Amidst all the warnings, I became an English major. English majors aren’t real majors, they scoffed. Why are you majoring in the language you’ve spoken for 18 years? they questioned. Print media’s dead, they shouted! There’s no money in a career in writing, they whispered. Don’t go swimming for 15 minutes after eating, they purported. […]
My regular column, Upfront, has been appearing in the Erie Reader for almost 2 years now; after writing so many of them, I’ve found that there are some good ones, and some bad ones. According to Reader reader response, the most popular are those in which I stick to a certain format, and a certain […]
This week’s column provides an excellent opportunity to revisit (or discover) the funniest and most popular memes of 2012. These memes will be presented in no particular order as it was difficult enough to narrow my choices to the ones listed below. Starting off the list is the act of “Dog Shaming.” Dog shaming is […]
Our society is a diverse society. Not everyone is just like you. Not everyone thinks like you, or acts like you, or looks like you. Oftentimes, the way people look incorrectly informs our assumptions about their character. Everyone is familiar with the stereotypes of the golden-grilled street rapper, or the insanely-inked tattoo enthusiast, or the […]
For a little while, I was an exclusive member of the Erie Pa. Rob & Nino club. Not the actual club, mind you. I didn’t sign up for an email newsletter or customized texts, but I did get to sit on a couch with the MoreFrames Animation crew and watch their latest project, the music […]
On a recent Sunday, seven of us huddled around a large, semi-circular granite altar of sorts. We donned the appropriate traditional garments and took our pre-ordained places, which were already set with ceremonial spirits, mats of slim bamboo canes, and knives – big, shiny ones, and small, pointy ones. A number of petite metal bowls […]
This article by Rebecca Styn was originally published in the Erie Reader on Oct. 31, 2012. From the dissonantly colorful, exhilarating piece of musical clockwork showcased in Christopher Rouse’s “Infernal Machine” to the anguish of the Virgin Mary at the cross of Jesus portrayed in Rossini’s “Stabat Mater,” the Erie Philharmonic covers the musical gamut in this year’s […]
This article by Rebecca Styn was originally published in the Erie Reader on Oct. 31, 2012. On Thursday, Nov. 15, at approximately 7:30 in the evening, the universe, as you know it, will be turned upside-down. Ancient secrets will be revealed. A dark, mysterious force lurking on the periphery of human knowledge and working to pull asunder the […]
This article by Rebecca Styn was originally published in the Erie Reader on Oct. 17, 2012. The leaves have all changed color, the days are getting shorter, darkness swoops in early and the nights get colder and grow longer. During the Halloween season, popular tales and legends resurface once again. Through these stories, people delight in the […]
This article by Alex Bieler was originally published in the Erie Reader on Oct. 17, 2012. At the Eerie Horror Film Festival & Expo, familiar faces roam the halls of the Warner Theatre. These faces aren’t from people that you’ve met in real life, however. Instead, they’re the inhabitants of your favorite films, the authors of those […]
