Quilt-lovers, assemble! The 5th Annual Airing of the Quilts Festival is coming back to Gee's Bend on Saturday, October 3rd. In this episode of Quick-Fire Quips, Keya Nkonoki from the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy talks about the signature celebration. Hear how the generations-old art form is inspiring younger generations to pick up a needle and thread. Plus, the secret backroad routes to visit Alberta year-round, local museum exhibits, and how Gee's Bend quilts went global!

This week, Don reviews "Whistler: A Novel" by Ann Patchett.

Football is a challenge for pet lovers. We want to spend time with our furry friends but we can't miss the game!

Auburn football season is here, and War Eagle Flights are back at Jordan-Hare! But behind the game-day magic, the Auburn University Raptor Center is on a vital mission to rehabilitate injured birds of prey. In this episode of Quick-Fire Quips, Director Dr. Robyn Miller takes us behind the scenes with eagles Aurea and Independence. Plus, she shares how a childhood book sparked her falconry journey, a bizarre encounter involving a red-tailed hawk and a 90s Furby and why you should pay a visit to Nemophily Natives.

Here on APR Notebook, I've invited you to listen into my chats with actors and authors. Those talks are pretty light. Then there was my conversation with Alex Drueke, who spent 105 days as a POW in the hands of Russian forces after he volunteered to fight for Ukraine. That one was tough to listen to, and fair warning, here's another one. But hear me out. Genocide has been going on in part of the African nation of Sudan for years. The region I'm talking about is roughly the size of Spain. It's called Darfur. An estimated 2 million people have been killed there, but for some of the survivors, there has been justice, and an attorney who hails from Mobile made it possible. Kathryn Lee Boyd argued the case against the French bank BNP Paribas. It was accused of funding the mass killings in Darfur. Boyd won, and she's my guest next on APR Notebook.

This week, Don reviews No Way Out but Through by Susan Beckham Zurenda.

Of all the good things I knew about Dolly Parton, she truly had a heart for pets!

For years, Cam Marston wondered how he'd handle the empty nest once his last kids left home. This week, with his youngest twins dropped off at college, he finally gets to find out.

Whether you were born and raised in the yellowhammer state or just moved to Pell City from Siberia, you are more than aware of Alabama's fascination with college football. Sure some die hard alums may watch high school football on Fridays, and some of us may tune in on Sundays to watch an NFL team or two. But it's not even worth debating that the collegiate version of the sport reigns supreme among the gridiron-enjoyers in our 67 counties. But what about this culture- the analysts, the sideline reporting, the athletes and coaches-- is almost addicting for us to engage with? What subtle tactics are the producers of The College Gameday show using to get your blood pumping on Saturday mornings, and what tricks does ESPN have up it's sleeve to keep us tuned in each and every weekend?

What happens when a NASA engineer trades rocket hardware for the dark, raw reality of 1990s grunge? On this episode of Quick-Fire Quips, author Zach Taylor talks about his gritty debut novel, Rockstar: Echoes (the sequel Rockstar: Mirrors is officially in production!) Hear why he wanted to strip away the showbiz glamour to expose the financial tolls and gender disparities faced by rock icons. Plus, the strict bass fishing superstition he swears by on the water and the change he thinks Alabama needs to make for its future.