Arts + Culture

Knoxville’s Early Christmas Traditions

Article by Paul James and Jack Neely | Photography by Photography and illustrations by Beck Cultural Exchange Center, McClung Historical Collection, TAMIS, Wikipedia For many years, the Clarence Brown Theatre has staged a production of Charles Dickens’ classic novella, A Christmas Carol . The story, about the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits by four apparitions who encourage his moral reclamation, continues to be told and dramatized throughout the world, and it doesn’t appear to be...

Arts + Culture

Seasoned in Appalachia

Jimmy Proffitt’s Guide to Appalachian Foodways, Folktales and Family Recipes Article by Amy Campbell | Photography by Abby Stewart and Amy Campbell Jimmy Proffitt’s debut cookbook is brimful of 75 Appalachian staples and celebrates a homegrown heritage of passionate cooking that began in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. “Seasoned in Appalachia” spills the sweet tea on recipes Proffitt grew up loving and learning to make in a houseful of “Granny cooks” and a father who was also a volunteer fireman...

Arts + Culture

“A Christmas Carol,” A Knoxville Treasure

With “A Christmas Carol,” Dickens Captured Art Magic in a Bottle Connected to Christmas, Which He Loved, and That Spirit of Fun Comes Through Article by Patricia Storm Broyles | Photography by Le Anna Jacobson Associate Professor Jed Diamond came to the University of Tennessee in 2005 after a two-decade run as a freelance teacher and stage actor in New York City and regional repertory theatre. He was founding faculty and associate director of the Shakespeare Lab at the New York Shakespeare...

Finance + Legal Services

Brain Crave

Article by Melissa Ballard, CFP® | Photography by Ben Finch I’m fascinated by our brains—how and why we make decisions. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a tug-of-war in our minds between innate desire and rational thought. We all fancy ourselves rational beings, too evolved to make irrational decisions. But the truth is that we all do it. As a wise friend of mine says, “We cannot deny our biology.” Have you ever experienced that little jolt of excitement when clicking “add to...