Erika Arlee and Kristi Ray are kindred spirits. A casting call on Craigslist brought them together a decade ago, sparking a friendship that helped launch their production company, Honey Head Films. Their mission is to tell strong stories from the often-overlooked female perspective. The duo’s debut feature film, the multi award-winning A Song for Imogene, is resonating with festival audiences across the country.

When Jessica Holmes took the oath of office to become North Carolina’s State Auditor in December 2023, she added another “first” to her growing list of accomplishments. It’s even more impressive when you learn Jessica Holmes experienced homelessness as a child while growing up in Pender County. But thanks to adults who took the time to care, several life-changing moments sent Jessica on her path toward public office, and public service.

Kayla Thompson had success as a member of the West Bladen High School and UNCW women’s golf teams. Since turning professional in 2019, Kayla has chased the dream of earning her card and playing on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. After several years of ups and downs, Kayla has now earned the chance to take her game to the next level, and she’s working harder than ever to make it happen. 

Kody Kinsley’s life came full circle in 2023. The man who grew up in Wilmington without health insurance helped roll out a program that will provide coverage for 600,000 North Carolinians. That’s the latest accomplishment for the state’s Health and Human Services Secretary, whose career of firsts has combined his two passions, health care and public service.

Terry Hayes found international success when his 2014 debut novel I am Pilgrim became a critically-acclaimed best seller. But in achieving his lifelong ambition, the former journalist and Hollywood screenwriter suddenly found himself in an abyss, searching for the emotional drive to take readers on another page-turning thriller ride. Now, with The Year of the Locust, Hayes has found his groove again, delivering a masterful, suspense-filled espionage story that breaks the mold of today’s spy genre.

Jim Shockey is considered one of the world’s best outdoor sportsmen. He’s taken audiences along on wildlife adventure television shows, and led hunting expeditions and conservation efforts into some of the most remote locations on earth. Shockey’s passion for folk and tribal art can be seen in the Hand of Man Museum in his native Canada. Shockey has now embarked on a new adventure, as an author, with his debut thriller, Call Me Hunter, and he wants you to dig and find the fiction.  

In the decade since the death of New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy, Don Bentley is one of the novelists that have continued to bring life to Clancy’s characters. Tom Clancy: Weapons Grade, Bentley’s newly-released fourth thriller featuring Jack Ryan, Jr., ends one chapter in the former Army Apache helicopter pilot’s writing career, while another is about to begin as he takes over writing for another well-known character, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp.

Takayo Siddle and Nicole Woods have a lot more in common than being head basketball coaches at UNC Wilmington. They both grew up in North Carolina, played high school and college basketball in the state, and worked as assistant coaches at in-state universities before landing their first head coaching jobs in Wilmington. Woods hopes to add another similarity, by rebuilding the Seahawk women’s hoops program that has fallen on tough times. Siddle did it with the men’s team, and he thinks it won’t be long before Woods has the same success.

While most little league baseball players dream about making the major leagues, that’s never been enough for Walker Jenkins. Setbacks like not making the all-star team as a six-year-old have fueled his competitive fire to work harder and be better than everyone who has played the game. It made him a top draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, and earned him a multi-million dollar signing bonus. Now the teenager from Oak Island is getting his chance at pro ball, and his plans don’t include striking out. 

At the height of America’s civil rights movement, a school board vote closed the only all-Black high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Generations of families had graduated from Williston Senior High School since its’ inception in 1866. But, in June 1968, facing the possibility of losing federal funding over the school system’s delayed desegregation plan, the New Hanover County Board of Education abruptly closed Williston Senior High, forcing around 900 students to attend mostly-White high schools to complete their education. Now, 55 years later, the community is working to heal the wound caused by that decision.