Welcome to the latest exclusive monthly tips for our subscribers!

It’s time for our monthly BSR in the Wild update! Just like last month, it’s editor Alaina Johns coming to you instead of our executive director Neil, who is doing important work as a first-time dad. But we both want to send a special thank you to the many readers who have stepped up for the first time and made a donation to BSR. You are ensuring that we will still be publishing in 2025.

BSR in the Wild hits your inbox on the first Friday of every month. These exclusive tips for subscribers let you know where our team is heading on the Philly scene this month. There are three sections: FIND US, Neil’s Nod of the Month (this month, it’s mine!) and Recommended Reading.

FIND US! is exclusive subscriber tips on which events and exhibitions our staff is heading to in the coming month.

Neil's Nod of the Month is a look forward to an upcoming BSR story we're excited about.

Finally, Recommended Reading is a peek into our archive for a story that's timely today.

Let’s dive in.

Flashback Friday to July for this BSR meetup at the famous Southeast Asian Market in FDR Park: (from left) writer Thomas Hagen, Alaina, our supervisor Ginny, Friend of BSR and former board member Neil Kleinman, associate editor Kyle, and Neil Bardhan. (Photo by Jimmy Chang.)

FIND ALAINA:

The American Swedish Historical Museum’s Lucia & Christmas Market
WHEN: December 8
WHERE: FDR Park
WHY: My ancestors hail from Scandinavia, so I was immediately intrigued by his holiday market, happening on December 7 and 8 from 10am-4pm. It’ll be crammed with Swedish deli items, baked goods, and (most importantly) cheeses I have never tried.

The opening of Arleen Olshan’s Dead Dykes & Some Gay Men
WHEN: December 12 from 6-9pm
WHERE: The Philadelphia Assembly in the Crane Arts Building
WHY: This is opening night for phase one of Mt. Airy-based artist Arleen Olshan’s new project, Dead Dykes & Some Gay Men. It’s a mix of fine arts and leatherwork. Olshan’s drawings and paintings honor “predominantly Philadelphia-based LGBTQ+ individuals who were friends, lovers, co-workers, and family of choice – all who are now dead. Many of these individuals left their mark on our lives through their outspoken activism, humanity, and persistence.” This show is on view until January 31, 2025 and phase 2 is coming soon. (Olshan is married to Linda Slodki, one of our inaugural Local Media Champions and a longtime BSR reader and supporter.)

Chris Davis revives his One-Man Nutcracker at the Drake this year. (Photo by Kimberly Painter.)

One-Man Nutcracker
WHEN: December 22
WHERE: The Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake
WHY: I’m a fan of solo artist Chris Davis’s popular annual show inspired by The Nutcracker, and I enjoyed reviewing his new show, The 40-Year-Old Ballerino, which premiered in this year’s Fringe. So I’m heading back to see his original one-man ballet piece at this handy Center City location (the only Nutcracker I’m seeing this year, unless you count all the Tchaikovsky on my December playlist). It runs December 10-29.

Stomp
WHEN: December 26
WHERE: The Miller Theater
WHY: I first encountered a STOMP stage show in DC as a child on one of my family’s theater forays (which, in retrospect, were probably formative!). I found the show exciting and unexpectedly funny, and I’m glad it’s still around. It sounds like the perfect post-Christmas outing. The show is in Philly December 26-29.

STOMP will be back in Philly December 26-29. (Photo by Steve McNicholas.)

The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure
WHEN: December 27
WHERE: The Philadelphia Museum of Art
WHY: I’ve heard this is a stunning show, and the BSR review by K.A. McFadden confirmed it. To me, a museum is one of the best places to spend a winter afternoon and I can’t wait to see this important show for myself. It runs through February 9.

Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
WHEN: December 28
WHERE: The Barnes Foundation
WHY: Since the BSR team is taking a break for the last week of the year, I might as well fill the time with museums, right? Camden native Mickalene Thomas seems like a worthy way to follow up a trip to the PMA, and again, the BSR review confirmed that this show is a must-see. It runs through January 12.

Mickalene Thomas’s 2015 ‘Afro Goddess Looking Forward.’ Rhinestones, acrylic, and oil on panel, Collection of Mickalene Thomas. (Image courtesy of the Barnes Foundation.)

Alaina’s Nod of the Month

The Nod (normally Neil’s) is a peek at an upcoming BSR piece that we’re especially looking forward to. Again, it’s tough for me to choose. Since I am a huge book-lover, I am going to give the nod to a slate of book reviews coming up the week of December 16. Each one has a local tie, from Peter Schmitz’s new book on Philly’s theater history to Building Ghosts, and lots more. I can’t wait to share them with you.

Recommended Reading

Some of the biggest political headlines over the last month have been about the battles facing trans people, from a case now before the Supreme Court that will decide whether it is legally permissible in the US to discriminate against trans people, to MAGA members of Congress having a meltdown about which bathroom the first openly trans US Representative will use. No matter how the Supreme Court rules or Congress votes, we all need to be ready to stand up for trans people, loudly and consistently. I love this 2023 piece by Joan Rittberg about her own journey to womanhood. We are proud of the trans writers in our community.