The State of Things

When poet Jon Thompson considers the American landscape and culture, he often finds himself scratching his head, thinking, “This is a strange place we live in.” Thompson has been reflecting on America’s unique scenery, people and passions, and this inspired him to write a collection of poems called “ Strange Country ” (Shearsman Books/2016).

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the North Carolina General Assembly violated the constitution by relying too heavily on race in drawing two congressional districts. The decision upholds a lower-court ruling that struck down maps drawn in 2011 by a Republican-led legislature.

Every year thousands of low-income students in North Carolina who achieve “superior” scores on end-of-grade tests are excluded from advanced programs, according to a recent report. The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer reported that high-achieving, low-income students are left out of advanced classes at a higher rate than their wealthier classmates with the same test scores.

For Zelda Lockhart , writing is part of the healing process. She used her experience writing her own novel and leading writing workshops for other women to create a guide on writing for closure. Her new book “ The Soul of the Full-Length Manuscript: Turning Life’s Wounds Into the Gift of Literary Fiction, Memoir or Poetry " (Lavenson Press Studios/2017) encourages self-expression of multiple genres to create healing for authors and the characters they create.

Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Chuck Davis died earlier this month at the age of 80. Davis was considered America’s master of African dance. He formed the Chuck Davis Dance Company in New York in the 1960s and later built the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham.

A 3 a.m. vote at the state legislature last week resulted in the sudden transfer of $1 million from education, nutrition and cultural programs to pilot programs combating opioid addiction. T he money was taken exclusively from districts represented by Democrats.

About six years ago, twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother decided to team up with their friend Anita Bias to form the musical group KING . Little did they know the trio would soon cross paths with Prince and eventually receive a Grammy nomination.

Phil Cook has become a fixture in the Triangle music scene since moving to North Carolina from Wisconsin more than a decade ago. His love for collaboration means he has lent his writing, production, and multi-instrumental skills to countless projects.

A noncompete agreement is designed to prevent an employee from leaving his or her employer to work for a competitor. For decades, many companies required senior management to sign those agreements to protect information about the inner workings of their organizations. However, noncompete agreements are becoming more common down the economic ladder, barring blue-collar workers’ mobility and bargaining power in the workplace.

When it comes to relations between the United States and Russia, it can be hard to tease out the politics from the personalities. Sovietologist and political scientist William Taubman has made this task into something of a specialty. He has studied Russian language, politics and culture for 50 years, and is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the biography, " Khrushchev: The Man and his Era " (W.W. Norton & Co./2003).