That’s Soooo Cincinnati
Ryan Greis Here's a grave thought: Cincinnati is the city where the American Cemetery Association was founded. The plot thickens even more: The town is also home to Spring Grove Cemetery and Botannical Gardens, one of the country's largest cemeteries. Don't think of it as just another graveyard. Spring Grove is a local treasure, a…
News: Going Straight
Jymi Bolden Jerry Armelli says he only wants to offer others what he chose: a chance to "convert" from gay to straight. Many, however, find the concept offensive. If individuals desire to "leave" homosexuality, what's wrong with helping them do it? To hear Jerry Armelli describe the work of Prodigal Ministries — a religious program…
Oh, come all ye faithful: sexually charged holiday tales
Last year I devoted an entire column to horrifying true stories of desperate and/or depressing holiday sex. This year, on the suggestion of a Savage Love reader, I'm devoting an entire column to my readers' favorite, fondest and most cherished (sex-related) holiday experiences. Enjoy. In the fall of 2001, I entered college as an 18-year-old…
Cover Story: To Give or Not to Give
Matt Borgerding and Sean Hughes To Give or Not to Give "Take this message to my brother/You can find him everywhere…" — "Takin' It to the Streets" (The Doobie Brothers) I'm looking out of the window of a fourth-floor hospice room on this night, and the sloppy configurations of lights throughout Western Hills blur in…
News: Nu-Blend, Nu-Build, Nu-Hope
Matt Borgerding Andrew Lawson works on paint reclamation at the Nu-Blend facility in Over-the-Rhine. Dr. Judith Allen holds up a picture of a homeless man with what she calls a "Bart Simpson" lip: The upper lip is so swollen that it sticks out inches from the face farther than the lower lip. From the man's…
So You Say You Want A Resolution?
This year, I'd like to fight the obligation to make sanctimonious, magnificently philosophical resolutions. No danger of hyperbolic grandeur here — the guilt incurred from having failed to end world hunger or flossing twice daily has been unbearable. Instead, I'd like to take our customary pedestrian hopes for the ensuing year and aim lower. This…
Everyone’s Guide to Art
Artist Louise Aug has grown into her teaching, feeling like this is the natural thing for her to do. She says an artistic career might not be for everyone, but having the experience of artistic expression is vital to us as human beings. We need to sing, dance, paint, etc. as they're deep ways of…
Heathens in the Attic
Midway into The Godfather, Part III, the final film in director Francis Coppola's epic series about the Corleone mob family, a sly, unintentionally comic scene helps explain my amusement with Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, a touring exhibition of 300-plus artworks and historical objects from the Vatican and its famous…
Connie McFerron and Cincinnati Plus Size Pals
Connie McFerron Then: Connie McFerron was a "person of size" on the verge of a second marriage who saw a need and decided to fill it. After months of chatting online to other folk who faced similar issues — including social anxiety, feelings of inadequacy and anger at feeling judged by outward appearances — McFerron…
Ricky Nye is ‘Quick ‘N’ Dirty’
· RICKY NYE AND THE SWINGIN' MUDBUGS — QUICK 'N' DIRTY The title of Ricky Nye and the Swingin' Mudbugs' sophomore release (the follow-up to 1998's Piano is Fun!) is a play on the recording philosophy behind the album. Nye likes to record in as few takes as possible, and Quick was done with little…
Married to Bigotry
The Ohio House of Representatives recently passed the Defense of Marriage Act on a 73-23 vote, setting the ground work for Ohio to join a number of states in preventing gays and lesbians from pursuing legal rights that state-sanctioned marriage affords. The compassionate conservatives at Citizens for Community Values, of course, applauded the vote. CCV…
Diner: Quiet and Simple
I just can't imagine a more pleasant conversation than the one I recently had with Mary Jo McMillin, chef/owner of Mary Jo's Cuisine in Oxford. I'd called to get a few facts straight, and we talked for 20 minutes about her background. Although she never said as much, her passion for food and her lovely…
