Read all about Liz Banko, chair of Carnaval, and so much more in this month’s issue! Happy February!

MORGAN FREEMAN TO ACCEPT AWARD AT THE OXFORD AMERICAN’S FIRST-EVER BEST OF THE SOUTH GALA
Magazine also will present new $10,000 literary prize

-Nigel Parry

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Feb. 2, 2010) — Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman will accept The Oxford American’s inaugural award for Outstanding Contributions to Southern Culture at the magazine’s first-ever Best of the South Gala in Little Rock on Saturday, April 3, 2010.
 
Freeman was nominated this morning for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film “Invictus”.

“We are very pleased that Morgan Freeman will be the first recipient of this award, which we hope will create a long-standing pantheon of great Southern cultural figures,” said Warwick Sabin, the publisher of The Oxford American.  “He was our first choice for this recognition, not only because of his remarkable career and accomplishments, but because he has remained involved with his community in Mississippi and has done so much to improve it.”
 
In addition, The Oxford American announced that is attaching a new $10,000 prize to its award for Lifetime Achievement in Southern Literature, which also will be presented at the Best of the South Gala.  The first award was bestowed in 2006 to the novelist Donald Harington, who recently passed away.  This year’s winner will be named in the coming weeks.
 
The entire Capital Hotel — including all of the public and private rooms — are reserved for this special event.  Only a limited number of tickets will be available for the evening, which will include a pre-event VIP reception, a cocktail reception, a four-course dinner, and a special awards program featuring celebrity entertainment.  The food will be curated by John T. Edge (the James Beard award-winning expert on Southern cuisine), and prepared by Lee Richardson, the Capital Hotel’s executive chef.
 
“We envision a lively and fun event that reflects the character and personality of The Oxford American, highlighting music, literature, food, art, and other creative expressions of Southern
 culture,” Sabin said.  “It will be a sophisticated and entertaining affair anchored by celebrity presenters.”
 
Cindy and Chip Murphy and Riley Lipschitz are chairing the awards gala, which will raise money to support the operations of the magazine, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  Tickets begin at $500, and tables of ten also can be purchased.
 
Glazer’s is the gala wine and spirits sponsor.
 
More details about the event available at http://gala.oxfordamerican.org <http://gala.oxfordamerican.org/> .

ABOUT MORGAN FREEMAN

Morgan Freeman is an Academy Award-winning actor whose voice and presence has become ubiquitous in American culture. He spent his childhood in the Mississippi Delta, around Charleston and Greenwood, and he never forgot his roots there. Today he owns the Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi restaurant in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he remains active in the community. He encouraged and financed the first integrated prom in Charleston in 2008, an event documented in the film, “Prom Night in Mississippi.”
 
Freeman was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2008, and in 2007 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.
 
From the recent film “Invictus”, to the “Batman” films, to “Million Dollar Baby,” “Amistad,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Glory,” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” Morgan Freeman has been a leading Hollywood figure for the last three decades. But his life began in the South, and he embodies the very best of Southern culture.
 
ABOUT THE OXFORD AMERICAN

The Oxford American is a national magazine based in Arkansas that is dedicated to featuring the very best in Southern writing while documenting the complexity and vitality of the American South.  Billed as “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing,” it has won two National Magazine Awards and other high honors since it began publication in 1992. The magazine has featured the original work of such literary powerhouses as Charles Portis, Roy Blount, Jr., ZZ Packer, Donald Harington, Donna Tartt, Ernest J. Gaines, and many other distinguished authors, while also discovering and launching the most promising writers in the region. The magazine has also published previously unseen work by such Southern masters as William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Walker Percy, James Agee, Zora Neale Hurston, James Dickey, Carson McCullers, to name just a handful. The New York Times recently stated that The Oxford American “may be the liveliest literary magazine in America.”
 
More information at http://www.oxfordamerican.org <http://www.oxfordamerican.org/>

Support Haiti Relief and Recovery Efforts

(Little Rock) Hosted by Governor Mike Beebe and First Lady Ginger Beebe, a group of Arkansas’ finest musicians and visual artists are coming together for a benefit concert on Friday, February 5, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to midnight at the Statehouse Convention Center in Downtown Little Rock.

“The global outpouring of aid has been tremendous,” said Stacy Sells of Cranford, Johnson, Robinson and Woods. “However, a beautiful thing has happened – a group of Arkansas’ most talented musicians and artists were seeking a way to have their own tribute here in Arkansas for Arkansans to somewhat celebrate the spirit of endurance we’re watching from abroad in Haiti - and to celebrate the spirit of Arkansans who always seem to rise to the occasion. So while there’s been a global outpouring of aid, today we’re announcing Arkansans for Haiti Relief.”

Featured bands include: Charity Vance, The Rockets, The GroanUps, Tragikly White, Kemistri featuring Nicky Parrish, Jim Murphy, Alex Edmonds, Crisis! and First Impressions. More bands are expected to be announced as the weeks progress. In addition, visual artists will donate their works to raise money through a silent auction.

“Music has always been the universal language of the world,” said Phillip Wallace who spoke for The Rockets. “It transcends language, cultures and religions.  It’s one of the most unique characteristics of mankind that can bring us all together at times of crisis. I can’t think of another occasion when this many Arkansas bands of this caliber have formed on behalf of the same event.”

Ivan Noisette is a Master’s Candidate at the Clinton School of Public Service and another organizing member of Arkansans4HaitiRelief.com. His family is from Haiti and he says the images of destruction are difficult to take.

“It’s just heartbreaking,” said Noisette.  “I immediately thought of my grandfather, my aunts and uncles, my nieces and nephews as well as cousins and family friends and tears came to my eyes – you don’t know what to do.”

Buying a ticket is easy – just make a suggested $25 or more contribution to the Clinton Bush Haiti Relief Fund.

“On behalf of the Clinton Foundation we are pleased and honored to partner with this great group,” said Jordan Johnson, spokesman for the Clinton Foundation. “The City of Little Rock, the Little Rock Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Peabody, all the talented musicians and artists we can’t thank them enough.”

Imagine going home after a cold, windy day, longing only to put on a warm robe and snuggle in for the night. However, your old robe is warn and just doesn’t provide that extra bit of comfort. Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions has you covered – literally. Its winter clearance promises 60 percent off of selected sleepwear, pajamas, robes and casual wear. Barbara Graves is located at Breckinridge Village in Little Rock and can be contacted at (501) 227-5537. So don’t waste one more second of comfort and head on over to Barbara Graves and take advantage of this awesome clearance!

Calling all starving artists! Looking for that perfect spot to create your masterpieces? Look no more. The THEA Foundation is proud to present a new program called THEArts. This venue will be located in the Argenta Art District and will feature a space for artists to create their art, display it and sell it. There is approximately 90-120 square feet of semi-private studio space, with three to five studio spaces available. The studio spaces are available for only $250-$325 per month, with utilities paid. If you are serious about your art, check out THEArts.

When you’re out shopping with your girlfriends, do you ever wish you could find that model look? Look no farther than Barbara/Jean at 7811 Cantrell Road in Little Rock. Save 50 percent on Fall Runway Styles and through Saturday take an extra 25 percent off! Barbara/Jean not only has designer clothes, but they’ve got you covered from head to toe with shoes, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics and skincare. Don’t waste another minute trying to get that perfect look – it’s waiting for you at Barbara/Jean. Visit Barbara/Jean on the web at www.barbarajean.com or call 501-227-0054.

Meet our intern!

Katelyn Pohlkamp comes to our office from Little Rock Christian High School, where she is a junior. She has helped us this first week of the New Year and will be with us through next week. What a help she has been as we schedule photo shoots, interviews and fashion for our February issue!

Katelyn is interested in fashion, art, design and shopping. What a perfect fit here at Inviting! She says she has really enjoyed the opportunity to work with us because it’s helping her in her quest to experience future careers.