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Send us Fan Mail Cara Sullivan drops in to discuss her journey as a Theater Director, her role at Athens Creative Theater, and some upcoming shows including a Shakespeare in the Park production.  You can find info about upcoming shows at: https://www.accgov.com/646/Shows BIO: Cara Rose Sullivan is the Program Specialist (Artistic Director) for Athens Creative Theatre. Cara holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from the East 15 Acting School at the University of Essex and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Young Harris College. A lifelong theatre artist, she has been in the performing arts since the age of seven and continues to find her greatest sense of home within the theatre community. Though new to the Athens arts scene, she is thrilled to collaborate with such a passionate creative community. Her recent directing credits include Sylvia, Stonewater Rapture, Sucker Punch, Appropriate (Co-Director), and most recently One Man, Two Guvnors with Athens Creative Theatre, among others. Outside of the theatre, Cara enjoys film, reading, and spending quiet time at home with her beloved dog, Hugo. She extends heartfelt gratitude to her parents, Jackie and Charlie, whose encouragement and presence at every performance have made this journey possible. About ACT:  Athens Creative Theatre (ACT) has been a cornerstone of the Athens community for over 60 years, enriching lives through the power of performance and storytelling. Established in 1966 by University of Georgia Drama professor Jane Quinn, ACT began as part of UGA’s Children’s Theatre and Creative Dramatics classes. These early programs not only nurtured young talent but also provided invaluable hands-on training for graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in Children’s Theatre. Each student-director led a full production, featuring a child cast performing for young audiences—a tradition of mentorship and creativity that remains at the heart of ACT today. Since those humble beginnings, ACT has evolved into a vital cultural and educational asset in the Athens area. After being adopted by the City of Athens’ Leisure Services Department, the theatre expanded its offerings beyond youth productions to include community and university participants. In 2004, Quinn Hall at Memorial Park was dedicated to Athens Creative Theatre and productions also take place at the beautifully restored Morton Theatre in Downtown Athens, where ACT continues to delight audiences with mainstage performances. Seasonally, ACT offers a diverse range of classes and workshops for a variety of ages. Every summer, the theatre hosts multiple theatre camps for students entering grades three through twelve, providing a fun and formative experience in the performing arts. ACT operates as a proud unit of the Arts Division within the Athens-Clarke County Department of Leisure Services. Despite receiving administrative and technical support, ACT thrives as a largely volunteer-driven organization. Community members are invited to contribute their talents in every aspect of theatre—actors, ushers, musicians, designers, builders, designers, choreography, directing, stage management, and front-of-house operations. The ACT team includes: Cara Rose Sullivan, Artistic Director and Program Specialist, Paige Baugher, Stage Manager and Program Leader, and Jeremy Miller, Scenic Artist.

Send us Fan Mail We talk with the founder of one of Athen's most popular new festivals Hauntfest.  Learn from Roseann Harpold  how it all got started and what you can expect at this year's event! For more information about Hauntfest please go to www.hauntfest.net.

Send us Fan Mail This week Niké and Dana join James to discuss the most popular books of 2025, our favorites, and what we are looking forward to in 2026.

Send us Fan Mail This week we are joined by poet, editor and translator Gerald Maa.  Gerald talks about his origins and rise in the literary world and about his current role as editor of The Georgia Review. Enjoyed this conversation? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to help others find the show.  Gerald Maa began as editor and director of the Georgia Review in 2019. Since then, the Review has won, among other things, the National Magazine Awards (fiction and profile writing), the Pulitzer Prize, the Caine Prize, and the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize, reserved for debut publications. In 2010, he founded the arts anti-profit the Asian American Literary Review with Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis, where he served as editor-in-chief until he joined the Georgia Review. His poetry and translation have appeared in places like Poetry, Raritan, and Push Open the Window: Contemporary Poetry from China.  His essays have appeared in places like Criticism, A Sense of Regard: Essays on Poetry and Race, and The Routledge Companion for Ecopoetics.  His work has been supported by places like the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Library of Congress Asian Reading Room, and the Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine.

Send us Fan Mail This week we have a conversation with poet Karla Kelsey who was recently the featured poet for the UGA Diann Blakely Visiting Poet Series.  Karla was a delight to talk with and we hope you will enjoy this conversation as much as we did! Karla Kelsey’s books of poetry books include On Certainty (Omnidawn, 2023), Blood Feather (Tupelo Press, 2020), A Conjoined Book (Omnidawn, 2014), Iteration Nets (Ahsahta, 2010), and Knowledge, Forms, the Aviary (Ahsahta, 2006) selected by Carolyn Forché for the Sawtooth Poetry Prize. Her book of experimental essays, Of Sphere, was selected by Carla Harryman for the 2016 Essay Press Prize. She is the editor of Lost Writings: Two Novels by Mina Loy, (Yale University Press in 2024). Her poet’s novel, Transcendental Factory: For Mina Loy was recently released from Winter Editions. She is the Charles B. Degenstein Professor of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University.

Send us Fan Mail Learn about Vtubing, Resin art and more with local artist Mothrea Immortalis. Bio: "this bug knows some stuff or something like that"

Send us Fan Mail Ixian is a one man tour de force of Post Cyber Grinding Noisey Sludge Techno Industrial Blackened doom based out of Athens, GA. His live shows consist of many machines, and masked mystique. There is an unreasonable amount of music for the amount of time the project has been active that can be found at https://ixian.bandcamp.com.

Send us Fan Mail Novelist and entrepreneur Alissa Huelsman-Bell discusses her journey from Star Trek-inspired storyteller to owner of Thunderfoot Studio, a new film production facility at Wire Park in Watkinsville. Her creative path spans writing 20 published books across multiple genres to building a space where both established and emerging filmmakers can create high-quality content. Bio: Calm like an F-bomb*, Alissa Huelsman-Bell writes books about fierce women rockers who have a hard time keeping their clothes on, gender-swapped Norse gods who don't understand modern idioms, middle-aged hemophobic Bloodwitches, and the occasional murderer. Her aliases include Kendall Grey (ASGARD AWAKENING, HARD ROCK HARLOTS, and JUST BREATHE series) K.G. Green (ASK THE BLOOD series), Kendall Day (FALLING FOR MR. SLATER), Seven Slade (COMING OUT), and she is 1/5 of Thor Cox (GRAFFITI CITY series).   Alissa owns Thunderfoot Studio, a small but mighty virtual production studio in Watkinsville, Georgia. She lives near Athens, Georgia with her dashing geek husband, a one-eyed dachshund that thinks she's a cat, and an incorrigible yet adorable mutt whose ice-blue eyes will steal your heart and hold it for ransom. She is currently writing an independent television show that she plans to shoot at Thunderfoot.   * Detonation manual not included.

Send us Fan Mail Step into the vibrant world of independent cinema as the Athens Film Festival makes its triumphant return for a second year! Founder Chuck Griffin and PR coordinator Blaire Mars take us behind the scenes of this rapidly growing celebration of film that's quickly becoming a cultural cornerstone in the Classic City. For more information on the festival go to athensfilm.com Bio: Chuck Griffin - I'm a Grady Alumni (2009), and studied Telecommunication Arts (now known as "Entertainment and Media Studies"), and got my degree with a concentration in screenwriting. I worked as a script reader for various companies. Despite my main career in software development, I carried my love and appreciation of film into my later years by founding and creating ScriptMother, a screenwriting platform for writers to workshop their script and collaborate with one another. And of course starting the Athens Film Festival in 2024. Blaire Mars - I’m a Public Relations professional with experience spanning the mental health field, ancient history, and sports reporting - each rooted in my love for storytelling, community building, and authentic connection. Currently, I serve as Screenwriting Coordinator for the UGA Industry’s Writer’s Room, where I manage workshops, writer showcases, and creative collaboration. I’m also the writer and director of the short film Lonely is the Muse, set to release this winter, and the PR Coordinator for the Athens Film Festival, where I help amplify local voices and give creatives an audience. I see film festivals as the peak celebration of storytelling and the Athens Film Festival sets the standard to meet.

Send us Fan Mail Our guest today is Tara Heaton — a published author, keynote speaker, and master storyteller whose unforgettable memoir invites readers into a world few can imagine. In Life Minutes: Igniting Joy from the Fire of Heartache, Tara shares her journey as a mother navigating trauma, weaving together raw emotion, surprising humor, and heartfelt insight. Her ability to turn deeply personal experiences into universal truths leaves a lasting imprint on the hearts and minds of readers. Long before publishing this captivating story, Tara was on a mission-driven quest to help her daughter survive a rare seizure disorder. That journey ignited a lifelong obsession with the brain— particularly how it processes memory, emotion, behavior, and change. Drawing from years of study in neuroscience and her background as a business owner and corporate vice president, Tara founded En Pointe Communication and developed her signature platform, Talk to the Brain™. Through workshops, keynotes, coaching, and writing, Talk to the Brain™ helps teams and individuals communicate for connection and influence. Tara teaches neuroscience-based strategies that elevate storytelling, deepen trust, and inspire action — all rooted in how the overstimulated brain best receives information in today’s noisy world. She believes that our greatest success and deepest fulfillment come from our ability to build strong, trusted relationships. You can find Life Minutes wherever books are sold. Learn more at enpointeglobal.com, connect on Instagram @taraheatonauthor, watch her TEDx Talk Is Our Pleasure Killing Our Joy?, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever walked out of a movie theater feeling betrayed by what filmmakers did to your favorite book? Or discovered an incredible novel only after falling in love with its screen adaptation? Our fascinating conversation with Athens librarians Niké and Britton explores the delicate art of transforming written words into visual stories. Britton is also one of the host for the podcast "Here Come the Sequels"; Check it out on all major podcast platforms.

Send us Fan Mail Meet Caleb Zane Hewitt, the creative force behind Triangle Agency, a groundbreaking tabletop role-playing game that's redefining how we think about narrative control and power dynamics at the gaming table. In this wide-ranging conversation, Caleb shares how his unexpected journey from theater kid to professional game master to acclaimed game designer has shaped his unique creative perspective. Caleb Zane Huett is a game designer and author of several books including TRIANGLE AGENCY, TOP ELF, BUSTER, and the IRONSWORD ACADEMY series. He is also the creative director for Haunted Table, publisher of Triangle Agency and other tabletop role-playing games.

Send us Fan Mail Learn about local up and coming filmmaker Chris Pendry.  Chris Pendry is a talented multi-hyphenate artist. From acting on stage, writing new works, and making short films in the UGA Masters in Film Arts program, Chris Pendry has had a busy year making art and adding to our beautiful creative scene. Check out his latest films Chase and This Body is a Test (here are the links to watch): https://youtu.be/Ho9itJEiOiY & https://youtu.be/sPkrFz804XQ.

Send us Fan Mail Kendra Collier shares her journey from horseback riding enthusiast to published children's book author. Her book "Amber's Equestrian Alphabet" began as a high school senior project but quickly became a passion project combining her love for animals with new writing skills. • First fell in love with horses during a trail ride in Tennessee just three years ago • Competes in show jumping and earned second place in her first competition • Created "Amber's Equestrian Alphabet" to teach children the ABCs through horse-themed content • Published through Kindle Direct Publishing with both print and e-book versions available on Amazon • Designed book with rhyming text and horse jokes to keep children engaged • Planning to study wildlife biology in college and hopes to work in animal conservation • Dreams of owning her own farm with horses and creating personal riding trails • Book launch event scheduled for March 29th from 11am-2pm at the Oconee Library Visit www.aeabookseries.com for more information or email [email protected] to connect with Kendra.

Send us Fan Mail What happens when classical elegance meets modern storytelling? Join us as we sit down with the incredibly talented Eva Elarbee, whose journey from a three-year-old in ballet slippers at the Joan Mann Dance Studio to a multifaceted dancer, choreographer, and living history interpreter, is nothing short of inspiring.  Bio : Eva Elarbee is an Athens native with a passion for vintage fashion. She grew up helping at her mom’s costume shop, and from that, developed a deep love for historic textiles. Her favorite eras include the 1890s-1910s and the 1950s. When not restoring items in her vintage collection, Eva enjoys bird watching, playing board games, and working as a dance teacher. She’s looking forward to sharing her collection with the Athens community on March 23rd during her “Getting Dressed” demonstration.