Charleston Currents – 2017

Archive for September, 2017

CALENDAR, Sept. 25+: MOJA Arts Festival kicks off Sept. 28

There are dozens of events for the 2017 MOJA Arts Festival, which runs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8 throughout the City of Charleston as a community celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts. To find what’s right for you, visit this website to see the dynamic offerings, some of which include:

Opening Day Parade, 6 p.m., Sept. 28, Marion Square to U.S. Custom House.
Higher Ground: The Music of Stevie Wonder, 8 p.m., Sept. 28, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John Street. Tribute concert by Charlton Singleton, Quiana Parler and more.
College of Charleston Gospel Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 2, Mount Zion AME Church, 5 Glebe St., Charleston.
Literary Corner with Kwame Alexander, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 3, City Gallery, 34 Prioleau St., Charleston. Free.
Free Verse Poet’s Laureate Show, 6 p.m., Oct. 6, City Gallery, 34 Prioleau St., Charleston. Free.
MOJA Finale, 4 p.m., Oct. 8, Hampton Park, Charleston. Free.

by Andy Brack · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · calendar

REVIEW: A Really Good Day, by Ayelet Waldman

Jen McQueen: “Writer Ayelet Waldman (Bad Mother) tried everything – meditation, psychotherapy, therapy, and prescription drugs – to treat her depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and mood swings. Yet despite years of effort, this talented and successful woman continued to drive herself, her friends, and her family – including a saintly husband, the writer Michael Chabon – bonkers.”

by Charleston Currents · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Reviews

TODAY’S FOCUS: 11th annual Defense Summit set for Dec. 5-8 in North Charleston

By Heather Walker, special to Charleston Currents | Cyber-attacks are on the rise. The most recent cyber-attack impacted 143 million American’s personal information. There is no better time for industry leaders to convene to discuss hot topics involving cyber security, cyber intelligence, and cyber warfare at the CDCA Defense Summit one of the largest in the Southeast.

Walker
Most people don’t know that aside from Charleston’s idyllic beaches and laid back lifestyle, there is a burgeoning, defense tech community. The 2017 economic report for South Carolina states that defense contributes more than $24.1 billion to the annual budget. The dramatic growth of this community involves some of the most innovative offerings surrounding the defense industry.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

COMMENTARY, Brack: Alexander offers a lesson of poetry’s power

Kwame Alexander was the keynote speaker of Saturday’s Black Ink, a gathering of four dozen writers celebrating African American writing in a six-hour book festival that filled the main library. The festival, now in its second year, reportedly did very well, with writers selling two or three times as many books to hundreds of attendees.

In a poignant talk about memories ranging from a boyhood spent selling books for his father to his mother’s recent death, Alexander kept his audience spellbound with his passionate, strong voice.

But an extended version of a relatively new poem, “Take a Knee,” cut to the core. It showed how a rat-a-tat-tat of common-day phrases starting with the word “take” can generate real emotion and lead, perhaps, to new ways of considering issues.

by Andy Brack · 09/25/2017 · 2 comments · Andy Brack, Views

GOOD NEWS: Star Wars Reads Day to launch Oct. 7

Staff reports | One of the most fun-filled days at Charleston County Public Library’s main library is just a few days away – Star Wars Reads Day is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 7. Also, you can see one of two Star Wars movies starting at 2 p.m.

Dress up your kids (or yourself) in your favorite Star Wars costume and join more than 1,500 people in an event that continues to grow in size and entertainment value. You might not think about your library doing this kind of thing, but if you visit, you’ll see lots of happy people (and some Stormtroopers), library officials say.

by Andy Brack · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

MYSTERY PHOTO: Something you may see if you look up

Too many times, we don’t look up and see amazing things like this skylight. But where is it? Send your best guess to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com — and make sure to include the name of the town in which you live. Please also write “Mystery Photo” in the subject line.

by Charleston Currents · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Mystery Photo, Photos

FEEDBACK: Memories from 100 years ago and more on evacuation readiness

P.C. Coker, Charleston: “As Theodore White said in the Making of the President 1960, three things were the center of American discourse after World War II, civil rights, television, and the bomb. To that I would add for the South, air conditioning. ” Click to read more thoughts, including a letter from George Graf.

by Andy Brack · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Feedback

S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Archibald Rutledge, poet

S.C. Encyclopedia | Archibald Rutledge was born in McClellanville, South Carolina, on October 23, 1883, the son of Henry Middleton Rutledge III, an army officer, and Margaret Hamilton. Descended from a lineage of notable South Carolinians, Rutledge included among his ancestors John Rutledge, Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Thomas Pinckney.

by Charleston Currents · 09/25/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Features, S.C. Encyclopedia

CALENDAR, Sept. 18+: Lowcountry Giving Day, Black Ink, more

Lowcountry Giving Day is Tuesday, Sept. 19. It’s a community-wide event to allow people to support local nonprofits on a day of giving.

It’s also an event at RiverDogs Stadium from 3 p.m. to 9 pm. The event is expected to be the largest local gathering of nonprofits in the history of Charleston, according to this website. Learn more on how you can make a difference locally.

by Andy Brack · 09/18/2017 · Comments are Disabled · calendar

REVIEW: Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline

Review by Michel Hammes | From the author of Orphan Train, comes another historical fiction piece about the imagined life of the muse in Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World. Kline weaves fact and fiction to tell a compelling story about Christina, living on her family’s rural farm, dealing with illness and coming to terms with the prospect of leading a small life.

by Charleston Currents · 09/18/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Reviews