The author of nine books, Roy Morris Jr. can't name his favorite. "It's sort of like asking, 'who's your favorite child?'" he says. So it's a good thing that the Southern Lit Alliance Barnett Prize for Local Distinguished Author - which he just won - is based on the collection of one's literary works.

Any Sunday trip to the Chattanooga Market will tell you that the Scenic City is filled with talented creatives.

Move over, Pat Sajak. There's a new game show host in town whose newest gig will give him a clean sweep of successes in television, film, social media, print, recording and streaming media. Meet Chattanooga native Leslie Jordan.

2-13: Off the Wall: Modeled after the Hunter Museum's wildly popular Spectrum fundraiser comes a new event with a 2020 twist plus an unexpected one.

If you're like me, staying home during the pandemic has meant staying constantly connected to various screens. From early-morning Zoom meetings to phone calls on my morning walks to scrolling social media and streaming movies in the evenings, it's difficult for me to recall a time spent in the absence of some sort of digital device.

When asked to create a cocktail for Chatter's Homegrown Issue, Chattanooga Whiskey bar manager Katelin Rutter envisioned a drink that captures the essence of Chattanooga's revitalization. The result is the Chattanooga Mule, a whiskey-based take on the vodka-filled Moscow Mule.

At the Chattanooga Market, dressed in her Sunday best, Meredith Garrett sat at her typewriter. Next to her, a small vintage trunk lay open, displaying crumpled bills and a wooden sign, which read "poet for hire."

A visit to Rock City has always felt like a trip back in time for me. The new trailside additions being phased in also help make it feel like a journey to another world.

Every Friday night for more than 40 years, bluegrass and folk musicians of all ages and levels of experience would take the stage at the Walden's Ridge Civic League building on Signal Mountain, the longtime home of the Mountain Opry.

The weekend of Oct. 9 not only provided a glimmer of hope that we might be opening back up when it comes to entertainment events in the area, it gave us a look at what things might look like, at least for the foreseeable future.

The pandemic has changed many things about the way we live, play and work. Perhaps the most unexpected has been our shifting perspective on food: how to get it, how to prepare it and, for many, how best to dispose of what's left behind.

Pumpkin pie, with its thick orange custard, fragrant spices and flaky crust, has been a powerhouse on the holiday menu ever since the Pilgrims gathered for the first Thanksgiving. But as ubiquitous as pumpkin pie has become over the past several hundred Thanksgivings we've celebrated in America, traditional pumpkin pie — that recipe found on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can and one many of us can make from memory — has become a rather uninspired offering.

Michael Robinson thrives in chaos - likely a result of his upbringing.

I recently participated in my first web-based seminar, or webinar, while visiting my mother in Kentucky.

Being stuck at home has converted even the most kitchen-phobic among us into home cooks. And those of us who've long loved to cook have been willing to try new recipes and techniques during the coronavirus pandemic.

Made with fresh-brewed sweet tea and a mix of juices, Edley's Bourbon Tea is the ideal cocktail for the social event of the season: a socially distanced cookout.

Before the words "pandemic" and "social distancing" became part of our everyday vocabulary, cooking classes were fun nights out that we could spend with friends to learn new recipes, tips and techniques. But the stay-at-home rule changed everything.

Feel that slight bit of chill in the air after the sun goes down? The one that makes you want to wrap yourself in a blanket, light a match and let the fireplace come alive once again?

Whenever you can't have something, you're guaranteed to want it more. With the coronavirus putting many of the things we love out of reach, we can take solace in the fact that the internet allows us to get practically anything delivered to our doorsteps — even amidst a pandemic. And for a foodie like me, that's a big comfort.

When coronavirus lockdowns closed restaurants and interrupted the supply chain to grocery stores, our kitchens became the nexus of our food world. Suddenly we were faced with the realities of full-time food preparation. Of panic buying and food shortages. Of the urge to stockpile foods and waste nothing.

Both provide entertainment, and arguably sustenance.

Eat your heart out with the help of this month's foodie finds.

In the very best of times, opening a successful new restaurant is a herculean effort requiring unlimited energy, patience, organizational skills, adaptability and an ability to laser-focus on the things that have to be done yesterday.