Life + Culture

Suffrage Champion Wanda Sobieski

Women’s Suffrage Museum Honors One East Tennessee Son’s Vote and the 72-Year Campaign by American Women to Secure Theirs Article by Patricia Storm Broyles | Photography by Laura Casner When Wanda Sobieski was in high school, the entire section on women’s history in her textbook consisted of one sentence: In 1920, Congress gave women the right to vote.  “Which was not true! It came as a result of a 72-year battle,” Sobieski explains. “Years later, I was horrified to realize we had no idea...

Life + Culture

Primo Passo Coffee

Elevated Coffee Science Meets Community in a Warm, Thoughtfully Crafted Neighborhood Gathering Space Article by Knoxville City Lifestyle Staff | Photography by Laura Casner and Shawn Poynter When Laura Casner and Drew Aicklen moved to Knoxville in 2023, they weren’t just looking for a change of scenery; they were looking for a community to call home. Settling into a neighborhood just a few miles from what would become their storefront, the couple quickly noticed a void in the local landscape...

Arts + Culture

Ossoli Circle of Knoxville

Over a Century of Civic Service and Advocacy for Women’s Access to Opportunity Article by Patricia Storm Broyles | Photography by Laura Casner Founded by Lizzie Crozier French in 1885, Ossoli Circle of Knoxville started as a reading circle. It was referred to as a “circle” because women at that time were not allowed to form clubs, according to Ossoli Circle President Jan Coley. The term “circle” emphasized equality among members without hierarchy, where each voice carried equal weight. Ossoli...

Finance + Legal Services

April Showers and May Flowers

Article by Melissa Ballard, CFP | Photography by Ben Finch Years ago, when I was still early in my career, a seasoned financial planner showed me a photo of a beautiful garden in bloom and asked what it had to do with an investment portfolio.  For folks who are avid gardeners, this will sound obvious. But for someone who is a novice gardener and, at the time, did not yet own a home, her question was “a lightbulb moment” for me. Different types of flowers bloom in different seasons. No flower...