General

Thanksgiving shopping? Here are the food recalls you need to know about

Whether you’re making a side dish or helming the kitchen to cook the full holiday meal, planning Thanksgiving dinner is stressful.

Now, how about a curveball– what about not being able to purchase an ingredient because it’s been recalled and pulled from grocery store shelves?

The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture have recently investigated and recalled several products for potential contamination and allergens.

From vegetables to dairy products, here are some items facing recent food recalls.

ORGANIC CARROTS:

California-based Grimway Farms has issued a recall of select bagged organic whole carrots and baby carrots due to a potential E.coli outbreak. The recall includes baby organic carrots with best-if-used-by dates that ranged from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12 and whole organic carrots sold in stores around Aug. 14 to Oct. 23.

The carrots were sold at stores in the U.S. including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s under multiple brand names including 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, and Compliments. A full list of the labels, brands, and dates are listed on the recall notices from Grimway Farms and the FDA.

READ MORE HERE: Carrot recall 2024: Vegetables sold at Walmart, Target linked to deadly E. coli outbreak

GROUND BEEF:

More than 165,000 pounds of ground beef has been recalled due to potential contamination with E. coli.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Detroit-based Wolverine Packing distributed the ground beef to restaurants across the country. The fresh products have a “use by” date of Nov. 14; frozen products are labeled with a production date of Oct. 22. Both have an establishment number of “EST 2574B” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The products were sold under brand names Wolverine Packing Co., 1855 Beef, Davis Creek Meals, Farmer’s Choice, Heritage Restaurant Brands and Cheney Brothers, Inc.

You can see a full product list here. You can see product labels here.

READ MORE HERE: Ground beef recall warning: 165,000 of ground beef possibly contaminated with E.coli

BUTTER:

Almost 80,000 pounds of butter sold at Costco has been recalled due to an undeclared allergen.

In October, the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall on 79,200 Kirkland Signature butter from Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC due to an undeclared allergen. The recall was reclassified as a Class II on Nov. 7 to indicate the product could cause “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.”

The recall covers:

  • Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter, 16 oz. four 4 oz. sticks, UPC 96619-38496
  • Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter, 16 oz. Four 4 oz. sticks, UPC 96619-38488

READ MORE HERE: Costco butter recalled: 80,000 pounds recalled due to unusual mislabeling

BRIE CHEESE:

Earlier this month Pennsylvania-based Savencia Cheese USA is voluntarily recalling six kinds of soft-ripened cheeses. The products were sold at Aldi, as well as at Market Basket, a supermarket chain in the northeast.

The following cheeses are affected by the recall:

  • Emporium Selection Brie, 12/8oz Brie
  • Supreme Oval 7oz, 6/7oz
  • La Bonne Vie Brie, 6/8oz
  • La Bonne Vie Camembert, 6/8oz
  • 12/8oz Industrial Brie
  • Market Basket Brie 6/8oz

READ MORE HERE: Check your fridge: Cheese sold at Aldi, other retailers is being recalled

READY TO EAT MEAT:

Yu Shang Foods of Spartanburg, S.C. has recalled 4,589 pounds of meat and poultry products out of what it describes as “an abundance of caution” over concerns they could be contaminated with Listeria. The items were shipped to retail locations nationwide and were available for purchase online.

The products include:

  • Japanese Chasu Pork Belly – 16 oz. vacuum pack
  • Braised Pork Belly in Brown Sauce – 16 oz.
  • Yushang Brand Cooked Pork Hock – 1.4 lbs.
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Chicken Feet – 8 oz.
  • Bazhen Seasoned Whole Chicken – 20 oz.
  • Braised Beef Shank – 16 oz.
  • Season Pork Tongues – 12 oz
Read More
General

Kate Spade Outlet has massive Black Friday Sale: Get Kenzie Large Tote for less than $75

There are Black Friday sales and then there are blowout Black Friday sales.

Kate Spade Outlet has one of the biggest sales of the season with prices slashes up to 75% off with an additional 25% off on all items. The sale includes jewelry, bags and accessories with prices as low as $12.

One of the best deals we’ve found on the perfect bag is the Kenzie Large Tote. It’s normally $359 with the price cut to $99 but now, if you use code BLACKFRIDAY the price will be cut an additional 25% making it a remarkable $74.25.

It comes in three colors – Black, Lunar Light and Candied Flower.

There’s also limited edition versions in bright red Perfect Cherry and cool cream Meringue.

The bag is almost 15 inches wide and 10 inches high, the perfect not-too-big, not-too-small size, with interior back slip pocket and zip closure. It’s great for everyday but nice enough for a fancy event.

Get deals in your inbox: Enter your email to get a weekly newsletter with select online shopping deals delivered every Thursday:

The Kenzie Large Tote isn’t the only great find. Here are some more:

Kenzie Limited Edition Small Tote – $56.25 (Regularly $329)

Lucy Medium L Zip Wristlet – $35 (Regularly $139)

Chelsea Medium Backpack – $74.25 (Regularly $299)

Kenzie Boxed Medium Compact Wallet – $51.75 (Regularly $229)

Phoebe Medium Top Handle Satchel – $111.75 (Regularly $429)

Perry Medium Satchel – $89.25 (regularly $399)

Monica Small Crossbody – $59.25 (regularly $279)

Staci Dual Zip Around Mini Crossbody – $59.25 (Regularly $259)

Rosie North South Medium Swingpack Crossbody – $81.75 (Regularly $329)

Read More
General

44-year-old motorcyclist killed in Jefferson County crash

A motorcyclist was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday night in Jefferson County.

The crash happened at 8:47 p.m. in the 7600 block of Highway 78 in Dora.

Details surrounding the deadly crash have not been released.

Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the motorcyclist, 44-year-old Michael Lee Able, of Dora was taken to Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper.

Able was pronounced dead at the hospital 9:40 p.m.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office worked the wreck.

Read More
General

Teen identified as victim of double homicide in Birmingham’s Inglenook community

A 19-year-old has been identified as the second victim of a double homicide in Birmingham’s Inglenook community last week.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday issued a plea for help finding out the victim’s identity and released photos of his pendant and a logo on his sweatpants.

They were then able to identify the teen as Camry Enrieque Lee. He lived in Pinson.

Authorities previously identified the other victim as 20-year-old Michael Allen Carroll.

East Precinct officers responded to a shots fired call around 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the 4400 block of 41st Place North, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

Officers went to the back area of an abandoned house where they found Lee lying unresponsive in the driveway. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police then found Carroll inside the house following a search of the area. He, too, was dead on the scene.

A stolen vehicle was recovered at the scene.

Two men were detained and booked into the Birmingham City Jail on a 48-hour investigative hold. Both were released without being charged.

Tips on the deadly shooting can be submitted to Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Read More
General

South Alabama happy to be going bowling, but still has bigger goals

South Alabama has secured a postseason future in 2024, but the Jaguars aren’t satisfied with merely going bowling this year.

South Alabama (6-5, 5-2 Sun Belt Conference) hosts Texas State (6-5, 4-3) for its regular-season finale on Friday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, which may or may not be its last game in Mobile in 2024. The Jaguars remain alive for the Sun Belt West Division championship, needing a win over the Bobcats and a loss Saturday by Louisiana against Louisiana-Monroe to earn a spot in the Dec. 7 conference title game.

“We’ve been going on the right track these last couple of games, so I feel good going into (Friday) and I’m just ready to go out there and have fun and just give it my all,” South Alabama wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett said. “We know we’ve got to handle our business and just let everything else take care of itself. So we’re just going to focus on Texas State and whatever happens, happens.”

RELATED: South Alabama starting offensive lineman lost for season

South Alabama’s postseason destination remains extremely fluid, with projections ranging from the Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery on Dec. 14 to the Frisco Bowl in the Dallas area on Dec. 17. There could also be a return engagement with Mobile’s own 68 Ventures Bowl, which the Jaguars won 59-10 over Eastern Michigan last December to secure the first postseason victory in program history.

But most of those bowl projections are assuming South Alabama is not the Sun Belt champion. Playing in or winning the conference title game could open up several other postseason possibilities for the Jaguars.

Head coach Major Applewhite said Monday he’s not even worrying about that yet, though he acknowledged the volatile reality of the situation. He said his mind went to his playing days at Texas, when the Longhorns found themselves in the Big 12 championship game after Oklahoma lost to Oklahoma State on the final Saturday of the regular season.

“I started having flashbacks when I started seeing the schedule and the way it all laid out, because I remember being at my apartment in 2001 and people calling on their little Nokia cell phones and saying, ‘hey, tune in, tune in, tune in. Oklahoma State’s got Oklahoma on the ropes,’” Applewhite said. “You see (Oklahoma State’s) Rashaun Woods catch a pass in the end zone, and then your whole next month just changed in terms of a conference championship game and all that.

“But I still have kind of the same approach that I did then at 23 years of age. I’ve got other things going on. You’re going to have to catch me on my cell phone. I’m focused on South Alabama and my family. I’m not tuned in to other people’s games or point spreads or things like that that’s irrelevant. That doesn’t help me in anything that I’ve got to do today.”

Indeed, South Alabama is likely to have its hands full with Texas State, which was the preseason West favorite but has underachieved somewhat in 2024. The Bobcats lost 52-44 at home to last-place Georgia State last week in one of the more shocking results in the Sun Belt this season.

Nevertheless, Texas State is a dangerous team, leading the Sun Belt in scoring (36.4 points per game) and total offense (469.3 yards per game) and ranking third in all four major defensive categories. Bobcats quarterback Jordan McCloud — who threw for three touchdowns in a 31-23 victory over the Jaguars in 2023 while he was at James Madison — has thrown for 2,672 yards and a a Sun Belt-best 28 touchdowns this season.

“He’s a dynamic player,” defensive coordinator Will Windham said, “a really good quarterback who does a great job, even when things start to break down in the pocket. He does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield and being able to step up and step through and it’s not always a step up and scramble — which he can definitely hurt you with his legs — but a lot of times he’ll step up and still throw the ball.

“And so we’ve got to do a great job of discipline and staying in coverage and understanding what all those things look like, even though he’s stepping forward, it may not necessarily be a scramble situation.”

South Alabama has won four of its last five games following a 2-4 start, including an upset of Louisiana on Nov. 9. The Jaguars secured bowl-eligibility for the third straight year by beating Southern Miss 35-14 in Hattiesburg last weekend.

Though a 34-30 loss to Georgia Southern on Oct. 26 in which it blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead put a dent in South Alabama’s conference title hopes, the Jaguars have been playing at a consistently excellent level since early October. Applewhite said his team has simply gotten incrementally better as the season has gone along.

“I wish I could say there was some magical, silver bullet speech or there was some defining moment, but I think to have marked improvement, everybody has to feel like they have areas to improve … just all taking ownership over where we’re weak and where we need to get stronger and addressing it and not being afraid of it,” Applewhite said. “Then you have to also understand you have to have a little bit of patience.

“… The issues that we had against Georgia Southern are still there, and we’ve got to continue to fix them, regardless of whether we’ve won our last two ball games. It’s just human nature to overlook things when you’re successful, but that’s not what we need to do as a staff. We need to continue to find the things that we need to get better at.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s South Alabama-Texas State game is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will stream live via ESPN+.

Read More
General

‘Voice’ shocker: Alabama contestant sings like a ‘superstar’ in Playoffs, but did she survive?

Shocker on “The Voice”? Absolutely. Viewers who expected Alabama’s Lauren-Michael Sellers to sail into the live shows on the NBC reality series — and possibly make it into the finals of Season 26 — were sadly disappointed.

Sellers, a former Birmingham resident, performed with grace and power on Monday’s episode, covering Jelly Roll’s “I Am Not Okay.” She received lavish praise from the celebrity coaches on the show, including Reba McEntire.

“You’re the voice of ‘The Voice,’” McEntire told Sellers during rehearsals. “You get out there and you sing your butt off. That’s what you can do. You’re so good at it.”

Guest mentor Lainey Wilson seemed impressed as well.

“Oh, my gosh, girl,” Wilson exclaimed at rehearsals. “She can soften up when she needs to, and she can get big when she needs to. She’s very dynamic. Her story, you can feel it. It’s like, oozing out of her body.”

When it came time to perform before a studio audience, Sellers did exactly what McEntire said. She sang her butt off — or seemed to, anyway — offering an skillful rendition of “I Am Not Okay.” She hit the notes. She evoked emotion. She earned applause and compliments.

“Lauren-Michael, you sound amazing,” Snoop Dogg said. “You just keep growing … You’ve become a real superstar.”

“Your nuances in your voice, I feel like you wrote this song and you’re telling your story,” Gwen Stefani said. “Incredible job.”

“You did so, so good,” McEntire said. “I’m proud of you. You have chosen songs that touch my heart, because you can deliver a message so well — not only with your beautiful voice, but with your eyes, your expressions. And these songs help you tell the story that I think God put you on this earth to tell.”

But Sellers was facing a deep cut among the contestants during the Playoffs round, where the list of singers is trimmed from 20 to eight. McEntire, as her coach, would decide Sellers’ fate on the show.

Despite the glowing kudos she received, Sellers was eliminated. That meant she wouldn’t advance to the “Voice” semi-finals, and wouldn’t have a chance to sing for viewer votes. (Early episodes of the series are filmed in advance, and the celebrity coaches decides who stays and who goes.)

Birmingham’s Lauren-Michael Sellers rehearsed for Lainey Wilson and Reba McEntire on Season 26 of “The Voice.” Sellers sang “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll during the Playoffs.(Casey Durkin/NBC)

Sellers’ ouster was all the more surprising because she had earned mega-positive feedback from the coaches throughout the season. Sellers inspired a four-chair turn during her Blind Audition — indicated that all four celebs wanted her on their teams — won her Battle round against Creigh Riepe, and aced her three-way Knockout against Danny Joseph and Tate Renner.

The coaches used admiring adjectives to describe Sellers’ performances, such as “perfect,” “magical,” “beautiful,” “crazy,” and more. As a result, many viewers pegged her as a front-runner.

READ: Alabama singer’s ‘perfect’ performance thrills Reba in ‘Voice’ knockouts: ‘You touched my heart’

“Sometimes the dream takes a different path than you imagined, but it can still lead to something beautiful,” Sellers said Monday night on Instagram. “Tonight, my journey on The Voice came to an end, and singing @jellyroll615 ‘I Am Not Okay’ felt like sharing a piece of my heart. I’m so glad I got to share it with @laineywilson too. It’s okay not to be okay, and this moment, while bittersweet, is just a step in the story I’m still writing.

“To everyone who has supported me, cheered for me, and believed in me through this journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Sellers said. “Your love and encouragement mean everything, and I hope you’ll stick around for what’s next because this is just the beginning. My voice, my songs, and my story aren’t finished yet.”

Sellers was the only contestant from Alabama on “The Voice” this season. She was following in the footsteps of Asher HaVon, the Selma native who won Season 25 as a member of McEntire’s team.

On her Instagram page, Sellers describes herself as “Georgia Grown” and “Birmingham Forged,” with a pin emoji to indicate her current home in Nashville. She’s released singles as a solo artist, including “Fallin’ All In,” “Take Me Back,” “Holding Out Hope,” “The Shelf” and more. Sellers describes her music on Instagram as the “Powerhouse Sound of Heartbreak.”

She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of The Heavy Hearts, a folk-rock trio formed in Birmingham in 2013. The band’s debut album, “Keep Your Light On,” was released in May 2014. Songs on the album included “The Boy From Iris Glenn,” “Georgia Grown,” “Hearts to Bend” and the title track.

A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Sellers earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Montevallo. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as a behavior specialist and collaborative educator for Birmingham City Schools for several years.

Her official bio for “The Voice” says:

“Lauren-Michael is a special education teacher and worship director. She believes her students have exceptionalities, not disabilities, and leading worship has gifted her with both a church family and renewed faith. With both master’s and educational specialist degrees, she uses her education to give her students a voice. As the oldest of five, she grew up quickly to fill the mom role to her siblings. In ninth grade, her mother lost custody of her and her siblings, leading them all to be separated. She then started writing as an outlet for her traumatic upbringing. One day, a teacher saw her journaling and pointed out that it looked like songs. Music became her total focus, ultimately leading her to receive a full scholarship to study voice and music composition. Now living and teaching in Nashville, she performs locally and participates in songwriting collaborations every chance she gets.”

If you watch: “The Voice” airs at 7 p.m. CT on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. The series also streams on Peacock.

Read More
General

Man killed when car ran off Birmingham road identified

A driver killed when his car left Wenonah-Oxmoor Road and careened down an embankment was a 47-year-old Birmingham man.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Suni Khan.

The single-vehicle wreck happened at 6:25 a.m. Monday near West Oxmoor Road.

Khan’s sedan was traveling eastbound when the car left the road, went down an embankment and came to a stop adjacent to the railroad tracks below.

A single-vehicle crash on Wenonah-Oxmoor Road on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, left one person dead.(Carol Robinson)

Khan was ejected and pronounced dead on the scene at 7:16 a.m.

Authorities were able to notify CSX, and a train was stopped just yards from the crashed car.

Birmingham police, Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service and CSX officials responded.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read More
General

Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year: Can you guess which TikTok trend won?

Dictionary.com was very mindful about this year’s word of the year.

Each year the online dictionary picks a word that ‘captures pivotal moments in language and culture.’

The 2024 honor went to ‘demure’ after a viral TikTok by user Jools Lebron describing how she does her makeup for work so it’s “very demure, very mindful.”

“The word demure experienced a meteoric rise in usage in 2024. Between January and the end of August, this term saw a nearly 1200% increase in usage in digital web media alone. This sharp rise is mainly attributed to TikToker Jools Lebron’s popularization of the phrase “very demure, very mindful” in a series of videos posted to the platform in early August,” Dictionary.com said in its announcement.

The TikTok originally posted on Aug. 5, creating a new social media trend popularizing the word.

According to Dictionary.com, there was no significant trend in the usage of the word demure before the TikTok was posted. But by the week of Aug.18, there was almost 14 times more interest in the term.

At its peak, ‘demure’ had 200 times more searches on Dictionary.com after the TikTok posted than it did before.

“Though the term demure has traditionally been used to describe those who are reserved, quiet, or modest, a new usage has spread through social media — one used to describe refined and sophisticated appearance or behavior in various contexts, such as at work or on a plane,” Dictionary.com explained.

Read More
General

2 men found slain in burning vehicle in Birmingham 1 month ago now identified

Two men found slain in a burning car in northeast Birmingham have now been officially identified, nearly a month after the horrific discovery.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday identified the victims as Antonio Kasey James, 20, of Pinson, and Ja’Calvin Demond Ball, 20, of Bessemer.

The discovery was made shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the 1600 block of 90th Place North. That is in the Airport Highlands neighborhood of the Airport Hills community.

Birmingham firefighters were called to the wooded area on a report of smoke. They arrived to find the sedan engulfed.

Once they extinguished the blaze, they found two bodies inside. Both were burned beyond recognition.

James was identified through DNA and dental record comparisons.

Ball was identified through DNA.

Authorities have not yet said how they were killed, but said they are victims of homicides.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Read More
General

Trump won and arts organizations in conservative America are watching their funding vanish overnight

The Friday after the 2024 presidential election, I met a friend for coffee and commiserating at a local bakery in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky is a reliably red state, being within the first few – or even the first – states to be called for Trump in the last three elections. But Kentucky, like the rest of the South, is varied, complex, and misunderstood. Louisville, in particular, is an outlier. Louisville is the most diverse city in a state severely lacking diversity and ranks high on lists of LGBTQ-friendly cities. 57.4% of Louisvillians voted for Kamala Harris. People all around us were as quiet and gray as the city had been since Wednesday morning.

My friend and I sipped our lattes and talked about how we got here and what comes next. As the Director of a local literary nonprofit, she was already worried about the writers she supports, not to mention her staff. She explained how donations started to dry up overnight after Trump was elected in 2016. Before they could fully recover, the pandemic took its toll. Eight years later, he’s back in office, and yet again, there are signs that donors will divert their funds elsewhere.

The next week, over dinner, another nonprofit Director, this one in the visual arts. She told me the exact same story. When people who support progressive causes get scared, they pull their support of the arts to focus on supporting places like the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and social justice-oriented organizations.

The more I turned those conversations over in my head, the more troubled I became. Those donors are making a well-intentioned mistake. This is when those with the means should lean into supporting the arts, not pull away. It’s a potentially disastrous combination if individuals let their support dwindle precisely when government funding of the arts is at serious risk. During his first term, Trump tried to end funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). According to their website, the NEAs, an independent federal agency, is the country’s largest funder of arts and arts education. It remains to be seen what his budget will look like this time, along with the impact of having a Republican-controlled House and Senate that will likely support his agenda. The threat goes beyond money. Attempted book bans, for example, increased 65% between 2022 and 2023.

Let me share some data to support the argument that the arts are anything but frivolous. According to Forbes, in 2022, “the nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $151.7 billion of economic activity … [and] supported over 2.6 million jobs, provided $101 billion in personal income to residents, and generated $29.1 billion in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.” Access to the arts has been linked to improved academic performance in children and improved mental health in adults. And when adults actually participate in the arts, studies suggest there’s an increase in behaviors that contribute to societal well-being—things like increased civic engagement and greater social tolerance. There are even some reports out there that indicate the arts can help combat addiction and the opioid crisis, which has devastated Kentucky.

These studies highlight what I know to be true in my bones – the arts benefit both the people who create and the people who experience those creations. The benefit to artists was expressed succinctly in an Instagram post by the writer Sarah Lemon following the election: “It feels so dumb to be an artist when the world needs real help, but art saved me more than once, like a lamp handed to me in the dark, so I aim to pass along that light.”

Everyone deserves the chance to find that light. And who does or does not get to make art is deeply impacted by resources and money. Children born into families with financial resources are more than twice as likely to become artists, actors, or musicians, according to a study by Harvard. And the disparities when you factor in race are even more pronounced.

According to 2019 Federal Reserve data, the typical white family owns about $184,000 in wealth compared to just $23,000 for Black families and $38,000 for Hispanic families. This wealth gap directly affects who can afford arts education, who can take the financial risk of pursuing creative careers, and ultimately, whose voices get heard in our cultural spaces. When you consider that white families are also five to seven times more likely to be millionaires than Black or Hispanic families, it’s clear why we see such profound racial disparities in who gets to make art professionally.

Studies and data consistently show that supporting the arts has a positive impact on individuals and communities, including benefits like improved academic performance, enhanced critical thinking skills, increased social cohesion, and economic development, with research highlighting the positive effects of arts education on students’ academic achievements, creativity, and emotional well-being across various socioeconomic backgrounds; additionally, research indicates that communities with a vibrant arts scene tend to have higher levels of civic engagement and improved quality of life.

But that’s not why I found myself worrying over my friends’ words days later, even after I donated to both of their organizations. Sitting under a print by a local artist, sipping coffee from a handmade mug, with poetry collections from Kentucky natives stacked beside me, I was reminded of the many ways the arts make us human. They connect us: to each other, to our homes, to secret selves we might have never known otherwise. And, perhaps most importantly, they encourage us to think. To dream. How do we make it to something new if we give up the things that make us imagine?

Lucie Brooks is a poet, a professor, and a lifelong Kentuckian. She is the 2022 Kentucky State Poetry Society Chaffin/Kash poetry prize winner and a 2024 Grand Prix poetry prize finalist. You can read her in TauntSwingPegasus, and more.

Read More