Stories by Sean Clancy

Christian Cooper, Maureen Corrigan, Monica Potts among Six Bridges Book Festival presenters This week is all about books, writers and readers as 50 authors take part in the 20th edition of Central Arkansas Library System's Six Bridges Book Festival, which begins Monday and ends Oct. 1.Fo... September 24, 2023

Little Rock’s Jennifer Maune one of three finalists on Fox's “MasterChef” Jennifer Maune of Little Rock has made it to the final three on the Fox cooking competition MasterChef. The lifestyle blogger and mom of six faces off against Grant Gillon of Altoona, Iowa, and Kenned... September 20, 2023

Racing heart meets reality on the curves at Central Arkansas Karting Complex I'm just a little nervous as I pull onto the track at Central Arkansas Karting Complex near Vilonia on a recent Friday afternoon. I'm strapped into a Sodi RT10 rental kart, and as I accelerate... September 17, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: New York’s new poet laureate is a native Arkansan NEW YORK'S POET Arkansas native Patricia Spears Jones has been named the new State Poet of New York by the New York State Writers Institute.Jones, who has lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., since the early ... September 17, 2023

Southwest painter Effie Anderson Smith’s impressionistic landscapes finally tour her native Arkansas During her lifetime, the impressionistic Western landscape paintings of Arkansas native Effie Anderson Smith were exhibited across the Southwest and in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City... September 10, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Arkansas author releases book of short stories about life on the Delta The new book by Arkansas author Denise White Parkinson continues her mission of telling the stories of the people who lived on the lower White River in the early part of the 20th century."The Riv... September 10, 2023

REVIEW: Ashley McBryde releases new album today It's not easy to make a living in the music business, and Mammoth Spring native Ashley McBryde knows this all too well. Long before she became a Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry with ... September 8, 2023

Emo group Everyone Asked About You lives on in newly released 2 LP set A few years ago John Beachboard decided to sell one of his copies of the self-titled EP by Little Rock emo band Everyone Asked About You. The group, founded in 1996 by teenagers Lee Buford, Chris Shep... September 8, 2023

Arkansas Comic Con brings three days of celebrities, costumes, games The Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock becomes the epicenter for three days of glorious pop-culture geekdom this coming weekend during the Arkansas Comic Con.Actors William Shatner, ... September 3, 2023

HIGH PROFILE: Luenell, born in Howard County, is billed as the ‘Original Bad Girl of Comedy’ It's a Monday morning in early June and comedian-actor Luenell is having breakfast at her Las Vegas home. It's a big, country repast -- scrambled eggs with cheese, avocado, sausage and bacon, ... September 3, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Little Rock fashion designer to honor late father with New York runway show FASHION WEEK RETURN The work of Little Rock designer Korto Momolu will be on the runway Saturday as part of the EPN Fashion Week show at New York City's Leman Ballroom.The new show, entitled &quot... September 3, 2023

REVIEW: Queen Anne’s Revenge takes a stab at it "So many songs on this album are about stabbing; I was like, what should I call it?"That's Little Rock musician Justin Wayne Elkins on how he came up with "Knife Play," the tit... September 1, 2023

Little Rock chef Jennifer Maune advances to next round on Fox's 'MasterChef' Little Rock’s Jennifer Maune is one step closer to the $250,000 grand prize on the Fox cooking competition “MasterChef.” Maune was among the nine home chefs who advanced after Wednes... August 31, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Arkansans participate in cultural camp at native village in Alaska Last month a trio from Arkansas traveled to Alaska to spend time in the Native Village of Dot Lake, a federally recognized tribe, to help put on a Culture Camp for young people.Alan Faulkner, who was ... August 27, 2023

Little Rock alt-rock trio Sleeping in Circles to release debut single September 15 Things are gearing up for Little Rock trio Sleeping in Circles. The group's debut EP, "Grey," drops Sept. 15 and the first single, which happens to be the title cut, comes out Friday.The... August 24, 2023

Pallbearer headlines Rev Room 3-band concert Little Rock doom metal heroes Pallbearer headlines an evening of Arkansas-centric heavy music Sunday at the Rev Room. Joining them will be their pals Rwake of Little Rock and Austin, Texas-based Spiri... August 24, 2023

Lake Village Famous Hot Tamales, Pies owner dies at 85 Rhoda Adams, owner of Rhoda's Famous Hot Tamales and Pies in Lake Village, a destination for foodies from across Arkansas, the U.S. and the world, passed away at her home on Wednesday. She was 85.... August 22, 2023

Amplify festival spotlights Christian music Chris Tomlin, Lecrae and Casting Crowns are among the Christian acts set to perform during the 11th annual Amplify Music Festival on Friday and Saturday in Benton. The free festival, one of the larges... August 17, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS Project exploring grandmother’s diaries has become a social media sensation Mark McKinney never knew his maternal grandmother, Elisabeth Hartsell, but he's using her diaries to make her a social media star.McKinney and his friend Liz Duren, both of Charleston, S.C., are t... August 13, 2023

Worth the wait: Musician Joshua Asante calls ‘All the Names of God at Once’ We last spoke with Little Rock singer-songwriter Joshua Asante early this year for a preview of "All the Names of God at Once," his excellent debut solo album that was supposed to come out i... August 11, 2023

HIGH PROFILE: Cindy Scott-Huisman, owner of Cantrell Gallery and Custom Framing in Little Rock, learned to adapt to her vision loss What happens when the owner of a successful art gallery, someone who has built a career trusting her vision while scrutinizing potential artworks for her business, goes blind?Let's find out.In 201... August 6, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Arkansan testing her dubious culinary skills on national ‘Worst Cooks’ competition There are things that Allegra Melton does very well. She's an accomplished barrel racer and played on state high school championship volleyball and soccer teams. She played basketball in college a... August 6, 2023

Historic Arkansas Museum’s Trinity Gallery celebrates its half-century mark Historic Arkansas Museum's Trinity Gallery can trace its origins to the time when Dale Bumpers was governor. And now, the venerable arts space is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an intimate ... July 30, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Iconic Helena music shop looking to get a second lease on life For generations of Phillips County musicians and music lovers Gist Music Store at 307 Cherry St., in downtown Helena was the place to go for a new instrument, the latest albums and singles, sheet musi... July 30, 2023

Barbershop plan mentors Arkansas at-risk youth In 2016, Lorenzo Lewis of Little Rock started The Confess Project, a nonprofit that uses barbers and barbershops to help young Black men open up about mental health concerns.Now Lewis, the 35-year-old... July 30, 2023

Artist’s move to Arkansas spurs ‘100 Faces of Conway Project’ Artist Faye Hedera moved to Conway from south Florida a little more than a year ago with husband Michael and her three children. The move was inspired by a desire to be closer to family in Oklahoma, a... July 27, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Filmmaker interviews Little Rock author A BOOKISH DOCUMENTARY Earlier this year, filmmaker and writer Mason Engel set out on a quest to visit a bookstore in each of the 50 states and interview a local author in an effort to learn more about... July 23, 2023

White Water hosts second annual Shine-Ola Christmas comes a little early this year as a passel of Central Arkansas musicians hit the stage Saturday at Little Rock's White Water Tavern for the second annual Shine-Ola, a benefit concert for... July 20, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Arkansas native to receive NEA’s Jazz Masters Fellowship at Washington D.C. event A JAZZ LEGEND Arkansas native Amina Claudine Myers is among those receiving the National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship, the nation's highest jazz honor.The multi-hyphenate Myers --... July 16, 2023

Novel by native Arkansan is fantasy in a real-life setting It's 1999 and a group of high school seniors in the small Arkansas Ozarks town of Eternal Springs has discovered a series of houses built by a mysterious architect named Theodora Trader. Each hous... July 16, 2023

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts announces first Delta Triennial Exhibition dates The first Delta Triennial Exhibition will go on display from June 14-Aug. 25 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock, the museum announced Tuesday.Online submissions will start being accept... July 11, 2023

MasterChef: Little Rock mom of 6 faces off in 13th season A Little Rock mother of six is among the contestants trying to cook their way to $250,000 on Fox's "MasterChef."Jennifer Maune and 18 other home chefs have advanced to the sixth episode,... July 11, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Nashville woman publishes book about her struggles, successes with childhood cancer Kaden Peebles was a 17-year-old junior and Nashville High School Scrapper cheerleader when she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a form of cancer that occurs in the bones or soft tissue around the bon... July 9, 2023

Passions for water, performance turn Sherwood girl into Netflix ‘mermaid’ Brittany Sparkles of Sherwood makes performing as a mermaid look like an elegant, colorful underwater dance. But there is nothing at all easy about swimming this way -- or being a mermaid in the landl... July 9, 2023

Little Rock designer Korto Momolu returns to ‘Project Runway’ Little Rock fashion designer Korto Momolu is back on Bravo's "Project Runway."The fan favorite and Season 5 runner up has returned with 19 other "Runway" all-stars for Season 2... July 6, 2023

Arkansas’ Brittany Sparkles featured in ‘MerPeople’ series Brittany Sparkles of Sherwood makes performing as a mermaid look like an elegant, colorful underwater dance. But there is nothing at all easy about swimming this way, or being a mermaid in the landloc... July 4, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Arkansas well represented in Smithsonian’s Ozark Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. THE OZARKS DELEGATION Arkansas is being well-represented in Washington, D.C., during the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival.The event, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural He... July 2, 2023

Louis Michot: Solo tour to begin at tavern for Louisiana musician Louisiana musician Louis Michot has performed in these latitudes plenty of times, but on Wednesday the Lost Bayou Ramblers frontman kicks off a solo tour in Little Rock.Michot is on the road in advanc... June 27, 2023

John McAteer releases full-on power-pop album "Mid-Century Mod," the debut album by Little Rock trio John McAteer and His Demands, is a power-pop gem that goes hard.Kicking off with "When You Say Love" and finishing more than ... June 27, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: March tornado unveils vaulted ceiling over west Little Rock rug gallery David Hadidi has owned Hadidi Rug Gallery at 8116 Cantrell Road in Little Rock for about 40 years, but it wasn't until the March 31 tornado that he discovered what had been above his head all that... June 25, 2023

Conway teen makes her film debut on Disney+ Conway actress Piper Wallace makes her big screen debut in "World's Best," the hip-hop musical comedy from Disney that opens today.The film tells the story of Prem Patel (Manny Magnus), ... June 23, 2023

Monsterboy Lives lets off steam with new EP ‘Heavy’ Singer-songwriter Chris Long finally found the sound he'd been looking for, and it just happened to be coming from the baritone saxophone played by his wife, Veronica Wirges.For the past several y... June 20, 2023

AMFA exhibit about family and place; love and belonging Now that the dust has settled after the April reopening of the grandly redesigned Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, it's time to talk about what's inside.There are several exhibits up now in vario... June 18, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Tears Trail cyclists on road again A group of cyclists will be following the path of their ancestors as they pedal through Arkansas later this week.The annual Remember the Removal Ride enters Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday as riders r... June 18, 2023

Time for repairs and upgrades at North Little Rock Boys & Girls Clubs unit Things are pretty busy on this Wednesday morning at the Jim Wetherington Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas in North Little Rock.Less than a month earlier, on May 11, the unit cele... June 18, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Little Rock freelance reporter wins national award for Tyson reporting Civil Eats, the California-based outlet that reports on the American food system, won a James Beard Foundation Media Award for excellence in investigative reporting last week for "Injured and Inv... June 11, 2023

Knifesmith Lin Rhea, 2023 Arkansas Living Treasure, enjoys sharing his craft It's a sunny Thursday morning in May and about 10 knife-wielding men have gathered in downtown Little Rock.No need for alarm, however. These knife lovers are regulars at the Historic Arkansas Muse... June 11, 2023

Tyler Kinch wins Entertainer of the Year at Arkansas Country Music Awards Tyler Kinch of Cabot took home Entertainer of the Year honors during Monday night’s Arkansas Country Music Awards ceremony at Reynolds Performance Hall in Conway.David Adam Byrnes was named Coun... June 6, 2023

OPINION | PAPER TRAILS: Group hits it big with new series AVALON ON TV Conway native and "RuPaul's Drag Race" season 13 winner Symone, along with her House of Avalon friends, will star in a new TV series."Avalon TV," billed as a &quot... June 4, 2023

Over 60 first-timers up for state’s Country Music Awards David Adam Byrnes leads the nominees for the Sixth Annual Arkansas Country Music Awards -- slated for Monday at UCA's Reynolds Performance Hall -- with five nominations.Byrnes, who grew up in Sher... June 4, 2023