Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
Sisterhood Sit-in, Everyday Futures, and TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever
The Weekly Roundup, March 2-9
Kyle V. Hiller
March is here already, and there’s been a hint of spring already lingering in the air—can you feel it? Maybe it’s just me, but either way, Philly’s got a hearty week ahead of it. Kicking off Women’s History Month is Harriett’s Bookshop with its Sisterhood Sit-in, a trolley tour of Black women-owned businesses in the city. Then, Ursula Rucker sits down with Jacqueline Constance for Intercultural Journeys’s season finalé of Close Ups.
Then, join Henry Crane with the Free Library for an artist talk, see the future of South Philadelphia with Da Vinci Art Alliance, and catch a larger portrait with WHYY’s Movers & Makers.
And finally, be sure to check out Theatre Horizon’s production of TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever from James Ijames.
Be safe, y’all. And happy Women’s History Month!
Theater
TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever
Through March 20, 2022
Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb Street, Norristown
From James Ijames and director Lauren E. Turner comes TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever, a reimagining of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson as a student and a dean at a southern American university. The show “dismantles the legacies that keep us bound amidst a swirl of marching bands, step teams, and bubbly tour guides.”
Books
Artist talk with Henry Crane
Thursday, March 3, 7pm
Streaming online
Artist, illustrator, and fabricator Henry Crane hosts a free digital presentation of his two recently released books Late in the Years and People I’ve Seen. The books are visually narrated stories painted inside the room they are on display in at the Art & Literature Department of the Parkway Central Library.
If you haven’t heard of Crane, you’ve probably seen his murals and illustrations around town. Crane painted the Parts Per Million mural on South Philadelphia High School and has had installations at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul, the King of Prussia Mall, and more. See his works online.
Public Space and Creative Economy
Sisterhood Sit-in: The Trolley Tour
March 5, 12, 19, and 26
Harriett’s Bookshop, 258 East Girard Avenue, Philadelphia
Throughout the pandemic, America lost 40 percent of its Black women-owned businesses. Harriett’s Bookshop is helping preserve and protect the businesses that are still here with its Sisterhood Sit-in Trolley Tour. Every Saturday in March, two two-hour tours will visit various locations including Franny Lou’s Porch, Freedom Apothecary, Marsh & Mane, Yowie, and of course, Harriett’s Bookshop. Sounds like the perfect way to merge the energy of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
Everyday Futures Fest Preview
Saturday, March 5, 3-5pm
Palumbo Park, 723 Catharine Street, Philadelphia
Da Vinci Art Alliance’s Everyday Futures Fest is a month-long series of community events and programming centralized in South Philadelphia meant to foster new ideas through open, respectful dialogue and exchanging skills and resources. While the fest doesn’t kick off until later in April, folks can participate and contribute early with their upcoming preview party.
The DVAA’s festival this year is focused on sustainability, especially environmental sustainability, and will feature exhibitions, workshops, panels, and murals highlighting positive social change sparked by the immigrant community.
WHYY’s Movers & Makers
Every Thursday at 7:30pm
Televised on WHYY-TV12, streaming online
Have you read our profile on Movers & Makers's new host Anne Ishii? She talks about what makes Movers & Makers vital, saying "the show is very representative of the work I’ve been doing my whole life, shedding a light on undiscovered or underappreciated aspects of a community since I was a child translating for my parents, [to being a] younger adult looking for the next hot thing, to later in my career fully agenting and advocating for artists who needed support in professional industries.”
Check out the episodes that have aired in February online now, and tune in to a new episode every Thursday.
Music
Close Ups season finale
Wednesday, March 9, 7pm
Streaming online
I’ve mentioned Close Ups on this here roundup column before, and I want to give one more shoutout as the final episode of the 2021-22 season airs this coming Wednesday with guest Jacqueline Constance. Intercultural Journeys and Ursula Rucker have put together a beautiful series of conversations, and the final edition sounds like a great way to bow out.
Jacqueline Constance is a digital vocalist and beatmaker born and based here in Philly. She “turns breaths, sighs, and words into funky orchestral pastures for her lyrics to frolic through,” and with minimal equipment, too. Drawing off inspiration from Ella Fitzgerald and collaborating with artists like Phonte, Questlove, Anderson .Paak, and more, Constance has paved her own way as an artist. The talk between the two will “share an arresting improvisational meditation on growth, love, and resistance.”
The show is free. If you can’t make it, it’ll be available online. Check out their latest episode with Indian Muslim American poet Sham-e-Ali Nayeem before next week arrives.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
