Arts Fell on Alabama

Debbie Bond is an internationally performing blues musician who splits her time between England, France, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Along with Michael McCracken, she co-founded the award-winning Alabama Blues Project, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and preserving the state’s blues heritage. The organization’s blues education initiatives have included in-school and after-school programs, exhibitions, workshops, and live Alabama blues showcases, impacting tens of thousands of people of all ages. 
Special thanks to Laura King, who conducted the interview. “Enjoy the Ride” used courtesy of Debbie Bond. 
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

High on the bluff in Old Town Daphne, an old community hall is stepping back into the spotlight. Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre founder and executive director Erin Langley is leading the renovation of the Nicholson Center, transforming it into a vibrant hub that will empower local performers, give access for all audiences, and elevate the cultural life of Alabama's Eastern Shore.  Her vision: a theater legacy that will serve generations to come.
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

Mobile, Alabama’s Ben Kaiser (@ben.kaiser_art) is the owner and CEO of Mirth Artists, a Mardi Gras float production company. He and his team work year-round to design and build traditional papier-mâché floats for several of Mobile's most historic krewes including the Knights of Revelry, Crewe of Columbus, and Infant Mystics.
Every year, Kaiser consults with each group's parade committee to develop relevant themes and new, jaw-dropping designs. Then, together with his team of 15 artisans, they bring them to life as large-scale rolling tableaus. His mission, he says, is to preserve and showcase Mobile’s 300-year-old Mardi Gras float-building tradition.
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 
Sound Credits: 
Car Arriving, Idling, and Pulling Away by leonelmail -- https://freesound.org/s/429405/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 
MardiGras-Rex_2011_parade-amb.wav by soundesigner --https://freesound.org/s/116398/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 

In a quiet room at the Homewood Public Library, young adult author Randi Pink is chasing her dream one sentence at a time. Here why Randi is working to put her name -- and Black stories -- literally on the map.
Learn more about Randi at RandiPink.com.
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

A church organist reflects on a “two‑week” fill‑in job that became a 50‑year calling and shares how sacred music, sacrifice, and joy shape her life at the keyboard.
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

C.H. Wilson is a Navy veteran living in Birmingham who finds healing and community while participating in InToto Creative Arts programs at his local VA.  
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

Bethany Moody weaves history and sustainable practices into her fiber art, proving that even things that have been discarded can become useful once again. 
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 
Music: Victor Military Band, Emil Waldteufel, and Walter B Rogers. Dreams of Childhood. 1913. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-133896/

Meet Timothy Huffman III: Birmingham drummer, keyboardist, and founder of Exposure Community Development Corporation. Free music lessons changed the course of Tim’s life. Now, he’s helping the next generation of Birmingham kids find their groove through his nonprofit.  
Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

Montgomery-based writer Bob McGough shares how a lifetime of playing Dungeons and Dragons prepared him for writing novels and short stories -- and vice versa!

Treat yourself to some of 2024's best deleted scenes from your weekly dose of Southern creativity. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from the Arts Fell on Alabama team!

Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Greta Lambert reflects on the joys and challenges of adapting Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a one-woman show during the coronavirus pandemic. In conversation with Annemarie Anderson. 

Peace Smith and Travis Hicks of Huntsville, AL, explain how they fell in love with stained glass through a workshop at Burritt on the Mountain, and have gone on to teach the craft themselves.