Aware of the racism that surrounds him as a Black American, Coates can imagine himself as both Palestinian and Israeli. This generosity of imagination does not prevent critical analysis. His accounts of life in the occupied West Bank underline the reality that Israel has imposed a regime that is effectively based on the subordination and dispossession of Palestinians – and a deliberate attempt, he writes, to deny any possibility of a genuine two-state solution.
Culture
Drug Court Graduation During Addict’s Murder Trial Draws Thin Line Between Abyss and Recovery
Four participants in Flagler County’s Drug Court graduated Thursday in a ceremony presided over by Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols, with Retired Judge Terence Perkins, in unique circumstances: the ceremony took place in the same courtroom where a murder trial was ongoing, with the jury deliberating over the fate of a drug abuser and dealer, whose shot of fentanyl killed another man. The juxtaposition of the two events sharpened the thin line between loss and recovery for substance abusers.
On Voltaire’s Birthday, a Look Back at Candide, Tale of Human Folly in Times of Crisis
Voltaire’s Candide, or Optimism (1759) is widely recognised as his masterpiece. A darkly satirical novella taking aim at human folly, pride and excessive faith in reason’s ability to plumb the deepest metaphysical truths, it remains as telling in this era of pandemics and wild conspiracy theories as when first published.
Moby-Dick, The Book for Our Times
We can’t afford permanent enmity or exile from each other. Secession and civil war might be a nice distraction but consumer splurging suggests that’s not in the cards. So for all of us grass-leaved Americans, “Moby-Dick” is the book for us, in this moment, in this whale of whiteness delirium. “Moby-Dick” is our book of revelation.
Palm Coast Developers Will Pay Public Arts Fee on Projects Above $1 Million, But Spending Is Unclear
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved imposing a 0.5 percent fee on all commercial projects in the city with a value of $1 million or more. The city will use parts of the money to fund its long-standing cultural arts grants, but it’s unclear how else it will use the money. It would largely be the purview of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, with a more specific policy to come to set out spending and installation criteria.
Quincy Jones, Epic Transformer of America’s Sounds
Quincy Jones transformed our understanding of musical arrangement. His work spanned decades and genres, from jazz and pop to hip-hop and film scoring. He worked with pop icons like Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, and also collaborated with lesser-known artists such as Lesley Gore and Tevin Campbell.
The Sex Wars Through Neil Simon’s Wit: City Rep Stages “Jake’s Women,” a Comedy in Dramatic Acts
In Neil Simon’s “Jake’s Women,” opening tonight at City Repertory Theatre in Palm Coast, Jake is a novelist who has issues with intimacy, guilt, trust and all sorts of other familiar themes of the sex wars as he navigates the shoals of upper-class middle-age American dynamics, back when those problems were all we had to worry about. But it’s not a traditional play, as Neil Simon has a lot of fun breaking the fourth wall–that imaginary divide between the stage and the audience.
Bunnell, Palm Coast and County Will Host Joint Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade Nov. 11
The parade will travel east on Moody Boulevard and conclude at the Government Services Building where the traditional ceremony will begin. Retired U.S. Naval Captain James Randall “Randy” Stapleford – a career naval aviator who served from 1972 to 2003 – will be the grand marshal of the parade and will share a few words at the ceremony.
An Invitation to Mobility Week Nov. 1 at Lehigh Trailhead
The City of Palm Coast, in partnership with Flagler County Government, the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), invites residents to join us for a Mobility Week Trail Walk, with staff, elected officials, and local partners to promote active transportation and community connectivity.
Palm Coast Council Sharply Divided Over Making Large Developers Pay ‘Minuscule’ Fee for Public Art
The Palm Coast City Council is divided over a modest program to fund public art installations that would require larger developers to devote half of a percent of the value of their project to the arts. One council member calls it “awesome.” Another says it “makes no sense.” A third is “torn.”
Palm Coast Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary with Quilts, Cake and a ‘Living Time Capsule’
In contrast with the rain-soaked 10th anniversary celebration, the skies were cloudless Saturday and the sun blazing as Palm Coast marked its 25th anniversary with speeches, a blue and yellow cake, quilts and a “living time capsule” that looks back at the past quarter century.
DSC Partners with Florida Surf Film Festival in Showings Nov. 15-16
Three-time World Surf League Champion Tom Curren will make a special appearance at the East Coast premiere of “Tom and I”, a film directed by Nilton Baptista and Jeremy Pfeiffer. The premiere will be held during the Florida Surf Film Festival, taking place November 15-16 at Daytona State College’s News-Journal Center.
Flagler Auditorium’s New Season Launches with St. Augustine Orchestra, and a Special Violinist, Sunday
When the SAO, which lacks its own permanent performing space in St. Augustine and plays at high schools, churches and other venues across Northeast Florida, reached out to the Fitzgerald to rent its theater for a concert, Fulmer and the performing arts center governing board saw an opportunity they didn’t want to slip away: to bring back classical music performances to the local stage.
Palm Coast Historical Society and City Unveil Hernandez-Honoring Historical Marker at Long Creek Preserve
The Palm Coast Historical Society and Palm Coast government on Friday unveiled a new historical monument at Long Creek Nature Preserve, honoring the rich history and natural beauty of this beloved local treasure.
Federal Judge Cites ‘Legislative Privilege’ to Shield School Board Members from testifying in Book Ban Case
A federal judge has shielded Escambia County School Board members from having to testify in a legal battle about the removal of children’s books from school libraries. United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on Friday issued a 15-page order agreeing with the school board that members do not have to give depositions because of what is known as “legislative privilege.”
Hurricane Milton Damage Forces Flagler Beach Public Library, a City Treasure, to Close Until Further Notice
Hurricane Milton’s rains caused some damage at the Flagler Beach Library, requiring services to be limited to curbsides, with even those services now suspended. A reopening date is not yet certain, but is probable later this month.
Maxie Puritis of Flagler Palm Coast High School Wins Cultural Council’s Creekside Photo Contest
Winners Maxie Puritis (1st Place), Rylee Draper (2nd Place), Lana Rogers (3rd Place), Michelle Kozinski (Honorable Mention), and Liliana Delbuono (People’s Choice) were presented with certificates and cash awards, sponsored by the Flagler County Cultural Council.
The Gathering Place, a New Flagler Beach Venue, Offers a Shamanic Journey and Other Events
The music duo Wandering Spiral, featuring Michelle Davidson and Rick de Yampert, FlaglerLive’s arts and culture writer, will perform during a Full Moon Sound Bath and Meditation from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at The Gathering Place.
Singer Laniece Fagundes in Concert at City Repertory Theatre on Oct. 18
Laniece Fagundes, one of City Repertory Theatre’s most beloved performers and a member of CRT since its first season, is in concert on Oct. 18 at CRT. Along with CRT’s Music Director, Benjamin Beck, and drummer Denise Elisha, Fagundes will sing Broadway and popular favorites as well as original music in an evening that shows how her theater life has influenced her as a performer and a composer.
19th Annual Creekside Festival on Oct. 5 and 6 at Princess Place Preserve
The 19th Annual Creekside Music Arts & Food Festival takes place at Princess Place Preserve, Palm Coast on October 5, and 6. Non-stop country music all weekend. The First Responders’ 4th Annual Chili Challenge and the Sheriff’s Fast Draw competition return.
Jesus Christ – He’s a She! City Repertory Theatre Stages All-Female Version of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Here comes City Repertory Theatre with its all-female version of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which opens the Palm Coast troupe’s 14th season with performances tonight and through Sept. 29 in its newly renovated black box theater at City Marketplace. The she-Jesus – at least the one based on Webber’s musical – first reared her head in the 20-teens when Juilliard grad and soul-jazz-musical theater singer Morgan James had a dream that she was singing the role.
A Gender-Miracle Superstar, Shakespeare, Neil Simon and More fill City Repertory Theatre’s 14th Season
When City Repertory Theatre opens in 14th season on tonight with “Jesus Christ Superstar,” patrons will be greeted by a newly renovated venue space at CRT’s black box theater in Palm Coast’s City Marketplace. The new seating risers and new paint, says founding director John Sbordone, are courtesy of a $69,000 gift bequeathed to City Rep by the Palm Coast Arts Foundation. Here’s a look at City Repertory Theatre’s 2024-2025 season.
In Victory for Freedom to Read, Florida School District Wil Return 36 Books to Shelves in Lawsuit Settlement
Authors of the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” and parents of students have reached a settlement with the Nassau County school district that will lead to 36 books returning to school libraries after being removed last year, according to court documents filed this week. The settlement came in a federal lawsuit filed in May amid widespread controversy about removing books from school libraries in Florida and other states.
Flagler Tiger Bay Host U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg on Sept. 18, and Candidate Forum on Sept. 25
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger B. Handberg will be the keynote speaker at Flagler Tiger Bay on Sept. 18, and all the local candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot, including write-ins, have been invited to a Sept. 25 forum. The forum is open to the public.
DSC and Florida Surf Film Festival Host ‘An Evening with Shaun Tomson,’ World Champion Surfer, Sept. 4
World champion surfer, documentarian and best-selling author Shaun Tomson will be the keynote speaker at “An Evening with Shaun Tomson,” Wednesday, Sept. 4 at Daytona State College’s News-Journal Center. The event includes a showing of the classic 2008 surf film “Bustin’ Down the Door.”
Palm Coast Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Series of Events
Incorporated in 1999, Palm Coast is one of Florida’s youngest cities, and we are excited to celebrate 25 years of being Florida’s city on the rise. We invite all Palm Coast residents to commemorate this milestone through a series of special events highlighting our community’s vibrant spirit and history.
In Major Leap for Public Art, Palm Coast Will Require Developers to Devote Portion of Project Costs to Art Fund
It’s taken 25 years, but Palm Coast appears ready to take the arts seriously. The City Council today agreed to a plan that will require developers to pay a small portion of their development costs into an arts fund that would be used to pay for public art installations. If such a fund was in place last year, it would have generated close to $1 million, city officials said.
Flagler Library’s ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground with a Shovelful of History and Images of a Future Page-Turner
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell officials along with advocates and friends of the library gathered at the 7-acre site of the future “Nexus Center” south branch library for a groundbreaking today, which was as much of a celebration of the future building as it was a recognition of Library Director Holly Albanese’s perseverance to finally get to this point, after nine or 19 years, depending on hos you calculate it.
Council Votes 7-2 to Deplete Tourism Fund’s $11 Million Reserves and Build Flagler Visitor Center on SR 100
It was as audacious a plan as any that Flagler County Tourism Director Amy Lukasik presented to the Tourist Development Council this morning: take out $10.3 million out of two tourism funds’ reserves, reducing those reserves to $1.2 million, and appropriate the money for construction of the Flagler County Visitor and Eco Discovery Center on State Road 100, near the metallurgic foot bridge. The council went for it, voting 7-2 to recommend moving forward with Lukasik’s plan.
Alien Menace and Combustible Dancing Shake Up City Repertory Theatre with “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals”
“The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals,” which opens tonight at City Repertory Theatre in Palm Coast, takes its cue from the body snatching school: After an extraterrestrial presence stealthily arrives via a meteor that crashes into a small-town theater and proceeds to uncork “some kind of blue” something, the townsfolk are suddenly and inexplicably breaking into song and dance routines in everyday life situations. Soon the infected townsfolk begin acting more and more like zombies.
Flagler County Library’s $14 Million South Branch ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground in August, Ending 10-Year Wait
Almost a decade after Holly Albanese and the Library Board of Trustees first conceived it, the south branch of the Flagler County Library–to be called the Nexus Center–will break ground on Aug. 5 on the 7-acre parcel opposite the Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center, a short walk down from the future Bunnell City Hall now under construction. The 23,000-square-foot, one-floor library, combined with the county’s social services offices, will open at the end of October 2025.
Libraries Are Cornerstones of Our Communities. They Need Our Help.
In the ongoing culture war, conservative politicians have been taking drastic measures to stop the distribution of “age-inappropriate books,” which primarily target children’s books by and about LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color. These measures ignore the crucial role that libraries serve in their communities in combating the effects of economic inequality by providing essential resources to those in need.
2 Parents Suing Over Book Bans in St. Johns Schools Tell Flagler Freedom to Read Activists: ‘Be Loud and Proud’
Nancy Tray and Anne Watts, parents suing in federal court over book bans in St. Johns County, were guests today of the weekly meeting in Palm Coast of the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a non-profit Chaired by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. The group took stock of the state of book bans in the two counties and the state, how to counter them, and what to expect next.
Flagler School District Will Negotiate Lease of Old Courthouse With the County, Eying Room for Historical Society
The Flagler County school district’s plan to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to shift half a dozen programs there would cost $632,000 in up-front renovations and $202,000 a year in rent and utilities. The Flagler County Historical Society had plans of its own for the old courthouse. The district will negotiate with both the county and the historical society in hopes of reaching mutually agreeable accommodations.
July 4 Celebration from Flagler Beach Parade to Palm Coast Fireworks at County Airport
Flagler County Government and the Cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell invite all Flagler County residents and visitors to the United Flagler 4th Community Celebration on Thursday, July 4, starting with the Independence Day Parade in Flagler Beah and culminating with a 15-16 minute firework show featuring 3,300 shells at the county airport. All events are free.
Gov. DeSantis’s War on the Arts
Some people are ignorant and proud of it. Ron DeSantis is one of those people. The man just vetoed almost every pitiful penny of arts and culture funding in the state budget. Museums, music, youth programs, local treasures, historic houses, Black heritage centers, performing arts spaces, dance companies, kids’ music programs, even renowned institutions such as the Ringling Museum of Art. With his characteristic eloquence, DeSantis snarled, “Some of the stuff I don’t think was appropriate for state tax dollars.”
Panel Moves Forward on Black History Museum in St. Johns County,
Facing a Monday deadline, members of a state task force Friday voted to submit a report to the governor and the Legislature that outlines suggestions on how to build, market, operate and eventually make self-sufficient a Black history museum proposed for St. Johns County.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Parting Legacy: a $69,000 Gift to City Repertory Theatre
Ending its 20-year-run, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation today handed over a $69,000 gift to City Repertory Theatre, the largest gift the theater troupe has ever received and one of the largest cultural gifts ever recorded from a non-governmental organization to another in Flagler. PCAF was required to disburse its remaining funds to a kindred non-profit before closing its books.
Echoing Air’s Free Baroque Concert at DSC Saturday
Echoing Air, the Indianapolis-based Baroque chamber ensemble, presents a free concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Jeanne M. Goddard Center on the campus of Daytona State College, at 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach.
Beverly Beach’s Frank Gromling Is Re-Appointed to Florida Council on Arts and Culture
The Beverly Beach artist and business owner Frank Gromling, who formerly owned an art gallery in Flagler Beach and wrote FlaglerLive’s Coastal View column, was reappointed to a third two-year term on the 15-member Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
‘Crows and Ravens’ Workshop and Book Signing by FlaglerLive’s Rick de Yampert June 22 at Vedic Moons
Rick de Yampert will talk about that feisty raven and other crazy corvids when he presents his workshop “Crows and Ravens: Birds of Myth and Magic” from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday June 22 at Vedic Moons – Ayurvedic Wellness, Metaphysical Shop & Herbal Apothecary, 4984 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Unit 4-6, Palm Coast.
Covenants May Be Hurdle to Palm Coast’s Plan for YMCA on Town Center Land Pledged for the Arts
As Palm Coast government plans for a long-awaited YMCA in Town Center, albeit without a pool for now, a covenant restriction requiring the land to be used only for arts and cultural purposes may stand in the way. It isn’t an immovable restriction. But to get around it, the city may either have to pay back some state grant money that helped build a stage there, or it would have to use creative–to not say Orwellian–maneuvering that would allow it to redefine Y spaces as an arts and culture venue.
Palm Coast Planning for YMCA on Central Avenue in Town Center, Raising Questions About Arts’ Place
Palm Coast government is getting ready to build a 30,000 square foot YMCA on a 12-acre city-owned parcel on Central Avenue in Town Center, next to what used to be the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s stage and a 5-acre parcel that had been dedicated to arts and culture. Plans at the moment do not include a pool. A director of United We Art, the organization overseeing arts development in Town center, fears picking that location for the Y may crowd out the city’s pledge for an arts center there.
St. Augustine/St. Johns County Win Nod for Museum of Black History; Getting It Built Is Next Challenge
A state task force assessing possible sites for a proposed Florida Museum of Black History voted 5-4 Tuesday in favor of St. Johns County, where Martin Luther King once rallied protests against segregation in the city of St. Augustine but where the site would require extensive development, including roadbuilding. The close vote followed intense lobbying by St. Augustine/St. Johns, which branched out to support from surrounding counties, including Flagler County, where Palm Coast and the School Board lent support.
Rymfire Elementary Students Celebrate School Year’s End With Another Battle of the Books
Last week students from every grade at Rymfire Elementary organized in teams and competed to show their reading prowess after spending the school year reading at least six titles out of a list of 15, for students in grades 3-5, or 12 books out of 15 for students in grades K-2. Team captains had to read all the books on the lists, though many students end up doing so as well–and more.
Flagler Pride Fest Cancelled Amid Turmoil as Organization’s Founder Resigns, Board Frays and Wagons Circle
To the dismay of a following that had grown substantially over the years, what was to be the fifth annual Flagler Pride Fest at Palm Coast’s Central Park in a month was abruptly cancelled last week through a cryptic, short-lived Facebook post that was scarcely cleared up when what remained of the organization’s officials posted a not-entirely accurate statement attempting to explain the decision on Tuesday, and betraying infighting.
Beethoven’s Ninth at 200
Symphony No. 9, sometimes referred to as the Choral Symphony, was the capstone to Beethoven’s extraordinary career. In the 200 years since its debut, the symphony has become an essential composition in the orchestral repertoire and is often cited as the crowning achievement of Western classical music.
Flagler County Cultural Council Awards $25,000 in Scholarships
The Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3) presented scholarships to Flagler County graduating seniors Scott Wiggins, Mae Fasnacht, April Bonilla, Winston Sjeda and Angelina DeMaio.
Flagler School Board Will Send Letter of Support for Locating Museum of Black History in St. Johns
Following the recommendation of Will Furry, its chair, the Flagler County School Board will send a letter of support to a state task force in hopes of luring the future Museum of Black History to St. Johns County. St. Johns was ranked first among three finalists for the location. Its competitors are Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade County.
Paul Auster, An American Writer with a European Sensibility
With the passing of Paul Auster, who died of lung cancer on April 30 at the age of 77, the aesthetics of postmodernism retreated another significant step back into the past tense of history. Auster became closely associated with postmodern style because of his highly self-conscious and self-reflexive fiction. In 2017, he wrote that he “wanted to turn everything inside out.”