H.H. Lewis, a Rebel Poet in the Bootheel
Lewis had a way with language that spoke to the unlettered and unread—the key of which lay in slang and vulgarity.
Bard in the Belt
That observation made me wonder if there might not be something particularly “Shakespearean” about the Rust Belt, the arc of success and devastation, the clashing of all of those villainous characters during the Gilded Age and the nobility of those who resisted them, and the narrative culmination of the post-industrial landscape as blasted as Lear’s heath.
“There are Queer Children Here”
Despite the anti-gay themes that prevailed in our education, in the community, and from our faculty, dozens of St. Raphael alumni identify as LGBTQ. This population, which has spread out across the country, proves that queer identity is an unshakeable force of nature.
Book Bans Have Reached Greater Pittsburgh’s Boardrooms and Ballots
Clashes around censorship have pitted parents against educators, and against each other, while outside funding raises the stakes.
The Queer Witches of Appalachia
"We have not given up our traditions and our culture just because we are witches or LGBTQ! We are proud Appalachians; we are proud witches."
The Witches of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio, and its surrounding area is home to a wealth of these businesses and organizations, from Druidry stores to classic metaphysical shops. In Columbus and Ohio at large, the magic is strong.
Ring Lardner’s Mysteries of the Central League
My point is that Ring Lardner’s stories helped shaped our nation’s sense of itself and its pastime, but these stories wouldn’t have existed without his experience in the Central League. That raucous baseball conglomerate of Midwest toughs and shady business dealings is down there in our cultural DNA.
Cleveland’s Museum of Natural History is Evolving
“It’s continuously evolving. If you don’t change, you’ll become extinct like a dinosaur.”
The Year Ceramics Took Cincinnati
Cincinnati is one of the best places in America to be an artist now because of a combination of low cost of living and a vibrant arts community.
PA Fails to Buffer Homes from Fracking
A Pennsylvania bill that would limit fracking near homes and schools was shelved this summer right before a scheduled committee vote. In a small town in shale country, accounts of misery and discord show the stakes.
Fighting to Get Home
Frank Green ran away from Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1898, headed to the Oneida homeland in Wisconsin. In 2022 he finally arrived.
Making it Harder to Get Health Care in WV Prisons
In a last-minute special session, the GOP-led legislature rushed through a law denying care that corrections officials don’t deem “medically necessary.”