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Two male cast members, in splendid blue 18th-century coats, face each other onstage. One has a quill in his outstretched hand

Surviving New Year’s 2022 means finding the story that’s true for you

What Washington knew

This year, Michelle Chikaonda marked the anniversary of her father’s passing with a trip to see Hamilton in Philly, which reminded her that we can’t control life’s chaos—but we can find the right story.

Michelle Chikaonda

Dec 21, 2021 Essays 6 minute read

Cho, Shakir, and Pineda in character walk along an alley with brick walls, a neon sign behind them reads ‘C'est La Vie.’

What Netflix’s short-lived Cowboy Bebop teaches us about chance

The real remake blues

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the classic anime feels like a missed opportunity, but it might be teaching us a lesson about how we share and create for ourselves. Kyle V. Hiller considers.

Kyle V. Hiller

Dec 21, 2021 Essays 6 minute read

A street corner with a store front and Victorian rowhomes underneath a partly cloudy sky in Swarthmore.

Racism and my nice small town newspaper

Stuck in the genteel

A local news outlet in Swarthmore shows us how not to cover a community and the dangers of appealing to a section of an audience that dances around its own racism. Amy Beth Sisson considers.

Amy Beth Sisson

Nov 30, 2021 Features 5 minute read

Outside, toy dinos sit atop a CD on a can of tuna, with tea cups. Signs read: Climate change is real; Vote to save the earth

Decades after childhood, is it too late to learn how to play?

Are we having fun yet?

Anndee Hochman considers her decades-long journey of finding what it means to play, integrating play into life, and the life lessons learned from a year of "fun" prompts from friends.

Anndee Hochman

Nov 30, 2021 Features 5 minute read

A black-and-white photo of 5 women operating a phone switchboard in 1915.

Saving the kindness supply chain

Life in 2021 is hard for everyone—are you making it harder?

Almost two years into a pandemic, life in 2021 is tough for almost everyone. Roz Warren says that every day, you have a chance to make it better—or worse.

Roz Warren

Nov 22, 2021 Essays 4 minute read

Two white protesters hold handwritten cardboard signs comparing inequitable theater salaries and the words Protect the Artist

Philly’s Protect the Artist protestors take their demands to the Walnut’s opening night

A new opening scene

After a summer of protest and invitations to dialogue that went ignored by the Walnut Street Theatre, Protect the Artist organizers took their message to the Walnut’s 2021 opening night. Wendy Rosenfield was there.

Wendy Rosenfield

Oct 07, 2021 Features 6 minute read

View from the middle of a crowd of hundreds, facing forward with the crowd. They wave signs at the base of City Hall.

Philadelphia rally speakers warn that the battle for abortion rights is coming to Pennsylvania

Reproductive justice matters to our cultural sector

All eyes are on the Supreme Court this week, taking up cases including one that could overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. What does Philly think about that? Alaina Johns attended the rally.

Alaina Johns

Oct 05, 2021 Editorials 6 minute read

Kyle, a Black man, lies against large rocks in a river, looking up to the sunny sky while wearing sunglasses and swim trunks

After years of writing from trauma, I’m choosing joy

Why do you want to amplify my voice?

After two long summers and many challenging writing sessions in between, Kyle V. Hiller contemplates how trauma-inspired work is no longer his cup of tea.

Kyle V. Hiller

Sep 07, 2021 Editorials 5 minute read

The Art Museum, with its giant east stairway large in the foreground. Higher up, people sit in groups on the steps.

Who decides on the outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?

The right steps for our public spaces

As new plans for a people-friendly Parkway roll out, the Philadelphia Museum of Art remains an important part of Philly’s public space—but do the people on the outside matter? Camille Bacon-Smith considers.

Camille Bacon-Smith

Aug 31, 2021 Essays 5 minute read

A photo from between two high bookshelves in The Strand, facing more bookshelves, and a rolling cart full of books.

After a summer of solo adventures, I learned how good it can be to go it alone

Why I’m not waiting for you

In a world that expects everyone to travel in pairs, going out alone is a refreshing and important way to reframe your relationship to yourself—and others. Alaina Johns wanders.