The People and Places of Liner Notes

A Visual Companion to the Collection

  • A man in a Racer X t-shirt smiling and holding a toy Mach 5 car from Speed Racer, standing in a living room.

    Jim

    Jim at home with the Mach 5. Speed Racer was one of his favorites. This is my favorite picture I ever took of him.

  • Two men standing together in front of a bronze Buddha statue at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.

    Jim and Jamie

    Jim's favorite picture of us. Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco.

  • A man taking a selfie on a children's train ride, smiling, with a woman grinning through the red-framed window behind him.

    The Last Great American Dynasty (ekphrastic)

    Jim on the train at Valley View Mall, Roanoke, Virginia, with Cathy Lee Arcuino peeking through the window. The basis for the ekphrastic poem "The Last Great American Dynasty / Taylor Swift."

  • A carved wooden serving dish with organic, leaf-like curves in warm brown wood, resting on a black leather chair.

    New Year's Day

    The last image I sent Jim — a mid-century carved wooden dish I found while we were apart. After he died, I had my friend Martha go back and get it for me. Jim and I shared a love of mid-century modern design. This piece inspired the poem "New Year's Day / Taylor Swift."

  • Two men taking a selfie at a concert venue, one wearing an Alabama Crimson Tide face mask and plaid shirt, the other in a dark t-shirt, with arena seating and other concertgoers behind them.

    Seeing Tame Impala

    Jim and I seeing Tame Impala, a bucket list band for Jim. October 2021, one month before he died.

  • A group of five friends gathered around a dining table covered with food, a Christmas tree glowing in the background, one person holding a small dog in a holiday outfit.

    Christmas, 2021

    About two weeks after Jim died, Josh threw a Christmas party for me. Josh with his dog Thatcher, and our friends Shelley, Paul, and Raj.

  • A sepia-toned school portrait of a teenage boy in a crew-neck sweater, framed in a decorative frame.

    Daddy at fifteen.

    My father at fifteen.

  • A vintage color photograph of a young couple exchanging rings at their wedding ceremony, the bride in a short white dress and veil, the groom in a striped blazer.

    Momma and Daddy's Wedding

    My parents’ wedding in 1972.

  • A Polaroid photograph of a young child in a red shirt standing with his father in front of a brick fireplace.

    Daddy and Jamie

    My father and I at our first house.

  • A wooden plaque with a red velvet letter H reading Heflin Tigers, featuring an illustrated tiger head in red, white, and black.

    Cleburne County High School Tigers

    A wood plaque with a red velvet tiger from my high school. It appears in the poem "Karma Chameleon / Culture Club."

  • A man in blue doctoral regalia and cap standing between his parents outdoors at a university graduation ceremony.

    Graduating with my PhD

    With Momma and Daddy at my PhD graduation from Case Western Reserve University.

  • A man in an Alabama Crimson Tide shirt, a woman, and a teenage girl standing next to a red Pontiac Solstice convertible in a large car warehouse.

    Getaway Car (ekphrastic)

    Daddy, Momma, and my niece Bella at Duncan Imports in Christiansburg, Virginia. The basis for the ekphrastic poem "Getaway Car / Taylor Swift."

  • A young girl posing confidently in an oversized orange cable-knit cardigan, black dress, and brown boots, standing by a front door.

    Life of a Showgirl

    My niece Chloe in her Life of a Showgirl Portofino orange cardigan I bought for her.

  • Two men standing with life-size figures of the Grady twins from The Shining, against a room covered in the iconic red hexagonal carpet pattern.

    Haunted (ekphrastic)

    Josh and I with the Grady twins from The Shining. The basis for the ekphrastic poem "haunted / Taylor Swift."

  • Two men taking a selfie on an overcast autumn day, walking through a residential neighborhood with a stone house and large trees behind them.

    Josh and Jamie

    Walking through Josh's neighborhood on Halloween.

  • A two-story brick and white clapboard house with ornate ironwork porches, lit warmly at night, with a Christmas tree wrapped in lights and a red bow in the foreground.

    Josh's House at Christmas

    Josh’s house, where we spent many a night watching Sex and the City, Frasier, and Golden Girls.

  • A red and black doctoral graduation robe with gold trim, cross emblems, and a blue-hooded cap displayed on a stand in a living room.

    Josh's PhD Regalia

    Josh's doctoral regalia from his PhD in history at the University of Maryland.

  • A framed funeral program with a portrait photograph of a smiling young man in glasses, reading In Memory Of Joshua Lynn Bearden.

    Joshua Lynn Bearden

    Josh. May 23, 1982 – April 14, 2024.

  • A bearded man in a blue shirt and black cap smiling next to a wax figure in a gold sequined dress at Madame Tussauds museum.

    Jamie and Taylor

    The closest I'll ever get. Madame Tussauds, Las Vegas.