Meena Viswanathan

This travel feature won a Gold award from Parenting Media Association with judges applauding the memoir for descriptive writing, satisfying narrative arc, and informative reporting.

Been meaning to take the kids to a museum this summer? You'll discover something new with a visit to these engaging, family-friendly exhibits.
Jun Kaneko Sculpture • Dixon Gallery and Gardens
May 28 through November 22
Big is beautiful! If your family is interested in checking out something bold and brilliant, then take a stroll through the Dixon Gardens and discover the work of Jun Kaneko in this outdoor sculpture exhibit.
Japanese sculptor Jun Kaneko is a world-famous ceramic artist known f...

Teachers at Overpark Elementary School in Olive Branch recently brought The NED Show in to wrap up the school’s “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” week. The program served as a complement to the school’s ongoing theme.
The NED Show, a 45-minute character education assembly is produced by All for KIDZ, Inc. The program showcases a cartoon character named NED, an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Using humor, storytelling, and lessons with yo-yos and magic tricks, a NED perf...

NPR's Next Generation Radio Project is a 5-day digital journalism and audio training project. The hybrid (some people in-person, some remote) program is designed to give competitively selected participants the opportunity to learn how to report and produce their own non-narrated audio piece and multimedia story. Those chosen for the project are paired with a professional journalist who serves as their mentor for the week.

This project involved researching and interviewing the tourism director of Collierville.

This project involved touring, researching, and interviewing directors of special ed schools in the city of Germantown.

This cover story interview profile on children’s author/illustrator Eric Carle won Silver Award from Parenting Media Association.

This Book Review column won Gold Award from Parenting Media Association.

This cover story interview profile on Brian Selznick (Hugo movie) received national recognition from trade organization.

According to children’s author Emilie Buchwald, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam agrees. Haslam, a strong advocate for parental involvement in a child’s reading success, launched the Read20 Family Book Club last summer to highlight the importance of early literacy.
The book club encourages children and their families to read aloud for at least 20 minutes a day. One book is selected as Book of the Month, but families can read others, ...

How does it feel to experience the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of people who were a very integral part of it? “This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement” exhibit at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art takes viewers back to this crucial era (1963-1968) in American history through its collection of 157 black-and-white images.
The exhibit, which opens during Black History Month, runs February 14th through May 10th. Nine activist photographers from two generation...

Writing is a solitary pursuit. I am always on looking for ways to connect with other writers and experts in the field. So when my editor, Jane Schneider, mentioned she was hosting the Memphis Parent Writers Panel at the Central Library’s Bookstock Festival, I jumped right in.
Bookstock celebrates the writing and sharing of ideas. Each year, the festival features three guest authors, along with 40 local authors and a host of activities for children, teens, and adults alike. The day-long event ...

“Reading is boring! I’d rather do something else,” laments a preteen who used to read for pleasure.
“I don’t want to read this, it has no pictures,” complains a 9-year-old, shying away from longer chapter books.
These are the groans of a growing generation of reluctant readers, kids for whom reading has become a chore instead of a pleasure. As parents, how can we pave the way and help kids discover the joys of reading?
Memphis Parent turned to reading expert Rene Friemoth Lee and best-selling...

Regular contact and emotional attachment are two keys to building a connection with your grandchildren.
When my daughter was in kindergarten, she enjoyed her grandparents visits so much that she made her own double-sided book titled, “What Grandmas Do Best” and “What Grandpas Do Best.” She drew pictures of the things she enjoyed doing with them. And the book reminded her of the good times she had once her grandparents returned home. Although she is now a teen, the book remains a treasured kee...

Studies show that one in every 10 children are at risk for undiagnosed vision problems, yet only 13 percent of mothers with children under the age of 2 say they have taken their babies to an eye care professional for a check-up. Former president Jimmy Carter discovered this fact when one of his grandchildren’s condition for amblyopia went undetected until the boy was in grade school. Carter felt if such care had been available, his grandson’s ailment might have been treated sooner and with le...