★ Commentary
Recollections of a Red Line Marketer
January 26, 2015
Recollections of a Red Line marketer Disclaimer: This op-ed is my own personal opinion based off of my experiences and…
The Mechanic Theatre :: A Retrospective
January 22, 2015
I originally sat down with this piece thinking that I was going to serve the death of The Mechanic with…
The Art of Transitioning: A Story of Gender Identity and Feeling Okay
January 13, 2015
Illustration by Gluekit Editor’s Note: The names in this story have been altered. Young and in love Jenny and Ryan…
Heretic to Housewife
January 13, 2015
“Please tell my story,” was the refrain my mother, Judith, repeated to me frequently in her last several years. Her…
The Lady Gaga Hypothesis and Why I Can’t Help but Disagree
January 12, 2015
Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images Lady Gaga’s affiliation with the LGBTQIA community, regardless of its sincerity, validity, or necessity, exists.…
Uber’s Loose Lips Draw Clicks
November 30, 2014
(Header image via Uber) The collective caterwaul of internet alarmism was heard this week in the form of discontent directed against…
The Baltimore Zoo Through the Lens of Fall Libations
November 23, 2014
Baltimore has a zoo! I almost forgot. I definitely went there when I was a kid. I was riding…
Right Now in Ferguson
November 13, 2014
On Thursday, October 9th, Baltimore native Shawn Burnett was on a bus headed to Ferguson, Missouri—something that he had never…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Talent: The Perks of Having a Tiger Mom
September 17, 2014
My youth was haunted by the stereotype of some instinctive intelligence that was practically given to me as birthright into…
Portland: We’re Nice Here, Remember
September 11, 2014
I grew up in Baltimore, and I’ve been here for my entire life, except for a few occasional travels and…
Everything I Know About Beyoncé and Why That’s Important
August 20, 2014
Or, perhaps more importantly, how I just learned the character code for an acute “e” and I’m not just going…
Not on Vacation from Vocation
August 19, 2014
I never heard much about ‘vocation’ until I went to college. And then I heard it everywhere. It wasn’t about…
The New Robber Barons
August 14, 2014
Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gates, Ellison: philanthropic robber barons of their times. It takes a certain kind of chutzpah, selfishness, ambition (as…
Conservation Crisis :: The Shark Week Sh*t Storm
August 12, 2014
As strange as it sounds, I’ve had a long standing love affair with sharks. From tattoos to shot glasses, if…
You Can Relax: Spree Killers
July 30, 2014
Good news everyone! You’re not going to be killed by a spree-killer! Despite what the media loves to convince us…
Why Surrendering Control of the Internet to Market Forces is Crazy Talk
July 8, 2014
I’m a researcher at the Imaging Research Center at UMBC. We explore new forms of storytelling and image-making made possible…
Understanding Objectification and Mass Aesthetic
July 7, 2014
It took 5000 dancers and 62 years before The Radio City Rockettes welcomed their first dancer of color in 1987. …
Searching for Diversity in American Made Films
June 30, 2014
Only fifteen percent of the protagonists of the top 100 grossing films of 2013 were female. Of the top 100 grossing films…
D-Day turns 70: When America Had A War Worth Fighting
June 5, 2014
Omaha Beach. Normandy, France June 6, 1944 As we pour out of the LCVP landing craft into the chilly waters…
Modern Apocalypse: Pop Culture’s Love Affair with Total Destruction
May 28, 2014
I grew up on apocalypses. I did, and so did many of my fellows in pop culture (a term that…
