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Archive | December, 2010

West Philly storyteller a “noisemaker of the year”

December 15, 2010

West Philly storyteller Juliet Hope Wayne is one of Philadelphia Weekly’s Noisemakers of the Year. The alternative weekly writes:

“Wayne has an uncanny talent for crafting anecdotes into exquisitely hilarious five-minute yarns she unravels with infectiously wicked glee. We won’t spoil the fun by revealing the punch lines but rest assured the story “Poundcake” can make anyone, especially anyone who’s ever spent time in the dark underbelly trenches of restaurant work, burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter approaching Double Rainbow levels.”

Wayne’s storytelling prowess has been featured most notably on The Moth podcast, which is a prime digital destination for storytellers these days. As the Weekly mentions, last year Wayne was the first woman named The Moth’s “grand slampion.”

Not bad for someone whose first attempt at storytelling before an audience brought on nerves so bad she threw up in the bathroom at the Japanese restaurant next door before taking the stage. Like most good storytellers, Juliet has that enviable ability to tell little yarns about her own life that make us laugh. I mean, like, out loud belly laugh. Oh yeah, and she had a drug problem.

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Today in West Philly

December 15, 2010

A sampling of things going on today. There may be more in the happenings section (our ever-expanding listings). Send your listings to: editor [at] westphillylocal.com

Advent concert • 7 p.m. • Saint Francis de Sales Parish • 4625 Springfield Ave. • Free

The annual Advent concert, Veni, Immanuel.

Ayca Yasmin

Ayca Yesim at Penn Museum • 6 p.m. • 3260 South St. • Free with regular admission donation.

Ayca Yesim is a Turkish music singer who performs in New York Philadelphia area. Classical Turkish music is a centuries old music tradition which was passed from generation to generation by means of personal training rather than through written instructions. Free with regular museum admission donation.

Folk Arts Roundtable • 6 p.m. • Philadelphia Folklore Project • 735 S. 50th St. • Free/RSVPs required

PFP invites you to gather with artists and cultural workers committed to folk arts to discuss what is on your mind and share your experiences.


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“This is Home”: A video about Walnut Hill

December 14, 2010

We came across this video, which includes interviews with longtime Walnut Hill residents, on the website of The Enterprise Center. Asia Ray, a West Philadelphia High School graduate, shot the film a couple of years ago during the Walnut Hill planning process. It has only become available recently on The Enterprise Center’s website. The piece provides a good perspective on the past, present and future of the neighborhood, which runs from Spruce to Market Streets, 45th to 52nd Streets.

This is Home: The Story of Walnut Hill from The Enterprise Center CDC on Vimeo.

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Today in West Philly

December 14, 2010

A sampling of things going on around the hoods today. There may be more in the happenings section (our ever-expanding listings). Send your listings to editor [at] westphillylocal.com

• Holiday Craft Sale3 p.m. – 9 p.m. • University City Arts League • 4226 Spruce St.

Th UC Arts League sale, featuring jewelry, handwoven clothing, pottery, etc., continues through Dec. 23.

Cancer Support Group9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. • Mercy Hospital, Iris Henderson Conference Room • 501 S. 54th St.

Beer and Cheese • 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. • Dock Street Brewing Co. • 701 S. 50th St.

Dock Street will release a new beer – barrel-aged Prince Myshkin Russian Imperial Stout – and DiBruno Bros. cheesemongers will offer some cheese pairings. Dostoevsky would be proud.

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Assistance programs for high heating bills

December 14, 2010

Nasty weather like today’s brings along high heating bills. There is help for folks who need it. A number of assistance programs exist to help pay gas and electric bills. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), for example, can provide grants  for energy bills for a family of three with a gross income below $29,296.

A complete list of assistance programs is here.

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West Philly in film

December 13, 2010

Depending on your feelings about romantic comedies, going to see the soon-to-open James L. Brooks movie How Do You Know? may only appeal to you because it was partially shot nearby. Scenes for the film, which opens Friday and stars Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson, were shot at the Armory at 33rd and Lancaster Avenue as well as the Widener building near 13th and Chestnut.

Another film with a little more of the West Philly vibe is Cafe, which was filmed here in the summer of 2009. Any of you who have spent time at the Green Line Cafe on Baltimore Avenue will recognize the cafe in Cafe. That’s because writer and director Marc Erlbaum wrote much of the screenplay at said Green Line (renamed “West Philly Grounds” for the movie). The film, which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, was screened October 16 at the Philadelphia Film Festival. We have been hunting around for other screenings. Let us know if you hear of any.

Here’s some footage from Cafe, including some outside the Green Line, that includes co-star Daniel Eric Gold.

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