Blog Archives

Danny

12/25/2014

“I was good at art when I was a little kid but didn’t have any real interest in it until I was in high school. My art teacher encouraged me to continue, and the more I got into it, the more I liked it. After I got my BFA in painting from the U of M, I traveled a lot and participated in shows all over, but what I really wanted was to have my own gallery so I could develop a solid client base. Broadway Studios opened last December, and it's an event space as well as a studio / gallery. We do a lot of fund-raisers here too: St. Jude, Books from Birth, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Grizzlies Prep, where a percentage of sales goes to the designated charity.

“In my own work, I’m inspired by historical themes, family stories, current issues, people, music, sounds, moods, books I read --- pretty much everything. I’ve noticed my palette changes with the seasons too: bright in the summer and darker in winter. There are so many things that speak to me, it’s sometimes hard to choose a subject.

“Besides working here at the studio, I also teach painting to high school seniors at St. George’s in Collierville.”

Danny Broadway's Broadway Studios is located at 5179 Wheelis Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117.
Website: http://dannybroadway.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/BWAYStudio

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Jim

12/24/2014

"I was in front-line combat during Desert Storm, and what I saw over there messed with this 22-year-old guy's head. I came back with PTSD. Anger, irritability, depression, nightmares, and flashbacks. I self-medicated with alcohol for 20 years. My wife left me, but I don't blame her; I would have left me too. I ended up homeless in 2010, but now I'm receiving disability benefits through the VA."

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Niles

12/23/2014

“Who would you say is your hero?”
“God.”
“Why is he your hero?”
“Because every time I ask him for help, he’s always there.”

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Lonette

12/22/2014

"I was a high school English and composition teacher for 15 years, but in May I decided to make a career switch and work toward my dream of opening a stand-alone writing center for kids in grades 7-12. There isn't time in the school day to teach writing the way it really needs to be done, so the center would operate after school hours, on weekends, and in the summer. I especially want to work with students in underserved areas. Instead of writing to get a grade or to fulfill a homework assignment or to practice for a standardized test, kids would learn to write for self-expression. I'd love to see students really discover their voices through creative non-fiction, poetry, and prose. Even though they're young, these kids have something to say, and they deserve to be heard.

"My uncle was in opera and sang all over the world. Seeing him do that created a road map for me and helped me to learn that things were possible. I want to bring in well-known writers who will do the same for students, who will help them see the possibilities. Martin Luther King's writings have influenced a lot of people, but he was influenced by Ghandi, who was influenced by Thoreau's essay 'Civil Disobedience.' I want kids to realize how powerful the pen can be."

Lonette Robertson Stayton holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Memphis. She recently completed a dystopian novel in which rising sea levels destroy coastal areas and force residents to flee to inland cities. Memphis is one of the refugee destinations. The novel explores what happens when society breaks down and residents refuse to work together.

Samples of Lonette's work:

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Jackie

12/21/2014

"My grandfather is a real inspiration to me. He's been the father that my father wasn't. He and my grandmother raised my brother and me from the time I was 3 years old, because my mother didn't have the time and wanted to live her own life. My grandparents drove to Selmer where we were living and said, 'Come on, you're going home.' They took on all that responsibility and raised us the way parents ought to raise their children. I remember being in junior high school and seeing my grandfather put cardboard in his work shoes instead of buying new ones for himself. He made so many sacrifices for us. He gave us a weekly allowance of $3-5, which went a long way in those days. He and my grandmother taught us the importance of saving, of taking care of family, and of getting an education. My grandmother is gone now, and my grandfather is 94 years old. I ask him what he needs, and he says he doesn't need anything other than just a little candy. He's my hero, and I love him."

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Charlie

12/20/2014

"I was in north Memphis delivering newspapers on that day in 1968 when the news came that Dr. King had been assassinated. I'll never forget the gloating in the voice of the man who told me what had happened. There was jubilation, not sorrow, among a lot of people. (*long silence*) Things have changed in the years since that time. There is still a racial divide, but we have at least acknowledged the greatness of Dr. King. While some people's attitudes have changed radically, others are still in the dark ages. We need more honest conversation, and we need to learn how to get along. The economic disparity between the races and better community-police relations are among the things we need to work on.

"I'd say do your homework on the writings of Dr. King. People know his 'I Have a Dream' speech, but that's not all there is to know. Read his ideas on the non-violent revolution of values and his hope for a 'beloved community.' Obey your reading of the Bible. And do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That's a tenet of all major religions. Those things will help to bring harmony to our city."

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Sharonda

12/19/2014

“The hardest time in my life was eight years ago. I was at the height of my career, successful, and making really good money. In most people’s eyes, I was living the good life, but inside I was miserable and depressed. My marriage has always been strong, but the stress from my job was taking a toll even on that relationship. I felt that my children were being neglected too, even though on the outside I looked like ‘Mother of the Year.’ I was trying to do everything, but really I was only able to give little pieces of myself to my family. I was responsible for a lot on the job and was working 6 days a week, 10-12 hour days, with a 45-minute commute each way. My husband would get our son off to school in the morning and put him to bed at night, and I wouldn’t have seen my child all day. My younger daughter was hanging with a group of girls who were not making the best choices, and I was losing her. After work, I’d get home and just go into the bedroom and shut the door. My husband and children were starved for attention and interaction, but I had nothing left to give.

“One day as I was trying to prepare a meal, I couldn’t find anything. For years, my husband and children had been helping to take care of the kitchen and the rest of the house because I didn’t have time, but they didn’t know where anything went. I vividly remember standing there that day, saying, ‘This is my kitchen. This is my house. And I can’t find anything.’ That may not sound like a major realization to anyone else, but I knew at that point how out-of-control my life had become.

“I told my husband, ‘I want to quit this job.’ He said, ‘If you quit, you know what we’re looking at.’ I had the bigger salary, but I told him I was willing to adjust. It is easier for me than for my husband to get a high-paying job because I satisfy two requirements for minority hiring: I’m African-American, and I’m a woman. He can only satisfy one, so hiring an African-American man is not as attractive to employers. If they can satisfy two requirements with one person, then that makes sense to them. But what does it do to the family? When I would come out of my power job at 7:00 at night, I’d look around and see the parking lot full of luxury cars that belonged mostly to African-American women, and I’d think, ‘If we are here, then who is at home raising the children?’

“I had been with the company for 18 years, but I gave a 2-week notice and quit. People thought I was crazy because I had no retirement, but the corporate pressure was not worth the paycheck.

“I pulled our children out of school and home-schooled them for a year. During that year, I was able to catch my son up in the areas in which he was behind and reconnect with my daughter and get her back on track. Both of them are doing much better now. My son is planning to join the Air Force, and my daughter was valedictorian of her graduating class and is in college. My children can call me any time of the day to say, ‘Mom, let me tell you what happened,’ and I don’t say anymore, ‘Not now, I’m in a meeting.’

“I’ve changed the way I eat, and I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. The stress is gone. My husband is great; he’s been supportive all along, but he was definitely happy to have his wife back. My house is in order, my kitchen’s in order, and my life is in order. We don’t have the money we used to have, but we have so much more. We have relationships with each other.”

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Johnny

12/18/2014

"When I was a kid, the courts took me away from my parents---they were bikers---and put me in a home, but I ran away when I was 12 because the people at the home beat me. I didn't go to school anymore after that. I've been on my own ever since, living on the street and hustling up jobs to get by. Things like yard work and tree work. I've worked every day this week. You got to be careful out here. There are some dangerous street people, but I know how to keep myself safe. If it's cold out, I get to the warmest place I can find. I'll live in a cardboard condominium---a box---if it's really cold. It's not that bad though. I was in Colorado for a while, and that was a lot worse."
"I see you have a book here."
"Yeah, I read a lot. This one is called Land of the Lost Souls. It's real stuff."

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Carl

12/17/2014

"I was arrested last year---a first offense---and I lost everything. I just got off probation two months ago. When I got arrested, I didn't know what was going to happen, but I had a good probation officer. She looked after me, gave me a comfort zone, and made sure I did what I was supposed to do. We built a bond, and she helped me get through. My life is back on track now. I'm finishing my degree next year and moving on toward building a future."

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Vouy

12/16/2014

"My mother and I lived 300 km (186 miles) from Phnom Pehn, the capital of Cambodia, and I went to visit my older sister and her husband who lived in Phnom Pehn. It was 1975, and I was 19 years old. While I was there, the country fell to Communism, and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge came to power. I couldn't leave the city to get back to my mother. The Khmer Rouge killed so many Cambodians. People like doctors, lawyers, and professors were taken away and shot or beaten until they were dead. I lost many in my family that way. My sister, her husband, and I were taken to slave camps where we worked very, very hard and with very little food. Just a little rice to eat. I got so thin that I looked like an old grandma; my arms were like sticks, and my hip bones stuck out. We worked long, long hours in the fields every day, even when it was raining. So many people got sick and died. There's a movie about that time called The Killing Fields, but real life was much worse than in the movie. Whole families would be there one day and then just disappear. They were taken away and killed, even the babies. My sister and I were in the slave camp for three years and nine months. We both survived, but her husband died there.

"In January of 1979, the genocide ended. Pol Pot was no longer in power, and my sister and I went to a refugee camp in Thailand. We were there for three months, and then the Catholic Church sponsored us to come to the United States. I've been here for 35 years now and worked at a uniform manufacturing company for almost 30 years, first as a seamstress and now in the shipping department. My sister is still with me, and I have one son; he was born in the United States.

"It's been a long time ago, but I still remember. I will never forget."

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