Essays

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Page 10
Last year, PAAFF and the Japanese American Citizens League presented ‘American Peril: Faces of the Enemy,’ which explored anti-Asian and anti-Islamic propaganda and its impact today. (Photo by Justin Chiu.)

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival stands against anti-Asian violence, and so can you

No place for anti-Asian hate

When a board member of SAG-AFTRA shared a blatantly anti-Chinese meme earlier this year, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival responded strongly. Marta Rusek talks with festival director Selena Yip and suggests ways for everyone to step up.
Marta Rusek

Marta Rusek

Essays 6 minute read
The bar at Passyunk Avenue; pasted along the back wall are dollar bills, posters, and a neon Budweiser sign.

Fitzrovia’s Passyunk Avenue restaurant takes South Philly flavor abroad

London’s taste of brotherly love

After New Jersey native JP Teti realized he couldn’t get a cheesesteak in London, he dreamed up a restaurant that takes an authentic South Philly vibe abroad. Emily Savidge stops in.
Emily Savidge

Emily Savidge

Essays 5 minute read
Life’s ultimate goal: writer Kelly Conrad (left) performs with an improv teammate in ‘Not Yet Rated.’ (Image courtesy of Kelly Conrad.)

On my Philly Valentine’s day, here’s what being a hopeless romantic really means

My own romantic comedy

In between performances of the annual ‘Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Rom-Com,’ writer and performer Kelly Conrad reflects on what romantic comedies have taught her about life.
Kelly Conrad

Kelly Conrad

Essays 4 minute read
With art projects, there’s something more important than following directions. (Photo by Cass Lewis.)

Can arts education save American democracy?

Creative intervention

As a parent, writer, and lover of the arts, Cass Lewis says we need an intervention of arts education to help prevent events likes the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Cass Lewis

Cass Lewis

Essays 6 minute read
Thanks for the thanks. (Photo by Alan Tennyson, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Stop calling essential workers heroes and start actually helping us

The myth of the tireless worker

Michelle Nugent is an essential worker, not a hero. For everyone who wants to thank an essential worker today, she explains who the real heroes could be, if they stepped up.
Michelle Nugent

Michelle Nugent

Essays 5 minute read
A popular title. (Image courtesy of the author.)

What happens when bringing up the truth just gets you blocked?

Trashed on Twitter for something I didn’t do

Twenty-one years ago, Roz Warren edited a book called ‘Eat, Drink and Remarry.’ Seven years ago, another author published a novel by the same title. So why did she accuse Roz of theft?
Roz Warren

Roz Warren

Essays 4 minute read
The freedom of existing without choreography: the writer takes a leap. (Photo courtesy of Cynthia Via.)

How the pandemic helped me rediscover my lifelong love of dance

Ways to move around the world

The pandemic interrupted almost everything about our lives, but it gave writer Cynthia Via a chance to reconnect with a love for dance that had been there all along.
Cynthia Via

Cynthia Via

Essays 6 minute read
A long walk is its own source of joy, and now there’s time to take it. (Photo by Kelly Conrad.)

I’m not writing my ‘King Lear’ in quarantine, and I’m OK with that

A hiatus from the hustle

Kelly Conrad always used to say she was busy, and thought that meant she was growing. But the pandemic forced her to revisit her tumultuous relationship with productivity.
Kelly Conrad

Kelly Conrad

Essays 5 minute read
What did it mean when library patrons saw the yellow van? (Photo by dave_7 via Wikimedia Commons.)

The man in the yellow van

Who belongs at the library?

Patrons at a suburban library complained to the staff about who was allowed in the door. Librarian Roz Warren always had the same answer.
Roz Warren

Roz Warren

Essays 5 minute read
Gian Carlo Menotti’s genius was composing music anybody could sing. (Image via Wikimedia Commons.)

More music and words become art: Another top 10 from composer Kile Smith

What I’ve learned from classical lyric settings

Composer Kile Smith offered his top-10 list of pop songs that mixed music and words into pure art. Now he’s back for another round, this time with icons of classical music.
Kile Smith

Kile Smith

Essays 7 minute read