✦ Grease is the word, and it's also the film we're screening for our next City Lights Cinema event. Join us at the Plaza Theater next Saturday, August 16, at 4 pm for a movie plus shenanigans. We'll have a couple of competitions ahead of the screening – one for the hand jive - the ridiculous patty-cake type routine that the entire graduating class at Rydell High does during the school dance, and we'll also be hosting a costume contest! So, throw on your favorite dancing shoes, leather jackets, and blue jeans and meet us at the Plaza Theater on August 16. Get your tickets now at WABE dot org slash events.

✦ Atlanta Influences Everything, as espoused by Tory, Ian, and Bem, speaks to the fact that what is local in Atlanta is national and even international. This is evident in the work of Korean American filmmaker Crystal Jin Kim. Her latest short film, Threadbeat Dad, was shot in Atlanta but is poised to reach the world. Kim joins City Lights Co-host Jon Goode, from her filmmaking residency in Jeju, South Korea, to discuss the film and her journey as a filmmaker.

✦ Brunching in Atlanta is practically a sport. There are strategies involved—arrive early to beat the rush of a crowd, or maybe you're a diner that prefers to make reservations. Regardless, you'll need good stamina to make it through bottomless mimosas and rich portions of pancakes and bacon. BUT in this economy, who has the money to drop $80 to $100 on breakfast food and drinks every weekend? In our new mini-series, Brunchin' on a Budget, we feature several delicious AND affordable brunch spots in Atlanta. On today's premiere installment, WABE Arts Reporter Summer Evans heads to Decatur to visit Pastries A Go Go.

✦ When we think of the European Master of Art, Atlanta might not be the first connection we make, but this story aims to revisit that assumption. Enter Athos Menaboni, an Italian-born artist, who moved to Atlanta in the 1920s. While here, he painted ceilings, murals, and even airplane interiors for Coca-Cola executives. But his most profound passion? Birds. From cardinals to crows, he painted them not just with scientific accuracy but with reverence. It led to him and his wife, Sara to publish Menaboni's Birds, a book now considered a Southern classic. City Lights Collective member Victoria Lemos shares more on this bit of Atlanta history.

✦ Are you a fan of music photography, but craving something more than a casual stroll through an exhibit? How about being surrounded by over 1,200 iconic images of rock legends, projected onto 40-foot-high walls, all synced to a high-octane soundtrack played through a state-of-the-art sound system?  Amplified: The Immersive Rock Experience, now showing at Atlanta's Illuminarium, takes visitors on a full-body journey through the history of rock and roll. Created in partnership with Rolling Stone, the show blends legendary soundscapes with cutting-edge visuals to celebrate the artists and moments that defined generations. City Lights Collective producer Josh Thane sat down with creative director Brad Siegel to learn more about the making of this immersive experience.

✦ In our series, In Their Own Words, we check in with our artistic community. This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we hear from Atlanta actor Christopher McDonald, who recently appeared in Superman.

✦ Grease is the word, and it's also the film we're screening for our next City Lights Cinema event. Join us at the Plaza Theater next Saturday, August 16, at 4 pm for a movie plus shenanigans. We'll have a couple of competitions ahead of the screening &ndash; one for the hand jive - the ridiculous patty-cake type routine that the entire graduating class at Rydell High does during the school dance, and we'll also be hosting a costume contest! So, throw on your favorite dancing shoes, leather jackets, and blue jeans and meet us at the Plaza Theater on August 16. Get your tickets now at WABE dot org slash events. 
✦ Atlanta Influences Everything, as espoused by Tory, Ian, and Bem, speaks to the fact that what is local in Atlanta is national and even international. This is evident in the work of Korean American filmmaker Crystal Jin Kim. Her latest short film, Threadbeat Dad, was shot in Atlanta but is poised to reach the world. Kim joins City Lights Co-host Jon Goode, from her filmmaking residency in Jeju, South Korea, to discuss the film and her journey as a filmmaker.
✦ Brunching in Atlanta is practically a sport. There are strategies involved&mdash;arrive early to beat the rush of a crowd, or maybe you're a diner that prefers to make reservations. Regardless, you'll need good stamina to make it through bottomless mimosas and rich portions of pancakes and bacon. BUT in this economy, who has the money to drop $80 to $100 on breakfast food and drinks every weekend? In our new mini-series, Brunchin' on a Budget, we feature several delicious AND affordable brunch spots in Atlanta. On today's premiere installment, WABE Arts Reporter Summer Evans heads to Decatur to visit Pastries A Go Go.
✦ When we think of the European Master of Art, Atlanta might not be the first connection we make, but this story aims to revisit that assumption. Enter Athos Menaboni, an Italian-born artist, who moved to Atlanta in the 1920s. While here, he painted ceilings, murals, and even airplane interiors for Coca-Cola executives. But his most profound passion? Birds. From cardinals to crows, he painted them not just with scientific accuracy but with reverence. It led to him and his wife, Sara to publish Menaboni's Birds, a book now considered a Southern classic. City Lights Collective member Victoria Lemos shares more on this bit of Atlanta history.
✦ Are you a fan of music photography, but craving something more than a casual stroll through an exhibit? How about being surrounded by over 1,200 iconic images of rock legends, projected onto 40-foot-high walls, all synced to a high-octane soundtrack played through a state-of-the-art sound system?&nbsp; Amplified: The Immersive Rock Experience, now showing at Atlanta's Illuminarium, takes visitors on a full-body journey through the history of rock and roll. Created in partnership with Rolling Stone, the show blends legendary soundscapes with cutting-edge visuals to celebrate the artists and moments that defined generations. City Lights Collective producer Josh Thane sat down with creative director Brad Siegel to learn more about the making of this immersive experience.
✦ In our series, In Their Own Words, we check in with our artistic community. This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we hear from Atlanta actor Christopher McDonald, who recently appeared in Superman.

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta’s creative world.

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta&rsquo;s creative world.

The City Lights Collective

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta&rsquo;s creative world.

City Lights Cinema presents: Grease on August 16 ✦ Threadbeat Dad ✦ Brunchin’ on a Budget: Pastries A Go Go ✦ The history of Menaboni’s Birds ✦ Amplified ✦ In Their Own Words: Christopher McDonald