Meet Your I Love Memphis Contributors

Regular contributors
Check out these regular contributors to the I Love Memphis Blog and their work.

Daniel Bastardo Blanco

Daniel Bastardo is a Venezuelan scientist at St. Jude with a genuine love for Memphis. He is a runner and social media enthusiast who is passionate about all things local. Find him on all social media outlets as @dbastardo27.

Daniel covers science, Memphis Latino culture, and more.

Daniel’s posts:

– St. Jude Changes The World Through Promesa y Esperanza
– A Taste of Science Comes To Memphis
– Fiesta at the Park! Latino Memphis Festival 2017
– Try The New Lyfe Kitchen Downtown

Michael Butler, Jr. 

– Behold, the BBQ Rib Taco
– Throwback Thursday: Zombies Attack!
– Try A Crazy New Hot Wing Flavor At The Wing Guru

Cat Evans

Cat Evans was born in California, raised in Memphis, and now lives in midtown. She’s a photographer, writer, organizer for DreamFest Weekend, founder of CLE Events, and a Reiki Master. Find her work at Focus Magazine, I Love Memphis, her online portfolio, and Instagram.

Cat covers music and events.

Cat’s posts: 

– Artistik Lounge’s 5th Anniversary
– Listen Up! July 2017
– Memphis Music Feature: Hippy SOUL (Photography)

Stacey Greenberg

Stacey  is a freelance writer who lives in Cooper Young with her two teenaged sons. She’s a contributor to Thrillist.com, Edible Memphis, I Love Memphis, and Memphis Travel. She’s also the author of the award winning blog, Dining with Monkeys (diningwithmonkeys.com). A lifelong Memphian, she loves the fact that she’s never met a stranger here.

Stacey writes about food, the bar scene, and more.

Stacey’s posts:

– Memphis’s New Ramen Masters: Lucky Cat Ramen
– Meet Dave The Bagel Guy
– Eat This: Le Delights Banh Mi and Pho (aka The Return of Saigon Le’s Veggie Spring Rolls)
– Six Memphis Bartenders You Need To Know
– Ride Your Bike To Pancho’s In East Memphis
– 8  Memphis Summer Treats
– Kunal’s Indian Pizza Pop-Up
– CJ’s Blues Bar in West Memphis

Baylee Less
A born and raised Memphian, Baylee Less recently returned to her roots after her four-year hiatus at the University of Maryland. A new contributor to ILoveMemphis and Memphis Travel, she is excited to share the reasons she’s always loved Memphis. She enjoys live music, Asian food, and being outdoors.Follow @bayleeless on Twitter for updates about being vegan in the land of barbecue.

Baylee writes about music and more. 

Baylee’s Posts:

– Sun Records TV Show Premieres Tonight!
– Listen Up March 2017
– Listen Up April 2017
– Listen Up May 2017
– Memphis Music Feature: A Beer With The Band Camino
– Go Vegan For A Day At Two Vegan Sistas
– Listen Up June 2017
– Listen Up July 2017 
– Listen Up August 2017

Blake Marcum

Blake was born and raised in the 901 and now lives in Midtown, helping people vicariously live out their dreams on social media, if those dreams involve beer and barbecue.  He’s a contributor to I Love Memphis,Memphis Travel, and MemphisCraftBeer.com.  A Grand Champion of BBQ Fest (2013) and BBQ judge, he really knows BBQ. Pairing that with his love of craft beer, he’s a great representative of the fun side of the Bluff City.  Blake loves the investment going into Memphis and believes the best is yet to come. Follow him on Twitter at@blakeandbrew.

Blake writes about beer and barbecue.

Blake’s posts: 

– Blast Off! Memphis Beers Have Gone High Gravity
– Diamonds in the Pork: 4 Memphis BBQ Spots You Need To Try
– Six Summertime Memphis Beers To Cool You Down
– Places To Sing Karaoke In Memphis
– Five Memphis Beer Bars

Aisling Maki

Aisling Maki is a freelance writer, editor, and public and media relations specialist with awards from The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and Public Relations Society of America, as well as several awards for fiction writing. Her work has appeared in publications in more than 20 countries. You can usually find her cheering on the Grizzlies, doing outdoorsy things, or traveling with her daughter, Brídín. They live in Cooper-Young with a dog, a guinea pig and a pair of pet mice.

Aisling writes about culture and events.

Aisling’s posts:

– Havin’ the Craic: Memphians Take Up Irish Sports 
– 2017 Memphis Farmers Market Guide
– Memphis Summer Events Guide
– Say Cheese: 10 More Locations For Memphis Photos 
– Guide To Memphis Bookstores

Wesley Paraham

Wesley Morgan Paraham loves the 901 so much that his cat is named Belvedere. If playing RPGs were a full time job, he’d be a rich man. He’s currently seeking a degree in public relations at the University of Memphis, and does freelance writing for I Love Memphis and graphic design in the meantime.

Wesley writes about music. 

Wesley’s posts:

– Memphis Music Feature: Southern Avenue
– Memphis Music Feature: Magnolia and Memphis’ Electronic Music Scene 
– Memphis Music Feature: Hippy SOUL

Veena Rangaswami

Veena grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River, and after many years of splitting her time between Memphis and India, she has finally returned full-time to the 901. By day she is a program specialist for the Bridge Builders program at BRIDGES, and by night she can be found reading and writing, eating her way around Memphis, cheering on her favorite sports teams, plotting her next out-of-town adventure, and pretending to be a runner. All she wants is a lifetime supply of Dr. Pepper and to see the Grizz bring home an NBA Championship. Read about her adventures, and follow along for yourself on Instagram and Twitter.

Veena writes about Memphis arts and coming soon…Elvis. 

Veena’s posts:

– Six New Downtown Memphis Murals: The Artery Alley Project

Other Contributors
Folks who write occasional articles or have written for the blog in the past. Click on their names for posts and biographical information.

– Kirstin Cheers
– Christoph Ludwig
– Katie Schnack
– Bret Weaver

Got a story idea for I Love Memphis? Submit it here.