There’s been many twitter discussions about the young singer Billie Ellish and how much marketing of her being an independent soundcloud artist was due to the push of music streaming services. Thanks to Simon Reynold’s history  of glam rock, Shock and Awe,  I have learned that  the arguments about art being creator driven or management…

It was Christmas day 1999 and I was ten years old. My biggest present was  the just released neon purple hued transparent gameboy color. The transparent futuristic style was very popular at this time in the world of electronics with many see through phones, computers, and mouses populating bedrooms and computer labs.  Not being a…

The line for lunch at Frank’s Diner stretched all the way to the door. Built from the base of a dining car, the restaurant felt very claustrophobic when I first entered the line.  The horizontal length of the car and the compact width of the car makes it difficult to move without brushing against people…

I wasn’t feeling well yesterday and while I feel better today, my health taking a hit means, my creative ambitions are slight today. I  thought I would interview the owner of one of my favorite restaurants, kebab and grill but I saw he was very busy. So instead, I will talk about what is happening…

The Racine Creative Center is a quiet, seemingly abandoned place when you first walk in. If I recall correctly, the building was once home to a furniture store whose owners  had a cute little white dog that was allowed to walk around the store. Once you reach the third floor, however, you’re met with a…

While pursuing my writing career during these  past few years, I have befriended many artists and poets who publish their material independently whether through small presses or self published books. A few of these writers have released their work through the medium of ‘Zines, small traditionally photocopied periodicals. I went to the annual Racine ‘Zine…

I was all set to cover the Fire on Ice festival for today’s entry but I ended up quickly having a look and then leaving. It was much smaller compared to last year due to the absence of the ice skating rink on account of the temperature being 35 degrees. I had also eaten lunch…

1994’s Super Metroid has become one of my favorite video games within the past 14 years. I first discovered it in college when I was hanging around the University of Parkside’s video game club. The dank, dark neon setting really drew me  into the story about a bounty hunter, Samus, rescuing the last of an…

Now that I have introduced myself,  I have decided to  write a little about The Branch. Every time I visit, I am struck by  amount of art on the walls, tables, and even inside the giant bank vault. I wanted to find out how The Branch decided to host artwork and it’s contribution to the…

Hello, My name is Jenny Maurer and I will be your writer in residence for January to June 2020. Since moving to Racine in 1990, I have long come to appreciate the many creative outlets that our community offers, such as the Wustum’s many art classes, The Racine Art Museum’s exhibitions, the Racine Public Library’s…