Victoria Canal Displays Musical Range on Forthcoming Full-Length Debut
During a recent Zoom call, Spanish-American singer-songwriter Victoria Canal says she’s doing some soul-searching. In the midst of a trip to Northern Ireland, she’s “just exploring” as she takes a break from the industry. With a debut album on the horizon and a fall tour looming, Victoria Canal, who performs at 8 p.m. on Sunday,…
Meghan Trainor Embraces Old School Pop on New LP
As she preps for a fall tour that will mark her first tour in seven years and bring her to Blossom on Friday, Sept. 27, singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor is busy updating her TikTok account, a necessary evil in today’s world. “I do TikTok myself, and it’s very stressful. I’m not very good at it,” she…
15+ Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend (Sept. 19-22)
Our weekly picks of the best things to do in Cleveland this weekend. Also check out our full Cleveland event calendar. THU 09/19 Something Corporate The pop-punk band that recently reunited with singer-pianist Andrew McMahon returns to House of Blues as it brings its Out of Office tour to the club. The group recently released two…
Why Now? Election Watchdog Criticizes GOP Fear Mongering About Noncitizen Voting
On the debate stage Tuesday, former president Donald Trump reiterated the widely debunked claim that he won the 2020 election. Less than two months from election day, state officials in Ohio and Republican leaders in Congress appear to be laying the groundwork for future claims of fraud if Trump loses in November, an election watchdog…
Not ‘Mini-Adult Court’: Lawyers Lacking Qualifications Defended 1,200 Cuyahoga County Kids
This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their Cleveland newsletter and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook. More than 1,200 children accused of serious crimes in Cuyahoga County since 2020 were defended by court-appointed lawyers who lacked…
Democratic Leaders Join in Fight Against Ohio Ballot Board Summary of Anti-Gerrymandering Proposal
The case against the Ohio Ballot Board’s summary of Issue 1 now includes Ohio’s House and Senate Democratic leaders, along with further arguments from the creators of the proposed constitutional amendment to reform redistricting and end gerrymandering by replacing politicians with a citizen commission. The lawsuit accuses the board, led by Ohio Secretary of State…
Now Open: Masa & Agave Cantina at the Westin Cleveland Downtown
Ever since Urban Farmer restaurant closed, there’s been a hospitality gap at the Westin Cleveland Downtown (777 St. Clair Ave. NE). Now, thanks to the arrival of Masa & Agave, the hotel once again has a signature bar and restaurant. Operated by Apicii, a hospitality group that operates bars, restaurants and clubs nationwide, the regionally-inspired…
Jenna Martínez – Local Author
Jenna Martínez is a queer Mexican-American femme writer and printmaker from San Antonio, Texas. Her writing has appeared in or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, Homology Lit, and One Page Poetry, and she is one of Literary Cleveland’s 2023-2024 Breakthrough Writing Residents. Kristin will be presenting at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the…
Kortney Morrow – Local Author
Kortney Morrow is a poet creating from her studio in Cleveland, Ohio. Her work has received support from 68to05, The Academy of American Poets, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Prairie Schooner, Tin House, and Transition Magazine. Kortney will be presenting at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 20-21.…
Conor Bracken – Local Author
Conor Bracken is the author of The Enemy of My Enemy is Me (Diode Editions, 2021), as well as the translator of Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine’s Scorpionic Sun (CSU Poetry Center, 2019) and Jean D’Amérique’s No Way in the Skin Without This Bloody Embrace (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2022). He teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Conor…
Kristin Gustafson – Local Author
Kristin Gustafson is a poet and editor from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her poetry has been published in over a dozen literary magazines and she is one of Literary Cleveland’s 2023-2024 Breakthrough Writing Residents. Kristin will be presenting at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 20-21. Ode to the…
Philip Metres – Local Author
Philip Metres is the author of twelve books, including Fugitive/Refuge (Copper Canyon 2024) and Shrapnel Maps (Copper Canyon, 2020), and he is professor of English and director of the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights program at John Carroll University. Philip will be presenting at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library…
Monica Youn – AWBA Winner in Poetry
Monica Youn is the author of Blackacre (Graywolf Press, 2016); Barter (Graywolf Press, 2003); and Ignatz (Four Way Books, 2010), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. She is the winner of the 2024 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in poetry for her book From From. Parable of the Magpie in the Trap A certain…
Maxine Hong Kingston – AWBA Lifetime Achievement Winner
Maxine Hong Kingston is the author of The Woman Warrior, China Men, and The Fifth Book of Peace, among other works. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the presidentially conferred National Humanities Medal, the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the…
Teju Cole – AWBA Winner in Fiction
Teju Cole is a novelist, essayist, and photographer. He is currently the Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing at Harvard and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. He is the 2024 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner in fiction for his book Tremor. Excerpt from Tremor How is one to live…
Ned Blackhawk – AWBA Winner in Nonfiction
Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) is the Howard R. Lamar Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University. He is the 2024 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner in nonfiction for his book The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History. Blackhawk will be featured at The City Club on Friday, September 27…
Celebrating Cleveland Book Week 2024
Is Cleveland the most literary city in the country? From September 14 to October 6, 2024, it will be. The 2024 Cleveland Book Week (more like three weeks this year) is the biggest yet, featuring more than 100 hours of literary events with the best authors in the country. Oh, and nearly every event is…
Livewire: 16 of the Best Concerts to Catch in Cleveland Through September
THU 09/12 An Evening with Jake Shimabukuro The ukulele superstar will perform songs off his newest album, the forthcoming Blues Experience, and songs from his last released album, Grateful, as well as other tunes from his back catalog at this show at the Kent Stage. He’s recently issued a ukulele-centric rendition of the ’60s hit…
Interview with Matt Fish, Founder of Melt Bar & Grilled
In 2006, Matt Fish opened Melt Bar and Grilled in the former White Door Saloon in Lakewood. To say that the concept took off is an understatement, with the homegrown brand growing from one tavern to more than a dozen locations across the state. Now, 18 years later, the chain is down to one. In…
15+ Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend (Sept. 12-15)
Our weekly picks of the best things to do in Cleveland this weekend. Also check out our full Cleveland event calendar. THU 09/12 2024 Cleveland Pinball & Arcade Show The Cleveland Pinball & Arcade Show that takes place today through Sunday at the Holiday Inn in Independence will feature 120+ pinball machines, pinball tournaments, classic arcade…
Operator Layoffs at Cleveland Hopkins Won’t Impact Fall Flights, Airport Says
The hundreds of baggage handlers, ticketing agents, gate managers and ramp operators let go last week at Cleveland Hopkins International won’t hamper flights or service, the airport said. Over the weekend, Swissport USA, the Switzerland-based company that handles passenger bags at 60 airports across the country, filed paperwork at the state level to officialize a…
Here are the Best and Worst Northeast Ohio Neighborhoods and Suburbs for Life Expectancy
Drugs. Guns. Cars. Heart disease. Cancer. Flu. These are some of the top causes behind Ohio’s worsening life expectancy rates since the pandemic era pushed the state’s mortality gauge to the bottom half, at 38th, in the 2020 U.S. Census. A state’s, or county’s, life expectancy rate is an assessment of the area’s political woes…
First Look: Bad Medicine, Now Open in West Park
Bad Medicine (13334 Lorain Ave.), a “listening bar,” has opened in West Park. Two turntables sit on the backbar, within easy reach of the bartenders, who play a curated list of LPs throughout the evening. The eclectic inventory of music spans the spectrum of blues, jazz, hip hop, classic rock, indie rock and more. “Everything customers…
Chopt Creative Salad Co. to Open First Ohio Location at Eton Chagrin Blvd.
The nearest Chopt Creative Salad Co. is located about 350 miles away from Cleveland, in Maryland. Or one can drive 440 miles to a location in Virginia. But come 2025, Ohio diners will only have to travel as far away as Woodmere for freshly chopped and tossed salads. Chopt, a sought-after brand when it comes to freshly prepared…
Koch-Funded Veterans Group that Backed Closing Chillicothe VA Working to Elect Bernie Moreno
Back in 2022, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown visited Chillicothe to meet with local veterans and workers at the nearby VA hospital. Under a set of recommendations meant to streamline the VA, Chillicothe’s hospital was on the chopping block. The Asset and Infrastructure Review, or AIR, Commission report, came from Trump administration effort to overhaul the…
Review: Two Decades Later, Avril Lavigne Still Wowing Crowds with Pop Punk Hits
Avril Lavigne visited Blossom on September 6, with her Greatest Hits tour. Following the opening acts Simple Plan and Girlfriends – and with a torrential downpour as the backdrop – Lavigne took to the stage for the sold-out show. Her set opened with a montage of videos spanning her decades-long career, with fans waiting in…
This Week in Cleveland Food News: Paloma at Van Aken District Evolving and More
– After earning a reputation as a casual but chef-driven taco restaurant, the 2-year-old Paloma at Van Aken District is preparing to make a shift. On September 14th, the restaurant will close its doors for 10 days to usher in changes both to space and menu. Related – Set to open this winter in Playhouse Square,…
In Second State of the County, Chris Ronayne Plays it Cool for Packed Atrium
Despite the ceaseless drumming and droning of vuvuzela horns outside the new atrium at the Huntington Convention Center, County Executive Chris Ronayne delivered his second State of the County address in a mostly cool and concise manner on Thursday. For a little more than 40 minutes, Ronayne rattled off a “best of” tour of county…
‘A View From the Bridge’ at Cain Park is a Play with Big Ideas, Huge Emotions
If you like your drama served up rich, complex and piping-hot, look no further than Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge, now at Cain Park’s Alma Theatre. Set in the 1950s, this finely crafted work explores the many emotional crevices and outcroppings that exist in most families while shining a light on such current…
Election Security Group Praises Cybersecurity Efforts While Chiding 11th Hour Voting Changes
The Center for Election Innovation & Research has some good news and a few pointed critiques ahead of this November’s election. In a survey of states’ efforts to protect their voter registration databases from cyber-attacks, the group found election administrators have made great strides in protecting the voter rolls from outside threats. CEIR executive director…
Russell Atkins, Cleveland Poet Who Made Strides in Avant-Garde Scene, Dead at 98
Russell Atkins, the poet who reached national attention with his ear for the avant garde and who rarely left his hometown of Cleveland, died in an assisted living facility in Midtown on August 15. He was 98. Though a close friend and confidante to mainstays—and more well-known—of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, like…
Greens Salad Co. to Bring Fresh Salads and Wraps to Intro in Ohio City
Rob Bromund and Ben Buckley met while working in restaurant management. After moving to Cleveland, they noticed a “shocking absence” of quick, healthy food options. Not only did they observe a gap in that area, they also discovered a substantial demand for it as well. “Even though Cleveland has a numerous amount of phenomenal restaurants,…
Meet the Candidates Running for Ohio Supreme Court
Six candidates for Ohio Supreme Court will be on the November ballot in three different races. The outcomes will decide the balance of the court and have major impacts on a wide variety of issues that affect the lives of Ohioans, from education and environmental issues to gerrymandering and elections to civil and reproductive rights.…
The Friars’ Table, Opening This Winter in Playhouse Square, is Inspired by Monastic Cuisine
Brandon Chrostowski describes his new venture – a partnership with Cleveland Capuchin Ministries – as being more than just a restaurant. It’s intended as a beacon of hope for the city of Cleveland. Set to open in the Playhouse Square District this winter, The Friars’ Table will be a restaurant with a mission, one rooted…
April’s Solar Eclipse Brought in Roughly $25M Across the Region, Destination Cleveland Says
Those six minutes in spring, wherein the moon engulfed the sun, lured hundreds of thousands of sky-watchers to grassy fields and urban rooftops across the region. And all those visitors seeking meaning and joy in those fleeting, dim minutes brought in quite a load of cash—$25 million, to be exact. A dozen celestial events, from…
Citizens Caught in Ohio Noncitizen Voting Audit Say Latest Letter Offers Incomplete Information
Since initially flagging hundreds of alleged noncitizens on Ohio’s voter rolls, Secretary of State Frank LaRose has begun sending letters to those who are, in fact, citizens. The letter congratulates them “on being an active participant in our democracy!” and encourages them to make sure their records are up to date. And to two recently…
Rainbow Kitten Surprise Brings Largest Headline Tour to Date to Jacobs Pavilion
The last several years have been difficult for the indie rock act Rainbow Kitten Surprise. But the band has turned a corner; the recently released Love Hate Music Box represents the group’s first new album in six long years. Since their last album in 2018, they’ve had to cancel multiple tours as lead singer Ela Melo grappled…
15+ Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend (Sept. 5-8)
Our weekly picks of the best things to do in Cleveland this weekend. Also check out our full Cleveland event calendar. THU 09/05 Cleveland Jewish Film Fest The annual Cleveland Jewish Film Fest opens with a screening of Running on Sand, a dramady about a young refugee who gets mistaken for a Nigerian soccer star while…
Hello Cleveland, a One-Stop-Shop for Live Music Listings, Debuts with Rock Hall Bump
For as long as Cleveland’s had a music scene there have been attempts—some longer running than others—to promote it. Meaning, to get potential audience members to shows. You had the Plain Dealer’s Friday! Magazine (until 2020). You had The Free Times, River Burn, and this publication. (The last man standing, cough cough.) Today, you have…
Paloma at Van Aken District to Briefly Close to Usher in an ‘Evolution of the Concept’
Zach and Alyssa Ladner – along with partner Carl Quagliata – opened Paloma two years ago at Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. Now, after earning a reputation as a casual but chef-driven taco restaurant, the team is preparing to make a shift. On September 14th, the restaurant will close its doors for 10 days…
Dan Miraldi & the Albino Winos To Play First Show in 5 Years
A Cleveland native, singer-songwriter Dan Miraldi currently lives in New York. But he’s just announced he’ll return to Northeast Ohio on Sunday, Sept. 15, to play a special show with his old backing band, the Albino Winos. It will be their first show together in five years. The Cleveland band Vanishing Shores will open. Over…
Blank Canvas Theatre’s Production of ‘The Crucible’ is as Relevant Today as It Was in 1953
It’s doubtful that the current Republican nominee for president has ever attended a production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller. (And if he has, he was probably texting throughout the proceedings.) But if he just sat and listened, he might have realized where his favorite word “witch-hunt” came from. It became a cliché after Miller’s…
Family Moves Out of Ohio to New York Because of Anti-Transgender Legislation
Shannon Gallagher and her family saw the writing on the wall as bills targeting transgender youth were being introduced in the Ohio Statehouse last year. Their youngest child Alex, now 17, is transgender non-binary and their family no longer felt welcome in Ohio, so they moved to New York City last fall. “It was not…
Hollie Strano Says She Was Fired From WKYC for ‘Sharing Recovery Journey Publicly’
WKYC anchor Hollie Strano, who fell from grace last November after she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, announced today on social media that she has been fired. It was her stated opinion that she was let go for being too transparent about her road to recovery. Strano’s announcement comes nine months after…
Hot Mulligan, The Wonder Years to Headline ‘Secret Show’ at The Roxy at Mahall’s
Hot Mulligan and The Wonder Years will headline a “secret show” Friday, Sept. 6th at The Roxy at Mahall’s in Lakewood. The concert, to be held at the 800-capacity venue, will be considerably more intimate than the ones both bands played in Cleveland last year. The Lansing, Michigan-hailing, emo-leaning Hot Mulligan headlined The Agora, which…
Will Shaker Square’s $5-Million Makeover Be Enough to Sway Future Tenants?
On a recent Thursday afternoon, there was a cacophony of sounds emanating from Shaker Square. Construction workers in neon vests were smoothing out freshly-paved roads. Leafblowers worked down the block from contractors to clear weeds. Painters ran their white brushes up and down cracked facades. “It’s kind of like puzzle piece matching,” says Michael Price,…
This Week in Cleveland Food News: Arthur Treacher’s is Expanding, and More
– New owner George Simon says that he has signed a lease on a property in Cleveland Heights and expects to have the third Arthur Treacher’s restaurant open before the end of the year. Related – With Westsiders, partners Constantine Katsaros and Jack Messer created a sort of unicorn establishment, one that is gorgeous, chef-driven and well-run,…
Prison Populations Impact Rural, Urban Power in Ohio’s Census and Redistricting
Anti-gerrymandering groups in Ohio and nationally are looking to correct what they say is a representational flaw in redistricting regarding prison populations. As it stands now, those incarcerated in the country’s state and federal prisons are counted in the U.S. Census every 10 years as residents of the county in which their facility sits. Groups…
‘Brief Tender Light’ Documentary To Make In-Person Ohio Debut at Upcoming Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
Brief Tender Light, director/producer Arthur Musah’s film about his journey as an international student from Ghana, will make its in-person Ohio debut at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Atlas Shaker Square as part of this year’s Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. The movie follows four Africans as they navigate the American college experience…
As United Airlines Flight Attendants at Hopkins and Other Airports Demonstrate, Union Signals Possibility of Strike
Last October, Miranda Beal led a little more than a dozen of her fellow flight attendants and pilots at United Airlines to Door 6 at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. They brought yellow signs calling out “corporate greed.” They chanted for higher wages. They noted the company’s $12 billion earnings for one quarter compared to prevailing…
Livewire: 14 of the Best Concerts to Catch in Cleveland Through Early September
WED 08/28 Built to Spill: There’s Nothing Wrong with Love 30th Anniversary Tour The indie rock group revisits its 1994 album, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, for this special show that takes place tonight at 7:30 at the Beachland Ballroom. The group’s dynamic guitar work that sometimes verges on prog rock in tunes such as…
Review: Westsiders in Rocky River is a Well-Designed, Chef-Driven Destination Worthy of Return
One of the best compliments a diner can pay a new restaurant, I believe, is that it feels as though it has been here all along. The statement implies that the business is a beloved member of the community and that it will likely stand the test of time, despite being a fresh-faced newcomer. That’s…
Economic Issues, Climate Change, Gun Violence and Abortion Are Top of Mind for Young Voters
Forty-one million members of Gen Z can vote in this year’s election and money is on their minds. Economic issues — including inflation, cost of living and jobs that pay a living wage — are top of mind for young people when it comes to the 2024 Presidential Election, according to the Center for Information and…
