Part of the VITALITY ARTS SPECIAL REPORT Picture this: You’re a working actor. You master tricky pratfalls and stunts, memorize reams of lines, sing, dance — and do all of this in front of a live audience eight times a week. Sounds exhilarating, yes? M… Continue reading
Shivering under a blanket, knowing the only bathroom nearby was a Porta Potty, armed with extra tissues and plenty of hand sanitizer, I cheered when my daughter’s team made a goal and groaned when they didn’t. I prayed to the soccer gods that my child … Continue reading
“Paula, how old is your mother?” my friend Kathy asked, causing snickers among the other third-graders. “She’s, um, (never pause in the middle of a lie), she’s 39,” I said. “She is not!” Kathy howled, and the group erupted in laughter. I’m a late-in-li… Continue reading
(Editor’s Note: With Ramadan beginning on April 23, 2020, we wanted to share this story about community iftars that was originally published on Next Avenue in May, 2019. Given the restrictions on physical distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, the… Continue reading
Some people celebrate turning 50 with a blowout birthday party. Others take a trip. Some pretend it isn’t happening. Amy Yontef-McGrath, of Gaithersburg, Md., had a very different idea. The public service lawyer turned stay-at-home mom of three, decide… Continue reading
Three-day weekends — not to mention summer vacations — always lend themselves to settling in somewhere sunny with a good book. What will you read? Ask your local bookseller for suggestions and check out the following recommendations from staff members … Continue reading
Children’s music legend Raffi is still crooning about baby belugas and shaking the sillies out to crowds across the country. But, this spring, the 70-year-old is turning some of his attention to others in those packed theaters: the adults. Raffi, whose… Continue reading
When my mom passed away, having established guidelines for my early grieving process was a relief, giving me concrete steps to take and tasks to do. Several years on, my grief is different — less sharp, but still punctuated with unexpected moments and … Continue reading
Part of the VITALITY ARTS SPECIAL REPORT Daffodils — that’s the assignment on a recent evening at “Wet and Wild Watercolors,” a weekly class at The Green Door Art Gallery in a suburb of St. Louis. In a back room, 10 students, including regulars and dr… Continue reading
Sometimes Sabu Waters grows wistful when he thinks about how he used to sleep. These days, the alarm sounds early for the 67-year-old, who has two grandsons to rouse and get ready for school in Washington, D.C. “I have to make sure these boys are dress… Continue reading