Every year, the same shock: I look down for a moment in mid-summer; when I glance back up, somehow, it’s October, which means soon we’ll need to think about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, a new year. So audacious, isn’t it, for time to keep urging us forward, the calendar to keep scrolling ahead?
But first, before I find myself fast-forwarding, living at 2x speed — first, we get to slow down time in the deep breath of October, arguably the best and most lustrous month of them all. God, I love October — the air begins to crisp, the trees consider a wardrobe change, the dogs put on their undercoats. And we humans (or at least this human!) find ourselves pausing to consider what’s been left undone.
Publishing a magazine 12 times a year will make a person keenly aware of time’s limitations. We don’t get all that many opportunities to present you with a new cover, a new collection of stories.
Somehow, it’s October, and somehow, this magazine has been in production for 50 and one-half years now — and in that time, we’ve never once(!) featured David Porter on our cover. Until now! Porter, of course, is the legendary songwriter whose talents helped define the Stax era of Memphis music, and who has continued to write music and create opportunities throughout his almost 85 years.
Think of it: The man has spanned such eras in Memphis as to have grown up with Booker T. Jones, written or co-written (often with Isaac Hayes) songs for Sam & Dave and Carla Thomas, and to have been sampled by folks you may have heard of, too, such as Mariah Carey and The Notorious B.I.G. Porter is, in short, a big deal — and a big deal who has, for all of his fame and success, chosen to stay grounded in Memphis.
However you spend the fleeting days of October, I hope you find a few moments to slow down time (ideally with a magazine in hand!).
We have an unwritten rule around our editorial table, you see: In order for us to write a cover story about a person, that person needs to maintain an active, ongoing relationship with our city. Routinely, we’re pitched stories about folks — interesting, talented, successful folks — who spent time in Memphis, but waved goodbye long before “making it.”
No shade on those people, and we’re glad to count them as city alumni — because living here is, indeed, an education — but we focus our limited number of covers on those who continue choosing Memphis in one way or another. Oh, they don’t have to spend every waking moment in the same place — but if someone went to middle school in the 901 and hasn’t been back since, sorry, but we won’t be spotlighting that person on the cover of Memphis Magazine.
Speaking of people who spend every waking moment in the same place — we’ve got a few stories for you this month about souls who have taken that idea to the extreme, by refusing to leave, even beyond the limits of mortality. YES, I’m talking about ghosts. (It’s October, after all — spooky szn!)
This month’s Habitats feature is about a very lovely and historic home — that just so happens to be, allegedly, quite haunted. As most ghost stories are, at their core, this one’s also a love story — don’t miss it. And, if you’re thinking about pausing your hectic autumn schedule for a road-trip respite, we have a couple ideas for places you can reach easily by car — and where you are liable to be greeted by even more ghosts. A spooky cave, a night at a spirit-filled hotel … fun times, but don’t say we didn’t warn you if a ghost hangs onto your bumper on the ride home.
However you spend the fleeting days of October, I hope you find a few moments to slow down time (ideally with a magazine in hand!).
