Your Daily Guide

🎤 Want To Try Spoken Word? Start at an Open Mic

We all know Nashville has plenty of open mics for musicians, but did you know our city also has a thriving spoken word scene? On today’s podcast, we talk with local poets Frank “Frizzy” Sykes and Nina Adel about what spoken word is, how it helps people share their work and find community, and how new performers can get started. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🏗️ State Fast-Tracks Redevelopment

The State Building Commission has unanimously approved a plan to seek developers to transform 10 acres of state-owned lots near the Tennessee Capitol, including where The Boring Company is currently tunneling for its Music City Loop. The plan was revised following criticism that the state was rushing the process. State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) still argues Tennessee lawmakers should have more say in the project. [NewsChannel 5]

• The chosen developer will also have the option of redeveloping the site of the current Tennessee Performing Arts Center. TPAC is building a new location on the East Bank. [Tennessee Performing Arts Center]

🏛️ A New Vision for The Hermitage

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage has announced plans for a $132 million renovation of the historic site, centering the property’s landscape. Plans include a new visitor center and an outdoor amphitheater. State lawmakers have approved $6 million for the project, and The Hermitage will source the remaining funds through private donations. “We have an immense responsibility to preserve this place while making sure the story we tell reflects the full history of the people who lived, worked, and were enslaved here,” said Jason Zajac, president and CEO of the Andrew Jackson Foundation. [WPLN]

• Here’s a first look at the proposed renderings. [Instagram]

💸 Getting Corporations Out of TN Politics

State Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) says she will introduce a bill in the coming legislative session that would ban corporations, unions, and dark money organizations from spending money in Tennessee politics if they receive a state business license. This mirrors similar bills in Hawaii and Montana, but all face a roadblock: the 2010 Citizens United case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bans or limits on independent spending are unconstitutional. [Tennessee Lookout]

• Oliver and two other Nashville lawmakers are also demanding answers from the Department of Children’s Services about reported abuse in a Tennessee businessman’s juvenile prisons, which was uncovered by local journalists. [WKRN; WPLN]