The Devil Strip - Dec. 2019

December 2019 · Vol 5 · Issue #12 · thedevilstrip.com

PAGE 10: 24 Karat Posse wants to unite Akron and design streetwear

Page 12: Building Community in Summit Lake with the Build Corps

FREE

PAGE 17: helping Akron babies and parents surivive the first year

Summit Artspace 140 East Market Street Akron, Ohio 44308

ON THE COVER: “HAZY SHADE OF WINTER” IS AN ART QUILT BY JOANNA MACK. LEARN MORE ABOUT HER ON PAGE 9.

Publisher: Chris Horne chris@thedevilstrip.com

Table of Contents

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PLAN

Editor-in-Chief: Rosalie Murphy rosalie@thedevilstrip.com

5 Devil’s Dozen

5 10

Senior Reporter: Noor Hindi noor@thedevilstrip.com Business Development Director: Jessica Goldbourn jessica@thedevilstrip.com

6 There’s Nothing to Do in

11 14

EXPLORE 11 Vintage Structures

Ad Sales: Derek Kreider, Allyson Smith sales@thedevilstrip.com

12 Summit Lake Build Corps 14 Profile: Barbara Minney

Copy Editors: Megan Combs, Dave Daly, Emily Dressler, Shannon Wasie

15 Profile: Jamie Keaton

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UNDERSTAND 17 Reducing infant mortality by reducing maternal stress, educating fathers and more

17

APPLAUD 22 D.Hilla 23 On The Record: ZOD1AC 23 The Dome

Want to help make The Devil Strip?

Write to rosalie@thedevilstrip.com.

24 Bluesman Patrick Sweany

www.thedevilstrip.com facebook.com/thedevilstrip @akrondevilstrip @thedevilstrip The Devil Strip is published monthly by Random Family, LLC. Distribution: The Devil Strip is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Copyright: The entire contents of The Devil Strip are copyright 2019 by Random Family, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be sent to the addresses listed above.

Our Mission: The Devil Strip connects Akronites to their neighbors, our city and a stronger sense of purpose by sharing stories about the people who make this place unique.

Akron Music, Art & Culture

CREATE 10 24 Karat Posse

Community Outreach Manager: Floco Torres floco@thedevilstrip.com

Other current & recent contributors: Conor Battles, Theresa Bennett, Anthony Boarman, Trvaughn Clayton, Kyle Cochrun, Skylar Cole, H.L. Comeriato, Alissa Danckaert Skovira, Ken Evans, Charlotte Gintert, Colleen Hanke, Aja Hannah, Charlee Harris, Mariah Hicks, Matthew Hogan, Tyron Hoisten, Jillian Holness, Lisa Kane, Jamie Keaton, Ted Lehr, Marissa Marangoni, Sandy Maxwell, Vanessa Michelle, Yoly Miller, Brittany Nader, Ilenia Pezzaniti, Arrye Rosser, Mark Schweitzer, Marc Lee Shannon, Paul Treen, Steve Van Auken, Pat Worden.

Akron

returns for a show at Musica

REFLECT 25 Shop Local This Winter 26 Coffee Talk with Vanessa

23

Michelle 27 Sober Chronicles 29 Rubber City Rocks

22 December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

30 Urine Luck The Devil Strip |

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WELCOME

Don’t forget to join The Devil Strip as a co-owner before Jan. 1!

T

he Devil Strip is in the process of becoming a local news co-op — owned by Akron and operated for the benefit of Akron.

Everyone with an Ohio address who donates at least $1 a month before Dec. 31 will become a shareholder. That means they’ll get to vote on important issues, including who gets to serve on our Board of Trustees and what major projects we undertake in 2020.

So far, things are going very well.

FOUNDING MEMBER

2020

What we believe : STORIES MATTER. We believe the most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves about ourselves, and that this is as true for cities as it is for individuals. For better or worse, every city’s chief storyteller is its media. We take responsibility for our work because we know it shapes the way Akronites see each other, and the way we see each other influences how we treat one another.

OUR WORK IS FOR AKRON. This is our reason for existing, not merely our editorial angle for stories. We are advocates for the city of Akron and allies to its people, so we may be cheerleaders, but that won’t keep us from challenging the city’s flaws. What’s the point of being part of the community if we can’t help make it a better place to live?

OUR WORK SHOULD BE DONE WITH AKRON. We would rather build trust through cooperation and collaboration than authority. Our place in the community is alongside it, not standing outside looking in or standing above it looking down.

4 | The Devil Strip

investigative and watchdog reporting we’re able to do. RFA provides half of those salaries, and we provide the other half, which will total around $40,000.

Thanks to you and NewsMatch, we’re already there.

Before those positions start next summer, The Devil Strip will collaborate with WKSU, the Beacon Journal, WEWS and Your Voice Ohio on a series around Akron’s housing market. Our work will be aided by journalists from the nationally syndicated radio program Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, as one of two regional collaborations chosen for support from their Reveal Local Labs project.

Our goal was to raise at least $20,000 because that’s the maximum amount our friends at NewsMatch would match.. We blew past that in a week! That means you’ve helped us raise more than $40,000 All of this good news follows a two-year, $200,000 investment into The Devil Strip already, most of which goes directly to from the Knight Foundation’s local news more community-focused journalism. initiative. This covers the co-op’s legal fees, funds our efforts to reach more Which brings me to more good news: In Akronites and guarantees I have a salary 2020, The Devil Strip will host two fullfor the first time in five years. time journalists to dig into issues around public health and economic development, However, it won’t directly fund our thanks to Report for America, which is journalism, which is why your support is also placing reporters at WKSU and the so crucial.

Beacon Journal. This will dramatically increase the amount of explanatory,

WE CARE ABOUT YOU, NOT JUST YOUR EYEBALLS. Sometimes, we love a good fight with the status quo. But conflict and antagonism will never be a way of life for us, especially not to boost clicks, views, comments, shares and “eyeballs.” We are watchdogs to hold our leaders accountable, not to keep the neighbors up all night with our barking.

WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS. Our stories humanize the people in our city. We not only want to counter sensationalized and alarmist reporting but to eventually render it obsolete. We advocate for justice, freedom and equality because those qualities make this city, and our lives, better.

JOURNALISM SHOULD LIVE BEYOND THE PAGE. Information without context or connection is inert. We believe journalism can connect people to each other, our city and even a sense of purpose. Though our work begins on the page, both printed and web, we promote and plan events so people can meet faceto-face where real life still happens.

PEOPLE OVER PROFITS. The local businesses, nonprofits and civic organizations who support The Devil

LIFT December: Buy a local gift If you’re reading The Devil Strip, you already know how important it is to support local businesses. Put your money where your mouth is this holiday season and shop local. Use #LIFTAkron2019 when you buy something great and we’ll share it with our readers!

At present, it costs nearly $17,000 per month to operate The Devil Strip.

That’s everything from designing and printing the magazine to paying our full-time and part-time staff, as well as our contributors, all of whom are your neighbors. To grow in 2020, our budget will increase to $25,000 per month.

Fortunately, we’ve already found ways to cover that nearly $100,000 shortfall, but we still need your help. We can’t do this without you.

Even if you can only spare $1 a month, it’ll be a tremendous boost — because it’s not about the money as much as it is about adding your voice. We believe now is the perfect time to reshape the local news industry, and we want you to be part of this mission.

If you’re ready to make a difference, take five minutes to join us at www.devilst.rip/donate.

Thanks for being a part of this movement!

Chris Horne Publisher

           

Strip are part of our community and are as vital to our culture as our artists and musicians. That’s why we don’t accept ads for national chains, things in large metros outside Summit County or businesses that profit from the exploitation of women.

We are not a coat hanger for advertising.

bring us together, helping us find new friends and have fun with the ones we already have. That makes us all a little happier. That’s what it’s all about.

WE GET ONE SHOT AT LIFE, SO LET’S HAVE FUN. We want our readers to fall in love with Akron (again and again and again), to buck the temptation to only live vicariously through the people they follow online. One thing that makes art, dance, theatre, music, film, food, civic engagement, biking, hiking, and public space so great is that all these things can

The “devil strip” is the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. The precise origins of the term are unknown, but it’s only used in Akron. Today, the devil strip is what connects residents to the city — its public space, its people and its challenges. The Devil Strip seeks to do the same thing.

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

What is a devil strip?

thedevilstrip.com

PLAN

tDevil’s

Dozen DECEMBER 7 ArtBank Art X Love // 10 am - 10 pm // Join Art X Love, the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, EraAir Theatre Company and VIBE Collective for a daylong celebration of the arts. Bring one piece to submit to the day’s free art exhibit. Web designers will be on hand to help artists set up websites until noon. Artist workshops until 1 pm. The afternoon schedule includes theater performances and energy healing. At 8 pm, close out the night with a silent disco party. Free until 8 pm, then $10 or $20 for VIP. More information and tickets at bit.ly/AkronArtBank. #1, #3, #5, #6, #7, #10, #12, #14, #19, #26, #30, #33, #34 DECEMBER 8 Hands-On Holidays Akron Children’s Museum // 1-5 pm // Meet holiday characters, design your own cookies, paint your own snowmen and participate in other interactive exhibits as you wind your way through the Children’s Museum. Bring a new-with-tags pair of socks, stuffed animal, or small craft for Kylie’s Bags of Love, gifted to hospital patients. Painting workshop $10 per person. #1, #3, #10, #34 EVERY WEDNESDAY Midweek Mindfulness The Exchange House // 12 pm // Stop by The Exchange House for a 15-minute guided meditation session every Wednesday. All skill levels and backgrounds welcome as we build stress relief tools together. Free. #7

OUR PICKS FOR THE 12 BEST CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE THIS MONTH DECEMBER 11 Paper Crafting Goodyear Heights Metro Park / Goodyear Lodge // 6:30-8 pm // Need a personalized present? Create your own holiday cards or other works at Goodyear Lodge.

Colorful scraps of patterned paper provided as supplies. Free. For more information, call 330-865-8065. #30

classic Elf at 2 pm, followed by The Polar Express at 6 pm. Both shows include free popcorn and a holiday sing-along with the Civic’s Mighty Wurlitzer beginning 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets available at the Civic box office and Wayside Furniture, which is sponsoring the event. Free. #1, #3, #6, #7, #10, #12, #14, #19, #30, #34

DECEMBER 6-8, 13-15, 20-22 & 26-30 Wild Lights at the Akron Zoo Akron Zoo // Fridays-Sundays 5-9 pm // Visit the Akron Zoo while it’s covered in holiday lights. Meet Santa and other holiday characters; eat donuts and s’mores from the zoo food truck; listen to carolers; watch ice carvers and more.

For zoo members: $12 for adults and $9 for children. For non-members: $16 for adults and $12 for children. Additional $3 parking/shuttle fee. #14

DECEMBER 19 Just Go With It Improv’s Holiday Hootenanny and Extravaganza The Rialto Theatre // Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm // Join Just Go With It for a night of live improvisational comedy. The show includes an open jam session, during which anyone can get on stage, and three or four sets of longform improvisation by the cast. Organizers note that “holiday” is broadly defined, including everything from Christmas Eve to Bouillabaisse Day. 21+. $5. #8

DECEMBER 14 Action at ACCESS ACCESS Shelter // 9 am-12 pm // Volunteer at ACCESS Shelter! Regularly scheduled Saturday volunteer days are perfect for individuals, families and groups of all ages. Work focuses on sorting donations, cleaning the shelter, yardwork and special event planning.

Register by contacting Brittanny Lee at blee@access-shelter.org or at 330-3760997, ext. 109. Free. #1 DECEMBER 15 Free Holiday Movies at the Civic Akron Civic Theatre // 2 pm and 6 pm // Catch a free screening of the modern

THROUGH DECEMBER 22 ‘She Kills Monsters’ Ohio Shakespeare Festival // Showtimes vary // The Ohio Shakespeare Festival presents She Kills Monsters, a comedy by Qui Nguyen that follows Agnes Evans as she explores her deceased teen sister’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook and faces her sister’s monsters along the way. $15-$33. Showtimes and tickets at ohioshakespearefestival.com. #1, #5, #6, #7, #10, #12, #19, #26, #28, #30, #33, #34, DASH, #102, #103, #104

DECEMBER 27 AND 30 Winter Day Camps at Summit Metro Parks DEC. 27: Adventure Art. Firestone Metro Park / Coventry Oaks Area // 9 am-3 pm // A daylong camp for kids ages 11-13 who want to experience nature through art.

DEC. 30: Winter Trackers. Liberty Park / Nature Center // 9 am-3 pm // Kids ages 7-10 are invited to explore Liberty Park and look for signs of winter animals.

Camps are $10 per person. Attendees should bring packed lunches and be dressed to be outside. Register at summitmetroparks.org DECEMBER 28 MazeHaze / Chanelle Kazadi / Mo Turk The Matinee // 8 pm // Three Akron hiphop acts take the stage at the Matinee.

Free. #1 DECEMBER 31 NYE at the Rialto Theatre with The Devil Strip The Rialto Theatre // 9 pm - 1 am // Join The Devil Strip for our first-ever New Year’s Eve party! Relax with friends and dance the night away in Kenmore’s historic Rialto Theatre. Food by Kenmore’s brand-new Lil’ Bit Cafe is included. Cash bar. Tickets are $25 for Devil Strip coowners and $40 for general admission.

GA tickets at bit.ly/TDSNYE. #8

The PLAN section is underwritten by METRO RTA. For full bus schedules and route maps, visit akronmetro.org.

Akron Music, Art & Culture

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

The Devil Strip

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THE DEVIL STRIP’S COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY ARGUMENT THAT THERE’S PLENTY OF FUN TO BE HAD IN AKRON

There’s Nothing to Do in Akron

PLAN

DEC. 7 Open World Arcade Akron Art Museum // 11 am-5 pm // Play classic video games, explore indie tabletop and video games and meet game designers. A special event in conjunction with the Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art exhibition.

Arcade sessions at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. $10 for members and $24 for general admission. The museum will be closed to the public during this event. #1, #5, #6, #7, #10, #12, #26, #33, #34 Winter SOULstice Akron Soul Train (191 S. Main Street) // 5-9 pm // Swing by Akron Soul Train for a retrospective show featuring former artists-in-residence. Celebration begins at 6:30 pm with music by Rachel Roberts and cash bar. The 2020 artistsin-residence will be announced at 7:30 pm. Free. #1, #3, #5, #6, #7, #10, #12, #14, #19, #30, #33, #34 Ugly Christmas Sweater Spectacular w/ Mr. Pink & Missile Toe The Rialto Theatre // Doors at 7 pm, show at 7:30 pm // Get into “tacky knitwear and holly-jolly punk-rock revelry” with the “World’s Greatest Christmas Band” Missile Toe and ‘80s/’90s cover band Mr. Pink. Bring your ukulele to jam with the Rubber City Ukes. Prize for the ugliest sweater. $5 suggested donation. #8

DEC. 9 Akron Art Museum Art Library Launch Party Odom Boulevard Branch Library // 6-8 pm // Check out original artworks, including paintings, drawings, prints and photos, by artists from Akron and around the world. Some of these works will soon be available to check out and display in your home temporarily. Free. #9

Auditions for ‘Radium Girls’ Weathervane Playhouse // 6:30 pm both days // The Weathervane Playhouse is seeking to cast 10-16 actors in Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory, to be performed in March and April 2020.

Bring a headshot and resume. Details, including a copy of the script, at www. weathervaneplayhouse.com/audition.

THROUGH DEC. 21 Artists of Rubber City Member Show The BOX Gallery at Summit Artspace // Fridays and Saturdays 12-5 pm plus Saturday, Dec. 7 from 5-9 pm and Thursday, Dec. 19 from 4-7 pm // See 65 works by 39 Akron-area artists in the BOX Gallery at Summit Artspace. Free. #5, #6

THROUGH DEC. 21 17th Annual Kaleidoscope Show Summit Artspace // Thursday and Friday 12-7 pm, Saturday 12-5 pm // See the annual juried exhibition put on by the Alliance for Visual Arts at Summit Artspace. On Dec. 19, visit at 7 pm for a panel discussion by participating artists.

Free. #5, #6

DEC. 11 Russian History Through Art Ohio Living Rockynol // 10 am // Join a fall educational series at Ohio Living Rockynol. Session begins in Porter Chapel with a continental breakfast. Presentation by historian Kristine Mogen at 10:30 am.

Call Mary Sullivan at 330-867-2150, ext.

201 to RSVP. Tours of independent living apartments available after the event. #1, #26

DEC. 10-11

Dietz Holiday Wreath Class HiHO Brewing Company // 6 pm // Make a live holiday wreath for your home or to give as a gift. Price includes a 10-ounce beer, live greenery and in-person help making your wreath. Gardening gloves encouraged. $50. To sign up, visit facebook.com/ DietzFloralStudio/events.

SECOND AND FOURTH TUESDAYS Evening hours at Feeding Hope Food Pantry First Congregational Church of Akron // 6:30-7:30 pm // Need food? First Congregational Church has added food pantry evening hours on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month. The food pantry will continue to offer service every Tuesday morning; these evening hours are additional. For more information or to volunteer, contact food.pantry@akronfcc.org. #5, #6

FRIDAYS IN DECEMBER An Evening of Holiday Magic Stan Hywet // Celebrate the holidays in ornate style with a buffet dinner, drinks, music by Celestial Strings and a holiday tour of Stan Hywet. $75.95 and up. Details at stanhywet.org/events.

DEC. 6-15 ‘The NeverEnding Story’ Park Theatre in Barberton // Times vary // The Magical Theatre Company presents The NeverEnding Story, a play based on the 1979 children’s book about “the waning of youthful imagination in our modern world.” $15-$19. For showtimes and tickets, visit www. magicaltheatre.org. #8, #14

DEC. 10-12 11th Annual Ryan Humbert Holiday Extravaganza Akron Civic Theatre // 7:30 pm all nights // Catch this Americana variety show, featuring The Shootouts with special guests the HawtThorns and Gretchen Pleuss, to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. A special surprise guest will join the lineup at each show.

Limited to 150 seats per night. $20 per ticket or $35 for two. #1, #3, #6, #7, #10, #12, #14, #19, #26, #28, #30, #33, #34, DASH, #102, #103, #104

DEC. 12 RSVP Improv’s ‘As Seen On TV’ Show Jilly’s Music Room // 8 pm // The River Side Valley Players (RSVP) of Chagrin Falls will present a live, improvised reality TV show, guided by audience suggestions.

Presented by Funny Noizes Productions.

Free, but reservations encouraged. To register, call Funny Noizes Productions at 330-975-0072.

The PLAN section is underwritten by METRO RTA. For full bus schedules and route maps, visit akronmetro.org.

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

thedevilstrip.com

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DEC. 10-13 DEC. 13-15 Christmas Drive Drop-Off Cuyahoga Falls Good Neighbors // Dec. 10 and 12 7 am-2 pm; Dec. 13 8 am-12 pm // Drop off donations to Cuyahoga Falls Good Neighbors for the holidays.

They especially need new gloves in men’s L-2XL sizes, gifts for teenagers and new children’s clothing. #53

DEC. 13 Life After Stroke Support Group Summa Rehab Hospital // 10 am // This monthly forum for stroke survivors and their families is facilitated by a professional from Summa’s rehabilitation staff and features community speakers.

Free with refreshments provided. For more information, call the hospital at 330-572-7300 or Dr. Cathy Torcasio at 330-686-4455. #6, #19, #30 ‘When They See Us’ featuring Dr. Yusef Salaam City of Joy Event Center // 12 pm // Dreams Academy will present a screening of When They See Us, a documentary about the Central Park 5. Dr. Yusef Salaam is one of the five exonerated men. $25 or $75+ for access to a private reception with Dr. Salaam. Tickets at www.dreamsacademyakron.org. #4, #26

DEC. 19 Holiday Sing-Along Perkins Stone Mansion & John Brown House // 6:30 pm // Bring your family for a holiday sing-along. Janet McCaulley will share the history of vintage carols.

The Summit County Historical Society will provide the songbook; you provide your voice. Free for SCHS members; $5 general admission. #3 A Year Without Plastic: The Results Goodyear Heights Metro Park / Goodyear Lodge // 6:30 pm // After living one year while trying to avoid plastic, a naturalist shares their thoughts on living plasticfree in the age of convenience. For more information, call 330-865-8065. #30 PFLAG Monthly Chapter Meeting First Congregational Church of Akron // 7-9 pm // PFLAG monthly support meetings welcome LGBTQ+ individuals, parents, friends, family members and allies for conversations about issues surrounding gender and sexuality. No one is obligated to speak, but all are welcome to listen. Free. #5, #6

‘The Revolutionists’ Firestone Theatre // Friday and Saturday at 7 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 pm // In this play set during the Reign of Terror, playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen Marie Antoinette and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle join forces. This is a comedy about “violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.” $8.

DEC. 14 Flight School Eighty-Three Brewery // 11 am // Come learn the fundamentals of AcroYoga in this all-levels workshop. Stay for a flight of four beers afterward. $20. Tickets at eighty-threebrewery.com. #6 Fancy Legs // Pink-Eye Sunday // Glenn Lazear The Matinee // 8 pm // Rock music from two local bands with a visit from South Carolina’s Pink-Eye Sunday. Free. #1

DEC. 15 Distance Hike Sand Run Metro Park / Wadsworth Area // 9:30 am-12 pm // Join Summit Metro Parks for a challenging hike of 5+ miles on difficult and/or primitive trails. Rest stops will be limited. Bring your own drinking water. For more information, call 330-865-8065.

EVERY MONDAY Service Industry Night Spaghetti Warehouse // 11 am-10 pm // If you work in the service industry, bring your card or pay stub for 50% off all food and non-alcoholic drinks. #1, #3, #14, #17, #26, #28, #34, DASH

EVERY TUESDAY Tuesday YOUs-day Mic Hike Uncorked, High St. Hop House and BLU Jazz+ // 6 pm // The Tuesday lineup now includes Tuesday BLU-esday Blues Jams at BLU Jazz+, Sketch Group with Kinetic Artists at the High St. Hop House and open mic night at Uncorked hosted by Gretchen Pleuss. #1, #7, #10, #12, #33, #34, #102, #103, #104

DEC. 9 - JAN. 16

Festive Holiday Pride Brunch Jilly’s Music Room // 12 pm // Stop

by Jilly’s for mimosas, brunch and a drag performance featuring Alejandra J-Love, reigning Queen Cherry Veneer and King Jerimiah. Akron Pride gear available for purchase. Free. Reservations recommended.

A Pint 4 A Pint!

R. Shea Brewing - Canal Place // 1-6 pm // Donate blood in exchange for a $5 R. Shea gift card. Free. #1, #3, #14, #17

Faculty Exhibition and Art Sale Cuyahoga Valley Art Center // Monday-Friday 10 am-5 pm and Saturday 10 am-2 pm // See works by the faculty of the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics and works on paper. Free admission. #10

DEC. 20 Three Legged Chairs Album Release Show Musica // 7 pm // Indie rockers Three Legged Chairs will perform songs from their new album, You’re The Thing I’m Running From. Featuring Punch Drunk Tagalongs, Take Off Charlie. and Funeral Proposals. $8. #1, #7, #10, #12, #33, #34, #102, #103, #104

DEC. 21 Christmas Ornament Smash Party!

Rage Room Ohio // Experiencing holiday stress? Relieve it by smashing up Christmas ornaments and decorations at Rage Room. Four-person minimum; bookings at the top of every hour. $20 per person. #5 Ugly Sweater Party Locked In at The Lakes // 1-9 pm // Play an escape room and wear your favorite ugly sweater for a chance to win a free package at Rage Room Ohio. $22 per adult.

Bubble Bash! - Wine Tasting Mustard Seed Market & Cafe - Montrose // 7 pm // Sample 20 sparkling wines from around the world in preparation for New Year’s. $35. #1 Winter Love: A Big Love Revue Mustard Seed Market & Cafe - Highland Square // 8:30 pm // Celebrate winter with The Big Love Network! Music by Marc Lee Shannon, Ben Gage, DreamStates, Jeri Sapronetti, Jen Mauer, Nate Vaill and Zach and the Bright Lights. Free. #1

Bullet Journaling Workshop Snowball Bookshop // 2 pm // This workshop is designed for beginners and bullet journal devotees alike. Supplies available for purchase. Call 330-745-9292 to reserve a place in the workshop. Free. #8, #14

Cleveland Fats Christmas Show Windsor Pub // 3:30 pm // Northeast Ohio blues singer and guitarist Cleveland Fats, known for touring with Muddy Waters and Robert Lockwood Jr., will perform a Saturday afternoon show. Free. #12, #13, #19, #59 The Nightlight Film Society Presents ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ The Nightlight // 9 pm // The holiday selection of the Nightlight Film Society is Stanley Kubrick’s final work. Ticket prices TBA. #1, #10, #12

The PLAN section is underwritten by METRO RTA. For full bus schedules and route maps, visit akronmetro.org.

Akron Music, Art & Culture

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

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SECOND MONDAYS Open Mic Second Monday at the Blue Box! Theatre on the Spectrum // 1 pm // A daytime open mic by and for artists with disabilities. Free and open to the public. #3

EVERY MONDAY Tracey Thomas 6-8PM then, The Record Party 8PM Comedy Happy Hour FRIDAY’S 5:3OPM W 12/4 Gary Parker Band 7:30PM TH 12/5 Tim Coyne Jazztet 8PM F 12/6 Colin Dussault’s Blues Project 8PM S 12/7 15 60 75 Numbers Band | Akron Sound Museum Benefit 8PM T 12/10 The Comedy Audition Show 8PM W 12/11 Drink & Draw w Dr Sketchy 7:30PM TH 12/12 RSVP Improv’s“As Seen On TV”Show 8PM F 12/13 Swizzle Stick Band 8PM S 12/14 Vaudeville Variety Show & Brunch 11AM S 12/14 Highway 61 Band 8PM SU 12/15 Akron Pride Holiday Drag Brunch 12PM W 12/18 Monthly Open Mic/Open Jam 8PM TH 12/19 3rd Thursday Karaoke w DJ Jett 8PM F 12/20 Missile Toe w/ Lords of the Highway 8PM S 12/21 Holiday Jazz Brunch 11:30AM S 12/21 Fabulous Voices Band 8PM CLOSED 12/22-26 FOR THE HOLIDAY F 12/27 Jane Aire’s Jamboree 8PM S 12/28 Detention | Fancy Legs | Wo Hop Madness 8PM T 12/31 7th Annual NYE Bash ($35 VIP) w/ The HiFi’s, Bad Dudes & Bizarro’s 8PM

Festivus The Trailhead // 7 pm // Catch a show by Acid Cats and dance the night away. Free.

Cash bar. #10, #34

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY

THROUGH JAN. 11

Hower House Museum presents: Holiday Winter Wonderland Hower House // Wednesdays-Saturdays 12-3 pm, Sundays 1-4 pm // Take a self-guided tour of the Hower House Museum, which has been festively attired for the holiday season. $10 general admission, $8 seniors, $5 students. Children 12 and under free.

Closed Dec. 25-26 and tentatively open Dec. 27-29. #19, #30

Akron Painting and Drawing League Member Show Summit Artspace on TUSC // Fridays 5-8 pm and Saturdays 12-5 pm // The Akron Painting and Drawing League is a student-run organization at UA that encourages community among painting and drawing artists. This juried exhibition features a variety of student artworks. Hours may vary on holidays.

Free. #5, #6

DEC. 28

DEC. 31

JAN. 1

New Year’s Eve Rainbow Ball Roaring Twenties!

Akron Civic Theatre // 7:30 pm // Celebrate New Year’s Eve dressed up as a flapper. Sequins are welcome. Proceeds benefit the Akron Pride Festival. $100$150. Tickets at akroncivic.com #1, #3, #6, #7, #10, #12, #14, #19, #26, #30, #33, #34, DASH, #102, #103, #104

New Year’s Day: Yoga Nidra + Live Sound Bath Yoga Squared // 4-6 pm // This twohour workshop features a guided meditation practice, including progressive muscle relaxation and body scanning to bring your mindful awareness into the deepest states of sleep, rest and healing. Accompanied by a performance of live ambient musical soundscapes by Matthew DeRubertis. $25. Tickets at yogasquaredakron.com. #1

Red Wanting Blue | Northeast Ohio Goodyear Theatre // 8 pm // The Red Wanting Blue Holiday Bash returns for a third year. $35-$175.

DEC. 27 Vinyl + Vinyasa: Fleetwood Mac Yoga Squared // 6:30 pm // Flow with Katie Woodford-Shell to Fleetwood Mac. This is an all-levels Vinyasa class followed by a reception. $20 ticket includes one drink or smoothie at the Mustard Seed.

Register at yogasquaredakron.com. #1

The PLAN section is underwritten by METRO RTA. For full bus schedules and route maps, visit akronmetro.org.

HOW TO AKRON   TIPS, TRICKS, RESOURCES AND FUNDING FOR GOOD NEIGHBORS

Help keep your neighbors warm with akron snow angels The Akron Snow Angels’ mission is to “spread the warmth.” They are seeking donations of new socks (the warmer, the better); boxers and boxer briefs; undershirts; toothbrushes and toothpaste; shampoo; soap; tampons and pads; deodorant; hand warmers and lip balm.

They will also accept new or gently used winter clothing. Donations are accepted at Tangier, Quality Carpet and Flooring, ARO Hair Salon and Boomer & Beau.

Drop-off hours and full donation lists at www.akronsnowangels.com/donate.

The Snow Angels also need volunteers to sort and tag items in preparation for weekend missions, when they

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DEC. 23

distribute winter clothes to people who are homeless or in need. Volunteers are needed on mission days as well. To learn more, visit www.akronsnowangels.org/ volunteer.

Recycle your Christmas Tree Summit Metro Parks recycles Christmas trees! If your family puts up a real tree, bring it to the following locations from Dec. 26-Jan. 31. The Metro Parks will turn it into mulch and compost.

Firestone Metro Park: Little Turtle Pond at 2400 Harrington Rd., Akron Furnace Run Metro Park: Brushwood Area at 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield Goodyear Heights Metro Park: Main entrance at 2077 Newton St., Akron

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park: South Main 2 Lot at 5531 S. Main St., Green Sand Run Metro Park: Treaty Line Area at 995 Treaty Line Rd., Akron Silver Creek Metro Park: Big Oak Area at 5199 Medina Line Rd., Akron

Recycle old strings of holiday lights Do you have a box full of burned-out Christmas lights? Drop them off at St. Hilary Catholic Church on Dec. 7 from 9-11:30 am. Volunteers will recycle them.

Lights are also accepted at United Salvage Co., 921 Hazel St., Akron, open Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm and Saturdays 8 am-11:30 am; and Maxwell Recycling, 480 5th St. NE, Barberton, open Monday-Friday 8 am-4 pm.

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J

Create

Akron arts, theatre & Literature

IN THIS SECTION: ON THE COVER: ART QUILTER JOANNA MACK · FOR 24 KARAT POSSE, ‘AKRON IS WHERE THE HEART IS’

On the Cover:

ART QUILTER JOANNA MACK interview by Rosalie Murphy

J

oanna Mack wears her grandmother’s thimble as a necklace charm.

She grew up in a household surrounded by textiles, though sewing was mostly a utilitarian skill. Decades later, she began quilting again. Then she discovered the art quilt movement: A group of textile artists using quilting to create pieces designed for walls and museums.

Joanna launched her blog, The Snarky Quilter, as a retirement project. She posts regular updates about works in progress and on exhibit.

Rosalie Murphy: What is an art quilt?

Joanna Mack: The quilts that most people know are what are called “functional quilts.” They’re quilts that you put on beds. You use them in some fashion around your house. Art quilts, they’re for decoration. They are for the wall. A lot of them, there’s no way you could put them in a washing machine because they would just fall apart. They are meant to be works of art.

They do reference quilts in that they are typically made of fabric or fabric-like materials. Traditional quilts are three layers. You have the top part; you have the middle part, which is the batting, that gives it that puffiness; and then you have the bottom. Art quilts sometimes only have two of those layers, where they won’t bother with the bottom layer, they’ll just have the batting and

Akron Music, Art & Culture

the top. They will be held together in some fashion with stitching, though the stitching may actually be stapling. Most art quilts will have your typical three layers, and they will be made of fabric, and they will be held together with stitches.

RM: How did you become an art quilter?

JM: My granny was a seamstress; that’s how she supported the family. I grew up in a family where talk about sewing and fabrics was all around me. There was no conscious effort to teach me to sew, but by osmosis I absorbed it. And then when I got into my teenage years, I did the kind of sewing where we threw together an outfit on Saturday morning to wear on Saturday night. After college, I just stopped sewing totally for a long time.

And then finally I was at a point in my life where I needed a bunch of presents for the holidays, and I had no money, but I did have a sewing machine and I did have some scraps of fabric. So I figured, “Oh, I’ll make pillows!”

About eight years after that, they developed technological breakthroughs with the rotary cutter and acrylic rulers.

So you had this special mat and you’d put your fabric down and put your ruler down and shoop! Cut cut cut. And it was so much faster. And I was like, “OK, I can do this.”

I started out making traditional quilts.

Traditional quilts oftentimes have patterns: “I want my quilt to look just

like that one on the wall.” I kind of got bored with that. The fun part for me was putting together the fabrics and working out my colors, and I was always starting to change up the designs. Finally, around 2011, I said, “Nuts with this, no more traditional quilts, I’m just going to make all original designs.” I went off for a week for a seminar with a woman from South Africa on a wing and a prayer, and from there on in, made my own designs.

RM: What is your process?

JM: People have been trying to instill in me, “Work it out as a sketch, refine your design, and then you choose your fabrics and put it all together.” I love working with fabric, so there are times when I just — I love this fabric, and I love this fabric, and I love this fabric, and I want to use them together, so I’ll just play around with them to figure out a way to maximize how those fabrics look together, and that’s a very improvisational process. You get a thrill each time you work on it: “Oh wow, I’m making something new and different here,” and I’m all about the new and different.

I like the [improvisational] process better. I like the result of a planned quilt better.

In the process of doing all this, I’ve developed a love of... Dyeing, printing, embellishing, distorting fabric in some fashion or another so that you’re making your own fabric.

RM: What’s the story behind “Hazy Shade of Winter”?

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

Above:“Xed Out” “Let The Mystery Be” and “Disco Woks” are 2019 works by Joanna Mack.

JM: I live fairly close to the Towpath, and part of my trying to fend off the effects of old age is to try to get regular exercise, and so I walk on the Towpath a lot. I get on the Towpath at Big Bend, and when you walk north, there’s a path that cuts off that crosses the Cuyahoga River. And right before then, I began to notice this whole big swarm of bittersweet vine clambering on the trees, so I ended up taking a lot of pictures of it with my phone. There were some mornings I would go out and walk and it would still be real misty, so you’d have the brightness of those bittersweet berries through this mistiness.

RM: What does quilting mean to you?

JM: I see it as a passion. By that I mean, I will put aside other things because I have an idea, and I will go up to my studio, aka the spare bedroom, and just have to mess around. I feel very strongly that I need to work daily at it, even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes and I’m doing nothing but sorting my scraps — in doing that sorting, I’m getting ideas and working things through.

To learn more about Joanna and follow her work, visit SnarkyQuilter.wordpress.com. // Rosalie Murphy is Editor-in-Chief of The Devil Strip.

The Devil Strip

| 9

Akropreneurs

For fashion brand 24 Karat Posse, ‘Akron is where the heart is’

10 | The Devil Strip

words by Brittany Nader

E

ntrepreneurs Kaylon Alexander and Larry Spear, both 23, started the streetwear brand 24 Karat Posse as a “materialization of [their] friendship,” Kaylon says.

The childhood friends share a love of sports, music, pop culture and the hustle of bootstrapping a business that’s founded on the grit and ambition for greatness they’ve observed in other Akron leaders.

When the pair entered high school in Akron, they discussed sticking together to pursue their dreams, be it basketball or attending college. Their focus shifted to selling apparel in 2013 — when they were still teenagers.

While the pair shared an interest in clothing, Larry says the appeal of entering the fashion game was more about expressing their creativity and pursuing the unexpected.

“When people were going right, we were going left,” Larry says. “We always wanted to stand out and be us.”

Kaylon says fashion was easier to get into than the music business or making a living from other forms of art. He says the 24 Karat Posse concept was about what the duo wanted to represent in a company or movement.

“Fashion is a big way to stand out from the rest of the crowd,” Kaylon says. “And it’s also big with first impressions — you can always tell a lot about a person from how they dress. That’s usually the first way someone judges another person — how you express yourself.”

Their brand has become a launching pad for a larger goal of community leadership and striving to unite the people of Akron.

The pair has created an overall aesthetic that reflects their ideology that it’s important to look like where you came from. In their terms, “looking like you’re from Akron” means diversity at the underground level, collaboration, creativity, hard work, becoming recognized for what you do and working toward being the best at it.

“Everybody in the world is striving to be in the 24 Karat Posse, they just don’t know it yet,” Larry says.

Kaylon and Larry agree that the word “Posse” in the brand name is used to promote unity among those who rep the

line.

“Sometimes that word gets a negative connotation,” Kaylon says, “But if you look up the word ‘posse,’ one of the definitions is ‘people who come together, who share a common characteristic,’” Kaylon says.

Kaylon says that the brand has allowed them to connect and foster collaborations among people and communities in Akron that otherwise may not have banded together to achieve a common goal.

Although he now lives in Columbus, Kaylon returns to Akron frequently to propel 24 Karat Posse and to immerse himself in the vibe he says he can’t find anywhere else.

“Akron is… you can’t replace it,” Kaylon says.

“I think it’s the people, the goal, and everyone is willing to connect.

People naturally place value in rarity and things that other people don’t quite know. Akron has a lot of things that only Akronites know about, and we think that’s so special.”

24 Karat Posse released a popular “Akron is where the heart is” jacket in 2015 and often showcase local restaurants and underground landmarks in photos of their latest collections. The designers will often drop new additions to their clothing line without notice, like on a random Wednesday at midnight, to surprise and excite fans.

“What we’ve learned over the years is, a lot of people like not knowing. We just try to put stuff out in the world that you haven’t seen or heard of,” Larry says.

“You need this in your closet because it’s different — we instill unique qualities. [To us] fashion in Akron, Ohio, is about being ambitious, but also dressing nice.”

Since childhood, Larry and Kaylon have accomplished a lot by collaborating and sharing ideas over the phone.

While they come up with designs, fonts, colors and concepts for their streetwear line locally, the products are manufactured in South Central Los Angeles. The pair have a goal of using 70% sustainable fabrics and ensuring all workers involved in the manufacturing of

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

their items earn a living wage. They say their clothes’ source material is grown in the United States, and everyone involved in the production of their clothing makes at least $15 an hour.

“This year, we’re executing and doing things better, taking it brick by brick, day by day, trying to progress every day,” Larry says.

By working on their own time and being in control of their design, production and release schedule, Kaylon and Larry can work toward making high-quality products that are not rushed by hasty marketing or hype.

“We’ve learned through experience and a lot of trial and error,” Kaylon says.

“Sometimes it involves restarting the entire process if something goes wrong.”

In the next five to 10 years, the pair aspire to teach what they’ve learned to local youth and community leaders. Their goal is to provide resources and a head start to those who wish to pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

“We recognize that, as company owners, we want to set great examples for youth and younger people coming up — and to others who already have companies,” Kaylon says. “Not only is it possible, they don’t have to trip over the same things we did.”

The pair recites a mantra each day called “24 Rules,” which embodies the spirit of uniquely pushing boundaries that the brand was built upon.

“The 13th rule is ‘be fearless,’ Larry says.

“Everybody is out there taking risks, rolling the dice on something — whether they’re a teacher, basketball player or artist.”

24 Karat Posse’s clothing is for sale at 24karatposse.com.

The pair also produces a video series on their website called “Roll The Dice,” showcasing local artists and entrepreneurs. // Brittany Nader is a copywriter and freelance journalist living and working in Akron.

Photos: Used with permission from 24 Karat Posse.

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EXPLORE

Akron HISTORY, COMMUNITY & CULTURE

IN THIS SECTION: BUILDING COMMUNITY (AND BENCHES) IN SUMMIT LAKE · JUMP ON BOARD FOR SUCCESS · HSA WIN · BARBARA MINNEY · JAMIE KEATON

FOREST LODGE words and photos by Charlotte Gintert

T

here was a time when ice skating was a favorite pastime of Akronites during the winter season. Outdoor ice skating ponds could be found here and there around the city, including at Elm Hill Park in West Akron. Unlike the other skating ponds around town, this one was particularly special because it had a lodge. It was the place to be long before the ice rink appeared at Lock 3.

While often described as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, construction on Forest Lodge actually began in 1933 by the Civil Works Administration (CWA), one of the precursors to the WPA. The project was temporarily abandoned when the CWA withdrew funding. City Service Director E. A. Kemmler was forced to find alternative funding from other federal relief programs to have the building completed.

This did not occur until November 1934.

The ground floor was home to the concession stand and community area where skaters could warm up by the fire in the large stone fireplace.

The stone lodge replaced the original structure, a hunting cabin built by the previous landowner, Arthur H. Marks.

Marks was an executive at B.F. Goodrich, who invented the alkaline-recovery vulcanization process, the cord tire and the chemical research laboratory system.

The construction of the lodge was just one of the improvements to the park that occurred during the Depression. The city also revamped the landscaping, built a stone retaining wall and expanded the skating pond area. The original skating pond was a natural body of water maintained by local neighborhood boys.

The expansion, which involved flooding a larger area around the pond during the winter, created a skating area that was only 18 inches thick so that it could stay frozen longer. If someone did break through the ice, there was little risk of injury in such shallow water.

Eventually the lodge became a neighborhood recreation center for the city, hosting community programming throughout the year. The skating pond was modified and reduced in size in the 1980s in order to combat drainage issues. As the average winter temperatures rise, it has become more difficult to maintain naturally cooled skating ponds. Skating finally ceased at the park in 2001 and the old lagoon was drained. During those rare occasions when Akron sees a prolonged deep freeze, folks can find old-fashioned skating ponds in Summit Metro Parks Big Bend Area of Sand Run and at Brushwood Lake in Furnace Run.

Following a divorce settlement, Marks broke up his landholdings in Akron.

His mansion, called Elm Court, and its grounds were sold to the Sisters of St. Dominic, who renamed it Our Lady of the Elms. He donated the land with his hunting cabin and fishing lagoon to the City of Akron, and it was renamed Elm Hill Park.

The city hired Lawson Case Drown as the park’s first caretaker upon the completion of the lodge. The caretaker was in charge of mowing the lawn, caring for the skating pond in the winter, operating the skate rental and concession stand and maintaining the landscaping. He and his family lived on the second floor, rent free, in exchange for their services.

City programming at Forest Lodge ended with the opening of the Northwest Family Recreation Center on Shatto Avenue in 2002. Today, the lodge is maintained by St. Sebastian Parish and is home to its administrative offices. The ground floor can still be rented for parties and other gatherings. The big stone fireplace is still there.

Elm Hill Park sits on the block of Hawkins Boulevard and Jefferson, Greenwood and Mull avenues. The official name of the park is Elm Hill, but the sign at the parking lot labels it Forest Lodge, as it is commonly known. Whatever one prefers to call the park, it can be recognized by the rustic stone building nestled near a grove of oak and maple trees.

Akron Music, Art & Culture

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

// Charlotte Gintert is an archaeologist by day and a photographer by sunrise and sunset. You can check out her photos at www.capturedglimpses.com and follow her on Instagram at @capturedglimpses.

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Explore

Building community WITH THE SUMMIT LAKE BUILD CORPS

words by Ken Evans

I

n Summit Lake, a group of teens and young adults are learning construction skills. But more importantly, they’re learning how to work together.

The Build Corps was founded in March 2017 by Stephanie Leonardi, who goes by “Leo.” In 2014, Leo, on a journey of selfdiscovery, quit her teaching job, moved to Summit Lake, and began doing projects with local kids.

Leo explains she was looking to be a part of whatever was good. “Slowly, out of that year came these cool one-time art projects that would turn into events...that brought people together. And eventually that led [to] a lot of strong relationships with the kids.”

The kids in her neighborhood, Leo says, “just want to have fun and be helpful.”

After more than two years in the neighborhood, Leo founded the Build Corps, a company made up of Summit Lake teens and young adults who do construction projects. Youth learn on the job while they build neighborhood infrastructure, do beautification projects and help with events. While Summit Lake Build Corps does things traditionally associated with nonprofit work, Leo says it is actually a business. However, Leo points out that the distinction is a technical one, and the only people making money are the teens and young

12 | The Devil Strip

adults doing the work. Adult professionals volunteer as lead builders.

For their first project, Leo explains, “[We] brought all these kids together. We got a logo, slapped it on a shirt. Like 12 kids showed up. We had all these volunteers [and] a bunch of pallets that I picked up from Mustard Seed.”

From there, they broke into groups and began building benches.

By the time the project was finished, Leo says the group was wondering, “When can we do this again?”

“Building was the first thing we could repeat,” Leo says. The Build Corps “was really was birthed out of relationships, being with kids, looking for that niche of something we could do together.”

Since the creation of the program two and a half years ago, the group has undertaken projects in the Summit Lake community. They have built fences, constructed art projects, repaired homes, helped with block parties, constructed more benches and started the renovation of a garage to act as their headquarters on Ira Avenue.

The Build Corps is currently helping to renovate the house in front of that garage in partnership with Build Akron, a nonprofit focused on improving housing in Summit Lake.

The program seeks to keep its definition of “kid” loose, welcoming participants from ages 12 to 23. The membership requirements are relaxed as well — it’s more about attitude, desire to learn and availability rather than a formal process, Leo says.

As the program moves forward, they are looking to expand what the participants can do by undertaking more projects that integrate design elements. Leo would like to see youth exposed to every part of the building process, from drafting on a computer to construction.

Leo sees the Build Corps as “building trust, skills, leaders, and character” — though she’s the first to admit that “sometimes it’s just an excuse to hang out with them, and... how cool that we have a purpose.”

The success of the Build Corps, Leo says, is in the community created among its members and the skills they gain.

“We have to problem-solve. We have to work together. We have to do things when we don’t feel like it. We have to pay attention. We have to be safe.

We have to teach others. But we do it together,” Leo says.

Student Trevor Campbell says: “Being in the program has meant so much to me because it has put me in a lot of situations I wouldn’t ever put myself in. It has really helped me in what I want to do after high school as far as a career, it has helped me socialize more, so the program is way more than just a job to me — it’s a family that loves each other.”

Even when thefts have forced the Build Corps to go to court, Leo remains willing to be friendly, shake a hand and even act as a reference. And while that reference will be truthful, trust can be earned again — though she says confidently, “You won’t get away with faking it.”

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

“They have led projects without me, with me just completely set back. No lead builder, ‘cause they know how to do it, they are so fluent in that. Which is, like, the proudest moments, right? When you look over and they are teaching something that they learned from someone else to another kid, and they are selling it, like they believe it, and they are telling a kid that — it’s great,” Leo says.“It’s like, awww! Look at them! They are patient, they get their shoulder in it, and get on the ground.”

To learn more about the Summit Lake Build Corps, including how to hire them for construction work, visit facebook.com/SummitLakeBuildCorps. // Ken Evans finds himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Photos: Used with permission from Stephanie Leonardi.

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Explore

Cooking up culinary careers in Kenmore words and photos by Colleen Hanke

G

etting your first job seems simple enough: you apply, interview and begin to flip burgers, deliver pizzas or complete other entry-level tasks.

This process becomes more complicated when you add in another variable: being a young mother.

Jump On Board for Success, or JOBS, is a program designed to help teenage and young mothers who need help securing and keeping a job. Through a partnership with Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, the program recently received a grant for $150,000 over two years from the CareSource Foundation in early 2019. The grant funds instruction, culinary tools and licensing fees, and helps cover graduates’ wages if they go on to work at Kenmore restaurants.

Karen Freeman, a co-founder of JOBS, realized that the main issue young mothers were encountering was getting and staying in a job.

This led her to begin coaching women in how to pick up a job application and ace a job interview. If the woman needs to achieve a certain level of education, whether that be finishing high school or entering college, JOBS helps them through the process.

The issues the women at JOBS face ranges from not interviewing well to a lack of education to a disruptive family life.

It can be difficult not only to find a job, but to keep it, Karen says. Oftentimes, clients would not realize why they were being fired, not be able to afford childcare, or the situation would simply be out of their control.

“We realized that they would get hired at Taco Bell one week and they would come back next week and they had lost their job, like, how do you get fired from Taco Bell?” Karen says. “But they were, and they just couldn’t hang onto jobs. And they didn’t interview well. So they just lacked all the skills.”

In one case, a woman’s father repeatedly called the workplace, showed up unexpectedly and caused problems. The employer fired her without knowing the background of the situation.

Mentors work with JOBS women during the hiring process and as they get settled in to new jobs. “In a perfect world, the mentors would be able to meet with the girl when she gets hired into a job, to introduce themselves to her employer, to say ‘Hey, she’s a part of this JOBS program. If something happens with her where she doesn’t perform up to your expectations, let us know as well so the three of us can work out the problem,’” Karen says.

“Instead of having them lose their job, maybe we can instruct them in

Left: Karen Freeman and Jennifer Herrick.

(Photo: Colleen Hanke.)

Akron Music, Art & Culture

ways to keep it.”

For mothers seeking a job in the culinary field, JOBS offers Culinary Skills, a program of cooking lessons that leads to a ServSafe certification — an important qualification for getting jobs in kitchens.

Jennifer Herrick, a Kenmore chef, takes groups of women under her wing and teaches them everything from kitchen basics to how to prepare dishes from around the globe.

Jennifer got involved with JOBS while looking for a way to utilize the very formal culinary skills she learned at the University of Akron’s culinary program.

“My skill sets are so unique that I’m like, ‘what can I do other than like… basically, cook for funerals?’” Jennifer says. “I came into Karen’s office with this halfbaked idea of, ‘What do you think about me teaching the girls to cook? Maybe they can learn how to budget, learn how to make some things that they can freeze and stuff like that.’ I hadn’t fully worked it all out, and she’s like, ‘Yeah, sounds great, run with it. Create it, go for it.’

And I did.”

Culinary Skills classes consist of three sixweek courses that cover basic knife and kitchen skills, how to prepare recipes from abroad and how professional chefs run kitchens. In the final weeks of the course, students are taken to local restaurants to see how an active kitchen is run.

The mentorship aspect of the program is where the mothers receive support and advice. The mentor-mentee relationships formed at JOBS are very close. The support they receive from their mentor is as important as the skills they learn in the kitchen.

“We’re so close. Like, I know her credit score. I can yell at her like I’m her mom, you know?” says Jennifer of her mentee.

“Most of these girls don’t have that support system from home. So they need that, they need that structure of

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

somebody checking in on them and someone listening to their problems and not just judging them, like, ‘OK, yeah, you screwed up, but let’s figure a way to fix it, not make this mistake again.’”

Karen and Jennifer describe the mentorship process as based on a trusting relationship without judgment. The mentors act as role models as well as career advisers.

All of the skills that the women at JOBS learn in the kitchen help them in other aspects of their life. They learn about responsibility, budgeting and organization, which can be applied inside and outside the kitchen.

When the women graduate from the program, they are ServSafe-certified for jobs working with food. They can then add this certification to their resume, increasing their chances of employment.

Since JOBS began in 2014, dozens of young mothers have worked with the program to become more successful in their careers and personal lives.

If the mothers are not interested in the culinary field, JOBS will set them up with a mentor who has experience in their desired field. They are currently working with women interested in nursing, helping them prepare for Children’s Hospital’s career launch program. // Colleen Hanke is a Media Studies student at The University of Akron.

JOBS will soon begin staffing Lil’ Bit Cafe, which is slated to open on Kenmore Boulevard in the near future.

Lil’ Bit Cafe will cater The Devil Strip’s New Year’s Eve party at The Rialto Theatre on Dec. 31.

Tickets are $40 and include an ownership share in The Devil Strip for 2020. Tickets: bit.ly/TDSNYE.

The Devil Strip

| 13

Profile

Barbara Minney profile by Noor Hindi photos by Ilenia Pezzaniti

A

s a teenage boy, some of Barbara Minney’s happiest moments included dressing in her mother’s clothes. She remembers sneaking into her mother’s closet when no one was home and putting on her mother’s slip, which she recalls as “silky and smooth” against her skin. In her mother’s room, Barbara would pose in front of the mirror, feeling more outgoing and independent than ever before.

It would take Barbara, 66, more than 40 years to understand why these moments were so liberating. Today, Barbara is a proud transgender woman.

“I never, ever dared to dream that I would have the happiness and the joy and the magic in my life that I have now,” she says.

Barbara spent most of her life feeling depressed and unhappy to the point of feeling suicidal, but she never realized why. Growing up, she says her family was a typical ’50s and ’60s family. Her father worked as a superintendent in the local school district in West Virginia, and her mother worked as a teacher.

standards and behavior,” she says. “He was a perfectionist. Being good was not good enough. It had to be perfect.” .

Barbara carried her father’s ideals with her as an adult, later pursuing a degree in law from the University of Dayton School of Law. She describes her adult life as allconsumed with work, often using work to bury the depression that she battled.

During vacations with her wife, Marilyn Minney, she was “not really there.” “[Work] was stressful,” she says. “I was very depressed. At one point in my life, I was on three antidepressants at the same time. My wife actually called the police on two occasions because she thought I was going to commit suicide.”

Today, Barbara realizes her unhappiness stemmed from “living a life as a person that I really wasn’t.” In and out of therapy for most of her adult life, Barbara finally found a counselor who helped her link her depression to her lack of freedom to express herself in the gender that feels truest to her.

As a kid, Barbara resembled a typical boy. She played Little League baseball, participated in outdoor games with other kids in the neighborhood, and collected baseball cards. She describes herself as academically successful because of the pressure her dad put on her.

After retiring at 60, Barbara attended a support group to try to figure out whether she was transgender. A pivotal moment for her was when the leader of the group approached her after a meeting and validated her experience, which Barbara says was “scary at the time” because it meant contending with her identity.

“He was highly intellectual and very demanding in terms of our academic

What followed the meeting is Barbara’s difficult journey to becoming the woman

14 | The Devil Strip

she is now. Though she had no desire to have gender reassignment surgery, Barbara did get her breasts done, and continues to take hormones.

“There were big swings in my hormone levels which meant big swings in my emotions, my moods, my mental state,” Barbara says.

Additionally, Barbara dealt with a lot of self-doubts while transitioning, which her wife supported her through. In order to help each other, Barbara says they had to acknowledge that they “were transitioning as a couple.” In order to be as open and honest as possible, Barbara and her wife kept a journal that they’d both share and discuss with each other.

The journal continues to be one way the two ensure the lines of communication are open.

Marilyn says finding a community of other trans people helped her understand Barbara more.

“I was very scared,” Marilyn says. “I couldn’t even envision that there was even a community out there. I thought both of us would be out on an iceberg floating.”

On Oct. 7, 2018, Barbara and her wife renewed their wedding vows as two women for the first time. It was also Barbara’s 65th birthday.

Today, Barbara feels like the Akron community has accepted her for who she is, though she regularly has to call

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

event organizers before entering spaces to ensure she’ll be welcomed. As a transwoman, she says she’s not always accepted by feminist organizations who “do not always welcome transgender women.” And as a translesbian, she also faces backlash from lesbians who think trans people “cannot be lesbians because we were born male.”

Despite her identity, Barbara says she has never been attacked or called out, which she attributes to the fact that she can pass as a woman in most situations.

“I realize that’s a privilege, one I don’t take lightly,” she says. “You’re obviously not as much a target. I can walk in any restroom and not really be challenged and questioned, whereas some of my peers cannot.”

Within the Akron community, Barbara is known for her poetry, which she often performs at Latitudes Open Mic on the third Wednesday of each month at Compass Coffee. She also attends Chicklits Book Club, which she feels is a safe space for her. Aside from this, she works as a volunteer for PechaKucha, a speaker series.

Though Barbara has always been an avid reader, she has rediscovered her love of poetry since retiring and uses it as one way to combat transphobia. In her poem “Happiness,” Barbara writes, “When did it happen / I can’t be sure, / years of repression, denial and sadness, / years of not being me...”

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Profile

Jamie Keaton profile and photos

by Taylor Patterson “NONBINARY” DESCRIBES A GENDER IDENTITY THAT IS NOT EXCLUSIVELY MASCULINE OR FEMININE‍ —‌ IDENTIFYING OUTSIDE THOSE TWO BINARY CATEGORIES. JAMIE, THE SUBJECT OF THIS PROFILE, USES THE GENDER-NEUTRAL PRONOUNS THEY, THEM AND THEIRS, RATHER THAN HE/HIM/HIS OR SHE/HER/HERS.

Editor’s note: Jamie Keaton began writing for The Devil Strip after this profile was nearly complete. Their first piece, a profile of artist Nichole Epps, appeared in the November issue.

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I

t was the end of an Ohio summer when Jamie Keaton first felt seen.

In August 2018, Jamie performed a spoken word poem at PechaKucha 20x20 Akron — an event where presenters share a narrative, using 20 slides that each last 20 seconds. Jamie came out for the first time on a small stage at the Trailhead, sharing their gender identity somewhere that wasn’t hushed behind closed doors.

d Hundreds of people sat in metal folding chairs, among them friends, strangers and family, as Jamie began: This is the story of two identities I hold so dearly. The first one is my Ethnic one, black is beautiful, straight African, fist high… but this identity causes violence from the power of the badge and whiteness. The second one, the dangerous one, the one that no one wants to embrace, my queer face, nonbinary.

Words from this poem by Jamie, “A Tale of Two Identities,” appear throughout this piece in green.

Jamie grew up in Akron knowing that the world often treats Blackness and queerness like oil and water. Jamie, now 27, spent their teens and young adulthood balancing these two parts of

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their identity.

“There were times every day when I went to class where about 10 to 12 students picked on me. Some way, some how, they would tease me about how I expressed myself,” Jamie says. “They even beat up on me.”

In the late 2000s, Jamie roamed North High School’s hallways, Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube bumping in their headphones. It was the post-golden-age of hip-hop; teen style was flatbills, Air Force Ones and oversized jerseys. The fashion fads were never Jamie’s style, but they dressed the part to fit into the crowd.

The Akron Public Schools student body is roughly 60% Black. Jamie says they always felt pressure to conform to that part of their identity.

“There was an expectation that I had to live up to what their definition of Black meant,” Jamie says.

I was teased and ridiculed because I didn’t fit the man that they thought I would be, confused as ever because no one accepted me.

In those early years, Jamie didn’t have the language to explain why they felt different. The first time they heard the word “nonbinary” was their freshman year of college in a women’s studies course.

Jamie started attending LGBTQ meetings on campus, which came with a newfound sense of acceptance and love.

During that time, Jamie says they could not share their gender identity journey with their family — Jamie was raised on Sunday church and bedtime prayers.

They knew their parents didn’t approve of LGBTQ people and that neither would understand their nonbinary identity.

This isn’t just their reality, but one for many Black queer people, Jamie says.

“Black people, throughout slavery and the civil rights movement, heavily relied on our faith. It was the epicenter of what got us through the oppression of the past,” they say. But many Christian churches teach that LGBTQ people are sinful and mentally ill.

The conservatism of some churches and their stigmatizing of the LGBTQ community has caused internalized hatred within many queer Black men, says Steve Arrington, the CEO and a founder of the Akron Aids Collaborative.

“So many Black, young, gay people have been broken toys, and their spirit has been broken,” Steve says.

“I thought, this was something you go to hell for,” Jamie says. “I considered everything about me to be wrong for so long.”

Jamie started using they/them pronouns and changed their first name three years after that first women’s studies course.

But they still weren’t ready to reveal their nonbinary identity to their family. In fact, Jamie avoided it at all costs. They told their parents that “Jamie” was a stage name for poetry. Facebook posts that referenced their identity would have a

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block on family members. Jamie kept their queerness hidden because they were afraid to lose something everyone longs for: acceptance.

Since coming out at PechaKucha in 2018, Jamie has not always been accepted or recognized as nonbinary by their family. Jamie’s parents use the name “Jamie,” but still see them as their son.

Their mother is still learning, Jamie says, and uses they/them pronouns when addressing Jamie. But their father does not.

I hid it like Where’s Waldo and hide and seek. I was so good at it, no one could ever find the real me — until the day that the hiding was so good, even I couldn’t find the real me.

During years of hiding their identity from their family, Jamie got involved with community activism. In 2016, they joined the Ohio Student Association, which focuses on growing leadership and activists at a college level. They currently work with people recovering from addiction at the Oriana House and organize with VIBE Collective, which is a network that focuses on creating spaces where a diverse group of artists can come together for support and conversation.

“No one saw my reality, so I became an activist to make damn sure that other people’s realities are seen,” Jamie says.

“I came to the understanding that, just because I went through it, doesn’t mean other people have to.”

Jamie says they intentionally organize out of spaces that are intersectional, meaning every race, class, sexual orientation and

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Profile gender are welcome. But it’s difficult to find groups that are truly inclusive in Akron, Jamie says. They have been denied a voice within activist circles, including at the Akron Women’s March in January 2019. Jamie held cardboard signs with friends and hollered chants alongside hundreds at the march. They were scheduled to read a poem at the afterparty. But an organizer Jamie knew from previous work on racial justice issues said they couldn’t perform because their identity didn’t “respect the space.” Jamie says they were devastated.

“When you’re Black and queer, white people don’t accept you because you’re Black, and Black people don’t accept you because you’re queer,” Jamie says.

Steve has worked in HIV/AIDS activism and outreach in the Black community for 30 years. He mentors a diverse group of queer people who have been discriminated against and tokenized, like himself. There are few spaces in Akron that are truly inclusive, Steve says.

“The term ‘intersectional’ hasn’t vibrated

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in a lot of communities,” Steve says.

“Akron is behind. We lack the education and awareness around intersectionality and nonbinary [identities].”

Imagine holding two marginalized identities. That doesn’t give you community because the other identity your community has disdain and scrutiny. I’m not telling you this to look in shame. I’m not telling you this to find and fix your blame.

“We [nonbinary people] are stuck in this rut of people making us feel like we aren’t allowed to exist,” Jamie says, “and whenever we come out, the questions are about our genitals rather than our experience.”

Jamie’s love is expressed as activism and giving voice to marginalized communities.

Black voices have always been silenced systematically in this country, Jamie says.

As an example, Jamie points to the “Ain’t I A Woman” banner that hangs above Lock 3. No women of color were involved in the making of the banner or invited to the unveiling of the piece in spring 2018.

“People of color are hardly ever asked to be a part of projects like that,” Jamie says.

Jamie’s girlfriend, Amber Cullen, encouraged Jamie to come out at PechaKucha in 2018 and has been a hand to hold throughout Jamie’s gender identity journey.

The banner is a reminder of the lack of black artistic spaces in Akron, which inspired Jamie to help create one: Black Out: The Artist Showcase at the Akron Civic Theatre. Jamie introduced the idea to VIBE Collective, and the group soon began working on the production. VIBE gathered 11 artists to perform at Black

“Jamie’s love is so inclusive that it pushes me to be more compassionate in the world. I’m constantly challenged to open She says the response to her poetry has been “incredible” so far.

“A lot of people have come up to me and said, ‘Your poems have really touched me.

They’ve really spoken to me and they’ve given me an insight that I didn’t have.’

And that is very rewarding,’” she says.

The poetry community has been important to Barbara, who has not always felt accepted by the larger LGBTQ+ community. As a member of the Log Cabin Republicans and a Christian, Barbara says her beliefs are “not necessarily aligned with the community” and she often feels “rejected” by members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I tend to be conservative in my views,”

my arms wider in how I love because Jamie loves others so deeply,” Amber says. “They have a charismatic, sort of magnetic personality. People feel heard, seen and valued with Jamie, no matter who you are.”

she says. “Probably more towards the libertarian side than the conservative side.

But still, I’ve been a lifelong Republican. I was a Young Republican since college and I’ve stuck with that all these years, and stuck with those beliefs, [which are] not popular in the community.”

Barbara reconciles her identity as a transwoman and her political affiliations as a lifelong Republican by believing she can make change from the inside.

“What I do is I look at the big picture, not just individual issues,” Barbara says. “And as the big picture goes, I’m more aligned with what Republicans believe than what Democrats or progressives believe. I also am of the belief that trans people such as myself can work to change things from

Out in February 2019.

The Civic’s sign glowed that night, painting the sidewalk puddles red. Jamie’s eyes caught the Sojourner Truth banner as they made their way into the 90-yearold theater. They walked down the carpeted aisle and up wooden stairs to the platform. A spotlight hit their face.

A tale of two identities — I am handing you that weight. You sit in discomfort while I take my space. I gave you my truth, laying it bare on the stage.

Jamie’s hands trembled — not with fear, but power. // Taylor Patterson is a recent graduate of Kent State University. She is a poet and freelance journalist who asks questions about power and humanity. Reach her at tleepatter@gmail.com.

the inside instead of battering on the door from the outside.”

Currently, Barbara serves on the board of directors for CANAPI, which provides education and outreach to the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ community. She continues to tell her story through her poetry and live her life as an open transwoman.

“I am a woman. I may have balls, but I am a woman. I want to be feminine.

I want to be accepted as a woman.

Period.” // Noor Hindi is The Devil Strip’s Senior Reporter. Email her at noor@thedevilstrip. com.

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IN THIS SECTION: AKRON’S BLACK BABIES DIE BEFORE THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAYS AT THREE TIMES THE RATE OF WHITE BABIES. WHY? LET’S DIG IN.

Photo: Mariah Hunt, 24, with her husband and their kids: Makavelli, 7 months, and Makayla, 3. Details of Mariah’s story appear on page 19. (Photo: Ilenia Pezzaniti.)

“Trying to be a mom is hard” LAST MONTH, SUMMIT COUNTY RECEIVED $2.5 MILLION IN STATE AID TO FIGHT AFRICAN-AMERICAN INFANT MORTALITY. HERE’S WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST — ACCORDING TO PARENTS, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND DOCTORS. WORDS BY NOOR HINDI · PHOTOS BY ILENIA PEZZANITI

K

atrina Davis delivered her baby boy, D’Angelo, at 25 weeks. She says the doctors called him a micro-preemie because he was born weighing just 2 pounds, 3 ounces.

At the time, Katrina had to go into emergency labor because she developed preeclampsia, a condition where pregnant women get high blood pressure and a high level of protein in their urine, causing their hands, feet and legs to swell. If untreated, it can lead to death for the mother and the baby.

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When Katrina went to the hospital, she says she could barely walk, and her face was so swollen she couldn’t see.

Her blood pressure was a dangerously high 186/142. Though she successfully delivered her son, he couldn’t leave the hospital for months and had to constantly be monitored by doctors.

“He couldn’t even fit in preemie-sized clothes,” she says. “He had a sized diaper that could fit on a Barbie. He was so small — but he learned how to become stronger.”

Now D’Angelo is 2 years old. Katrina says he’s healthy, and “jumping off steps and running away and is the definition of a ‘terrible two.’”

Before delivering D’Angelo, Katrina was under a lot of stress. Her husband was cheating on her. She was the sole caretaker for her other two kids, ages 10 and 6, and working two jobs. She says she was extremely overwhelmed and often felt guilty for not spending enough time with her children.

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“I was going through so much and my body couldn’t take it,” she says. “The thing is, you don’t even feel the stress until it hits your body physically. I knew it was there. I knew he was cheating.

I knew the kids had to get to school. I knew I had to do everything for the kids.

And work two jobs.”

She remembers her 6-year-old son coming up to her one day and telling her she wasn’t spending enough time with him. This hurt her tremendously.

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“In my head I knew me working these jobs would benefit them, and that’s what I kept telling myself,” she says. “But they don’t see you at work. They don’t see the money coming in. They don’t see the house is paid. They just see that mom’s not home.”

Dr. Jennifer Savitski, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cleveland Clinic/Akron General, says infant mortality rates are related to maternal stress levels — especially among Black moms — which are causing preterm deliveries and greater chances that Black babies won’t make it to their first birthday.

Ohio has the eighth-worst infant mortality rate in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control.

And according to 2017 statistics from the Ohio Department of Health, Black infants are three times likelier to die before their first birthday than white infants.

Infant mortality is defined as the death of a live-born baby before their first birthday.

According to Summit County Public Health, Akron has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the state, with an average of 9.47 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Of the 214 deaths that occurred in Summit Country from 2013 to 2017, 61% occurred in Akron — but Akron is only home to about 37% of the people in Summit County.

Most of the infant deaths occurred in zip codes 44305, which includes parts of Middlebury and Goodyear Heights; 44306, which includes East Akron; 44310, which includes North Hill and Chapel Hill; and 44320, which includes West Akron.

Those neighborhoods are 57%, 75%, 45% and 82% African-American, respectively — whereas only about 30%

of Akron residents are Black, according to Census data.

While the overall infant mortality rate in Ohio has decreased since 2000, Black infants were three times more likely to die within the first 27 days of their lives than white infants, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The leading cause of death for infants in Ohio is premature birth. As of 2017, 32% of infant deaths were related to prematurity.

Smaller babies are less likely to make it because their bodies are often not developed enough to handle being outside of the womb. According to Dr. Savitski, sometimes babies’ lungs aren’t ready to be breathing air and the blood vessels in their brains are delicate, putting them at a higher risk for internal bleeding. Aside from this, smaller infants are more likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis, an intestinal disease. This can lead to the intestines being surgically removed.

Many doctors are linking preterm labor to the stress Black mothers face, as well as poor social determinants of health like access to healthy food, economic opportunity, safe and affordable housing and environmental factors like exposure to pollution.

Savitski says chronic stress is toxic.

“Although we can say in the area of maternal and infant care, we see metrics where Black women are doing worse and Black babies are doing worse, the reality is, Black people, in general, are doing worse,” she says. “These individuals have experienced so much stress in their lives. That stress is now everyday normal life. But our bodies don’t know that it’s everyday normal life. So then you start getting the changes in the hormone levels, and the changes in how our brain develops memories and processes

emotions and deals with fear.

“And that leads into the concept of toxic stress,” she continues. “When you get a certain level of stress that’s chronic — and in some ways threatens your basic existence — that’s where it becomes toxic … Think of it as: I’m a caveman. I see a saber-toothed tiger. So then I either fight, run or freeze. And the cortisol rushes into my system to give me the energy to run away. The problem is when you are faced with that saber-toothed tiger every single day and that hormone level is high in your body every single day — but then you have to start functioning. You have to eat, and drink, and work, take care of family members, take care of kids. That cortisol level is not productive in your body.”

Dr. Savitski adds, “The saber-toothed tiger to Black women in this country is housing, it’s jobs, it’s economic advancement.”

According to a 2018 report from Elevate Akron, much of Akron’s Black population has been excluded from economic opportunity.

Dr. Cheryl Johnson, an OB-GYN at Summa Health System, says combating infant mortality in Akron means focusing efforts on reducing maternal stress. And that means making life better, all around, for mothers.

“Economic stability is a huge one,” Johnson says. “We talk a lot about [the] school-to-prison pipeline and the mass incarceration of the African-American male and how that stress weighs on the female provider in the home. That increases maternal stress, whenever you have a fragmented family and the responsibilities aren’t even. And so we find moms working two or three jobs. Or they don’t have a strong support system.

Or the dad is in and out of the picture because of incarceration.”

Fathers play an important role in reducing

maternal stress and supporting infants, says Pastor Eugene Norris, the founder of Fame Fathers.

Pastor Norris currently works in West Akron on educational initiatives to help dads navigate fatherhood.

Fame Fathers offers a multiplicity of programs targeted at new dads. For example, Fame Fathers was partnered with Cleveland Clinic and Summa Health System on “Daddy Bootcamp,” a daylong class that coaches dads on what to expect from new babies and how best to support moms.

They also hold “Inside-Out Dads” for fathers who are incarcerated. The program gives dads a chance to take “Daddy Bootcamp” in jail or prison, so they’re ready to be supportive when they leave.

Fame Fathers also encourages safe sleep practices by giving away free Pack ‘n Plays to parents. A Pack ‘n Play is a safe sleeping bassinet for babies.

“I realized that fathers didn’t understand what was going on,” Pastor Norris says.

“Our guys don’t really understand what our ladies are dealing with out there when they’re expecting. And particularly as it relates to infant mortality.”

The goal, says Pastor Norris, is to push for more educational initiatives and knowledge in the community. But this has often been difficult because they’re “overlapped with so many other systematic challenges.”

He explains, “It’s like Summit Lake. If you went out there and found three dead fish, you’d say, ‘what happened with these fish? Something’s going on with these fish.’ If you saw 300 fish out there, you’re going to say, ‘What’s going on with this lake?’ And that’s the system. That lake is what’s doing it, and you’re seeing a product of that system.”

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‘WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THIS LAKE’ AND HOW DO WE FIX IT? 1. Mental health services Mariah Hunt, 24, is learning how to navigate motherhood one day at a time. She likes to tell 7-month-old Makavelli and 3-year-old Makayla that the three of them are “growing up together.”

After putting them to sleep each night, she takes inventory of the day. Did she hug them enough?

Did she tell them she loves them enough? Did she talk to them enough?

Each morning, Mariah wakes up around 8 am and prepares breakfast for her and Makayla.

She cleans the house after breakfast. Around 10 am, she starts “school” for Makayla, where they go through flashcards and colors and shapes to ensure Makayla is kindergartenready. Right now, she says Makayla can identify a pentagon and octagon, which Makayla is excited about.

Noon is lunchtime, followed by nap time for the kids. Mariah typically tries to rest during this time before the kids wake up and are ready to play for a few hours before their dad comes home.

The family has dinner together and watches television before the kids read, then sleep at 9 pm. Mariah usually studies for her online classes at the University of Phoenix until as late as 2 am.

On top of working toward her degree in business management, Mariah manages doctor’s appointments for Makavelli. The baby has craniosynostosis, a condition in which the bones in a baby’s skull close too early, which requires him to wear a helmet for 23 hours per day.

Mariah suffers from depression, which she says is exacerbated by her busy schedule.

“It’s more of life hitting you hard, especially with two. And you’re just now trying to get into the swing of things and you’re breastfeeding. And so it’s me and [Makavelli], constantly,” she says.

“Sometimes I get down because I don’t have enough time to make sure I’m taking care of me.”

Mariah wants to be the best mother

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she can possibly be, but it’s challenging because her mother was often abusive, giving her up to the foster care system when Mariah was just 11. Without a good mother figure to model her parenting after, Mariah often feels alone.

Breaking the cycle of violence, learning how to be a good mom and taking care of her own mental health is a “battle,” Mariah says.

Her husband, Mike, works long hours to support the family while Mariah studies for her online classes and takes care of Makayla and Makavelli.

“Trying to be a mom is hard,” she says.

“Especially trying to keep up. I have days where I’m down, or I just feel overwhelmed with everything. I try to center myself. I try to decompress and breathe, but it’s like the day goes and there are not enough hours in the day to actually focus on my emotions.”

Growing up, Mariah watched her dad physically abuse her mom. Though her parents are still together today — Mariah keeps in touch with them for the sake of her younger siblings who are living with her parents — Mariah feels like she can’t forgive them for putting her in foster care.

“Why did I have to be dealt these cards?

I just wanted a mom and dad. As a child, my mom and dad weren’t really teaching me anything. I was always yelled at or whooped or just told to shut up. I wasn’t talked to,” she says. “A lot of things I’m

Photos: Mariah Hunt with her husband and infant son, Makavelli.

(Photos: Ilenia Pezzaniti).

trying to learn on my own.

But what I went through as a child, it’s helping me be a better parent.”

Learning how to cope with trauma continues to be a challenge for many Black women who grew up in foster care, broken households or extreme poverty, and those who have survived domestic violence and abuse.

Dr. Lodge says the mental health component of maternal health is often overlooked.

“These social determinants of health we’re talking about, as it relates to housing, transportation, et cetera — it has a psychological impact,” Lodge says. “And that is why we see stress, anxiety, depression and other mental disorders within the AfricanAmerican experience. And because that’s not understood, or it goes untreated, it’s why we continue to see low birth weights [and] premature deliveries, which then leads to infant mortality. And so that whole mental health component is essential.”

She continues, “It’s the psychological

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impact of not having these things and then being blamed for not having them that creates the stress that then leads to prematurity, low birth weight, [and] infant mortality.”

Dr. Lodge points out that even Black women who are college-educated are still more likely to lose their babies than white women who have a high school diploma.

MBHG Clinical Coordinator Dr. Ciara Dennis-Morgan says they take a holistic approach to counseling, which means

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wrong.

“You have to be in the hood in order to know what it feels like. It’s not bad,” she continues. “It doesn’t matter where you live. You’re going to make it home — and this is our home, for now.”

Madelyn and her family are lucky. AMHA Executive Director Brian Gage says they have a two-year waiting list for affordable housing units, though preference is given to veterans, emancipated youth, disabled people and other vulnerable communities.

Dr. Savitiski’s team spends half a day at AMHA’s Joy Park homes and half a day at the Reach Opportunity Center in Summit Lake every month, providing medical counseling and education about healthy pregnancies and women’s health.

Gage says AMHA also holds “Mom-ME Time,” where mothers can receive group counseling through Child Guidance and Family Solutions, twice a month in four AMHA developments. The program also screens mothers for depression and refers them to mental health providers for further assistance.

Photos: Madelyn Elizabeth Milligan with her husband and their four children.

They moved into an Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority apartment complex when they were facing eviction from their home in Copley. (Photos: Ilenia Pezzaniti).

where we can provide bus passes or link them to other community resources where there is support.”

Mariah says she’s filled out an application packet for MBHG and hopes to receive counseling soon.

they look at the systems and barriers that women are facing and try to connect them to agencies that may help.

“Anything that is impacting the mother, child and family system, we’re attempting to address it and provide support around [them]. We also teach skills and model certain behaviors,” Dr. Dennis-Morgan says.“If we’re talking about the bus system, like how do you ride the bus or utilize that, sometimes there are cases

20 | The Devil Strip

“It was hard because, what did I do wrong? That’s the first thing,” December says. “What did I do wrong? Did I not take my prenatal [vitamins] enough? Was I working too much? Because sometimes I’ll overdo it. I have to work, work, work, work, work. I don’t sit down to get my adequate rest. And even though the doctors say ‘it’s not you,’ that sometimes this is how things work, but I still feel like I did something wrong.”

2. Safe and affordable housing

“I need somebody that would help me regulate my emotions,” she says. “My emotions are all over the place. And I don’t know how to address them properly.”

Madelyn Elizabeth Milligan lives in an Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority apartment complex off Arlington and Wilbeth roads with her four children and husband. She says AMHA saved her and her husband from eviction when they were living in their home in Copley.

When mothers lose their babies, experts say they often blame themselves — and the people around them may indirectly or directly blame them too. That guilt can take a toll on mother’s mental health.

When she first moved into the neighborhood a year ago, Madelyn says she was worried for their safety. Though she still doesn’t allow her kids to play outside on the playground, she says she feels more comfortable today.

For December West, a community health worker, the guilt was the worst part.

“When we saw that we were struggling, we have to do it for our kids,” she says.

“I know this area is not the prettiest and it’s not so great. And people talk a lot of bullshit about this area. But we’re surviving and we haven’t seen anything

December’s infant was stillborn. She delivered the baby early.

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But community organizers say regulations set by the housing authority can split families apart. Dr. Tania Lodge, clinical director at Minority Behavioral Health Group (MBHG), argues that the requirements set by the housing authority are “not perpetuating single-family households.”

“Sometimes what we see is, even when we get our families involved with subsidized housing or AMHA, they don’t last in those homes because of the limitations and restrictions,” Lodge explains. “You can’t have your baby’s father here because he’s not on the lease. Or because somebody has a legal background. It’s limiting.”

For example, a person may be evicted from AMHA housing because of drugrelated activity or violent criminal activity.

After eviction, that individual is barred from applying to housing for three years.

AMHA regulations say the agency will consider “the individual circumstances of the household” when determining whether the person may be permitted to apply before the three-year wait period is up, but only if the evicted person completes a rehabilitation program.

3. Support from the medical system Summa Health System and Akron General both have centering programs for moms.

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A centering program works in two ways: It gives doctors a chance to sit with the moms for longer periods of time to educate them about prenatal care, and it provides new moms with a support system made up of other women.

Dr. Cheryl Johnson at Summa Health System says educating moms is a lot easier when you have 90 minutes to sit with them, rather than the five to 10 minutes doctors typically have with patients.

“They love coming to centering,” Dr. Johnson says. “And what I can attribute that to is, they’re really in isolation. A lot of times when women are pregnant, it’s not something that’s celebrated in our society. We have a lot of young mothers.

We have a lot of moms who are on their fourth or fifth baby, so they’re not being celebrated. But they feel a connection when they come to centering and they’re around other women just like them.”

December West says the isolation and lack of support can be debilitating for women. In two years of community health work, she’s only worked with one or two women whose partners are present.

“They’re doing it by themselves,” she says. “Most moms I interact with are single. And they’re not only doing it on their own, but they have other children.

So having to care for the other kids and take care of yourself is hard.”

Project Ujima, a grassroots organization that works to empower women, is currently partnered with Summa Health Systems and Minority Behavioral Health on a centering program that takes place every Wednesday and Thursday. The Sisterhood Support Circle includes 10 to 15 women per session.

They use a centering curriculum to teach women how to parent and provide them with the hands-on support they need. For example, they encourage women to talk with their babies, show them how to feed them, talk about what nutrition looks like as babies grow and explain how safe sleep works.

Taba Aleen, program coordinator for Project Ujima, teaches the class. She says many of its participants mistrust the medical industry and are often uncomfortable taking birth control. She adds that dispelling faulty information passed on from previous generations is key to helping women.

“Most of the answers [about their reluctance to use birth control] have to do with, ‘it’s going to make me fat.’ Or,

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‘it’s going to mess my body up, so that when I want to get pregnant, I can’t get pregnant,’” Taba says. “Even when we’re doing a session on vaccines, some of the women have said that they didn’t trust the flu shot because they thought that if they were Medicaid clients, or they had Medicaid insurance, somehow they were getting a different dosage type than richer people who have private insurance.”

LaKesh Hayes, executive director of Project Ujima, says teaching moms how to plan their pregnancies is one focus of the program.

“Most of us may have a background of seeing pregnancies just happen. And we don’t know the terminologies of planned pregnancy,” LaKesh says. “We don’t understand that. We don’t know that you’re supposed to plan and put yourself in a certain position to be able to welcome a child and be able to care for a child. That is foreign to a lot of us in the community.”

Most recently, Project Ujima opened The Zalika House to expand the centering program and continue supporting moms.

“The house is more of an expansion of what we can’t do in a two-hour circle.

We can do things at the house where we can watch a movie that has to do with healthy relationships, and maybe we’re then going to use that movie to have a discussion around partners who cheat,” Taba says.

Birthing Beautiful Communities, a program that started in Cleveland and recently opened a branch in Akron, works with low-income moms to provide doulas.

Doulas traditionally come into the birthing process closer to delivery, but at Birthing Beautiful Communities, doulas begin helping moms early in the process.

In Ohio, doulas typically cost anywhere from $800-$1,000. But Birthing Beautiful Communities is grant-supported and free to women of color who need doulas. The doulas the moms work with are often their neighbors. They offer transportation, education and emotional support. Most importantly, they go to hospital visits and appointments to help act as translators between moms and doctors.

The goal of the organization is to empower women working with the medical system so they can make informed decisions about their babies.

“As a medical professional, you talk in a certain way, and you don’t necessarily realize that somebody is completely oblivious to what you’re saying,” says

India Robertson, director of state training and expansion. “We were finding a lot of women who had babies previously who felt like ‘my labor was hijacked.’ Or ‘I didn’t get the experience that I wanted.’

Or ‘I felt discriminated against.’”

Certain areas of Cleveland have had some of the worst infant mortality rates in the country, which is what encouraged Christin Farmer to create the organization.

“Christin’s vision was, ‘how about we provide doulas for the people who actually need the services the most? The people who are at the highest risk for maternal mortality, for infant mortality?’”

Robertson says.

Women often feel isolated and silenced in medical institutions where doctors typically don’t look like them or take the time to explain medical procedures in detail Robertson explains. Dr. Jennifer Savitski says she can probably count the number of Black OB-GYNs in Akron on one hand. In her department at Cleveland Clinic/Akron General, there are none.

Dr. Savitski, who is the first female chair for the Department of OB-GYN at Cleveland Clinic/Akron General, says the medical industry needs to focus on empowering patients and encouraging doctors to make shared decisions with their patients.

“DEALING WITH OPPRESSION IN PARTICULAR” In late November, Summit County Public Health received $2.48 million from Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Medicaid Managed Care Plans to address African-American infant mortality rates in Greater Akron.

The funding will support 11 agencies in Akron, including Birthing Beautiful Communities, Child Guidance and Family Solutions and Cleveland Clinic/Akron General.

Many resources exist in Akron for mothers, and connections to agencies and resources are growing. Still, Akron’s infant mortality rate continues to be among the highest in the state, and Ohio’s is among the highest in the country.

And while it’ll take years before we see a drastic change in numbers, this year, Akron continued its Full Term First Birthday initiative, which aims to reduce infant mortality among Akron’s Black

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

babies. One of the program’s goals is to “address structural racism and the interplay between race, equity, infant mortality and pre-term births.”

Within the report is an acknowledgment of the “insidious role of racism, implicit bias and structural racism in shaping culturally unresponsive organizational cultures and practices.”

The plan brings together more than 20 organizations committed to addressing infant mortality rates in Akron, including Summit County Public Health, AMHA and Axess Pointe. To begin meeting its goals, the City of Akron hired Tamiyka Rose as the Health Equity Ambassador.

“The structural racism in our community is economic,” says Tamiyka, who in November was appointed Assistant to the Mayor for Public Policy. “It’s going to take time. It’s been 400 years since slavery.

That was 1619. It’s 2019. It’s going to take step by step. But I can tell you that Mayor Horrigan is on board. He sees it, and he is ready to make change. And he understands it’s going to come from....the rich white men in powerful places having the courage to change the policies and procedures that have been in place for decades to allow for women to make a change.”

By 2025, Akron hopes to reduce premature births and infant mortality among all infants by 50%.

So while infant mortality rates in Akron have decreased over the years, it’s going to take more effort in continually addressing the structural racism and lack of economic opportunity for Black women in Akron.

Dr. Lodge says so much attention is being put into referring women to organization after organization, but the heart of the problem, which is oppression, is not being talked about enough. She says many of her clients blame themselves and feel shame about their situations rather than recognizing the system’s built against them. This leads to disempowerment, she adds.

“I think oppression is the catalyst to why we see the disparity with AfricanAmerican babies… Racism plays a role in it. Classism plays a role in it. Ageism plays a role in it,” say Dr. Lodge. “And the difficulty with moving the needle is because we’re not really dealing with oppression in particular. We’re trying to put bandages on it.” // Noor Hindi is The Devil Strip’s senior reporter. Reach her at noor@thedevilstrip. com.

The Devil Strip

| 21

Applaud

Akron music, food & drink

IN THIS SECTION: PATRICK SWEANY RETURNS TO AKRON · D. HILLA · ON THE RECORD: ZOD1AC · THE DOME

“My aim is to be me” — D.Hilla words and photos by Kyle Cochrun

“I

’m not one of these fictitious rappers,” says Demichrius Hill, the 23-year-old Akronite who records under the moniker D.Hilla.

By this moment in the evolution of rap music, the arbitrary line dividing fake MCs from their autobiographical counterparts is so abstract as to be insignificant, a conceptual holdover (if not a relic) from a time when the term “MC” was still used in double entendre-laden battle raps.

This is not how Demichrius Hill sees it.

What’s interesting about D.Hilla’s brand of rap is that, instrumentally, it sounds like a lot of trap music circa 2019 – glossy keyboard melodies swimming over downtempo, software-programmed percussion – but features lyrics that render his modest life experiences and describe his West Akron neighborhood while eschewing drink, drugs and glitz-

22 | The Devil Strip

boasting, a trait he’s proud of.

“My aim is to be me,” Demichrius says.

“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t try to fit in the crowds. I just put my environment in my lyrics. It’s therapeutic in a sense.”

D. Hilla’s most recent tracks reflect this approach. On “Hate It,” he complains about the city bus running late. On “Proud,” he decides not to mention the mice invading the basement of his grandmother’s home so as not to offend her. On “How You Do It,” he flirts with a girl at Thursday’s Lounge, the Exchange Street bar near the University of Akron’s campus, a far-cry from big-money bottle service and swanky penthouse soirées.

The world Demichrius depicts is often hyperlocal and quotidian, so it’s both unsurprising and encouraging that his lyrics seem to be growing more personal, reaching further inwards.

A juxtaposition of songs is in order.

Three years ago, Demichrius uploaded the song “100 Racks” to his SoundCloud page. The track is typical of what you might expect from SoundCloud rap: there’s dread-inducing church bells used to the same effect as air sirens, bouts of machine gun fire, filter effects, rhymes about putting people in coffins, making “classics like a maestro” and “stacking and spending” all the money coming in.

Last month, Demichrius uploaded “Soulless,” which features a more satisfying, soupier low-end throb and this chorus: “I feel so soulless / I feel so hopeless / My heart is broken / And I just know this.” The lyrics describe Demichrius trying to break from an emotional nadir: “In my phone, don’t see friends…. / Don’t have money and I don’t have plans…. / Just wanna upgrade who I am.”

refinement of his elocution runs parallel to the maturation of his worldview. As a formula for transfiguring life into art, and then building a career off the art, it’s a winner, if not a downright necessity.

Demichrius might have figured this out or he might have happened across it naturally. Regardless, at 23, he has a long ways to go, and that’s not meant as a criticism. For an artist whose music attempts to mirror his life, growing older should only strengthen the craft.

If D.Hilla continues to get all up in his feelings, to not simply absorb but study the world he wants to speak for, and to sculpt a more distinctive sound, he’ll be on his way to reaching that upgrade he’s been searching for. // Kyle Cochrun is a writer from Akron, Ohio. Contact him at kylecochrun@gmail. com.

It’s far from the braggadocio of “100 Racks,” but delivered with a vocal flow more pronounced and confident, as if the

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

thedevilstrip.com

Applaud

On the Record ZOD1AC Tides words by Conor Battles

T

he serene motion of ocean waves powers Akron lo-fi hip-hop producer ZOD1AC’s latest beat tape, Tides.

The description for the album on Bandcamp reads in part, “Water holds both the qualities of softness and destruction, the gentle weightlessness of mist and the overpowering mass of the seas. This duality serves as a reminder of the beautiful and delicate balance we all exist within.” The album’s sound perfectly

captures this feeling, as soft melodies float gently over mesmerizingly tight drum loops like seafoam over the pounding surf.

crafting this debut.

Lo-fi is one of the most popular subgenres of hip-hop production right now. Thanks to a handful of monstrously popular YouTube channels, SoundCloud pages and other DIY digital distribution networks, the atmospheric and downtempo sound of lo-fi has become a dominant force in underground hip-hop. ZOD1AC has been a lo-fi producer for years now, and with this latest release, it is clear that he has become one of the Northeast Ohio scene’s most skilled beatmakers.

The tape’s breezy sub-30 minute runtime means no beat overstays its welcome, and each track blends seamlessly with the next. On the first track, “Vapor Trails,” washed-out surf guitar gives way to a hypnotic brass melody from international horn collective Soul Food Horns, merging ZOD1AC’s trademark hazy sonic experimentation with something far more soulful and grounded. On “Floods,” jazzy woodwinds cut through a thick wall of reverb and trap-influenced 808 drum loops, imbuing the otherwise icy and ethereal track with a feeling of warmth and familiarity.

Tides is ZOD1AC’s first release as an artist under Canadian lo-fi tastemakers Inner Ocean Records, and it is clear that the producer, whose name is Joe Maas, channeled a sonic ocean of his own in

The album’s high-water mark is “Stasis,” a bright and playful track that combines a soaring arpeggiated synth with bouncy R&B-accented drums to joyous, danceable effect. The song’s exuberant breakdown

recalls the lo-fi charm of old-school video game music, feeling simultaneously nostalgic and coolly futuristic.

Tides is best enjoyed as one long soundscape; an ever-changing masterclass in beatmaking. Joe makes each exquisitely crafted moment seem effortless — a sudden beat change or offbeat sample is always able to breathe new and unexpected life into a track, but it never feels like he’s trying particularly hard to impress.

Tides was recently featured on Bandcamp’s list of the best beat tapes available on the self-published music platform, and it is easy to see why.

ZOD1AC stands out as a true innovator in the crowded and booming lo-fi hip-hop scene, drawing on a diverse palette of influences such as shoegaze and ambient music to create a beat tape that is lush, dreamy and eminently unique. // Conor Battles is a journalism student at Kent State University.

Kent's new venue is "all over the place, in a wonderful way" words by Derek Kreider

F

rom the middle of a residential neighborhood, the Dome blooms like some weird mushroom. The former strip club turned music venue is slowly but surely carving out a place all its own in the Northeast Ohio music scene.

Located at 166 Currie Hall Parkway in Kent, the Dome has been having shows since the summer. A full calendar of events has propelled them forward: The venue hosted 14 events in September and 17 in October. Every Monday is open mic night. Every Wednesday is LGBTQ night, coordinated by Cassandra Harner, who runs Drag News Ohio. The Dome has welcomed monthly burlesque shows, comedy nights and even a seance, which took place a little more than a week before Halloween.

All manner of musical acts have played at the Dome. Doom metal, horror punk, acoustic, indie and hip-hop acts are all mentioned in a quick perusal of their past events archived on Facebook.

A schedule like that can be hard to keep up for long.

“When I first took the job, I was that

Akron Music, Art & Culture

foolish, gung-ho person that’s like, ‘We’re gonna have a show every weekend and then some,’ and we did. Which was cool, but it’s hard to manage,” says Brooke Forrest, one of the people responsible for booking. “After talking to the other bookers and the bands themselves, I think I’d rather focus on every show more.”

So far, things have been hit or miss in terms of attendance, but even the sparsely populated events have a positive result. “One of my first shows was really kind of a very slow one, a little dead, and one of the acts met another person that was in the audience and they’ve been dating since,” Brooke says.

diverse events, Kent has recently been inhospitable to house shows. Noise complaints and the overzealous response of the local constabulary do not make for a welcoming atmosphere for DIY shows.

“I wanted to foster some sort of community and helpfulness to the music and arts scene in Kent and the surrounding areas because I care about them,” she adds. “It’s a diamond in the rough, but it can be a place for people who are looking for somewhere to go, somewhere to show their art, to show off their talent.”

The name isn’t just a name, either.

The Dome is an actual geodesic dome, making it unique from other bars and concert venues in Kent. Standing inside is like standing inside some demented planetarium. Compounding the appeal is the occasional presence of the sadly defunct Stone Tavern’s sonic wizard David R. Kiss running the sound board.

Indeed. While Akron’s slew of house venues is perfect for these kinds of

The Dome shows no sign of slowing down. “There’s continually things on our

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

calendar. It’s always a little bit all over the place, in a wonderful way,” Brooke says.

If things continue along as they have, the Dome will soon have a reputation as a reliable stronghold for independent music in Kent that they’re working hard to obtain.

Follow The Dome on Instagram at @thedomekent and on Facebook at facebook.com/TheDomeInKent. // Derek Kreider is a freelance writer and sort-of musician hailing from parts unknown.

Photo: Used with permission from Brooke Forrest.

The Devil Strip

| 23

Applaud

Akron bluesman Patrick Sweany returns to Musica words by Ted Lehr

I

don’t know how many times I’ve seen Patrick Sweany perform. It’s definitely more than 50, but probably less than 100.

I first discovered the Massillon native through his weekly residency in the mid-2000s at the old Lime Spider on Main Street. Owned by Danny Basone, the Spider was the home to countless established live bands that were making their way through Akron while trekking across the country. It was also a space for young local musicians who were carving their sound and identity from scratch.

Patrick was one such musician. His Monday nights at the Spider are the stuff of legends. Ranging from melancholic and introspective to raucous and chaotic, each show was unquestionably unique.

Patrick took attendees on a de facto history course of Americana music, with a syllabus covering everyone from Lead Belly to Buddy Holly. The middle territory was peppered with a cavalcade of powerful songs by musicians generally unknown to the casual music fan. These classics formed the framework of his setlists; his original material was peppered throughout each performance.

But make no mistake, Patrick’s shows were — and are — blues-soaked parties.

Eventually Patrick made the decision that many creative types of note must make: It was time for him to get on up outta this here town. In 2009, he moved to East

Nashville to chase his dream of becoming a touring musician.

“Them Shoes” Fast forward to November 2019. I’d been trading messages with Patrick via social media on and off for a week, trying to carve out some time to talk about his upcoming appearance in Akron.

I finally caught up with him on the telephone as he was preparing for sound check prior to a performance at The Lariat, a venue in Buena Vista, CO. I asked the bluesman about the first time he picked up a guitar. He said that he didn’t remember the moment. But his earliest memories of the instrument involve his father, who played in a folk group at their church. He would hang out with his dad and the other players as they’d practice. There was something about the guitar that spoke to him. He asked his father if he could learn to play.

His father was an industrial arts teacher who was feeling the crunch of the 1980s economy. Despite that, Patrick’s parents bought him an Alvarez Rosewood acoustic guitar.

“It was a good quality guitar,” Patrick says. “Probably more than he could afford.”Patrick was 12 at the time. “I was laser-beam-focused on it from that point on.”

At this time, the preteen bluesman was obsessed with Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Conway Twitty. This was during the

“We need to do this for our community” HSA WIN ORGANIZES KAREN YOUTH AND TEACHES CULTURAL DANCE words and photos by Rosalie Murphy

D

ancers from the Karen, Nepali, Hmong, Mon and Congolese communities will perform at the Karen New Year celebration on Jan. 4.

One of those Karen dancers is Hsa Win. Between college classes and preparing to become an American citizen — which Hsa did in November — the 20-year-old leads a group of Karen dancers, which includes everything from learning dances on YouTube to making their costumes by hand.

Hsa was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. His parents were born in

24 | The Devil Strip

glory days of hair metal and the like.

Patrick has always walked to his own beat.

Myanmar. They are Karen, a Southeast Asian ethnic group that does not have a state of its own. As a kid, Hsa loved to dance, but his neighbors in the camp would make fun of him — he was too flexible; he looked like a girl. He stopped.

When he got to the U.S., Hsa reconnected with Karen dance through online videos.

“In my community, not many people have an interest in dance. So I’m afraid that if we don’t have these, other communities are not going to know, who are the Karen people?” Hsa says.

It’s hard enough to get other dancers

When Patrick mentioned B.B. King, his voice and demeanor noticeably changed.

“I always loved his music, his singing,” he says. “He was so absolutely emotionally connected… and tasteful. [He had] a great tone.”

He is passionate and respectful of Mr. King in a way familiar to me. King’s work MEANS something to him.

“It always seemed like he was his own thing,” Patrick says. “He came from absolutely nothing to be the greatest American success story.”

The discussion then turned to his time settling into East Nashville, after leaving Akron.

“It was the loneliest goddamn time of my life,” Patrick says. “I was completely restarting in the whole business. It was demoralizing.”

He found getting bookings difficult because all the best singers and players from around the country were concentrated in one place and he was the “new guy.” It took him 10 years to build his reputation.

However, Patrick had moved to Nashville to jumpstart his career as a touring musician. For that, it was a honeyhole.

men,” he says, “which led to better shows and performances. I could make better records. Nashville was good for that, but it was hard. It was very hard.”

“Everyday is Saturday Night” Patrick spent the next decade writing, recording and building his name in the industry. He signed with Fender Guitars.

In 2012, he released the classic Every Hour is a Dollar Earned. In 2015, he released the poignant video for the “First of the Week” single off of Daytime Turned to Nighttime. In 2018 he released Ancient Noise, which is bluesy, compelling and authentic.

Patrick is headed back to Akron for a headlining performance at Musica on Dec. 28. With Columbus’ Angela Perley in tow, Patrick is looking to melt the collective brains of Akron’s music fans one last time before the close of the decade.

If you have seen Patrick before, the show is a no-brainer. If you haven’t, his performance will undoubtedly be an unruly party that will set an impossibly high bar for anything you see in 2020.

For more information about Patrick Sweany, visit PatrickSweany.com.

Visit AkronMusica.com for tickets. // Ted Lehr has been a contributor to The Devil Strip since 2016. Reach him at Ted.Lehr@gmail.com.

“[In Nashville] I could find better side-

interested, Hsa says. It’s even harder to get them to stay committed.

But he worries that if the Karen community doesn’t preserve and promote its culture, Akron won’t know them.

“I’m afraid that in the next five or 10 years in the city of Akron, we are not going to be well known,” Hsa says. Later in our conversation, he adds: “We need to take this seriously. We need to do this for our community.”

Hsa is a member of the Karen Community of Akron (KCA). He’s also organizing the new Karen Youth Leadership Club, which aims to connect Karen teens and young adults to volunteer opportunities and helping them develop leadership skills. work and settling in North Hill.

Hsa cites KCA research to say there are around 1,000 Karen people in Akron, most of whom are moving to the city for

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

Hsa and his family live in and love North (continued on page 30)

thedevilstrip.com

Reflect

Passing the mic to more akron voices

IN THIS SECTION: COFFEE TALK WITH VANESSA MICHELLE · SOBER CHRONICLES · CROOKED RIVER REFLECTIONS · TYRON HOISTEN · RUBBER CITY ROCKS · URINE LUCK

Don’t autopilot your holiday shopping Lots of us say we want “cute shops” and locally owned cafes. Are we putting our money where our mouths are?

by Allison Chrien

H

ave you ever had a conversation like this?

“Hey, do you know what happened to that cute little [insert name of local gift shop, café, etc.] down the road? I drove that way yesterday and noticed it was gone.”

“Oh, yeah. I always wanted to stop in there but never got around to it. I remember hearing it closed, like, maybe six months or so ago...?”

“Shoot. I went in there once and it was awesome, you would have loved it! I kept meaning to see if you wanted to go. It’s a shame, that would’ve been a fun thing to do today. Dang. I wonder why it closed…? Anyway, want to go to our usual [insert name of chain store, restaurant, etc.] then?”

“Sure, that’s always good.”

Yep. Most of us have had a conversation like that at some point in our lives.

And since you’re reading this in The Devil Strip, there’s a pretty good chance you’re already local-minded enough to know that one possible answer to the “what happened to…?” question lies within that very conversation, so anything I say on the matter from here on out will simply be preaching to the choir. But let’s assume that either you came across this article by chance, or that you’re looking for something timely and thought-provoking to share on your favorite social media outlet, and let’s just move along with the idea regardless.

At this time of year, we’re all so busy trying to do all of the things and see all of the people that we often try to condense everything into the bare minimum of places. And the chains are generally a safe bet, right? You can usually get in and find something that’ll work pretty easily

Akron Music, Art & Culture

for someone at such-and-such store. And it might be an hour wait at such-andsuch restaurant, but it’s right down the road from that store and you know what you’re going to order anyway, so that’ll save some time, right?

I would like to offer you a counterperspective.

That cute little boutique you’ve been driving by and wanting to visit is more likely to have something handmade and perfectly kitschy for your great aunt Edna, who probably has more than enough of those slipper socks from the department store to hold her for a while. And you may not have the menu at that new restaurant down the road memorized, but since it’s owned by a local chef, the food is made in-house and not factory-frozen and shipped in — worth that extra few minutes of debating your options for how delicious it will be.

These places will help you give more unique gifts, increase your chances of having a more pleasant experience buying them, and also increase the chances of those places still being there for you to visit again in the future.

I mean, I get it. I really do. I’ve been there myself many times in the past. It’s so easy to just slip right into autopilot this time of year and hit a couple of big boxes to tear through the gift list before grabbing a $10.99 meal deal and calling it a day.

Your niece might not like the sweater you picked for her, but you can always point out the gift receipt taped to the inside of the box.

I’ve spent slightly more than a handful of years in a position to get to know a fair number of small business owners, and I’ve seen far too many of them struggle just to get people in the door. I’ve seen some of them struggle until they just can’t anymore — so I’ve also seen far too

many of them close.

Over the course of about six months following each closing, I’ve personally been witness to far too many of those conversations playing out both online and in person.

In 2016, there was a survey of people in Copley Township in which an overwhelming number of people said the main things the historic Copley Circle area needed were more “cute shops” and maybe a “coffee shop or café.” But around that same time, several “cute shops” in the area either already had or were in the process of closing. And later on, it got a coffee shop… one that closed within about six or seven months.

Don’t get me wrong: There have been some really fantastic wins along the way, too. Some shops moved in and not only stayed but are continuing to grow, and a restaurant swiftly replaced the coffee shop. And of course, businesses are sometimes known to close for reasons other than foot traffic. Occasionally, owners have reasons like finding a location closer to home or changing the direction of the business or simply… life.

But still, the conversations I’ve witnessed cause me to suspect that some people out there haven’t fully grasped that supporting your community takes more than just liking that picture of the chalkboard sign extolling the virtues of supporting small business — you know, the sign about dance lessons and team jerseys and food on the table?

It takes changing habits. It takes maybe having to get out of the car for your postshopping latte treat because the local shop couldn’t afford the construction of a drive-thru. Or maybe it takes a chance that you won’t have a gift receipt to tape inside the gift bag.

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

And you know what? That boutique might just let her return the sweater anyway, giving you both a good excuse to visit and explore a unique local treasure.

Supporting your small, local businesses is important to both the economy and the character of your community. They keep money local and they promote things like entrepreneurship, competition, innovation and product diversity. And local businesses are so much more likely to support local causes.

Oh, and here’s a pro tip for you: You have to support what you already have not only to keep it around, but also to give more prospective businesses a good reason to come in!

Not to sound too preachy, my dear choir, but we all hold some responsibility for the success or failure of our small businesses.

We get what we ask for, and the answer isn’t based on what we say but based on where we spend our money. Deep down, we all know what we need to do. We just have to remember to do it.

So avoid shopping on autopilot and take a beat to think about supporting small businesses this holiday season. Consider condensing your people-to-see and your things-to-do into those places that make your community special.

You just might reap the benefits by still having the ability to visit those places again come spring. // Allison Chrien has long been a vocal advocate for community and small business, much to the consternation of her friends and family. She started her own small business, The Loop In Copley, as a constructive outlet for her promotional hobbies.

Photo: Shane Wynn via Akronstock.

The Devil Strip

| 25

Reflect in three years.

Coffee Talk

with Vanessa Michelle

HUSTLERS: WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE?

T

he City of Akron paid tribute to Sherice Y. Thompson on Nov. 8, 2019. This day will go down in history as a day of love, legacy, and generosity, with a tribute to her signed and sealed by the Mayor himself.

There are moments in life that require a pause from the hustle. Some moments force us into it. Nov. 8 was one of those moments: I attended Sherice’s funeral.

And because of this day, I will live a more intentional life.

I was able to witness this tribute to Sherice thanks to her daughter and a good friend of mine, Yvette Thompson.

Yvette is a warrior, a friend, a relentless entrepreneur. I was able to hang out with Yvette and her mother Sherice during some promotional work for Yvette’s podcast, Life Her Podcast.

Ms. Sherice Thompson was amazing! She was so genuine and a light for all around her. She was very adamant about women

realizing their self-worth. I was all ears whenever she spoke. Her legacy is vivid in Yvette.

I was so inspired by the ceremony for Sherice that it lead me into deep reflection on the evening of the funeral.

After spending hours pouring out my feelings in my journal, I had this realization: My grandmother, aunt and uncle left their legacy in me. I have to live it out. They all raised me. Their legacy is all the lessons, advice and teachings they passed on to me — most of which I never wanted to acknowledge as a child.

But now, things are different. I learned a lot through their mistakes and triumphs.

I feel like it’s my job to carry on those lessons and use them to be great. On some level, I’ve been subconsciously living out their legacy, but moving forward, I want to be more intentional about it.

They set such a great foundation for me.

They taught me how to be self-sufficient, a hard worker and a kind person. During my journey as a new entrepreneur, those things were necessary. Without understanding the importance of independence and hard work I wouldn’t be where I am today. And to be honest, I’m nowhere near where I’m going to be

Crooked River Reflections FREEING THE FLOW

by Arrye Rosser, Cuyahoga Valley National Park

L

andscape photographers find the river a tricky subject as it winds through Cuyahoga Valley. Views are often obscured by trees, poorly lit, or marred by unsightly riprap reinforcing the banks.

A favorite spot is the Station Road Bridge

26 | The Devil Strip

looking north to the elegant high arches that support State Route 82. In winter, snow discreetly hides the west bank’s ugly armor, protection for nearby railroad tracks. Under certain weather conditions, the river becomes a mirror, as you can see in this month’s photos.

If you want to snap your own version, act quickly. Dramatic changes are coming.

Even though I’m grateful for understanding hard work and executing on it, I’ve been actively redefining what hard work looks like in my life. I was guilty of using “working hard” as an excuse for not attending family events or friends’ birthdays and neglecting personal care. Yeah, I’m open to admit it: I was extremely neglectful and didn’t care about the things I should have cared about.

Working hard was more important to me than anything else at the time. Because it meant I was busy being successful, right?

Wrong! So wrong. When I was in college, I was “too busy” for anything and everything. Those were the best and worst times of my life. I was happy to be independent, but I developed a bad reputation with my family and friends.

They got used to hearing me say “I’m too busy,” which sometimes still haunts me today.

Over the years I’ve gotten better at balancing things out. So when I hear really enthusiastic entrepreneurs yelling, “Work hard, sacrifice everything you have to get what you want!” OOHHHHH! It hits such a soft spot for me. Because I did that — and it was unfulfilling. I did need to make sacrifices, but the problem was how I decided to sacrifice.

The way I see it now is very different — so different that it even scares me! I sound like a real adult when I tell other entrepreneurs who are “working hard” that “sacrificing everything” has nothing to do with family, friends, health or your personal care. It has everything to do with personal discipline, integrity and accountability.

Mic drop!!! (Haha!)

What do I mean? I believe in personal sacrifice and working hard, but in healthy ways. By working hard during the time you planned. If you promised your little cousin, sister or son that you would be at their concert at 6 pm, then be a badass, efficient hustler from 8 am to 4 pm so you have enough time to commute and get there early. Don’t use your work as an excuse to not show up. It gets worse when you take a rain check or take them for ice cream five weeks later to apologize. This is a bad formula, trust me.

We have to seek balance.

Along with sacrificing poor time management, I urge entrepreneurs to sacrifice their procrastination and lazy habits. Create better plans for work and pressure. I guarantee most of us procrastinate because we barely give ourselves enough time to play intentionally, which affects us working intentionally. Right?

Sacrifice some convenience in favor of your health: Throw away unhealthy eating habits. Sacrifice some relationships so that you can invest in others: Stop dealing with energy suckers. It’s OK to be selfish about these things. I’m giving you (healthy) permission to be selfish and sacrifice for the sake of healthier relationships.

Be ruthless about your discipline within this framework. When it’s time for family, only do that. If there’s a birthday coming, plan your work around it. Make it to more birthdays. Sacrifice your procrastination, your excuses — not your family and friends. // Vanessa Michelle is a full-time YouTuber who has created a platform for creatives everywhere! Her journey to journalism started at the University of Akron, where she was an on-air personality and host for WZIP-FM and ZTV Akron. Vanessa has been featured in local publications as “The Oprah of YouTube” and one of Akron’s most unique entrepreneurs.

Photo: Used with permission from Vanessa Michelle.

This pond-like stillness is caused by a low head dam between the two bridges.

The dam backs up water for roughly a mile which degrades the fish habitat.

Removing this 1951 barrier is a top priority for the many partners working to get the Cuyahoga off the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The legal, financial and technical issues involved have been surprisingly complex and taken more than a decade to resolve.

Once the last permit is signed, a contractor will begin by notching the concrete dam. Within days this will lower

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

the dam pool and reveal the remains of a wooden 1827 dam. Both historic dams must be documented before being destroyed. A new screw pump will maintain water in the nearby Ohio & Erie Canal and an upstream habitat restoration project will reconnect the river with its floodplain.

No one really knows what the river will look like once all this happens. For the first time in almost two centuries, the Cuyahoga will be free flowing from Akron to Lake Erie. When that occurs, cameras will be poised to record environmental

thedevilstrip.com

Reflect

Sober Chronicles with Marc Lee Shannon

VOLUME SIX: THE HOLIDAYS

T

he holidays.

For some of us it’s time to cue the late ‘40s Bing Crosby, or that ‘80s sugary Wham! seasonal pop topper (NOT my favorite) and float back in time to visit the best of our growing-up holiday memories. The joyful celebrations and good times filled with reminiscing about when things seemed simpler. The lights, shiny packages and snow-globed visions that seem so much better-er. A hot chocolate freshly dressed with the tinyhappy marshmallows, an It’s A Wonderful Life movie flashback. How it used to be, back in the day.

OK, now turn down the sound of the Hallmark holiday special for a minute.

For some of us, along with the traditional holiday tales, there were also the ones of overdoing it. The “let’s not talk about it” drunken escapades that turned into a personal recurring season’s greeting with a familiar chorus. The inevitable, endless self-questioning about why everyone seems to be having so much fun. Why am I so unable to enjoy the holiday cheer moderately?

There are powerful brain triggers, patterns and habits that we develop when we consistently indulge in any

party lubricators. My first sober holiday season was nothing short of an Olympic event, and a real game-changer for me.

I had no money, a new and humbling job where I was no longer well-known, a sleigh full of problems financially and relationship issues. Oh, and a blue Christmas tree. No, I’m not kidding — I really did the whole house, inside and out in depressed, weird blue lights. My neighbors hated me.

Getting or being a sober pledge during the Holidays can really, really suck. It’s seriously hard at the start. All of us who live and prosper in sober communities rely on a few key practices, a toolbox of sorts, to get us through the holiday joy-storm.

When we may be around friends who celebrate with alcohol or other mindaltering side dishes, we need to pack our defenses and keep that arsenal handy.

So, what’s in mine?

A Plan. Always have an enter and exit strategy. I like to drive myself and park down the block so I can leave whenever I want. Sometimes I’ll go with another sober brother or sister to tighten up my defense. I stand ready at all times to slip out the back with a Plan B in hand and head to a coffee shop, or just go home and spend some time congratulating myself on making it through the night as a Sober Badass Second Class. It’s always OK to smile, say goodnight and thank you, and just split.

Virtual Comfort Level Meter. Like a sound engineer’s dB meter watching the volume at a gig, I keep a close watch on my feelings and emotions. When in situations where I’m suspecting there may

be too much holiday cheer, I will come and leave early. Or I will not go at all. It’s important for me to not to isolate during this season, but it’s also important to make sure I am comfortable. When I’m not, I act and change something. Quickly.

Self-Respect. My sobriety is my own business. Early on, I felt that I needed to share my story with everyone. To explain and to be understood. Over time, that has changed. Now, I have learned that there are people to whom I want to give an explanation. “Hey, here’s my story.” Sometimes there are people to whom I will give a simple answer, like, “No thanks, man. I’m not good with drinking… it’s not my thing anymore.”

And then there are people who do not deserve any answer at all. These are usually the ones who have done some pre-gaming and have an unhealthy start on the night. Once, when I was a few months sober, I was cornered, pressured and questioned about why I did not want a drink. I tried to explain myself, but when that former long-time party friend persisted, I knew then and there that I had to cut them out of my life for good.

Sometimes you have to trim the dead branches (former “friends”?) to let the new ones grow. For these characters I just smile and walk away.

The really good news is that all this got much, much better as I made my way caroling on the sober trail. Now all my mates rarely notice or care what’s in my Red Solo Santa cup. They are just so happy to have me around again.

music I love hearing so much; the lightly falling Ohio snow; that kid at Target that is wide-eyed and twirly-happy and so full of wonder. It’s that artsy elderly couple walking arm in arm in top coats, berets and who gives-a-damn caring, loving abandon. It’s the silly colored lights I wrap around my guitar rig at gigs and my annual rendition of a vintage Charles Brown holiday blues song. I am more alive in all of these moments now. My chemical-free life on happiness rocks.

In the end, what I have learned is that love is the only thing that really remains when the holidays come and go, and it’s always the best gift to give and receive.

This special time of year is about the here and the now, and the compassionate words I don’t hold back from saying this time. The love that leaks out and fills the room.

So… from the deepest part of my heart to you all, happy holidays. Stay strong, sober if you need, and… steady on. mls P.S. That disliked ‘80s song I mentioned before? Royalties from “Last Christmas” were directed to famine relief in Ethiopia at the time of release. Now I will never hear it again the same way. Kindness… you just never know where it will turn up.

I’ll try to keep that thought in my warm coat pocket this holiday season. // Reach Marc Lee Shannon at marcleeshannon@gmail.com.

Photo: Angelo Merendino. Editor’s note: Marc Lee

The holidays are a time when I live in the moment and stay present. It’s the familiar

Shannon holds the trademark to “Sober Chronicles.”

history.

Photo, left: Before the Clean Water Act of 1972 and national park establishment in 1974, anglers rarely caught anything by the dam in Brecksville. Now Ohio EPA studies reveal an abundance, including sensitive fish such as this Northern Hogsucker with its amusing vacuum-cleaner mouth. Photo used with permission from NPS/Rachel Hughes.

Photo, right: The Cuyahoga River reflects the Brecksville-Northfield bridge. Photo by Jeffrey Gibson; used with permission.

Akron Music, Art & Culture

// Arrye Rosser is an interpretive and education specialist at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and cocurator of Crooked River Contrasts, a photo series on the past and present of the Cuyahoga River.

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

The Devil Strip |

27

28 | The Devil Strip

TROUBLE WITH OLD PEOPLE SOCIAL SKILLS FOR INTROVERTS words by Steve Van Auken

A

mericans believe that if you have something to say, you should,

by God, say it. Don’t hem-haw around. Don’t mumble or brood. Show everyone the importance of what you have to say by talking louder and longer than everyone else. Even if what you have to say is that you are thinking about cutting your toe-nails. The content doesn’t matter. It’s the number of words you put into saying it.

This works out well for people, young or old, who are extroverts by nature, but not so well for us introverts.

Introverts have trouble entering conversations. We politely wait for the other person to finish. This is nice in theory. In practice, it is a prescription for silence. So many people feel the need to fill the air with words. They have learned to take breaths while continuing to talk.

The introvert waits for the extrovert to get around to saying, “But enough about my views. What do you think?”

If you are an introvert and the waiting strategy has ever worked for you, write a full description of the event and mail it care of this magazine. We will dedicate our next issue to your amazing experience.

When we do get into the conversation, introverts aren’t good at staying there. This has nothing to do with the importance of what we say. It’s a matter of style. Even an introvert as substantial as Abraham Lincoln no doubt had this problem.

“Mr. President, it’s been a long time since you came in for a haircut. Same as usual? Just enough off the ears so the big hat fits? Right. Say, you remember I was telling you last time about the squirrels in my attic. We tried everything. Now they’ve broken through the ceiling into the bedrooms. Squirrels strolling around at all hours. Puts a damper on a fellow’s marital life, if you get my drift. Our dog caught one, but another got into the pantry. But say, what’s new with you?”

“I finally got General McClellan to attack the Confederates.”

“That reminds me, my corns have really been attacking me lately. Want to see?

No? Maybe later. It all started about a month ago when I bought this new pair of shoes…”

Rick Steves, the travel guide writer, says that extroverts have more fun. Celebrities are some of our favorite extroverts and we turn to them when we are in the mood for fun. But it turns out that some of our biggest celebrities are actually deep introverts who have acquired some extrovertive skills. Madonna, for example, when not performing, loves to immerse herself in her stamp collection. Lady Gaga is said to be so shy that she purchased an abandoned fire tower in British Columbia and holes up there. Her agent recently had to hire a squad of ex-Navy Seals to track her and extricate her by helicopter to attend the pre-launch party for her new video. And Lil Wayne, once he leaves the stage, heads back to his beloved swamps of New Hampshire where he works alone developing new strains of cranberries.

Introverts can learn to adapt to social demands. But even an introvert who becomes an American hero may find himself a bit of a mystery within the dominant extrovertive culture.

“Good morning! Mr. Neil Armstrong?

This is Brandon. I’m calling on behalf of our Purdue alumni magazine. As you know, we’re coming up on your 50th class reunion. I’m sure this is as exciting for you as it is for us. I’m calling to find out what you have been doing since you graduated so we can share with all your classmates. Go ahead and tell me the top 10 things you want us to celebrate about you!”

“Well, I was in the Navy and now I’m retired. I like to go for hikes.”

“Right, right. And what would you say was your greatest accomplishment?”

“Well, it wasn’t just me, you know. A lot of people worked on it for a long time. So that I could be the first person to walk on the moon.”

“OK, good, I’m making a note. ‘Walked... on...moon.’ How many Purdue alumnae walked with you? Our readers like to hear about trips our graduates take together.

Last year we sponsored two weeks on a (continued on next page)

thedevilstrip.com

Reflect

Two Santas

words and illustration by Tyron Hoisten

I

figured out that ol’ Saint Nick wasn’t real the year Summit Mall accidentally scheduled two Santas. My 6-year-old self, dressed sharply in corduroys, was crushed. Who had been reading all my letters? Who ate all those cookies? And who had been drinking the milk that I left out? I knew it wasn’t anyone in my family, because, with all of us being lactoseintolerant, there would’ve been audible evidence.

I was quiet the whole ride home. Not even a Happy Meal could save me from the funk I was in. My little world was in shambles. But with Christmas around the corner and no Santa, I had to pull myself together. Well, someone had to do his job. I had to be Santa. I couldn’t let the children of the world be disappointed.

So I put on my Santa hat, had a cookie (but no milk!), and began stuffing my duffel bag with things from around the house to deliver to children around the world. My mother stopped me before I could make much progress, demanding that I bring back the VCR, the remote and the lampshade.

These days I’m finding it much easier to deal with the reality of a Santa-less world.

But the other day I realized something that I think I somehow knew all along as a child...

I was stopped at a red light downtown.

A scraggly, shivering man with a sign was standing on the corner next to my car.

His sign said simply, “Help me.” I gave him some cash. I was generous. “Merry Christmas,” he said with a warm smile as I pulled off.

So what did I realize? That Santa may not, in fact, be real, but the deeply felt joy that he inspires certainly is. We can experience that joy, not just on Christmas, but every day through small acts of kindness. By

thinking of others, we can all be Santa.

In the Ellet area, there is another location for the collector in your family. I wrote about it in March. At the time, Toyz and Noize was renovating and we came back as soon as we could. It was an amazing shop. They had board games in foreign languages, old music videos on VCR and Funko pops of all sorts. In a small room you can find old comic books and issues of MAD Magazine. (May the publication rest in peace.) In another spot, you may see old Star Wars action figures. Anyone should enjoy it.

Photos: The Bomb Shelter and Toyz & Noize (Photos:

// Reach Tyron Hoisten at info@tyronhoisten.com.

Rubber City Rocks!

Holiday shopping guide

words by Paul Treen

M

all family members.

erry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!

Merry Festivus! I know I’ve disappointed you this year by not publishing much, but in 2020 I resolve to publish more.

My first is an online establishment. They closed the doors in July, but they continue the business online. The name is The Bookseller. The pricing is very good, and they have books of all genres. It’s perfect for the resident reader.

Now it is December: The season of tree lighting, ball dropping, kissing under poisonous plants, jojo catering companies being overworked, and, of course, giving. If that’s your thing, here’s a shopping guide for local stores to suit

The next one was featured in Rubber City Rocks in April 2018, the antique store known as the Bomb Shelter. They go all out each year, and it is, in our humble opinion, the perfect place for the vintage person in your family.

(Trouble WIth Old People continued from previous page) canal boat in Holland.”

sounds kind of lonely.”

“It didn’t seem that way to me. I took a picture of the Earth. Our own bright blue pebble in the vast emptiness of space.”

“No, no...it was just me.”

“I see. What about shoes?”

“Pardon me?”

o “Do you have a picture of the shoes you wore when you took your walk? Were they in the school colors? We all wore matching tennis shoes in Holland.”

“No, you can’t wear sneakers on the moon. Just boots.”

“There was no one there but you? It

Akron Music, Art & Culture

“Great, great. Nice talking to you. Hope to see you at the reunion dance, Mr. Armstrong! This year our theme is ‘Star Wars.’ Say, you could wear your moon costume!”

For the introvert who wants an equal share in the conversation, the only winning strategy is boldness. We must stop worrying about taking turns or boring others. Do others worry about boring us? On the evidence, they do not. We introverts need to learn to pull up our socks, inject ourselves into the

Cari Miller of SunThingSpecial.com is an

Jayna Treen); The Bookseller before its brick-andmortar location closed in July (Photo: Colleen Hanke).

enthusiastic Akronite who specializes in paintings of the sun and bold colorful works of animals, nature and architecture.

My personal favorites, that I have myself, are her Akron blimp line of products, including ornaments, hoodies, mugs, notebooks, postcards, reading lights and travel mugs.

Happy holidays!

Paul Treen

conversation and refuse to be pushed out.

we went online and what we found out is…”

“So that’s how my cousin and I make our lager beer. But when we make our porter or IPA or any of the others we do it differently. The recipes are really complicated. For example, our porter recipe…”

“My dog jumped in too. Afterward I had to give him a bath. He had some slugs on him. You know, the things that look like snails but they don’t have a shell. I don’t know why but you find them in leaves.

Now I’ll tell you how I decided which rake is the best for the kind of leaves I have.

I’ve been reading about it in ‘House and Yard Quarterly.’”

“I raked the leaves yesterday.”

“Right. When we make porter, it’s really important to have a cool place to store...”

“I raked them into a big pile. Then I ran and jumped in them.”

“And… and… we had a hard time finding just the right storage place until

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

“You know, you used to be a much better conversationalist.” // Steve Van Auken has now lived in Akron long enough to give directions according to where things used to be.

The Devil Strip

| 29

Reflect

Urine Luck CANAL PLACE

THE SASSY SUNFLOWER

words and photo by Emily Dressler

M

y favorite part about being in any of the buildings at Canal Place on South Main Street is feeling like I’m not supposed to be there. It makes walking around looking for a blood drive that much more exciting.

words by Marissa Marangoni

D

ecember is a time for endings. In this month, many of us spend some time reflecting, but we also start thinking about the future. For those of you who don’t do either of these things, fine. I get it. Really, there is no actual end to the calendar because time is merely a social construct, and, overall, the new year is not new and a year is not a year and nothing actually has meaning.

I scheduled this blood donation appointment a month ago because Red Cross kept sending me emails begging for my B negative blood. They make you feel so important.

So, during the first part of my journey, I wandered around Building 10 looking for signs of life. I was starting to think the blood drive was not here. It was the day after that snowstorm in November and I had on all my winter gear. I was starting to get hot.

During the course of my wanderings, I found a restroom and went inside to gather my composure. If I had seen another human in this restroom, I probably would have screamed. I’m like a centipede that is perfectly harmless and is, in fact, afraid of humans.

This bathroom is whoa. It’s a mix of completely bland with some oddities thrown in. First, the toilet seat cover dispenser is outside the stalls. I’m not a toilet seat cover kind of person, so I’m not sure how you guys feel about this, but it seems weird to me to have a single dispenser outside the stalls. Second, this bathroom has a throwback napkin (pads), shield, and tampon machine. I think shields are (ahem) panty liners, but I’m not certain. When was this machine even installed? Back when Canal Place was teeming with BF Goodrich folk?

The third oddity here is the lounge/couch area. An unexpected bathroom couch always makes me giddy, though I rarely sit down. The couch room also has a thermostat. Someone must like it hot

because it was burning up in here.

As I was marveling at the couch area, I was struck with the horrible thought that maybe this is meant as a lactation room for those who need to pump breast milk.

Please don’t let that be the case, because there are some 1,000 empty rooms in this complex that could be used instead.

The rest of the bathroom is pretty normal.

Be warned, one of the sinks has a water flow that feels like acupuncture. The others are more calming.

I would like if this bathroom somehow had a visitor tally that said something like “You are the XX patron to visit this bathroom today,” just because I would like to know how many people are taking a book break or whatever on that couch.

Because I like when simple things surprise me, I’m giving this bathroom a 4.5/5. It was pretty good.

In the latter part of my journey, while taking the elevator to and fro, I saw a sign that said my blood would be taken in Building 24. When I finally got there, my iron level was 12.4 and Red Cross requires an iron level of 12.5 for women to donate blood. Don’t worry, I’ve been pounding spinach like mad.

(continued from page 23) Hill, he says — although they wish the neighborhood had a Karen restaurant.

He and his mother used to imagine themselves moving to the U.S. and opening a restaurant.

your family. You have to take a role if your parent’s not available. I’m the only person who’s able to speak English,” Hsa says. (It’s his fourth language, after Poe Karen, Karen and Thai.) “It is hard, but I get through it.”

Hsa is currently learning to cook Karen food, also via YouTube. But he doesn’t want to run a business right now.

Hsa enrolled at the University of Akron after high school — he was the first in his family to graduate, in 2018 from North High School — but stopped as costs mounted. He hopes to work toward his associate’s degree at Stark State instead.

“You have a lot of responsibility.

Academics. You have to also look after

30 | The Devil Strip

BATHROOMS IN AKRON, REVIEWED

But let those of us surviving by our schedules and seconds have our respite and reflection — and our restrooms.

This December, I thought it would be fitting to review the restroom of a local shop, whose owner is reflecting on her years in her self-described “rustic glam” boutique in Copley as she moves down Cleveland-Massillon Road.

The Sassy Sunflower is a boutique that features everything from F-bomb tree ornaments to one-of-a-kind glass art and handmade jewelry. Giving many local artists a place to sell their work at affordable price points, the Sassy Sunflower has become a staple of the Copley community and will likely become a sturdy fixture as the new location offers more space, increased visibility, and a convenient location right off Copley Circle.

The Sassy Sunflower also offers a bathroom in its new building. Because I’m a VIP, I had the privilege of visiting this facility before it opens in January.

This bathroom is a small single-staller, with one toilet and one sink. Its aesthetic is one that is trying. It is trying to be a good bathroom, but, as of right now, it is not. However, this is about potential.

In the new year, I know this bathroom is going to shine, sparkle, and dazzle its

For now, he’s the only person in his household who can drive, so he’s working and saving up to buy a more reliable car.

users with features that only the Sassy Sunflower touch can provide.

The walls in this space are what I like to think of as tropical orange--sort of a cross between pink and orange. It isn’t blinding, but it’s also a rough color to put on a wall successfully. In truth, it’s kind of obnoxious.

I’m imagining the color in this crapper will change, but I was impressed at the matching plaid curtain that covered the window. It’s not an attractive curtain, but I like the attempt at coordination. It failed fantastically, and, really, there is no better way to fail.

But, hey, a window! I can’t tell you the last time I reviewed a bathroom with a window. I’m looking forward to seeing the new window covering, if there is one.

Maybe there shouldn’t be, for a more exciting bathroom experience where you can connect with those on the outside while you do your business on the inside.

Once I got past the walls, there was no ignoring the unfortunate state of the toilet in this bathroom. Let’s just say that this toilet has seen, perhaps, more endings than it could handle. It’s a toilet that is ready to start fresh, to rebuild its image and enjoy a bright, white future.

This may mean some deep cleaning beyond what I could probably ever do.

It also may mean that this toilet finds its way to the curb and its final resting place to make way for a new and improved toilet for the new and improved Sassy Sunflower.

The new year is all about the journey to fulfill potential, and I can’t wait to see this bathroom’s inevitable transformation. For now, little gross bathroom, have a nice rest, then enjoy your makeover, and I’ll see you in January!

(I’ve decided not to rate this bathroom because the Sassy Sunflower is not responsible for its current condition.)

He adds: “I tell my friends, if we stay in the house and don’t do anything, not too many American people are going to know: Who are the Karen people?”

In November, Hsa became a U.S. citizen.

“Someday — if I still live in the city of Akron — I told my community that I want to run for the city council someday,” Hsa says. “It’s a long-term goal. I want to represent all the refugees, and the citizens, in my ward.”

December 2019 · vol 5 · issue #12

Karen New Year will take place at the Main Library on Jan. 4 from 11-5 pm. // Rosalie Murphy is Editor-in-Chief of The Devil Strip.

thedevilstrip.com

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