"I had a lot of respect for my dad. He taught me to work hard and not to live off of other people. My first summer job was in a restaurant when I was 15. I was working alongside the head chef making breakfasts, but not long after I started, he was injured in a traffic accident and couldn't work anymore. The boss came to me and said, 'You're the new head chef now.' It wasn't easy to get all those orders together, but I did it."
"My mom taught me generosity. She said, 'Always come to the table with something. Never come empty-handed. You can always contribute.'"
"My husband was abusive, so I took the children and left, lived in Chicago for a couple of years, then came back to Memphis. I've always worked two or three jobs to support the children, often 16-hour days. I taught school in the daytime and then worked as an LPN at night. "I don't know what I would have done without my mom's help. I regret not spending enough time with the children, but I was always working. I'm just thankful that all three of them are alive, doing well, married, and have their own children now." Bernice was raised in Memphis, attended BTW, and was in the 2nd graduating class of LPNs at John Gaston / City Hospital where she received her training. Later, she attended Lemoyne-Owen College, earning a B.S. in Education, and Memphis State University (now U of M), earning her Master's in Education. Before her retirement, she worked at Methodist Hospital and in the ER at Baptist and John Gaston (now the MED), in addition to her daytime job as a teacher with the Memphis City Schools (now Shelby County Schools).
"I am from Senegal. I lived in New York for a while, but it was too tight, too close together. I visited here, liked it, and decided this was where I wanted to raise my children. It's a good place. I have seven children, ages 1 to 16, and the best thing about my life is taking care of them as they grow up. The hardest thing is trying to make enough money to support them. I used to have a spot every day in Handy Park on Beale Street, but that is not allowed anymore. Now I'm here on Main just off Court Square, but not too many people come this way to buy things."
"My parents were very strict about bedtime when I was a child but would give me an extra half-hour or so if I was reading. I've always loved books. They were my way of exploring another world, of connecting with another kid's (or later, teenager's) experiences. "The program we've started here at CBU, Fresh Reads, is based on the same idea. Each year, we have all of our freshmen read the same book, then participate in book clubs and discussion groups around the reading. We're partnering with the Memphis Public Library and Information Center this year and expanding to the whole community. It's a way of bringing people together, of encouraging dialogue. The book for 2014, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Ethiopian immigrant Dinaw Mengestu, is geared for high school and above. It's an immigration narrative, yes, but it's really the human narrative. The author describes feeling caught between two worlds: Africa and America, and the story deals with many of the same issues Memphis faces, including racial tension and gentrification. We're not all immigrants geographically, of course, but all of us are in transition at different points in our lives: between high school and college, between one career and another, between illness and health, between emotional states. The book is about the need we all have to find our place in the world and to connect with other people. "Fresh Reads was started because conversation around a shared experience helps us to see how much we really have in common, even though we may seem very different on the outside. I've seen changes in our students and in myself as we've learned to hear each other's stories. There is more a sense of seeing each other as human beings." If you haven't had a chance to read this year's selection, there is still time before the CBU / Public Library free community event. Check with the Memphis Public Library or with the Booksellers at Laurelwood, Barnes & Noble in Germantown, Burke's Books, or St. Paul Book & Gift Store, then come out to hear author Dinaw Mengestu on November 4. Fresh Reads / Memphis Reads Dr. Karen B. Golightly is an Associate Professor of English and the Director of Fresh Reads at Christian Brothers University. "My cousin Chris was a really smart guy and the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. Going to see Danzig with him was one of the best times of my life. He died way too young though. He had a heart attack at the age of 43." Will Wood will have some pieces in an art show on Friday evening, October 24, 2014. The Cigar Box Show is one night only and will feature a number of local artists. This free event will be held from 6:00-11:00 p.m. at Glitch, 2180 Cowden Avenue, 38104.
FB page for Glitch: http://www.facebook.com/Glitchery "Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"
"Yes. I want to be a cop." "What will be the best thing about being a cop?" "Arresting the bad guys." "My parents took us to football games when I was nine and ten years old, and I'd go down and stand in front of the horn section. I liked music and played trombone in high school. Later, in college, I learned guitar because I needed the extra money and there was more work for guitarists than horn players. I majored in music, was a band director for several years, and now have this shop. I like the history of Memphis music, the way gospel, soul, and country merged into rock and roll." Jeff Cox is co-owner of St. Blues Guitar Workshop at 645 Marshall 38103.
"My sister was a good person. Whenever I needed something, she was always there for me. We just had her funeral on Saturday. She was 56 years old."
"My mom was a horrible cook, so I always watched my grandma, who made a lot of Southern soul food. She died when I was 12, so I took over all the cooking. Then Mom got in the kitchen, experimented, and now she's a good cook too; you'd never know how terrible she used to be. We cook together all the time now. When I finish school, I'd like to be a personal chef. Maybe share some of my grandma's recipes." (Danshell) "I started off with a lot of ideas about what to do as a career. Should I be a veterinarian? Should I do this or that? I probably had 32 fall-back plans. Growing up, I was always in the kitchen trying to learn everything I could from my mom and grandma, so when my mom told me, 'Do what you love to do', I thought about it and decided to go to culinary school. I'm happy to make any and everything. I don't really have a favorite dish." (Tyrrani) Both Danshell and Tyrrani are finishing up their studies at L'Ecole Culinaire and were selling lovely pecan tarts and other goodies at Memfix on October 18, 2014. If you are interested in employing either of these young chefs, contact L'Ecole Culinaire at 901-754-7115.
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