Though I didn't get to interview local author Sarah Addison Allen prior to the March launch of her novel, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, that book stands out as my favorite that I reviewed this past year. Allen, a formerly frustrated romance writer, found her voice with the Southern-set, best-selling magical realism novel Garden … Read more
Although I could settle on either of a few, my internal politic unanimously rests with Those Legs. It came and then went with a fluidity quite rare in the grand compromise we call Commercial Art. Two Colors (both dark), One Image, No Photo, Small Teaser. After meeting the story's author just a few days ago, … Read more
I have to say, despite the resulting migraine, I loved doing that i-Dose piece. As a new Xpress writer, it was my first chance to really prove to the higher-ups that I could do some hard, investigative journalism. Sure, I wasn't uncovering a local scandal or a secret spy base or anything, but it did … Read more
The first time I really became aware of Dan Zanes he was plinking a mandolin on an episode of Sesame Street, gathering a bunch of kids and Williamsburg-style hipsters around him, Pied Piper-like, on the steps of some Brooklyn brownstone. With his owl's-nest hair, craggy features and scrawny, aging-rocker bod, he physically reminded me of … Read more
I don’t get to write much for print. But a certain set of songs demanded the cover, and I allowed: a performance of The Magnetic Field’s iconic 69 Love Songs albums, recreated by nine local bands. The article consisted almost entirely of the performer’s answers to a series of questions I sent. It may have … Read more
I really enjoy getting to put art from local artists on the cover. It's always beautiful and dynamic. The collage style of this cover allowed me to exhibit the variety of art on display at the season's first art walk. This cover, like the Gabriel Shaffer (Jan. 6) and Alli Good (Oct. 6) covers I … Read more
If you happened to read “There’s Something about Joanna (Newsom),” you probably gathered that I'm a big fan of Joanna Newsom. Despite, or perhaps because of, the intense media coverage she receives, phone interviews with the singer are few and far between, so I was thrilled to have an opportunity to pick her brain. On … Read more
As the Gregorian calendar tick-tocks its way into 2011, many Ashevilleans will make resolutions hoping to change their lives for the better. Many start out with good intentions, but according to national polls, about 75 percent won't succeed. Gary Rollins, a local personal and professional development coach, suggests that the usual efforts don't create lasting … Read more
"Do Yourself a Huge Favor, Strengthen Those Pelvic Floor Muscles" was one of the more memorable Edgy Mama columns I've written for Xpress, both because of the subject matter and the local response to it. The subject — how women can strengthen their pelvic floor muscles to avoid incontinence and improve their sex lives — … Read more
