Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
“This changed the norm, no one could imagine that there were athletes who were gay.” As a member of a Division 1 track and field program, I personally can attest to the absurdity of the notion that accomplished athletes can’t be gay. My co-captain and best friend is bisexual, and many of our best athletes…
Walking into the auditorium of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) last Wednesday, I was immediately stunned. With the projector set up by the Southside Film Institute, there was little to differentiate the assembly hall in the center of South Bethlehem from an AMC theater. My arrival cut dangerously close…
It’s easy to forget that women actually comprise the majority of the United States population. And no, you didn’t hear me incorrectly—there are more women than men in this country. Based on this simple fact, you’d think that we’d see more women in highly visible places like Congress or Fortune 500 companies or prestigious academia….
Chances are that, regardless of your generation, story time was an integral part of your childhood. If you are like me, tales of medieval princesses and heroes were a staple growing up; however, it’s not just for kids anymore. By contemporary standards, most of us may pigeonhole storytelling to children’s books and bedtime stories, but…
Give me Back my father, give me back my mother;Give back my elders;Give me my sons and daughters back. Give me back myself,Give back the human race, As long as this life lasts, this life,Give back peaceThat will never end. On April 11th, Keiin Yoshimura visited Touchstone Theater for her performance of Sakura, meaning “cherry…
Joe Lule, a lifetime Bethlehem resident, spent his late teenage years playing the guitar and singing on Bethlehem’s main street, trying to make a couple bucks here and there. Now, as a graduate of Lehigh’s Master of Arts program in Environmental Policy and City Planning, he continues to perform in Bethlehem. The Southside resident has…
My first spring in Bethlehem has been delightful: the flowering trees alone have made this one of the most beautiful springs I’ve ever experienced. After the Southside Arts & Music Festival, I’m even more excited for what summer in Bethlehem has to offer. Thanks to ArtsQuest, spring in Bethlehem signals not only the start of…
During the twenty years I’ve been on this earth, I’ve spent roughly eight of them knowing I was part of the LGBTQ+ community. Within those eight years, I’ve spent two of them feeling secure in my identity as gay. Finally, I’ve been openly out about sexuality for the last one and a half years of…
Seldom do we think of the little things in our daily lives. Sounds in particular, such as offhand remarks, unusual questions, overheard exclamations, and lingering phrases, bounce off the ear without a second thought. However, artist Martha Rich appears hyperconscious of these moments. Rich is a Philadelphia-based artist whose art primarily involves drawing, painting, and…
Printmaker Keith Garubba is one of the Banana Factory’s newest resident artists. Garubba currently teaches at the Baum School of Art, in the Allentown School District, and at Lehigh Carbon Community College. In addition, Garubba works for Durham Press as a printer. The Bethlehem artist completed his undergraduate degree at Keystone College and received a…