CityBeat | September 20, 2023

cleaners, and plastic manufacturing.

The colorless vinyl chloride has been associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

cleaners, and plastic manufacturing. The colorless vinyl chloride has been associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

Cincinnati Labor Council Comes Out in Support of Norfolk Southern Sale

The endorsement came as a shock to the ‘Derail the Sale’ campaign.

Cincinnati Labor Council Comes Out in Support of Norfolk Southern Sale

The endorsement came as a shock to the ‘Derail the Sale’ campaign.

BY MADELINE FENING

BY MADELINE FENING

The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council (CLC), a labor union representing thousands of Cincinnati-area workers, has come out in support of the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) to Norfolk Southern.

In a statement released Sept. 7, CLC said the decision was a long time in the making.

The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council (CLC), a labor union representing thousands of Cincinnati-area workers, has come out in support of the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) to Norfolk Southern. In a statement released Sept. 7, CLC said the decision was a long time in the making.

“After a great deal of internal discussion and debate, as well as numerous meetings between The City of Cincinnati and labor leadership, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council is supporting the sale of the CSR,” the release reads.

“After a great deal of internal discussion and debate, as well as numerous meetings between The City of Cincinnati and labor leadership, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council is supporting the sale of the CSR,” the release reads.

The deal in a nutshell

firefighters, teachers, musicians, air traffic controllers and more. CLC leaders said their position is based on the need to maintain the city’s infrastructure and basic services.

firefighters, teachers, musicians, air traffic controllers and more. CLC leaders said their position is based on the need to maintain the city’s infrastructure and basic services.

“As to why the CLC has taken this position,” the release reads, “the city has a ponderous backlog of necessary maintenance to its infrastructure that will cost an estimated $400 million to complete. The weighty backlog includes bringing recreation centers up to safety codes, repairing crumbling streets, updating fire stations, and fixing failing ventilation systems at community health centers – all projects that directly impact everyday lives and the quality of those lives.”

for “No” votes on Nov. 7, when Cincinnati voters will be asked to approve the CSR sale. Derail the Sale insists it’s a better financial decision for the city to retain ownership of its railway.

for “No” votes on Nov. 7, when Cincinnati voters will be asked to approve the CSR sale. Derail the Sale insists it’s a better financial decision for the city to retain ownership of its railway.

“We know that this sale is a bad financial deal for Cincinnati and that we have the power to negotiate a better lease,” Friend told CityBeat. “If we retain ownership of this essential public asset, then we as citizens maintain oversight and transparency. The [CSR] has generated revenue for Cincinnati for generations upon generations. A carpenter wouldn’t sell her tools.”

“We know that this sale is a bad financial deal for Cincinnati and that we have the power to negotiate a better lease,” Friend told CityBeat. “If we retain ownership of this essential public asset, then we as citizens maintain oversight and transparency. The [CSR] has generated revenue for Cincinnati for generations upon generations. A carpenter wouldn’t sell her tools.”

The deal in a nutshell

This November, Cincinnati voters will decide whether or not to sell the CSR to Norfolk Southern in exchange for a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up basic services for the city. The principal balance wouldn’t be touched, meaning the city estimates it would have an annual stream of cash ranging from $50 million to $70 million, which could only be spent on maintaining existing city facilities like roads, rec centers and fire stations.

This November, Cincinnati voters will decide whether or not to sell the CSR to Norfolk Southern in exchange for a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up basic services for the city. The principal balance wouldn’t be touched, meaning the city estimates it would have an annual stream of cash ranging from $50 million to $70 million, which could only be spent on maintaining existing city facilities like roads, rec centers and fire stations.

Why the CLC wants to sell the CSR

Why the CLC wants to sell the CSR

The CLC represents more than 40,000 workers spanning dozens of trades, including boilermakers, bricklayers,

The CLC represents more than 40,000 workers spanning dozens of trades, including boilermakers, bricklayers,

“As to why the CLC has taken this position,” the release reads, “the city has a ponderous backlog of necessary maintenance to its infrastructure that will cost an estimated $400 million to complete. The weighty backlog includes bringing recreation centers up to safety codes, repairing crumbling streets, updating fire stations, and fixing failing ventilation systems at community health centers – all projects that directly impact everyday lives and the quality of those lives.”

“Derail the Sale” campaign

Finances aren’t the only point of contention in this sale. The push and pull between those who support and oppose the deal is largely rooted in concerns over the purchaser, Norfolk Southern.

“Derail the Sale” campaign

Finances aren’t the only point of contention in this sale. The push and pull between those who support and oppose the deal is largely rooted in concerns over the purchaser, Norfolk Southern.

The endorsement came as a shock to Abby Friend of the “Derail the Sale” campaign.

The endorsement came as a shock to Abby Friend of the “Derail the Sale” campaign.

“At Derail the Sale, we are disappointed and surprised to learn of the close vote by the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council,” Friend told CityBeat. “But we are undeterred in our mission to stop the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern. We have union workers on our side, including Railroad Workers United and many working Cincinnatians are with us as well.”

“At Derail the Sale, we are disappointed and surprised to learn of the close vote by the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council,” Friend told CityBeat. “But we are undeterred in our mission to stop the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern. We have union workers on our side, including Railroad Workers United and many working Cincinnatians are with us as well.”

The Derail the Sale campaign is an organized group of citizens campaigning

The Derail the Sale campaign is an organized group of citizens campaigning

The East Palestine in the room

The East Palestine in the room

A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, a small Eastern Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border, on Feb. 3. The derailment ignited a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals, including butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and ethylhexyl acrylate. The chemicals are used in industrial processes including the production of lacquers, enamels, inks, adhesives, paint thinners and industrial

A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, a small Eastern Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border, on Feb. 3. The derailment ignited a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals, including butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and ethylhexyl acrylate. The chemicals are used in industrial processes including the production of lacquers, enamels, inks, adhesives, paint thinners and industrial

A plume of thick black smoke from the burning chemicals soared above homes and waterways in East Palestine, painting a dark picture for the weeks to come. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly took over managing the cleanup from Norfolk Southern, promising to hold the multi-billion-dollar rail giant accountable for the disaster, but surveys have suggested most Americans don’t believe the government has handled the fallout in East Palestine to this day.

A plume of thick black smoke from the burning chemicals soared above homes and waterways in East Palestine, painting a dark picture for the weeks to come.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly took over managing the cleanup from Norfolk Southern, promising to hold the multi-billion-dollar rail giant accountable for the disaster, but surveys have suggested most Americans don’t believe the government has handled the fallout in East Palestine to this day.

“It was terrifying and shocking to see,” said Friend in a previous interview with CityBeat. “It was just really eye opening and terrifying and shocking and heartbreaking to see the residents of East Palestine being impacted and not having answers.”

“It was terrifying and shocking to see,” said Friend in a previous interview with CityBeat. “It was just really eye opening and terrifying and shocking and heartbreaking to see the residents of East Palestine being impacted and not having answers.”

CLC addresses the concerns over safety and disaster liability in their statement endorsing the deal.

CLC addresses the concerns over safety and disaster liability in their statement endorsing the deal.

“This sale frees the city from any responsibility and/or legal liability for owning and maintaining a railroad, which could entail costly repairs and upgrades in the future,” the release reads. “Additionally, despite the lease agreement claiming to release the city from any damages or liability resulting from unforeseen occurrences or incidents such as that which occurred in East Palestine Ohio, it is the position of the council that this does not preclude frivolous lawsuits that would inevitably come and create an undue and substantial financial burden on the city that would still have to defend itself.”

“This sale frees the city from any responsibility and/or legal liability for owning and maintaining a railroad, which could entail costly repairs and upgrades in the future,” the release reads. “Additionally, despite the lease agreement claiming to release the city from any damages or liability resulting from unforeseen occurrences or incidents such as that which occurred in East Palestine Ohio, it is the position of the council that this does not preclude frivolous lawsuits that would inevitably come and create an undue and substantial financial burden on the city that would still have to defend itself.”

Mayor Aftab Pureval echoed this idea to CityBeat during a June interview about selling the CSR, saying it’s legally dangerous for the city to go on owning the railroad.

Mayor Aftab Pureval echoed this idea to CityBeat during a June interview about selling the CSR, saying it’s legally dangerous for the city to go on owning the railroad.

“By selling the railroad we will get a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up our basic services for generations and we also get the benefit of getting out of a rail industry that is under-regulated, under-managed and risky,” Pureval told CityBeat. “Certainly the environmental catastrophe that we’re seeing in East Palestine, no one here wants that and if we continue to hold on to this asset, we could be on the hook for liability if something like that happened here.”

“By selling the railroad we will get a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up our basic services for generations and we also get the benefit of getting out of a rail industry that is under-regulated, under-managed and risky,” Pureval told CityBeat. “Certainly the environmental catastrophe that we’re seeing in East Palestine, no one here wants that and if we continue to hold on to this asset, we could be on the hook for liability if something like that happened here.”

Friend told CityBeat in a previous interview that the city isn’t trying hard enough to find other ways to pay for basic services while keeping the country’s only city-owned multi-state railway.

Friend told CityBeat in a previous interview that the city isn’t trying hard enough to find other ways to pay for basic services while keeping the country’s only city-owned multi-state railway.

“They’re looking at our [railroad] as something we can just toss out the door instead of sitting down and finding creative solutions to some of our problems,” she said.

“They’re looking at our [railroad] as something we can just toss out the door instead of sitting down and finding creative solutions to some of our problems,” she said.

The Cincinnati Labor Council says that this decision was a long time coming.

PHOTO: 4300STREETCAR WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

New Cincinnati Fire Chief Named, Previous Chief’s Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Continues

BY MADELINE FENING

Cincinnati has named a new fire chief, six months after the previous chief was let go for alleged discriminatory behavior.

In a Sept. 12 press conference, city manager Sheryl Long announced Frank McKinley, former assistant chief of the Dallas Fire Department, has been named the newest head of the Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD).

“My first 30 days I go on my listening and learning tour,” McKinley said during the press event.

McKinley starts Oct. 9. His hiring comes after the previous chief, Michael Washington, was fired from the job in March for allegedly creating a workplace culture that was “unwelcome to women,” according to the city manager’s office. He was first hired by the department in 1993. McKinley, a self-proclaimed “girl dad,” addressed a question about leading women in the department during the press event.

“Women make up about six and half percent of the workforce here in the [CFD], they need a voice too,” McKinley said. “That’s something I’m very passionate about.”

Allegations against Washington

According to a March press release announcing the firing, Long said Washington was not capable of implementing or overseeing workplace culture changes the city found necessary.

“I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discriminatory, hostile, or unfair working environments in any city department,” Long said in the March release. “Cincinnatians place their trust in the fire department, which is tasked with keeping all of us safe. If the workplace culture within the department is unhealthy, that’s a violation of the community’s trust.”

According to public documents, multiple women working for CFD voiced concerns during Washington’s tenure as chief, saying the workplace culture allowed women to be disrespected and treated unfairly.

Based on the complaints, Long invited social services organization Women Helping Women (WHW) to deliver training to CFD staff in November 2022. Training started on Dec. 15 to outline goals and expectations, but WHW said in a summary report that Washington rushed the timeline of the program and

misrepresented the purpose of the training to CFD employees.

“There was initial misrepresentation of the engagement as sexual harassment training, which impacted the way some participants showed up in the space or their openness to engage in the content, feeling like it was punitive or that it was in response to actions others had engaged in, and now they were being disciplined for those actions,” the summary said.

Training and engagement sessions between WHW and the fire department also were sporadically attended, with some meetings having only one participant and eight sessions having no attendees.

According to reports, women in the department also complained of not being engaged or present in leadership decisions – including promotional panels – and multiple staffers called the WHW hotline directly for

support after training.

What’s next?

Washington has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city and Long individually. In the lawsuit, Washington claims the allegations were “exaggerated” and that he was never given warning or a chance to defend himself

before Long made the decision. The lawsuit also claims the summary of the first phase of CFD’s program with WHW did not point to poor behavior from Washington.

“The executive summary from [WHW] made no references to a lack of adequate support from Chief Washington,” the lawsuit reads.

Washington’s lawsuit is still pending.

Over-the-Counter Narcan Becomes Available as Overdoses Soar in Ohio

BY MADELINE FENING

Drug overdoses are popping up more frequently in Ohio, and bad-batch drugs are again to blame.

The SOAR Initiative (SOAR stands for Safety, Outreach, Autonomy, Respect) alerts subscribers via text or app about deadly batches of drugs, often laced with unknown amounts of fentanyl. On Sept. 8, after a string of near daily alerts about hot spots for bad-batch drugs around the state, SOAR posted a rare message on Instagram alerting the public that overdoses are up across the board.

“Ohio is currently experiencing high rates of overdoses and deadly batches,” the post reads. “We want all of our communities to be safe, so please test your drugs, Take extra caution when using, and don’t use alone if possible. Care for your neighbors, your friends, and your community members during this time.”

Drugs laced with fentanyl and/ or xylazine (also known as the “zombie” drug) are mostly to blame for the adulterated supply in Ohio, meaning habitual and casual drug users are encountering unknown levels of deadly synthetics in drugs like cocaine, pressed pills and heroin.

Organizations like SOAR and Harm Reduction Ohio (HRO) supply free test strips to anyone in the state who requests them, which helps to prevent an overdose before it begins, but tools used to save someone who is already suffering an overdose just became more available in the state.

Last week, naloxone (brand name Narcan), a nasal spray that stops inprogress opioid overdoses, became available over the counter nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the change in March. The FDA’s approval allows naloxone to be sold on store shelves anywhere, as well as online, without having to speak to a pharmacist.

“Naloxone is a critical tool in addressing opioid overdoses and today’s approval underscores the extensive efforts the agency has undertaken to combat the overdose crisis,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose, has been available at most Ohio pharmacies for years, but previously required a pharmacist to dispense the nasal spray, limiting the availability of the life-saving drug to

pharmacy hours.

While naloxone is regarded as safe and effective for reversing an opioid overdose, it cannot stop the effects of an overdose from xylazine, because it’s not an opioid. SOAR strongly recommends those who may use drugs to test their batch for xylazine before using, and to never use alone.

Frank McKinley former assistant chief of the Dallas Fire Department has been named the newest head of the Cincinnati Fire Department.

PHOTO: MADELINE FENING

The FDA's approval of over-the-counter naloxone allows for it to be sold on store shelves.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY HARM REDUCTION OHIO

OPINION

Sinclair Broadcast Group Gives a Platform to Ideas that Harm

Trans People and Other Marginalized Groups

BY MIRA LAZINE

Sinclair Broadcast Group Gives a Platform to Ideas that Harm Trans People and Other Marginalized Groups

BY MIRA LAZINE

In today’s world, few people are actively paying attention to where their news is coming from. Folks may be aware of the news stations they watch and how they relate to those favored by political opponents, but there isn’t much attention paid to the companies behind the scenes. As they often have significant control over what gets published, this can be a major problem — most prominently, perhaps, with the media titan Sinclair Broadcast Group.

In today’s world, few people are actively paying attention to where their news is coming from. Folks may be aware of the news stations they watch and how they relate to those favored by political opponents, but there isn’t much attention paid to the companies behind the scenes. As they often have significant control over what gets published, this can be a major problem — most prominently, perhaps, with the media titan Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Sinclair is a name known by many, yet unknown to so many more. Many around Cincinnati may think of Sinclair Community College. Sinclair Broadcast Group stands as its own beast, owning almost 200 local news stations across the United States, with one in nearly every single state across the country. Many of their local news stations — such as Washington D.C.’s WJLA-TV, Pittsburgh’s WPNT and Milwaukee’s WVTV — are based in major metropolitan areas, and often are among the dominant sources of local journalism for so many people.

Sinclair is a name known by many, yet unknown to so many more. Many around Cincinnati may think of Sinclair Community College. Sinclair Broadcast Group stands as its own beast, owning almost 200 local news stations across the United States, with one in nearly every single state across the country. Many of their local news stations — such as Washington D.C.’s WJLA-TV, Pittsburgh’s WPNT and Milwaukee’s WVTV — are based in major metropolitan areas, and often are among the dominant sources of local journalism for so many people.

The amount of people they reach is a cause for concern. According to Vox, Sinclair has one of the largest audiences across the entire United States, with millions of viewers across all of their different programs. These viewers each get fed an abundance of proTrump rhetoric that’s consistent with far-right programming such as Breitbart. The bias wasn’t just unique to the Trump campaign either, as it goes years into their history, such as when in the early 2000s, they selectively chose to air segments that favored a conservative angle to hot-button topics like the Iraq War. They even ran an ad that tried to compare former president Barack Obama to the Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers, mirroring the far-right rhetoric of the time.

The amount of people they reach is a cause for concern. According to Vox, Sinclair has one of the largest audiences across the entire United States, with millions of viewers across all of their different programs. These viewers each get fed an abundance of proTrump rhetoric that’s consistent with far-right programming such as Breitbart. The bias wasn’t just unique to the Trump campaign either, as it goes years into their history, such as when in the early 2000s, they selectively chose to air segments that favored a conservative angle to hot-button topics like the Iraq War. They even ran an ad that tried to compare former president Barack Obama to the Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers, mirroring the far-right rhetoric of the time.

As a trans woman, this type of rhetoric concerns me heavily. They’re giving a platform to ideas that are directly causing harm to so many marginalized people and putting us at risk, and by emboldening hateful figures like Donald Trump, they’re contributing to the rising extremism of the far right by funneling more and more average people down a dangerous pipeline.

As a trans woman, this type of rhetoric concerns me heavily. They’re giving a platform to ideas that are directly causing harm to so many marginalized people and putting us at risk, and by emboldening hateful figures like Donald Trump, they’re contributing to the rising extremism of the far right by funneling more and more average people down a dangerous pipeline.

This also concerns me as a journalist. With their coverage spreading misinformation, that goes against core tenets of journalistic ethics. There’s no regard for what should be considered truth, no regard for separating bias from important news coverage. It’s just works pushed out for the sake of an

This also concerns me as a journalist. With their coverage spreading misinformation, that goes against core tenets of journalistic ethics. There’s no regard for what should be considered truth, no regard for separating bias from important news coverage. It’s just works pushed out for the sake of an

ideology that harms so many.

conservative Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson show on occasion replacing their standard coverage. Attkisson is an investigative journalist who has been criticized for, among other things, spreading Republican-fueled misinformation about healthcare costs and peddling a link between vaccines and autism. Full Measure has also featured pro-Trump messaging, as seen in an exclusive interview with him.

conservative Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson show on occasion replacing their standard coverage. Attkisson is an investigative journalist who has been criticized for, among other things, spreading Republican-fueled misinformation about healthcare costs and peddling a link between vaccines and autism. Full Measure has also featured pro-Trump messaging, as seen in an exclusive interview with him.

They were criticized several years ago by WVXU for platforming conspiracy theories related to election fraud spurred by Trump directly, and on a separate occasion for coverage on “fake news” being featured on Local 12 seemingly as ordered directly by Sinclair higher-ups. They shared from Sinclair’s National Desk an article about Biden being too old to run for President again, yet framing Trump and other Republican candidates as being the right age for voters.

They were criticized several years ago by WVXU for platforming conspiracy theories related to election fraud spurred by Trump directly, and on a separate occasion for coverage on “fake news” being featured on Local 12 seemingly as ordered directly by Sinclair higher-ups. They shared from Sinclair’s National Desk an article about Biden being too old to run for President again, yet framing Trump and other Republican candidates as being the right age for voters.

The problems with Sinclair go into more recent angles they’ve had with their journalism as well, such as their Crisis in the Classroom series, which often features anti-transgender themes, such as selectively choosing to focus on topics that portray transgender kids in school negatively or only interviewing parents who are hostile to their children’s transition. This can be seen in late August of 2023 with the featuring of a Texas mother who “shoots down” arguments that transphobic parents should be kept from knowing their children’s gender identities.

ideology that harms so many.

The problems with Sinclair go into more recent angles they’ve had with their journalism as well, such as their Crisis in the Classroom series, which often features anti-transgender themes, such as selectively choosing to focus on topics that portray transgender kids in school negatively or only interviewing parents who are hostile to their children’s transition. This can be seen in late August of 2023 with the featuring of a Texas mother who “shoots down” arguments that transphobic parents should be kept from knowing their children’s gender identities.

Turning a closer eye to our own local market, I found two Cincinnati-based news outlets are affiliated with Sinclair. WKRC-TV, also known as Local 12, is directly owned by Sinclair as of the early 2010s. WSTR-TV, while not directly owned by Sinclair, is affiliated through a contract where they share resources with one another.

Turning a closer eye to our own local market, I found two Cincinnati-based news outlets are affiliated with Sinclair. WKRC-TV, also known as Local 12, is directly owned by Sinclair as of the early 2010s. WSTR-TV, while not directly owned by Sinclair, is affiliated through a contract where they share resources with one another.

These outlets have exhibited a subtle, but significant bias against transgender rights and curried favor for Donald Trump. WKRC-TV in particular is the more egregious example of the two, with their hosting of the aforementioned Crisis in the Classroom series being a prominent example. For instance, one story includes subjects arguing that Cincinnati school districts should report youth gender identities to their parents, even in cases of unsupportive ones, and that it shouldn’t be labeled as abuse to do so. The school districts and Child Protective Services were all criticized

These outlets have exhibited a subtle, but significant bias against transgender rights and curried favor for Donald Trump. WKRC-TV in particular is the more egregious example of the two, with their hosting of the aforementioned Crisis in the Classroom series being a prominent example. For instance, one story includes subjects arguing that Cincinnati school districts should report youth gender identities to their parents, even in cases of unsupportive ones, and that it shouldn’t be labeled as abuse to do so. The school districts and Child Protective Services were all criticized

for policies that support trans youth, although they denied claims such as calling a lack of support as abuse.

for policies that support trans youth, although they denied claims such as calling a lack of support as abuse.

Local 12’s biases against transgender folk have not always been the most vocal, but they’re visible in how they choose to highlight their pieces. For example, an early article of theirs refers to a conversion therapy-related suicide of a trans teen as being caused by “religious therapy,” neglecting to discuss the tangible ways in which conversion therapy causes real harm. Or take their hosting of an Associated Press news article that gives disproportionate weight to the voice of Republicans when discussing a Florida bill banning trans integration in sports. They have even given a voice to people who equate being trans to acting like a cat and using a litter box.

Local 12’s biases against transgender folk have not always been the most vocal, but they’re visible in how they choose to highlight their pieces. For example, an early article of theirs refers to a conversion therapy-related suicide of a trans teen as being caused by “religious therapy,” neglecting to discuss the tangible ways in which conversion therapy causes real harm. Or take their hosting of an Associated Press news article that gives disproportionate weight to the voice of Republicans when discussing a Florida bill banning trans integration in sports. They have even given a voice to people who equate being trans to acting like a cat and using a litter box.

While Local 12 may not exhibit antitrans biases in every single story, as seen with one piece about a transgender girl elected homecoming princess, these works are in the minority and are overshadowed by their works on public policy that have clear leanings.

While Local 12 may not exhibit antitrans biases in every single story, as seen with one piece about a transgender girl elected homecoming princess, these works are in the minority and are overshadowed by their works on public policy that have clear leanings.

This is a major problem with Local 12 and how they affect news coverage. Their presentation as an unbiased source of news, while nonetheless exhibiting subtle unmistakable leanings, leads people to gradually adopt more and more right-wing ideas that can and will lead to more hate. Just taking a look at Florida with a NeoNazi rally shows us what happens if this type of rhetoric is led to spiral and grow, and who it truly empowers.

While many corporations may be dominant in the news world, few have reached the level of ideological bias that Sinclair has. In 2018, CNN broke the story that Sinclair was responsible for sending out a wide array of messages to their army of local news stations that distinctly mirrored rhetoric seen during the initial Donald Trump campaign - claims that the news is biased towards the liberal media, that strong borders are needed, or that conservative candidates warrant your votes. The CEO of Sinclair even told Trump that Sinclair is “here to deliver your message.”

While many corporations may be dominant in the news world, few have reached the level of ideological bias that Sinclair has. In 2018, CNN broke the story that Sinclair was responsible for sending out a wide array of messages to their army of local news stations that distinctly mirrored rhetoric seen during the initial Donald Trump campaign - claims that the news is biased towards the liberal media, that strong borders are needed, or that conservative candidates warrant your votes. The CEO of Sinclair even told Trump that Sinclair is “here to deliver your message.”

In a time where conservative rhetoric is dominating the news and public policy, this concerns me greatly. In Ohio especially there are an abundance of anti-trans bills being proposed and voted on in the state legislature. The type of rhetoric Sinclair publishes emboldens the people behind these bills, enabling more people to vote for them and damages marginalized people across the state. The impact their coverage has on the average person cannot be understated, and as their influence grows across the country, there is all the more reason to be concerned.

In a time where conservative rhetoric is dominating the news and public policy, this concerns me greatly. In Ohio especially there are an abundance of anti-trans bills being proposed and voted on in the state legislature. The type of rhetoric Sinclair publishes emboldens the people behind these bills, enabling more people to vote for them and damages marginalized people across the state. The impact their coverage has on the average person cannot be understated, and as their influence grows across the country, there is all the more reason to be concerned.

Both outlets have also featured the

This is a major problem with Local 12 and how they affect news coverage. Their presentation as an unbiased source of news, while nonetheless exhibiting subtle unmistakable leanings, leads people to gradually adopt more and more right-wing ideas that can and will lead to more hate. Just taking a look at Florida with a NeoNazi rally shows us what happens if this type of rhetoric is led to spiral and grow, and who it truly empowers.

Both outlets have also featured the

Sinclair, in response to a request for comment, said the following. “From covering breaking local and national news to providing a voice for the voiceless in the community, Sinclair’s television stations produce news content that reflects the local community which it serves, with trusted journalists delivering fact-based content without bias or influence.”

Sinclair, in response to a request for comment, said the following. “From covering breaking local and national news to providing a voice for the voiceless in the community, Sinclair’s television stations produce news content that reflects the local community which it serves, with trusted journalists delivering fact-based content without bias or influence.”

Writer Mira Lazine writes that Sinclair Broadcast Group is giving a platform to ideas that are directly causing harm to so many marginalized people — including trans people.

PHOTO: SHARON MCCUTCHEON

Writer Mira Lazine writes that Sinclair Broadcast Group is giving a platform to ideas that are directly causing harm to so many marginalized people — including trans people.

PHOTO: SHARON MCCUTCHEON

My Country ‘Tis of Me

Meet the micronationalists

dreaming up new nations — in Greater Cincinnati and beyond

AS A NINE-YEAR-OLD GROWING

up at 924 Putnam Street in Newport, Kentucky, Tony Skaggs could look over the Ohio River to downtown Cincinnati’s skyline. He may have daydreamed a bit about what was going on in the big city less than a mile away, but by fourth grade a new obsession about his sense of place in the world took hold.

Handed the heavily illustrated geography book My World of Nations by his fourth-grade teacher, Skaggs began a lifelong pursuit regarding a place called Alphistia. That place didn’t exist in the book, with its roster of nation-states recognized by the United Nations. Alphistia existed only in his head until it began to appear, board by board, in his family’s backyard.

There, he laboriously built structures from scratch, including a chapel, until he had what he jokingly refers to as “a shantytown.” As neighbor kids began to come around, his little settlement of Alphistia became a magnet for play and whimsy, up to and including the time that one of the neighbor kids decided to strike out on his own, creating a different fictional nation down the block.

The buildings of Alphistia were only a part of the appeal for Skaggs. He was building a town, yes, but also creating a deep backstory for a nation that existed largely in his mind. “By Christmas, I started creating maps. That was the beginning.”

The beginning of Alphistia, that is, the kind of self-contained project that

By thomas crone

for the past several decades has been called a micronation. Skaggs was making maps of a fictional place in which he wanted to live, creating a narrative about the people who might join him in living there and even a language. This wasn’t some type of passing notion. Skaggs kept with the idea all the way through high school until finally purging a huge chunk of Alphistian history, despite his mom’s protestations.

It would take years for him to return to it, but when he did, it was in earnest. Skaggs, now in his seventies, is again leader of Alphistia.

What’s amazing about Skaggs’ story, though, is that he was coming up with his ideas of micronationalism before the term was even coined. In 1967, the same year in which he first dreamt up this dream nation, a place called the Principality of Sealand was claimed by one Paddy Roy Bates, who physically took over a defense platform off the coast of England. There, on a structure called Rough Towers, he created not only a pirate radio station but a physical presence that he claimed was separate from England. The history of Sealand is filled with a host of strange occurrences, including the occasional physical skirmish involving gunplay and ransoms.

Over time, other dreamers and

schemers would lay claim to lands around the world, sometimes in remote locales like Sealand, but also in less remote places. Like the Skaggs’ family backyard.

Some founders were serious about laying claim to actual statehood, to independence, to sovereignty. A few, like Bates, had economic reasons for their declarations of independence. But most other micronations were making a political point without actually taking it to the next level. In time, artists and agit-prop provocateurs began to enter the micronational fray, as well, with their projects taking on more of a playful bent (see: Zaqistan in western Utah). Micronationalism, if defined by 100 people taking part in it, would find 100 different reasons for being.

Skaggs was just a kid when his idea took shape. Today, a host of new kids take part in events like MicroCon, which was held in Joliet, Illinois, in late June. There, youths who’ve found one another through social media platforms like Discord are living out the micronational dream with physical and virtual spaces, minting their friends into their cause, claiming generalships or presidencies — and even occasionally calling on acts of war against other micronations.

TONY SKAGGS DATES THE FIRST use of the term “micronation” to Robert Ben Madison, the Mad King of Talossa, who started his own micronation at age 14. Yup, another Midwestern kid with an imagination.

As Atlas Obscura has written about Talossa, “The territory lines of the Kingdom of Talossa started out small, its boundaries encompassing just the bedroom of a 14-year-old Milwaukee boy who had just lost his mother. It was December 26, 1979, when young Robert Ben Madison decided to secede from his country, declaring his bedroom to be the sovereign nation named after the (quite lovely) Finnish word for ‘inside the house.’”

This is the kind of wholesome stuff that accompanies a lot of the contemporary micronational scene’s backstory, as young people claim a small territory in or around their homes.

In other cases, it’s the heads of a family who declare that they and their kin have micronational status. That’s the case for the Republic of Molossia, which holds about 11.3 acres of land near Dayton, Nevada. That micronation is under the benevolent rule of Kevin Baugh and contains multiple members of his family. They seem to have totally signed onto the idea, with theirs being one of MicroCon’s biggest contingencies.

A total of 133 people registered for MicroCon’s U.S. outing this year, with 42 micronations represented. That was a bit of a bump from last year’s Coviddelayed gathering in Las Vegas, but was also small enough that many of

Molossia is a family-led micronation going strong in its fourth decade.

THOMAS CRONE

the primary events were held inside a single ballroom at a Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Joliet. That said, the nearby hallways also held some life, as registrants set up displays that reminded of school science fairs.

While this slender area was a central hub of activity, the entire hotel was given over to micronational chatter. Micronationalists gathered in the main lobby, huddled around tureens of free coffee, chatting about the impact of Latin on the creation of their own microlanguage, the dissolution of this kingdom or that, threads of conversation spilling from Reddit into the IRL realm. At night, the same groups huddled around the man-made pond out back, having the same conversations as a chorus of frogs sang along to their stories and “regular” hotel guests snuck glances at their costumes, which ranged from micronational T-shirts to white glove formal. Anyone staying at the inn was going to be treated to some MicroCon info.

The festivities even included a full morning of lightly competitive athletics, based on the ideals of the Olympics — the Nemean Games. Three events were wed into the morning’s activities, all of them liberally adapted from the official versions of each.

It turns out that you can hold a shot put competition without the actual tool of the sport, the heavy metallic, projectable “shot.” Just sub in a tennis ball. You can have a discus contest through creativity, too, only requiring a couple of dog frisbees and some willing throwers. You can run multiple heats of the 50-meter dash if you’ve got enough folks willing to sprint across a pock-marked grassfield, found aside an abandoned tennis court, next to a picture-postcard creek, below a suburban subdivision. At MicroCon all of this was not only possible, but done.

Part of that is thanks to Philip Pillin of the Kingdom of Pibocip, which is regarded as the longest-running micronation in Ohio. (A couple of dozen micronations are variously active and defunct throughout the state; see sidebar.) Prince Philip is not only a

theologian who works in Canton, he’s also a track and field officiant, a skill he picked up from his father and one that was very much a needed skill at the Nemean Games.

While that Friday activity was plenty fun, he also enjoyed his introductory lecture on Saturday, the kickoff conversation at MicroCon, which he dedicated to the idea of the Common Good.

Pillin literally grew up around micronationalists, as Pribocip is a family legacy project, begun in 2000. As the Micronations Wiki notes, “The first monarch of Pibocip, Her Majesty Queen Anita, was installed after the foundation of the nation in 2000 and reigned until her death in 2005. She was succeeded by her son-in-law, Prince Philip Joseph Pillin, as King Philip in 2005.”

Despite his being around this world

Buckeye Micronations

Searching for micronations can be a bit of a daunting task, as these places can come and go without much fanfare, leaving nothing more than a trail of years-old Reddit mentions in their wake. The site micronations.wiki finds Ohio well-represented with active communities.

Some of the names indicate the general vibe of a place — say, the Dictatorship of Alissia or, conversely, the Kingdom of Loveland. Competing political philosophies can be potentially found with the Democratic Socialist State of Veltines and the Communist State of Tiffin River, both of which may clash, to degrees, with the Democratic Empire

for his entire life, young Prince Philip says he has been in “a rabbit hole of learning and trying to apply actual political theory into a micronation and then taking that and sharing it with the micronational community to help them articulate their thoughts and defend their passion with people who don’t understand what we do.” How that translates into a speech? “This year I talked about making nations work for the common good and trying to help people be able to articulate better why we do what we do and why it’s important for the world at large.”

Soft-spoken and kindly, but also direct and wickedly articulate, Pillin says that the heart of micronationalism is about belonging. To small tribes, yes, but also the other small tribes that dot the globe.

In his opening address, he noted

that the micronational movement is about “friendship, achievement, belonging, creativity, respect for and by others. Those are all things that are a part of the common good or that they’re good for everybody in our lives. As human beings, we live better with those things. And so my argument was that micronations have helped to provide for the common good. We create opportunities for friendship, for achievement, for belonging, for problem solving, for creativity, for respect for them by others.”

To Pillin, the idea is downright utopian: “We are helping people who otherwise might not belong, who otherwise might not achieve, by the way, might not have friends. We created an opportunity for all those wonderful things for people just by existing as micronations.”

of Gothiva or the Federation of the Buckeyes. Notable here is that micronations often offer citizenship to people from anywhere in the world, sometimes even offering royal titles for a bit of extra coin. So there’s no exact way to say how many people in Ohio might be a citizen of places hither and yon. At least dozens? Almost certainly. Hundreds? Probably. Thousands? Maybe barely. Just know that someone playing chess at your local coffeehouse might just be a micronationalist, a quiet member of a unique subgroup of the world’s citizens.

At MicroCon, Pillin’s work included explaining the basic mechanics of the shotput to Nemean Games competitors, timing 50-meter races, organizing twodozen amateur athletes on a cracked tennis court.

“I’m a master’s level U.S. track and field official for USA Track & Field,” Pillin explained on Saturday. “My specialty is horizontal jumps. So yesterday was like, we have to do it differently, because people are not necessarily competing in these events all the time, right? The shot put in particular seemed to vex them, so we were teaching as we were going. … sports are really

You might think of MicroCon as sort of like Model U.N. for people with big imaginations. THOMAS CRONE

important for the human person and for the community in helping people achieve.”

Since MicroCon, the Kingdom of Pibocip — located in northeast Ohio, with Prince Philip Pillin as the Minister of Foreign Affairs — has been signing mutual cooperation agreements with other micronations with a goal of “working together for the common good so that all people may be raised up to a new hope.”

You could imagine Fred Rogers being a Pibocian, part of a Kingdom That Cares.

FROM AUGUST 11-13, YPRES, Belgium hosted a second version of MicroCon, this one closer to European micronationalists who’ll be offered another chance to meet and mingle and dine and dance and sign treaties and declare war around the bar of a hotel ballroom.

For Tony Skaggs, the American version was close (like, really close) to his home. Only 110 miles separate his current home from Joliet, where MicroCon was held this summer. He wasn’t there.

Not for any one reason.

Well, maybe one: He’s shy. He didn’t necessarily feel up to all the pageantry of a MicroCon gathering.

“A lot of people have created a whole royalty,” he says, “so when they get together for the convention, there’s an awards ceremony, and people love the costumes and royalty play of it all. Other people like the politics and the back and forth of that. It’s a different world and people love to experiment with things other than their everyday realities.”

Skaggs identifies with the experimentation aspect, but his world is more solitary. As a kid, he was inspired less by other micronationalists — “I had not heard of these other places until the internet came along” — and more by his own imagination, and then Tolkien, whom he first discovered as a young teenager.

“Around 1972, I saw an article about Tolkein and his inventions, his languages, his maps and I thought, ‘This is incredible. Wow,’” he recalls. “Through Tolkein, I learned of a niche of people

who loved his books.”

What’s also amazing about Skaggs’ story is that he created an early website, one that still exists today at alphistian. blogspot.com. Built in 1995, he notes that the primitive look of the page is something he sort of enjoys, having had a friend build and design the site at the dawn of the functional web.

Several times early on, he says, he made the mistake of throwing away his Alphistian documents. A librarian by profession, he’s learned from those early errors. Today his website is a repository of both early materials and newer updates.

Now living in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Skaggs’ micronational work largely takes place alone. He adds new words to his Alphistian language. He draws sketches of the place. He creates on his own clock.

“I’m a lifelong librarian,” he says, “and there is a bit of a treasure trove with what I’ve put on the web. Anyone interested can figure out what it’s all about. It reflects my imagination, my personality. It represents to me a model

WHAT MICRONATIONS ARE (TYPICALLY) NOT

If you’re a person, like Tony Skaggs, who likes to study geography, you might come across names on the map that suggest micronational status. Europe, alone, claims places like Andorra, Lichtenstein, Vatican City, Monaco. They’re recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations. They are, yes, nations, just very small ones.

Assuming these places are part of the micronational movement is somewhat understandable. They’re micro, they’re nations. But they’re real, true, tiny places on a map with full recognition around the world. This is one mild inaccuracy in the way the general public views micronations.

Another is that micronations are born by people with major bones to pick with the government that surrounds them. True, a big part of micronationalism has to do with establishing a core identity outside of

the host nation state’s norm. But American splinter/ protest groups like the Branch Davidians and the Bundys of Nevada aren’t playing the same game.

For the Free Press, reporter Adam Popescu recently profiled “Texians,” citizens of the Republic of Texas who are finding community in something of a statewithin-the-state. They, too, recently held a conference.

Popescu wrote in that July 3 piece, “Men of No Country,” that the Republic of Texas is “a sovereign citizen group that’s been around since the mid-1990s and claims to have around 10,000 members. The FBI estimates there are around 300,000 U.S. citizens who claim no allegiance to the elected government in any form — and their numbers are rising. For some members of the Republic, their goal is to meet and vent at town halls … Others want a full secession. In the meantime, they’re busy figuring out how to

of what would be a very nice society. I’m just a little different from a lot of MicroCon devotees in Joliet, in that I don’t do costumes very well and they do.”

At some point his project, now well into its sixth decade, will end.

“What is likely to happen is that all my stuff will be donated to a library,” he says. “If you read through my documents, they’re my ideals. A lot of micronatonalists are all for following their dreams, which I believe in. Some go the whole route, but then you’re getting into the real world of politics, like the civil wars that can happen with micronations. When it becomes too real, it’s not quite as much fun.”

Citing the seminal influence of Tolkein, he says, “For me, it’s like how Tolkein imagined all of his worlds. People talk about the Shire and how the Hobbits live and that that’s the world he imagined people living in.

“Interestingly, all these years later, I haven’t seen people set up Hobbit communities. There’re more orcs out there than Hobbits.”

disobey the courts, avoid taxes, and generally find ways to circumvent the U.S. government.”

Again, this is not modern micronationalism, per se, though some minor states may take on this type of breakaway, secessionist language.

What is notable is that a host of micronations are headed up by former members of the U.S. military and there’s a definite sense of militarism that runs through some of the younger members’ micronations, with epaulets on many a military-styled jacket at MicroCon. But there’s not an implicit sense that any of these folks would engage in actual gunplay with the jurisdictions that surround their micronation.

Walking through MicroCon, you can’t help but wonder if someone there — be they dressed to the nines in political cosplay or fitting in more subtly — is representing the goals of the greater state, just there to low-key keep tabs on the MicroCon community.

The states of Alphistia, left, can be seen in a map drawn by Tony Skaggs, right, who first dreamed up the micronation as a kid in suburban Cincinnati. COURTESY OF TONY SKAGGS

ARTS & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Greetings from Planet Love’

‘Greetings from Planet Love’

The Well has brought back its True Body Project to foster connection, community and healing among local teenage girls.

BY LEYLA SHOKOOHE

BY LEYLA SHOKOOHE

In 2005, the iPhone had not yet been invented. Facebook was still only available to holders of college email addresses. Instagram wouldn’t be launched for another five years. For all that the extreme toxicity of social media hadn’t yet permeated youth culture, there were plenty of other avenues available for people, especially teenage girls, to feel disconnected from themselves and their communities.

In 2005, the iPhone had not yet been invented. Facebook was still only available to holders of college email addresses. Instagram wouldn’t be launched for another five years. For all that the extreme toxicity of social media hadn’t yet permeated youth culture, there were plenty of other avenues available for people, especially teenage girls, to feel disconnected from themselves and their communities.

It’s the reason that Stacy Sims, founder and director of The Well, an organization that offers arts integrations and events that foster “healingcentered practices,” founded the True Body Project — and part of the reason she brought it back this summer after 18 years.

It’s the reason that Stacy Sims, founder and director of The Well, an organization that offers arts integrations and events that foster “healingcentered practices,” founded the True Body Project — and part of the reason she brought it back this summer after 18 years.

“2005 [was] pre-social media, prepandemic, all the ‘pre’-s, and I understood by listening to young people that the disconnection between mind and body seemed more exaggerated,” said Sims. “Feminism and some of these other constructs didn’t seem to have

“2005 [was] pre-social media, prepandemic, all the ‘pre’-s, and I understood by listening to young people that the disconnection between mind and body seemed more exaggerated,” said Sims. “Feminism and some of these other constructs didn’t seem to have

worked to create any kind of cohesion, and I felt like you couldn’t really change your mind if you didn’t bring your body along for the ride. So I had this idea for a rite-of-passage curriculum.”

worked to create any kind of cohesion, and I felt like you couldn’t really change your mind if you didn’t bring your body along for the ride. So I had this idea for a rite-of-passage curriculum.”

Sims first floated the concept of the True Body Project by the folks at ArtWorks in 2005 as a riff on their existing summer youth artist apprentice model.

Sims first floated the concept of the True Body Project by the folks at ArtWorks in 2005 as a riff on their existing summer youth artist apprentice model.

As lead teaching artist for the project, she would use the tried-and-true ArtWorks framework of youth employment. The youth apprentices would go through this curriculum together, with the final result being the creation of a book as a tangible record of their learnings. More intrinsically, the six weeks in community using movement and

As lead teaching artist for the project, she would use the tried-and-true ArtWorks framework of youth employment. The youth apprentices would go through this curriculum together, with the final result being the creation of a book as a tangible record of their learnings. More intrinsically, the six weeks in community using movement and

meditation would leave the apprentices with a practice they could carry with them far beyond that summer. It was a hit, gracing the cover of CityBeat in 2005 and resulting in a short documentary.

meditation would leave the apprentices with a practice they could carry with them far beyond that summer. It was a hit, gracing the cover of CityBeat in 2005 and resulting in a short documentary.

The success of the True Body Project’s inaugural outing was followed by a second iteration in 2006. The concept then shifted, moving to a focus on

The success of the True Body Project’s inaugural outing was followed by a second iteration in 2006. The concept then shifted, moving to a focus on

The Well brought back its True Body Project for the first time in almost two decades this summer.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE WELL

The True Body Project offers holistic connection for Cincinnati area teens.

PHOTO: KYLE WOLFF, COURTESY THE WELL

The Well has brought back its True Body Project to foster connection, community and healing among local teenage girls.

The Well brought back its True Body Project for the first time in almost two decades this summer.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE WELL

The True Body Project offers holistic connection for Cincinnati area teens.

PHOTO: KYLE WOLFF, COURTESY THE WELL

camps, afterschool programs, even a cross-cultural application through a decade-long presence in Cambodia. But the original True Body model was resurrected this year for much the same reason as before: disconnection was at a fever-pitch.

“I was reading all these articles about the teen mental health crisis, especially for girls,” said Sims. “So because of the crisis, because of our knowledge, and because we have this great facility [The Well], [I reached out to] ArtWorks and said, ‘Hey, can we do this again in the same format?’ And they said yes.”

A lot has changed in 18 years. The span of time between the first True Body and the 2023 True Body is equal to the number of years someone has when they reach adulthood. That is to say, the True Body project has matured, grown in its span, its goals, its intent. The youth True Body serves have changed in certain fundamental ways from the original group of girls in 2005.

“One of the things that was really intriguing is that gender has become a much more fluid and full and important discussion as it relates to body, females, all of these issues,” said Sims. “The invitation was to female-identifying and gender expansive youth.”

Beyond gender was the consideration of today’s teens’ mental health. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this year, which analyzed data collected over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2021, one in three female students in 2021 have seriously considered suicide. Fiftyseven percent of female high school students reported “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.”

True Body, therefore, and its curriculum of holistic connection, body awareness, mindfulness, and kindness, was uniquely positioned not just as a respite, but, a potential antidote.

“It was really beautiful from the first day,” said Kyle Wolff, a writer and photographer who served as the lead teaching artist for True Body. “It was such a different perspective these apprentices were giving us, because they’re so vulnerable and so connected and supportive of one another from day one and really open to each other.”

Twelve youth apprentices, ranging in age from 14 to 20, participated. They gathered at The Well in Camp Washington Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to commune with one another and create art. Sims and Wolff brought in a variety of creatives, with an emphasis on visual art, (but also including dance, creative writing, sound healing and more) to teach the apprentices, with everything being presented around a deeper and better understanding of one’s own body. A group exercise on the first day led to

the inception of Planet Love and the creation of its mythology.

“We figured out from doing some of the exercises together, we decided our energy felt like a planet,” said MJ Cook, 20, who served as senior apprentice.

“That was the driving theme for our work. Throughout the project, we had different ideas for things we wanted to be a part of our book, like our alien personas on Planet Love, our houses on Planet Love. A lot of time it was whatever people felt like making that applied to the theme.”

Originally a place where the three pillars of love, acceptance and understanding flowed in abundance thanks to the LOVE Potion, Planet Love became a shadow of its former self as its inhabitants forgot about the core pillars and lost sight of the beauty the planet once held. The apprentices became “remixers”, who, using the lessons they were taught over the summer, could not only restore Planet Love to its original greatness and purpose, but would also flesh out the multifaceted nature of themselves as residents of the planet.

The resultant book, Dispatches from Planet Love, is a collection of the art, photographs and lessons the apprentices learned throughout their True Body experience. It is a singular volume, reflecting the individuality of all the apprentices and their perception of themselves, one another, and their world.

“I had never had another space through a job or school where I had the opportunity to lay all of myself out and hope that people would be accepting of that,” said Cook. “I think because we were all coming into that space knowing that was what we hoped to do, everybody was really accepting and kind when people would open up about different things.”

In addition to the book, there will be a mural, which will be dedicated in an event at The Well on Oct. 5. The mural features the front and backside of a postcard, Greetings from Planet Love. The greeting on the mural is also an invitation for everyone to take part in the transformative experience of finding oneself on Planet Love. The apprentices can attest to that power.

“[My goals] were having more of a connection between mind and body, getting to connect with a group of people I didn’t know coming into the project, opening myself up to other people, listening closely to other people, and also to make art I was excited about,” said Cook. “I would say I accomplished all of those things.”

The Well’s True Body Project celebration and mural dedication takes place Oct. 5 at The Well, 2868 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington. Info: thewell.world.

Cindependent Film Festival to Stage Triumphant Return at Memorial Hall

BY GARIN PIRNIA

Cindependent Film Festival to Stage Triumphant Return at Memorial Hall

BY GARIN PIRNIA

Cindependent Film Festival is back for the first time since 2019 in late September.

In 2018, local filmmaker Allyson West launched the annual Cindependent Film Festival, dubbed “an indie film festival for movie people.” The fest — which took place at Woodward Theater and now-defunct The Mini Microcinema in Over-the-Rhine — featured works from all over the world and a block of films by Ohio filmmakers. The second annual fest took place in 2019, but when the pandemic hit, West had no choice but to put the celebrated fest on hiatus.

In 2018, local filmmaker Allyson West launched the annual Cindependent Film Festival, dubbed “an indie film festival for movie people.” The fest — which took place at Woodward Theater and now-defunct The Mini Microcinema in Over-the-Rhine — featured works from all over the world and a block of films by Ohio filmmakers. The second annual fest took place in 2019, but when the pandemic hit, West had no choice but to put the celebrated fest on hiatus.

“The pandemic did make me way more cognizant of how I devote my energy,” West said. “I wanted to make sure that I was operating from kindness and giving people time, but not taking away from my own time and not running on empty all the time. There’s so much reflection and growth that I got to have personally and professionally. The resources we have are better. My ability to be a leader is better. We’re just more connected with the community in a stronger, more intentional way.”

“The pandemic did make me way more cognizant of how I devote my energy,” West said. “I wanted to make sure that I was operating from kindness and giving people time, but not taking away from my own time and not running on empty all the time. There’s so much reflection and growth that I got to have personally and professionally. The resources we have are better. My ability to be a leader is better. We’re just more connected with the community in a stronger, more intentional way.”

Now in its third iteration, Cindependent will occur September 29-30 at Memorial Hall in OTR. Unlike in prior years, the fest will have only two days instead of three. “I’m really sad that we’re missing one day of programming,” she said. “We’re missing many great stories that we could share.”

Now in its third iteration, Cindependent will occur September 29-30 at Memorial Hall in OTR. Unlike in prior years, the fest will have only two days instead of three. “I’m really sad that we’re missing one day of programming,” she said. “We’re missing many great stories that we could share.”

West is aware that people might be reluctant to see films in-person again

West is aware that people might be reluctant to see films in-person again

and to devote their time to what is a jam-packed two days of film screenings, live screenplay readings, coffee chats, after-parties, happy hours and masterclasses.

and to devote their time to what is a jam-packed two days of film screenings, live screenplay readings, coffee chats, after-parties, happy hours and masterclasses.

“I’m not sure if people are ready to come back to festivals and party the way that they have. But I see people wanting to connect, so I think it’s worth a try,” she said. “We launched a lot more community initiatives this year, more than we’ve ever done because once we started tiptoeing back into the world, what we really saw people responding to was the opportunity to belong to a community again.”

“I’m not sure if people are ready to come back to festivals and party the way that they have. But I see people wanting to connect, so I think it’s worth a try,” she said. “We launched a lot more community initiatives this year, more than we’ve ever done because once we started tiptoeing back into the world, what we really saw people responding to was the opportunity to belong to a community again.”

Through monthly CindeSocial and CindeCommunity events, West wants to build a community-oriented ecosystem, not just an annual festival. However, what sets the festival apart from others out there is the way she and her team approach the filmmakers and writers. They have a hospitality department that allows the filmmakers up to two complimentary nights at the Hilton Netherland Plaza. (In the past, 21c Museum Hotel hosted the filmmakers). On opening night, Jimmy’s Limousine Service will escort the filmmakers to Memorial Hall and give them “star treatment.”

Through monthly CindeSocial and CindeCommunity events, West wants to build a community-oriented ecosystem, not just an annual festival. However, what sets the festival apart from others out there is the way she and her team approach the filmmakers and writers. They have a hospitality department that allows the filmmakers up to two complimentary nights at the Hilton Netherland Plaza. (In the past, 21c Museum Hotel hosted the filmmakers). On opening night, Jimmy’s Limousine Service will escort the filmmakers to Memorial Hall and give them “star treatment.”

“One of the reasons why this event is so incredible is because I want people to have a great time, and we go out of our way to make sure that you do

“One of the reasons why this event is so incredible is because I want people to have a great time, and we go out of our way to make sure that you do

get to feel special because the work is worth it,” West said. “Everybody, they find a way to take what’s in their heart and craft it into something and they vulnerably offer it up for judgment. And when they put it over in our hands, we take great care of it, and then we get the pleasure of welcoming so many hardworking people to this festival.”

get to feel special because the work is worth it,” West said. “Everybody, they find a way to take what’s in their heart and craft it into something and they vulnerably offer it up for judgment. And when they put it over in our hands, we take great care of it, and then we get the pleasure of welcoming so many hardworking people to this festival.”

Not only do filmmakers get to participate in the activities, but cinephiles can purchase VIP passes to participate in the afterparties at Arnold’s and the Palm Court, and access the Filmmaker Lounge, which will have complimentary lunch every day. West has managed to secure these amenities because of grants and sponsorships. But someday West hopes the fest will be more self-sufficient.

Not only do filmmakers get to participate in the activities, but cinephiles can purchase VIP passes to participate in the afterparties at Arnold’s and the Palm Court, and access the Filmmaker Lounge, which will have complimentary lunch every day. West has managed to secure these amenities because of grants and sponsorships. But someday West hopes the fest will be more self-sufficient.

“I’m building it in a way so the sponsorship money we raise pays for the festival itself so that the organization can finally really start to grow and not be reliant on grant writing or sponsorships, which come and go,” she said.

“I’m building it in a way so the sponsorship money we raise pays for the festival itself so that the organization can finally really start to grow and not be reliant on grant writing or sponsorships, which come and go,” she said.

This year, they received 498 submissions — the most ever. They’ll screen two features, 73 shorts, and actors will perform 18 short and 12 feature-screenplay reads.

This year, they received 498 submissions — the most ever. They’ll screen two features, 73 shorts, and actors will perform 18 short and 12 feature-screenplay reads.

“We’re leading the team in a big way,” she said. “One of the big differences is that I’m not doing everything that I used to. I can’t do that anymore. I’m way too old. I can’t work that hard

“We’re leading the team in a big way,” she said. “One of the big differences is that I’m not doing everything that I used to. I can’t do that anymore. I’m way too old. I can’t work that hard

anymore. I want to enjoy my life. I want work-life balance. I still work all the time, but it’s different now.”

anymore. I want to enjoy my life. I want work-life balance. I still work all the time, but it’s different now.”

They secured the feature Citizen Sleuth, directed by Chris Kasick, which screened this year at SXSW. “When I first watched it, I thought it was a drama. I was like, ‘Oh, this gorgeous drama. This is going to be so cool. I’ll just watch it,’” she said. “And then 15 minutes into it I realized it was a serious documentary, and I couldn’t believe it because of the way the story was set up and the way it unfolds.”

They secured the feature Citizen Sleuth, directed by Chris Kasick, which screened this year at SXSW. “When I first watched it, I thought it was a drama. I was like, ‘Oh, this gorgeous drama. This is going to be so cool. I’ll just watch it,’” she said. “And then 15 minutes into it I realized it was a serious documentary, and I couldn’t believe it because of the way the story was set up and the way it unfolds.”

West recommends Booked, a feature directed by Cassie Maurer. “It’s basically about two high school kids who get shunned from being cast as the leads in their high-school play and then they go about trying to get into theater college just to prove to everybody that they’re better than they are,” West said.

West recommends Booked, a feature directed by Cassie Maurer. “It’s basically about two high school kids who get shunned from being cast as the leads in their high-school play and then they go about trying to get into theater college just to prove to everybody that they’re better than they are,” West said.

She also loves the Ingrid Woodedirected local short Fresh. “It’s about this woman who’s talking about growing food for her community. She talks to her plants. She talks about understanding where food comes from, and I think that’s a great message.”

She also loves the Ingrid Woodedirected local short Fresh. “It’s about this woman who’s talking about growing food for her community. She talks to her plants. She talks about understanding where food comes from, and I think that’s a great message.”

And she thinks the dark comedy Night Café, directed by Joshua Nowak, is a fun watch. “I could almost go on and on and on about these things forever because they’re like children,” she said. “I feel like I get to know a little bit more of the person on the other side of it because I get to see them through the work.”

And she thinks the dark comedy Night Café, directed by Joshua Nowak, is a fun watch. “I could almost go on and on and on about these things forever because they’re like children,” she said. “I feel like I get to know a little bit more of the person on the other side of it because I get to see them through the work.”

Besides devoting her time to the fest, she’s also trying to create her own projects. “I’m not trying to rush through the time I get with my kids,” she said. “I’m not trying to rush through my own health and wellness. It’s going to take the time it takes to be who I am, and so things like my own creative projects, they’re going to take their time, too. There’s an ebb flow for everything.”

Besides devoting her time to the fest, she’s also trying to create her own projects. “I’m not trying to rush through the time I get with my kids,” she said. “I’m not trying to rush through my own health and wellness. It’s going to take the time it takes to be who I am, and so things like my own creative projects, they’re going to take their time, too. There’s an ebb flow for everything.”

And that time will hopefully be worth it to everyone involved. “I really want people to leave the festival feeling satisfied that they spent their time well,” West said. “It takes a lot to get out of your house. It’s a lot to meet new people. It takes a lot to participate in community gatherings at all, so I want people to be able to feel welcomed and appreciated at this festival in a way that when they go home they feel like it was a good use of their time.”

And that time will hopefully be worth it to everyone involved. “I really want people to leave the festival feeling satisfied that they spent their time well,” West said. “It takes a lot to get out of your house. It’s a lot to meet new people. It takes a lot to participate in community gatherings at all, so I want people to be able to feel welcomed and appreciated at this festival in a way that when they go home they feel like it was a good use of their time.”

Cindependent Film Festival takes place Sept. 29-30 at Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Info: cindependentfilmfest.org.

Cindependent Film Festival takes place Sept. 29-30 at Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Info: cindependentfilmfest.org.

PHOTO: TURN WEST PRODUCTIONS

Cindependent Film Festival is back for the first time since 2019 in late September.

PHOTO: TURN WEST PRODUCTIONS

CULTURE

Hear from Poet Emily Jungmin Yoon at UC’s Visiting Writers Series

BY MACKENZIE MANLEY

Hear from Poet Emily Jungmin Yoon at UC’s Visiting Writers Series

BY MACKENZIE MANLEY

University of Cincinnati’s Visiting Writers Series has returned, bringing five speakers — including Emily Jungmin Yoon — to campus this fall. The poet currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where she caught up with CityBeat via phone.

University of Cincinnati’s Visiting Writers Series has returned, bringing five speakers — including Emily Jungmin Yoon — to campus this fall. The poet currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where she caught up with CityBeat via phone.

Yoon is planning to primarily read from her second full-length collection, Find Me as the Creature I Am, which is set to be released in 2024 by Knopf. Held in the Elliston Poetry Room on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m, the event will be Yoon’s first time reading that work publicly.

Yoon is planning to primarily read from her second full-length collection, Find Me as the Creature I Am, which is set to be released in 2024 by Knopf. Held in the Elliston Poetry Room on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m, the event will be Yoon’s first time reading that work publicly.

“I am excited to see how people will respond to it,” says Yoon, “and also how I will process giving body to these words by physically manifesting them.”

“I am excited to see how people will respond to it,” says Yoon, “and also how I will process giving body to these words by physically manifesting them.”

The title of her second collection references a line within the book in which Yoon imagines an apocalyptic future where everyone is gone. Yoon says the wish that she would still find her spouse and loved ones –– even if she was reborn as another creature ––drives the poem forward.

The title of her second collection references a line within the book in which Yoon imagines an apocalyptic future where everyone is gone. Yoon says the wish that she would still find her spouse and loved ones –– even if she was reborn as another creature ––drives the poem forward.

Yoon’s first full-length poetry collection received several accolades, including the 2019 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award and the 2020 Kafe Tufts Discovery Award. Titled A Cruelty Special to Our Species, the work explores the history of comfort women: women or girls that were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II.

Yoon’s first full-length poetry collection received several accolades, including the 2019 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award and the 2020 Kafe Tufts Discovery Award. Titled A Cruelty Special to Our Species, the work explores the history of comfort women: women or girls that were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II.

Find Me as the Creature I Am is less focused on historical material and more so the environmental disasters that we’re currently living in, according to Yoon.

Find Me as the Creature I Am is less focused on historical material and more so the environmental disasters that we’re currently living in, according to Yoon.

“[The new collection] is much more about the natural world and what we do to it and the ultimate other, which is animal life or animals in the ocean,” says Yoon. “The first book was about what we do to one another as humans, and a very specific part of history within that, the comfort women history of the Japanese Empire.”

“[The new collection] is much more about the natural world and what we do to it and the ultimate other, which is animal life or animals in the ocean,” says Yoon. “The first book was about what we do to one another as humans, and a very specific part of history within that, the comfort women history of the Japanese Empire.”

Since moving to Hawaiʻi in 2019 –– her spouse started a job at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa teaching Korean literature –– Yoon says she thinks even more about the land she lives on. At the time, she was still back-and-forth between Honolulu and Chicago, where she was finishing her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

Since moving to Hawaiʻi in 2019 –– her spouse started a job at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa teaching Korean literature –– Yoon says she thinks even more about the land she lives on. At the time, she was still back-and-forth between Honolulu and Chicago, where she was finishing her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

This fall marks Yoon’s first semester within the Department of East Asian Languages & Literature as an assistant professor at UH.

This fall marks Yoon’s first semester within the Department of East Asian Languages & Literature as an assistant professor at UH.

For Yoon, writing has always been a way to connect with those around her. Even as a child, she would write and share stories with her mother. But she became specifically drawn to poetry in high school when she grappled with how to express her identity as a Canadian immigrant and young South Korean woman.

For Yoon, writing has always been a way to connect with those around her. Even as a child, she would write and share stories with her mother. But she became specifically drawn to poetry in high school when she grappled with how to express her identity as a Canadian immigrant and young South Korean woman.

“Any brokenness or insecurity that I had about my spoken English disappeared in the realm of poetry,” says Yoon. “I really found a home in that genre. Now that I’m still writing, I really think of the communities and friendships I’ve formed on the way.”

“Any brokenness or insecurity that I had about my spoken English disappeared in the realm of poetry,” says Yoon. “I really found a home in that genre. Now that I’m still writing, I really think of the communities and friendships I’ve formed on the way.”

Along with Chicago, Yoon pursued her BA at the University of Philadelphia and her MFA at New York University. Hawaiʻi, she says, is unlike anywhere else she’s lived. She also spent six months in Korea for research.

Along with Chicago, Yoon pursued her BA at the University of Philadelphia and her MFA at New York University. Hawaiʻi, she says, is unlike anywhere else she’s lived. She also spent six months in Korea for research.

“I still go to Korea twice a year to see family and friends,” says Yoon. “It is a really stark and jarring transition

“I still go to Korea twice a year to see family and friends,” says Yoon. “It is a really stark and jarring transition

sometimes coming back here [to Hawaiʻi].”

sometimes coming back here [to Hawaiʻi].”

Part of that transition stems from what Yoon describes as easy consumerism. When she visits Korea, she says she’s easily stimulated by the stores, restaurants and “plastic joy.”

Part of that transition stems from what Yoon describes as easy consumerism. When she visits Korea, she says she’s easily stimulated by the stores, restaurants and “plastic joy.”

“I have to admit, I enjoy that –– having access to all those things,” says Yoon. “And then I come back here. And then all of that disappears. It makes me think about what kind of values I should center in my life, how to slow down and be okay with it.”

“I have to admit, I enjoy that –– having access to all those things,” says Yoon. “And then I come back here. And then all of that disappears. It makes me think about what kind of values I should center in my life, how to slow down and be okay with it.”

Alongside her spouse, Yoon is currently working on translating a collection of essays by Kim Hyesoon, a prominent feminist poet from South Korea. (Yoon points out that much of Hyesoon’s collections have been translated by the poet Don Mee Choi).

Alongside her spouse, Yoon is currently working on translating a collection of essays by Kim Hyesoon, a prominent feminist poet from South Korea. (Yoon points out that much of Hyesoon’s collections have been translated by the poet Don Mee Choi).

“It’s a really important book for my research as a scholar of Korean literature but also as a fan of this poet,” says Yoon. “It’s an earlier work of prose in

“It’s a really important book for my research as a scholar of Korean literature but also as a fan of this poet,” says Yoon. “It’s an earlier work of prose in

which she really self-theorizes her position as a woman writing in the Korean literary landscape.”

which she really self-theorizes her position as a woman writing in the Korean literary landscape.”

While in Cincinnati, Yoon will also read her work alongside fellow poets Dustin Pearson and Amanda Galavan Huynh from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13 at Roebling Point Books in Dayton, Kentucky.

While in Cincinnati, Yoon will also read her work alongside fellow poets Dustin Pearson and Amanda Galavan Huynh from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13 at Roebling Point Books in Dayton, Kentucky.

The UC Visiting Writers Series will also feature Anthony Cody on Oct. 24 and 25. Cody has authored Borderland Apocrypha and The Rendering. He also has taught ecopoetry at Fresno State and currently teaches poetry at Randolph College in Virginia. Sidik Fofana, a writer and public school teacher in Brooklyn, will close the series on Nov. 8.

The UC Visiting Writers Series will also feature Anthony Cody on Oct. 24 and 25. Cody has authored Borderland Apocrypha and The Rendering. He also has taught ecopoetry at Fresno State and currently teaches poetry at Randolph College in Virginia. Sidik Fofana, a writer and public school teacher in Brooklyn, will close the series on Nov. 8.

Emily Jungmin Yoon will speak at the University of Cincinnati’s Elliston Poetry Room as part of UC’s Creative Writing Program Visiting Writers Series on Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m. Info: artsci.uc.edu.

Emily Jungmin Yoon will read her work alongside other authors as part of UC’s Visiting Writers Series in October.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY EMILY JUNGMIN YOON

Emily Jungmin Yoon will speak at the University of Cincinnati’s Elliston Poetry Room as part of UC’s Creative Writing Program Visiting Writers Series on Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m. Info: artsci.uc.edu.

Emily Jungmin Yoon will read her work alongside other authors as part of UC’s Visiting Writers Series in October.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY EMILY JUNGMIN YOON

FOOD & DRINK

Friendly Vibes on the Menu

Hyde Park Square’s newest restaurant, Parkside, hopes to create a welcoming atmosphere alongside Latin-inspired menu items.

BY KELSEY GRAHAM

Hyde Park Square recently welcomed a new neighborhood restaurant, Parkside, that’s serving food and drinks alongside a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Parkside may remind you of another restaurant a few minutes away in Mount Lookout, Delwood, and that’s because they’re both owned and operated by Trevor Snowden, a native Cincinnatian who loves to work, play and eat where he lives.

Snowden’s two restaurants aren’t his first foray into the restaurant industry. “I’ve been in and out of restaurants for years,” he said. His first restaurant job was at the beloved Cincinnati establishment LaRosa’s, where he worked throughout high school and college. After graduating college, he took some time off from working in restaurants. In 2012, he returned to the scene working

for Thunderdome Restaurant Group as part of the original opening crew for Bakersfield in Over-the-Rhine. From there, he spent time traveling around and helping to open new Thunderdome restaurant locations, including in Indianapolis and Columbus

After a few years in this position, he decided to take a break from traveling and leave Thunderdome. “I wanted to come back home to Cincinnati,” he said. But he wasn’t done with the restaurant industry.

From his time working in Over-theRhine and chatting with customers, Snowden knew people from Oakley, Mount Lookout and Hyde Park often traveled to restaurants downtown to eat, so he jumped at the opportunity to open Delwood on Mount Lookout Square in 2019. Having lived in both Hyde Park and Mount Lookout,

opening restaurants in the area was for more than just business. “I live here, and I love spending time between Hyde Park and Mount Lookout,” said Snowden.

Once Delwood opened, it quickly became a neighborhood hit. Snowden often took time to chat with diners and get their feedback, which inspired his next move. “Whenever we talk to

people, I’m always wondering what other things we need in the area, and people said just keep opening other restaurants,” he said. And so he gave the people what they wanted by opening Parkside in the former Cork & Cap location right on Hyde Park Square.

If you’re a fan of Delwood, you’ll notice similarities between the two spots, one of which is Delwood’s

The owners of Mount Lookout’s Delwood recently opened Parkside in Hyde Park Square.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

A cosmo and margarita from Parkside PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

FOOD & DRINK

Friendly Vibes on the Menu

Hyde Park Square’s newest restaurant, Parkside, hopes to create a welcoming atmosphere alongside Latin-inspired menu items.

BY KELSEY GRAHAM

Hyde Park Square recently welcomed a new neighborhood restaurant, Parkside, that’s serving food and drinks alongside a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Parkside may remind you of another restaurant a few minutes away in Mount Lookout, Delwood, and that’s because they’re both owned and operated by Trevor Snowden, a native Cincinnatian who loves to work, play and eat where he lives.

Snowden’s two restaurants aren’t his first foray into the restaurant industry. “I’ve been in and out of restaurants for years,” he said. His first restaurant job was at the beloved Cincinnati establishment LaRosa’s, where he worked throughout high school and college. After graduating college, he took some time off from working in restaurants. In 2012, he returned to the scene working

for Thunderdome Restaurant Group as part of the original opening crew for Bakersfield in Over-the-Rhine. From there, he spent time traveling around and helping to open new Thunderdome restaurant locations, including in Indianapolis and Columbus

After a few years in this position, he decided to take a break from traveling and leave Thunderdome. “I wanted to come back home to Cincinnati,” he said. But he wasn’t done with the restaurant industry.

From his time working in Over-theRhine and chatting with customers, Snowden knew people from Oakley, Mount Lookout and Hyde Park often traveled to restaurants downtown to eat, so he jumped at the opportunity to open Delwood on Mount Lookout Square in 2019. Having lived in both Hyde Park and Mount Lookout,

opening restaurants in the area was for more than just business. “I live here, and I love spending time between Hyde Park and Mount Lookout,” said Snowden.

Once Delwood opened, it quickly became a neighborhood hit. Snowden often took time to chat with diners and get their feedback, which inspired his next move. “Whenever we talk to

people, I’m always wondering what other things we need in the area, and people said just keep opening other restaurants,” he said. And so he gave the people what they wanted by opening Parkside in the former Cork & Cap location right on Hyde Park Square.

If you’re a fan of Delwood, you’ll notice similarities between the two spots, one of which is Delwood’s

The owners of Mount Lookout’s Delwood recently opened Parkside in Hyde Park Square.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

A cosmo and margarita from Parkside PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

fan-favorite classic double cheeseburger on both menus. Another similarity between the two is the overall decor and mood, which can be described as a modern and welcoming vibe where you’ll often run into a neighbor or two. “I really wanted to have that similar vibe that Delwood has,” said Snowden. “I’m trying to find that balance of… I don’t want it to be too casual, but I don’t want it to be too fancy. I want it to be a no-brainer.”

Even though the two locations share a visible bond, Parkside stands on its own legs with a menu consisting of dishes you won’t see at Delwood. For example, it’s housemade pimento cheese served as a dip or atop a cheeseburger. For all the menu recipes, Snowden works with his kitchen manager at Delwood and Parkside, Jenni Shine, whom he met years ago while working for Thundersome and deems a rockstar.

“It’s a collective process with Jenni and I,” said Snowden. “My wife and I enjoy going out; we enjoy traveling. When we travel, I basically find a lot of things that I like and say, ‘Jenni, can you do this?’” This is exactly how Parkside’s pimento cheese recipe came to life. Snowden recalls working on 4 or 5 different recipes at his house with Jenni, where they ultimately took things they liked from each one to make the final version currently on Parkside’s menu.

And while he’s quick to say it’s not a Peruvian restaurant, you’ll see influences on the menu thanks to Trevor growing up in a household with a Peruvian mother and his travels to Peru. “We just wanted to add some of those amazing flavors,” said Snowden.

“Things that when I spend time in Peru or things growing up in my home that my mother cooked, we kinda add those things here and there.” Some items on the menu featuring these robust and spicy flavors are the Peruvian empanadas, made with ground beef and an in-house seasoning blend, and the aji verde slaw that tops the beer-battered cod fish tacos.

The menu also features filling and flavorful salads, like the Parkside Chopped, a delightful mix of romaine, tomato, red onion, avocado, chickpeas and goat cheese, all drizzled in a honey dijon vinaigrette. Snowden also makes it a point to include heartier vegetarian plates, like the Parkside Veggie Burger,

made with a falafel veggie patty topped with a roasted garlic aioli. The location also offers a list of draft and canned beers, wines and housemade cocktails, including fresh-made margaritas (that can be made spicy) and minty mojitos.

Another highlight of Parkside is the beautiful outdoor patio space that allows diners to watch the hustle and bustle of vibrant Hyde Park Square while enjoying food and drinks.

“There’s something about that patio at Parkside,” said Snowden. “People absolutely love it.”

As an owner of a restaurant, Snowden enjoys getting to know the customers who come in and welcomes the feedback he receives (he even manages

both locations’ social media accounts and often quickly and enthusiastically responds to queries). “I want it to feel like you’re coming over and hanging out at my house,” he said. “I want feedback. I want people to tell me if something’s not right. That is wildly important to us.”

Since their opening in July, Snowden says things have been going well, and he’s excited to be a part of the neighborhood. “We are incredibly excited to be in Hyde Park Square,” he said. “We’re trying to build something fun and exciting. We do this because we love it.”

Parkside, 2637 Erie Ave., Hyde Park. Info: parksidecincy.com.

Parkside’s chopped salad

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

Assorted dishes from Parkside

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

The pimento cheeseburger from Parkside

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

Covington’s Second Story Bar is an Artistic, Plant-Filled Oasis for Every Sort of Reveler

BY BRIAN CROSS

Anew bar in Covington brings to life the latest vision from Lost Co. hospitality group. The company, which has created some of the area’s most captivating and creative bar concepts, like Somerset and Alice in Over-the-Rhine, opened Second Story on April 28 in partnership with Flying Axes.

Flying Axes also occupies the first story of the historic firehouse where the bar is located.

Lost Co. has a knack for finding interesting spaces and doing the unexpected with them. Hence, the design at Second Story doesn’t lean into the firehouse vibe. After all, that would be too basic for Lost, whose other bars are known for their fanciful, colorful, artistic vibes and verdant outdoor garden spaces that come together in collaboration with local artists, designers and craftspeople.

Second Story general manager Lee Caldwell says it best: “One of the great things about Lost is they have such great ties and connections into the local creative community.”

And the results of those ties are on full display at Second Story. The bar’s main space is a large room with stylish and comfortable seating, dazzling chandeliers and hand-painted murals, complemented by large windows on three sides. Seating areas are reminiscent of parlors that would be featured in Architectural Digest. It’s the type of space that photographers want to rent out for photoshoots (which can be done, by the way). But most of all, it’s just plain pretty.

“I’ve been in the bar industry 20-plus years, and I’ve worked in a lot of pretty bars, but I feel like far and away this is the prettiest bar I’ve worked in.”

Caldwell told CityBeat

And though they didn’t create it, the view of the surrounding neighborhood and its namesake landmark adds to the unique character of Second Story.

Caldwell told CityBeat, “It’s tough to beat the backdrop here with Mother of God Church, which not only is beautiful unto itself but also gives the neighborhood its name.”

For those unfamiliar, the name of the immediate neighborhood, Mutter Gottes, is German for Mother of God.

In the vein of other Lost Co. bars, Second Story features a large outdoor patio, but with its own flavor.

“It’s garden-esque like a lot of our spaces are, but we take that experiential idea that we had at Somerset and also at Alice but give it a little bit of a Southern Gothic, southern garden type of feel,” Caldwell said.

Second Story brings a little of that garden vibe indoors with various plants that help the furniture soften an otherwise hard-edged space. And you can’t talk about Second Story without mentioning the giant artist-created tree “growing” behind the bar. Spanning from floor to ceiling, the up-lit behemoth houses bottles of spirits on shelves built into the trunk and branches.

Like other Lost Co. bars, the idea for Second Story started with a theme in mind. The theme here came from bars throughout history that served as cultural and community hubs; a Bohemian cafe vibe that attracts artists, writers and thinkers. Second Story is a piece of art in itself — an inspiring space that is conducive to thought and conversation.

“For me that’s what bars are meant to be. Bars are meant to be community spaces. A pub is just short for a public house. Your conversation could be with the person you came with or with the person you just happened to sit down next to,” Caldwell says.

Of course, there are drinks here too. Caldwell explains how cocktails fit into the big picture, saying, “We wanted this place to be driven off of three pillars: conversation, art and music. And the cocktails are really just the conduit to make all three of those work well together.”

Caldwell says the cocktail menu focuses on quality over quantity. The cocktails were created by Caldwell, assistant general manager Erica Thompson and crowdsourced from other bartenders.

The menu offers cocktails with a variety of bases, not leaning on any one spirit too much.

“This menu, I think, does a nice job of

dancing with a little bit of whiskey here, a little bit of gin there and we started working in a bit of alternative spirits as well,” Caldwell told CityBeat

Caldwell said mezcal and applejack are among his favorite spirits, and they can each be found in cocktails on the menu. The Smoke & Ember cocktail combines mezcal and tequila with citrus, pineapple and chili flavors, while the Manzana Del Diablo (Devil’s Apple) incorporates applejack, crème de cassis, ginger syrup, lime and bitters to create a tempting treat.

Drinks are made with housemade syrups and housemade tonic, and feature amari, which are herbal liqueurs that typically come from Italy and France. There’s even a housemade version of “Fireball” cinnamon whiskey, offered under the “Handshakes” heading of the menu.

Like the views through the windows in the main space, the cocktail menu will change seasonally, offering guests fresh experiences with multiple visits.

Caldwell says, “For me, seasonality and keeping people guessing and wanting to come back is kind of key, because, you know, bars have a way of becoming stagnant if you do the same thing over and over again.”

A few booze-free and low-proof options grace the menu, and a good selection of beer and wine round it out. In addition to some domestics, local beers and seltzers, Caldwell brought in a couple more beer options from Crooked Stave brewery out of Colorado. The wine menu features a selection of organic and eco-friendly wines. Caldwell says that out of the 13 wines available, 12 are certified natural or organic and sustainable.

“We really wanted to not just be a

cocktail bar, because cocktails aren’t for everybody. Some people prefer to be beer drinkers, some people are wine drinkers and we wanted to be able to run the gamut on that.”

Second Story has featured a variety of entertainment and other programming, from DJs spinning Afro-Caribbean tunes, to cocktail competitions, a vintage market and food pop-ups. But one thing about the vibe remains consistent: As the night progresses, the lights get dimmer and the music gets louder, according to Caldwell.

“I always tell my team it should be just dark enough and just loud enough for people to make questionable decisions,” he jokes.

Second Story, 100 W. 6th St., second floor, Covington. Info: secondstory.bar.

Second Story is the latest vision from Lost Co. — the hospitality group behind similar local concepts like Somerset and Alice.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SECOND STORY

Second Story’s cocktail menu puts the focus on quality over quantity.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SECOND STORY

MUSIC

Finding Their Silver Lining

Mt. Joy’s latest effort, Orange Blood, further sets them apart from any comparison — and cements their status as a shapeshifting musical force.

BY ALAN SCULLEY

Ever since Mt. Joy made a big splash in the music world with “Silver Lining,” the single from the band’s 2018 self-titled debut album that became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Triple A charts, the band has been widely labeled as a folk-rock act and frequently compared to the Lumineers.

Mt. Joy singer/guitarist Matt Quinn will even allow that “Silver Lining” sounded a little like the Lumineers, with its strummy folk-ish verses and stacked harmonies in the chorus. And the fact that Mt. Joy opened for the Lumineers on that group’s early 2020

arena tour probably reinforced the connection.

But Quinn is ready to see Mt. Joy’s music viewed through something much broader than a folk-rock/Lumineers lens.

“I love the Lumineers. I got to meet them. They’re lovely people. I think the music they make is fantastic,” Quinn noted during a recent phone interview. “Not wanting to be compared to them has nothing to do with not liking their music. I think it’s just about comparison. I’ve always felt like it was about comparison.”

The band’s recently released third

album, Orange Blood, could go a long way in changing perceptions about Mt. Joy’s music.

There is still a folk element to songs such as “Roly Poly,” “Don’t It Feel Good” and the title track, but they come with some gauzy atmospherics, synthetic beats and treated guitar tones that push the songs outside of the folk realm. Elsewhere, Mt. Joy get even more adventurous with the sonics. “Johnson Song” has a distorted lead guitar that gives the tune a freaky edge. “Lemon Tree” takes on a Beatles-esque psychedelic pop experience when it kicks into a pair of

instrumental segments full of fuzzed up tones. “Evergreen,” meanwhile, is a catchy, nervy rocker with shimmery guitars and a driving beat. The sonic creativity generally enhances the songs, but what still stands out most is the ability of Quinn and his bandmates to craft striking and inviting melodies.

Quinn got started writing for Orange Blood soon after the tour opening for the Lumineers wrapped in March 2020.

That was not the original plan. Mt. Joy had their second album, Rearrange Us, ready for release and were eyeing an extensive round of touring in 2020 to support the album. But then

Mt. Joy

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MT. JOY

the pandemic hit, upending those big plans, although the band went ahead and released Rearrange Us rather than making their fans wait any longer for new music.

Pivoting into songwriting mode was the only real option for Quinn once the world started shutting down.

“Right when the pandemic started, I was in New York City. I was stuck in a studio apartment and actually my girlfriend had a kind of busted acoustic guitar, but I didn’t even have my guitar,” Quinn said. “But I had (her) guitar and it (songwriting) was all there was to do. We were literally quarantined and genuinely terrified of interacting with people. So we were making music, and, yeah, it was freeing in a way to have an outlet like that. I feel really, really fortunate that that was my job.”

Quinn and his girlfriend didn’t stay in New York City for long. The city became an epicenter of the pandemic, and, feeling it had become dangerous to be there, they decided to move to Quinn’s former hometown of Philadelphia. Eventually, Quinn and his girlfriend felt things had calmed down enough for them to travel to Los Angeles to bring Quinn’s things from his apartment there back to Philadelphia.

It was during this trip that Quinn began to get his head around the kind of album he was starting to make.

“On the way back east to Philadelphia, we stopped in Joshua Tree (California). And just sort of — I think, really, the intentions for the record and what we were trying to do with the music were really built there,” Quinn said. “There’s such a spiritual element to being there. You really connect with this sort of, like, the earth, really. You can just connect with this larger level of (existence). All of this stuff was happening with COVID and everything at the time, but the earth is still an incredibly beautiful thing that doesn’t really give a shit about COVID.

“I think just connecting with that, the idea of Orange Blood came from just this idea that the sun and the light is sort of the blood of the universe,” he said. “And yeah, I was sort of able to wrap my head around maybe the intention of the record being a place

where people could zoom out a little bit and connect with something other than sort of doomscrolling around their phone.”

After that, Quinn and his songwriting partner in Mt. Joy, guitarist Sam Cooper, rented a small barn near Philadelphia and started convening for near-daily writing and recording sessions. Most of Orange Blood was written there, and then it was time to hit the studio. So Quinn and Cooper joined the rest of the band — keyboardist Jackie Miclau, bassist Michael Byrnes and drummer Sotiris Eliopoulos — and producer Caleb Nelson in Los Angeles, where the album was completed.

Quinn credits Nelson, a long-time friend of the band who produced several songs on the first album, with helping to achieve many of the bold sonic treatments of the songs.

“I think for us it was definitely intentional. I think each record is an opportunity to do something different and to take a step in a new direction,” Quinn said. “It feels like each record you get a little more space and time in the studio to experiment, to try to make sounds and try to make, really, I think the most simple explanation is you’re just trying to make something that moves you.”

Quinn said the new songs — even with the studio-crafted sonics — translate well to the live stage. And the Orange Blood material is bringing Mt. Joy closer to achieving the kind of live experience the band has wanted to create all along.

“One of the real amazing things about the new album is it’s really allowed our sets to be more diverse,” Quinn said. “Before this album we had, what, like I don’t know, 26 songs, which of course, you don’t play every single one. You get into a set list problem where you’re trying to change it up as much as possible, and we would really like to become a band that plays, that has unique shows. And our new album has really allowed that to happen. It’s set up some cool jams. It’s really made the live show more dynamic, I think.”

Mt. Joy plays the Andrew J Brady Music Center at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4.

Info: bradymusiccenter.com.

“There’s such a spiritual element to being there. You really connect with this sort of, like, the earth, really. You can just connect with this larger level of (existence). All of this stuff was happening with COVID and everything at the time, but the earth is still an incredibly beautiful thing that doesn’t really give a shit about COVID.”

SOUND ADVICE

PAIGE BELLER

Sept. 22 • Northside Tavern

A musically and visually engaging set of honest, heartfelt songs is what local singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Paige Beller will bring to Northside Tavern on Sept. 22. Surrounded by a modern art-like display of musical instruments and pedals, Beller delivers her songs in real time by playing and layering each instrument on her own, giving her soulful and honest music an artsy and virtuosic aesthetic. Since childhood, Beller has been exploring every aspect of songwriting. Always in a state of evolution, her music and live performances have grown into an artistic statement that draws the listener in. Citing artists like Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Feist, Fiona Apple and Carnage the Executioner, Beller has developed a style that encapsulates who she is as a songwriter and performer. “There are hints of Brandi Carlile as well,” Beller tells CityBeat, in discussing her influences. “I remember hearing an interview where she (Carlile) talks about how she allows herself to be dramatic. And that really stuck with me.”

Beller is currently recording and

mixing several new songs that will ultimately become the follow-up to her album, I’ll Be Better, released in 2021 via the indie label SofaBurn Records. She’s also writing and recording material with local band Dustbin, which will be released sometime in the near future. Having recently returned from a European tour, playing guitar with the band Decent Criminal, Paige is mostly concentrating on creating new music, but she does have a few shows scheduled this fall.

Paige Beller and members of Wussy will join Maura Weaver in support of Weaver’s solo album release show at Northside Tavern on Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.

Info: northsidetav.com. (Eric Bates)

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE

Sept. 26

• Madison Theater

In 1990, Anton Newcombe formed The Brian Jonestown Massacre, named after former Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones — who died by “misadventure,” AKA he drowned — and the 1978 cult in which hundreds of people “drank the Kool-Aid” and died. So for a band to be

named after two wild incidents, it’s no wonder Newcombe and his bandmates have had a tumultuous career.

In 1996, they released the psych album Their Satanic Majesties’ Second Request, a reference to the Stones’ album Their Satanic Majesties Request The album features a cornucopia of instruments, from sitars to glockenspiels. In the mid-‘90s, just as their career was taking off, they developed a rivalry with the Dandy Warhols. In 1997, the Dandy Warhols released the song “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth,” supposedly about Newcombe’s drug addiction. In response, Newcombe recorded the diss track “Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth.” In 2004, filmmaker Ondi Timoner released the award-winning documentary Dig!, which chronicled the two bands’ sevenyear long rivalry, with an impressive 2,500 hours of footage filmed. Today, the bands are friends again and recently played a show together. Like the Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre wears their influences on their sleeve. In 2008, they released My Bloody Underground, referencing shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and legendary

rockers the Velvet Underground. In the early days, the band released the shoegaze-y record Spacegirl and Other Favorites. In February they released their 20th album, The Future Is Your Past. Songs like “Do Rainbows Have End?” and “Nothing Can Stop This Sound” reflects their ‘60s-inspired psych roots, which sounds both futuristic and like the past. Though many fans might still associate the band with their connection to Dandy Warhols, Newcombe has managed to carve his own path and not drink the Kool-Aid.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre plays Madison Theater at 8 p.m. Sept. 26. Info: madisontheater.com. (Garin Pirnia)

THE MARS VOLTA

Sept. 30 • The Andrew J Brady Music Center

The Mars Volta resurfaced in 2022 after a decade-long absence that seemed like it might stretch on forever. And, boy, did the unpredictable Texas-bred outfit deliver something unexpected: The Mars Volta is a fittingly concise album title for their return: 14 sleek and accessible songs, only two of which reach

Paige Beller

PHOTO: BOBBY TEWKSBURY

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

PHOTO: STUART CHALMERS, FLICKR

the four-minute mark. It’s a curious, creative U-turn for a band — long led by the duo of vocalist Omar RodríguezLópez and guitarist Cedric Bixler-Zavala — known for labyrinthine, proginfected songs and obtuse album titles like De-Loused in Comatorium, the 2003 debut that cemented their reputation as arty sonic scientists. Even the cover art this time — mysterious typescript over a basic two-tone tan backdrop — is a stark departure from the garishly colorful offerings of yore.

“We’ve been warning you guys — we were saying 10 years ago that the most revolutionary thing we could do was make a pop record,” Rodríguez-López said in a 2022 interview with The Quietus. “We’re in our mid-to-late 40s, and you can’t just still be doing the same shit, expecting to wear an old T-shirt that doesn’t fit any more.”

“Graveyard Love,” a relationship song rife with metaphor and longing, sounds like a cross between M83 and Phoenix, as various electro elements mingle with guitar, skittering rhythms and Rodríguez-López’s high-pitched vocal delivery. “Shore Story” is awash in atmospheric synths and slinky, uncommonly restrained vocals revealing yet another relationship in peril: “If I can’t escape your hold, just let me go/Let me have this mutiny.”

The Mars Volta might be the band’s most straightforward set of songs, but that’s a relative statement given the creators in question — this is experimental pop with an oddly potent emotional pull.

So, what should we expect from a Mars Volta live set these days? If the band’s previous 2023 shows are any indication, be ready for a mix of songs from across their seven albums, with only the aforementioned “Graveyard Love” and “Shore Story” appearing consistently from the new stuff. The guys also have a message for buckeye state listeners, per the social media platform previously known as Twitter: “It’s been over a decade since we last played in Ohio. Cincinnati, who’s ready?”

The Mars Volta play the Andrew J Brady Music Center at 8 p.m. Sept. 30. Info: bradymusiccenter.com. (Jason Gargano)

SPEEDY ORTIZ

Oct. 4 • MOTR Pub

Speedy Ortiz has been a household name in indie rock for the past decade. Their 2013 debut Major Arcana was critically acclaimed and featured the

heartfelt single “No Below.” With lively compositions and thoughtful lyrics that foreshadowed frontwoman

Sadie Dupuis’ future as a published poet, Speedy Ortiz exploded onto the scene. They’ve opened for acts like Foo Fighters and Liz Phair and played

festivals like Primivera and Bonnaroo. Even as they blew up, Speedy Ortiz has made a point to keep live music and musical expression accessible. They’ve often prioritized all-ages venues, and have donated some of their tour proceeds to the Girls Rock Camp

Foundation.

The band followed Major Arcana with 2015’s Foil Deer and 2018’s Twerp Verse. Earlier this summer, Speedy Ortiz announced the release of their fourth studio album, Rabbit Rabbit. The long awaited album came out Sept. 1 on Dupuis’ label Wax Nine.

Rabbit Rabbit is packed with heavy, angular guitar, pop melodies, shifting time signatures and playful percussion. It feels timeless and sophisticated in its confidence. But the album also feels nostalgic, perhaps because it continues to deliver the same sort of sound that Speedy Ortiz began perfecting 10 years ago.

Dupuis pairs sweet harmonies with a grungy, energetic, alt-rock performance. The poet delivers heavy lyrics through these singable melodies, touching on emotional processing and “early family stuff,” according to an Aug. 30 interview with the New York Times.

“The scary thing is I’m like, ‘Well, where could I possibly go after that?’” Dupuis told the Times. “This is my deepest, darkest, you know, most painful thing that I’ve wrung out. For the sake of a 13-track album.”

Speedy Ortiz plays MOTR Pub at 8 p.m. Oct. 4. Info: motrpub.com. (Katrina Eresman)

Speedy Ortiz

PHOTO: ETHAN M. LONG, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Mars Volta

PHOTO: CLEMENTE RUIZ

CROSSWORD GOING TOO FAR

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

Many of the answers in this crossword are too long and won’t fit in the spaces provided. Each of these answers will either begin or end in the gray square immediately before or after it. When the puzzle is done, all the gray squares will have been used exactly once, and the letters in them (reading left to right, line by line) will spell out a quote by Chuck D. Across

1.  More experienced

5.  “Sunday NFL Countdown” channel

9.  Regarding

12.  Empty space

13.  ___ New Guinea

14.  Metaphorical amount of bricks

15.  Menlo Park middle name

16.  Actor who played Buster Bluth on “Arrested Development”

18.  Cliff walker

20.  Onetime Kroger rival

21.  Where some people lose their keys and cellphones

23.  Remove, as from office

25.  Contract provision

27.  How some cars and apartments are acquired

31.  Singer Kitt

33.  One with a fitting job

34.  Write at length, as an argument

36.  “It’s tough to make a decision”

37.  “You don’t like it? Tough!”

39.  Driving positions

40.  Felipe, Jesús, Matty, or Moisés of baseball

43.  One evaluating test results?

45.  Bygone Intel processors

47.  Point with a bullet

50.  Granola grain

51.  Tall ones?

52.  Unreactive, chemically

53.  “You’re bothering me!”

54.  Weighed down

55.  2023 Taylor Swift tour

Down

1.  Fertility clinic cells

2.  [crying emoji] alternative

3.  Cheap places to drink

4.  Cheese from Holland

5.  Enjoy Door Dash, say

6.  AA support

7.

29.  Touch ___ spot (evoke strong feelings)

30.  Young’s

Bertha G.

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