By Eric Curl
Sept. 10, 2025 – There is a lot of garbage on social media. This column highlights some of the cool stuff local folks are up to.
The Savannah Sideways Podcast
Local writer Jessica Leigh Lebos (Savannah Sideways) is launching a “mystery podcast without the murder” about the “Strange Story of Savannah’s Ancient Roman Statuary,” in which she invites listeners to learn how “a bunch of crumbling statues” connects:
- Ancient Rome
- Savannah’s cemeteries
- Revolutionary war hero Casimir Pulaski
- Gilded Age millionaires
- Turpentine and the fallen longleaf pine forests of the Southeast
- The rise of American art collecting
- The barrier islands of Georgia and the fate of the Gullah Geechee people
- A bunch of smart historians
- The Godfather of Soul James Brown
The a tale of history, industry, art, and eerie coincidence will be told in ten episodes, beginning Oct. 9, wherever you get your podcasts. Check out a trailer on Facebook. Lebos is also seeking funding assistance to help cover associated costs of production, research and creation. If you would like to contribute your support, you can go to her Kickstarter page.
Stan Ray “I’m Tryin'”
Cockspur Productions is bringing local musician Stan Ray (in the video above) back to the Tybee Post Theater stage on Sept. 21 with a “virtual super group” made up of many of the most sought after and hardest working musicians on the planet, according to the promotional post on Facebook. Ray’s “unique low country boil of Americana musical ingredients” ranges from ballads to rhythm and blues to rock and roll, Southern gospel to the “get down” power of the human sound.
Savannah-based Measurement has a new track, Universal Lies, out ahead their album release in October. Check it out on their Bandcamp page.
Artist Stefanie Newman
Stefanie Newman grew up in the Chicago area and was introduced to drawing by her grandfather at a young age. As a consequence she became adept at drawing Colt revolvers and the figure of blind justice holding the scales since these were her grandfather’s favorite subjects. She bought her first oil painting set for her ninth birthday by returning a pair of pajamas (a birthday gift) to the Marshall Field’s lingerie department after which she headed over to Marshall Field’s very substantial art supply department. She received her BA at Bennington College in Vermont and spent a year at St. Martin’s College of Art in London. Her MFA is from the University of Wisconsin. She taught art classes at the University of Virginia as well as watercolor workshops privately.
Since moving to Savannah Stefanie has focused on painting the streets and squares of Savannah. She also paints commissions on occasion and enjoys getting to know her clients. The paintings are best described as mixed media: primarily watercolor combined with ink, pencil and marker. With each painting Stefanie tries to capture the delicate light and atmosphere that is so unique to Savannah. To join her mailing list for upcoming front porch show and urban sketching classes please write her at stefaniehopen@gmail.com Her paintings are posted and updated regularly on Instagram: newmanstefanie
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