Art and Culture

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

Alix Nathan has recently finished an exciting, troubling, and ghastly novel.  The title is The Warlow Experiment. 

Art that may initially infuriate you may, given time, turn out to inspire you. 

Irene Jones and the Original Joy Harmonizers are one of many wonderful gospel groups that should be better known today - and their song "Keep on Going" is a good example of what that's so. 

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

I always enjoy reading a new, young writer, especially when she can spin a decent tale.  Amy Meyerson has done this with her debut novel, The Bookshop of Yesterdays.  Of course, some of my loyal listeners might recognize this story as one revolving around a bookshop.  My taste for this genre received a boost with the recent opening of The Fabled Bookshop and Café in Waco.  

Latitude 49 is a contemporary classical group of piano, strings, winds and percussion. The group is comprised of six musicians - including percussionist Chris Sies and pianist Dr. Jani Parsons - who are married and both teach at Baylor University's School of Music. The mix-chamber ensemble derives its name from the parallel along Canada and United States border - and so too brings together musicians from both countries.

In this episode of the Fine Tuned Music Series, Sies and Parsons discuss how Latitude 49 was formed when they were at the University of Michigan, what "new music" in classical means and the changes they see happening in the Central Texas music scene. 

The 34th American President & WWII hero is about to get a long awaited memorial in DC.

The otherwise unknown Sunrise Gospel Singers of Chicago Heights deliver an affecting, emotional rendition of the gospel song, "When I'm Gone."

This week on Conversations With Creative Waco, Kennedy Sam interviews Steve Veracruz, the co-founder of the Central Texas Artist Collective about the upcoming Ekphrasis show. Sam also speaks with Karla Bautista about the Dia De Los Muertos festival on November 2 - as well as Kay Reinke from the Professional Artists of Central Texas about the annual Brazos Fine Art Show. 

There's more than trick or treating to do for Halloween this year.  Hear about some of the Halloween themed events happening around town from haunted houses, Pumpkin Fest, Sitting up with the Dead, Fright Night at the Rite 3.0 to a celebration of Dia De Los Muertos.

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

In amongst all the exciting and suspenseful novels I have reviewed, I came upon a funny, interesting little book Ex Libris” Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman.  This slim volume of a mere 162 pages is full of humor and wisdom.  According to the cover, “Ex Libris recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language.”  Anne is the editor of The American Scholar.  She has won a National Book Critics Circle Award and has written for numerous magazines.  She now resides with her family in western Massachusetts.

A 20th Century Russian who understood the balance between tradition and Modernity can speak to us today, maybe more than ever before.

“How do we keep our balance?” the character of Tevye asks with a twinkle in his eye at the beginning of Fiddler on the Roof.  “That I can tell you in one word:  Tradition!”  That 1964 musical set in a Jewish village in European Russia at the dawn of the 20th century remains a perfect way in which to observe the difficult relationship between tradition and relentless change.

A few days ago my daughter came home and explained that in her art class she’d been given the choice of reproducing a Picasso painting or a Chagall painting, and I was delighted she chose Chagall.

The piano stylings and arrangements of Roberta Martin influenced everybody from the Rev. James Cleveland to Little Lucy Smith and are on full display in her hit, "God is Still on the Throne."

On this edition of Act Locally Waco, Ashley Thornton and Brodie Bashaw highlight community events from the Waco Habitat Restore half price sale,  a variety of arts events and plenty of happenings with a Halloween theme.

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

My encounter with Kristin Hannah’s work came from her exciting and suspense-filled novel, The Great Alone.  It tells the story of Ernt Albright, his wife Cora, and their 13-year-old-daughter, Leni.  Ernt was a captured POW in Vietnam.  When he finally returned home, he was thoroughly broken.  He suffered from a severe case of PTSD.  He has lost another job and verges on the edge of complete collapse.  When he receives a letter from the father of his best friend—who died in Vietnam--he learns his friend had requested Ernt take over the property, so he can find some peace.  The family was welcome by the local residents, and they offered much in the way of labor, supplies, and food in preparation for the coming winter.  Ernt refuses all such help.

In today’s episode of KWBU’s Fine Tuned Music Series – a conversation with local hip- hop artist Payton Bryce who is professionally known as Pirscription. He talks about his experiences as a hip-hop artist, his music, growing up in West, Texas and the changes he sees in Waco's music scene.