The City’s Beach, Run by the People
This piece, about a citizen-led restoration of New Orlean’s Jim Crow-era Black beach, is the second installation of Places Journal’s Writing the City series and was three years in the making. Lincoln Beach was shuttered following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and while it has never been officially reopened, neither has it been abandoned. These advocates, like many before them, made it their own — a sacred place of unfettered recreation. But, beginning in the days of quarantine, they transformed it into a well-tended park with their own sweat equity, taking on a role that should have been the city’s and pushing the city to finally take responsibility for this unique resource. And that’s part of the story. Of course, the full story is more complicated even than that.
Wet and Wild: Splashes, spins and screeches accompany thrills at Magic Springs
Hot Springs’s water-cum-amusement park doesn’t have the best track record. Once a woman fell out of a roller coaster, and another time, coaster riders dangled upside down for half an hour. But we’re risking it to check out the latest attraction.
United We Stand, Divided We Dance: Wilcox County Proms in Black and White
In April 2009, the public high school in Wilcox County, Georgia still held racially-segregated proms.
Building a Solidarity Economy in Jackson, Mississippi
Cooperation Jackson’s ultimate goal is to create a federation of worker-owned cooperatives, in addition to a cooperative incubator, a cooperative financial institution, and an eco-village built on a community land trust.
R.A.O. from Dawn till Dusk
They have the largest porn collection in a tri-state area, but they’re a family place—albeit in ways you might not expect.
Comfort in Clutter
A hoarder knows she needs to clean up.
Wilson: Then and Now
A company town gets a new “boss,” and some locals don’t recognize their own home.
Hope Floats
Teams compete in the 30th World Championship Cardboard Boat Races.
The Arkansas Times Observer Does & Thinks Things
Like ignoring the no-bike rule at the Sherwood Forest holiday lights celebration and witnessing casual racism whilst apartment-hunting.
Takeout Taxi: an evening with a start-up’s delivery driver
Before there was Uber Eats, Little Rock had Takeout Taxi. And frankly, the take-home isn’t great.
Musing Over Miss Arkansas
The pageant world is weird.
Spending Thanksgiving at Every Waffle Houses in the Little Rock Area
Who goes to Waffle House on Thanksgiving? From 8:30am to 8:30 pm, I find out.
In the Blink of an Eye
Allison Shaw, a Little Rock teen, heads out of town feeling fine. A few hours later, she’s nauseated and inexplicably bruised, as her terrified friend carries her into a Louisiana ER, unsure what’s wrong.