A Blessed St. Brigid’s Day or Why I Hung a Scarf Outside

Today, February 1 is the Feast of St. Brigid. St. Brigid is the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle farmers, children whose parents are not married, children whose mothers are mistreated by the children’s fathers, Clan Douglas, dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, Ireland, Leinster, mariners, midwives, milkmaids, nuns, poets, the poor, poultry farmers, poultry raisers, printing […]

I ♡ City Theatre and Hope You Do, Too

I very much enjoy live theater, you’ve probably noticed that in my blogging. Pittsburgh has multiple live theater companies and venues, from community theaters in McKeesport and Carnegie to mainstream denizens of Downtown. We are fortunate, but we are also divided. Honestly, there’s a discernible vibe between the community theaters and the Cultural District theaters. […]

Rejoice! the Advent of my winter holiday calendar

Advent calendars were not a thing in my Catholic 70s and 80s childhood. We dutifully made Advent wreaths on little pieces of styfoam in our CCD class. We were supposed to light the candles each Sunday, but even parents of Gen X kids realized it was a bad idea to put a flame near styrofoam […]

This is How to Decolonize Thanksgiving

Or at least get started … I’ve been pondering how to reconcile 54 Thanksgivings with the undeniable truths about the harm and trauma that celebration causes my Native and Indigenous friends, neighbors. As a trauma survivor, I appreciate the distinction between bad memories and actively continued experience. It has gnawed at me so I did […]

When first we laid eyes I swore to no compromise

Once again. my #NaBloPoMo post is coming in under the wire. I spent hours today – HOURS – updating my listing of all of the LGBTQ+ folx elected in Pennsylvania, dating back to 1992. But an update doesn’t count. This morning, I heard ‘O Valencia’ by The Decemberists while I was making coffee. It has […]

‘Tis The Season: Seneca Educator Lenora Dingus on New Challenges of Indigenous People’s Day

“it also seems that this is the only time of year Indigenous people and cultures are thought of to any extent by a large part of the population.“ ‘Tis The Season Football; both local and National, INDIGENOUS people’s day – aka Columbus Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving and all the fall harvest festivals which often portray negative Indigenous […]

Actor, Director, and Playwright Elizabeth Huffman Changes the Narrative: a Seven With Sue (+1) Q&A

“Americans often isolate themselves from the world, overlooking powerful women in global leadership … For our own future, it’s crucial to recognize the global impact of women from all cultures, not just Western ones“ In our reconstituted Q&A series, Seven with Sue (+1), we are exploring the local arts scene. We customize the questions for folx in […]

The Neil Diamond Story Fills the Benedum with Beautiful Music

But I got an emptiness deep insideAnd I’ve tried, but it won’t let me goAnd I’m not a man who likes to swearBut I never cared for the sound of being alone I like Neil Diamond. His songs peppered my childhood then slid into the mellow soft rock of my young adulthood. Melancholy rock might […]