This year, WFPL arts and culture reporter Ashlie Stevens covered everything from the controversies surrounding a Confederate monument to local ghost stories and food science. Here are some of her favorite stories of 2017.
Lennon, Warhol And Streisand: Unpacking The Louisville Archives Of A Celebrity Photographer
This story was a touching look at the things our loved ones leave behind and how they can tell us things about them that we didn't know. Also, getting to take a look at images of John Lennon, Barbara Streisand and Bill Murray that had never before been seen by the public was pretty surreal.
I Scream, You Scream: The Science Behind Brain Freeze
I love food science, so this was basically the ideal summer story for me. Plus, I got to eat a ton of Comfy Cow ice cream as “research.”
The Rolled Oyster, Louisville's Oddball Bar Snack, Is Tumbling Off Menus
This piece was a great example of how following your curiosity can lead you to learning a ton of new things. The inspiration for this story came when I was out at The Silver Dollar and I found out there weren't any rolled oysters on the menu — and there wouldn't be for a while — because the price of oysters had skyrocketed. This led me down a path of looking at the national seafood economy and how it impacts bar snacks in our landlocked state in a surprising way.
How Country Music’s Roots Trace Back To The Kentucky School For The Blind
This contained such an unexpected piece of Louisville history. Plus, I got to dig around in a bunch of bluegrass and country music archives.
No, You Can’t Just Hang A Racist Image On A Wall And Call It ‘Art’
Art isn't just decorative — its history and interpretations have real-world implications. The emotions on display in this story illustrate that.
For more of WFPL’s Best of 2017, click here.
