Constance Alexander: August is ‘Make a Will Month,’ an often uneasy, yet vital task to protect your family
Imagine a distinguished, elderly attorney in a dark-paneled office. A clutch of potential inheritors is seated around his desk. There…
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Constance Alexander: High school English teachers ask for ideas and support in key areas
When secondary school teachers speak up, the Department of English and Philosophy at Murray State University listens. The result of…
Constance Alexander: More than a beach book, ‘At the Breakers’ eases the loss of another summer
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but another summer just ended. When the door slammed the other day,…
Constance Alexander: Recent flooding inspires poetry, wreaks havoc and spawns teamwork
The litany of devastation in Eastern Kentucky has a cadence all its own: Quicksand, Bulan, Neon, Hiner, Martin, Fisty, Hueysville,…
Constance Alexander: Podcast asks big questions about rural life from the ‘Middle of Everywhere’
When he was growing up in rural Murray, Austin Carter admits he was eager to escape his hometown and get…
Constance Alexander: When it comes down to who’s really most afraid, it’s all a matter of perspective
The other morning, still puffy-eyed and sullen from sleep, I was in the produce section of a local super-store, stroking…
Constance Alexander: Maintaining a connection to and taking pride in our roots, rural or otherwise
Born and raised in suburban New Jersey, of parents who were both city people, I had no notion of “rural”…
Constance Alexander: This year’s Independence Day fireworks represent a ‘me too’ moment
Born on the first of July, I celebrated the 4th like it was my own personal holiday when I was…
Constance Alexander: There is no ‘happily ever after’ for the fairy tale princesses in ‘Disenchanted’
Once upon a time this past weekend, four fairy tale princesses vacated their respective castles and stepped on stage at…
Constance Alexander: Recent violent events highlight need to reassess community mental health resources
Mental Health Awareness Month has come and gone, but violent events of the past few weeks have left many of…
Constance Alexander: Even a fourth grader can see continued inaction on guns doesn’t make sense
Ten years old. The year I mastered Double Dutch and long division. I remember it well. My best friends were…
Constance Alexander: Aspiring journalists chronicle Western Ky. tornado through ‘270 Stories’ project
December 10, 2021, was the last day of finals week at Murray State University in Western Kentucky. By 3 p.m.,…
Constance Alexander: Art, business forge connections through SBDC workshop
Ask any individual or group how creativity affects their business, or how their business incorporates creativity, and then be prepared…
Constance Alexander: Those ‘old enough to know better’ should have grace to know enough is enough
For most of us, aging with grace is a goal. Reaping the benefits of life experience, we aspire to be…
Constance Alexander: Calloway County history includes out-of-the-ordinary and commonplace
Murders in Calloway County Kentucky are few and, literally, far between, so when Lube Martin, a Black man, killed Guthrie…
Constance Alexander: ‘Pandemic Lent’ a stunning collection of short poems that packs a punch
When I was a Catholic schoolgirl, the nuns insisted we should suffer through Lent, and we complied in our own…
Constance Alexander: Celebrating National Poetry Month with ‘the magic of brevity’
Katerina Stoykova speaks with soft-spoken authority, the flutter of her r’s an indication that she is not a native Kentuckian….
Constance Alexander: Celebrating poetry’s integral role in our culture during National Poetry Month
My passion for poetry started with nursery rhymes my mother recited to me before I could read. Humpty Dumpty, Peter…
Constance Alexander: Personal and professional journeys merge, pave path to road less-traveled
When Mary Thorsby enters a room, she exudes the natural geniality of an extrovert. With a ready smile and a…
Constance Alexander: Devastating tornados left future of Mayfield arts community in limbo
Between November 13 and December 18, the Ice House Gallery in downtown Mayfield was exhibiting “Impressions,” an array of creative…
Constance Alexander: Celebrating bell hooks, west Kentucky writer with international audience
The other day I easily exceeded my daily goal of 10,000 steps in the most unlikely spot, the Murray State…
Constance Alexander: Hats off to writer Hilma Wolitzer, a woman who persists at the age of 91
Goddess of the rueful chuckle, provocateuse of domestic drudgery, flaunter of feminine/feminist angst, writer Hilma Wolitzer has been a hero…