Art and Culture

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Susan Minot grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.  Her superb novels include Monkeys, Evening, Folly, Lust & Other Stories.  Poems 4 A.M.  is her first volume of poetry.  She currently lives on North Haven Island in Maine.  

Like history itself, following artistic leads can open doors of discovery that you never even knew were there.

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Shreveport’s own Lillie Jenkins released one LP for the famed Paula/Jewell label in 1977 – and it’s a doozy!

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I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Eley Williams is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.  She is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories.  Her work has appeared in The Penguin book of Contemporary British Short Stories.  The Liar’s Dictionary is her first novel.  She lives in London.

From straight jazz to electronic fusion, to duets with banjo players, American pianist Chick Corea did it all, and left a lifetime of music.

The D.C. Christian Harmonizers released several joyfully funky 45s on a variety of small gospel labels in the late '60's and early '70's.

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I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Margaret Atwood is one of the premier writers in English these days.  She has, to her credit, fifteen collections of poetry, seventeen novels, eight pieces of short fiction, ten non-fiction works, as well as seven works for children, and three graphic novels.  Dearly: New Poems is her latest work.

The Imperial Gospel Singers’ “Fountain of Blood” will remind you of the powerful harmonies of their Philadelphia neighbors, the legendary Angelics. 

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Art forms never simply disappear as long as there are people dedicated to keeping them alive.

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Chicago’s Argo Singers released a host of fine 45s for Vee-Jays Records in the mid-1960s, including the bouncy “Fill Me Now.” 

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Hear the full SHOUT! segment here. 

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I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

My favorite surprise gift in 2020 was from my bride:  The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery.  This book turned out to be a fascinating look into the world below the oceans.  “Sy is a naturalist, and author of twenty acclaimed books of non-fiction for adults and children.”  She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, a border collie, and flocks of chickens.

A Texan born shortly after the end of the Civil War was instrumental in creating one of America's most distinctive styles of music.


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For more than 50 years, Evelyn’s singing and songwriting made the Gay Sisters one of gospel’s most influential artists

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The February edition of Conversation with Creative Waco is all about markets!  Guest include Sean and Kylie Skellington of Skellington Curiosities abot their store, cultivating Waco's spooky community ant their monthly oddities and curiosities market.  Also Rebekah Hagman, co-owner of Cultivate 7twelve and entrepreneur Lori Davidson talk about the Wacotown Chalk and Walk and market coming to downtown Waco later this spring.  

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Ross Gay is a poet and the winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award among several other prizes.  The Book of Delights is funny, thought-provoking, and worthy of slow reading to catch all the minor—and major—attempts at strange and peculiar essays.