Letter from the editor-in-chief

Letter from the editor – Issue 18

Musician Brandon Woody is everywhere. He has performed at Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s inaugural celebration, in large and small venues all around the city, and beyond. Woody represents the latest generation of Baltimore’s important cultural contributions. It’s an honor to have him grace our cover and to profile him in these pages. “Playing the trumpet…


In this issue

Prioritizing the Planet

On April 22 – Earth Day – a steady stream of people filed into the Cylburn Arboretum’s Vollmer Visitor Center. Cylburn used to be a private estate but is now a preserve for trees, plants, and gardens. The space is lush and green.  Over 100 attendees were there to discuss the city’s climate action plan update. The…

Baltimore Music Right Now: Brandon Woody and Lefty Bey

“Playing the trumpet is like something that is like self-care for me,” musician and composer Brandon Woody told me. “Playing long tones. Getting in a meditative state.” Music can be a vessel for communion with something other than ourselves, whether that’s a higher power or our own intuition. It has the…

Photostory: Stigma and Stereotypes in the Media

In the summer of 2022, Wide Angle Youth Media students made digital artworks focusing on the theme of stigmas and stereotypes in the media. The two topics were heavy, but these students used their creativity and digital materials to create pieces that beautifully reflected and illustrated those…


Book Review: “Pomegranate”

September is National Recovery Month, when harm reductionists, health departments, organizers, and everyone in between host programming dedicated to sharing stories, life-saving information, and other substance use and recovery knowledge.  In anticipation of this year’s National Recovery Month, I took time to read Helen Elaine Lee’s latest novel, “Pomegranate.” The novel is a refreshing story…


Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, in “Chevalier” (2022). Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures and 20th Century Studios.

“Chevalier” reframes Black Excellence as its own kind of prison

“Chevalier” opens with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by Joseph Prowen) performing for a crowd of adoring aristocrats, before our titular figure steps out from that audience to challenge him to a violin duel.  The film is about the life of Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a Black musician and composer whose…

H.E.R

She is kind she is beautifulShe is someone I would like to call my best friendmy other half she makes sure I’m on trackShe is funnyShe is dedicatedShe’s a strong independent black woman.Who does what  it takes, a shoulder to cry on.Secrets to share with a warm heart that has red letters written that say…


Want to get the new issue delivered to your inbox?

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.