Autumn Sanford
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Athens-Clarke County
Singing the Blues: How Athens Musicians Survived the Pandemic
Listen closely — Camilla Sims, known as Convict Julie, tells an intimate story through each verse, chorus and bridge. From the honest and haunting “Dark Matter” to the punk-trap think piece “Drive Bys on Tractors,” Sims channels her innermost vulnerable feelings into every song she writes. For the 22-year-old musician,…
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Athens-Clarke County
Without Words: How the Arts Connect Us
Alexia Benavent-Rivera left a part of herself in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico when her family, unable to survive in the declining tourist economy, sold its three-building shopping center, packed up and moved to the United States in the summer of 2006. Benavent-Rivera remembers bawling at the airport as she said goodbye…
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Athens-Clarke County
Schools’ Safe Havens: How Fine Arts Programs Inspire, Protect
For students who hate math, struggle with English and find football to be a bore, band class might be the only reason why they come to school — or it might be chorus, drama or ceramics. Fine arts programs in middle and high schools are often a safe haven for…
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Athens-Clarke County
Local Artists Use Pop-Up Sales to Fill Pandemic Void
When local artist Jessie Lamay lost her job in March 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, she didn’t know this would only be the start of her difficult year. Two months later, her mom died after a 10-year battle with cancer. Shortly after, Lamay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mourning and…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens Drag: A Story of Pandemic Resilience
After a smoke break and 3 p.m. breakfast of waffles, bacon, syrup and berries, 24-year-old Tia Blake Jackson lounges in her bed. Her pink tank top hangs off her shoulder as she lays on her stomach. Donning a sweet gap-toothed smile, she wears no makeup, and a cream-colored bonnet covers…
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Gender
What Are UGA’s Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Really Like?
Will Smith, 24, dons a smile and silver cross on a thin chain around his neck. Light, curly hair and a beard frames his square face. A senior religion major involved in the University of Georgia’s Christian Campus Fellowship, Smith loves talking about ministry, Waffle House and life as an openly transgender Christian…
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Athens-Clarke County
‘Pronoun Check’ Took Over TikTok, But Reactions From Transgender, Nonbinary Communities Are Mixed
When popular, lighthearted TikTok dances and social media activism combine, the product is a trend like the “pronoun check” challenge. What’s a ‘Pronoun Check’? This trend, which has users dancing to a snippet of Daft Punk’s 2001 hit “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and sharing their opinions on their preferred…