Gracing craft markets in Cincinnati and the Midwest at large, ceramicist and illustrator Linnea Campbell combines her talents to communicate an important message on behalf of those that can’t speak: our native wildlife. Through her one-of-a-kind functional wares, Campbell adds realistic, delicately detailed designs of the often overlooked and underappreciated creatures surrounding us, shedding light on the unique role each plays in our ecosystem. With over 50 illustrations ranging from foxes and skunks to bats and lizards to bees and cicadas, each unique piece is a delight to see, hold and use — all while celebrating our interconnectedness in the process. linnea-campbell.com.

In an unassuming room inside the eCenter at 1308 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine is a truly unique treasure trove of historical LGBTQ+ ephemera. Inside of file cabinets and laid delicately on shelves are historical books, zines, personal letters, clothing and other items from the LGBTQ+ community in Ohio. The Ohio Lesbian Archives is one of just a handful of such organizations across the country. Though the Ohio Lesbian Archives mostly showcases what life has been like for Ohio lesbians in the past century, it does also contain objects and memories from other members of the LGBTQ+ community as well. If you have a free hour or two, perusing their extensive collection of lesbian and LGBTQ+ zines from the past 50 years (their archive is open to visitors) is an especially eye-opening and inspiring activity for lesbians and allies alike. ohiolesbianarchives.org.

The people’s champ! There is no better feeling than a neighborly salute to your hot fit when you go out into the world. If you aren’t familiar now, SHAME! It is time for you to take a look through the digital gallery of Frank D. Young via the notorious Instagram platform: @MelaninAndHalide. Focused on highlighting both every day and special occasion Black beauty, M&H has showcased some of the brightest faces, looks, personalities and moments for us to cherish. We are incredibly inspired and awestruck by Frank’s ability to not only recount the hundreds of faces he’s captured by name, but simply organize and recognize the changes and growth our city’s downtown has experienced the last several years. Thank you, Frank, for showing love and always encouraging us to put that shit on because you never truly know when he’s around the corner and ready to broadcast your stylish essence with his hyper-focused lens. instagram.com/melaninandhalide.

It’s been almost two years since the late, great Cincinnati Comics/Comix artist, sign painter and music aficionado Justin Green passed away — and the accolades keep coming. First there was an immersive retrospective of his life and work in 2021 in Northside, and now there’s a documentary, Married to Comics, about him and his equally gifted and still active artist-illustrator wife, Carol Tyler. It premiered last September at American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre in Maryland, and netted a major review/feature in the Washington Post as a result. Since then, buzz and media coverage have been building, and a second screening was held in Pittsburgh in December for the city’s Cultural Trust. Director John Kinhart says Cincinnati will be next, with Clifton’s Esquire Theatre earmarked to have two special event screenings in May. Stay tuned. 

Sean Fogelson a.k.a. That One Mailman of TikTok fame has amassed two million followers, and it’s not just because of his fly accessories. The grill only adds to Fogelson’s comedic online persona, which sees him as a USPS mail carrier in Price Hill and an overall hilarious Cincinnati resident. The local celebrity sports a variety of grillz while he produces viral video after viral video. Fogelson’s social media fame launched a standup comedy career that sold out two Cincinnati appearances. instagram.com/that_1_mailman.

Last year CityBeat’s Madeline Fening put us all onto health and wellness starlet, Kristel Rubio, with her pullulating podcast and platform What the F*t! which focuses on discussions centered around holistic and progressive wellness with features on today’s news contributed by our own Fening. This year, Rubio is back sharing something sensational and packed with the perfect balance of seriousness and silliness. Recently propagated and re-potted on Patreon, Rubio explores a more adventurous side of entertainment and engagement with her radiant romantic recounts and more intimate life experiences. Needless to say, you don’t want to miss the hot goss our media queen has to share on any front. instagram.com/whatthefitpodcast.

The Taft Museum’s presentation of a traveling exhibit on the history of women’s sporting outfits, Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960, displayed examples of all sorts of clothing and accessories for horseback riding, motorcycling, baseball — even piloting an airplane. But the strangest outfit was a cotton flannel “personal changing tent” (a kind of wearable, portable, changing room) held aloft by a steel hoop for use where there were no changing rooms and the ocean was beckoning. Once the woman had changed into a bathing suit, she unhooked the neck closure and her wearable tent fell to the ground. Today, it seems both modest and slightly naughty. taftmuseum.org.

“Self-taught” artists once were called “outsiders” in the art world, reflecting the romantic but not-always-true image of them as touched or even disturbed people who used art to build a special world for themselves. The variety of work in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s show, Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection, showed there’s far more to self-taught artists than just that, but it also showed how shiveringly strange some of those “outsiders” could be. Like for instance, the late Henry Darger, a Chicago hospital custodian who privately worked at home of illustrations for his fantasy manuscript The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion. If you missed Darger and the others, never fear — Richard Rosenthal may donate a portion of the collection to the museum. cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

Local author Steve Kemme’s The Outsider: The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn, the Man Who Introduced Voodoo, Creole Cooking and Japanese Ghosts to the World, methodically and mesmerizingly tells the amazing story of how Hearn’s gift for writing took him from the Greek island where he was born to Ireland, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Martinique and Japan. The book has plenty of excerpts from Hearn’s work. And be prepared, some of Hearn’s extremely vivid coverage of Cincinnati crimes and tragedies makes Hunter S. Thompson’s contemporary gonzo reporting look timid in comparison.

The Knock by Aleksandra Vrebalov (libretto by Deborah Brevoort) is an hour-long emotional countdown as three women await news of their husbands stationed in Fallujah, and one gets the bad news. Cincinnati Opera presented the stage premiere in June with a superb production directed by Alison Moritz and riveting performances from its ensemble cast. This powerful work left audiences in tears, especially veterans who attended special performances. cincinnatiopera.org.

Clearly Indigenous, an exhibit featuring glassworks created by Native American and Pacific-Rim artists, offers a stunning display of Indigenous art. Themes both personal and political freely engage with traditional native myths and motifs, such as bears, eagles, whales and other animals sacred to Indigenous cultures. One particularly moving piece places the victims of Wounded Knee (1890) in the foreground, vividly depicted in bright, colorful stained glass, while the soldiers, and perpetrators of the massacre, are far removed; they fade into the background, as gray and colorless as a bad dream. Clearly Indigenous serves as a vital reminder that Native Americans and their art are still powerfully with us. Indeed, they never left. cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

Every new addition to the Cincinnati Zoo inspires awe, but there’s a particular birth this past year that hit us heavier than the rest. After a devastating loss for the zoo’s two-toed sloths Lightning and Moe in 2021, the rainbow pup that is Juno the sloth was born last summer (in June, of course). The family of three is reportedly happy and healthy, with Juno stealing hearts — and likes — on social media with every update. To see the bundle of joy IRL, you can usually catch Juno in the Animal Ambassador Center hanging with mom Lightning (while dad Moe explores solo in the Discovery Forest). cincinnatizoo.org.

Longfellow has the informal feeling of a hangout with records playing on a turntable by the bar while, at the same time, feeling like a destination with interesting takes on classic drinks, one of the best curated beer selections in town and bar bites with a gourmet touch. Part of what makes it all work is what often makes things special, attention to detail and small touches. Longfellow adds a nice touch with changing paper coasters that feature stylized hand-drawn characters that enhance the feel. Also, they’re always a nice little souvenir of the night. longfellowbar.com.

Cincinnati Opera’s deftly witty production of The Barber of Seville was as much fun as the Marx Brothers’ cinematic romp. Rodion Pogossov’s rowdy Figaro made his entrance from the rear of the auditorium, stopping to tousle his young daughter’s hair and kiss his wife on the way to the stage. But tenor Alasdair Kent’s ease with the score’s challenging coloratura stole the show. He sang the lovestruck Count Almaviva’s opening aria — which comes five minutes after the overture ends — with confidence, ardor and amazing control up and down those vocal runs. Bring him back! cincinnatiopera.org.

Every year, fans of board games, role-playing games, cards and more come out to AdamCon, the Tri-State’s largest board game convention. AdamCon features over 1,000 games in its library, along with a variety of events, including the GI Joe RPG and a Monster’s Glare card tournament at its most recent convention, to board game demos and more. There’s also a big raffle with hundreds of prizes, and the proceeds go toward helping others, like those at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. theadamcon.com.

In September 2023, Cindependent Film Festival returned to OTR after a four-year hiatus. The fest screened movies from all over the world, held a live screenplay reading and demonstrated the power of local filmmaking. It was greatly missed and is still greatly needed. The next fest will take place in September 2024, so be there. cindependentfilmfest.org.

In a section of Doerr Alley off Court Street downtown, amongst the nondescript backs of brick buildings, is a small wall with an abstract-looking arrangement of colorful tile pieces that adds a sense of place and character to even a random corner of the city. It turns out to be the back of the 112-year-old Scotti’s Italian Restaurant that carries the tile work inside the dining room out. It’s always nice to find another small hidden charm tucked away as a reminder of the history and layers of time that Cincinnati is lucky enough to contain.

The Mental Game podcast launched in November 2022 after host and former WLWT reporter Brandon Saho took control of his own mental health. The wellness podcast hosts celebrity guests from Sam Hubbard to Terry Crews. Saho interviews guests about their own mental health while he continues to share his fight with depression and sobriety. Celebrities from athletes to musicians have joined Saho in an effort to normalize mental health struggles and to find ways to combat and understand individual issues. Recently, Saho visited 30 states in 30 days to raise awareness about mental health and to fight the stigma. mentalgamepodcast.com.

It’s not often that social media rises above private envy and public intrigue, but the Instagram account Cincinnati Revealed is that rare exception. It’s a great way to engage with Cincinnati’s rich cultural and architectural history. Whether you already consider yourself an armchair expert or are learning about it for the first time, there is always a new house or building with its own fascinating history to read up on and admire. In addition, daily multiple-choice quizzes on their Instagram stories will soon have you spotting the difference between, say, a Colonial Revival home and a Queen Anne. Cincinnati Revealed is a fun and educational tour through our unique and eclectic Midwestern city. instagram.com/cincinnati_revealed.

Damian Dotterweich and Dave Tellman hosted an entire podcast (“Rumblings on the Big Bush”) on the history of defunct and beloved local radio station 97X. Every episode involved an interview with either a local musician, a former staffer or a local knowledgeable person about the music scene. Last year, Robin James published a book on the history of the station called The Future of Rock and Roll: 97X and the Fight for True Independence. She and the guys held a Q&A at Mercantile Library to celebrate the release of the book and to inject some nostalgia into the local scene.