Leigh M. Johnson

Grading War Letters to Home, Day 1

These are the letters from the first day of the Grading War.  If you landed here by accident and don’t know what you’re reading, click here for the backstory. 5 December 2013, 3:29pm Dearest Marcus, The battle here rages on unabated, only intensifying my longing for Deliverance, for the warmth and Safety of your hearth…

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Grading War Letters to Home, Day 6

These are the letters from the sixth day of the Grading War.  If you landed here by accident and don’t know what you’re reading, click here for the backstory. 10 December 2013, 11:45pm  Dearest Charles, Today, we persevered. Your friend,Leigh M. Johnson Click here to proceed to DAY SEVEN of the Grading War Letters

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Grading War Letters to Home, Day 5

These are the letters from the fifth day of the Grading War.  If you landed here by accident and don’t know what you’re reading, click here for the backstory. 9 December 2013, 10:55am Dearest Charles, I received your note and hope you do not mind that I shared it aloud with the boys at breakfast…

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Grading War Letters to Home, Day 9

These are the letters from the ninth (and final) day of the Grading War.  If you landed here by accident and don’t know what you’re reading, click here for the backstory. One last note:  this whole #GradingLetterstoHome adventure was great fun, and a very welcome relief from the drudgery of grading.  Thanks to Marcus Battle…

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Grading War Letters to Home, Day 8

These are the letters from the eighth (and penultimate) day of the Grading War.  If you landed here by accident and don’t know what you’re reading, click here for the backstory 12 December 2013, 3:28am Dearest Leigh I hope this dispatch will find you in good spirits and in the very best of health. I…

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WORKING IN MEMPHIS: A Documentary

At long last, I’ve finally gotten all my (administrative, bureaucratic and legal) ducks in a row and I am now able to share with you the documentary film that my student Sophie Osella and I made several months ago: WORKING IN MEMPHIS. Last summer, I posted periodically about our process of making the film here…

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Dr. J’s 2013 Year in Music

Today, I begin my annual Year in Review lists for 2013.  (If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can check out my past lists for the 2010 Year in Review, 2011 Year in Review and 2012 Year in Review.)  I make several lists every December, but almost every year, the Music list is my favorite to compose. …

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MEMPHIS ON THE DOWNBEAT: Five Reasons to Support Ghost Town Blues Band in the 2014 IBC

This is the first installment of my series Memphis on the Downbeat, an inside look into Memphis music by a bona fide Memphian and music-lover. This week Memphis hosts the 30th International Blues Challenge (Tuesday through Sunday at venues all over Beale Street), which every year brings leading blues artists and bands from all over…

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Memphis on the Downbeat: Loud, Live and Better Than Ever

One of the things that I’ve resolved to do in 2014 is devote more space on this blog to Memphis, THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES.  (C’mon, really, pick a fight with me about that claim. You will lose.)  As I’ve said many times before, in private but more often in public, there…

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Dr. J’s 2013 Year in Politics

It’s time for the next installment of my 2013 Year in Review Lists: the 2013 Year in Politics. Each December that I do this, it gets increasingly difficult to distinguish between the stories that properly belong on this list and those that fit more comfortably on the Year in Pop Culture list, which says something…

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