We met college senior Sarah Durham for a drink to chat about what it takes to be a student actress and filmmaker, what it’s like going to school in Cincinnati, and finding balance. As we settled in at the corner of the bar, Sarah’s smile was contagious in the unusually quiet speakeasy.
Read MoreThe first thing you notice about Audrey is her glowing smile as she enters the Rohs Street Cafe on a bustling summer weekday. She is almost effervescent with her energy as we move to a space outside for the interview. With her easygoing nature, she wouldn’t strike the average person as being a driven powerhouse of creativity who has returned to Cincinnati from an ambitious journey throughout the country. But she is, and we’re lucky to have her back as she gears up to showcase her directorial debut with “Too Like the Lightning” during the Cindependent Film Festival this month.
Read MoreI love people who cut to the chase: This is who I am; take it or leave it. Yelitsa Jean-Charles is one such woman. In the few months I’ve known her, I’ve grown to love our short-and-sweet exchanges at Union Hall: two tired-but-happy entrepreneurs with big dreams, high expectations, and serious sweet tooths. We finally got a chance to sit down for an interview, and the artist-turned-entrepreneur was everything I knew she’d be: snarky (her words), unapologetic, honest. Read on to meet the founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, a budding company dedicated to bringing diversity and empowerment straight to the toy aisles of America.
Read MoreI am early again, biting my nails and washing my nerves down with iced coffee. There is a fly circling my table and pausing on the window after each lap. As I watch it scurry across the glass, I wonder if this fly on the wall really holds secrets.
Bright and early on a warm, Saturday morning, I walked across the uneven, cobblestone parking lot at Longworth Hall, just past downtown Cincinnati. As the impressive brick building towered in front of me, I entered the bright lobby to meet an impeccably dressed, beaming Laura VonHolle, director of operations for Heyman Talent.
Read MoreLana Read was the name… As we let the conversation roll, she shared her lens on topics ranging from the perfect story arc to the community building potential of local film to balancing leadership and femininity.
Read MoreHello! My name is Kate Ducey and I am the current editorial resident here at Women of Cincy.
Part of being a resident is completing a capstone, so for my capstone, I've decided to reach out to Women of Cincy readers!
My capstone is titled "The Serendipity Scrapbook" and it is all about getting people to look at their everyday lives differently through a series of small challenges.
Read MoreBombASSbabes is a mini-series celebrating the tenacious broads of Cincinnati. The short films explore a sundry of hobbies, skills, and enthusiasms women choose to pour their creative energy into. Session 3 features Jaclin Hastings, a tattoo artist in Cincinnati.
Read MoreThe past couple of weeks have been filled with events led by and created for all boss babes in the tristate area. We lived it up with Details2Decor and national recording artist Vivian Green, and then weaved through numerous displays of gorgeous inventive products at Girl Boss Events's first pop-up for female vendors.
Read MoreOn a sunny spring evening, I walked through aisles of brightly colored international candies, hundreds of varieties of wine, and an array of flower-shaped cheeses to find Hannah Blair sitting at a table near the coffee shop inside Jungle Jim’s International Market. After swapping stories of the peculiar displays we’d each passed on the way in, we grabbed a seat and chatted about small town life, filmmaking, and what it means to “make your work.”
Read MoreKellyAnn Nelson believes in empowering people and helping them to access their superpowers through music. She is the founder and artistic director of Young Professionals’ Choral Collective of Cincinnati (YPCC), an open access nonprofit choir. YPCC has a roster of 1,100 young professionals (YPs) who sign up to sing in any or all of the organization’s three arms: 1. Non-auditioned cycles which run 6-8 weeks each; 2. Community singing, which takes place around town upon request, whether at breweries or on the steps of Music Hall; and 3. The auditioned chamber choir. KellyAnn is also the managing artistic director of the Cincinnati Boychoir. Through these dual roles, she is helping to create a community of inclusion in Cincinnati.
Read MoreWith glasses, long dark hair with bangs, and a red lip, filmmaker Jen Day was serving up some serious “New Girl” vibes when we met her at Nation Kitchen & Bar earlier this summer. We found a corner near the front windows, and with our photographer Heather’s encouragement, I tried a whiskey Moscow Mule for the first time – it was love at first sip. We nestled in with our drinks, took in Nation’s inviting atmosphere, and got right down to the nitty-gritty of being a woman in the city and what it means to tell unique stories through film.
Read MoreRachel Miller walks in the door and the room brightens. She spends time with the barista, thinking about what she wants and cracking jokes, and I smile knowing we’re about to have a great conversation.
Read MoreOn an oddly warm day in March, we ventured out to a little corner pub in Madisonville to meet Allyson West. Little did I know that she’d immediately become one of my favorite people: an unapologetic, authentic, instant friend who makes you feel like you could walk up to her on the street and pour out your heart and soul. We met the fiery filmmaker, actress, and founder of the brand new Cindependent Film Festival at her favorite neighborhood haunt, The Bramble Patch.
Read MoreThe organizers of the inaugural Cindependent Film Festival joined forces with Women of Cincy on July 4 at Washington Park to celebrate the rad party that will be the event's inaugural edition, August 23-25 at the Woodward Theater.
Read MoreFrom bikes to art, there was no shortage of empowering for our city this week. Check out what our incredible team has to say about this past week’s happenings.
Read MoreCommonwealth Bistro, tucked away in a gorgeous historical building, is bringing that feeling back. Built on the community of Covington and the rich history of Kentucky, Commonwealth Bistro encourages you to pull up a seat, dig into some Kentucky Fried Rabbit, and make new connections. We met up with co-owner Tess Burns to hear about the origins of Commonwealth Bistro, how to make new girlfriends, and reconnecting with nature.
BombASSbabes is a mini-series celebrating the tenacious broads of Cincinnati. The short films explore a sundry of hobbies, skills, and enthusiasms women choose to pour their creative energy into. Session 2 features Siri Imani, a performer and member of Triiibe LLC.
Read MoreWe meet at Liberty’s Bar & Bottle, home to many of Lily and Anh’s best ideas. It’s an innocent enough starting point for a simple after-work get-together. But with Lily and Anh, a simple get-together can just as often turn into an unplanned meeting of top-tier movers and shakers planning out the next great idea for the city. I’ve been there, and it happens.
Read MoreAs soon as I pull up to Homeadow Song Farm, I know the homestead is no stranger to me; the energy is too welcoming and sweet. I step out of my pollen-covered Corolla, trip on a rock, look around with my mouth agape, and see Vicki Mansoor looking at me as she walks down the stairs.
Vicki is the natural beauty of the land, disguised as a human being. I feel unnatural with a camera hanging from my neck: There is just no way to capture that kind of beauty. Not even words can, but I will try to explain.
Read More
