childhood: Philadelphia Metropolis

Creating the New City: Part Four

By Ada Kulesza» We continue our series on young Philadelphians who are making a difference with three profiles -- an eco-activist who has floated down the Susquehanna River on a homemade raft; two refugees from the move industry working with the homeless to make films; a hypnotherapist spreading the gospel of how going into a trance can help heal. (Comments)

Leaving on A Jet Plane

By Robin Lentz Worgan» In the Philadelphia Airport, on the way to visit my parents in Florida, we sit by the window awaiting our plane. Young mothers come by with toddlers. Three preschool-age boys play hide and seek and remind me of my son, silly and loving at that age, now 15 and mute, save for asking for food. Nearby, a mom lifts her shirt to breastfeed her baby and I cannot help but stare. I envy the lost feeling of having someone so close that you can hear their heartbeat, so attached to you and dependent on your every move. When they call our flight number, we line up to get on the plane. Since Southwest Airlines does not provide seat assignments, I quickly realize that we have a low number, which means we will board the plane last. I walk up to the front with my (Comments)

Searching for My Six-Word Memoir

By Jessica H. Turner» For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn. Legend has it that Hemingway was bet he couldn't write a story in six words, and the above line is what he wrote down. This story that is the basis of website SMITH Magazine's collection of six-word memoirs. SMITH asked its readers to tell the story of their lives in six words, and many of these responses were compiled into books, like Not Quite What I Was Planning and its sequel It All Changed In An Instant. I was first introduced to the series by my mother. I enveloped myself with the memoirs, ranging from a nine-year-old cancer survivor's testimony (Cursed with cancer. Blessed with friends.) to the musings of Stephen Colbert (Well, I thought it was funny.). I started to think of (Comments)

The Case for Clemency

By William DiMascio It was, indeed, a thing of beauty -- though not for all the obvious reasons - a clash between a nuanced and compassionate public and the absolutist titans of justice who almost never view punishment as excessive.... (Comments)

Hometown Warrior

By Robert Hamilton» There's something about being a Philadelphian that becomes indelible within one's character. Something about the experiences that makes you sort of shock proof. I've got my stripes, that's for sure. My family has lived in My. Airy, Southwest Philly, Germantown and, for the past 13 years, West Philadelphia. Because I've lived in West for most of my life, I've taken to explaining to people that I was born and raised here. Saying that you're just from Philadelphia is too vague, and saying that you're from a bad part of town puts people off. Typically, I get a response like "Isn't that where Will Smith is from?" I usually reply "Yes, he went to my rival high school, actually." A true (Comments)