Essays
1075 results
Page 1
Thirteen ways of looking at a war zone: Poetry as vital pause
“I feel allergic to the show of taking sides. I want to be on the side of a just peace.”
Anndee Hochman was at an artists’ retreat on October 7, 2023, making things with words. She remembers how poetry works, even as atrocities rage.
Essays
6 minute read
A look back at Philly's 2023 cultural scene through the eyes of local artist Chuck Schultz
Capturing Philly performances in original drawings
Philly artist Chuck Schultz has been in the audience at concerts, plays, and dance performances throughout 2023. Now, he shares the performances through his own eyes in this one-of-a-kind BSR gallery.
Essays
4 minute read
At the darkest time of year, horror movies bring me unexpected healing
Falling for the darkness
Melissa Strong used to leave the lights on after watching The X-Files, and hated doing anything risky or scary. But when she pushed herself to begin watching horror movies, she experienced a surprising change.
Essays
5 minute read
Has Philly lost touch with the true musical roots of tap dance?
Tap dance is much more than learning the steps
The true art of tap, including historic Philly dancers, has its roots in collaboration and improvisation, not recorded music or memorized choreography. Philly tap dance leader Pamela Hetherington explains.
Essays
5 minute read
Menstruation is a part of life, but pain doesn’t have to be
Why don’t we take women’s pain seriously?
Despite studies that show women experience pain more acutely, we wait longer for diagnosis and pain relief than men do—if we get relief at all. Isabel Soisson considers.
Essays
5 minute read
The freedom on the bike, and the freedom in the weeds
Making magic in the ragweed
As a boy, Kile Smith knew there was no freedom like riding your own bike on your own time. But now, as he watches the world go by from his garden, a whole new kingdom opens up.
Essays
5 minute read
Remembering Stan and Jan Berenstain, the Philly artists who created the Berenstain Bears
The makers of America’s favorite bear family
Stanley Melvin Berenstain met Janice Marian Grant when they were both studying art in Philadelphia—ostensibly to join the army, but their career took a very different turn. Emily Zarevich considers.
Essays
3 minute read
As a mom, daughter, and freelancer, I'm good at juggling (figuratively). But can I really catch and let go?
This is not a metaphor
Writer Anndee Hochman is used to toggling through life: her mom, her family, her home, her work. So when life got grim, she decided to try juggling for real. How do you learn to catch and let go?
Essays
5 minute read
Dive into the 2023 Philly Fringe Festival with avant-garde necromancer Sarah Knittel
Philly Fringe 2023: How did we get here?
Sarah Knittel—not a Fringe queen, but certainly a mage or wicked-cool duke—gets us ready for the 2023 fest by sharing her Fringe journey as a self-producing artist.
Essays
8 minute read
Coming of age with Sinéad
We need Sinéad O’Connor’s spirit more than ever
When Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer heard about Sinéad O’Connor’s death this summer, she became her 21-year-old self, sustained against harassment and injustice by a singular voice.
Essays
4 minute read