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Introducing 'Home Away from Home': Illuminating Cincinnati's Immigrant Women

It's always nice to feel like you belong. To feel like you are among your tribe of people. To feel like you have people you can relate to, and that what you say resonates with them. I have many of these tribes, and each fulfills a different need in me.

Among them all, the one I can say feeds my soul is the tribe of immigrant women. I’m excited to introduce a new column here at Women of Cincy called “Home Away from Home.” I’m thrilled to be involved with this fab publication and to share illuminating stories of Cincinnati's immigrant women.

Home Away from Home, February 2020, Around TownClara Matonhodze StrodeJanuary 31, 2020Community Mix

The Cincinnati Symphony’s Ixi Chen: Creating Harmony from the Classroom to concert:nova

I would say that I’m a supporter. First of all, I play second clarinet in the Cincinnati Symphony. That’s been my position since 2001. I never wanted to be the star and have all the solos and glory. I was much more interested in creating harmony, playing chamber music, helping other voices shine, and being the sideman, like in a band.

Arts + Culture, Education, Features, MusicSandra Okot-KotberJanuary 31, 2020Features

This Is Entrepreneurship: Jackie Roberto on Family

Sitting down to interview a female business owner on how she balances work and family is a little daunting. There’s the obvious question: Would we even be having this discussion if she were a man? And, how do we not make it sound like a version of the book I Don’t Know How She Does It – part awe and part comedy? Talking with Jackie Roberto, founder and partner of Madison Design, the importance of having these authentic conversations becomes clear. Over a glass of wine (but, of course) at Hotel Covington, Jackie candidly shares how she creates space for herself, her family, and her business. Sometimes it’s rocky; sometimes it’s smooth. But it’s all worth it.

Entrepreneurship, February 2020, This is EntrepreneurshipJudy ZitnikJanuary 31, 2020Community Mix

By the Book: Sex Talk with Your Local Librarian, Chapter 6

It’s that month of the year, friends: February. You might have love on the brain. You might have Singles Awareness Day on the brain. But whether you’re involved with somebody or highly focused on your self-love, there’s one thing we all know we can experiment with, right? Sex!

The Barre Code Cincinnati’s Michelle Ziegler

Michelle’s studio is the result of a desire to uplift others and share confidence with everyone who walks through her door, and it shows. My chat with Michelle was memorable, enthusiastic, and even a bit emotional. And you better believe I tucked a few of her quotes away for days I need a little reminder that I, indeed, am capable of most anything.

Home Away from Home: Zvisinei Dzepasi Mamutse

Zia is humble, but don’t let that fool you: She has fierce ambition. The world she lives in now is quite different from the life she knew in her native Zimbabwe, and I’m looking forward to uncovering her story. She offers us fruit and water before we settle in to talk.

The Power of Her: A Conversation with ArtsWave’s Alecia Kintner

Cincinnati is a city alive with art, music, and theatre. Art is the heartbeat of our culture. It is present in every corner of the city, and it didn’t happen by accident. ArtsWave (formerly the Fine Arts Fund) focuses on funding the future of the arts and bringing it into the community. Alecia Kitner, president and CEO of ArtsWave, strives to keep the organization’s focus on what Cincinnati needs from the arts. That focus also helps ArtsWave make its funding decisions. We sat down with Alecia to discuss the upcoming POWER OF HER project and what that looks like for the community.

Arts + Culture, February 2020Abbey BruceJanuary 31, 2020Community Mix

Behind the Scenes with Continuance: Honoring Community Memories with Art

Continuance is a community arts collective that takes memories and turns them into art. For the past year, they have collected memories in response to the prompt, "tell me about a place you cannot return to." The memories come in many forms: handwritten notes, letters, emails, audio recordings, Instagram messages, photographs, video interviews, and family dinners.

Arts + Culture, February 2020Dani ClarkJanuary 31, 2020Community Mix

Living Lightly on Earth: Earth Connection’s Sister Caroljean Willie

Sister Caroljean (C.j.) Willie is the program director at Earth Connection, an environmental center affiliated with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and adjacent to Mount St. Joseph University in Western Hills. Sister C.j. brings to Earth Connection her years of multicultural work experience from working with teachers in developing countries such as East Cebal, Uganda, Guatemala, and Mexico, her Peace Corps service on the island of Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean, and her work for eight years at the United Nations as the N.G.O. representative of the Sisters of Charity Federation which includes 14 congregations working in 26 countries. As an educator, Sister C.j. quoted a teacher who said, “Everything you teach has to have hooks on it that attach to something else in someone’s experience,” which has influenced her environmental sustainability efforts to encourage communities to work together.

Science + Tech, Features, Education, Outreach + AdvocacyKelly CarriganJanuary 27, 2020Features

Three. Whole. Years.

Women of Cincy began on a whim on January 20, 2017, as a way to document stories from the Cincinnati Women’s March. We were a few 20-somethings with cameras, recorders, and an Instagram account. We had no idea what we were creating, how much it would evolve, or how much it would change our lives.

Since that day, we’ve reached over 93,000 people, graduated 18 students from our residency program, expanded our volunteer team beyond 70 people, and so much more.

Features, Entrepreneurship, Outreach + Advocacy, Arts + CultureChelsie WalterJanuary 17, 2020Features

The Kids Are the Heroes: Sarah Curry Rathel and the Smile Books Project

We met Sarah Curry Rathel at the Ronald McDonald House, where she works with critically ill children and their families. She tells us these children are her heroes, and through her nonprofit, the Smile Books Project, she captures their stories as heroes in their own books. She is a mother, storyteller, and legacy-maker.

Arts + Culture, Health + Wellness, Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesKelly CarriganJanuary 13, 2020Features

Kate McCracken: Fat, Witchy, and Always Learning

Kate McCracken is a relatively recent Cincinnati resident – she moved here less than two years ago from Los Angeles. But in her short time in the city, she’s joined a local dance crew, found her favorite places, and started a body liberation community. Nestled at Lydia’s on Ludlow, we talked to her about moving to the Midwest, why she describes herself as “fat and witchy,” and more.

Features, Health + Wellness, Outreach + AdvocacySuzanne WilderJanuary 6, 2020Features

Meet the Women of Cincy Team: Sandra Okot-Kotber

As a resident at Women of Cincy, I was tasked to interview a team member. I briefly encountered Sandra Okot-Kotber at meetings, and I decided to interview her because, well, she just seems to have her life together (although she’ll probably tell you differently). I'm always in awe whenever I encounter an effortlessly cool, clever, and poised woman like Sandra. And after finally sitting down with her, I learned that she truly wants to make the world a better place. Her path in life is one of volunteerism and nonprofit work out of genuine love for others.

December 2019, Meet the Team, Around TownOlivia TaylorNovember 26, 2019Community Mix, Celebrate Black Stories

A Girl on a Farm: Exploring Cincinnati’s Urban Agriculture

The Women of Cincy capstone project allows residents to take on a project that’s wholly their own – from ideas to research to interviews and production. When I began thinking about my project this summer, I couldn’t get away from the subject of farming.

Yes, farming. It’s not something we usually think about despite its prevalence in our day-to-day lives, but having had the opportunity to take a class on the subject last spring, I wanted to dive deeper. How does farming affect our lives here in Cincinnati, and how can that relationship change?

By the Book: Sex Talk with Your Local Librarian, Chapter 5

I hope you had a fun month of experimenting and tried something new. I sincerely hope it was positive, and you learned something about yourself and your partnership. This month, I am happy to announce I am covering the book Respect: Everything a Guy Needs to Know About Sex, Love, and Consent by Inti Chavez Perez.

By the Book, December 2019, Health + Wellness, Sex Talk with EmmaEmma WilligNovember 25, 2019Community Mix

‘Regular, ordinary, everyday people’: Mary Aguilera of the Poor People’s Campaign

We met with Mary Aguilera at one of the places where she feels most at home: North Avondale Montessori School, where she works with children ages 3 to 6. From the moment you meet Mary, you notice peaceful energy about her; under that exterior, there is a deep-running commitment to social justice that meshes perfectly with her work in education.

A few years ago, Mary joined the organization Repairers of the Breach, a group headed by Rev. William Barber. The organization argues that the moral issues of today are how our society treats the poor, women, L.G.B.T.Q folks, children, workers, immigrants, communities of color, and the sick. Mary’s journey with the associated Poor People’s Campaign has brought more than political involvement to her life, and it was a joy to learn more about her work, building grassroots movements, and making leadership your own.

Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesLaura LeavittNovember 11, 2019Features

Chinmayee Nagaraj: Genetics, Music, and ‘Why Not?’

Chinmayee Nagaraj is learning as she goes. She traveled across India performing as a vocalist, unsure if it would lead anywhere. She studied genetics in college, not knowing if it was a realistic career. But she knows herself.

When she speaks, she is deliberate with her words and distinct in her meaning. And her courage has paid off. She now works as a genetics counselor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, testing different medical conditions and interacting with patients. When she’s not in the lab, she still trains as a musician, and she spreads her love for music as a teacher for young pupils. Formed by music, science, and the strength of family, Chinmayee’s perspective is one of radical bravery – to willingly throw yourself into the unknown, because, well, how else will you learn?

Science + Tech, Arts + Culture, Features, Music, Health + WellnessBlaire BartishNovember 4, 2019Features

Women of Cincy Gift Guide: Winter 2019

Ahh, the holidays! It’s the time of year when we get to spend quality time with our friends and families, eat lots of good food, curl up with our pets, and buy a bunch of presents for people we love.

Gift-giving is already something we put a lot of money and energy in. But it’s even more stressful when you’re trying to be an ethical shopper and a sustainability advocate. Luckily, Cincinnati has shops that offer low-waste, responsibly made items that anyone on your list would be thrilled to receive.

Gift Guide, Entrepreneurship, November 2019Hannah ReedOctober 30, 2019Community Mix

This Is Entrepreneurship: Katie Taylor on Building the Right Team

Katie Taylor knew right away that she needed to surround herself with the right people if her business, Untold Content, was going to survive the early stages of growth – as her family grew, too. We sat down with Katie at Iris Book Cafe in O.T.R. not long after the start of the school year to talk about how she built her team, how she finds the right fit, and how they’ve grown together over the past three years.

By the Book: Sex Talk with Your Local Librarian, Chapter 4

Do you remember last month when I said we could talk about something a little more fun? (I promise I’m off my wannabe-mom-worried-about-everyone’s-condom-use soapbox… but, honestly, how good are those “her pleasure” ones?)

Okay, okay – this month we’re talking about two of my favorite words: Security and Adventure. At first glance, these two do not seem to go together – in fact, they are opposites.