Frida Kahlo is recognized as Mexico’s, if not the world’s, greatest painter. She is a Marxist, reconstructionist, disabled, bisexual painter and activist. Kahlo completely revolutionized the way we view art, gender, and society. Her art, particularly her self-portraits share a personal story of pain and suffering, but also a profound resilience. Kahlo explained, I paint…
A city I’ve never been to feels like home to me It’s the best feeling ever known to me I can hear the trumpets calling me As I lay at 3 am falling asleep Street musicians under warm lampposts Seem like cheerful welcoming hosts Oh how the blues Awaken my soul in different hues In…
A library. A place of books, research and education. But, perhaps, more essentially, a place of enlightenment, refuge and joy.
When we think of superheroes, we usually conjure up images to the likes of Spiderman and Captain America, and a lot of the reason as to why can be attributed to the works of Stan Lee. Stan Lee’s death has affected hundreds of millions of people worldwide, just as his tales of superhuman good-guys had…
The 31st of October brings without doubt one of the best days of the year for any kid – Halloween! There’s excited chatter of the best costumes and anticipation of which house will be giving out the full-sized chocolate bars. But, if your a high schooler who’s maybe a little too tall to put on…
Have I ever, ever felt so alone, Always cold, never warm, chilled to the bone, Heads down, hoods up, cold snapping weather, Endless winter and loneliness come together. Has anyone ever, ever thought of me, In times of sadness, in times of frown, Snowflakes falling, sweet tears dropping, Blue mood season – feeling…
Jasmine Paxton, You stole my heart in a matter of seconds. Not years, not months, not even days, but seconds. A nine-year-old girl once promised me that one way or another, whether it be in five minutes or five decades, I would fall in love with her. Who would have known it would only…
Perhaps no explanation or poetry at all would suffice for our existence, Perhaps we are just mere particles born to be diminished and regenerated into new ones. They say that one must fulfill the purpose of their existence. Perhaps we are not born with a purpose, Perhaps that purpose is our destiny that is…
One weekend, I was busy admiring the sound of Frankie Avalon, the guy who sang “Beauty School Dropout” from The original Grease movie. I saw footage of him performing at the Saturday Night Beech-Nut show on November 28, 1959, on Youtube. The girls in the audience went wild as he was just in his early…
Some music can lull people to sleep, some can make you want to sing, and some will make you weep. But there are some pieces that make you want to jump around and conquer the world. Here are just a few of these pieces. (Note: I’m using the term “classical” loosely) Dance of the Knights,…
When we consider contemporary art, most of us imagine to the likes of Pollock or Warhol, anything that invokes a sense of “oh, that’s modern art.” But what is our perception of modern art? Basically, anything that we can’t describe. Campbell soup can certainly draw contrasts with Van Gogh’s pieces, but if anything, there is…
Preface: This is a funny, fictional script for a radio advertisement. Try reading it aloud in a funny voice, and have fun with my satirical “advertisement”! ** Note: The product “RDTBBPBACI” does not exist in real life. “…Have you ever had bad breath? If not, you’re not human, go fly back to Mars. If…
It’s fall. The weather is colder, the days shorter. The green of the leaves pulls back to reveal the hidden gold in preparation for the surrender to the winter ahead. This display is well-known and romanticized. The withered foliage murmurs softly in reply to the whispers of the breeze and the shuffling of boots. But…
Adventures in Chicago “Hallway of Skyscrapers” “There are two seasons in Chicago: winter and construction” “Glass giants” “Look up, stare, and dream” “Calder Red – The Flamingo” “Millenium Park” “Patriotic and loyal” “AVP Beach Volleyball Championships” “Mall Illusions” “Kaleidoscope Elevators” “Get off at Harlem stop” “Claude Monet’s Water Lily Pond” “New perspectives” “Going old-school”…
In the 80’s and 90’s, the Club Kids, a youth group of dance personalities led primarily by party promoter Michael Alig, were a defining force in New York’s underground party scene. One Club Kid who can be commonly recognized by those born outside of the Club Kid era is RuPaul. RuPaul is a drag queen…