Culture

WK&T featured Shirley Jackson on a recent magazine cover due to her use of its broadband services for making connections among quilters for socializing and for her business, Custom Quilting by Shirley. She specializes in the cover stitching and finishing of quilts, and says the internet has broadened her sources of inspiration.

The Civil War Trust is looking for volunteers to clean and restore battlefields, including sites in Kentucky and Tennessee for its 17th annual Park Day, scheduled for April 6th.  Volunteers will be asked to rake leaves, haul trash, paint signs and plant trees.  The nationwide event encompasses 100 historic sites in 24 states.  The sites in our region include Fort Donelson in Dover, Tennessee and Columbus-Belmont State Park in western Kentucky.  Those interested can find more information at civilwar.org.

MCLIB's next Evenings Upstairs program on March 21 at 7 pm is titled "Explore Kentucky's Diverse Fiddling Traditions." John Harrod has been performing over forty years as he brings old music to new generations. Because of its location between major routes of western migration, Western Kentucky became a melting pot of culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Harrod explores the region's musical roots and gives a preview on Sounds Good.

Classically trained vocalist Solitaire Miles has the range and sound that echoes the musings of jazz singer Anita O'Day and Ella Fitzgerald, and opera singer Fredericka Van Staad. Her brilliantly recorded albums Born To Be Blue and Melancholy reflect her complex ideas and multifaceted influences. But equally impressive are her paintings, one of which is of President Obama that was accepted by the White House. Café Jazz host and Department of History professor Dr. Brian Clardy spoke with her by telephone about her work and views on the future of jazz as an art form. A shortened version of this interview aired on Café Jazz Wednesday, March 13. The interview above is the longer, full version.