Welcome to the latest exclusive monthly tips for our subscribers!

Together in the wild! BSR writer Marta Rusek with Neil.

It's time for our monthly BSR in the Wild update! The first Friday of every month we bring you our hottest tips on what's on our radar, through three sections: Find Us!, Neil's Nod of the Month, and Recommended Reading.

Find Us! is exclusive subscriber tips on which events and exhibitions our staff is heading to in the coming month. There's a lot happening, this month as always, and we love to provide these tips.

Neil's Nod of the Month is a look forward to the upcoming BSR story or review I'm most excited to read.

Finally, Recommended Reading is a quick, subscribers-only tip to contextualize the work we have coming up, placing upcoming articles in dialogue with past stories, because our arts and culture scene is an ongoing citywide conversation that you're a part of, too.

If you're enjoying this series, let us know! And don't forget, as a reader you can support our writers in multiple ways. Be sure to support our staff with a donation. Send an article to a friend. Follow our dynamic content on Instagram.

Read on for December's inside scoops. And if, like BSR writer Marta Rusek, you see me in the wild, take a photo!

Sincerely,

Neil Bardhan
BSR executive director

Find Us!

We're all catching some exciting programming, some holidays-themed and some not so.

FIND NEIL
Depths of Wikipedia Live
WHEN: December 8, 2022
WHERE: World Cafe Live
WHY: My friend Tess, a storyteller and comedian herself, invited me to this live show about Wikipedia rabbit holes. It promises to be funny and informative and well-researched. I love a good comedic slideshow, and I can't wait to see what I learn.

Hallmarkable
WHEN: Throughout December, 2022
WHERE: CSz Philadelphia
WHY: You heard it here first: I'm a sucker for a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie. My wife and I can watch one a day all December and not get bored. A cast of improv comedians in town are making up made-for-tv movies with audience suggestions. It sounds like a perfect sendup of tropes and format.

FIND ALAINA, NEIL, KYLE, AND DARNELLE
The BSR Podcast
WHEN: December 7, 2022
WHERE: Online
WHY: Hear BSR staffers chat about some of their favorite media this year. Alaina has deep thoughts on books. Kyle always brings a surprise. And I listen to more podcasts than I can keep track of. Darnelle Radford will guide us in conversation.

Neil and Alaina, at our November meetup in South Philly.

FIND ALAINA
Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 1776 – 1976
WHEN: Through April 2, 2023
WHERE: The Harmon Building at PAFA
WHY: I love seeing special exhibitions at PAFA, but I always visit works on display from the permanent collection while I'm there, almost like dropping in on an old friend. Gail Obenreder's late November review of the show describes an intriguing combination of famous and lesser-known works, and I'm definitely going to spend a few hours in the galleries and see if some new favorites emerge.

FIND ALAINA, NEIL, KYLE, AND MORE
BSR's Year-End Book Chat with Friends
WHEN: December 29, 2022
WHERE: On Zoom
WHY: We love gathering at the end of each year to hear from Friends of BSR: what books are you reading (or what other media has your excited)? How do you build your to-be-read pile? This event is for BSR staff, writers, and Friends of BSR. Become a Friend this month, and join us!

Neil's nod of the month:

The December editorial calendar is packed, even with the last week of the month being a break for our staff! I am intrigued to read Gabby Kaplan-Mayer's review of Fiddler on The Roof. She went up to New York the day before Thanksgiving to catch a performance in Yiddish -- which she's not exactly fluent in! I sometimes shy away from works in languages I don't have much faculty in, so I look forward to reading what Gabby experienced.

Recommended Reading

Every year, I'm tickled to see holiday newsletters come in the mail. I remember as a kid, before email was popular, poring over the ones my parents received from their friends around the globe. What were their kids up to? What do we have to share from our household? And these days, my thoughts turn wider. What does this tradition mean as communication practices and media options change? Tom Purdom's reflections from 2011 are just as relevant now as they were a decade ago.