Erin Stover Sickmen
Erin gets to flex her creative muscle as Artistic Director of the Studios of Key West but has also completed a graduate degree at Harvard, served as a National Park Service Search and Rescue volunteer, visited all 50 states, rescued a 300lb sea turtle, nabbed the title of Key West Ms. Gay Pride, and gotten involved with Special Olympics. She says yes to pretty much everything. Luckily her wife, daughter and crazed terrier put up with this.
THE LOST ART OF POLITE PARTYING – KEYS WOMAN MAGAZINE
In 1880 a publication entitled, “The Habits of Good Society” hit bookshelves in the U.S., outlining, in no uncertain terms, all the ways in which guests (particularly women) should conduct themselves in social settings.
Women were encouraged to never indulge in more than one glass of champagne and never to...
THEATER REVIEW: BIG D(IANE) ENERGY
Audience members filing into Red Barn Theatre over the next four weeks will be treated to a gender-playful, reality-bending comedy. “Hurricane Diane” follows a female incarnation of the Greek god Dionysus, who has come to Earth in contemporary times to gather a cult of followers with the intent of...
‘CATS TALK BACK’ AT RED BARN THEATRE GIVES AUDIENCES WHAT THEY WANT
The Red Barn Theatre opens its 2022 season with a play that, in many ways, perfectly fits the tone of the moment. “Cats Talk Back” is just the right amount of absurd to compliment the first month of the new year. As usual, director Joy Hawkins has a keen...
THE RELUCTANT ELF: HOW TO ‘HOLIDAY’ WHEN YOU’RE JUST NOT IN THE MOOD – ANNUAL HOLIDAY MAGAZINE
When the last pumpkin has decomposed and the last Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich has been devoured, we’re officially in the thick of the holiday season. Those who are not emotionally prepared for the twinkly onslaught can grinch and grouse about the early arrival of holiday décor in their local box...
RELUCTANT KEY WEST RUNNER FINISHES CHICAGO MARATHON — WITH A PARASITE
When the era of humanity ends, there won’t be a catastrophic event of fire and flood. My bet would ride on the quiet rise of bacteria, parasites, viruses. But this is not a nihilistic doomsday tale. This is a triumphant story of a 150-pound woman versus a vengeful microscopic...
2 SHOWS LEFT: ‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’ DELIGHTS AT WATERFRONT PLAYHOUSE
If ever there was a time for blissful melancholy, it’s the week leading into the holiday season. Thanksgiving has a way of ushering in a month of cozy family nostalgia, but tends to also sneak around the back with a smack of family conflict, travel stress or just general...
THE GREAT INDOORS: BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN – HOME & GARDEN MAGAZINE
One of the latest design trends taps into something many people intuit quite, ahem, naturally. Biophilic design is spreading through homes and businesses in Western Europe like the rampant kudzu it imitates. The name comes from biophilia, the idea that humans are intrinsically linked to the natural world, informed...
ONE STEP AT A TIME – REFLECTIONS OF A RELUCTANT RUNNER
A couple years ago it occurred to me that I should at least attempt to fight genetics, the aging process and all the other inevitabilities life throws our way. At the risk of sounding grim, it’s a battle we’re all destined to lose. If the worst-case scenario, though, is...
COMEDIAN PAULA POUNDSTONE RETURNS TO KEY WEST THEATER AUG. 21
As soon as comedian Paula Poundstone picks up the call, there’s a crackling energy on the other end of the line. She imparts a hearty, genuine greeting before launching into a conversation about masks that quickly leads her to wonder if it might be kind for society to start...
KEY WEST TO COSTA RICA: TRAVELING POST-COVID
Travel is always a fast-fading dream in hindsight. A week after returning home, all abstract curiosities have been solved and we’re left with a full camera roll, an inflated credit card balance and some stellar memories. For over a year, I’ve dreamed about venturing beyond the bounds of the...
OPINION: PRIDE AND PROGRESS — A COMPLICATED RAINBOW
A couple years ago, someone in Boston came up with the idea for a “straight Pride parade.” Thankfully, the internet provides, so the response was swift and merciless. Memes popped up touting costumes consisting of chinos and Sperry slides. People joked that it would likely consist of five guys...
TRAVEL GETS TRICKY POST-COVID: IS IT WORTH THE TRIP?
The past year forced a number of unwelcome, and thankfully temporary, changes. Instead of grabbing our favorite table with friends, we opted for takeout. We gave up live theater, music and sports, streaming what we could in order to get our cultural fix. Most facets of life were able...
