Cover photograph by Andrea Morales; cover design by Brian Groppe.
The maddest part of March 2021 may be that we’ve been living through the COVID-19 era for an entire year now. Here at Memphis magazine, most of our people have been working at home, most of the time, since this time last year. Despite sporadic cleanup efforts, our office continues to be a time capsule. Months ago, I dragged the potted plants, all quite dead, to the trash. (Before members of the potted-plant lobby come after me: Trust me. These plants were beyond help.) A handful of us still spend time in the company’s Downtown space. Our team spans the age spectrum, and the health spectrum, not to mention members of the media aren’t on any vaccine priority list in Tennessee. We miss the spontaneous conversations, and the kinds of collaboration that can’t be accomplished over Zoom. We’re getting closer — tantalizingly so, as more and more people receive vaccine doses — but at least for a little while longer, the office will stay quiet.
Over the past year, we’ve become accustomed to conducting interviews in new ways. For this month’s cover story, I spoke with Andrea Morales over Zoom. Morales is a photographer, a storyteller, and a connector; she’s visuals director of MLK50 and has shot for a host of national and regional publications. When we talked, she was in her apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, while I sat in my study at home in Midtown. In one of the many weird paradoxes of the pandemic, I find myself inside other people’s homes on a near-daily basis—an immediate intimacy that can feel alternately invasive and inviting, lovely and lonely. (I never imagined I would meet so many dogs and cats, and yet — because I only see them over screens — pat the heads of so few new four-legged friends.)
The profile of Morales is part of a series we’ve been producing for a number of years, called “The Mind’s Eye.” The series highlights local photographers and their work; past stories have featured Ernest Withers, Ziggy Mack, Brandon Dill, Jamie Harmon, Willy Bearden, Karen Pulfer Focht, Saj Crone, Murray Riss, and Bob Williams. I’m honored to share Morales’ story and her work this month. We will post the article tomorrow, but I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy of the magazine on a local newsstand, or — better yet — subscribing. Subscriptions are central to our business, and we would love to add your name to our mailing list. We’ll do our best to bring you stories each month that will enhance your relationship with Memphis, and deepen your understanding of our city’s people, places, and happenings.
This month, for instance, the magazine includes a story by Jon Sparks on the UrbanArt Commission, Jesse Davis’ journey through Arkansas (remembered and present-day), and Chris McCoy’s collection of spotlights on pandemic heroes. Plus, Jesse reviews Deborah Douglas’ new book, U.S. Civil Rights Trail, and Vance Lauderdale tells us all about the Goodwin Sign Company. Ever wondered what’s going on with the 100 North Main building? Vance has got you covered as well. We also bring you the 2021 Faces of the Mid-South — a promotional section you may actually want to read!
You’ll see all that and more if you return to this digital space in the days ahead, so stay tuned. There’s just something about holding a magazine in your hands, though. Think about it? We’d be grateful. And thanks for reading.
