Refractions with Harper P Gentry

Cherice Harrison-Nelson serves as the Maroon Queen of the Guardians of the Flame Maroon Society carries forward a lifelong commitment to culture, education, and community. I know her as Queen Reesie , though she also answers to Miss Nelson , and many of the children she’s mentored call her Mommy Queen . Each name reflects a different role she plays in the community—as a teacher, mentor, cultural b...

One of the greatest shows I've ever witnessed was a celebration of the life of Allen Toussaint at the Orpheum Theater. On November 2015, New Orleans honoured the great Allen Toussaint with performances by John Boutte, Irma Thomas, Bob Skaggs, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. John, Trombone Shorty, and many more. I was fortunate to be there with my camera, and these photographs are from that unfo...

How We Can Use Our Creativity to Make the World a Better Place This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit harperpgentry.substack.com/subscribe

Refractions with Harper P. Gentry Why are we drawn ro Jeff Buckley nearly thirty years after his death? It’s more than the music. Jeff approached creativity—with child like wonderment with a strict discipline, Jeff was vulnerabile , with a hunger for perfection. In a culture that often rewards certainty, Jeff remained a student of the process. In this second episode of my series on Jeff Buckley, I...

Some artists never really leave us. Not just through the music, but through the photographs, the feeling, and the memories attached to them. On this episode of Refractions with Harper P. Gentry , I talk with Jessica Snyder, curator of @mysterydreamboy, about Jeff Buckley, Merri Cyr, and the relationship between music, image, and memory in a time before social media. We talk about why his work stil...

Reba Rambo — on songwriting, voice, and being an artist In this episode of Refractions , singer and songwriter Reba Rambo reflects on a life shaped by music—on finding her voice, writing songs that endure, and what it means to remain a true artist over time. Featuring a tribute written by songwriter King Rio Nevada: “Lady, sing to me of rainbow painted skiesand Joseph coats of multi-coloured leave...

Photographs are more than what is seen through our eyes—they have a way of telling a story. When I met Bethany Bultman, our friendship felt like I was stepping into something that had already been in motion for a long time. Penny Weaver felt the same way. In this episode, we talk about photographers who shaped their way of seeing—Eve Arnold and the way she met people where they were, Herman Leonar...

Bay St. Louis—where a kind of Southern Gothic lingers along the Gulf, shaped by memory and resilience—is home to The Mockingbird Café, a place that feels like the living room of the community. Inspired in name and spirit by Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird , the café offers refuge, conversation, and connection. In the years following Hurricane Katrina, three women—Allison Wonderland Schwabaker,...