Profiles
Mr. Lincoln’s Costume Shoppe
story and photos by Robin Beaudoin Odds are, you’ve passed by it, seen it on Florence in Overton Square while hopping into Maggie’s Pharm, Gould’s, or Memphis Pizza Café. You may have even rented a costume at Mr. Lincoln’s Costume Shoppe- I have, in 1995 for my senior...
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Q&A: Michael Traynor of Bluff City Mafia
Bluff City Mafia (BCM), the independent supporter’s group for Memphis 901 FC, in June named the Focus® Center Foundation their first ever ‘Prideraiser’ beneficiary. Prideraiser is the coalition of independent soccer supporters that raise money for a local LGBTQ+...
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Community
Good Stewards: Focus® Mid-South Magazine Takes Eco-Friendlier Approach, Joins Reforestation Program
by Joan Allison, Focus Mid-South Managing Editor The Focus family of magazines has joined the PrintReleaf program to replace trees that are used to print the magazines. PrintReleaf, which tracks paper use all the way from a mill order to a vendor’s supply chain to...
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OUT OF BOUNDS: LGBTQ Spiritual Health Beyond Church Walls
© 2019 by Carlton E. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission For some of us who were raised in and harmed by our faith communities of origin, there is no going back. Even to look back, as in the story of Lot’s wife fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, would leave...
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Mid-South Immigration Advocates: Memphis Legal Group Offers Free Services to Low-Income Immigrants
story & photos by Tricia Dewey (Photo above: Mid-South Immigration Advocates staff (L-R) Christy M. Swatzell, Asylum Initiative Director; Luis E. Melean, Asylum Initiative Coordinator; and Sally M. Joyner, Interim Executive Director. The group helps adults seeking...
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Art & Culture
A Confection Connection: Interview with Nicole Hale of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
by Kevin Shaw | photo courtesy of Orpheum Memphis Whether you’re a fan of the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder (you’re a treasure to me) or the 2005 movie starring Johnny Depp (you’re dead to me), you’re sure to find something to...
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Keto Kristmas
photos by Joan Allison | recipes from delish.com Christmas feasts are typically carb fests. From the breads to the five kinds of potatoes to the desserts, here comes diabetes. Some staffers at Focus magazine headquarters are cutting carbs with keto diets. But will...
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Book of Mormon Star Puts His Faith in Laughter
by Kevin Shaw | photos courtesy of Orpheum Theatre If you haven’t seen The Book of Mormon, you ain’t seen nothing yet! It’s perhaps the bawdiest, shockingly hilarious show I’ve seen in my 45 years attending the theatre. It’s the story about Mormon missionaries who...
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LGBTQ Weddings: Puerto Vallarta!
story & photo courtesy of NEMA News Network For many LGBTQ couples, a wedding in an exotic location or even one on the beach, was something they could dream about but never really afford.The staff at two sister hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, want you to know...
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Original Memphis : The Peabody Hotel
story by Tricia Dewey | photos courtesy of The Peabody Hotel Nothing says holiday season in Memphis like the fabulously festive seasonal atmosphere of the Peabody Hotel. This year the Peabody is celebrating 150 years since the opening of its first hotel on the corner...
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Original Memphis: Cooper-Young Festival
story by Jesse Davis | photos courtesy of Cooper Young Business Association Tucked away between Central Gardens on the north and Glenview to the south is Memphis’ Cooper-Young neighborhood, the city’s largest historic district, and a thriving hub of arts and...
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