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I am a journalist and copywriter who has written about music culture, interior design, comedy, social justice, education, business trends and entrepreneurship. I love a human interest story and I like writing about things that will be just as interesting 20 years later as I imagine them to be now.
he question Karen Davis gets asked most is when she finds time to sleep. Typically, her days are a balancing act between teaching and steering the ship at Storybook Entertainment Group as screenwriter, director, and filmmaker. As soon as the last bell of the school day rings, she's headed to several hours of rehearsals at rendezvous locations around the city.
A t 6'7", John Drury naturally attracts attention, but his height isn't his claim to fame. His infectious dance challenges under the moniker "The Dancing Trucker," accompanied by energetic, seminal hip hop classics like Chubb Rock's 1990 hit, "Treat 'Em Right," built his ever-growing viral following.
ndependent grocer Megan Bell and her husband, Branden, founded The Next Door Market Mobile Grocery Store out of necessity. When many Louisville businesses shuttered during the pandemic, the Bells seized an opportunity to bring organic and healthy food options to underserved communities by taking a 16-foot truck on the road and connecting with customers at neighborhood festivals and pop-up events.
M useums have come a long way since annual class trips to gawk at "do not touch" exhibitions hung behind velvet ropes. One such museum is Nashville's National Museum of African American Music, which opened earlier this year. Dubbed "Music City," Nashville is often branded as the birthplace of American country music.
his Saturday, Sept. 25, the second "In Her Voice" community music event will highlight local and national women representing genres of hip hop, spoken word, and dance. This year's festival celebrates triumphs because despite 2020 being a tumultuous time, infant mortality numbers fell to a record low, down 18% from 2015-2019's statistics locally.
For Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece, a space dedicated exclusively for recognizing influential African-American musicians from southwest Ohio is a concept that's been years in the making. But this weekend, the public can preview plans for the forthcoming Black Music Walk of Fame and interactive space at The Banks honoring hometown hitmakers.
ince June 1979, Black Music Month has honored African American contributions to music culture. Locally, Cincinnati's history traces back to commercial music's beginnings in the 1920s through blues singer Mamie Smith. This April, Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece offered a proposal to add a Black Music Walk of Fame to the newly constructed Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center to preserve the region's cultural history.
When MORTAR Cincinnati opened its first location in 2014, Executive Director Allen Woods recalls Cincinnati being listed among the cities with the highest income disparity and social inequity among Black residents. Fortunately, Woods and cofounders Derrick Braziel and William Thomas II saw these obstacles as growth opportunities.
ick Rose-Stamey is a lot like Jack Black's character in School of Rock-a guitarist who discovers a passion for making music accessible to children. Working in the nonprofit arts education sector over the last 10 years with organizations like Elementz Hip Hop Cultural Art Center and Music Resource Center raised his awareness of the deficit of music programs in public schools, and later inspired his nonprofit, Band in a Bus.
J armell Carson, Kyle Smith, and Daryl Henderson have each had a hand in shaping Ohio hip hop over the last two decades or so. Carson, known as Citoak, is a member of Watusi Tribe, which formed in 1996.
I f you've yet to vacation outside of the U.S., the thought of traveling 5,000 miles may seem like an intimidating and arduous pilgrimage. But Nzingha Byrd's mission is to easily connect visitors, especially those of the Black diaspora, to destinations like Accra, Ghana.
Last year, quarantine and venue closings forced many creatives to find or develop alternative paths. These challenges are what inspired Rico Grant to launch the city's first barbershop/art gallery, Gallery at Gumbo, a welcoming space to get your groom on, view and support local art, and engage in open dialogue.
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