Opinion

96 results
Page 6
A selfie of Melissa, a white woman in her early 40s, by a pond. She wears a puffy coat, glasses, and a blue hat.

Spending the winter holidays alone? You’re not the only one.

The joy of going solo

We often make solo holidays sound like a problem to be solved, instead of an opportunity for personal enjoyment, reflection, and renewal free of others’ expectations. Melissa Strong shares her traditions.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Essays 4 minute read
A nighttime photo of Broad Street packed with hundreds of baseball fans, many wearing red. A flag flies above the crowd.

This year’s World Series run reminded us what Philly needs—and what we deserve

We all know the feeling

The Phillies had a miraculous run to the 2022 World Series, and nowadays, you don’t have to be a baseball fan to relate to the need to hold onto heartbreak alongside the joy. Kyle V. Hiller was watching.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 5 minute read
A bell tower with thick brown wooden posts and cross-pieces and a small tiled roof, against summer greenery and a cloudy sky.

One man, his van, and 18 hours: Journey to an orphanage in Kyiv

“I drove and got them.”

Philly composer and essayist Kile Smith was traveling in Germany when he met an electrician with an extraordinary story in the months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kile Smith

Kile Smith

Essays 6 minute read
A shiny, large old brass phonograph trumpet with floral designs pressed into the metal.

It’s no big deal to get glasses or treat anosmia. Why was it so hard to face my hearing loss?

A sound realization

Anndee Hochman had no problem getting help when her sense of smell or her sight suffered. But somehow, addressing her hearing loss felt different.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 5 minute read
The north entrance of the PMA. Dozens of picketers holding signs march in a circle; at left, the giant inflatable union rat.

How did Philly's media cover the PMA strike, and why does it matter?

What is the arts writer’s beat?

Last week, the BSR team chose not to cross the PMA picket line, and did not attend a preview event for Matisse in the 1930s. We were in the minority, but we weren’t alone. Alaina Johns reflects.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
An exterior photo of a hospital with a large vertical sign that says “emergency” in red letters.

I had a life-threatening miscarriage in 1979. Would I have survived the same thing today?

Abortion access saved my life

Fredricka Maister suffered a hemorrhage after she became pregnant in the late 1970s. Abortion access may have saved her life. She worries about the dangers pregnant people face today.
Fredricka R. Maister

Fredricka R. Maister

Essays 6 minute read
Alaina lies on the tattoo artist’s table while he finishes a tattoo on her right wrist. She’s wearing jeans and a blue shirt

What getting my first tattoo taught me about body acceptance

The last one in South Philly without a tattoo

Alaina Johns always admired others’ permanent body art, but she didn’t think she could ever make the jump to get tattooed herself, even though everyone else in the neighborhood is. This summer, something changed.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read

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A selfie of Anndee, a white woman with short gray hair, wearing a black facemask in an airline cabin.

From Philly to Chile: meeting the pandemic in a whole new hemisphere

How to change the sky

After almost two years of sheltering at home, Anndee Hochman flew to Chile, and experienced a very different response to the pandemic there. What made the difference, and why is it important to witness?
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 5 minute read
Infrared NASA image of a spiral galaxy that looks like a swirling gauzy reddish disc with a shining white sphere at center

School reunions in a pandemic make us wonder what could have been, but are we looking in the wrong direction?

The universe inside

A pair of school reunions this year, plus emerging from the shutdowns of the pandemic, restarted Michelle Chikaonda’s habit of wondering who she would be in an alternate universe. But this time, something is different.
Michelle Chikaonda

Michelle Chikaonda

Essays 5 minute read
Adam & Eve are two brown-haired white people standing together in a pond, blooming lilies around them in a colorful diorama

Why a trip to Kentucky’s Creation Museum makes me worry about Pennsylvania’s future

Because the Bible says so

Nowadays, Kentucky’s Creation Museum is starting to feel awfully familiar to the Christian battleground looming in Pennsylvania, thanks to far-right politicians like Doug Mastriano. Rob Laymon considers.
Rob Laymon

Rob Laymon

Essays 5 minute read