Posts in Features
Rebecca Nava Soto on Indigenous Roots, the Creative Process, and Motherhood
Rebecca Nava Soto on Indigenous Roots, the Creative Process, and Motherhood

I met Rebecca by responding to a call for volunteers at the Wavepool Gallery back in March – even as strangers, we easily slid into an exchange of expression, direction and trust as we brought her vision to life for TLACUĀ PAHTIĀ. Across the two shows I’ve had the honor of helping her install, we’ve shared intimate words of wisdom, encouragement and vulnerability. These rich moments were embedded in the materials we lay on the ground as ephemeral offerings – an ode to the beauty of sacred communication over time on Earth. 

Coming back to interview her for Women of Cincy was a full circle moment. Nothing can be done to recreate the beautiful conversations we’ve had over the last nine months, but this feature was an opportunity to capture something that could be easily shared with the world; a chance for others to get a glimpse of the perspective Rebecca brings to the community. 

We met at her studio and worked on an experimental mixed media art piece while chatting. As we intuitively played with her selection of colored wood shavings, our hearts opened organically.

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Arts + Culture, FeaturesSophia EpitropoulosFeatures
Pam Remmel: On Crochet and Common Beer
Pam Remmel: On Crochet and Common Beer

Pam Remmel is a self-proclaimed “typical Westsider” – born and raised in Delhi, she never dreamed of leaving the west side of Cincinnati, and married “an Elder boy” with the same vision. They raised their children here, and play with grandchildren here, and now co-own the brewery that sits at the center of it all: West Side Brewing. We joined her there to chat about crocheting, good beer and memory, specifically that of her late mother. Pam was nominated for Women of Cincy by a stranger, who bought a blanket created by Pam’s mother. It’s the story behind this blanket that brings us here today.

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Arts + Culture, Behind the Booze, Features, Food + BeverageRachel ValerioFeatures
Goddess of the Blues: Cheryl Renée
Goddess of the Blues: Cheryl Renée

Cincinnati native, world-traveled musician and “Goddess of the Blues,” Cheryl Renee is the kind of gal you’d want to have in your band. Not only is she an incredible pianist and singer, but she’s humble, spunky and self-sufficient. Cheryl has toured the world and continues to keep herself busy in Cincinnati’s music scene. But she doesn’t need the applause – she can often be seen shooing away the enthusiastic clapping and cheers after every set. No, there isn’t a need to remind her how good she is – she already knows. (But we’ll continue to be fan girls in the audience anyway).

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Features, Music, Arts + CultureSophia EpitropoulosFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Robin Walker: Building Futures in Technology
Robin Walker: Building Futures in Technology

Late last summer, we met up with entrepreneur, former technology manager, and nonprofit leader Robin Walker at her business space in Springdale. In two adjacent storefronts in a shopping plaza, Walker runs a suite of organizations: one a technology support company (Technology Tailor Made) and one a nonprofit that aims to build careers in technology for minority youth (Camp BYOC). That nonprofit started as a short summer program for a handful of teenagers – as “Build Your Own Computer Camp” – and has expanded to become a wider range of programs including coding, multimedia, and robotics. 

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Entrepreneurship, Education, FeaturesSuzanne WilderFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Leslie Mattie Rich: Community Organizer Extraordinaire
Leslie Mattie Rich: Community Organizer Extraordinaire

On one of the few non-muggy days this summer, I walked through the bright and bustling streets of Westwood to my neighborhood arcade, Wondercade. It’s a well-worn path. My kids and I make the trip often to this cherished piece of our community. This time, though, I wouldn’t be trying to beat my high score on Pac-Man or Q*bert. I was there to talk with Leslie Mattie Rich, Wondercade owner, life-long Westwood resident, and incredible creator of community. As the sounds of joy spilled in from outside the party room where we sat, Leslie shared her passion, and gift, for making space and place for the people around her.

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Entrepreneurship, Features, Outreach + AdvocacyMichaela RawsthornFeatures
Priyanka Desirazu: A Conversation On STEM, Taking Chances, and Living at Full Speed
Priyanka Desirazu: A Conversation On STEM, Taking Chances, and Living at Full Speed

On a sunny day in June, I was excited to sit down and talk with Priyanka Desirazu. She came highly recommended to Women of Cincy: biomedical engineer, STEM mentor, race car driver, chef, swimmer, world traveler. She is empowering young women to take up STEM education and STEM careers. Priyanka recently won the ‘Leader of Impact’ Award from the Entrepreneurs of Success organization. She is a speaker at events such as Girl Start: Women in STEM Series, STEMlytical, STEM 4 Everyone, and HerSTEM.

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Features, Outreach + Advocacy, Science + TechKelsey GrahamFeatures
Dr. Shwetha Manoharan: One of Cincinnati’s Best ‘Gyno-chiatrists’
Dr. Shwetha Manoharan: One of Cincinnati’s Best ‘Gyno-chiatrists’

It’s a beautiful spring day, and I’m sitting at one of the picnic tables at Washington Park. The birds are chirping, music is in the air, and in the middle of everything, I find myself happy to sit down with…my gynecologist. While this may sound unusual, it’s actually the start of a very fun, light-hearted conversation with Dr. Shwetha Manoharan, a gynecologist with a devoted clientele, as evidenced in Cincinnati moms’ groups on Facebook.

Dr. Manoharan is a busy professional woman with young children of her own and a full schedule of patient visits. However, she was able to break away for a quick moment to talk to us about being a doctor, where she draws her strength from, and why you shouldn’t feel guilty about saying “no.”

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Features, Health + WellnessBlaire BartishFeatures
Monique Gilliam on Intention, Relatability, and Turning Action into Results
Monique Gilliam on Intention, Relatability, and Turning Action into Results

If you look up the word “driven” in the dictionary, odds are you’ll find a photo of Monique Gilliam next to it. The vision she has for her life is clear and focused, and her work ethic is something to be admired.

Since our last sit down with Monique back in 2019, she’s taken on new career and social ventures, including joining the Cohear team as a Community Organizer in March 2021. With less than a year under her belt, she was promoted to Director of Organizing and she’s relishing in this moment. At Cohear, Monique feels valued, supported, and seen. She couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the work they’re doing and she’s eager to see where this journey will take them next.

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Features, Outreach + Advocacy, Sponsored ContentKristyn BridgesEveryday Expert, Celebrate Black Stories, Features
Nikita Anderson on the Importance of Lived Experience and Creating Sacred Spaces
Nikita Anderson on the Importance of Lived Experience and Creating Sacred Spaces

Nikita Anderson is a straight shooter – unafraid to tell it like it is. She gets it from her mom. It’s a quality that has served her well in her work with Cohear over the past 4 years, first as an everyday expert and now as Director of Community. Nikita knows the power of sharing personal stories to foster connection and change, and she is incredibly proud of the work her team and their partners are doing to engage previously unsung voices. Cohear helps organizations and decision makers leverage real world experiences to improve their policies and better serve their communities, one focus group at a time.

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Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesKristyn BridgesFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories, Everyday Expert
Aiesha Little: Making Space for Whimsy
Aiesha Little: Making Space for Whimsy

Aiesha Little is a professional writer and editor, the founder of the Midwest Black Speculative Fiction Alliance, and, in a whimsical twist, the ‘mechanic’ of the steampunk-focused cosplay group Airship Ashanti. Before I met her, I suspected she was creative and fun – and those suspicions proved wholly accurate in the course of our interview. I walked away thinking how crucial it is to find and make spaces for joy in our lives.

Over a Zoom conversation in January, we talked about her entry to cosplay, her creative interests, and the ways she’s made space for them. Photos were taken at Tillie’s Lounge in Northside.

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Arts + Culture, FeaturesSuzanne WilderFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Doris Thomas: Faith, Strength, and Never the Less
Doris Thomas: Faith, Strength, and Never the Less

Walking into Never the Less, a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides programs for fourth- through eleventh-grade girls in the tri-state area, is a lot like walking into a church: the atmosphere is welcoming and bright; in lieu of stained glass, beautiful paintings and prints depicting strong women decorate the walls; and at the center of it all, one can only approach the equivalent of a preacher – founder Ms. Doris Thomas – with a sense of joyful reverence. Working through her faith and the footprints of the women who showed her the way, Ms. Doris talked to us at Never the Less’ new location about her faith, her accomplishments, and her hopes to come.

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Features, Outreach + AdvocacyBlaire BartishFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Proud of How Far We’ve Come: Zoey Peach on LGBTQ Rights and HIV Prevention
Proud of How Far We’ve Come: Zoey Peach on LGBTQ Rights and HIV Prevention

Zoey Peach is, as her name implies, a real peach, with a bubbly personality and excitement behind her glistening eyes. The health educator and outreach maven invited us into the newly re-opened offices at Caracole, a nonprofit AIDS service organization serving the tri-state area in the fight against HIV/AIDS through prevention, housing, and care. Zoey shared stories of the amazing people she’s learned from and how she’s using that knowledge to fight discrimination in the tri-state area.

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Features, Education, Health + Wellness, Outreach + AdvocacyBlaire BartishFeatures
Sheryl Long: Finding Purpose in City Work
Sheryl Long: Finding Purpose in City Work

As a Gemini and self-professed creative with degrees in African American studies and marketing, Sheryl Long didn’t anticipate her current career path in city administration. But she found her purpose in local government roles. She’s now the assistant city manager for Cincinnati and the president of the Ohio City/County Management Association.

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Features, Outreach + Advocacy, PoliticsSuzanne WilderFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Becky Blank: Giving Voice to Diversity in the Tech Space
Becky Blank: Giving Voice to Diversity in the Tech Space

Becky Blank is passionate about making the tech industry a more diverse space. She lives her passion in her day job at Ample by striving to be the kind of strong woman leader whom she has always wanted to have in her workplace, and in her free time through the two nonprofits she helped found, We Pivot and Unmute. Both aim to amplify marginalized voices in the tech industry.

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Features, Science + TechTracy P. Van WagnerFeatures
Painting with Voices: Jillian Harrison-Jones and Why Representation Matters
Painting with Voices: Jillian Harrison-Jones and Why Representation Matters

Jillian Harrison-Jones grew up in a family of musicians and took lessons from their careers to ultimately find her passion in conducting. She started as a history major, bound for law school, but when asked what she was truly passionate about, she knew it was music. Jillian made a dramatic switch, getting a new undergrad degree and ultimately pursuing her passion to mold voices into one awesome sound.

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Arts + Culture, Music, FeaturesChelsea WeaverFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Emily Palmer Wolff: A Work in Progress
Emily Palmer Wolff: A Work in Progress

On a cold January afternoon, I took a short walk to Emily Palmer Wolff’s studio in the heart of Mainstrasse, Kentucky; it only took me about a song and a half in my headphones to get there from my own home. On my walk, I passed a tall brick building undergoing a makeover; my favorite neighborhood bar, Larry’s; and the side of a building with a mural that reads “Love Y’all” – all everyday details Emily Wolff has touched in Covington.

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Features, Entrepreneurship, Food + BeverageSarah WheatleyFeatures