Stephanie Smittle

Little Rock

Editor at Arkansas Times

~singer/writer/green thumb heiress~

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Articles

High on Ouachita: Road trip to the mountains? We're a-Mena-ble

1 week ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

“With goldenrod and reindeer lichenTwist flowers in bloomThere’s just no placeI’d rather waste my afternoonsThan high on Ouachita”—Dylan EarlIf a sleepy little mountain town with a cute brewery, panoramic sunset views and more bakeries than perhaps the population warrants sounds like your idea of a terrible time, keep scrolling.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mick Jagger onboard for new Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic

2 weeks ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

News comes today from Deadline that yet another feature-length on Cotton Plant native Sister Rosetta Tharpe is in the works, and this one’s got some serious artistic muscle behind it: Oscar-nominated director Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Mick Jagger as producer and permission from Tharpe’s estate to use her groundbreaking catalogue.
Tig Notaro headlines Eureka Springs Pride festival

2 weeks ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

Let’s face it: 2025 is not exactly giving “great year to be queer in the South,” so we’ll take our wins where we can get ‘em. Notably, with the lineup for Eureka Springs Pride, a four-day pride celebration in June in the quaint Carroll County town, headlined this year by comedian Tig Notaro.
Watch the International Space Station fly overhead tonight (and other sky stuff)

4 weeks ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

If you’re not justifiably mad at outer space right now (see: Katy Perry, Elon, rampant inequality here on Planet Earth), you’ll be able to see the International Space Station for seven minutes from Little Rock tonight at 9:19 p.m. This is a pretty regular thing, of course, but finding a 5-minute-plus viewing window that doesn’t require a 5 a.m. alarm is always nice! And when it falls around 9 p.m. on a Friday, it can make for a cute moment at a social gathering.
Our House is having a giant health and wellness fair and you're invited

1 month ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

In a time when critical voices are increasingly silenced, the Arkansas Times stands as a beacon of truth, tirelessly defending the fundamental rights and freedoms within our community. With Arkansas at the epicenter of a sweeping culture war affecting our libraries, schools, and public discourse, our mission to deliver unflinching journalism has never been more vital. We’re here to “slay dragons” and hold power accountable, but we can’t do it alone.
Best bites of April

1 month ago | arktimes.com | Milo Strain |Rhett Brinkley |Stephanie Smittle

With April now in the rearview mirror, we’re looking back at some of the best restaurant dishes the Eat Arkansas team came across over the last month. Send us your favorite bites and food selfies from the last four weeks as we plan our May dining schedules. Stir-fried ramen at Seoul Cup-BapOne of the highlights of my lunches this month was the stir-fried ramen from Seoul Cup-Bap, one of the more recent additions to downtown Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Hall food court.
Best bites of March

2 months ago | arktimes.com | Rhett Brinkley |Stephanie Smittle |Daniel Grear |Benjamin Hardy |Austin Gelder

As March comes to a close, we’re looking back at some of the best restaurant dishes the Eat Arkansas team came across over the last four weeks. Send us your favorite bites and food selfies over the last month as we plan our April dining schedules. Pad thai curry with yellow curry (off menu) at Bangkok Thai CuisineI’ve been eating at Bangkok Thai Cuisine in the River Market’s Ottenheimer Hall for years, alternating mostly between their pad thai and yellow curry, depending on my mood.
Ayana Gray’s forthcoming ‘I, Medusa’ is a villain origin story

2 months ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

“The best villains never think of themselves that way.” That’s what Little Rock-based and New York Times best-selling author Ayana Gray cites as inspiration for her new novel, “I, Medusa.” Set for a release this fall, the book is, Gray told People magazine this week, “a villain origin story” of the much-maligned snake-crowned Gorgon of Greek myth. On one hand, “I, Medusa” is a departure from Gray’s previous work.
Jazz singer Cyrille Aimée at AMFA on Thursday

2 months ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

CYRILLE AIMÉETHURSDAY 3/27. Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. 7 p.m. $57. The direct path between 10 consecutive performances at Birdland and Little Rock is not a well-traveled one, but it’s exactly the one French jazz singer Cyrille Aimée will take in March when she performs at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.
Star Party at Lake Sylvia next Saturday

2 months ago | arktimes.com | Stephanie Smittle

It’s pretty rare, even in Arkansas, to find a dark sky location that’s right off the highway, requiring no dodging of craggy potholes on the backroads, resulting in zero clouds of powdery dust alighting on your car’s exterior. That’s part of why Lake Sylvia Recreation Area, already underrated as a state park, is also underrated as a stargazing spot.