Southern Voices Festival 2026: Celebrate the Literary Spirit

southern voices literary festival article image
Festival Headliner, Jon Meacham

The Hoover Public Library is set to host the 2026 Southern Voices Festival, a celebration of Southern literature, art, and music that has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated cultural events.

Taking place in February, the festival draws together authors, visual artists, and musicians, offering audiences an immersive experience that spans genres and generations.
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Wrapped Toy Horse By Christo and Jeanne-Claude

wrapped toy horse photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Created in 1963, Wrapped Toy Horse is a small but telling early work by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that offers a glimpse into the origins of their now-iconic artistic language. Long before they wrapped bridges, coastlines, and monuments, the artists were experimenting with fabric and binding on an intimate, domestic scale.
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Why You Should Upgrade Your Home’s Flooring (And Mistakes to Avoid)

white couch near black mat
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s easy to see why flooring often gets pushed to the bottom of the home-improvement list. Unlike a bold paint color or a new kitchen splash-back, it tends to fade into the background, quietly doing its job without demanding much attention. As a result, many homeowners put it off in favor of upgrades that feel more instantly rewarding.

But overlooking your flooring is a common — and costly — mistake. In reality, it has a huge influence on how your home looks, feels, and functions every day. Upgrade it thoughtfully and your space immediately feels more cohesive, comfortable, and elevated. You might not always be able to pinpoint what’s changed, but you’ll definitely feel the difference underfoot.
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How To Improve Your Daily Commute

a woman in gray coat holding in a handrail
Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

For a lot of people, the daily commute is one of the most draining parts of the day. You have to do it once to get to work, and then do the whole thing again when you’re done, and probably feeling completely exhausted. Now multiply that by  five and it’s worth learning how to make it less stressful to save yourself a lot of aggravation. With that in mind, let’s explore some solutions.
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Eye On Design: Pharmacy2 Cafe at Newport Street Gallery

pharmacy cafe bar photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

On the top floor of Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall, London, Pharmacy2  is less a café than a fully immersive extension of the artist’s worldview. Drawing directly from Hirst’s long-standing fascination with medicine, the space translates the cool precision of his Medicine Cabinets series into an environment where visitors can sit, sip, and linger inside the artwork itself.
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