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Grief has a way of bringing up everything—memories, emotions, regrets—and sometimes, the worst of people. When my father passed, I wasn’t just grieving the loss of a man; I was processing years of complicated history. My relationship with him had its share of abuse, pain, and missed moments, but also flashes of good times and lessons I now realize he was trying to pass on. Yet even as I tried to come to terms with what he truly meant to me, another storm was brewing—one involving greed. The inheritance became a battlefield. Financial cutoffs, the loss of transportation, my art...

I’ve noticed that certain behaviors of people, whether in groups or as individuals, seem to bother you. It’s not hard to see why—you’ve experienced trauma, specifically sexual assault (SA), and as a result, you might feel a strong need to control your environment. That’s completely understandable. After all, when something so profoundly out of your control happens, the instinct to regain safety and certainty can become a core part of how you move through the world. Over the years, many SA survivors develop controlling tendencies, often as a means of creating a safe space around them. But is this need...

In the entertainment industry, being roasted by Don Rickles wasn't just an insult—it was a badge of honor. The king of insult comedy, Don Rickles, had a unique way of blending biting humor with an underlying warmth that left both audiences and his "victims" laughing in disbelief. Getting verbally eviscerated by Rickles was like receiving a weirdly prestigious medal. It said, "You’ve made it to the top. Now, prepare to be verbally annihilated." The art of the Rickles insult was in his delivery. No one could quite disarm an audience like him. He could call you a "hockey puck" or...

We like to believe that the law is fair, that it protects everyone equally, regardless of status or wealth. After all, it’s written into the fabric of our society—"justice for all" is a phrase we’re taught as children, a promise we expect our government to uphold. But as we grow older, we start to notice that this ideal is just that—an ideal. In practice, the law belongs to the rich. The Price of Justice It’s no secret that the criminal justice system favors those who can afford the best legal representation. For the wealthy, hiring high-powered lawyers, paying for endless...

 Since being blacklisted by Stephan Baxter, I've watched as he continues to promote only his inner circle of artists. One of these artists, John Sollom, stands out not because of his excellence, but due to the confusion his art evokes. Is John Sollom actually any good? At first glance, it's clear that Sollom is a skilled oil painter. His technical ability is evident. However, what he chooses to do with that skill is where things start to fall apart. Sollom’s works typically involve assemblages, abstract three-dimensional constructions hung on the wall, reminiscent of Robert Rauschenberg’s famous combines. Then, amidst...