 

that bring them happiness. It gives us a temporary break 

from our daily life, daily routines, and our responsibilities. 

We’re able to live in the moment. 

Traveling also presents opportunities to reconnect with 

nature, learn new information about where we are (locally 

or elsewhere), and come into contact with others who may 

be from different backgrounds (race, identity, economic, 

faith, etc.). We learn to appreciate the world and the 

people who inhabit it. 

Galyna Andrushko /Shutterstock 


Nearby Places to Travel 

If you’re in the Memphis area and looking for ways to create a staycation, I’ve provided some 

ideas below. Feel free to create your own Memphis-themed travel experience–there are tons of 

fun and relaxing local places. Experience Memphis from the eyes of a tourist! 

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, Tennessee 

Old Millington Winery 

Wolf River 

Oaklawn Garden 

Make it a tourist day 

• National Civil Rights Museum 

• Graceland 

• Sun Studio 

• Memphis Rock N’ Soul Museum 

• Memphis Zoo 

• Dixon Gallery and Gardens 

• Memphis Botanic Garden 

• Slave Haven Underground 

Railroad Museum 

• Brooks Museum of Art 

• Lichterman Nature Center 

• Memphis Museum of Science and 

History (Pink Palace Museum) 

And if you’re looking for a short, day or weekend getaway, try these locations that are close 

(within a few hours) from the Memphis area. Each of these areas has a variety of activities to 

enjoy–ranging from nature to museums to shopping and more. 

Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge (about an hour from Memphis) 

Holly Springs, Mississippi (about an hour from Memphis) 

Jackson, Tennessee (1.5 hours from Memphis) 

Little Rock, Arkansas (2.5 hours from Memphis) 

Heber Springs, Arkansas (2.5 hours from 

Memphis) 

Hot Springs, Arkansas (3 hours from Memphis 

Jackson, Mississippi (3 hours from Memphis) 

Nashville, Tennessee (3 hours from Memphis) 

Though travel is often refreshing for many, symptoms of various mental health 

conditions may arise upon return from travel. If mental health challenges are something 

you face in your daily life and you need help finding a safe place to regulate and find 

support, Ferren Family Counseling provides client-centered therapy to help you learn, heal, and 

thrive. Please reach out to the office to schedule a consultation or appointment if you think it may assist 

with helping you find connection, relationship, and meet your mental health needs. 

Therapy Is For Everyone. 

Ferren Family Counseling 

Call To Schedule Your Appointment: 901-498-9126 Midtown & Cordova Locations

8 th ANNUAL 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HONOREES! 

2023 

PEOPLE’S CHOICE 

Letty Barreto 

Bella DuBalle 

Jenna Lee Dunn 

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Dara Gonzales 

Headliners Memphis 

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ARTavius Veasey 

THESE NONPROFITS WERE THE BENEFICIARIES FOR THIS YEAR'S HONOREES 

CHAMPION OF THE YEAR 

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR 

Shahin Samiei 

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TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR 

THE 

PUBLISHER’S 

AWARD 

Jordan Dodson Jenna Lee Dunn Mia Saine Vanessa Rodley 

LEGACY 

Friends of George’s 

See the winners online at thefocusawards.com 

MISSION: The Focus Mid-South® Magazine Awards are the Mid-South’s premier awards for recognizing LGBTQ+ persons and allies who are making a significant impact 

on the LGBT+ community through their leadership, career achievements and personal qualities, and who also inspire others to excel.

BOOK YOUR NEXT 

EVENT WITH US! 

WE CATER! 

We can bring the best Central BBQ has to offer to any location, 

or we have several rooms available for private parties. 

Call 901-527-9990 

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travel 

Bentonville, 

Arkansas 

The Southeast’s 

Surprising Sanctum 

of Fine Art 

by Mud 

William Wetmore Story: Sappho, 1867. 

Marble. 

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 

photo by Mud 


Only five hours from 

Memphis, Bentonville, 

Arkansas is a surprising 

sanctuary for fine art in the 

Southeast. Perhaps the best 

known spot I visited is the 

Crystal Bridges Museum 

of American Art, which lies 

on 120 acres of beautiful 

forest in the foothills of 

the Ozark mountains. The 

museum is a cultural site 

that not only emphasizes 

the visual arts, but also 

architecture, outdoor 

recreation, and culinary 

arts. Bentonville itself has 

over 140 miles of mountain 

biking trails and over 40 

miles of walking trails. A six 

minute drive away is The 

Momentary, Crystal Bridges’ 

satellite contemporary art 

space. The Momentary is 

also accessible via shuttle 

from Crystal Bridges, or a 

short two mile walk down 

the Razorback Regional 

Greenway. Visitors of The 

Momentary can expect to 

see contemporary art, live 

music, and performance 

art, as well as participate 

in culinary and fine art 

workshops and community 

celebrations. The 

Momentary is also home 

to an artist-in-residence 

program. Both Crystal 

Bridges and the Momentary 

are free admission by the 

generosity of the Walton 

family, for the exception 

of the museums’ special 

rotating exhibitions. In 

addition to Crystal Bridges 

and The Momentary, 

Bentonville is home to 

a 21c Museum Hotel, a 

member of the upscale 

21c hotel chain offering 

an expansive collection of 

contemporary artworks and 

a highly-inspired upscale 

restaurant, The Hive. While 

planning my trip, I reached 

out to local artist and 

Northwest Arkansas native, 

Joel Parsons, for advice 

on crafting the perfect art 

weekend. With his helpful 

suggestions, I formulated 

a plan that ensured I could 

taste a little of what the 

region has to offer. 

Upon arriving in 

Bentonville, I advise parking 

in the town square. I parked 

in the lot behind the 21c 

Museum Hotel, a spot I 

knew I would be visiting 

after my museum trip. From 

there, I suggest heading 

towards the forest and 

taking the Crystal Bridges 

trail to the Art Trail, entering 

the museum from the 

South Entrance. Along the 

trail, you will encounter 

one of James Turrell’s 

Skyspaces. The Skyspace, 

The Way of Color (2009), 

is a large round structure 

protruding from a hillside 

on the campus grounds. 

While walking through the 

doorway of the sculpture, 

the perception of space 

seems surreal; the curved 

stone walls create a sense 

of confinement, while the 

circular opening at the top 

of the structure exposes 

an intimate peek into the 

atmosphere. If you have the 

opportunity to witness the 

work at sunrise or sunset, 

you will be captivated by 

how Turrell uses LED lighting 

to manipulate your sense 

of light, space, and nature. 

Continuing down the path, 

you will cross many creeks 

and waterfalls. I recommend 

wearing good walking shoes 

as there is some elevation 

change, though the Crystal 

Bridges Trail and Art Trail 

are both ADA accessible. 

While approaching the 

south entrance, you will 

pass some well-known 

artworks, such as Louise 

Bourgeois’s Maman (1999), 

Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus 

Garden (1966-present), 

and a corten steel rendition 

of Robert Indiana’s LOVE 

sculpture (1966-1999). 1 

Situated to the right of the 

South Entrance is Frank 

Lloyd Wright’s Bachman- 

Wilson House. Moshe Safdie, 

the architect of Crystal 

Bridges, shared Wright’s 

sentiment that architecture 

should be responsive to 

its environment, designing 

the museum with respect 

to the Ozarks. Embracing 

horizontality, both Safdie 

and Wright examine the 

landscape's potential to 

heighten the architecture 

and vice versa. More 

information about the 

history of the Bachman- 

Wilson house is available 

in the Great Hall Corridor 

following the south entrance, 

as well as a wonderful view 

of the building through the 

museum’s expansive glass 

walls. 

Crystal Bridges’ 

Temporary Exhibition 

Gallery was closed during 

my visit, so I instead 

went straight to the Early 

American Art galleries. 

The space featured a 

collection of portraits from 

American history; however, 

the museum proved 

keenly aware of how they 

displayed American culture 

in an institutional setting. 

Exploring multiplicities of 

identity, Crystal Bridges 

juxtaposed traditional 

portraits of cis-het, rich, 

white men of the past with 

those of underrepresented 

groups. For instance, 

situated between Gilbert 

Stuart’s George Washington 

[The Constable-Hamilton 

Portrait] (1797) and Thomas 

Sully’s Colonel Samuel 

Boyer Davis (1819) portraits 

of—you guessed it—old, 

rich, cis-het white men, is 

Kehinde Wiley’s Portrait of a 

Florentine Nobleman (2018). 

Wiley’s painting depicts a 

portrait of Shontay Haynes, 

a St. Louis local, in front 

of and intertwined with an 

ornate sixteenth-century 

floral background. Wiley’s 

paintings place Black 

individuals in the historical 

context of portraiture, 

calling attention to the 

identities that have been 

left out of history. By 

sandwiching Wiley’s work 

between two classical 

paintings of prominent 

American figures, Crystal 

Bridges is acknowledging 

and contributing to the 

mission of unveiling history 

and uplifting voices that 

have historically been 

silenced. On your way out of 

the Early American gallery, 

be sure to spend some 

time with William Wetmore 

Story’s life-size marble 

sculpture Sappho (1867). 

The work is representative 

of American and European 

interest in classical subjects 

and mythologies, though 

Story was likely unaware 

he was depicting a future 

prominent figure in LGBTQ+ 

history and literature, whose 

poems are heavily coded 

with feminine desire. 2 

Mae Aur: The Guardeners, 2019. 

Hand cut wood, acrylic paint. 

Crystal Bridges Museum of 

American Art 

photo by Mud 


Following the Early 

American and Modern 

Art galleries is the 

Contemporary Art gallery. 

While the previous 

galleries were more-or-less 

organized chronologically, 

the contemporary gallery 

arranged work by theme. 

As soon as I entered the 

gallery, I was greeted by 

Beeple’s HUMAN ONE 

sculpture. The work is a 

technologically advanced, 

spinning mechanism 

that portrays a distorted 

astronaut traversing an 

electric, surreal, and everchanging 

landscape. 

The work commands full 

attention of the room with 

its intense light and color. 

Opposite HUMAN ONE 

are two paintings by Mark 

Rothko and Lee Krasner, 

respectively. Rothko and 

Krasner were members of 

the Abstract Expressionist 

movement of the 1940s and 

50s, a period of painting 

known for grandeur, but 

also existentialism caused 

from the upheavals of 

World War II. In post-World 

War II America, these 

two paintings would have 

demanded the same level 

of investigation as Beeple’s 

HUMAN ONE. By situating 

examples of contemporary 

work from opposite ends 

of the timeline, Crystal 

Bridges emphasized how 

rapid documentation of 

culture has shifted with 

the introduction of new 

technologies. I sat with 

Lorraine O’Grady’s Untitled 

(Mlle Bourgeoise Noire) for 

a long while. The series of 

photographs documented 

O’Gradys performance work 

in which she entered art 

institutions, unannounced, 

dressed as her fictional 

pageant queer persona 

Mademoiselle Bourgeoise 

Noire (Miss Black Middle- 

Class). By invading art 

spaces adorned in a dress 

and cape constructed of 

180 pairs of white gloves 

and lashing herself with 

a whip as she recited 

poems, O’Grady gave 

the institutions a “piece 

of her mind” and insisted 

on acknowledging 

the exclusion of 

underrepresented 

communities and 

internalized oppression. 3 

Investigating the 

documentation of 

O’Grady’s performance 

art as individual photos 

that capture a duration of 

time gave me perspective 

on how witnessing a live 

event can hold the same 

integrity as how it is seen 

post-performance. Sitting 

with this piece put me 

in a prime headspace 

for my nighttime event, 

Matty Davis’ Die No Die 

(Arkansas) hosted at The 

Momentary. As I wrapped 

up my adventure in the 

contemporary art gallery, 

I recognized the Memphis 

native Mae Aur had a work 

in the gallery. Seeing their 

work, The Guardeners, in the 

Crystal Bridges permanent 

collection made me elated 

with respect and pride for 

my lovely art community 

back home in Memphis. 

The Momentary is an 

interdisciplinary art space 

focusing on music, visual 

art, performance art, 

culinary art, and film. Matty 

Davis’ performance Die No 

Die included previously 

mailed zines functioning 

as maps, an 800 meter 

procession, lighting effects, 

choreography, and spoken 

word. While witnessing the 

work, I had the response 

of most performance art 

viewers, “What did I just 

see, and why did it make 

so much sense?” As a 

performance artist myself 

with limited access to 

viewing live performance 

art, it was an interesting 

opportunity to witness 

such an event in a large 

institution. I returned to the 

Momentary the following 

day to view the galleries. 

Exhibitions by Dave Cole, 

Firelei Báez, Will Rawls, 

Yvette Mayorga–an artistin-residence–and 

Rumwolf 

were on view. All of the 

galleries shared common 

threads: historical context, 

exploration of identity, 

and specific art mediums 

displayed as installation. 

Firelei Báez’s installation 

To Breathe Full and Free: 

A Declaration, A Revisioning, 

A Correction, 

utilized shadowplay and 

set construction to explore 

various cultural narratives. 

While the majority of 

the exhibition comprised 

grand sculpture amplifying 

the gallery space, Báez 

considered all of her work 

to belong to “the illusionistic 

realm of painting.” 

Mayorga’s exhibition 

contained both sculptures 

and paintings; however, the 

treatment of the gallery 

space created synergy 

between the mediums. 

Checkered patterns were 

laid in complementary 

sections. Towards the far 

end of the gallery, the 

floor became checkered 

carpet. The moment my 

feet felt the softness of 

the ground, I completely 

melted into the work. I 

was living in Mayorga’s 

world. The treatment of 

the gallery space became 

integral to her work, and the 

other artists embraced this 

method too. 

In addition to visual 

art viewing, I indulged 

in the culinary arts. The 

Momentary houses an 

Onyx Coffee Lab, though 

it was temporarily closed 

during my trip. Luckily, I was 

able to visit another Onyx 

location down the street 

and had the best coffee of 

my life. I also paid a quick 

visit to 21c Museum Hotel 

to view their expansive 

contemporary art collection 

and enjoy a cocktail at The 

Hive. I was particularly 

excited to try “The Garden,” 

a vodka drink inspired by 

Portia Munson’s current 

installation, The Garden 

(1996-2019) which was on 

view in the hotel’s lobby. 

A significant part of 

my personal agenda is 

to uplift Southern artists. 

We are underrepresented 

in the “Capital A” art 

world. Having a thriving 

art scene only 5 hours 

from home fosters hope 

that my community can 

take ownership in the 

art world without living 

in New York, Chicago, 

or Los Angeles. Crystal 

Bridges, The Momentary, 

and 21c inspire a crossdisciplinary 

art scene 

despite residing outside 

of a major metropolitan 

area. Bentonville, Arkansas 

has plenty to offer and 

contribute to the larger 

conversation of artistic 

cultural documentation. 

Take time to visit, but, more 

importantly, take time to 

witness. There are moments 

in the galleries where time 

seems to stand still. 

REFERENCES 

1. Infinity Mirrored Room- My Heart 

is Dancing into the Universe by 

Yayoi Kusama can also been seen 

in Crystal Bridges’ contemporary 

art gallery 

2. Sappho is from the island of 

Lesbos, hence the term “lesbian.” 

3. Object label for Untitled by 

Lorraine O’Grady. At the Crystal 

Bridges Art Museum, Bentonville, 

Arkansas. Seen on: August 5, 2023. 


Cocktail from The Hive at 

the 21c Museum Hotel 

photo by Mud 

Frank Lloyd Wright: The Bachman-Wilson House, 1956. 


photo by Drew Stanford 

View from the nature trail. 



Kehinde Wiley: Portrait of a 

Florentine Nobleman, 2018. 

Oil on linen. 


photo by Mud 

Beeple: HUMAN ONE, 2021. 

Four screen video 



Yayoi Kusama: Narcissus Garden, 1966-present. 

Stainless steel spheres. 


photo by Mud 


arts+entertainment 

the 

no. 9 

The Trans Magical Girl Credo 

by Lena Chipman 

I am a Trans Magical Girl! 

I am chosen of the goddesses Cybele and Inanna, and 

beloved by the Many-Faced Moon. They smile upon me 

and imbue me with their power. I am blessed with their 

secrets and their strength! I come to share their wisdom 

and knowledge with the world! 

With my brilliant light, I defend and spread Truth, Beauty, 

Freedom, and Love! I am a voice for the voiceless and a 

beacon for the questioning and the lost. 

My challenges are many and my foes stronger and older. 

But I stand with other Magical People and together, we are 

the rainbow sword and shield that brings Hope to strike 

down despair! 

I am a Trans Magical Girl! 

for someone (luminé) 

by Lena Chipman 

I was a ball of wax 

In darkness, crystallized, smooth, untouched 

In the blacklight I’d shine for a moment 

Never warm, slowly fading 

An aging artifact behind dusty glass 

“Do not touch!” Each day another sign, a new barrier 

Razor spines pointed inward 

Then a spark burst on my glass 

Blazing fire, growing like a meteor fall 

Crashing through my transparent walls 

The heat of your truth and joy (even if you didn’t see it) 

Melting me 

Now my flesh is soft 

sculpture in motion 

Now my self is liquid 

raging rivers upon a cartography of broken glass 

Cutting a new landscape, snapping those spires 

Your light, your spark, your solar flame 

My voice – the thunder it calls 

That dusty glass shattered to glitterdust 

And now I, too, am a spark 

Set to ignite a fire. 

Lena Chipman (she/her/hers) is an out and proud transgender 

woman, technology executive, hacker, activist, and writer. She 

channels the joy and sorrow of being a lifelong queer in Memphis 

into bittersweet bites of text. 


The Ballad of Rosie and Rapunzel 

by Elaina Nicholas 

There once was a princess in the Kingdom of Nettle. The 

most beautiful princess there could be, christened Briar 

Rose for her glorious fiery red hair. Poor Briar had come 

upon the marrying age, albeit unwillingly. 

“You are betrothed!” Her father, the king, roared. 

“I refuse! I do not love him!” She shouted back, 

“You will do as I say!” He commanded. 

And with that, Briar ran away. But only so far as to bump 

into her friend, the scullery maid. “Oh Anya, you must 

help me!” She pleaded with her. Anya was a witch, at 

least on her mother’s side. 

“I’d rather die! I’d rather die!” The princess sobbed into 

her friend's arms. Anya knew of poor Briar’s plight, for 

she bemoaned it nightly. 

“No, dear princess, you are too young to die.” 

“There is no other way out!” She practically screamed. 

Anya shushed her, soothing Briar, as she hatched a plan. 

Briar had agreed to it, once it was all laid out. 

reconsidering the finality of death. “You will not die but 

sleep, frozen in time until true love’s kiss awakens you.” 

Briar looked up from Anya’s tear soaked shoulder. 

“But how are they to be my true love if we never formally 

meet?” She asked. “Well you see, when others are in 

your proximity you may enter their dreams you will be 

a creature of the night realms, if they are close you may 

speak to them if you choose.” Briar nodded, “What must 

I do?” 

Once Anya had gathered all the proper ingredients she 

produced a thorn for Briar so that she may prick her 

finger and begin sleep everlasting. 

“Good luck, Princess” were the last words she heard 

before she went on into that great night. 

When the king found his daughter in such a state he was 

struck down by grief and refused to tend to his kingdom. 

The thorn that Anya had used on the Princess began 

to grow more, soon overrunning the kingdom, and the 

people grew desperate. 

As the kingdom fell into despair a young couple had 

found themselves with child. But they were poor and 

food was scarce and the mother was always hungry. She 

pleaded with the father to go into their neighbor’s garden 

and fetch her some lettuce. The husband complied, but 

not without reluctance for their neighbor was a witch. 

But lettuce was eaten and the child was born seemingly 

without penance. And once the child reached the age of 

ten her parents relaxed, 

perhaps the witch was more forgiving than they thought. 

Their celebration is of course premature, for that very 

night the witch went and stole their daughter, “a debt 

overdue,” she said. So the child, who the witch renamed 

Rapunzel, grew up in a faraway tower while the princess 

remained asleep. 

The thorn of Anya had grown into wild thick bushes that 

completely suffocated the kingdom and beyond, until 

one day when Rapunzel was fully grown they reached her 

tower. Rapunzel had grown to despise her captor who 

neglected her to the point where her hair was never cut 

and it now winded around her small room in an unkept 

braid. The thorns had crept into her windows, and one 

fateful day she found a bird speared upon one. On closer 

inspection, she realized the bird had not died from a stab 

wound but rather from a poison that must have come 

from the thorn itself. 

Her captor had made the poor choice to sleep unarmed 

that very night. Taking her revenge, Rapunzel plunged a 

thorn deep into the witch's chest to make sure she never 

woke again. With the aid of her hair as thick as a rope she 

managed to climb down the tower and began her journey 

homeward, to Nettle. 

Her long hair dragged behind her making the journey 

long and exhausting, so in a fit of rage she chopped it to 

her shoulders, leaving most of it behind but fashioning 

some of it into a proper rope tied around her body. The 

journey to Nettle would take three months' time and 

Rapunzel was already weighed down by the exhaustion 

of the day. So, she found a patch of soft moss and 

bedded down. 

The scene around her shifted. She couldn’t tell you 

how but something had changed. Maybe it was the 

lack of thorny branches or the haziness that seemed to 

accompany the dreaming—or maybe it was the gorgeous 

woman suddenly standing before her. 

“I must be dreaming,” Rapunzel whispered, astonished. 

The lady giggled. 

“And what makes you say that?” She asked. 

“Because I’ve never seen someone as pretty as you 

before,” Rapunzel admitted. The mysterious lady blushed 

a pretty shade of pink that matched her nightgown. 

Rapunzel gently took the lady’s hand and kissed it, a 

courtly gesture she had seen displayed in her books. 


“Come sit with me, or is this earthly moss not good 

enough for your majesty?” Rapunzel teased. The lady 

cracked a small smile. Rapunzel gently pulled her down 

by the hand and the lady settled, resting beside her. 

“Name’s Rapunzel, I’m guessing yours is Aphrodite?” She 

smiled at the lady, the lady in turn tucked her head on 

Rapunzel’s shoulder. 

“You flatter me, but no, my name is Briar Rose. My friends 

call me Rosie.” “Could I be your friend?” Rapunzel asked, 

embarrassingly quickly. 

“You may.” 

Something warm settled in Rapunzel’s chest, Rosie was a 

pleasant weight at her side. “Now, what’s a precious thing 

like you doing in these dark and dangerous woods?” She 

pried. “I could ask you the same thing,” Rosie replied. 

Rapunzel blushed at the implication that she could be 

precious, no one considered her that before. “If you really 

must know I’m cursed. I live here in the night realms, I can 

enter others' dreams and you happen to be dreaming 

of a forest. So technically, it is your fault I'm here,” Rosie 

explained. “Now,” she continued, “What are you doing in 

a forest?” 

Rapunzel was still trying to process the fact that Rosie 

seemed to gloss over the severity of her curse and 

eventually regained enough of her senses to tell her tale. 

“I’m journeying to my home of Nettle,” 

Rosie made a disgusted noise. 

“What’s wrong with Nettle?” Rapunzel asked. 

“I live in Nettle. Well, my body is there. It's a wretched 

place with a wretched kind with no redeeming qualities 

whatsoever.” The princess was worked up so Rapunzel 

wrapped an arm around her to soothe her. 

“I’m sure Nettle has some redeeming qualities,” 

“Like what?” The princess huffed. 

“I mean, you live there, don’t you?” 

Rosie playfully slapped her arm. 

“Oh, you are such a flirt.” Though Rosie enjoyed the 

attention. 

“When I get to Nettle, I’ll find you and help you break 

your curse, how about that?” Rapunzel said, elated at her 

brilliant idea. 

Rosie suddenly stiffened, “Oh, I don’t know about that,” 

“Why? Do you doubt my abilities?” Rapunzel asked, 

teasing once again. After an uncomfortably long pause 

the princess whispered, “No… you are quite charming,” 

The world seemed to shift on its axis, Rapunzel became 

disoriented and it was increasingly difficult for her to see. 

“What’s happening?” She panicked. 

“You're ok. You’re just waking up.” Rosie said, getting 

up from Repunzel’s hold. “When will I see you again?” 

Rapunzel asked frantically, this couldn’t be their only 

meeting. “In your dreams,” Rosie faded behind the trees 

and with that Rapunzel awoke. She was now determined 

to get home and find Rosie. 

Read the rest of the story on focuslgbt.com. 

Elaina Nicholas (she/her) is a queer senior in high school. She spends 

much of her time in her school’s theater department. When she isn’t 

bringing life to the stage she enjoys other creative pursuits such as 

playwriting and art. She spent this past summer at SCAD taking 

creative writing and illustration classes. 

Want to see our full collection 

of The Prism Pages? 

Visit our website. 

The Prism Pages is a literary section in the magazine where original works of poetry and fiction from the community will be 

showcased. As a publishing company, we are committed to saving space for up-and-coming LGBTQ+ writers. 

Interested in submitting something? Email editor@focusmidsouth.com. 

This section is brought to you by the Focus Center Foundation 501(c)3. 

To learn how to support this and become a sponsor, please email info@focuscenterfoundation.org. 


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travel 

Regional Oddities 

Bona Fide Day Trips to Arkansas & Alabama 

story and photos by Brandi Rinks 

One of the perks of living in Memphis is the proximity 

to so many charming and historic Southern towns for 

weekend adventures. Within a few hours' drive you can be 

either in Mississippi, you can be either in Mississippi eating 

Kool-ickles and gearing up to hear the best Hill Country 

Blues of your life; in the valleys of the gorgeous Arkansas 

Ozarks seeing a folk singer at a rustic barn show in a nature 

preserve; in East Tennessee drinking moonshine before 

riding a rollercoaster or in Alabama touring a grotto built 

by Monks, any of which can also include side quests to 

unassuming dairy bars, thrift shops, BBQ junts, drive-ins, 

regional oddities, and gas stations with spicy tater logs that 

you’ll be craving for months afterward. 

One of my favorite recent day trips was a jaunt into the 

Arkansas Ozarks for the Meadowcreek Concerts in the 

Barn series. When I saw that poet and folk singer Willi 

Carlisle, who put out my favorite album of 2022, was 

playing a Saturday show in a barn on a nature preserve just 

a few hours away in my home state, there was no question 

that I had to go. 

My boyfriend and I left Memphis mid-morning, and our 

first stop was just over an hour away at Kennon’s Dairy 

Bar in Wynne, Arkansas. With a menu that ranges from 

bologna sandwiches and cheeseburgers to Frito pies and 

bacon-wrapped Polish sausages, it’s a lowbrow cuisine 

lover’s dream restaurant. We got milkshakes and tater tots, 

perusing the bulletin board for upcoming events while we 

waited, which included a weekly country dance that I made 

a mental note to check out later. 

After acquiring the necessary fuel for a rural Arkansas 

road trip (sugar, grease, salt, caffeine), we choogled on 

for a scenic loop through the Bald Knob National Wildlife 

Refuge, where depending on the season, you may see 

some of the hundreds of species of wildlife and birds 

that either live there or pass through the area during 

migration, including shorebirds, ducks, geese and even 

Bald Eagles. Like most people, the pandemic spurred 

new hobbies for us, one of which was birding – basically 

Pokemon GO but with real life creatures. On this trip 

we were on the lookout for a rarity, Roseate Spoonbills 

that had landed outside of their typical migration range. 

After creeping along the gravel roads of the refuge, 

hanging out the windows with binoculars and driving 

extra slow so as to not be a disturbance to any plants 

or wildlife, we spotted them! We updated our eBird 

logs, tried to identify some hawks in the distance, and 

then headed off for our next stop–lunch and peoplewatching 

at The Bulldog in Bald Knob. I’m a sucker for 

diners and tater tots, and Jeremy will try any barbeque 

he encounters, so this checked both our boxes. 

After lunch, downtown Heber Springs was a good 

spot to look for coffee and stretch our legs. The Gem 

Theater is an adorable twin cinema that looks straight 

out of a Wes Anderson film if you need to take some 

travel selfies in a quiet, rural downtown. 

We arrived in Fox about an hour later with time 

to kill, so we drove around until we found Brad and 

Dad’s Drive-in, a tiny diner in nearby Timbo, Arkansas, 

complete with wood-paneled walls and a camo 

decorated menu that’s made up of about 99% fried 

foods. Am I saying you need to have tater tots for 

every meal on this trip? No. Am I saying you can find 

perfectly fried and salted tots at every stop along this 

route? Absolutely. 

Finally, it was time to head to Meadowcreek for the 

barn show. Meadowcreek is a not-for-profit located in a 

privately owned, protected 1600 acre nature preserve 

in a valley of the Ozarks near the unincorporated 


community of Fox, Arkansas, whose population is a quaint 

237. Named after the creek that flows through the threemile 

long valley, Meadowcreek develops land-based artist 

spaces and rural development projects, and as part of 

that mission hosts intimate concerts in a large barn on the 

property that used to house a horse rescue operation. 

The Concerts in the Barn series event listing on 

Facebook has detailed instructions for city-folk 

unaccustomed to the rules of country driving (which 

we didn’t need – we both grew up driving on gravel in 

Arkansas), such as “Don’t go over 15 mph,” and “Wave 

with one finger or two,” and offers attendees who utilize 

the primitive camping area across from the barn access 

to the beloved Meadowcreek swimming holes. You really 

have to drive several miles down into the valley, so if you 

aren’t comfortable driving on gravel or navigating without 

GPS, this is a road trip where you should hit up your pal 

with the thickest southern drawl and/or most camping 

gear to accompany you. We encountered several country 

dogs running alongside the car, and a few ATVs, but we 

arrived with no problems using the directions posted. A 

nice Meadowcreek resident or volunteer took our money 

and instructed us to park in a large field where other 

attendees were already getting coolers, lawn chairs and 

mosquito spray out of their vehicles. The crowd was small, 

but the barn felt full, and the Ozark Old Time Fiddlers 

Association was there with a merch table. The barn truly 

felt like a magical space, with beautiful acoustics and 

homey string lights strung through the cathedral-like wood 

beams, and the Meadowcreek residents and neighbors 

were warm and welcoming. I’ve seen Willi Carlisle play 

in Memphis and Fayetteville, solo and with a band, at the 

Crosstown Green Room and at George’s Majestic Lounge 

in front of hundreds, and I can confidently say there’s no 

better place to see a folk singer play than at a BYOB show 

in a rustic barn, six miles down a narrow gravel road into 

an Ozark valley with no cell signal. If you search “Willi 

Carlisle Meadowcreek” you can see a YouTube video from 

this show of “Peculiar, Missouri,” the title track of his latest 

album. I will say, please don’t go to these special, intimate 

events if you plan to chat through it like it’s a 1am Memphis 

bar show – I have a feeling you’d be heading home quick 

with a tucked tail and hurt feelings. 

We drove back that night, despite having offers from 

kind old friends and new Meadowcreek acquaintances 

willing to put us up in various cabins and converted buses, 

and going home on those dark and winding mountain 

roads with no tater tot stops was a different and more 

dangerous beast than the lackadaisical meandering that 

got us there. Next time we’ll definitely take a tent and stay 

the night next to the barn. 

Another fun road trip full of southern culture and charm 

you can do in a day is a loop through Alabama to see 

Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and/or Fame Recording 

Studio, the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House, Ave 

Marie Grotto and the Coon Dog Cemetery. We recently did 

this round during a trip to Birmingham, which you could 

also include if you had an extra day! On our trip we toured 

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and standing in that tiny 

carpeted studio and hearing stories from the incredibly 

knowledgeable tour guide about The Swampers and the 

artists who recorded there (Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, 

Etta James, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, 

Bob Dylan!) that had such a massive influence across 

multiple genres of music worldwide was a mind-boggling 

experience. Whether you’re a fan of R&B, country, rock, it 

doesn’t matter – this studio touched it and helped create 

it. Fans of Sun Records and Stax Records tours should 

especially make the pilgrimage – it’s only 2.5 hours away 

and well worth the experience! 

Across the river in Florence, Alabama, the Frank Lloyd 

Wright Rosenbaum House offers guided tours. When we 

arrived, they had just started a 45 minute tour so it would 

Willi Carlisle performs at a Meadowcreek barn show in Fox, AR 

Roseate Spoonbills at the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge in AR 


have been a wait, and honestly another guided tour would 

have been a stretch for my attention span anyway, so we 

wandered around the outside area of the house for some 

photos while we read the wiki page, then stopped by the 

Shoals Theater to ogle the unique marquee sign and get 

coffee from a nearby cafe. Next, we headed to Wildwood 

Tavern for pizza, beer and pinball. Who doesn’t love a 

tavern? There was also an impressive Betty White mural 

in the alley across the street, and after leaving we found 

Antiques Unlimited—a huge, two story thrift shop with 

records, Pyrex, weird moose paintings, and all the other 

dusty collectibles that make my heart flutter. 

Our next stop, the Ave Marie Grotto in Cullman, 

Alabama, is about 69 miles from Muscle Shoals, and 

something that lovers of Memphis’ Crystal Shrine Grotto 

and outsider art have to experience in person. Photos 

can’t do it justice. Built in Alabama’s only monastery, the 

St. Bernard Abbey, by a Benedictine monk, the grotto 

is a two block pathway that winds through hundreds of 

meticulously hand-constructed, miniature versions of 

buildings and worlds in a park-like setting. The miniatures 

were built from costume jewelry, ceramic tile, seashells, 

marbles, and rocks by Brother Joseph Zoettl starting in 

1912, and by 1934 were attracting so many visitors they 

were moved to the present site. Most of the buildings 

he had only read about, and he built them based on 

descriptions and photos from books out of scrap materials 

that he found or that were donated for the cause. It’s a 

self-guided tour, so you can spend as long as you’d like 

marveling at the tiny sculptures and the huge impact they 

have when collected into a permanent outdoor exhibit. 

While we toured, a friendly Abbey cat accompanied us, 

and as we left, we bought a “Monk’s Ration” of white bread 

and fresh Pfeffernusse cookies baked by the monks from 

the large gift shop, which also features rocking chairs and 

other woodworks made by Abbey residents. 

On your way back to Memphis, you can stop back in 

the Muscle Shoals area if you missed anything, or if you 

just need some Champy’s Fried Chicken. Make sure to 

screenshot directions to the Coon Dog Cemetery in 

Cherokee, Alabama, just in case you lose signal going up 

the mountain. Started in 1937 when Key Underwood buried 

his beloved hunting dog, Troop, in their favorite hunting 

spot, the cemetery is now the resting place of more than 

300 dogs – each and every one a certified Coon Hound 

that has passed a list of entry requirements more lengthy 

than what I submitted to get into college, including up to 

three letters of reference from witnesses who have seen 

the dog in question actually tree a raccoon. As a lifelong 

dog obsessive and an enthusiast of a particular breed 

myself (although pug cemetery qualifications would 

probably involve things like “must have begged for snacks 

at least 6 hours of each day and suffered 2 scratched 

corneas during their lifetime”), the cemetery feels both 

sacred and celebratory. Upkept better than most human 

cemeteries I’ve visited, each gravesite has some kind of 

adornment, with flowers or flags adding pops of color 

throughout the otherwise greens and browns of the 

natural wooded area. There’s a small pavilion, a few signs 

explaining the origins, and rows upon rows of wooden 

or granite gravestones, both humble and elaborate, with 

the names of the good boys and girls who passed the 

stringent entry requirements for a final resting place where 

their earthly hunting prowess and loyalty will always be 

venerated. There were no other people when we visited, 

but you could hear hunters’ gunshots in the distance. 

When you’re finished paying your respects and making 

note of all the quintessentially Coon Hound names (Bobo, 

Mustang Sally), I suggest blaring Tyler Childers’ “Can I Take 

my Hounds to Heaven” with the windows down while you 

head down the mountain wiping tears from your eyes, then 

stopping at the first gas station you see that looks like it 

may have spicy tater logs. You’ll need some salty carbs for 

the rest of the ride home. 

Muscle Shoals Recording Studio, Muscle Shoals, AL 


Rosenbaum House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Florence, AL 

Tots and cheese sticks from Brad and Dad's Drive-in in Timbo, AR 

The Gem Theater in Heber Springs, AR 

Alabama's original roadside attraction, built in 1934. 

Ave Maria Grotto at the St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, AL 

Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee, AL 


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faith+spirituality 

The Uprising of 

The Sanctuary Memphis 

story and photos by Whitney Carter 

If you are looking for a place in Memphis that is inky, goth, queer, welcoming, and saturated with history, The Sanctuary 

is a place to not only shop, but grow, heal and experience community in an unconventional way. Aundrea Lowery- 

Alexander and Aidan Alexander, co-owners of this unique establishment, are the embodiment of the “go-getter” 

mentality. They built their business model, opened their store, and got married all within a year’s time. They opened The 

Sanctuary in late February and have been cranking out their spooky, artistic, and metaphysical gifts ever since. 

Meeting and befriending Aiden and Aundrea was a bit of random luck. I had walked into Black Lodge one day, just 

trying to find something to get into, and saw them working their booth which at that time was entitled “Altar Girl.” They 

were so approachable, but also very informative about their products– I knew they were going to be making loud and 

beautifully bold steps in the city of Memphis. 

More recently we sat down and talked, and I got to go deeper with the couple about the infrastructure of their 

blossoming business. 

What prompted you to name your business 

The Sanctuary Memphis? 

It sounds welcoming and inclusive, and it leaves room 

for expansion. We strive for it to be that kind of vibe when 

people come in. 

Why do you believe The Sanctuary is a good place for 

Memphis? 

We had seen similar places where we lived before and 

had the idea to put it together here with our own aesthetic 

added. We’ve seen places similar to ours in Nashville, 

Portland, Seattle, and New Orleans, and there is so much 

of that energy here in Memphis. The music, art, and just the 

history. Memphis is just such a great place where we felt 

that people can have that exchange and can share those 

experiences with one another. 

What makes your shop unique? 

We believe that iron sharpens iron–we compliment each 

other but what sets us apart is that it’s not just a shop. 

It’s everything combined. People can come and receive 

in-depth healing and participate in workshops that are 

not always offered in Memphis. For example, past life 

regression hypnotherapy, reiki, etc. It’s just a place of 

empowerment, and everything in our shop is through locals 

of the city. 

Owners Aidan Alexander and 

If you were a tourist, why would you come 

Aundrea Lowery-Alexander of The Sanctuary 

to The Sanctuary? 

It’s an experience, and it would be a miss not to check us out. It’s like when we travel–we couldn’t go through 

Nashville without stopping by Hail or Paxton Gate in Portland…It’s something bizarre, something unique. Memphis 

is a destination for history, and anyone passing through and not stopping by would be missing out on history. 


Would you consider yourselves travelers? If so, what 

did traveling bring to the aesthetics of the store and the 

services that you offer? 

Oh yes, we definitely have traveled. Between us both we 

have been to Japan, Sicily, and even Budapest. We have 

been to, collectively, 3 continents and 11 countries. 

Do you feel like being a queer couple has made an 

impact on how you run and market your business? 

We try to make sure we are putting things out publicly 

and promoting inclusivity, especially highlighting the 

alternative and queer culture. There is a lot of overlap in 

being a minority, it’s important to reflect the diversity of 

Memphis. We want our shop to be the embodiment of that 

even down to the practitioners we work alongside. 

What special services do you offer? 

We offer metaphysical and spiritual services such 

as: past life regression hypnotherapy, wax readings, 

tarot readings, bone readings, reiki, psychics, shamanic 

alchemical acupressure massage, primal movement, 

astrology/natal chart reading, sacral embodiment sessions, 

and various other workshops. 

Scenes from their midtown shop 

Aundrea and Aidan are definitely a couple that has brought a whole new flavor to Memphis and the minute someone 

steps into their place of business will find it to be a safe space, a refuge, a sanctuary. I definitely did. 

The Sanctuary Memphis store hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12pm to 7pm. 

Book services and workshops at thesanctuarymemphis.com 

Find on Facebook The Sanctuary Memphis and Instagram @thesanctuarymemphis 

LGBTQ+ 

WELCOMING CONGREGATION 

 


travel 

Unique Regional 

laces to Visit 

Bowling Green + Western Kentucky 

Recommended by Shahin Samiei 

Lincoln Spring 

“There are so many caves out there 

(including the popular Mammoth Cave 

National Park). There is a lot of kitsch and 

sure, some tourist traps, but I think there's 

a bit of magic all about that region. If you 

visit Mammoth Cave, make sure to do some 

major research ahead of time. They take 

reservations for the tours, which are the 

way you get into the caves—the national 

park itself and visitor center are free to 

explore, but to actually go underground 

you need a tour. Reservations book up long 

in advance, especially during peak travel 

seasons. 

[In Bowling Green] there is an 

underground boat cave tour run by a 

non-profit in collaboration with Western 

Kentucky University. The funds from 

tours go to education, conservation, and 

water cleanup efforts. It seemed a really 

wholesome endeavor and pretty rad to 

be boating in a cave under the streets and 

businesses of Bowling Green. 

We also went to Kentucky Down 

Under (lots of unique animals and animal 

experiences) and to the Abraham Lincoln 

birthplace National Park—lots of history 

there, some beautiful architecture, and a 

lovely natural spring were there.” 

Lincoln Memorial 

Lost River Cave 

Mammoth Cave 

(Top photo and this photo) 


Family Vacation: Union City, St. Louis, & Branson 

Recommended by Nancy Bontly 

“So my in-laws are awesome and pay for our hotels 

when we take the kids on a summer vacation. It helps a 

lot! So this year in early August we set out in our car with 

three teenage girls across the back seat. My daughter, my 

husband’s daughter and our bonus daughter. So we left 

Memphis and drove two hours to the Discovery Park of 

America in Union City. They have so much there – a lot of 

history, and a lot of agriculture history. Though I can’t say 

that finding a Blackberry in a history exhibit made us Gen 

X parents feel any younger. It didn’t help that both me and 

dad were very much into computers early on, so we had 

touched 5.25” floppy disks before. 

After our tour at the Discovery Center we had already 

checked out of our hotel and headed straight for St. Louis 

where we had already bought tickets for the City Museum 

– it was a ton of fun. There is so much to do there. Climbing 

through all kinds of exhibits – and it is even fun for those 

who can’t (or won’t) climb! There was something for 

everyone and we had a blast! For the second day we had 

bought a ticket package for Union Station that included 

the Aquarium, Ferris Wheel, Mini Golf and a few other 

attractions. We had a great time there as well! We highly 

recommend it for family fun during the day! 

The next morning we checked out of St. Louis and 

headed to Branson, MO. The trip was around 4 hours, but 

we gave it an entire day so we could stop if we wanted 

to – and we totally ended up on Route 66, and were 

able to make a detour for the Uranus Fudge Company. It 

was great! They had a display of the world’s largest belt 

buckle, a bona-fide Zoltar machine and a candy store that 

was just awesome. 

We eventually pulled into Branson, and we had a room 

at the Grand Country Resort. It was awesome because 

it was an all-inclusive package that gave us a room with 

a clubhouse for the kids to sleep in, tickets to the Dolly 

Parton’s Stampede show, and tickets to Silver Dollar City… 

along with unlimited food at their 3 restaurants and even 

unlimited ice cream cones. Oh, I can’t forget the unlimited 

mini-golf on their 90 different holes over three different 

themed courses. We had a blast! We even had unlimited 

live shows at the Grand Country, but we were so busy with 

everything else, we didn’t have time. They also have an 

actual water park in the resort, as well as both an indoor 

and outdoor pool! It was a great place to be as a family!” 

Uranus Fudge 

Discovery Center of America 

St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station 

Slide at the City Museum of St. Louis 


Southern Illinois + Missouri 

Recommended by Chellie Bowman 

Cape Girardeau Waterfront 

Alto Pass, IL 

“Recently, my partner and I were invited 

to a wedding in a charming village in 

Southern Illinois called Alto Pass, just three 

hours north from Memphis. We had never 

been to this part of the region and spent 

our entire weekend exploring the area. 

I was in awe with the sheer number of 

wildflowers that were everywhere in June, 

and the number of birds that we could 

watch around the cabin we rented. The 

town sits at the foothills of the Shawnee 

National Forest and in fact, there is even 

a trail to a large rock formation directly 

accessible from the town square. The area 

is also surrounded by multiple vineyards 

that make up the Shawnee Hill Wine Trail, 

something I very much lament we were 

unable to check out. Later in the weekend 

we were able to drive further into the 

forest and hike a trail to see what’s called 

“The Little Grand Canyon”, a wide and 

impressive canyon that you can actually 

hike down into itself, although we opted 

for the shorter, less treacherous path 

to the overlook. On the drive home, we 

stopped by Cape Girardeau in Missouri, 

got a delicious coffee at Ground-A-Bout, 

walked to the large promenade along the 

Mississippi River, and meandered around 

their historic downtown streets. The whole 

trip was very short, but a refreshing change 

of pace from Memphis–we can’t wait to go 

back and explore more!” 

Downtown Cape Girardeau 

Little Grand Canyon trail, Shawnee National Forest 

Quetil Trail in downtown Alto Pass 


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travel 

Pride 

Journey 

Athens, Georgia 

story and photos by Joey Amato 

Everyone knows that I am a sucker for small-city 

charm, so I decided to venture about an hour and a half 

outside of Atlanta to Athens, Georgia, home of rock 

bands R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and of course, the 

B-52’s. As soon as I drove into the college town, I knew 

I was in for a treat. I love exploring these destinations as 

they tend to offer tons of local restaurants and boutiques 

which ooze with character. 

Athens is a thriving college town located in the 

northeastern part of Georgia. It is home to the University 

of Georgia, which is the state’s flagship university, as 

well as the Athens Institute of Technology and Piedmont 

College. Athens is a vibrant city that offers a unique blend 

of Southern charm and culture. 

Athens has a rich history that dates back to the early 

1800s when it was founded as the seat of Clarke County. 

The city was first settled in 1801 and was named after 

Athens, Greece, the birthplace of democracy. In the years 

following the Civil War, Athens became a center of higher 

education, with the founding of the University of Georgia. 

The city soon became the center of politics and 

commerce in the region. The University of Georgia is the 

largest employer in Athens, and its presence has shaped 

the city’s culture and economy. The university is home 

to the Georgia Bulldogs, the school’s football team, and 

a number of other athletic teams. It also hosts numerous 

music, art, and theater events throughout the year. 

Athens is also known for its distinctive neighborhoods. 

Five Points is the city's oldest and most popular area, and 

is home to a variety of shops, restaurants, and bars. 

After checking into my room at Hotel Indigo, I walked to 

the center of town, which was lined with a large selection 

of restaurants and live music venues. Given the musical 

heritage of Athens, live music is still at the heart of their 

nightlife scene. Some venues worth checking out include 

40 Watt Club, The Warehouse, and the Georgia Theatre. 

To my surprise, located in the center of downtown is a 

fabulous four-way rainbow crosswalk. Sometimes when 

I visit smaller destinations, I wonder if the community is 

welcoming to LGBTQ individuals, but I quickly realized 

that Athens most definitely is. Having the university 

present in the city adds to its progressive stance. If 

you are in town on a Friday evening, swing by Athens 

Showgirl Cabaret’s Fabulous Fridays at Hendershot's, 

located in the Bottleworks development. A coffee shop 

44 Go! | Sept+Oct 2023 | focuslgbt.com 

"Greetings from Athens" mural

during the day and bar in the evening, Hendershot’s 

is the perfect place to mingle among LGBTQ locals. 

After the drag show, head to Sister Louisa’s Church, 

about a 10-minute walk from Hendershot’s. The quirky 

establishment features a bar, patio, and club area and is 

the hub of LGBTQ nightlife in Athens. 

After a restful night’s sleep, head to Mama’s Boy for 

breakfast. A short drive from the hotel, the restaurant 

is a local institution, serving up a hearty breakfast that 

won’t break the budget. The morning is a great time to 

head to The State Botanical Garden of Georgia. I spent 

about two hours strolling around the gardens and taking 

in the sights and smells of my surroundings. Be sure to 

visit the Discovery and Inspiration Garden as well as the 

Hummingbird Trail. 

For an afternoon pick-me-up, head to 1000 Faces 

Coffee, a cute coffee shop and roaster in town or check 

out Condor Chocolates and sample some delicious 

chocolate truffles. 

The Georgia Museum of Art is located on the University 

of Georgia campus and definitely walkable from Hotel 

Indigo, although I would recommend bringing a bottle of 

water along for the journey. The museum contains a lovely 

sculpture garden as well as various exhibition halls which 

feature a vast collection of fine art. Currently on exhibition is 

Power & Piety: Seventeenth-Century Spanish Art. Admission 

is free to both the Museum of Art as well as the botanical 

gardens, making Athens a budget-friendly getaway. 

Speaking of art, beautiful murals can be found all over 

town, depicting the city’s rich musical heritage, but my 

favorite was the “Greetings from Athens” mural located 

on the side of a building in a narrow alley. It can easily be 

missed if you don’t know where you are going. 

The city is home to numerous festivals, including 

the AthFest Music and Arts Festival, the Athens Film 

Festival, and the Athens International Film & Video 

Festival, so it may be a good idea to plan your visit 

around one of those events. 

If you are in the mood to do some shopping, I 

recommend wandering through Wuxtry Records, one of a 

few independently owned record stores left in the country. 

I could spend hours going through their endless aisles of 

records but only had two days in the city, so I had to move 

on. I stumbled upon Community, a hub for locally-made 

products including candles and handcrafted soaps. 

Athens, Georgia is a small city with a lot to offer. 

Its vibrant music scene, thriving culinary scene, and 

abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities make 

it a perfect destination for a solo trip or a vacation with 

friends. If you are looking for a hip weekend adventure, I 

would give Athens a try. 

Georgia Museum of Art 

Rainbow crosswalk in downtown Athens 

“Hot Corner: An Athens Legacy” 

by Elio Mercado 


life 

HOROSCOPES 

Astrology Readings by Minnassa 

VIRGO 

AUG 24 - SEP 23, 2023 

Element: Earth 

Quality: Mutable 

Ruling Planet: Mercury 

Traits: Reliable, intelligent, logical, 

modest, practical, and judgmental 

New Moon in Virgo: September 15, 2023 

LIBRA 

SEP 24 - OCT 23, 2023 

Element: Air 

Quality: Cardinal 

Ruling Planet: Venus 

Traits: Charming, optimistic, social, 

balanced, diplomatic, and indecisive 

New Moon in Libra: October 14, 2023 

THE POWER OF THE NEW MOON 

The Full Moon is a powerful time of the month; the Sun and the Moon are in opposite signs. The light of the Full Moon opens the 

door of illumination and is a great opportunity to see clearly what is not working in your life and/or not serving your highest good. 

It is a great time to release unhealthy ways of being, thinking, communicating, and relationships. It is a great time of the month to 

declutter and make room for the new blessings and opportunities you want to welcome into your life. 

A simple full moon ritual: one day during the week of the Full Moon (3 days before – the day of – and three days after), 

find a place to be still and reflect. Using the energy of the sign of the Full Moon ask yourself what ways of being, doing, and 

communicating are no longer providing joy, love, and ease in your life. Write the answers down on a piece of paper. Say aloud, I 

joyfully release what you have written on the paper. Then tear up the paper into small pieces and throw it in the trash, flush it down 

the toilet, or burn it (only if it is safe to do so). 

August had two powerful Super Full Moons. Step into September under the influence of the Queen, the Empress, and the High 

Priestess of the horoscope, Virgo. Combine this energy with the residual power of the August Full Moons; under this powerful 

influence, spend a few days reflecting on what you need to release from your life. Then using the balancing energy of the Libra, 

look at yourself and find areas that need more equilibrium and harmony. 

ARIES (Fire-Cardinal) - Now that you have rested and 

recharged, moving in the energy of flow, do those things that bring 

you comfort and connect you to your community. 

TAURUS (Earth-Fixed) - Now that you have cleared the clutter 

out of life–be open, ready, and available to abundance and 

prosperity entering your life. 

GEMINI (Air-Mutable) - Continue implementing your ideas. Get 

strategic about it. If things go sideways, fine. Tap into your resilient 

energy and try again. 

CANCER (Water-Cardinal) - Your soul searching continues. This 

is still a great time of renewal and a fresh start. Look again at your 

plans with new eyes: reevaluate, correct, and move forward. 

LEO (Fire-Fixed) - Having celebrated the good in your life, now is 

the time to set the vision for closing out 2023 with power and verve. 

Look above the mess; use your vision to inspire you to action. 

VIRGO (Earth-Mutable) - All right now Queen/King. Commit 

to how you want to move forward and with courage, take that 

next step. 

LIBRA (Air-Cardinal) - As you begin your solar return, think big, 

think differently, and then explore new ways of being and doing. Take 

this time for self-discovery. 

SCORPIO (Water-Fixed) - What has you fired up? Now is the 

time, dear Scorpio, to turn on the charm and pursue your passions. 

SAGITTARIUS (Fire-Mutable) - Now that you have let it all go, 

move forward with optimism. Don’t just do the same old thing, honey, 

now is the time to innovate. 

CAPRICORN (Earth-Cardinal) - As you are walking in your 

blessings, my friend, it is important to take time daily to express your 

gratitude for the good that you have and the good that is on its way 

to you. 

AQUARIUS (Air-Fixed) - Continue to be picky about who you 

allow into your space. Now prepare to step into the spaces where 

resources and support are awaiting you. 

PISCES (Water-Mutable) - Choices are coming your way. Now 

is the time to tap into your ambition and flow in the direction that 

provides you with the most support and resources. Choose well! 

* These horoscopes are for entertainment and inspirational purposes only. 

MINNASSA WELLNESS 

Mindfulness in the Workplace 


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2023 Issue 5 Sept/Oct Focus - Mid-South Magazine

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