By Cassandra Castillo
Often sitting in the driver seat of her white step van, Miranda Atkins flips through the pages of her latest novel, waiting for a customer to walk onto her teal steps in search of a new read.
Atkins, the owner of A Little Bookish, thrives on selling books simply out of her love for reading.
Continue reading “Rolling Pages”By Hannah Blair Hurt
Walking through the door of Zarzour’s Cafe on Chattanooga’s Southside feels a bit like walking into a time capsule containing four generations of Zarzour family history, owners of the small brick building for over 100 years. The shelves and walls are adorned with an array of heirlooms and memorabilia, from family photos, celebrity autographs and newspaper clippings to Charles Zarzour’s naturalization papers from 1946, signed in Arabic.
Continue reading “A Family Thing”Written By Hannah Blair Hurt
If you happen to be rolling down Brainerd Road on a Saturday afternoon, you may find multiple generations of the Taylor family packed into their food truck, stirring up some authentic cajun cuisine.
Tacia Taylor, affectionately called ‘Miss Nola’ by some in the community, runs Nola Girls Gumbo while also working a nine-to-five and running a nonprofit organization. Taylor is no stranger to the food industry; her parents opened their restaurant in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans when she was just thirteen years old.
Continue reading “Miss Nola’s Gumbo”Written By Sarah Chesek
“When people tell you to live life to your fullest, you never know what’s going to happen or it can be taken from you in an instant, oh did I really experience that,” Heather Kounthapanya, a senior at UTC said.
Continue reading “Heather’s Story”Written By Niah Davis
Dani Harris, a Colorado native, has been roller skating practically since birth. Nowadays, the 27-year-old loves nothing more than to grab her skates and pull off some of her favorite tricks on her home ramp.
“I grew up skating, not at the park, but just with my parents outside of the house or to the grocery store and at the rink,” she says.
Continue reading “Life on the Ramp”Written By Madison Van Horn
Last December, Elizabeth Watts found out that she was pregnant at the age of 19 and was immediately burdened with a heavy decision; to have her child or to have an abortion.
“I’ve always been pro-choice, but I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I could go through with an abortion,’” Elizabeth said. “I don’t think I could handle that emotionally, but having got pregnant, it made me consider, ‘Does this kid have a future? Will I be able to take care of it? Will I be able to work?’”
This narrative is all too familiar for women across the country, but specifically here in the 45th state for women, Tennessee.
Continue reading “Gender Equality in Tennessee: The Fight Continues”Story By Seth Carpenter
On September 2, Kyle and Joe Carmon finished boxing up their Chattanooga apartment of one year and left for Minnesota. The Carmon’s did all of this in order to protect something many other couples might take for granted: their marriage.
“We were really considering living here for the rest of our lives,” Kyle said. “It’s strange how much can change in such a short amount of time.”
Continue reading “Backslide”Written By Hannah Blair Hurt
If you happen to find yourself deep in the woods of Dunlap, Tennessee, you may come across the smell of burning timber, the peaceful chirping of birds and Steve McBryar wielding his chainsaw, ready to carve his next piece of work.
Continue reading “Legacy in the Cedar”Story By Haley Bayer
Game on Chattanooga has been a staple in the gaming community for 9 years but there’s a catch: there isn’t a computer or digital console in sight.
Owner, Derrick Sheets, a man with a love for board games, opened his own shop in 2013. “I’ve always liked gaming and I didn’t like working for other people and I wanted to do something where people are happy to see me,” Sheets says.
Continue reading “Beyond the Screen: Chattanooga’s Board Game Community”By Madison Van Horn
From gardening in prison with Martha Stewart to inspiring women in recovery, Kelli Webber has lived many lives throughout her battle with addiction and substance abuse. Webber has taken her painful past as a former alcoholic and drug user and channeled it into a powerful tool to help others.
Continue reading “Road to Recovery”
Rising Rock 