April 3, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

72º | 90% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 7:08 a.m. | Sunset 7:46 p.m.
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Are you a poet (and totally know it)?

Local authors section at Richland Library — The local authors section at Richland Library is located at the first floor entrance. | Photo by COLAtoday

Calling all readers: In honor of National Poetry Month, you’re officially invited to enter COLAtoday’s poetry contest.

This contest is open to all, and the rules couldn’t be more simple: Turn our Wednesday, April 3 newsletter into a poem.

We’ll clarify. Using only the words that appear in this newsletter, craft an original poem of up to 75 words. Unlike an erasure poem, the words do not have to appear in the order they’re found — mix and match how you please.

Any English word appearing anywhere in today’s newsletter is fair game, including the ones you’re reading right now (we’ll throw some fun ones at you: Red. Ambivalent. Fungi.). If a word appears once, you can only use it once.

The rules:

Submit your poem here by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 14.
Include a title + author’s name in your submission. Titles are an exception to the rule, and do not need to pull words from the newsletter.
Poems, excluding title and author’s name, must be 75 words or less.

The fun stuff:

While we’ve placed a pretty big limitation on your poem’s words, the form + direction is up to you — and we can’t wait to see what you all come up with.
The Editorial team behind COLAtoday will narrow submissions down to a group of finalists based on style, originality, artistic quality, and creativity. Finalists will be announced in an upcoming newsletter, and we’ll ask our readers to vote for their favorite poem. We’ll feature the winner’s poem in a newsletter during the last full week of April.
Pro tip: To make the process easier on yourself, we recommend printing out today’s issue, highlighting the words you find most interesting, and crossing them out as you include them in your poem.
Don’t forget to keep track of your articles (words like “the” or “and”).

Happy writing, Columbia.

Submit your poem

Quiz

Who was Columbia’s first poet laureate?

A) Jennifer Bartell Boykin
B) Ennis Rees
C) Ed Madden
D) James Dickey

Pick a poet

Events

Wednesday, April 3

Watch Freely: A Spring-Break Mix Up: Wish | Wednesday, April 3 | 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Richland Library Southeast, Southeast Social Meeting Lab 1 7421 Garners Ferry Rd., Columbia | Free | Partake in movies, games, arts and crafts, music and more during spring break.
Gamecocks Softball vs. Winthrop Eagles | Wednesday, April 3 | 6 p.m. | Carolina Softball Stadium At Beckham Field, 1318 Heyward St., Columbia | $7 | Root for the Gamecocks as they take on the Winthrop Eagles at home.

Thursday, April 4

Midlands Clay Arts Society Spring Sale | Thursday, April 4-Saturday, April 6 | Times vary | Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton St., Columbia | Free | Local ceramic artists will showcase their sculptural, functional, and whimsical wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramic art.
First Thursday: Live Music and L’apero | Thursday, April 4 | 4-9:30 p.m. | Hampton Street Vineyard, 1207 Hampton St., Columbia | Experience live music from 5 to 8 p.m. and treat yourself to a French happy hour, L’Apero, available from 4 p.m. until close.

Friday, April 5

Brew 2 Build | Friday, April 5 | 5-8 p.m. | Segra Park, 1640 Freed St., Columbia | $15-$35 | This night will feature over 100 unlimited brews to sample from across the nation, including alcohol-free selections + specialty waters.
Stagbriar + Zack Mexico | Friday, April 5 | 7-11 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 632 Harden St., Columbia | $12 | Zack Mexico travels from the Outer Banks of NC to perform with local Americana band Stagbriar.

Saturday, April 13

Elvis Ballet by South Carolina Ballet | Saturday, April 13, Saturday, April 13 | Times vary | Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St, Columbia | $35-$60 | Join the South Carolina Ballet in celebrating the King of Rock & Roll as they bring 30 of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits to life through the art of dance.*

Calendar events here

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Featured Apartment

Perfect pairing: Riverside living meets prime location in this luxury community

Conveniently located near Downtown Columbia and rich with amenities, these luxury apartments offer the best of both worlds. | Photo provided by Kickstand Studio

Let’s be real: Life gets busy sometimes, and if we’re apartment hunting, we need a place that checks all the boxes — amenities, convenient location… you name it.

Enter: Brookland and 4 West — your destination for riverside living near downtown Columbia. Situated directly across from the Riverwalk, both communities offer stunning river + city views amid a vibrant cultural scene.

Brookland offers modern elegance alongside upscale amenities, while 4 West redefines urban living, featuring sleek designer touches and spacious floor plans.

Residents of both communities enjoy easy access to a variety of shopping and dining options, as well as amenities, like:

Resort-style salt water pool
State-of-the-art fitness center and a yoga studio
Rooftop terrace with skyline views
Controlled-access building, parking, and elevator
And more

See floor plans + take a tour

News Notes

Coming Soon

Whataburger is set to break ground on its first Columbia-area location off Killian Road, near Interstate 77, on Friday. The event at 202 Bridgeberry Ln. will feature the chain’s food truck, exclusive giveaways, and raffles. Additional locations are planned in Irmo and Lexington. (The State)

Festival

Eric Church and Morgan Wallen, newly minted owners of Field + Stream, announced the brand’s inaugural music fest in Winnsboro Friday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 6. Headlined by Church and Grammy-winner Lainey Wilson, the event blends music and outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. (Free Times)

Transit

Work is underway on the Harden Street Road Diet project in Five Points aimed at reducing dangers for bicyclists and pedestrians. The $5 million project includes a bike lane, a new median, and upgraded crosswalks. It is expected to take six months to complete.

Biz

Delta Children announced a $33.1 million investment to establish its first SC operations in Orangeburg County, creating 123 jobs. The children’s furniture manufacturer will build a 400,000 sqft facility, with operations starting in 2026.

Try This

SOCO is hosting its first Creative Co-Work event on Thursday, April 4, offering photographers, videographers, writers, and designers a space for creativity. Enjoy complimentary coworking, fast internet, and networking from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Arts

Experience the soulful magic of Ansley Stewart at The Venue, on Sunday, April 7, 7-10 p.m. With her powerful vocals and heartfelt lyrics, Ansley promises an unforgettable evening of musical bliss. Snag tickets.*

Sports

The Gamecocks women’s basketball team could be in for a defensive slugfest against NC State. Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Gamecocks with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Health

It’s easy to convince yourself that shoulder pain is just a part of aging, but trying to “live with the pain” might mean more severe problems down the road. Learn how to minimize pain + maximize range of motion.*

Shop

Ditch the men’s dress pants — the Dealmaker Pant is the ultimate pant for work or play, with an impeccable fit and feel. Save 15% with code COMFORT15.*

Read

📗 A shared reading experience

Bierkeller is hosting the event for the new One Book summer series. | Photo by Bierkeller Columbia

The Jasper Project, One Columbia, and All Good Books are hosting an event on Sunday, April 21 from 3-5 p.m. at Bierkeller to unveil the One Book selection for this year.

The One Book, One Community project began in the Seattle public library system in 1998, inviting communities to read and discuss the same book over a designated period. Columbia embraced the project in 2011, leading to years of programming centered around a single book.

This year’s announcement event anticipates Earth Day. Hint: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, and the book’s themed around nature, environmental responsibility, and unity.

Columbia’s Poet Laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin and regional poet Al Black will present original works inspired by the chosen book. USC professor of History, Dr. Melissa Stuckey, and One Columbia’s Xavier Blake will be on hand to offer insights into the book.

In addition to the One Book announcement, The Jasper Project will share a One Book inspired visual art, literary art, and singer-songwriter competition open to Midlands area artists.

The Buy

A variety of snacks for runners and bikers. The Fuel Goods Collection offers boxes filled with food that will fuel your lifestyle.

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The Wrap

David Stringer wearing a dark button-down shirt

Today’s edition by:
David

From the editor

I was watching the Gamecocks women’s basketball game on Sunday when my phone started to blow up with texts. A few seconds later the ESPN camera zoomed in on my wife screaming and holding her “Swatkins” sign after Ashlyn Watkins big fourth quarter block. Now, let’s go win two more in Cleveland.

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