Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, ensembleartsphilly.org
FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column, week of January 27, 2025.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”
— Playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
It won’t hurt to listen to the age-old wisdom of George Bernard Shaw (quoted above) and embrace the small joys of life to reap big rewards. Start here by enjoying the joys of January, from poetry and book events to reggae concerts. But don’t forget: When event-going, take precautions, especially when among groups and while indoors, with the risk of COVID-19 variants and other infectious health concerns.
Passing The Music Baton
Sante Johnson’s work focusing on musician Al B. Blue through embroidery, video, and photography was part of the 2024 Black City Music Project.
WXPN, WRTI, and REC Philly have found a cool way to connect the strings of musical generations. They are looking for Philadelphia-area creatives to sign up for their fifth annual Black Music City. Recipients share in $125,000 worth of grants to fund 30 projects that widely showcase their innovative work. The project is a golden opportunity for today’s emerging artists, writers, and musicians to salute Philadelphia’s rich legacy of Black music. Artists working in creative mediums can apply at no charge by February 3, 2025. blackmusiccity.com .
Kids Will Be Drawn To The Art
Mighty Illustrators may be the perfect activity to kick off the new year for artistic kids. The workshop, designed for children ages 7 to 17, is led by a professional artist who teaches new illustration techniques in a welcoming environment. Organized by Mighty Writers youth literacy nonprofit, it is just another outlet to develop creative expression. Free. E-mail: gbernicker@mightywriters.org, 610-909-9581 or mightywriters.org.
All Business
Thursday, January 30, 2025. Do you need help starting, operating, or even growing your business? The How to Price Your Business in-person workshop in the City of Philadelphia’s Coffee and Commerce series could be your savior. Learn about city resources and business connections to launch or take your business to the next level. Hosted by the Philadelphia Commerce Department, hear from industry leaders and specialists. Find out about pricing strategies and practices for goods and services in a competitive market. Tim Daniel, of LA21 Scale Up Your Business Program, will lead the insightful session. Enjoy coffee, breakfast, and giveaways. Free but pre-registration is required; 9:30 a.m. EST to noon EST. Northeast Regional Library, 2228 Cottman Ave., Northeast Philly. Email: anya.chuyko@phila.gov or leslie.acosta@phila.gov or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coffee-and-commerce-is-your-pricing-right-tickets-1096256997189?aff=ebdssbcategorybrowse.
A Fabulous Foursome Of Authors
Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Book, BookTalk on your calendar. Hosted by the communications trade group National Association for Black Journalists Philly, check out a virtual and in-person workshop led by four brilliant authors who will provide thought-provoking insight about their books and the art of book writing. The writers include Lee Hawkins, Jr., a Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of “I am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free”; Angela Dodson, a book editor and author of “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Vice on Justice for Black Men”; Chris Murray, a sports writer and author of “First Draft: A Collection of Stories Chronicling Racism, Sports and Social Justice in the 21st Century,” and Ashton Lattimore, former editor of Prism and author of “All We Were Promised A Novel.” Free; attend the NABJPhilly’s monthly membership meeting at 6:30 p.m. EST, or strictly the book event at 7 p.m. EST. Register in advance: nabjphilly@gmail.com. In-person: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 100 S. Independence Mall West, Suite 600, or via Zoom: bit.ly/nabjphillyfeb5meeting=.
The Healing Power Of Food As Medicine
Tuesday, February 4, 2025. Here’s an event to put on your plate: Information is power on the journey to a healthy lifestyle at Global Approaches to Food as Medicine hosted by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Take a healthy dive into the role of nutrition in promoting health and wellness. Engage with experts to discuss how cultures worldwide “use food as a form of medicine, incorporating traditional practices and modern science.” Learn about how certain foods can prevent, and treat illnesses and make you healthier. Discuss the Mediterranean diet’s health benefits and the Ayurvedic principles of balancing body and mind. Examine local and global views and new strategies focusing on food as a healing power. Single tickets: $20. Students under 18 & teachers: $5; 11:30 a.m. EST to 12:50 p.m. EST. A quorum at the University City Science Center, 3675 Market St. 267-802-1219 or https://wacphila.org/event/global-approaches-to-food-as-medicine/.
An Artistic Way To Heal
Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Poets in the Germantown area, this is for you: Attend a community workshop Healing Verse Germantown Poetry: The Streets Are Talking Workshop, led by poets Trapeta Mayson and Yolanda Wisher. The event is part of a combined poetry-public art endeavor designed to promote peace and resistance against Philadelphia’s pressing issue of gun violence. It will include an important mental health aspect. A licensed social worker/trauma specialist team will join Mayson and Wisher to discuss gun violence through the healing effect of art and poetry. Learn how to adeptly navigate the creative writing process, through interactive prompts, props, and worksheets. Participants will receive writing items, a notebook, and a tote bag with information about mental health. Poems will be recorded. Enjoy refreshments; get a $50 gift card. Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Taking is a series of ongoing community poetry workshops in Germantown through February. Hosted by the city’s Creative Philadelphia, selected poems will be featured in public art displays in Germantown next year. Free, but pre-registration is required. 5 p.m. EST to 7:30 p.m. EST. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healing-verse-germantown-poetry-workshop-tickets-1217076210709?aff=oddtdtcreator&mc_cid=dc0baae545&mc_eid=e46de8b264.
Celebrating Marley, From Reggae To Riches
Mighty Mystic
Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Enjoy a night of classic reggae mixed with hip-hop and rock courtesy of Mighty Mystic at the Bob Marley Birthday Show with Mums the Word. Mighty Mystic, with his “Wake up the World” album in 2010, has been part of the reggae revival keeping the genre alive, mon. He is known for his highly energetic message music. He also is the brother of Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Mighty Mystic is joined by local versatile jam band Mums The Word, which features a fusion of funk, rock, reggae, and hip-hop. The concert pays tribute to Bob Marley, whose birthday is February 6. The pioneer reggae musician died of untreated skin cancer at age 36 in 1981. Single tickets: $20, 8 p.m. EST (doors open at 7 p.m. EST EST). Music Hall at World Café Live, 2035 Walnut St. 215-222-1400 or Worldcafelive.org or https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/58937719/mighty-mystic-bob-marley-birthday-show-philadelphia-the-lounge-at-world-cafe-livelink.
Exhibition Engages Kids’ Creativity
Through Sunday, February 9, 2025. Parents, you will love this: Storytime is Always Now is a great creative educational activity for children; it encourages them to read, play, and imagine as part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure. Your kids (ages 3 to 7 recommended, but all ages will like it) will enjoy this interactive storytime examining themes from the exhibit, which highlights the paintings, drawings, and sculptures of Black and African diasporic artists exploring modern-day Black life. Single tickets: $35; $33 for seniors, and $19 for students. Exhibit ticket includes admission to the museum and on Fridays to Mondays, it includes entry to the nearby Rodin Museum. Space is limited. Open Mondays & Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. (Fridays until 8:45 p.m. EST). Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. / Main Building (Education Classrooms, West entrance). 215-763-8100 or https://philamuseum.org/calendar/event/the-storytime-is-always-now.