Atlantan Charles Parrott
Location: Kennesaw State University
Date taken: August 9, 2012
Charles Parrott was never very skilled at or interested in farm chores, such as feeding livestock, driving a tractor or tending to crops. He grew up on a farm located outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, but the world he really enjoyed living in was an imaginary one. From the day dreams of his childhood to high school speech contests to an eventual Ph.D. in performance studies, his career path was obvious.
“I didn’t have any other choice. This is the only thing I was ever good at,” Charles says. “I love living in that heady, ethereal world. I can’t do my taxes, but I love talking about the relationship between you and your coffee mug.”
Today, Charles teaches performance studies at Kennesaw State University and directs the school’s storytelling troupe. He’s training future culture makers in not only performance techniques but in social inquiry, understanding human behavior as performance and its impact on culture. And, Charles will tell you that he lives and breathes his work. “I have no hobbies. No golf. No fantasy football,” he says. “The only thing I’m really interested in is going to see weird things happen on stage and occasionally doing it myself.”
Looking for performance art around Atlanta? Charles recommends the following: Write Club, Naked City, Moth Radio Hour, Java Monkey, Apache Café, Carapace, Flux, GloATL and the Goat Farm.
Stroll around a Southern town square
Location: Marietta Square
Date taken: August 9, 2012
The Marietta Square, also known as Glover Park, is home to dozens of restaurants, antique shops, art galleries and the Strand Theatre, which first opened in 1935 as a motion picture house. During the Civil War, the town center became famous because it was where the Great Locomotive Chase began.
Atlantan Kim Steen
Location: Intown Tumbling
Date taken: July 31, 2012
Chalk. Sweat. Gym mats. Those are the scents that send Kim Steen down memory lane. The Stone Mountain native spent most of her childhood and teenage years in competitive gymnasts. She would leave school early several days a week and head to the gym for five hours of practice. On the weekends, she traveled with her Atlanta School of Gymnastics teammates to competitions. For Kim, the gym was her second home. Her teammates and coaches, who she called by their first names, became part of her family.
When I asked Kim why she first fell in love with gymnastics, she replied, “Who doesn’t love to flip?” When I asked Kim why she loves teaching gymnastics, she said, “I love helping kids get stronger, more flexible, improve their coordination and just have fun.”
As soon as her competitive gymnastics career ended at age 18, Kim started teaching gymnastics. And, two years ago, after recognizing that there were no gymnastics classes being offered in town, she started Intown Tumbling. Now, Kim teaches gymnastics (and yoga) in a non-competitive environment and creates a community for her students that is similar to the one of her childhood gym — but in a more intimate setting. She said, “I want this to be a place where kids feel good about themselves and welcome.”
Intown Tumbling, located in the Poncey-Highlands neighborhood, offers classes for kids ages 2-14, summer camps, yoga and birthday parties.
Climb a mountain for a panoramic view
Location: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Date taken: August 9, 2012
Growing up in Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain was a frequent destination for hiking, a little bit of history and spending the day outside. I often spent time with my best friend at her grandparents’ house, which was located at the base of the mountain. We would climb to the top and try to spot their tiny green house below. Then, we would wander around their backyard with her grandfather, watching him use his metal detector to locate and dig up Civil War artifacts. I learned about the Civil War in school, but seeing him pull a button or a bullet out of the ground provided a different sort of history lesson.
Take yourself out to a ballgame
Location: Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field
Date taken: August 14, 2012
In 1991, the “worst to first” Atlanta Braves lost the World Series, but the city threw them a parade anyway. The parade was held on a Tuesday, and my high school emptied out in the middle of the day as everyone headed downtown. I recall piling into my mom’s minivan with several friends. Wearing our Braves gear, we couldn’t wait to watch our favorite players ride by in the parade (mine was Tom Glavine). It was a great day to be an Atlantan. The Braves had come a long way since the 1980s, when going to a game usually meant you had an entire section of Fulton County Stadium to yourself. These days, the crowd at Turner Field is quite a bit bigger than in the 1980s. And, I’m sure if you asked them, they’d say they are ready for another parade.
Experience the adage ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’
Location: My Favorite Place
Date taken: August 1, 2012
My Favorite Place is truly my favorite flea market in Atlanta. There are aisles and aisles of furniture, dishes, purses, sports equipment, books, toys, random collectables and the occasional mounted deer head — all stacked on top of each other. Unfortunately, the name of the store has resulted in numerous “Who’s On First” conversations over the years:
Friend: “That’s a great lamp. Where did you get it?”
Me: “My Favorite Place. It was only $13!”
Friend: “Wow. Nice deal. Now, where did you buy it?”
Me: “My Favorite Place. It’s in Chamblee near the car dealerships.”
Friend: “I realize this is your favorite place, but what is the actual name of the store?”
Me: “I am telling you the name — My Favorite Place!”
Watch writers compete in a battle of words
Location: Write Club at PushPush Theater
Date taken: July 11, 2012
The first time I heard about Write Club and its seven-minute bouts, I envisioned a few different scenarios − writers assigned a topic and writing a story in seven minutes; writers throwing sentences (like punches) back and forth; writers sitting with paper and pens (computers would be too dangerous) in a giant boxing ring. The reality is that Write Club is set up better than I imagined. The monthly event features three rounds. The writing is carefully crafted beforehand (fiction, non-fiction, poetry) and delivered in seven minutes. The audience is lively and loud. And the winner of each round (by audience vote) selects a charity where proceeds are donated.
And, if you are wondering about the photo … the boxing gloves are just a prop. The clock is not.
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