WS Arts Magazine, Issue 3

tAbula rasa

current • culture • community

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Publisher & eXecutiVe eDitored hanes

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VP-business DeVeloPMent& aDVertising Director

David a. [email protected]

associate eDitorsherry Johnson

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staFF PhotograPherWendy hanes

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WS Arts Magazine is published monthly by Monitcello Park Publishing. Any reproduction or duplication of any part thereof must be done with the written permission of the Publisher. All information included herein is correct to the best of our knowledge as of the publication date. Corrections should be forwarded to the Publisher at the address above.

Disclaimer: The paid advertisements contained within WS Arts Magazine are not endorsed or recommended by the Publisher. Therefore, neither party may be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

Contributors:Ed Bumgardner,

Chad Nance, Steve Mitchell,

Timothy Matthews

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current • culture • community

WSARTSMAG.COM PAGE 5

CONTENTS

06 | Letter from the Publisher08 | Arts News12 | Feature Story - From a Little

Theater to a Twin City Stage16 | Feature Story - Low Wages, Free

Beer, and the Search for Soul Salvation Part 1

20 | Short Story - Platform24 | Cigar & Spirits - Arturo Fuente Flor

Fina 8 - 5 - 827 | Cigar & Spirits - Green Spot Irish

Whiskey29 | UNC-SA NewsJ5

22

PAGE 6 WS ARTS MAGAZINE

T abula Rasa, a Latin term loosely translated to

“blank slate”, is a theory of epistemology that

suggests we are born without a mental road

map. Epistemology as a science questions

how knowledge is acquired and to what extent

a given matter or entity can be known. Tabula

Rasa posits that all of the knowledge we obtain comes from

individual perceptions and environmental stimuli. Part of the

broader “nurture” vs. “nature” argument, tabula rasa attempts

to explain why we are who we become: our personality,

our ability (or inability) to interact socially, our intelligence, all

unique and all created by our solitary interactions.

As children we are a scraped tablet (a more unerring

English translation of tabula rasa), prostrate to the creative

brush stroke that life deals us. We are defenseless as

children to life’s beautiful brilliance and crushing realities.

Tabula Rasa gives us comfort operating within the beauty and

the beast of our existence. It gives us reason (valid or not)

to understand both our successes and failures as we grow

older. Tabula Rasa also drives the urge at this time of year to

wipe our slate clean. We yearn to forget the challenges of

the past year. We promise to write a new chapter. Although

those prior experiences and perceptions have already

shaped our coming actions, we hold on to the hope that as

adults we control our destinies. Next year will be better than

last.

Innately we recognize the antagonist of tabula rasa

forwarded by geneticists globally: there may exist strong

genetic influences that hinder our paths forward (I.Q,

susceptibility to drug addiction, memory capacity and even

reason), making our journey toward personal success a

challenge. We silently accept that some parts of our slate

are pre-programmed (like the ability to easily pick up spoken

language as a child) and some are learned behavior not

natural to the human genome (like the ability to read and write

without being taught). At the end of every year no matter on

which side of the nurture vs. nature argument we are, we use

tabula rasa as our clarion call. We are the masters of our fate

and, this time, we’ll get it right!

The cover of this issue is representative of that eternal

struggle to start anew. We start our new beginning by saying

thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported

this effort since our Facebook launch in July. Especially

important to our efforts have been our advertisers and those

businesses that have given us the push that every young

organization needs (“We like your idea. Now let’s see what

you can do). We also thank the artists who give us the spirit

to write about and share their gifts with the broader Winston-

Salem community.

What will your slate look like in 2013? Take the front

cover of this magazine and imagine the possibilities: Write it.

Draw it. Paint it. Compose and then play it. We’d love to see

and share as many as we can. Use that new Iphone or Droid

Santa just left you, snap a picture of your new tablet, and

send it our way. Once you create your vision and set your

path, live it! We’ll be there with you every step of the way.

All in the Arts,

Ed

Publisher’s Letter

336-257-8579


Arts News

W hat goes on in the mind of

successful authors? How does

being a writer influence their lives?

How have they handled their

successes – and their failures?

In their first acclaimed Writing Life

series, The Winston-Salem Writers (WSW) heard insightful

and intimate answers from Robert Morgan, Liza Wieland and

Michael Parker.

Now they’re proud to announce their Winter Series,

introducing more of the best writers known in the Triad.

They’ll join Steve Mitchell in a frank conversation in a relaxed

setting at the Community Arts Cafe. Season tickets for the

The Writing Life Winter Series, sponsored by WSW, Press 53

and Barnhill’s Books are now on sale with WSW members

receiving a 25% discount. All three events will be held at 7:00

p.m. in the Conference Room at Community Arts Cafe, 411

West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem. Seating is limited to 25.

Tickets include a glass of wine, craft beer, or a beverage of

your choice. Ï

The WriTing Life WinTer SerieS

SponSored by WinSTon-SaLem

WriTerS, preSS 53, and barnhiLL’S

bookS

SCHEDULE

Monday, January 7: Jill McCorkle made publishing history at age twenty-six, in 1984, when her first two novels were published simultaneously. She is the author of The Cheer Leader, July 7th,Tending to Virginia, Ferris Beach, and Carolina Moon, as well as three story collections, most recently

Creatures of Habit. Among her many prizes are the New England Book Award, the John Dos Passos Prize, and the North Carolina Award for Literature. She has taught creative writing at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Tufts, Harvard, Brandeis, and Bennington. Jill is on the faculty at North Carolina State University. Her new novel, Life after Life, will be published in March.

Thursday, February 7: John McNally is the author of three novels, After the Workshop, America’s Report Card, and The Book of Ralph; and two story collections, Ghosts of Chicago and Troublemakers. His short stories have been cited three times as an outstanding story of the year in the

Best American Short Stories series. He is also the author of The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist. His new book, to be published in 2013, is Vivid and Continuous: Essays and Exercises for Writing Fiction. A native of Chicago’s southwest side, John is at present an associate professor of English at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Thursday, March 14: Holly Goddard Jones’s debut novel, The Next Time You See Me, will be released from Touchstone/Simon & Schuster in February 2013. She is the author of a collection of short stories, Girl Trouble (Harper Perennial 2009), and her fiction

has appeared or is forthcoming in Tin House, Epoch, Best American Mystery Stories, New Stories from the South, and various journals. She was a 2007 recipient of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, which honors six emerging women fiction writers annually. Holly teaches in the MFA program in creative writing at UNC Greensboro.

After a brief introduction, authors will read from their work for 10-15 minutes, followed by an interview/conversation moderated by WSW member, Steve Mitchell, himself an award-winning author. During the last 15 minutes of the evening, questions will be accepted from the attendees.


Arts News

BOOKMARKS will host a Book Club Moveable Feast on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 3 p.m. The event will take place at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) at 750 Marguerite Drive in Winston-Salem. BOOKMARKS is a literary organization based

in Winston-Salem whose vision is to create a community of passionate readers. This is achieved through triad-based author events, an Authors in Schools program throughout the year which reached 4,000 students in 2012, and the premier annual free book festival in North Carolina.

Tickets to the Book Club Moveable Feast include private, personalized tours of SECCA given by SECCA staff at 2 and 2:30 p.m. The Moveable Feast will begin at 3 p.m. Each attendee will be assigned to a specific table. Authors will rotate tables every eight to ten minutes, giving each table the chance to interact with more than 12 authors from all over the country. Books will be available for purchase, and attendees will have the opportunity to get book signed by the authors.

A few of the authors attending include: Susan Woodring is the author of two novels and short

story collection. Her newest novel, Goliath, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2012. Goliath, a story of loss and love, of forgiveness and letting go, is a lyrical swoon of a novel by an exceptionally talented newcomer. For more information, please visit susanwoodring.com

Christopher Castellani lives in Boston and is the artistic director of a nonprofit creative writing center. He is the author of the critically acclaimed novels A Kiss from Maddalena

and The Saint of Lost Things. His new novel, All This Talk of Love, is a novel about sacrifice and hope, loss and love, myth and memory, and will be published in February. For more information, please visit christophercastellani.com.

Holly Goddard Jones is the author of the short story collection, Girl Trouble. Her work has appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories, New Stories from the South, and many others. The Next Time You See Me is her first novel and has been called "astoundingly good" and "mesmerizing" by Gillian Flynn, bestselling author of Gone Girl. For more information, please visit hollygoddardjones.com.

Penelope Niven is the author of critically acclaimed biographies of Carl Sandburg and Edward Steichen. She has been awarded an International Reading three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the North Carolina Award in Literature. Her newest book, Thornton Wilder: A Life, was released in October from HarperCollins. For more information, please visit penelopeniven.com

Tickets for The Moveable Feast are on sale now at www.bookmarksnc.org. Tickets are $22 for BOOKMARKS members and $25 for non-members (attendees will receive a one-year membership to BOOKMARKS with the purchase of a ticket). Book clubs that wish to purchase a table for eight can do so at a discounted price of $160. Tickets include: admission to the Book Club Moveable Feast, private tour of SECCA (2 & 2:30), light tea refreshments throughout the Movable Feast, chance to meet more than 12 authors from around the country, entry into drawings to win books and more from publishers. Ï

bookmarkS To hoLd book CLUb moVeabLe feaST

Susan Woodring Christopher Castellani Penelope Niven

Holly GoddardJones


As part of its Classics Series, the Winston-

Salem Symphony under the baton of

Maestro Robert Moody, Music Director,

will present a concert featuring several

works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in

honor of Mozart’s birthday (January 27,

1758). The Symphony will present Mozart’s Concerto for

Bassoon and Orchestra in B-flat Major and Symphony No.

39 in E-flat Major. Guest artist Saxton Rose will perform the

bassoon concerto. In addition, the Symphony will perform Igor

Stravinsky’s Symphony in C.

The concerts will take place on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:30

p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13 at 3:00 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 15 at

7:30 p.m. at the Stevens Center of the University of North

Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) at 405 W. Fourth Street.

Arts News

WinSTon-SaLem Symphony preSenTS happy birThday mozarT!

Tickets range from $15 – $62 and are available in advance

by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or

online at WSsymphony.org. Stravinsky is one of the twentieth-

century’s most influential composers. He is perhaps best

known for his ballet scores composed for Sergei Diaghilev’s

Ballet Russes in the early 1910s. Inspired by Beethoven and

Haydn, Stravinsky’s Symphony in C resonates with those great

composers’ influences but also includes modern elements,

including dissonant harmonies and angular melodies, which

are clearly Stravinskian. Mozart composed the Concerto for

Bassoon and Orchestra in B-flat major when he was 18 years

old.

This beautiful and lyrical piece demonstrates a profound

understanding of the bassoon’s capabilities, highlighting the

virtuosic and lyrical aspects of the instrument. His Symphony

No. 39 in E-Flat Major was composed in the summer of 1788

along with Symphonies No. 40 and 41. Amazingly, considering

their stature among the best symphonies ever composed, he

seems to have written all three symphonies in rapid succession.

Symphony No. 39 is grand, dramatic, at times exuberant and at

other times melancholy—a rich work full of charm and beauty.

Guest artist Saxton Rose’s virtuosic interpretations of traditional

repertoire and his dedication to new music have afforded him

a prolific career as soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician.

He is professor of bassoon at UNCSA, principal bassoonist of

the Winston-Salem Symphony, and was recently named the

new bassoonist of the award-winning New York-based wind

quintet, Zéphyros Winds.

Performances this season include engagements in China,

Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, and numerous

world premieres from composers such as Michael Gordon,

Lawrence Dillon, John Orfe, Michael Rothkopf, Felipe Perez


450 North Spring Street, Winston-Salem | (336)[email protected] | www. SpringHouseNC.com

ProgressiveProgressivesouthernsoutherninsinsPPiredireddestinationdestination

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diningdininghoshosPPitality &itality &ssPPecial eventsecial events

for

Santiago, and John Fitz Rogers. Rose recently performed

the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with the National Symphony

of Colombia in Bogotá, a Vivaldi Bassoon Concerto with the

Orquesta Sinfónica de Caldas, Colombia, and in Berlin at

the Philharmonie with Alarm Will Sound, one of the world’s

premier contemporary music ensembles. Other engagements

as concerto soloist have been with the National Symphony

of Panama and with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.

For more biographical information on Rose, please visit

WSsymphony.org.

The January 12th performance is part of the Kicked-

Back Classics Series. These concerts are one hour, without

intermission and include a more informal atmosphere with

educational insights from Maestro Moody. This concert will

include everything from the Classics performances (Sunday,

Jan. 13 and Tuesday, Jan. 15) except the second and

third movements of the Stravinsky Symphony and the fi rst

movement of Mozart’s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra.

After each Kicked-Back concert, concert-goers can join the

Maestro and members of the orchestra for Brews with Bob at

a location that will be announced from the stage. Ï

Bassoonist Saxton Rose


In 1916 Katherine Reynolds, the wife of tobacco magnet

RJ Reynolds, decided that what Winston-Salem

needed was a “little” community theater. Thus began

the journey that would lead to a long and storied history

of live community theater in our City. In 1935 what

became known as The Little Theater of Winston-Salem

was officially born under the guidance of Dorothy Knox. The

theater is the longest standing Arts organization in Winston-

Salem. Mrs. Knox, a French teacher, led an organizational

meeting at Salem Academy attended by many of the City

leaders of the day. She told those assembled that there was

“a need of organized dramatics for Winston-Salem with the

aim of building a permanent organization to present the best

in dramatic art for the citizenry.”

When The Little theater was officially incorporated in

1950 the by-laws of the new organization read:

"The mission of this non-profit corporation shall be to provide for all within the community an avenue for education and development in all aspects of theatrical arts, and to provide entertainment for the community by offering a series of well-staged performances of live theatre."

Early performances were held at the RJ Reynolds

Auditorium, West End School building, and even above the

Moxley Piano Company on 4th 1/2st. Rehearsal spaces,

costume shops, and prop/set shops were located in various

places from the living room of Doris Pardington (the Theater's

first paid director), the Trotman House on 5th St, to an old

barn on Robinhood Road. In 1957 the organization moved

into the Arts Council Theater where the company remains.

from a Little Theater to a Twin City Stage

By Chad Nance

the old signage before the new digital sign

Gordon Hanes

Photo By: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives, Digital Forsyth Collection

Feature Story


The facility was built with money donated by Gordon Hanes.

The permanence of the Theater has been demonstrated

by an uninterrupted run of over 400 plays. Such

organizational success still brings its share of challenge

and change. In 2008 the theater undertook a process of

brand clarification. Through the use of community focus

groups and consultants the theater staff noticed one thing in

particular- the panelist often referred to the Twin City stage

as “we” and “ours”. “There is a sense of fellowship between

the audience that you only see in a church”, noted Executive

Director Norman Ussery. “Community theater creates a real

sense of ownership.” This sense of community and clear

ownership was one of the reasons the theater Board of

Directors decided to change the name of the organization

from The Little Theater of Winston-Salem to Twin City Stage.

“Norman fielded calls from some unhappy season ticket

holders, that’s for sure,” noted former board member and

arts supporter Ed Hanes Jr. “The move was made in order

to establish clear lines of vision and brand demarcation.

We were in the process of merging our operations with

The Children's Theater and felt it important to establish a

brand that would allow our legacy and new shareholders

clear lines of production strategy. The Twin City Stage is

a professionally directed adult/family friendly company

suited to a more mature audience. The productions of

The Children's Theater are strictly directed toward a youth

audience.”

While Twin City Stage does use professional directors,

musical directors, musicians, and other theatrical trades,

the bulk of their productions are put on by volunteers (from

the ushers to the performers). According to Ussery, that is

why Twin City Stage's performances are of such fine quality.

“Community theater and professional theater are completely

different animals. We are quite thrilled with who we are.

These are not cheap undertakings. They take time and

money but we do it because we love it.”

A non-musical play such as the upcoming Lend Me a Tenor or 12 Angry Men are produced with a budget

of around $20,000.00. Musicals such as the recently

performed classic Fiddler on the Roof have budgets that

can range from $50,000.00 to $60,000.00. With musicals

Twin City Stage uses a live orchestra. That alone can

sometimes balloon the budget by as much as $10,000.00.

50% of the funding for Twin City Stage comes from acting

class tuition and gate receipts for performances. The other

50% comes from grants, donations, and sponsorships. The

Reynolds Auditorium


Arts Council of Winston-Salem alone contributes 20% of the

operating budget generated from grants. Each individual

production has five corporate sponsors and each season

has one over-all corporate sponsor. “We couldn’t make it

without our sponsors and donors,” noted Ussery.

Each production that Twin City undertakes begins with

a committee of 10 people with varying levels of theater

observance. What they all share is a proven interest and

goal of making Twin City Stage productions high quality and

meaningful to the community at large. The committee reads

plays, discusses past performances, and examines how

the individual piece of work fits into the organizations core

mission. It is only then that they move ahead with approval

of any individual piece of theater.

Another major aspect of choosing material is listening to

their subscribers and patrons to find out what they want to

see. “We have no use for absolute balance,” Ussery said

about whether or not they try to balance the chosen plays

with others they have done or will be doing in a particular

season. Twin City Stage's main mission, according to

Mary Lea Dominick Williams (Tzeitel) and

Tim Austin (Tevye)

Old newspaper clippings for The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem


Ussery is to “please the people in the community who want to come and see live theater.”

The sense of community that permeates cast and crew also directly effects the audiences and subscription holders. “There is a joy in watching two or three generations of a family coming together to see live theater,” beamed Ussery. “There is no theatrical experience that includes the unifying effect and accessibility that community theater can bring. It impacts the lives of people involved in the production and, by contact, it effects people in the audience.”

With UNC-School of the Arts, the theater and music departments of Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State, and access for the general public to quality live theater, Winston-Salem is certainly a place where talent can exist, incubate, and be properly appreciated. “One of the reasons for our success is the quality of artists and support of those artists in this community”, Ussery stated. With a proud tradition stretching back almost 100 years Twin City Stage has been and will continue to be one of the most important components of the Winston-Salem

arts community. Ï

LEND ME A TENOR cast (and some of the crew). Seated (l to r) Hope Peddle (asst. stage manager), Stephanie Guelzow (stage manager), Stan Bernstein, director. Front row (l to r) Lanie Pope (Julia on dates tba), Rene-Lynn Walek (Maggie), Cameron Williams (Tito), Mary Lea Williams (Maria), Janel Jernigan (Diana) and Karen Robertson (Julia on dates tba). Back row (l to r) Chris Swaim (Bellhop), Michael Ackerman (Max) and Philip Powell (Saunders).

Twin City Stage Executive Director Norman Ussery and Fiddler on the Roof Show Sponsor Timothy Welborn at the opening night party

Twin City Stage Executive Director Norman Ussery as Scrooge


Feature Story


Low Wages, Free Beer, and the Search for Soul Salvation

Part 1By Ed Bumgardner

Reflections, ruminations and twisted tales of baiting and bartering with the fickle musical muse. Part memoir, part chronicle of a musical scene and life traversed with great musicians, colorful characters, damaged psyches, broken hearts, memorable tarts, shadowy forces, all offset with learned ponderings and considered opinions on all matters musical. No apologies offered, except when absolutely necessary to avoid a court of law. Some names will be changed to protect the guilty and easily embarrassed. Proof positive that rock n’ roll never forgets; hail, hail rock n’ roll!


In 1964, we moved from our house in Ardmore, where there were no kids my age, to a big new house in a still-under developed section of Sherwood Forest. Welcome to Suburbia. There were kids everywhere. These kids weren’t like the ones I knew at my old school. Many of them

had moved to Winston-Salem from such faraway places as New York and New Jersey. They talked funny. They dressed different. Several had long hair like The Beatles. They all listened to music. Two – Billy Scott and Michael LaShea – even played electric guitars in a clamorous band that rehearsed every Saturday down the street, much to my delight and the irritation of the neighborhood adults. All of a sudden, music wasn’t just something on the radio or television. It was something real, tangible, something that kids not only could do, but were doing. I wanted in.

Unfortunately, the kids that played music wanted nothing to do with me, a weird bookish kid with thick glasses and a crew cut. I was 10, a runt Jiminey Cricket pest. They were 12, thus old and wise. The bigger problem: They were cool. I was not. I didn’t exist. But the more they ignored me, the more determined I became to get to know these kids.

One of my best friends in the neighborhood, a gangly cross-eyed kid named Jimmy Sturzenbecker lived next door to Michael LaShea. Jimmy had a basketball court in his driveway, a concrete shuffleboard court in his backyard, and a huge

wooded lot suitable for playing Kick The Can. His house was a magnet for all the kids in the neighborhood. It was while playing there one afternoon that I finally cracked the Cool Kid Barrier.

I was hiding behind a bush, as I was want to do for any number of reasons, when Michael LaShea briefly emerged from his basement next door. Michael never played with the neighborhood kids. He spent all his time in his basement, a perpetually darkened, thus mysterious, room from which music always seemed to be blasting.

On this afternoon, the music from his basement stopped me in my tracks. I had never heard anything like it. It was urgent and hypnotic, with pounding drums and a buzzing, stabbing guitar part that sounded inherently defiant and dangerous. I was mesmerized. I had to know what this sound was.

So I did the unthinkable – I walked up to Michael’s basement door and peered in. It was dark, as always, and Michael was watching five scraggly, long-haired guys playing this magical song on television. He turned, eyes blazing beneath the fringe of his Beatles haircut. I froze. He sneered.

“What do YOU want?”“Um, what are you watching? Who IS this group? What’s

the name of this song?”He smirked, then laughed. “YOU like this?”I nodded so frantically I looked like a dashboard bobblehead

on a rocky dirt road. “It is the greatest thing I have ever heard.”

WSARTSMAG.COM PAGE 19PAGE 19

He stared at me, long and hard. Slowly he walked over, still fi xing me with a stare, slowly opened the door, and motioned me in.

“The show is called Shindig! It is a rock n’ roll music show.”

My brain was reeling. I am inside Michael LaShea’s house. Wait, a music show that has rock n’ roll? WHO IS THIS BAND?

Michael’s voice, still slithering with a mix of disbelief and contempt, shook me back to reality. “You really like this?,” he said, shaking his head. “You strike me as more of a Herman’s Hermits kid, if that.” I rotely nodded, not knowing what he meant by that. I was too busy staring at the television, where the camera was cutting between an animated guitar player with long dark hair and big ears – he was the source of the stabbing, buzzing guitar part – and another guitar player with long blonde hair who performed with a

regal air of bored indifference. The main focus was a mugging, impossibly skinny singer with huge lips, all fl ying elbows and bird legs.

The entire group looked like … trouble. I felt immediate kinship. This was where I belonged.

“This band is called The Rolling Stones. They are from England. The song is called “Satisfaction.” It was as if I had been hit by lightning. The sound … the look … the attitude … the sentiment … “I can’t getta-no … satisfaction … no no no…” …. then drums like pistol shots …. whap-whap…whapwhapwhap … followed by that razored guitar lick, which cut like a switchblade.

My god. I knew, right then that, somehow, my life had just changed. I looked at LaShea and began babbling.”This is waaaay better than The Beatles. Who are Herman’s Hermits? Are all the bands from England good? Do the Rolling Stones have more records? Can you play them for me. Can you play me other bands you like? Where do you get this music?

How do I get this music? What channel is this show on? Can I come over and watch it with you? How do you play guitar? Will you teach me?” He stood there, and laughed, long and loud, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He then walked across the room, rummaged though a pile of records, picked one out, and handed it to me.

It was “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” “You can have this,” he said, adding, with his usual cool air of offhand superiority, “I don’t need it anymore. I have the album. “Now … beat it.” He shoved me to the door and slammed it behind him.

Michael never again spoke to me; I was, well, me, and he was Michael LaShea. But he didn’t have to; the fuse was lit, his job was done. He moved away soon after that. No matter. He had changed my life. Forever. I still have that beat-up single. It is scratched beyond playability, worthless as anything but a totem, something which, to me, makes it priceless.

That song – a perfect slice of condensed teen rebellion and anti-authoritarian angst – still electrifi es me. Every. Single. Time. Knocked out by the hammer of the gods. And it felt so right. Ï


Short Story

From his work

P L A T F O R MBy Steve Mitchell


We didn't know each other

before April 9. Most of us

had never met. We might

have nodded, occasionally

and in passing, to one

another on the platform

now and then. But we didn't know each other. We were simply

traveling together.

All of us waited on the platform, patiently or nervously.

Pacing and looking at our watch or quietly reading our paper.

Easing toward work or school or, later,maybe a date and dinner.

All of us moving in different directions, the way we all do.

And when the train hissed to a stop, we lined ourselves

before the doors and, when the doors slid open, we lined

ourselves into the cars. Spreading into the seats, the corners,

standing in the aisles. Waiting collectively for the doors to close

and the train to jump to a start.

But we didn't know each other. If we ever looked at each

other it was an accident of will. We might smile and immediately

glance away or we might not smile, an expression being too

articulate an acknowledgement of the other person.

April 9 was different. On April 9, fifteen minutes into our

journey, five minutes before the fourth stop, the lights went

out in the cars and the train slowed to a halt in the tunnel.

The overheads blinked off, leaving us with only the steel blue

emergency lights glowing at the floor.

This was after the coughing began at the front of the car.


After the first man fell there and the Oriental woman began

clutching her throat. We heard the brakes grab hold beneath

us, heard their rasp and felt it at our feet through the floor as

they closed around the tracks.

Some of us were already moving toward the front of the

car. A woman screamed and a child began to cry when the

lights flickered and the brakes shuddered. The man at the front

fell to the floor and someone bent toward him as he began to

convulse.

We became one then, for a moment. All of us there in the

car. We moved separately as conjoined limbs of the same

body. Even the young boy who cowered beneath his seat and

the older woman who covered her face with her hands and

emitted a low wail. Even they were a part of that singular body;

each individual performing their own mysterious and essential

function.

You may find more work by Mr. Mitchell at www.

thisisstevemitchell.com. Ï

Featured Writer: Steve Mitchell

Steve is a native of Winston-Salem and a graduate of East Forsyth High School. He has published fiction in The Southeast Review, Contrary, The

North Carolina Literary Review and The Adirondack Review, among others.

His short story collection, The Naming of Ghosts, is available from Press 53. He has been nominated three times

for the Pushcart Prize and is a winner of the Lorian Hemingway Short Story

Competition. He is currently completing a novel, Body of Trust. Steve has a deep belief in the primacy of doubt and an abiding conviction that great wisdom

informs very bad movies.


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Cigars & Spirits

"Cigar smoking knows no politics. It's about the pursuit of pleasure, taste,

and aroma." -- Anonymous

Arturo Fuente Flor Fina

8-5-8By Ed Hanes

T he Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 is often

cited as the bargain of the Fuente family.

It is, in a phrase, a “go-to cheap smoke”.

That is not a bad thing, especially when

it tastes like a cigar that is at least twice

its price. The quality of this “every man”

delight is also no surprise. The Fuente family produces

such gems as the Hemmingway, Anejo, Don Carlos,

and Opus X lines. These are all considered premium

cigars regularly selling at 4x (and well beyond) the price

of the 8-5-8. Just as in horse breeding blood lines can

be incredibly important. This Fuente cousin, while not

perfect, shows why it demands our respect if not our last

dollar.

The Flora Fina appreciates a little aging due to those

same elite blood lines. The one I tested for this review

was about 6 months out of the box and, perhaps, a little

“green” relative to an optimal aging of one year. Some

inexpensive cigars will simply not benefi t from aging due


to their construction and binders/fillers/wrappers. They are

as good as they ever will be the first day off the shelf (the high

quality and inexpensive Brickhouse cigar is an example). The

Flor Fina is not of that rearing. While still an entry level option, it

is a handmade marvel. It is reminiscent of a Persian silk necktie

wonder that just

happens to be

two folds instead

of the super

premium and

elite class seven:

still quality…still

hand stitched….

still capable of

capturing and

holding the tear

drop knot that separates the men from the boys. The ladies

love it while the boys can only hope to attain it. This Fuente

has the goods.

The Flor Fina is draped in a Cameroon wrapper encasing

the binder and Dominican born long filler. Once the head was

guillotined and the Fuente was properly footed I noted a very

easy draw. The draw is a matter of personal preference although

most high quality cigars are a little tighter in construction and

Origin: Dominican RepublicFormat: Double RobustoSize: 6.25 x 47Wrapper: African CameroonBinder: Dominican RepublicFiller: Dominican RepublicHand-MadePrice: $3.80 each

Cigar being hand rolled

Cigar being hand rolled


Cigars & Spiritsdelivery. I prefer a more pronounced draw, one that lets you know the cigar is willing

but maintains its dignity in this journey of inevitability.

The toro-sized cigar engulfs you with nut, pine, and herbal flavors at the start.

Unfortunately the finish reflects the need for patience in the aging process. The nut

and pine flavors fade one third of the way in. The last third leaves you with a bitter

flavor that is not overcome by the spice delivered from the Cameroon wrapper. The

spice and herb showed their moxy during that last third, but then……bitter. The

blood lines are there as is the will to perform. In the end the Fuente Flor Fina is a

$3-$4 smoke for a reason. Aging would have helped this cigar but, I suspect, only

marginally.

The theme of the Flor Fina 8-5-8 is its consistency….or lack thereof. The aroma

erupting from this cigar is like a trip among the boxwoods at Leatherwood or around

the bends of East and West Kent Road. The smoke is thick and radiates the spice

of the Cameroon wrapper. The burn of the cigar is surgical. You want to stand up

and cheer for a masterpiece….and then: the ash won’t hold up. You notice it flake

away on your new Krimson tie. The bitter taste returns. You realize you’ve had a

good run but the rain is coming. Time to get home.

The Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 is solid: medium-bodied, wonderful smoke and

aroma, complex flavors, and the blood lines of Fuente. Due to the overly easy draw

and bitter finish it, unfortunately, only earns a rating of three e.d.s. out of five. Ï

WS Arts Magazine has designed and implemented a ratings system where cigars receive an E.D.S (really...I didn't name the rating system after myself) of 1-5.

Each review explains, in easy to understand terms, why we chose that particular rating for a given cigar. Our ratings system is described as follows:

1 E.D.S - These are cigars of last resort. They are questionable even if only mowing the yard or planting a garden.2 E.D.S - These cigars make tolerable companions while you wash your car. They aren't looking for attention, nor should they!3 E.D.S - These are pretty respectable cigars but may still fall short. We recommend them for the golf course, the back porch with one of your uninitiated friends, or for the after wedding party (for the husband of your best girlfriend who thinks he knows everything about cigars).4 E.D.S - Now we’re talking. Enjoy these fine cigars after a delicious meal or with your favorite cocktail. Again, I prefer Friday's at Single Brothers (or my Cigar Room). Join me!5 E.D.S - Respect your elders! These complex treats are true works of art. They deserve Coltrane, good friends, and your favorite adult tasty treat. Only the best! n


Cigars & Spirits

Green Spot Irish Whiskey

By Tim Matthews

YES, I KNOW: WHISKEY IS NOT BOURBON (ALL BOURBON IS WHISKEY, BUT NOT ALL WHISKEY IS BOURBON). FOR THE LAST TWO ISSUES WE’VE FOCUSED ON BOURBON: GOOD ‘OL FASHIONED NECTAR OF THE BLUEGRASS…KENTUCKY HOME…. LOVED BY A NATION. FROM THE VERY EXPENSIVE BOOKERS TO THE EXTREMELY VALUE BASED ANCIENT ANCIENT AGE OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN SINGULAR: QUALITY. AFTER JUST TWO ISSUES WE REALIZED THERE WERE JUST SO MANY STORIES ONE COULD SPIN ABOUT KENTUCKY, HORSES AND BOURBON. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I WAS INTRODUCED TO AN IRISH WHISKY I WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH. I KNEW ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY FIRST TASTE THAT OUR BOURBON FOCUS FOR THIS ISSUE WOULD SHIFT IN ORDER TO SHARE MY DISCOVERY.


Enter Green Spot, a single pot still Irish whiskey produced at the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. It is produced for the world famous wine merchants, Mitchell & Son. A friend of mine consulting in Ireland returned home with a bottle for her beau. As luck would have it, I was in the neighborhood the night they uncorked this beauty.

I had no idea upon what I had stumbled. Green Spot is one of the rarest and most sought after whiskies in the world. Production of this dandy is limited to just 500 cases a year. If you’re counting, that’s 6,000 bottles for worldwide consumption. Six of those bottles happen to rest in Winston-Salem somewhere between Reynolda and Pine Valley Roads. Our promise to you was to identify liquid gems. This blend of seven and eight year old pure pot still whiskies fits the bill superbly.

What makes a pure pot whiskey? Pure potting is a distilling process where those whiskeys are distilled in a pot and not cut with grain whisky. They are made, rather, from malted and unmalted barley. This practice is just part of the Green Spot magic. What makes Green Spot unique is its finishing. Twenty-Five percent is finished in sherry casks while the remainder ages in used bourbon barrels. For years this was a very common practice among merchants. Green Spot is the last of the true believers. Rather than bottle their whiskey as a product of the distillery, they purchase the barrels and bottle the whiskey as their own.

It is unclear when Green Spot was first blended though evidence of sherry and casks being provided to Mitchell & Sons can be found as early as 1920. The casks held either darker sherries or lighter finos. This prevented the wine from overpowering the whiskey during the initial five-year cask aging process. After being vatted and blended, the whiskey was aged for an additional five years before being bottled and sold.

The original blend was the revered "Pat whiskey", carrying a green back dropped label fronted by an astute looking man. That green background later became known as the most famous of their “spot” branding (originating from the color coding of their aging barrels with paint “spots” of red, blue, yellow, and the aforementioned green). The history of the brand reflects in every way the truly unique taste of the whiskey.

The current Green Spot is a bit younger than the original, averaging nine years in the aging process. When poured neat and pressed to the lips, youthfulness dissipates leaving only a wonderment of time proven blending expertise. A bouquet of fruit, honey, and caramel await you on the nose of Green Spot. Layered like an unfolding tale, this whiskey meets you

with multiple chapters of flavor intrigue, plot complexity, and even a surprisingly affable dusty perfume. Sherry cask aging provides this scent of age and importance. When you taste Green Spot, you know you are in the company of greatness.

If there is a more amiable, delicately mouth seducing body on a whiskey, it is one of which I am unaware. Pear, butterscotch notes, malt and even smoke capture the palate in a way that only the truly committed artisan can conjure. Green Spot tenders a melody of temperate spice, buttressed with green apple and vanilla to carry you through the finish. What a finish it is: an adornment of flavors from nuts, to Gouda, to even the slightest whisper of menthol teases your senses. Effortless and serene, Green Spot introduces you to a whiskey lifestyle to savor.

Green Spot has limited availability outside of Ireland although there is the option to have a bottle shipped to you through a specialty retailer. I consider myself fortunate to have a conduit to the Leesiders and their rare gift. Cherish Green Spot like your favorite childhood possession. Treat it well and Green Spot will return a gift to the palate you will not soon forget. Ï


UNC-SA News

Students from the

University of North

Carolina School of the

Arts (UNCSA) School

of Music won in two

categories at the state

competition sponsored by the Music

Teachers National Association (MTNA),

held recently at the University of North

Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Eunea Trio took first place in the

chamber music competition. Members

are Kait Moreno, a graduate student from

Wesley Chapel, Fla., who studies violin

with Kevin Lawrence; Shane Rathburn,

a college senior from Burnsville who

studies saxophone with Taimur Sullivan;

and Annah Kim, a graduate student from

UNCSA StUdeNtS WiN At N.C. MUSiC teACherS ASSoCiAtioN CoMpetitioN

Raleigh who studies piano with Allison

Gagnon. The ensemble is coached by

faculty artist Eric Larsen.

In the senior strings competition,

violinist Dustin Wilkes-Kim, a high school

junior from Winston-Salem, took first

place. Wilkes-Kim previously won the

state MTNA junior strings title for four

consecutive years. In 2011 he won the

Southern Regional MTNA title and was

a national finalist. Violinist Maura Shawn

Scanlin, a high school senior from Boone,

took second place in the senior strings

competition. Both are students of faculty-

artist Sarah Johnson.

Another trio coached by faculty artist

Dmitri Shteinberg received an honorable

mention in the chamber music competition.

Its members are violinist Kevin Murphy, a

college freshman from Wake Forest, who

studies with Kevin Lawrence; clarinet

player Andrew O’Donnell, a high school

senior from Tampa, Fla., who studies with

Oskar Espina-Ruiz; and pianist Clera Ryu,

a graduate student from Duluth, Ga., who

studies with Shteinberg.

“The success of UNCSA students at

competitions like the MTNA is testament

to their talent and hard work, and the

dedication of our faculty artists in the

School of Music,” said Music Dean Wade

Weast. “All of our participants are to be

congratulated.”

The winners advance to the regional

competition in January at the University of

North Carolina-Greensboro. Ï

Kait Moreno, Shane Rathburn, & Annah Kim

Dustin Wilkes-Kim Maura Shawn Scanlin


T he University of

North Carolina

School of the

Arts (UNCSA)

continues to

climb in the

rankings of the 100 Best

Values in Public Colleges by

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

UNCSA is ranked 31st for

2013, up from 41st in 2012. In

2011, UNCSA ranked 48th, and

in 2010 it ranked 61st.

The report features schools that

deliver a quality education at an

affordable price. UNCSA made the list

thanks to its high four-year graduation rate,

low average student debt at graduation, available

financial aid, low sticker price, and overall great value,

according to Kiplinger’s.

“North Carolina can certainly be proud of its arts

conservatory,” said Chancellor John Mauceri. “UNCSA

continues to excel not only in the caliber of our artistic

achievements, but also in our academic performance and

affordability.” Mauceri added that the new ranking illustrates

the hard work, dedication and passion of the students, faculty

and staff. “Even in challenging economic conditions, we

continue on our trajectory of ever-increasing excellence,” he

said.

Kiplinger’s is no novice to presenting its readers sound

advice on where to invest and grow their money. For nine

decades, the Kiplinger organization has led the way in personal

finance and business forecasting. Founded in 1920 by W.M.

Kiplinger, the company developed one of the nation's first

successful newsletters in modern times. The Kiplinger Letter,

launched in 1923, remains the longest continuously published

KipliNger’S perSoNAl FiNANCe rANKS UNCSA 31St, Up FroM 41St lASt yeAr

newsletter in the United States.

In 1947, Kiplinger created the

nation's first personal finance

magazine.

Kiplinger’s analysis identified

six schools in the University

of North Carolina system as

great educational values. UNC-

Chapel Hill continues to top the

list, as it has since Kiplinger’s

began its ranking in 1998. Of

the other UNC system schools,

only UNCSA improved it rank this

year. The other ranked schools are:

N.C. State, 21st, down from 19th last

year; UNC-Wilmington, 32nd, down from

15th; Appalachian State University, 36th,

down from 33rd; and UNC-Asheville, 52nd, down

from 45th.

Kiplinger’s assesses quality and affordability according

to a number of measurable standards. Last year, Kiplinger’s

revamped the rankings to give more weight to academic value,

such as the percentage of students who return for sophomore

year and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include

low sticker prices, available financial aid and low average debt

at graduation. While the criteria have shifted, the overall focus

on value remains the same. Many schools, including UNCSA,

have appeared on the list multiple times, a confirmation of the

consistent value these colleges provide. The annual public

school rankings appear in Kiplinger’s February 2013 issue and

online at www.kiplinger.com

Web visitors will find special features, including an FAQ

about how the public colleges are ranked, a slide show of

the top 10 schools, and a tool that lets readers sort by in-

state and out-of-state cost, average debt at graduation, and

admission rate. Ï

UNC-SA News

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Documents

WS Arts Magazine, Issue 3