It’s time for Arts, Culture, Et Cetera, where LPM’s Giselle Rhoden shares what’s new in arts and culture around Louisville.
This week, Giselle’s talking with LPM’s Amina Elahi about the latest in and around LPM.
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
Amina Elahi: It has been a tough month here in Louisville so far.
Giselle Rhoden: Yeah, it has since the UPS plane crash at Louisville's airport. Last week, 14 people died, and many people's lives have changed. And I hope that everyone is taking care of themselves during this time. And if you need any more information about what happened, you can check out our coverage.
AE: I'm really proud of the work that our newsroom has done, and all local media have done in the last more than a week, covering that unexpected event. But one story that really stood out to me as a parent was Michelle Tyrene Johnson's interview with a child psychologist about how to talk about that incident with kids. It really kind of came out of conversation in our newsroom about the fact that those of us with little kids had. We had questions because — for example — my son, he's four. He heard something about a plane, and he loves vehicles, and he wanted to know what happened. And so it's a great resource for just thinking about talking about difficult subjects in general, but this incident in particular, and I would really encourage people to go find that and listen to it.
GR: Yeah, of course. It's great that we have this available to families, especially the ones that need it. And I think right now, we could all use some more positive news in our lives. And I'd like to think that Arts, Culture, Et Cetera does some of that.
AE: Yeah, I love that it's an ACE week. It's gonna give us a little bit of a mental break. So tell us what we need to know.
GR: Yeah, of course. So the Kentucky Opera has a new permanent CEO. His name's Ben Robinson. He actually comes from Anchorage, Alaska, and their opera company. He's coming back to Kentucky after being a studio artist here to take that new role. Also, we got some updates from the Main Library, which will be closed for renovation starting on Dec. 1, and those renovations are going to take up to a year to complete. So city officials are letting folks know what resources they can get from the library, how they can get them somewhere else in Louisville. We also have the Filson Historical Society, their ongoing exhibit called “Black Homecoming.” It's a 200-photo collection of different types of families in the Black community. So we've got a lot lined up for stories this week.
AE: Yeah, it seems like there's kind of something for everyone in there. Tell us more about what's going on with our music stations here at LPM.
GR: Yeah, sure. So New Lens is back at 21c Museum Hotel on Nov. 16, with pianist Rachel Grimes. She'll be performing her score from “The Doctor of India” and some tunes from Henry Hart. We've also got “Kyle Meredith with” coming back. This time around, WFPK’s Kyle Meredith spoke with two actresses Erika Christensen and Penelope Ann Miller about their new film, “After All.” So we've got a wide array of things from our music stations as well.
AE: Yeah, I love that. It's kind of crossing from live music to recorded to film. You know, we've got a little bit of everything. What else is on your radar happening around Louisville, maybe outside our walls?
GR: Of course. So we have a few days left of Louisville Pizza Week. So there's 21 pizza joints around Louisville that are participating this year, and you can grab what they call a “pizza passport” to enter to win some prizes when you go visit some of those locations. We've also got an early Christmas in NULU for Jingle Fest. There'll be live holiday music, wreath-making classes, cookie decorating, a petting zoo and so many other things. That's going to be on Saturday, Nov. 15. We've also had Black Queer Power Hour if you're looking for some new local music. I know I'm always looking for something new to listen to. WUOL’s Maiya Moon and some other local artists are going to be showing off their new music, as well as some local food. And they're also collecting canned goods — pull-tab only, is what I've been told — and some personal health supplies for those in need this time of year. That's going to be on Friday, Nov. 28 from 7 - 11:30 p.m. and people can RSVP online.
AE: Thanks for running that down for us.
GR: Yeah, absolutely!
