Inspired Southerner

We tell real stories about the South.

Did Someone Say Let’s Go Get Coffee? Count Me In!

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If you know me, you know that I love coffee.  I do come by it honestly, because my mom’s mom used to drink it all day long. She was an LPN (nurse) at a nursing home and  the hours she worked were so sporadic that she decided that coffee would be her jolt of energy for a day, whatever time her day started. When I was at her house, I would see the instant coffee, yes, I said instant, on her kitchen table, and watch her on a regular basis pour boiling water she heated on her gas stove into the cup and stir.   She drank it black.

At about age seven, I begged her for a cup of coffee.  She tried to convince me that I wouldn’t like it, but she poured the hot water in a cup anyway, gave me some sugar and milk to put in it and that was the beginning of my coffee obsession.   I have been hooked ever since.  I of course, didn’t like it black and in fact at that time the sweeter the better. For better or for worse, cream and sugar have become staples in my coffee. Or I should say half and half and real sugar.

Working in politics and having lived in Washington, DC, my coffee habit increased substantially due to commuting to work by Metro and having to be at work early.   Living there, temptation was on every corner, literally, and it was called Starbucks.  It was very easy for me to pop into one especially right off of the Metro.   I guess I also was enamored with the “coffee shop” setting where I would meet colleagues and friends to talk over a cup of coffee.  The social experience was one I could really get into.  Nowadays, it’s more like chatting over coffee and WiFi, but that’s a whole different story.  I can truly say that coffee is part of my overall daily business routine. It has been for many years. I do meet friends and colleagues over coffee on a regular basis.

It’s been a year since I first wrote this blog post about coffee. I am happy to say I have tried a number of the newer coffee shops in the Birmingham area listed in the article above.  Octane (there’s one in Homewood and Downtown Birmingham) has become a favorite of mine because it’s a great place to meet for business or host a networking session.  Octane’s coffee also has the flavor and intensity I prefer.  Revelator Coffee out of New Orleans has moved into Birmingham.  I also still love O’ Henry’s which was started locally.   I have a few more shops to visit in the Birmingham area in order to reach my goal of trying them all.

 

Southern As….. An Art Exhibit that Inspired Me

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Kennedy Prints Art Exhibit
Amos Paul Kennedy

When I saw the photo of prints in a story about Amos Paul Kennedy’s Southern As exhibit which was being displayed in the art gallery at Samford University, of course, being the Inspired Southern that I am, I instantly had to find out everything I could about Kennedy and this exhibit.  Kennedy was on campus for the closing reception and printmaking demonstration last week.  I was determined to purchase a couple of his prints and to meet him.   Walking into the gallery it was easy to see why he has such a huge following.  His colorful prints lined the wall. Each, as he says, are the same, but a little different, and depicted phrases that related to what most considered southern delicacies like okra, black eyed peas, collards, grits, sweet tea, catfish, and so on and so on.  He said that there were 16 sayings that related to the South and Southern identity were depicted in this exhibit of 3000 prints.   Kennedy is a delightful man and has a wonderful sense of humor.  When I met him, I asked him if I could take photos of him for my day job’s Instagram account. He jokingly replied, “he would have to check with his lawyer to see how much to charge, because I couldn’t do it for free”.  I laughed.  When he asked me if I was going to buy all 3000 of his prints in the show, I, of course, didn’t miss an opportunity for a comeback by saying, “that I would have to check with my lawyer to see if there was enough money in the budget”.  He thought that was clever.

Kennedy lived in Alabama for many years before moving to Detroit, Michigan.  I asked him where he lived in Alabama and he said “in a number of small towns, that you have probably never heard of.” I asked, “such as”?  He replied,” in Gordo and York.” I told him that I actually have heard of those towns because when I campaigned and worked for one of Alabama’s governors, staff members became very familiar with the small towns in the state.

According to the bio provided about Kennedy, he wasn’t always an artist.  He fell in love with printmaking after a trip with his sons to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.  He saw the town’s 18th Century print shop and book- bindery and he became interested in printmaking.  He has been credited with the revival of the letterpress in contemporary and folk art, as more and more artists look for alternatives to computer-generated art.As Southern As Art Exhibit

Kennedy has a special place in his heart for the South as seen in his Southern As series. He plans to do other Southern series for his exhibits around the country.  The southern art of quilting is the next series that he will do for the Southern Tour, which will be making a stop in Dothan, Alabama.  He also has been at the Kentuck Arts Festival in Northport, Alabama in the past.

Kennedy was the subject of the award-winning documentary, Proceed and be Bold and he is the 2015 recipient of the United States Artists Glasgow Fellowship which is given to a select group of artists who demonstrate innovation and continuing potential.   The award makes him one of America’s most accomplished and innovative artists.

If you get the chance, seek him out and go to one of his exhibits, I promise you won’t regret it.

 

 

 

 

We tell real stories about the south. ~Kara Kennedy, Publisher