Congratulations to Derek on winning the Kenning Challenge!
A kenning is an Old Norse figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single word noun.
He is now the proud owner of a plush Sleipnir – Odin’s eight-legged horse who is the son of Loki and the stallion Svadilfari from Norse mythology.
His winning entry: “Dining Hall of Words” for a library.
Jupiter and Ivor traveled to New York City for the Revolution Me Film Festival which took place in the Kumble Theatre at Long Island University in Brooklyn. They had the opportunity to network with American Film Institue (AFI) graduates and members of Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Jupiter took home the award for Best Director for a High School Short!
They also enjoyed exploring the southern half of Manhattan in the Houston, Greenwich Village, and Washington Square neighborhoods. While in Times Square, they picked up some of the half off criterion deals at the Barnes and Noble.
Another highlight of the trip was attending the premier of a new Norwegian film called “Sentimental Value” before it even hit most art house theaters across the US.
Les Epstein’s book “Grenadine & Other Poems” has been published by Alien Buddha Press.
Hardly a Vampire snarl
this colossal waft
plows out the glass billboard,
Americana Shakespeare bruised,
leaving red shard saying ‘La,”
Its ‘Co’ letters swept into
The diner’s windowed corner.
“Grenadine and Other Poems” arrives as both a reckoning and a renewal. Written post-Pandemic yet reflective of different eras before that horrific disaster, these poems shimmer with weirdness, protest, and moments of quiet romance. From the wry humor of “Joint Blessings,” where knees and thumbs conspire with cranky resilience, to the myth-making surreal of “Emu on the Lam,” Epstein’s voice gives equal weight to the absurd and the profound.
Again and again the reader encounters splinter and healing, cacophony and silence. The door opens on memory, on history, on the daily tenderness of living through injury, grief, or laughter. A square one becomes both a pill and a dance, a reminder of beginnings and awkward grace.
Josh’s American history class recently took an exciting detour from their usual discussions about mid-century politics to explore history through their senses. They took to the kitchen to recreate iconic dishes from the 1950’s pop culture. They made and sampled simple Velveta cheese and crackers, Spam fiesta peach cups, ambrosia, and a jello mold. There was also music from the era playing in the background to add to the cultural atmosphere as they prepared the lunchtime feast.
Last month Sarah and Les traveled to Norfolk to attend the Virginia Theatre Association conference.
Sarah shares:
I loved the trip, it was a once in a lifetime experience. Being able to talk to all those colleges and see other schools productions felt like a dream. I wouldn’t have traded this for the world!
It’s here!! The first Gristle Butter issue of the school year. Clocking in at Issue #18, this zine is contains poetry (in multiple languages), art, and for the first time ever, a contest!
We’ve recently been able to catch up with 2007 CHS graduate Micah Carper, who is currently an attorney living in New Orleans. He was generous enough to share his memories, insight, and wisdom since his high school days here in Roanoke.
Would you like to share any memories from your days as a high school student?
I started out attending public school, and I found myself bored, unchallenged, and just very over it. Midway through my sophomore year, I began attending CHS at the old, old location at the Jefferson Center. I was so much happier almost immediately. The freedom of being able to leave for lunch and not being constantly watched and reprimanded for being a weirdo really helped me.Some of my best CHS memories are helping to move the school from the Jefferson Center to the old bank building, and the late nights at the teller desks editing student films. I think part of the germ of my getting a law degree came in the form of Peter Coogan and Josh Chapman’s American Government class. I was already interested in history and politics, but what I learned in that class flowed into my degree at Warren Wilson College, where I studied History and Political Science, and eventually (after about a ten-year gap) it flowed into my pursuing a legal education.
What took you to New Orleans?
After I graduated from college in 2011, I followed fellow CHS graduate Tony Zeigler (’06) down to New Orleans to try to work in the film industry with him. He actually still works here in New Orleans as a set dresser and leadman. I worked with Tony on a few film jobs as a set dresser, then I got an Americorps position through an organization called Rebuilding Together New Orleans. We led volunteer groups and rebuilt houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina. I learned skills in carpentry, electrical work, demo, and all kinds of construction skills.Then I took on some odd jobs – construction, retail, some more film jobs, and I worked in an Etsy sweatshop making signs for the bathrooms of rich people’s vacation houses. Then I got a job at my favorite bar, where I was a regular – Finn McCool’s Irish Pub. I worked there for about ten years, and worked my way up from barback to bartender. I met my wife across the bar.
So you bartended your way through law school?
I kept the job at the pub through school. My legal education was somewhat unique in that I only had a semester of the “true law school experience” in the fall of 2019, then Covid happened, and we didn’t return to being fully in person for almost a year. My wedding was also meant to take place in April 2020, but that also fell through, and I had to move it to September 2020. At the Tulane University School of Law, I concentrated on environmental law, serving as articles editor of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal and participating in the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. My extracurricular activities were also focused on environmental law. In 2022, I graduated with a certificate in Environmental Law.Will you share with us your life’s journey after law school?
After graduation, I began studying for the Louisiana Bar exam and landed a job with an insurance defense firm that was willing to hire me straight out of law school without requiring me to pass the bar first. My work there was related to insurance disputes arising out of property damage, personal injuries, employment disputes, and construction projects.In October of 2023, shortly after the birth of my son, I switched jobs. I now work for a firm based primarily out of Miami that deals almost entirely with first-party property damage suits, and I’ve also switched sides, as now I represent the plaintiffs. We sue insurance companies on behalf of homeowners when they deny or underpay their property damage claims.
My day-to-day practice is really more about negotiation and communication than it is about going to court or filing documents. I always say if I’ve ended up in a courtroom, something has gone wrong. My goal in most cases is conservation of movement – doing the most with the least amount of time, effort, and resources expended. But I also want to maximize my client’s recovery, so a quick and efficient resolution is the goal. I engage in phone conferences, the exchange of information, and, when necessary, mediations and more formal proceedings to try to find a mutually agreeable solution for my clients and the company on the other side.
It sounds like you’re very happy with your position in life.
I still live in New Orleans with my wife Elizabeth, our two-year-old son Hollis, our five-month-old daughter Corinne, and a grumpy old black cat named Miles. My current job provides me with the flexibility to spend more time with my family and set my own schedule, without someone constantly checking in on me.Upon reflection, my reasons for leaving public school and coming to Community High, and my reasons for leaving my 9-to-5 insurance defense job in a gleaming downtown tower to practice at my current one, are much the same. Being able to be self-directed and find my own path has always been the goal.
Is there anything you are looking forward to in the near future?
I recently took the Texas bar exam, at the urging of the partners in Miami, and just found out I passed earlier this month. I am now in the process of being admitted to the bar in Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina. So my future will be a much more geographically diverse practice in the coming months and years.
Thank you, Micah, for taking the time to share your life with us. Congratulations on your bar exam, and also on your beautiful family. This has been so fun!
Odessa (’25) shares this update with us in October 2025:
My first semester at the University of Lyon has been wonderful, and I’ve made progress with my French! Engaging with the language through classes and daily interactions is proving beneficial, even if understanding lectures is more straightforward than conversing with classmates.
My curent courses (all in French) cover Semiotics, French and General Linguistics, Creative Writing, Researching, Nordic Walking, Spanish, Reading for Understanding, World Literature, and Literature and Society. My first class for this last subject was about American book banning, and the conceived dangers of reading in American society.
I have also started a three year “Parcours Mohammed Arkoun” course at Université Catholique de Lyon on the history, art, and culture of Islam.
I’m sharing here two photos from when I first arrived. I am also very much looking forward to seeing the next edition of Gristle Butter.
The PLG hosted a cool down gathering after the PSAT test. Students could unwind with their friends while snacking and playing games.
