IT TAKES A VILLAGE: Just ask Joe Minter, who took his backyard in Titusville and made it into a an African village. Minter’s sculpture Slave Ship: The Ship that We were Hijacked and Kidnapped Out of Africa into American and Europe is currently on display at Vulcan Park, and the artist himself will be there on Tuesday, Feb. 26, for the final “Collective Perspectives” program. This week’s cover story is a photo essay on Minter by the phenomenal photographer Jonathan Purvis.

And speaking of pretty pictures, how about that mayor? And how about the tricky ties of his consultant pal John Katopodis?

Plenty of politicos and their cronies complain about the bad raps their reps get in the press, but it’s often bona fide heroes that really take the beatings.

When times are tough, we seek solace in the stars. And by “we,” I mean J’Mel Davidson. The rest of us just talk about who we’re voting for — in the Birmingham Area Music Awards.

Plus, we always have news, views and entertainment.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE! In this city, a mysterious package is the last thing you want to see at your front door. So it was with some trepidation that we tore into the envelope we found in our foyer a few weeks ago. And while it turned out that the contents were, in a sense, explosive, we didn’t have to call the bomb squad. If you want to know what all this double-talk is about, check out this week’s cover story.
Elsewheres in this week’s Weekly, you’ll find professions of love and more professions of love, plus a valentine to soul food as served at Vulcan this month and some heartfelt sentiments from Gordon Lightfoot.
And as usual, we’ve got pondering, poetry, laughs and delicious gossip.