Tapestry

Local Music

Cast & Crew

WBHM Interviews

July 2010...

• The 50th anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird
• Combining creative writing, vegetables and kids...
• Who exactly was Noah's wife?
• New meaning in the four gospels...
• Three to See: What's going on around town...
• Vestavia Hills gets a new library...
• Birmingham band VASA
• Civil rights pioneer T.R.M. Howard
• What's on your summer reading list?

It's the 50th Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, and people are celebrating the book in author Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch checked it out for us. She says some places in town are trying to grow a new crop of Alabama writers.

Developing new writers in Monroeville...

If you've ever been there, you know it's the place to be and be seen. You can find everything from fresh flowers to gourmet dog biscuits at Birmingham's Pepper Place Saturday Market. But this summer, there's something new on offer. It combines creative writing, vegetables, and kids. No, it's not a quiche recipe. WBHM's Bradley George introduces us to Desert Island Supply Company...

Vegetable haiku...

So, what do you know about Noah? He built an ark, filled with animals, he had 3 sons and there was this flood. But what about Mrs. Noah? Who was she? Writer T.K. Thorne tries to answer those questions in her novel, Noah's Wife. With the help of a lot of research and considerable imagination, Thorne created a portrait of a determined, self-confident woman. A woman who saw the world in a unique way.

Interview with T.K. Thorne...

Early Christians were probably familiar with the Noah story, but the gospels were the centerpiece of their worship. Psychologist and Birmingham native Alexander Shaia was fascinated by how the early church used the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in worship. Shaia has turned that fascination into a book, The Hidden Power of the Gospels. Shaia tells WBHM's Bradley George that each gospel poses questions that are relevant in the modern world.

Interview with Alaxander Shaia...

Urban gardens, amphibians, and indie rock from Iran-those are just a few of things going on around Central Alabama this month. WBHM intern Collin Kurre has the skinny on three can't miss events in this month's 3 to See

Three events you shouldn't miss...

When Vestavia Hills announced it was building a "green" library, residents cheered. The old library is small and not very inviting. The new one will be big and airy and planted among the trees. A Library in the Forest, as they like to call it. The building's under construction right now and WBHM's Tanya Ott gives us a sneak peak.

Vestavia Hills' Library in the Forest...

The band VASA doesn't quite fit the mold of a typical Southern band. That's probably because its five members are as diverse as the music they make. VASA's influences include jazz, funk, classic rock, and even traditional Indian music. Vocalist and pianist Josh Vasa and percussionist Mac Kramer recently dropped by the WBHM studios to talk music. Here's their track, Ocean. (AUDIO MONTAGE)

A few names dominate civil rights history - Martin Luther King Junior and Rosa Parks, for instance. Doctor Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard generally isn't on that list, although he helped pave the way for other civil rights figures. Howard became one of the wealthiest blacks in Mississippi by not only practicing medicine. He was also a plantation owner, a banker and a developer. Along the way he led a boycott and mentored a young Medgar Evers. David and Linda Royster Beito write about Howard in their book Black Maverick. David teaches history at the University of Alabama. Linda is chair of the Social Sciences department at Stillman College. David Beito tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager that Howard had been known in Mississippi, but the Emmett Till murder case brought him national attention.

The life of T.R.M. Howard...

Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading or try something new. Here's a sample of what folks around Birmingham are reading, courtesy of WBHM intern, Kevin Lehner.

Tapestry is produced by Bradley George and Michael Krall. We had help this month from Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, Sushma Bopanna, Collin Kurre, Kevin Lehner, Tanya Ott, and Andrew Yeager. We always love to hear you feedback and ideas for the show. Our e-mail address is tapestry@wbhm.org . We're also on Facebook and Twitter. I'm Greg Bass, stay cool and well-read in July. We'll see you next month.