The Age of Being Real

Send us Fan Mail Writer Jane Mushabac has been following the enticing call of the Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino throughout her life.  The Sephardic Jews developed the language after they were expelled from Spain in 1492. As they traveled and formed communities around the globe, their Spanish language became enriched with influences from French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish.  Mushab...

Send us Fan Mail Nashville native Lorenzo Washington is on a mission to reignite the musical and cultural spirit of Jefferson Street. In its golden days, Jefferson Street was lined with clubs that hosted luminaries like Ray Charles, Etta James, Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix. Jefferson Street was the beating heart of North Nashville’s thriving Black music community from the 1940s to the early 196...

Send us Fan Mail The Nashville cottage that houses the Family Barber Shop is constantly buzzing as 63-year-old Patty Stelmaszak adds the finishing touches for a continuous stream of customers.  The barber’s cheerful energy keeps her stepping on and off a wooden wine crate she brought from her first shop in San Diego’s Ocean Beach. Her business model is simple. Cash only. Affordable, quality haircu...

Send us Fan Mail Jerry Colpitts began acting as a child, when he and his sister created skits in the kitchen, singing, dancing and doing mime. When the family moved to a new town their mother entered them in a talent contest - and they won. The thrill of the stage created a lifelong love of acting. As Colpitts nears his 70th birthday, he’s finding continuing work and joy as an extra, or sometimes...

Send us Fan Mail Nancy Barker took piano lessons as young girl and says, "I absolutely hated it. But I could sing." She discovered her path in music when a high school boyfriend gave her a guitar for her birthday. She loved guitar and taught herself to play. For her next birthday that boyfriend gave her a dulcimer. That was her next heartfelt connection to music, one that continues to ca...

Send us Fan Mail Sally Hindman was expected to be a debutante. She nixed that idea when she was a junior in high school. She told her mother she didn't want to be presented to society. Her chosen path veered dramatically away from her childhood in a wealthy Chicago suburb. One defining experience was when Hindman was six years old and the family cleaning lady listened with her to Martin Luthe...

Send us Fan Mail It's bringing joy day-by-day that keeps Nick Wilkins thriving as a professional clown 51 years into living his dream. The 67-year-old entertainer, balloon artist and entrepreneur based in Bowling Green, Kentucky got his early training in the family magic show. Then he  trained and worked at Ringling Bros. Barnum  & Bailey Circus in Florida. Returning to Kentucky, he grew...