Karen ParkerI met Karen Parker on a warm December afternoon with the sound of wind chimes drifting through the open door of New Vibrations, her Fondren book and gift store "for the evolving spirit." She was unpacking necklaces when I arrived. …
Candy Cain"I shipped off a pig to Hot Springs earlier this week. I shipped off mermaids to Montgomery. … That was huge. I shipped off crosses to Biloxi," Candy Cain. A prolific and versatile visual artist, Cain was born in Jackson …
Tobie Tomlinson"Being a shooter," Sgt. Tobie Tomlinson says, "allows for focus." Tomlinson, 35, knows a thing or two about focus. A service rifle shooter with the Army Marksmanship Unit, based in Fort Benning, Ga., he spends half the year training for …
Gwendolyn MageeGwendolyn Magee, 64, first started making quilts in 1989 during a six-week quiltmaking class at a local Jackson quilt store that no longer exists. She only planned to make a quilt for each of her two daughters before they went …
Carlton Reeves"I believe in the rule of law and in using it to achieve justice across the board," Carlton Reeves says.
Vanessa Barry And Kembral Barrera"You feel it, and you live it!" Vanessa Barry says as she rises from the table at Borders to demonstrate. Barry and her best friend, Kembral Barrera, are coincidentally both wearing pink shirts, black pants and heels. They turn slowly …
Don LondonAt 10:30 on a Saturday morning, Don London, 62, is already hard at work in his basement office at Stewpot Community Services on Capitol Street. Volunteers and service recipients come and go through his office with friendly hellos and practical …
Saidamirkhon Rakhimov"In my country," Saidamirkhon Rakhimov begins, then stops himself, smiling. "My friends are always making fun of me for saying 'in my country,' he says, leaning back into his chair, momentarily distracted by the muted soccer game playing above my …
Fred HammondFred Hammond understands changing careers; his call to church ministry is the third major shift in his life. At 51, "Reverend Fred" is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson's new minister, and a novice to the profession.
Shandra WilsonBetween her son, her full-time job and life coaching, Shandra Wilson, 35, says her biggest challenge is "having time to do everything."
Ed BlountEd "The Prezs" Blount, 38, wants to form a new type of neighborhood association. Working as a bartender at the Upper Level by night, and driving a Head Start school bus by day, Blount recognizes the need for direction and …
Jim KopernakAs I approach the industrial-looking Old House Depot on Monroe Street, I hear the robust sound of Ella Fitzgerald's voice. Jim Kopernak, 61 (but looking 10 years younger), emerges from a small office and wipes away the sweat just above …
Dexter MortonAfter 14 years of driving trucks and training other people to drive trucks, Dexter Devon Morton left the road with a 46-inch waistline and weighing 360 pounds. Today, Morton, 38, is the wellness director for the downtown YMCA in Jackson, …
Larry And Dee NixonShortly after relocating to Jackson from South Carolina, Larry and Dee Nixon established the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation to raise awareness of SCD and support families affected by the disease.
Sabir Abdul-HaqqWhen Sabir Abdul-Haqq puts his story in digital format, the soundtrack will be hip-hop. Not the stuff that gives the genre a bad name, though. It will probably sound a lot like Jurassic 5. Bright young faces beaming with potential …