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The True(ish) Tale of the Murder of Poor Omie Wise

By mobtownblues | May 16th, 2012

If you’re at all a fan of folk or old-time music, you’re no doubt familiar with the classic 19th century American murder ballad ‘Omie Wise.’ The song, which has been performed and recorded by just about everyone short of Bieber, is frequently described as based on a true story. Which it is. Just not in [...]

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4/25: Full Circle Storytelling Presents ‘That One Thing’

By mobtownblues | April 6th, 2012

We all have that one thing: that one thing about us that nobody knows; that one thing that, years later, still keeps us up at night; that one thing we always wanted to learn to cook; that one thing about our work that drives us crazy; that one thing someone did for us that changed [...]

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Mobtownblues Cultural Calendar, Mar. 23 – Apr. 20

By mobtownblues | March 22nd, 2012

Below is a sampler platter of just a few of the awesome things going on in Baltimore over the next four weeks or so. I’m involved in couple of them, attending a few, and wishing that I could clone myself in order to participate in the rest. March 22 withhart.dance.projects presents Rite 8 p.m., Theatre [...]

Also posted in Full Circle | Tagged art, culture, dance, events, Full Circle, Hamilton, ideas, storytelling, talks | Leave a comment

Roller Skates n’ Robots: a recap of SHOW#2

By mobtownblues | March 20th, 2012

On March 7, my co-producer Andrew Hazlett and I hosted the second-ever SHOW Baltimore, a lively mix of earnest conversation and gonzo performance at the Windup Space. The lovely Jessica Keyes was on hand to take photos. ——————- I led off the evening by interviewing photographer Kafi D’Ambrosi, whose style is strongly influenced by Hilton [...]

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Full Circle Storytelling presents ‘Evidence of Things Unseen’

By mobtownblues | March 13th, 2012

We’ve all had experiences we just can’t explain. Moments that overturn everything we thought we knew about how the world works. Times when our faith is put to the test and it emerges stronger than ever…or else it shatters. Join Full Circle Storytelling on Wednesday, March 21 from 7-9pm at the Village Learning Place for [...]

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SHOW, 3/7: Foodies, Photogs, Politicos, & Roller Skates!

By prairieskygal | February 29th, 2012

BOOM. We’re back, baby! Join Andrew Hazlett and Kevin Griffin Moreno at the Windup Space on Wednesday, March 7 from 7-9pm for SHOW Baltimore, featuring fascinating Baltimoreans doing all kinds of kickass things. Check out this sick lineup: Kafi D’Ambrosi, Fluid Movement, Rodney Foxworth, Marta Mossburg, Julie Scharper, Tom Smith, and Black Coffee and a [...]

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In which I opine on Marco Polo and roasted Brussels sprouts

By mobtownblues | February 22nd, 2012

I’m thrilled to be included in this week’s Urbanite e-zine segment “Ask the Artist.” I do my best to answer Baynard Woods‘s questions about such weighty issues as what I’m eating and reading and so on.

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Beautiful and invincible: an analysis of Czeslaw Milosz’s ‘Incantation’

By mobtownblues | February 20th, 2012

Last week I posted my favorite poem, Czeslaw Milosz’s ‘Incantation,’ in honor of my friend Ben’s birthday. The poem has been a part of my life and thought for so long that it’s been a long time since I actually stopped and reflected on my reasons for loving it. So here’s a video of me [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged Czeslaw Milosz, poem, poetry, video | 1 Comment

Video: Natalya Brusilovsky at Full Circle Storytelling #1

By mobtownblues | February 19th, 2012

Natalya Brusilovsky is an artist, an activist, a community organizer, and an all-around wonderful human being. Her compassion and the joy she feels in meeting and connecting with people shine forth in everything she does. Here she is telling her “Origins” story at Full Circle’s debut last December.

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Full Circle Presents “L’Amour Fou: Tales of Crazy Love”

By mobtownblues | February 13th, 2012

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Wizards Ball

By mobtownblues | February 11th, 2012

The Winter Festival of Wonders is going on all this weekend at Area 405 in Station North. If you didn’t make the Wizards Ball festival kickoff, here’s some of what you missed.

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Not your grandma’s aspic: lunch at the Women’s Industrial Exchange

By mobtownblues | February 10th, 2012

Tomato aspic is the polyester pants of American cooking. Once ubiquitous in American homes, especially in the South, the jiggly crimson mass of gelled vegetable matter has become a culinary punchline, an object of contempt and revulsion, a symbol of everything wrong with postwar, middle-class values, much like those madras polyester pants my dad used [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday, Rev. Ben

By mobtownblues | February 5th, 2012

Ben Smith, a priest at my church, turns 80 today. When I first came to the Cathedral of the Incarnation in 2008, I felt an instant affinity with Ben. It wasn’t just his friendly, gracious manner or his eloquent, good-humored and heartfelt preaching style, but also his fondness for two things that have always been [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged faith, poetry | 1 Comment

Video: Brooks Long at Full Circle #1

By mobtownblues | February 1st, 2012

Full Circle Storytelling is blessed with the best one-man house band in Baltimore: soul-folk songster Brooks Long, who was just voted third in Washington Deli Magazine’s best emerging artists list. In addition to being a fantastic singer-songwriter and a dynamic performer, he’s also just a hell of a nice guy. Here he is opening Full [...]

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Save the Date! FCS presents ‘L’Amour Fou’ 2/24

By mobtownblues | January 28th, 2012

April might be the cruelest month, but February is the love…um…tastic…-est. Forget that awful preceding sentence and join Full Circle Storytelling for tales of hearts broken and mended, romance gained and lost, and the stupid, beautiful, and just plain wackadoo things we do for l’amour. WHAT: Full Circle Storytelling presents ‘L’Amour Fou: Tales of Crazy [...]

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Full Circle #2 – Sold Out!

By mobtownblues | January 16th, 2012

I am beyond excited to be welcoming some fantastic storytellers and what promises to be a superlative audience at tomorrow night’s sold-out Full Circle Storytelling show t at ARTblocks. I am also beyond beyond excited to announce that one of our four featured storytellers tomorrow will be Jessica Keyes, who in addition to designing the [...]

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Happy MLK Day

By mobtownblues | January 16th, 2012

Yesterday would have been Dr. King’s 83rd birthday. There are a few ways to celebrate his life and legacy in and around Baltimore today. First, there’s the Mayor’s annual MLK Day Parade, which steps off at noon from the corner of MLK, Jr. Boulevard and Eutaw Street. Further downtown, there are family activities happening at [...]

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Why I’m going to CreateBaltimore #2 and you should, too

By mobtownblues | January 7th, 2012

During the plenary session for last year’s Create Baltimore unconference, I objected to the organizers’ suggestion that my proposed session topic – “Race and Equity in the Arts” – be folded into the event’s “social justice” track. After the briefest of pauses and the slightest of shrugs, they said, “okay, then,” and that was that. [...]

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Food, Memory, and Design

By mobtownblues | January 2nd, 2012

Jess and I had lunch today at one of our favorite area restaurants, Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia. On the drive home, sated by endive salad and bacon polenta and pink grapefruit sorbet, we talked about everything that makes dining at Iron Bridge — and other destination eateries — so enjoyable. There’s the food, [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged design, film, food, memory, restaurants | 3 Comments

SHOW Baltimore written up in Jess Gartner’s “A Blog on Tape”

By mobtownblues | January 2nd, 2012

If you missed last week’s debut of SHOW Baltimore (created by Andrew Hazlett and co-hosted by yours truly), read this thoughtful summary of the event by Jess Gartner. Jess, who was one of the six interviewees Andrew and I hauled up onstage at the Windup Space last Wednesday evening, is a photographer, writer, performer, and [...]

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Kalima Young: My Origins as a Retcon

By mobtownblues | December 27th, 2011

Activist, advocate, filmmaker, and Unsung Baltimorean emerita Kalima Young told the following story at the debut of Full Circle Storytelling on December 13, 2011. It’s a funny and incisive illustration of the different ways we talk about ourselves to others. Also, she is a superhero. – Quev ~~~ My Origins as a Retcon Retcon- Retroactive [...]

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Jumping into the dust devil

By mobtownblues | December 26th, 2011

My dad once told me the story of how, when they were kids, he and his older brother were smashing light bulbs on the ground, just to hear the distinctive shattering noise that is unique to a breaking bulb. Two small shards of broken glass flew back and embedded themselves on either side of his [...]

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Full Circle Storytelling Presents: ‘Eureka!’ Jan. 17

By mobtownblues | December 23rd, 2011

Eureka! Stories of Discovery and Invention featuring music by Brooks Long Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 7-9 pm ARTblocks 834 W. 36th St., Baltimore Freewill donations gratefully accepted Reserve a seat! ~~~ You’ve been working on a problem for nine straight hours. You’re running on caffeine, takeout, and sheer obstinacy. You draw yourself a relaxing bath [...]

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Honoring the dead, caring for the living

By mobtownblues | December 22nd, 2011

As I approached the lectern to recite the names of the dead, I felt like a fraud. But that’s not important. What’s important is that last year, 114 homeless or formerly homeless people died in Baltimore. Each year on the winter solstice – the longest night of the year – Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged ceremony, homelessness, Inner Harbor, winter | Leave a comment

Origins: Every Beginning Has a Story

By mobtownblues | December 11th, 2011

Join us for the debut of Full Circle Storytelling, where eight of your friends and neighbors will spend eight minutes each telling personal tales on a theme. This is not a contest, a battle, or a slam; just true narratives about the storytellers’ authentic experiences, shared in a comfortable, friendly setting. Our inaugural event will [...]

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Bmore Historic

By mobtownblues | December 10th, 2011

I’m looking forward to this Friday’s Bmore Historic “unconference,” a daylong, participant-led series of conversations about “public history, historic preservation, and community development.” I’ve proposed a session on neighborhood vibrancy, just as a way of getting people’s thoughts about what that means and how to make it happen. Other proposed sessions include “Instant Living History,” [...]

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Red Stars

By mobtownblues | August 7th, 2011

Legend has it that sometime in the 1800′s, Baltimore’s ladies of the evening painted red stars on the sidewalks in Fells Point, as a means of leading visiting sailors to the dens of ill repute. While I cannot affirm the veracity of this story (a cursory Google search yielded attestations that were not exactly scholarly), [...]

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[VERB] Baltimore: Harnessing the Power of Homegrown Ideas

By mobtownblues | June 9th, 2011

The following is a post I wrote for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers blog. Since that site is viewable to members only, I’m reposting the entry here, with permission.Full disclosure: I participated in an early discussion about identifying IBB presenters. *************************** Over 75 people crowded the Windup Space in the Station North Arts District [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged event talks, events, ideas, Ignite Baltimore, philanthropy, Station North, young people | 1 Comment

"Uh..Line?" A N00b Dips His Toes in Acting

By mobtownblues | May 25th, 2011

Sometime back in late 2009, when I was newly divorced and adjusting to unfamiliar bachelorhood, I was whining to my friend Carly about my need to find something to do with my free time that didn’t involve: a) drinking myself into a stupor; or b) re-watching the entire series run of Battlestar Galactica in my [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged art, Station North, theater | 2 Comments

Taking Every Brick Personally

By mobtownblues | April 19th, 2011

An oft-told story about William Donald Schaefer, who died yesterday at age 89, recounts how, as mayor, he would come banging into the City Hall in a rage about an abandoned car he passed on his way to work, or pothole that needed fixing. He would harangue his beleaguered staff, huff into his office, slam [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged in memoriam, politics | 4 Comments

April 10, 2011, 1:00 p.m.

By mobtownblues | April 17th, 2011

Red Canoe

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Walbrook Film Project Teaches Students About More Than Holding a Camera

By mobtownblues | April 8th, 2011

Filmmaker and volunteer instructor Josef Sawyer addresses the audience. Arts, community, violence, conflict resolution, history, memory: these were some of the topics explored in three short films by 10 young artists whose work was screened yesterday afternoon at the Walbrook Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.The films were part of the Walbrook Project, a [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts, Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, film, Ignite Baltimore, Ignition Grant, neighborhoods, older adults, race, Unsung Baltimoreans, Walbrook, young people | 2 Comments

NewsTrust Baltimore

By mobtownblues | March 31st, 2011

Sharp-eyed readers — or at least those who read past the first couple of sentences of each post — will notice a new widget on the sidebar. As an enthusiastic supporter of NewsTrust Baltimore, I am proud to direct Unsung Baltimore viewers to this bold and much-needed experiment to engage local residents in media literacy [...]

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Action Alert: How (and why) to contact your reps about arts funding

By mobtownblues | March 29th, 2011

The Maryland General Assembly is entering the home stretch of the 2011 legislative session. Right now your elected officials are making some tough fiscal decisions, trying to decide what types of public funding should be cut in order to meet our state’s constitutionally mandated balanced budget requirement. One of the many items on the chopping [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged advocacy, art, politics | 2 Comments

Scotty Walsh and Port Discovery join with Westport students to make art

By mobtownblues | March 18th, 2011

Scotty Walsh speaks prior to the mural unveiling When Scotty Walsh found out that art had been cut from the curriculum at Westport Academy, a k-8 public school in a working class neighborhood in South Baltimore, he decided to do something about it. A street performer, accomplished vaudevillian, and the visual arts specialist for Port [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged art, education, events, neighborhoods, Westport, young people | 4 Comments

And the hits keep comin’.

By mobtownblues | March 14th, 2011

For those of you playing along at home, I thought it worth mentioning that within the past six months, Unsung Baltimorean Lily Susskind: 1) not only received an Ignite Baltimore Ignition Grant; AND 2) won a Baker Foundation “b” award; BUT ALSO3) was featured on the cover of last week’s B Daily as one of [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, Baker Artist Awards, dance, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, Unsung Baltimoreans | 1 Comment

Sarah Gorman

By mobtownblues | March 9th, 2011

Artistic portrayals of suburban alienation – even those that involve reanimated corpses – are not exactly new. Depictions of zombies as metaphors for social disconnection, from ‘Dawn of the Dead’ to ‘Shaun of the Dead,’ comprise a sub-genre unto themselves. However, few dramatic productions to date have mapped the intersection of narcotized suburbanites, disaffected teens, [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, culture, events, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, Station North, theater, Unsung Baltimoreans | Leave a comment

Kalima Young

By mobtownblues | March 7th, 2011

Kalima Young’s work is all about making connections. Whether in her former role as director of an adolescent AIDS program, or in her current ones as filmmaker, college professor, and education advocate, Young delights in connecting people and causes that typically haven’t been brought together before. Young herself puts it more succinctly: “I love getting [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged Featured Unsung Baltimorean, LGBTQ, race, social justice, Unsung Baltimoreans, women, young people | 2 Comments

Simone

By mobtownblues | March 5th, 2011

Simone Christian is an Antiguan-born graphic designer specializing in print, photography, and multimedia. She also happens to be my coworker.

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged art, design, Mount Vernon, women | Leave a comment

Sweaty, delirious, and sublime

By mobtownblues | March 4th, 2011

If you missed Dance Round Robin last weekend, I feel sorry for you. It was an exhilarating, innovative, and occasionally naked evening of modern dance, from the Fly-Girls-on-crack awesomeness of the Effervescent Collective to the death-defying head spins of the International Flow Syndicate. I didn’t do a head count, but it seemed like well over [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, dance, events, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, pics, Station North | Leave a comment

Bmore Inclusive

By mobtownblues | February 28th, 2011

Last Monday, nearly 30 people gathered in the offices of the Baltimore Community Foundation to talk about issues of race and inclusiveness and how they pertain to Baltimore’s emerging arts, culture, and tech sectors. The conversation was a follow up to a session at January’s Create Baltimore event. Attendees were mostly in their 20s and [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged activists, art, culture, equity, events, ideas, inclusivenes, race | 2 Comments

This Weekend: Dance Round Robin!

By mobtownblues | February 25th, 2011

Baltimore has a growing, dynamic dance scene, and past Unsung Baltimorean Lily Susskind is one of its poobahs. This weekend, she and choreographer Caroline Marcantoni will showcase some of the face-meltingest modern, experimental, and hip-hop dance moves this city has to offer. What: The Baltimore Dance Round Robin When: Feb. 26 – 27. Doors at [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, dance, events, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, Station North | Leave a comment

Sanford and Son

By mobtownblues | February 23rd, 2011

One of the things that distinguishes Baltimore from larger cities like New York or Philadelphia is its relative lack of auto- and pedestrian traffic in the midtown during the day. After the bustle of rush hour subsides and commuters are safely esconced in offices, stores, and coffee shops, street activity subsides dramatically until lunchtime. The [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged Mount Vernon, music, neighborhoods, stories, video | 1 Comment

January 15, 9:51 a.m., Bolton Hill

By mobtownblues | February 22nd, 2011

Visions of Heaven and Hell by Grace Hartigan. Brown Center Atrium, MICA.

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January 22, 9:38 a.m., Hamilton

By mobtownblues | February 22nd, 2011

Zeke’s.

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January 3, 6:05 p.m., Downtown

By mobtownblues | January 24th, 2011

Outside the men’s room in the law offices of Venable LLP

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Bubba Lives!

By mobtownblues | January 24th, 2011

Some 15 years ago, I was walking in Fells Point and I passed a soda vending machine outside what used to be the old Save-a-Lot grocery store. (There’s some new ghetto mart there now, but I forget its name.) The machine contained not Coke, not Pepsi, not Dr. Pepper, not Mountain Dew…not even Diet Rite. [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged pics, Station North | 3 Comments

March 3, 2010, 12:54 p.m., Mount Vernon

By mobtownblues | January 24th, 2011

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Jacqueline Robarge

By mobtownblues | January 7th, 2011

In December 2009, I received an e-mail from Jacqueline Robarge, director of Power Inside (PI), which provides services and outreach to women struggling with the overlapping challenges of poverty, incarceration, violence, and life on the street. A PI client had just managed to secure permanent housing, employment, and custody of her young daughter, and the [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts, Unsung Baltimore | Tagged activists, faith, Featured Unsung Baltimoreans, homelessness, social justice, women | Leave a comment

Forget your tired old new year’s resolution. Do this stuff instead.

By mobtownblues | January 7th, 2011

Coming up: a new post about how racial, ethnic, and class segregation impacts Baltimore’s emerging arts scene; and a profile of one of my local heroes, Power Inside director Jacqueline Robarge. First, though, here’s a list of some cool stuff going on around town this month. Amplify Baltimore, a symposium on who we are and [...]

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Arts & Culture: preserving the scene while bringing in the green

By mobtownblues | January 4th, 2011

The upcoming Create Baltimore event has got me thinking about a couple of things related to arts and culture in the city. One of them involves the economic sustainability of local grassroots art and cultural happenings. As I’ve witnessed (with delight) the growth of Baltimore’s emerging arts and culture scene, I’ve noticed that most of [...]

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Create Baltimore

By mobtownblues | January 3rd, 2011

What: CreateBaltimore is a participant-created conference for artists, cultural workers, entrepreneurs, and technologists interested in building a creative community in Baltimore. Where: MICA – Maryland Institute College of Art – Falvey Hall – The Brown Center – 1301 W. Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. Who: CreateBaltimore is for artists, coders, crafters, curators, designers, entrepreneurs, hackers, [...]

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January 1, 3:50 p.m., Harbor East

By mobtownblues | January 3rd, 2011

Happy New Year from Unsung Baltimore! I typically don’t make new year’s resolutions, mostly because I’m a lazy git who enjoys his black coffee and fatty foods and the mention of the word “treadmill” makes me want to hide under the kitchen table and rock back and forth with my knees hugged to my chest. [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged feedback, Harbor East | 2 Comments

Miracle on 34th St.

By mobtownblues | December 24th, 2010

It’s not truly Christmas in Baltimore until you’ve walked amid the holiday lights on 34th Street in Hampden. The kitschy, the heartfelt, and the sublime converge and twinkle in this annual display of megawatt seasonal cheer.

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Homeless Persons Memorial Day Vigil, Inner Harbor Amphitheater

By mobtownblues | December 24th, 2010

The National Coalition for the Homeless has designated the winter solstice, which falls on or around December 21 each year, as National Homeless Memorial Day. On this, the beginning of winter and the longest night of the year, homeless and formerly homeless people gather with activists, advocates, providers, and other supporters to read the names [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged downtown, events, holidays, homelessness, Inner Harbor | 3 Comments

Hon-ukkah in Mt. Washington

By mobtownblues | December 23rd, 2010

My friends Ray and Rachel represent a perfect cross-section of Caucasian Baltimore: Ashkenazi and Redneck. Chanukah at their house was traditional…for the most part. We spun the dreidel, anted in our gelt, and consumed too many donuts and latkes. The latkes could be enjoyed with a range of toppings, including classic (sour cream and apple [...]

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Post-Turkey Day Brunch in Cedarcroft

By mobtownblues | December 23rd, 2010

Thanksgiving, as most of us figured out long ago, doesn’t truly end until the turkey carcass is stripped clean of the last sinew of flesh and is nothing more than a misshapen blob of gleaming white bone. When I was younger, I would make repeated late-night incursions into the kitchen to peel off strips of [...]

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged Cedarcroft, food, holidays, neighborhoods | 1 Comment

Thanksgiving in Charles Village

By mobtownblues | December 23rd, 2010

With my gf in Canada and my mom celebrating the holiday in the OBX this year, I thought my Thanksgiving would be spent alone in my fetid bachelor bad, eating Dinty Moore Beef Stew out of the can while watching softcore on Netflix. Instead I got together with my friend Sonia and we managed to [...]

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Hon for the Holidays

By mobtownblues | December 23rd, 2010

As crazy and hectic as these past few weeks have been — work, personal life, etc. — I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to get into the holiday spirit with some local festivities this season. So in addition to my earlier pics of the Station North Arts Cafe holiday party and the Washington [...]

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December 19, 8:36 p.m., North Avenue

By mobtownblues | December 20th, 2010

You can check in any time you like. But you have to wear a bag over your head when you leave.

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Station North Arts Cafe tree lighting

By mobtownblues | December 18th, 2010

Here are a few photos from the Station North Arts Cafe tree lighting. Located on Charles Street just south of North Avenue, this bright, friendly, and cozy little coffee shop is owned by my neighbors, Kevin and Bill. The evening featured free homemade cookies, hot cider, “naughty” coffee, and Ian Hesford, who can apparently play [...]

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Feats salutes Unsung Baltimorean for her feats

By mobtownblues | December 11th, 2010

I’m pleased as punch to report that, as a result of her surpassing awesomeness, previously featured unsung Baltimorean Kenya Asli was selected by Feats, Inc. to receive 50-yard-line tickets to the Dec. 19 Ravens game! In honor of its 25th anniversary, the local events management and marketing firm launched Feats of the Heart, aimed at [...]

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December 11, 8:36 a.m., Waverly Market

By mobtownblues | December 11th, 2010

If you got a hankerin’ for bison, get it from the dude in the awesome hat.

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged farmer's market, neighborhoods, Waverly | 1 Comment

A Monumental Occasion

By mobtownblues | December 11th, 2010

Some pics from the annual lighting of Baltimore’s Washington Monument on Dec. 2.

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged events, festivals, holidays, Mount Vernon, neighborhoods | 2 Comments

eye contact

By mobtownblues | December 11th, 2010

An important part of living in Baltimore, more than any other place in my experience, is learning when it’s a good idea to make eye contact with random people you pass on the street…and when it’s best to avoid it. Eye contact = ok: older people, especially older women, especially church ladies; business owners and [...]

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Attention, art flakes! Only 39 days left to nominate yourselves for big cash prizes!

By mobtownblues | December 7th, 2010

Hey, remember dance ninja and featured Unsung Baltimorean Lily Susskind? Well, she’s one of over 350 local artists vying for the coveted Baker Artist Awards. Truly one of the coolest things about being in Baltimore, the Baker Awards provides local artists in all media with opportunities to win fame and (modest) fortune. Awards include the [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged art, Baker Artist Awards, dance, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, Unsung Baltimoreans | Leave a comment

November 27, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Waverly

By mobtownblues | November 27th, 2010

The 32nd Street Farmers Market: come for the produce, food, and crafts; stay for the people. Pat Cruz of Sister Friend Arts Cybee’s Wildflower Honey Don Gorman of Harmony This guy sounds just like Richie Havens. Camille Brown of The Art of Adornment Reid’s Orchard apples A yummy turnover from Neopol. “Thomas Jefferson” apple from [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged Charles Village, farmer's market, food, Greater Homewood, neighborhoods, Waverly | 1 Comment

November 21, 4:45 p.m., Charles Village

By mobtownblues | November 26th, 2010

Lily W. Susskind

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Nominate an unsung Baltimorean for awesome Ravens seats!

By mobtownblues | November 24th, 2010

As someone who loves learning and telling the stories of unsung Baltimoreans, I was pleased to see this offer from the event planning firm Feats to give 50-yd-line(!) Ravens tix to local heroes who are changing their communities for the better. Think of someone who inspires you. And who likes football. And then nominate them.

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St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church

By mobtownblues | November 21st, 2010

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged faith, Highlandtown | 1 Comment

November 10, 2:22 p.m., Franklin Street

By mobtownblues | November 17th, 2010

Here.

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October 23, 9:03 p.m.

By mobtownblues | November 9th, 2010

Marie Louise Bistro.

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November 5, 4:44 p.m., Towson

By mobtownblues | November 9th, 2010

The Shops at Kenilworth, Towson.

Posted in Mobtownblues | Tagged Baltimore County, mall, Towson | Leave a comment

King of the Bongo

By mobtownblues | November 1st, 2010

The Love Peace Project serve up some sizzling djembe at the festival preceding the Great Halloween Lantern Parade in Patterson Park. The bongo madness starts at 3:54. Enjoy.

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged Halloween, Highlandtown, music, neighborhoods, Patterson Park, video | Leave a comment

October 25, 1:03 p.m., Mount Vernon

By mobtownblues | October 27th, 2010

Can you spot the saxophone player?

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Cafe Culture: The Bohemian Coffee House

By mobtownblues | October 15th, 2010

One of the great pleasures in my life is a good cup of coffee. One of the elements that enhances or detracts from that pleasure is the space in which that cup of coffee is consumed. I stumbled into the Bohemian Coffee House (1821 North Charles St.) a few months ago just before going on [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged cafe, coffee, food, restaurants, Station North | Leave a comment

Sex, Drugs, and Philanthropy: or, A Little Shameless Self Promotion

By mobtownblues | October 14th, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk at Ignite Baltimore about the importance of everyday altruism. I was privileged to share the stage with some amazing people – including Gin Ferrara, Ellen Cherry, and Douglass Austin – who spoke compellingly and etertainingly about everything from why affirmative action still matters, to why you [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged altruism, events, ideas, Ignite Baltimore, philanthropy, talks, video, Walters Art Museum | Leave a comment

Ignite Baltimore is ON – rain or shine

By mobtownblues | September 30th, 2010

If you weren’t able to get a ticket to tonight’s Ignite Baltimore, fret not. You can watch it being broadcast live from the Engineer’s Club just around the corner. Or, if you don’t want to drive or walk through the rain, you can actually watch the whole thing live online from the comfort of your [...]

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Lily Susskind

By mobtownblues | September 30th, 2010

When Lily and I did the photoshoot for this Unsung Baltimore entry, I was worried – just a little, and just for a second – that we were going to get arrested. She stood in the middle of Monument Street at rush hour. She hopped inside a planter. She scaled one of the cornices of [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged art, dance, Featured Unsung Baltimorean, Unsung Baltimoreans | 1 Comment

Gary Williams

By mobtownblues | September 12th, 2010

Gary Williams’ resume is likely more impressive than yours. It’s a heck of a lot more impressive than mine. He graduated from an elite high school and went on to complete a dual major at a boutique liberal arts college. He taught Latin to 7th graders at a prestigious Catholic school. He’s traveled through Italy [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged activists, economic development, neighborhoods, Pigtown, race, Unsung Baltimoreans, young people | 3 Comments

Clipper Mill

By mobtownblues | September 3rd, 2010

Clipper Mill Gutierrez Studios Woodberry

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Kenya Asli – Part 2

By mobtownblues | August 31st, 2010

Part two of Unsung Baltimore’s conversation with Kenya Asli is shorter than the first part, but it’s so lovely that it deserves to stand on its own. Below is her stream of consciousness response to the question, ‘what do you love about Baltimore?’ The accompanying images are photos I’ve taken of Baltimore over the years. [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged activists, Edmondson Village, neighborhoods, Unsung Baltimoreans, women | Leave a comment

5 minutes. 20 slides. $1,500.

By mobtownblues | August 31st, 2010

So apparently I’m not eligible for this because I’m on the review committee. Weak. That, however, shouldn’t stop you from submitting your own proposal for a six-month, $1,500 Ignition Grant to fund a cool idea that will make Baltimore a better place. Applications are due 9/17. The Ignition Grant is an initiative of Baltimore Community [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts | Tagged events, ideas, Ignite Baltimore, talks, Walters Art Museum | Leave a comment

Kenya Asli – Part 1

By mobtownblues | August 29th, 2010

Some people are so fascinating, so much fun to talk to, their life experiences so rich, that it’s hard to fit all they have to say into one post. This is the first of a two-part conversation with Kenya Asli, community organizer, lawyer, mom, proud neighborhood girl, and ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ fan. Rather than spend a [...]

Also posted in Unsung Baltimore | Tagged activists, Edmondson Village, neighborhoods, race, social justice, Unsung Baltimoreans, women | Leave a comment

Todd Elliott

By mobtownblues | August 18th, 2010

Full disclosure: I’ve been friends with Todd Elliott and his wife Kathleen for years. Todd and I met in a nonprofit management program in 2003, shortly after he became director of the Adult Literacy and ESOL Program at Greater Homewood Community Corporation. In addition to being a devoted educator, Todd is an enthusiastic outdoorsman, a [...]

Also posted in Nonprofit Thoughts, Unsung Baltimore | Tagged adult educations, education, Greater Homewood, Unsung Baltimoreans | Leave a comment