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Feature Story

Unveiling the Power of Representation: The QVNYC Film Festival Opening Party, by Roderick Thomas

The QVNYC Film Festival’s Opening Party set the stage for a remarkable showcase of diverse stories to come, shedding light on the lives and struggles of marginalized communities. One film, Vice’s series Transnational, brought attention to the devastating murder of Kelly Stough, a Black trans woman in Detroit by pastor Albert Weathers. Through the eyes of journalist Eva Rayne, who […]

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Despite Barbie’s Best Efforts, Blondeness Prevails , by Kelsey Sobel

By the time August rolled around and I hadn’t seen Barbie yet I was beginning to feel I was on an island far far away from womankind. Along with the rest of  humanity living in the developed western world, the summer had turned pink. Like many, I had Barbies growing up and cherished looking at mom’s dolls who lived in their original […]

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Red Hook softball league finishing 2nd season on new Red Hook turf, by Brian Abate

The Red Hook Locals Softball League is back for the second season in a row after a long hiatus while waiting for the ballfields in the neighborhood to re-open. The Wobblies, Bait & Tackle, the Record Shop, and B61 have all returned this season, and Hometown has joined as an expansion team. Greg “Greggles” Fischer, who plays for Bait & […]

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Cutting Through the Pandemic: The Resilience of Ken Marcelle and Mat Blak, by Matt Graber

On a quiet July afternoon on Verona Street, near the corner of Van Brunt, Ken Marcelle sweeps hair from the floor before his next appointment. The incoming client is Keaton Tips, formally a resident of Red Hook. A 34-year-old animator and motion designer, Tips moved from Dikeman Street to an apartment in Ridgewood, Queens, in 2020. That year, many of […]

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Politics: Do we take rank choice to the next level? By Howard Graubard

New York City’s experiment in rank choice voting applies to all municipal offices, but only in Party primaries, and in special elections, which are non-partisan. It does not apply to the main event; general election are still “first past the post.” Yes, you can argue that, in NYC, Democratic primary elections are, in fact, the main event. But, they are […]

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Suggested Summer Reading – From Murakami to Ferrante, by Kelsey Sobel

The terms “summer reading” “beach reads” or even “guilty pleasures” are frequently tossed around in July and August. These terms conjure different images and ideas – the dreaded mandatory summer reading for reluctant students, the splashy / trashy cover of a romance with sand stuck in the pages or maybe the various media platforms where you can find lists such […]

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Third Avenue holds the key to a well-integrated Sunset Park community, by Katherine Rivard

Sunset Park has a history of things happening to it, rather than for it. In Thomas J. Campanella’s thorough history of the borough, “Brooklyn: The Once and Future City”, Campanella describes how the borough’s neighborhoods were transformed by Robert Moses-era construction projects. Working class neighborhoods were re-branded with names like Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill. In Sunset Park, Third Avenue […]