By Barry Wise SmithPhoto by Erica Dortch PhotographyVirginia Brady received her first autoimmune disorder diagnosis when she was in just fourth grade. In middle school, she got another autoimmune diagnosis, and “it just seemed to cascade from there,” Brady says. “It was a never-ending string of autoimmune diagnoses.” Brady was born and raised in Mountain Brook, … [Read more...]
King Ree Takes the Throne: Ree Sherer Reigns as the 59th King of the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball.
By Barry Wise Smith Photo by Jordan WaldFor Ree Sherer, the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball has been the backdrop for some very important life moments. His first “official” date with his wife Val was to the Ball in 1980, and both of their daughters were presented as ladies in waiting—Val Sherer Noble in 2008 and Elizabeth Palmer Sherer Bray in 2010. Now in 2026, Ree has … [Read more...]
Serendipity: sombr drummer Mitch Prewitt is in the right place at the right time.
By Brent ThompsonThough Homewood High School graduate Mitch Prewitt has performed on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) as the touring drummer for the crazy popular act sombr, Prewitt has a ritual that keeps him tethered to his Birmingham roots. “Right before I go on, I text Homewood’s … [Read more...]
A South American Misadventure in a 75 VW Beetle
By D.T. Carmichael IIYou may have heard of Murphy’s Law, which states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It’s a reductionist way of saying that things will break. Did you know it has corollaries? For example: nothing is as easy as it looks, everything takes longer than you think, left to themselves things go from bad to worse, and nothing is foolproof—because … [Read more...]
Working the Clay: Brantley Sanders is Reshaping Her Life with a Pottery Wheel.
All pottery starts out the same—as a block of clay. Every day starts out the same—you wake up.From that point, what you make of the clay or your day is up to you.For Brantley Sanders, most of her days involve spending time quietly, patiently shaping blocks of clay into beautiful works of art.Three years ago, Sanders didn’t even know how to use a pottery wheel. Her … [Read more...]