Author Archives: Patrick Collins

Matters of the Divine: Bishop Deon Johnson’s Open Invitation to Dream Big

If you find yourself in a conversation with Deon Johnson that veers toward matters of the divine, don’t expect declaring yourself “not really religious” to provide an exit route. “You can have a profound experience standing in your backyard watching your chickens,” Johnson says. In an era of DIY spirituality, the sentiment isn’t particularly unusual.

Three Friends, Not Shy: the Creators of One Brick Shy Cast St. Louis as a Star in their New Comedy Series

For almost two hours, it’s only their voices — Abby Dorning and Jenna McDonald, best friends, former college roommates, Bridesmaids fanatics and, most recently, co-creators and co-stars of the comedy series One Brick Shy. The week of Thanksgiving, an in-person meeting seems not only difficult to arrange, but irresponsible, perhaps even deadly. And on laptop

James Lesch: A No Show for Drama

With more than a decade of front-row involvement in St. Louis’ queer community, James Lesch, 34, feels right at home in the thick of things. At the same time, in spite of the fact that there is almost always something brewing, he’s widely known – and respected – for his ability to stay above the

Free to Be You and Me

In the early days of Shameless Grounds, there was confusion. Michelle Mueller, who co-founded the business with her husband Andrew in 2011, recalls that people were often puzzled over what exactly makes a café sex-positive. “I think some people expected we were going to make them eat on the floor, or wear a collar or

Nailing Down Nancy

As Nancy Novak Returns for a Final Farewell, One Writer Seeks to Understand her Polarizing Legacy Less than a week after I signed up to profile Nancy Novak, I realized it would be anything but reporting as usual. For starters, there’s absolutely no need to dig for dirt or persuade sources to talk. Even five

Rudis: Not Your Dad’s Leather Club

“More leather cycles through here in a week than most people will see in ten lifetimes,” says Thom Glowski as he looks around the workshop in the basement of the home he and his husband share in south city.  Home to his business, LDD Leather Works, the workshop is where the self-taught leather maker creates

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