Dodge City
Dodge City, AL · Arts & Culture
The Tuscaloosa News
'Dappled Things' blends murder mystery and faith | DON NOBLE
Joe Taylor, while a professor of English, has also, as director of the Livingston University Press, been the publisher of over 200 books. Astonishingly, he has also edited at least 10 volumes and written three volumes of stories and at least 13 novels, several in verse. His fiction is usually speculative. This volume, “Dappled Things,” is as close to realistic as Taylor is ever likely to get. It is, at its heart, a murder mystery, sort of. In an Abbey near Cullman called here Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Brother Benedict and Brother Julius, monk-artist, are together a few minutes after midnight on Christmas morning assembling a somewhat unusual creche: the infant Jesus is Black and the Holy Mother as well. This inspiration had come in a vision. Just as Benedict is placing the stone infant into the manger, Brother Julius is killed by a bullet to the head. The scene evokes both the murder of JFK in Dallas and St. Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. The murder is racist, surely, especially since a butchered black cat and a severed Black hand had been found on the grounds some time earlier. Two investigations ensue: police search for the killer and Benedict
gadsdenmessenger.com
The Gadsden Times
Gadsden holiday guide features lights and parades
Holiday lights, ice skating, shopping and a Christmas parade are among the events planned in Gadsden during the 2026 Christmas season. Activities begin in November and continue into January, with Christmas at the Falls at Noccalula Falls Park and Christmas on the Coosa along the city's riverfront serving as two of the season's largest attractions. Here's a look at Christmas events scheduled in Gadsden: Christmas at the Falls Christmas at the Falls returns to Noccalula Falls Park, 1500 Noccalula Road, beginning Friday, Nov. 13. The annual attraction features millions of holiday lights, illuminated gardens and Christmas displays throughout the park. General admission includes admission to the park and one standard train ride. Children 3 and younger are admitted free. Tickets are $12 to $18, and guests choose a one-hour arrival window between 4 and 8 p.m. The park closes at 10 p.m. An express train pass for up to two guests is available for an additional $15. The event runs through Jan. 2, 2027, and will be closed Nov. 16-19 and Dec. 24-25. Santa and the "Mean One" will make appearances on select dates. Mistletoe Market Holiday shoppers can visit the Mistletoe Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov.
The Birmingham Free Press
The Birmingham Free Press
WAFF
weglfm.com
WAFF
aamusports.com
familydestinationsguide.com
This Gigantic Alabama Furniture Store Has More Treasures Than You Could Explore In A Day
If you’ve ever walked into a furniture store, spent eleven minutes looking at the same three sofas, and left feeling vaguely hopeless, then Alabama Furniture Market in Calera, Alabama is about to completely change your perspective. This is the kind of place that makes furniture shopping feel less like...