Arts

Loblolly Acres, an event venue nestled in Kent County, is starting its own nonprofit called The Art Society at Loblolly Acres.Together, Cheryl Epps – owner of Loblolly Acres, an Epps family-run farm since 1964 – and Angela Zielen – a Professional Dancer with First State Ballet Theatre and Director of Event Management at Loblolly Acres – hope their new arts nonprofit can both make a difference in the community and attract artists from all walks of life.On this week’s edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon caught up with Epps and Zielen to talk about their nonprofit and the importance of arts to a community.

The University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication unveiled the winners of its 2022 Voices of UD audio essay contest conducted last fall.The contest’s theme was “More Than a Number,” with students submitting 1-4 minute recorded essays sharing how being treated like a number affected their lives as well as their families and communities. First, second, and third-place award-winners were selected from a field of 10 finalists.For this week’s Enlighten Me, we give you a chance to hear the top 3 from senior Zoe Shapiro (third place), senior Esha Shah (second place), and sophomore Gianni Dollard (first place).

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Maiss Hussein, a junior from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, was recently crowned champion of the state’s 2023 Poetry Out Loud competition.Hussein’s recital of “The Poem You’ve Been Waiting For” by Tarfia Faizullah earned her high marks from the judges in the final round. As Poetry Out Loud state champion, Hussein advances to the national semifinals in May.This week on Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon sat down with Maiss Hussein for more on her Poetry Out Loud title and what to expect from her at nationals.

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The New Castle County Reads program continues for the 18th year.

The American Library Association recently announced the winners of the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction books for adult readers.In fiction, the winner was Japanese American author Julie Otsuka for her most recent novel “The Swimmers,” which is about a group of people who go to a local underground pool to escape from their problems and one woman, in particular, who is slowly losing her memory.In this week’s edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon sat down with Otsuka to talk about her award-winning book and life as an author.

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The Wilmington Children’s Chorus is the only tuition-free community children’s chorus in the nation. It focuses strongly on creating more equity in music education, which is why it launched the Daniel L. Ridout Jr. Teaching Fellowship.

The Delaware Historical Society recently named Ivan Henderson as its new Executive Director.In this edition of History Matters, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon catches up with Henderson to discuss his new role and the challenges ahead.