Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Contributor

BSR Contributor Since October 1, 2019

Crystal Sparrow is a writer, editor, and cultural professional based in Philadelphia. She has writing clips in an array of publications including Looper, The Verge, Black Girls Create, Blavity, and the official Star Trek website.

Crystal Sparrow is a writer, editor, and cultural worker based in Philadelphia. When she's not writing media reviews, interviewing fascinating creatives, or covering myriad events, she is getting way too attached to anime characters, employing her encyclopedic knowledge of the Trekverse and Buffyverse to wow people at parties or giving shouty pop-punk concerts in her living room to the...let's go with "delight" of her neighbors.

By this Author

15 results
Page 1
‘Isaac Hayes in His Office at Stax Records, Memphis, Tennessee,’ a 1970s gelatin silver print by Ernest C. Withers. (Courtesy of Decaneas Archive, Revere, MA. © Dr.Ernest C. Withers, Sr.)

The Delaware Art Museum presents ‘Posing Beauty in African American Culture’

Beautiful humanity
‘Posing Beauty’ at the Delaware Art Museum is an especially important offering for Wilmington and beyond. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Articles 4 minute read
Celebrating melanin: panelists at a past year’s Locks Conference event. (Image courtesy of the Locks Conference.)

The 25th anniversary of Philadelphia’s International Locks Conference

Celebrating melanin
The Locks Conference is a beloved, important Philadelphia institution that promotes art, entrepreneurship, health, and wellness. Crystal Sparrow reflects on its history, and how it parallels her own journey.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Essays 5 minute read
LaNeshe Miller-White, cofounder of Theatre in the X, now serves as the executive director. (Photo by Sharvon Hales Photography.)
Ishii wears a black and white striped dress, hands folded, sitting in a chair, facing the cam for a portrait.

Spotlighting the Philly creative scene with Anne Ishii

The art of moving and making
Anne Ishii talks hosting the new season of WHYY’s Movers & Makers, translating bara manga, and the power of art that takes its time. Crystal Sparrow profiles.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Profiles 3 minute read
An 8-piece band made up of Black and Asian performers, colorfully dressed, pose for a casual group photo outdoors.

Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center presents the Sakura Concert Series

Cherry blossoms and fusions of Asian and Black cultures
The Sakura Concert Series of the Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia captures the essence of spring and cross-culture. Crystal Sparrow previews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Previews 3 minute read
A dance group in dashiki dresses perform with musicians behind them on an outdoor stage on a sunny day.

Celebrating 45 years of the Philadelphia ODUNDE Festival

More than just a day
Crystal Sparrow speaks about the legacy of the ODUNDE Festival with Oshunbumi "Bumi" Fernandez-West as they celebrate its 45th anniversary.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Previews 3 minute read
Show logo. Title in white at bottom left. At top right, a woman’s angry eye looks through a hole in a red & white wall.

Philly Fringe 2022: Marlen Puello presents Homo Femina

The brutal world of womanhood
This streaming Fringe experience from choreographer Marlen Puello explores society's treatment of womanhood. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 2 minute read
Gillette, a white man, onstage. He’s bald, with a wary expression, tinfoil hanging from his neck, and a blue hospital gown.

Philly Fringe 2022: Nick Gillette Improv presents Reception

Just a guy from another galaxy
Fringe favorite Nick Gillette brings his latest improv concept to this year’s Cannonball Festival with Reception, an unusual alien encounter. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 3 minute read
Forten, in profile in a historic painted portrait. He wears a high-collared black coat & white cravat, and neutral expression

Museum of the American Revolution presents Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia

Three generations of seeking justice
A new exhibition revealing 100 years and three generations of the Forten family in Philadelphia is a must-see. Crystal Sparrow visits.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 4 minute read
Book cover: title in green and white, appearing diagonally over an image of stairs in shadow.

Street Smart x 7: A Street Smart Series Omnibus, edited by Alison M. Lewis

Stories of cities
Seven stories that were originally published individually come together in this new collection from Philly indie publisher Frayed Edge Press. The diverse collection is unified by vivid characters and urban settings. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 5 minute read
Against a fanciful watery background, Haro poses regally with his guitar on a stool, wearing green-framed sunglasses.

Philly Fringe 2023: James Haro presents GO AHEAD

Pop-punk, heartbreak, and belonging
James Haro joins this year’s Cannonball Festival with GO AHEAD, an interactive solo show incorporating poetry and live pop-punk on heartbreak, love, and belonging. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 4 minute read
Close-up on a light-skinned hand holding a cannoli with blue sprinkles covering one end and pink sprinkles covering the other

Philly Fringe 2023: Alex Marcus presents Waiting for Ganol

Behind the scenes of a gender-reveal party
Waiting for Ganol, a Cannonball Festival show that took us into the backyard of a gender-reveal party with mounting problems, allowed us to make our own approach to the thoughtful story. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 3 minute read
Portrait snapshot of Ongoza, a Black woman, wears matching white floral top and head wrap against a cloth backdrop

Creative menstrual hygiene with Maisha Ongoza and the PASHI project

Sewing together affordable, accessible solutions
Maisha Ongoza of the Pan-African Sisterhood Health Initiative talks about the project and its efforts to provide reusable menstrual pads, carry pouches, masks, and panties to schools and organizations in Africa. Crystal Sparrow profiles.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Profiles 3 minute read
A person in all black attire on stage, with light hoops swirling around their arms. A DJ is behind them on elevated platform

Marie Curie's Radiant Ball at the Mütter Museum

Fancy, jazzy science
The Mütter Museum is inviting Philladelphians to put on their best scientific chic to celebrate Marie Curie’s legacy. Crystal Sparrow previews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Previews 2 minute read
Gallery view of show's title wall, with a yellow/orange/purple gradient, and various ceramics on surrounding white pedestals

The Clay Studio presents The Future of Clay

What’s next for the enduring art of ceramics?
To close out its 50th anniversary year, the Clay Studio fittingly looks forward with The Future of Clay, which assembles eight artists for a streamlined show full of intriguing juxtapositions. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Crystal Sparrow

Crystal Sparrow

Reviews 4 minute read