Left to right: Kelly Barth, Nikita Imafidon, Hannah Reidell, Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano, Chris Luxem, Jack Hawthorn, Sarah Young, Danny Caine. Raven Book Store’s eight co-owners gather for a group photo. // Photo by Adam Smith. Raven Book Store’s next chapter starts with fresh leadership. Danny Caine, co-owner of the Lawrence bookstore, sold half of the company to seven of its…
Christopher Taro (Grayson Low) is escorted to the solitary segregation wing of the prison. // Photo by Stephen McKissen Where many filmmakers have found themselves struggling to come to grips with the effects of the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas City writer, producer, and director Dylan Welter discovered claustrophobic opportunity. His new feature-length film, Solitary Confinement, locks audiences in a cell…
Eagle Days from 2019. // Courtesy Operation WildLife & BPU The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities has partnered with Operation WildLife for a mini-zoology expedition: Eagle Days. Viewing these wild birds and their feathered friends will be free for all ages. The event kicks off its 20-year anniversary this weekend and runs through the end of February. The organizers…
Lawrence doom metal act Horned Wolf has been around for a while, but due to Covid and lineup changes, they disappeared from the scene for a little while. That all changed over the summer, when the band dropped their first new single in ages, “Drag the Bayou,” an aptly-swampy exercise in riffage. However, it was in October when the band…
Reps. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, and Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, present their bills that would establish versions of a parents’ bill of rights to the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on Jan. 11, 2022. // Photo by Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications Missouri Republicans brought debate to the floor this week over a “parents’ bill of rights” to ban critical race…
This week on the Streetwise podcast we discuss missing Thursday, enjoy a reading of Michael Mackie’s piece on Bridget Everett, vibe to Hembree’s live cover of “Girlfriend is Better,” and chat with co-authors Susan Kander & Warren Ashworth about their experimental history novel We, the House. Streetwise is hosted by Brock Wilbur, Editor-in-Chief of The Pitch. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Subscribe to the Streetwise newsletter,…
Illustration by Shelby Phelps It’s my birthday month, and like many birthdays before, I don’t know what to ask for. I mean, I know a new sex toy is at the top of my list, but what should I choose? While I already have a collection big enough to get me arrested a few times over in the state of…
More than 70 people waited in chilly temperatures Wednesday in Columbia for a COVID-19 test. MU Health Care has one site where people can go for a test without an appointment. // Photo by Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent Missouri has reported more cases of COVID-19 in the first 12 days of January than any full month of the pandemic so far….
The author and the art. // Photo by Michael Mackie Lady garden. Cooch. Baby cannon. Love tunnel. Those are only a handful of descriptors author Jen Mann uses to discuss her nether-regions in her newest book, Midlife Bites. Mann’s new release is a chronicle of comedic catharsis as she begrudgingly began settling into middle age—and she’s uber-specific when discussing her…
A few of the first bins at a press conference. // Courtesy City of KC The Downtown Council and Kansas City’s Parks and Recreation Department have announced efforts to protect the city’s unhoused population as the winter season ensues. Nicknamed “The Heart Cart,” the city has allotted 70 blue, 30-gallon bins for unhoused residents of the city to use for…
Photo by Llanydd Lloyd 90.9 The Bridge and Mammoth Live are coming together for a Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball to benefit the KC Pet Project. The event is scheduled for February 11 at 8 p.m. in the Uptown Theater. The evening features the sounds of Brass & Boujee, The Deshtet, DJ Thundercutz, and Boss Hooligan Sound System. Additional performers include Voler Thieves of…
Scream (2022). // Courtesy of Paramount Pictures When a fifth Scream movie was announced with neither the late, great Wes Craven, nor original scribe Kevin Williamson involved, it seemed unnecessary. It’s been a decade since Scream 4. We had moved on from this, surely. The era of the teen slasher was done. The added presence of Ready or Not masterminds…
Ridley Scott’s House Of Gucci I’ll say this up top: 2021 was an uneven year for cinema, both in terms of release quality and theatrical attendance. A slight shift in COVID-19 restrictions meant we started heading back to the movies, but 2021’s ticket sales still trailed almost 70% behind pre-pandemic numbers. Some studios, like Warner Bros., played to film fans…
Still from Our Flag is Still There. // Courtesy G.I.F.T. Kansas City G.I.F.T. is a non-profit organization that started two years ago to help Black-owned businesses excel. Since its formation, G.I.F.T. has raised over $500,00 in grants to local Black-owned companies. Limitations on resources, support, and opportunities in poverty-stricken areas can severely hinder the livelihood and upward mobility of Black…
Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. // Photo by Photofest In the wake of Sidney Poitier’s passing, there’s a scene that we find ourselves revisiting from the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night—one that set the tone for two additional films in which Poitier would reprise his role as Virgil Tibbs,…
KC Zoo’s Penguin March event extends through the end of February. // Photo by Jim Nimmo Staff at the Kansas City Zoo are rolling out the red carpet for penguins to stretch their stubby little legs. Viewing the penguin march is free with regular admission to the zoo and begins at 11 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday through February 27—so…
A No, David! installation at The Rabbit hOle. // Photo by Travis Young Daniel Handler is an author best known for A Series of Unfortunate Events, a 13-book children’s saga published under the name of its macabre narrator, Lemony Snicket. When Handler began his journey with the series, literary professionals raised their hackles at the grotesquerie that makes the books…
Chewology, a restaurant with a creative focus on Taiwanese street food, serves handmade dumplings, noodle soup, bao, and other cuisine. // Photo by Pilson Photo Co-op For the foodies who have been intensely watching their calendars, the best weekend of the year is finally near—Kansas City Restaurant Week. An event that was my first true introduction to Kansas City food…
Goldfish Cracker loves quiet places and snacks. // Courtesy KCPP We teamed up with KC Pet Project to host a weekly “Creature Feature” on loveable and adoptable pets here in the KC Metro. Peppa, a 2-year-old pit bull, was adopted last week! This week, KCPP is introducing Scotch, a 2-year-old pit bull, and Goldfish Cracker, a 10-year-old domestic shorthair. Both loveable…
Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller in Somebody Somewhere It’s been a minute, but one of the last times Bridget Everett was performing on stage in Kansas City, she sang an ode to tits. Her tits. The audience’s tits. Pretty much anyone and everyone within her line of vision was fair game for mockery, whether they had tits or not. As…
Unpacking. // Photograph by Witch Beam The process of moving is a blight on the human experience. Personally, I rank it up there with hospitalizations and funerals as one of life’s most unpleasant chores. The thrill of experiencing life in a new location is immediately dampened by the arduous task of protectively packaging everything that you own, carrying it to…
The Elbow Valentine’s Day collection. // Courtesy Christopher Elbow Chocolates The renowned Kansas City chocolatier, Christopher Elbow Chocolates, released their 2022 Valentine’s Day Collection for pre-orders. Elbow lived in Las Vegas where he was first exposed to chocolate-making. He returned to Kansas City to create his artistic flavored delicates. It didn’t need much time to become one of KC’s top dessert…
Artwork by Jasmine Ye It’s that time again. You know, the time to recount the highs and lows of the year just passed and take stock of what might be ahead. This annual ritual used to be more fun, back before COVID-19 and Trumpism and anti-vaxism and the overbearing presence of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. I have walked into…
Gov. Mike Parson responds to a media question during a press conference on May 29, 2019 in Jefferson City. // Photo by Jacob Moscovitch/Getty Images Amending Missouri’s open records law to permit government agencies to withhold more information from the public — and charge more for any records that are turned over — is among Gov. Mike Parson’s priorities for…
