Frankenreads Comes to Bethlehem

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the most widely read novels in high schools and universities, turns 200 this year. You might have heard about events relating to something called “Frankenreads” and wondered about the series. Well, Lehigh Valley residents can celebrate the momentous anniversary of Shelley’s text by taking part in a series of Frankenstein-related…

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Artist Spotlight: Chloe Cole-Wilson

Ava Bertone: Introduce yourself for our readers! Chloe Cole-Wilson: My name is Chloe Cole-Wilson and I am the Artistic Director and co-founder of Basement Poetry. AB: How long have you been working with the group? How did you get started with it? CCW: Basement Poetry was founded in January of 2015. We started off as…

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Allentown Public Theatre Comes Clean

According to a statistic from the National Institute of Health, over 100 people die from opioid overdoses each day in the United States. Opioids — a category of drugs which includes varieties of both prescription and street drugs  — pose a grave concern due to ease of access. Substance abuse narratives often focus on working-class…

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New Perspectives on Book Borrowing

With the ease of access afforded by e-readers, many folks choose to turn away from actual books these days. Although some studies suggest a decrease in digital obsession, real books have, largely, been replaced by their sleek, interactive, and convenient cousin. This innovation provides consumers with vast options for their next read at the simple…

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Dear World: What’s Your Story?

If you could tell the world one story about yourself, what would it be? “Called an amplifier of individual stories and a catalyst for building trust,” the Dear World campaign strives to bring personal stories to broader audiences. Dear World visited Lehigh University in late September; the impact of its resulting stories remains prevalent on campus….

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Notations Series Review: Anand Giridharadas

“Days after 9/11, an avowed ‘American terrorist’ named Mark Stroman, seeking revenge, walks into a Dallas mini-mart and shoots Raisuddin Bhuiyan, a Bangladeshi immigrant, maiming and nearly killing him. Ten years after the shooting, Bhuiyan wages a campaign against the State of Texas to have his attacker spared from the death penalty. The True American…

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Artist Spotlight: Bill George

A towering tree—lush and fruit-bearing—grows out of asphalt. The tree’s fruit is, ostensibly, art in its many forms. This is the image painted on the back of Touchstone Theater. As embodied by the tree mural, Touchstone grew organically out of the Bethlehem arts culture. A co-founder of Touchstone, actor Bill George sat down with me…

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