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.…
Pod Help Us All
The best podcasts feel like being at a party with your cleverest friends, and Eric Williams’ That’s a Gay Ass Podcast hits the sweet spot. The podcast goes deep with comedians and celebrities, posting the provocative and fully tongue-in-cheek question: “Whose fault is it you’re gay?” Muny Kids alum Williams is NYC-based these days but…
Isolation Song
My quarantine began on the afternoon of January 4, 2020, when my boyfriend told me we needed to separate, that things weren’t working, and that his feelings for me, for us, weren’t what they were when his eyes used to soak into mine and the world became something bright and blue and beautiful. My isolation began soon…
Bloom Where You’re Planted
Everyone knows that plants need the sun to flourish. For the more than 70 plants currently calling Joey Beaver’s St. Louis apartment home, an extra dose comes from their caretaker Beaver, who can fairly be called a human ray of sunshine. Beaver’s plants and his marvelous social media posts starring himself and a few leafy…
Drag Queen Maxi Glamour hosts St. Louis Mayoral Debate on Queer+ Issues
On Monday January 18th Qu’art St. Louis will be holding a Mayoral Debate on *Queer+ issues. Qu’art is a local organization aimed to promote queer art and use the voice of queer artists as a platform for social change. Qu’art was founded in 2014 by artist and activist Maxi Glamour and has worked with over…
Letter from the Editor: Melissa Meinzer
As the year draws to a close, I think I join most of humanity in wishing this particular one a hearty good riddance. We’ve been through an utterly bruising year: a brutal political season, a pandemic that is killing record numbers of people — most especially Americans — and related economic ruin that’s seeing livelihoods…
Self-Care Tips from the Pros: Make Your Plan to Navigate the End of 2020
Fraught with expectations and heavy on the socializing, the end-of-year celebratory blitz can be tough at the best of times. And — let’s be real — these are not the best of times. So we reached out to a few counselors in the city for tips on how to best navigate the waning days of…
Alex Zivic’s Collection of Poems Takes on the Dark–and the Light
Alex Zivic has packed a lot into his slim volume of poetry, Ellipsism. The evocative and often spare poems cover loss, longing, visions and perceptions, with darkly lush illustrations by artist Wafalo. Zivic, 25, spent about two years working on the book, writing in a Moleskine notebook or the Notes app on his phone. Sometimes…
Celebrations, COVID-Style
by Riley Mack and Matt Woods It’s been a year like no other, but celebration and coming together are still the order of the day. So as we head into the holiday season, we asked for a little help from you, our readers, on how you’ll observe end-of-year festivities. Dennis Duncan Duncan helps care for…
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…