Cleveland SCENE 8/27/25

REWIND: 2015

With the national champ Buckeyes kicking off the

Saturday, a look back to 10 years ago when Cardale Jones graced the Scene cover.

FEATURE STORIES WORTH SHARING

Cleveland Book Fest kicks off a month of literary activity around the region. By Cleveland Book Fest Partners

WHAT IF EVERY SINGLE resident in the Greater Cleveland Area engaged with a book this September?

We have come together to find out.

Our mission is to nurture Northeast Ohio’s love for literature. No matter the genre, no matter the age, no matter the reading level—we want the whole city to discover a story worth sharing.

The stakes are high.

In an era of censorship, disinformation, literacy gaps, and the dismantling of cultural and educational institutions—now is the time for us to come together and stand up for the future of literary arts in our city.

For the entire month of September, we are bringing literary arts events to every corner of the city, and almost all are free of charge.

Cleveland Book Fest (formerly known as Cleveland Book Week) is a multi-organization initiative with official partners including: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, The City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Great Lakes African American Writers Conference (GLAAWC), Lake Erie Ink, Literary Cleveland and Writers in Residence.

This year’s festival is slated to draw in thousands of book lovers, writers, and residents through author talks, poetic-inspired exhibits, dynamic readings, and publishing panels. From rock legends Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo promoting their new picture book at Cleveland Public Library to New York Times bestselling author Celeste Ng keynoting Literary Cleveland’s annual Inkubator Writing Conference, Cleveland Book Fest provides diverse entry points into the world of literature.

For the month of September, Cleveland will transform into one of the nation’s most literary cities. We hope you’ll join us.

YOUTH, TEEN, AND FAMILY PROGRAMMING

This year’s Cleveland Book Fest features more family-friendly programming than ever before. The Cleveland Public Library kicks off Cleveland Book Fest this year on September 3 with a family-friendly program at the MLK Branch featuring the legendary rock duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, who will read their newly released picture book, My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!

Lake Erie Ink, Writers in Residence, CHARP EDucation, and Sparrow’s Fortune will follow that up on September 11 with Listen Up! Teen Writers Fest, also at the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Teens in grades 7th-12th across the Greater Cleveland Community are invited to write in response to prompts, share work in an open mic, hear from local guest poets, eat pizza, and grab giveaways.

Then, on September 14, join Literary Cleveland for a free book giveaway at the West Side Market in partnership with the Cleveland Public Library. CPL will give away books at a fruit and vegetable stand in the arcade, Comics at the Corner and Carol and John’s Comic Shop will have free comics, and Rust Belt Humanities Lab will be on hand for a free talk on comics.

WRITING WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES, AND MORE

If you’re an emerging writer looking to share your work, learn from publishing professionals, gain insights from highly-esteemed authors, and sharpen your craft— Cleveland Book Fest has the perfect lineup for you.

Literary Cleveland will launch its 11th annual Inkubator Writing Conference, the largest free writing conference in the nation. The 2025 conference theme, “Burn Bright,” is taken from the words of 2025 Inkubator Keynote speaker Celeste Ng. As she writes in her book Our Missing Hearts: “If the world is on fire you might as well burn bright.” The conference features virtual events September 8-10; 40+ workshops on writing and publishing at the main Cleveland Public Library on September 11-13; and community programs throughout the month, including a free open mic event hosted by Calil “Just C.O.S.” Cage and Siaara Freeman of The Sparrow’s Fortune. See the full schedule and register for free at inkubator.litcleveland.org.

Attend the Eighth Annual Great Lakes African American Writers Conference September 27 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Cleveland Public Library-MLK Branch for their annual day-long conference where Black literary creatives are celebrated and highlighted for their work in Cleveland and beyond. The 2025 conference features a nationally renowned author, Diane McKinney-Whetstone (the Langston Hughes Literary Keynote), and Kim Martin Sadler (the

Alice Dunbar Nelson Professional Keynote), a publishing industry expert, to share insights with authors and aspiring writers throughout the region. Accompanied by in-depth panel discussions, opportunities to network with esteemed literary minds, and be equipped with trending literary tactics, this event is a must-attend for all literary creatives and lovers of African American literature.

90 YEARS OF TRUTH TELLING THROUGH LITERATURE

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards (AWBA), the only national juried prize for literature that addresses racism and diversity, proudly marks its 90th anniversary with a citywide celebration September 19–20. The weekend begins with a special City Club of Cleveland Friday Forum at 11:30 a.m. featuring literary scholars Jonathan D. S. Schroeder (AWBA 2025) and Vincent Brown (AWBA 2021) in conversation on Rediscovering Resistance: John Swanson Jacobs and 600,000 Despots. The forum will be held at the City Club of Cleveland (1317 Euclid Ave.) and is open to the public (tickets available on CityClub. org, $45 each).

That evening, the 90th Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards Ceremony will take place at the Maltz Performing Arts Center (1855 Ansel Rd.) beginning at 6:30 p.m. featuring Janice N. Harrington, Tessa Hulls, Jonathan D. S. Schroeder, and Danzy Senna. Nicole Sealey and John Murillo will accept the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Yusef Komunyakaa. A public reception with book signings, food, and drinks will follow at the Ballroom at Park Lane.

The 90th Anniversary Celebration continues September 20 at the Cleveland Public Library’s MLK Branch with two dynamic panels. Doors open at 9 a.m. Authors in attendance include: Natasha Trethewey (AWBA 2021), Peter Ho Davies (AWBA 2017), Charles King (AWBA 2020), Tiya Miles (AWBA 2022), George Makari (AWBA 2022), David Livingstone Smith (AWBA 2012), Adrian Matejka (AWBA 2014), Ilya Kaminsky (AWBA 2020), Victoria Chang (AWBA 2021), Monica Youn (AWBA 2024), Marilyn Chin (AWBA 2015), Shane McCrae (AWBA 2018), and Tyehimba Jess (AWBA 2017), with more to be announced.

In the afternoon, the celebration will shift to Ohio City with a series of

intimate, author-led conversations and performances featuring Danzy Senna, Deesha Philyaw, Tessa Hulls, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jonathan D. S. Schroeder, and Janice N. Harrington. All of the afternoon events are free, open to the public, and within walking distance of each other. General admission tickets are released on September 2. For more information and to receive event updates, visit Anisfield-Wolf.org.

BOOK LAUNCH EVENTS

Cuyahoga County Public Library has a suite of book release events throughout September. Two highlights are the trailblazing historian Jill Lepore and the Man Booker Prize-winning author Ian McEwan.

On Friday, September 19, from 3:00-5:00pm, the Wick Poetry Center and Cleveland Public Library are hosting a book release celebration for a poetry anthology called The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife, and other Natural Wonders. An exhibition featuring a collection of these poems will be on display at Cleveland Public Library from September 12, 2025 - April 25, 2026.

On September 22 from 7-8 p.m., Jill Lepore will discuss her latest book, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution at the Cuyahoga County Public Library Parma-Snow Branch. Each ticket ($35 +fees) includes a seat at the author’s talk, a copy of We the People, and a donation to the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation.

On September 26 at 7:30 p.m., Writers Center Stage presents Ian McEwan at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Ian McEwan’s literary works have earned him worldwide critical acclaim. His novel, Atonement, received the WH Smith Literary Award in 2002 and was made into an Oscar-winning film featuring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. His new book, What We Can Know, will be published on September 18. Single tickets ($25-35) go on sale, September 3rd.

With this wide range of offerings, we hope you know that there is a place for you in the world of literature. Whether you’re a reluctant reader or an avid book lover, we know you will find a story worth sharing this September. Confirmed events and additional details are available at www.clevelandbookfest. com

IN

CONVERSATION WITH ORGANIZERS OF THE GREAT LAKES AFRICAN AMERICAN WRITERS

CONFERENCE

The Great Lakes African American Writers Conference (GLAAWC) is the African American literary event of the year! As we gear up for this year’s event, Cleveland Book Fest partners sat down with GLAAWC founder Dr. Leah Lewis, the new Producer Nicole D. Miller, and 2025 host Nikki B to talk about what’s ahead. Keep reading as we count down to GLAAWC 2025!

Why is GLAAWC’s mission important in the current political and cultural climate?

Dr. Leah Lewis, Founder & Executive Producer of GLAAWC (LL): GLAAWC remains a celebration of African American literature in all its constructive forms for the benefit and appreciation of all.

Nicole D. Miller, Producer of GLAAWC (NDM): The Black community has and is being challenged by systemic racism, but those challenges have forged us into a resilient people group. GLAAWC is a key space that demonstrates a main way we have risen above those challenges through our gift of creativity.

Nikki B, GLAAWC 2025 Master of Ceremonies (NB): In a time when diverse voices are too often silenced or erased, GLAAWC ensures that Black writers and thinkers remain centered. It gives us ownership of our narratives and celebrates the creativity and resilience of our community.

What compelled you to get involved with GLAAWC?

NDM: As an author and hybrid book publisher, GLAAWC was appealing because it was the only space I saw in our city that offered tools specifically to Black literary creatives to elevate in their craft.

NB: I was drawn to GLAAWC because of its mission to amplify Black voices and honor the richness of our literary and cultural traditions. Storytelling has always been a way we connect, heal, and preserve history, so being part of a space that uplifts those voices felt like a natural fit for me.

What are you most excited for at GLAAWC this year?

LL: We are bringing new regional partners into the community this year. More to come on this!

NDM: GLAAWC brings hopeful stories that create impact, and I believe many will walk away feeling inspired.

NB: I’m excited to learn about the process of writing and publishing my own story, whether fiction, non-

fiction, or biography, and to gain inspiration from authors who have already taken that journey.

Have there been any changes or new ideas to GLAAWC this year?

LL: The library systems in Cuyahoga County have been supportive of GLAAWC in various ways over the years. This year, the Cuyahoga County Public Library has entered the fold in a new and exciting way–partnering with us to bring our Langston Hughes Literary Keynote, Diane McKinney-Whetstone, author of Family Spirit.

NDM: In addition to the instatement of my position as Producer, we’ve added new partners to the mix, such as FutureLand, to expand our audience reach and tap into the literary creatives who are connected to other spaces such as tech, entrepreneurship, and arts & entertainment.

NB: Nicole D. Miller stepping in as Producer is an exciting addition, bringing fresh energy and vision.

Can you share a favorite moment or memory from past GLAAWC events?

LL: Well, I have two. First, I am always heart-struck when the elders turn out for GLAAWC. Over the years I have encountered octogenarians and nonagenarians that made indelible impressions upon me. Second, two of our Langston Hughes Literary Keynote speakers–Tayari Jones and Damon Young–both approached me after their presentations and uttered, verbatim, “Leah, I did not know how much I need this.” “This,” meant the opportunity to be in the presence of an audience that reflects their culture.

NDM: One of the highlights for me was witnessing the legendary Walter Mosely as a key speaker. For an “on-the-rise” author like me, the opportunity to learn from literary legends is priceless.

NB: This is my first year, but being part of GLAAWC means my voice matters, our stories matter, and representation across the diaspora creates lasting impact.

What does it mean to you to be a part of a space that celebrates Black literature and storytelling?

NDM: Everything. GLAAWC perfectly aligns with the mission of my personal brand, which is to educate, empower, and heal the Black community through creativity.

es racism and diversity, proudly marks its 90th anniversary with a citywide celebration September 19–20, 2025. The anniversary weekend will bring award-winning authors to Cleveland for a series of thought-provoking conversations and readings that honor nine decades of Anisfield-Wolf awardees—writers who shaped our understanding of race, culture, and identity. Please join us for the annual ceremony taking place on September 19th at 6:30 pm at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Tickets go live on September 2. To learn more about the books, hear directly why the jury selected the AWBA Class of 2025.

AWBA 2025 – Fiction: Colored Television, Danzy Senna

“...a master class in satire and the constant wrangling our humanity requires of us. Senna delivers incisive commentary on race, artmaking, parenting, marriage, and Hollywood through the lens of her middle-aged novelist protagonist, Jane. We cringe, we laugh, and we relate, but most of all, we marvel at Senna’s imagination and brilliance.” – Deesha Philyaw, Juror

Join Danzy Senna and Deesha Philyaw on September 20th at Bopstop from 1:00 to 1:45 pm for a lively conversation about how narrative driven fiction infused with humor can challenge the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

AWBA 2025 – Memoir: Feeding Ghosts, Tessa Hulls

“...a compendious multi-generational epic combining a sweeping history of twentieth century China with an intimate, extraordinary family story. Feeding Ghosts crosses oceans, continents and decades to make whole a family, restore a home and as readers we are privileged to join a journey told in such richly expressive images and vivid prose.” –Peter Ho Davies, Juror

Join us at 2:00pm on September 20th at Transformer Station for an afternoon of storytelling, art, and conversation with groundbreaking creators: Maxine Hong Kingston, a foundational voice in American literature, and Tessa Hulls, artist and author of Feeding Ghosts, the first-ever graphic memoir to win an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award—and the inaugural winner in the memoir category.

CELEBRATING THE WINNERS OF THE ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARDS

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards (AWBA), the only national juried prize for literature that address -

commentary, historical sleuthing, and critical interpretation. The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots brilliantly speaks to pressing themes in our own time – tyranny, despotism, the abuse of political power, migration, statelessness, race, and radicalism.” – Tiya Miles and Charles King, Jurors

Join Jonathan D. S. Schroeder and the Karamu House Ensemble on September 20th at St. John’s Episcopal Church from 3:00 to 3:45 pm where actors will perform dramatic readings from the 1855 slave narrative of John Swanson Jacobs.

AWBA 2025 – Poetry: Yard Show, Janice N. Harrington

At the heart of Janice N. Harrington’s monumental collection is the yard show: an African American vernacular aesthetic practice of cultivating and decorating outdoor space, making use of reclaimed and repurposed objects. In the precise language and meticulous details of Harrington’s Yard Show, the aesthetics of a black woman are centered, creating a particular Eden—her wild, original, unfettered making—another way of seeing, another kind of beauty.

–Natasha Trethewey, Jury Chair Join Janice N. Harrington at Ohio City Farm from 4:00 to 4:45 pm for a live poetry reading exploring themes of belonging, nature, and placemaking.

AWBA 2025 – Lifetime Achievement: Yusef Komunyakaa

“Yusef Komunyakaa’s contributions over half a century have not only shaped the literary landscape but have altered how we view the world. On the page, Komunyakaa holds ‘confrontation and celebration’ with open palms, staring resolutely at American history with adept precision, restraint, and stunning tonal variation. The result is a rich career of insistent inquiry.”

–Natasha Trethewey, Jury Chair

AWBA 2025 – Nonfiction: The United States Governed By Six Hundred Thousand Despots: A True Story of Slavery; A Rediscovered Narrative, with a Full Biography by John Swanson Jacobs, edited by Jonathan D. S. Schroeder

“...a stunning achievement of autobiographical writing, political

Known for his lyrical explorations of war, memory, and race, Komunyakaa has shaped contemporary poetry with a voice that is both unflinching and deeply evocative. While Yusef Komunyakaa is unable to join us in-person, we will be honoring his poetic legacy during the evening’s program. John Murillo and Nicole Sealey, critically acclaimed poets and co-editors of Dear Yusef, will travel to Cleveland to accept the award on Yusef Komunyakaa’s behalf.

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are a proud part of Cleveland Book Fest. To learn more about Cleveland Book Fest, visit ClevelandBookFest.com

LOCAL POETRY CORNER

To celebrate this year’s Cleveland Book Week, Literary Cleveland has curated a selection of poems by local writers.

Literary Cleveland is a nonprofit organization and creative writing center that empowers people to explore other voices and discover their own. Through an expanding roster of multi-level classes, workshops, and events, Literary Cleveland assists writers and readers at all stages of development, promotes new and existing literature of the highest quality, and advances Northeast Ohio as a vital center of diverse voices and visions.

From September 5-14, Literary Cleveland will be hosting one of the largest free writing conferences in the country right here in Cleveland at the main branch of CPL.

Read this selection from local poets and enjoy!

CHELSEA DANIEL – LOCAL AUTHOR

Chelsea Daniel is an emerging poet born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. As a Black, queer, and disabled woman, Daniel’s work grounds itself in the mundane and extraordinary experiences of Black and LGBTQIA+ American life. Daniel was selected in 2015 as a non-fiction fellow for Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation (VONA) and is a 2025 Breakthrough Writing Resident with Literary Cleveland. Daniel will be a panelist at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 12-13.

Anatomy of a Light-Skinned Girl In 12 Steps

1.) Learn how to play spades (and talk shit), bake mac and cheese, and put your foot in a pot of collard greens just like your Black mother taught you.

She learned from her Black mother

No one can ever question you about what your mother looks like 2.) “ So Chelsea, what does your mother look like?”

She looks like she’s not one of my lil friends. she looks like she knows her way around a hot comb And she never let her kids leave the house looking raggedy 3.) Wear your hair natural.

Even though it’s blonde it’s still 4c. Kinky cannot be denied and if you’re not really Black

Someone should tell that to your hair and your ass 4.) Never let them forget your perfect ass make them pay homage to your wide, child-bearing hips. unlike your lipless ancestors, you have a shape 5.) Risk skin cancer every summer

Just to get a little darker, but never dark enough 6.) Speak fluent Ebonics

But stay ready to fight when anyone says you talk white 7.) Be both confident and self-deprecating

So no one thinks you think that you’re better than them. Take up space, but not too much 8.) Let your body bear the burden of proof. 9.) When they ask for monuments to the confederacy, Tell them you’re it.

x number of violences had to occur

For you to exist, what’s more Black than this?

10.) They’ll tell you you’re too light to be real Too soft to know struggle

Yet you look like every lesson This country has had to learn twice 11.) “You’re pretty for a Black girl”

“You’re nice for a light skinned girl.” You who make folks tilt their heads and trace your outline with questions you’re tired of answering 12.) Light-skinned girl, Your pride is no less valid. You are not diluted.

You are not half-anything. You are the whole damn story.

Copyright © 2025 by Chelsea Daniel. Used by permission of the author.

MARY E. WEEMS

– LOCAL AUTHOR

Mary E. Weems, M.A., Ph.D., is a poet, playwright, author, performer, imagination-intellect theorist, and social/cultural foundations scholar. Weems is the author of more than thirteen books, including most recently the poetry collection Fall and Response, and is a Cleveland Arts Prize winner. Weems will be leading a poetry workshop at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 12-13.

Untied States

I read this as a typo years ago in a student’s paper in a college class on diversity aka multiculturalism at the time it reminded me of all the creative writing advice I’ve given myself and others about way typing wrong word can be the better one but this morning after waking up to another full early morning of news reports on noose found at United, place where steel and iron are made, the three Black men interviewed noting that it just appeared, that it was a threat, that it was a crime their supervisor simply took down and threw in the trash telling them loud and clear without a word what he thought about them.

Copyright © 2024 by Mary E. Weems. This poem was previously published in Fall and Response by Mary E. Weems. Used by permission of the author.

HILARY PLUM – LOCAL AUTHOR

Hilary Plum is a writer, editor, and teacher whose recent work includes the novel State Champ (Bloomsbury, 2025), the long poem Important Groups, and the essay collection Hole Studies. She teaches at Cleveland State University and is co-editor of the Open Prose Series at Rescue Press. Plum will be co-hosting a live podcast recording at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 12-13.

Excerpt from “Important Groups” at the encampment nearest Lake Erie students paint a wall they are allowed to paint on campus a little custom, a shared space where they paint a Palestinian flag and the phrase “I dream of breaking the siege” spoken in a video by a Palestinian child while still alive they paint the numbers: 12,300 students at this private school 15,000 children killed numbers are verboten or Palestinian dreams immediately the wall is painted over though this is not I think customary but Palestine is different Palestine requires hiring contractors to come in at night and paint things white again students stand against the wall in protest and the contractor paints right over them this paid man sprays white paint right over the human bodies of students, graffiti of their forms the equipment makes a pleasant noise the students are wearing face shields which one of them brought in every group there’s one planner, a more prepared person it’s hard to get at Lake Erie mostly the shoreline is private like a monument to Superman the city never built

Copyright © 2025 by Hilary Plum. The full poem was previously published in The American Poetry Review and is for sale in print from Community Mausoleum. Used by permission of the author.

CLEVELAND’S YOUTHS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY

This year’s Cleveland Book Fest features more family-friendly programming than ever before. In celebration of that new achievement, Lake Erie Ink and Writers in Residence have curated a selection of writings from local youth writers for Scene readers.

Founded in 2010, Lake Erie Ink: a writing space for youth, provides opportunities for creative expression during after school, evening, weekend, and summer programs. Writers in Residence teaches creative writing to youth who are incarcerated to empower their voices and assist in their re-entry into society. Together, they have come together to launch Listen Up! Teen Writers Fest at the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. For more details visit www.clevelandbookfest.com

Found

Alba Cristina Del Rio Ochoa

I hide every day, You just don’t realize it. And it’s a quite elaborate disguise, If you really think about it. Under layers of Blush Mascara Perfume

And lip gloss, There is a hidden girl, Very scared of being found. And then, they come along. Them, with their perfect personality, And smile,

And a perfect body.

And in an ocean of beautiful people, They somehow see me. And the real me, not the disguise. They saw right through it. Thought I was good as I was, No filter.

They smiled at the real me, They found me.

My Secret Place

Bahati Bertha

Warm in the summer, heat intoxicating. Drinking in the light, beaming, glistening across the trees.

The sound of the creek trickles in the distance. Leaves crunching under foot, I come in the summer.

Chilling in the fall, leaves blowing up.

Water running cold, animals settle, awaiting the frost.

Twigs break so easy underfoot. The wind tickles my nose pink, I come in the fall.

Cold in the winter, the tip of my nose to the tips of my toes florid. Snow blowing, crisp air in my lungs.

Soft snow, though sharp ice smacks my face, snow coloring bare trees, white.

Water melting in my furry boots, I come in the winter.

Humid in the spring, fresh rain droplets cover the leaves of my favorite tree.

The air smelling of morning dew, the animals coming out to play.

I watch as rain pours and wets the grounds, muddy and wet, lizards, toads, frogs, join me in my shanty.

My surroundings are moist and beautiful, I come in the spring.

I walked this empty path of long bark oak and strands of green alone. Wondering, searching for nothing in particular, heaviness in my every step.

Then by chance or maybe luck, I looked up, and it was a sight to see. A shack, though crumbling, made from the same substance as a tree.

I come when the weather is warm, chilling, cold, and humid.

To this place, my escape from the world around me.

I hide away, where no one else dares to go.

I dream up stories with all my little critter friends.

My little home from home, my secret place.

The Pumpkin

Givonte F. Goodwin

MY NAME IS BEN GROVER. One day I got a text for a new job to “find” a pumpkin that never grows old. The text said: “Hey kid I got a job for ya. Steal a pumpkin for me. Let’s say 17k. Here’s the address: get to it!”

I thought, I’m getting paid 17k just for a pumpkin? What a steal!

I hopped in my car and drove to the address.

This is a museum. I went here as a kid. There’s always a lot of artwork. I always liked the dino bones. This will be harder than I thought. I used my ladder that I keep in the back of my car to climb on the roof. I went through the back where no one is allowed to go.

I crawled through the vents using the map layout to not get lost. I saw the pumpkin and thought, this will be easier than I expected, or so I thought. I jumped to the floor.

Right before I grabbed it, I saw three guards coming. I quickly hid next to a statue and hit a pose like the thinker. Only two guards passed me, and I thought I was in the clear, but the last one stopped right in front of me and stared right in my eyes.

“Don’t move, don’t move, don’t move!” was the only thing running through my head.

The other guards called him, and he ran away.

That was close as hell–I mean heck–got to stay PG.

Then I saw it–the pumpkin. This was easier than I thought, but there were chains and a cage for the pumpkin. It had empty black eyes and a very sad frown. A weird thing is that I couldn’t see inside like another pumpkin.

Oh well, I thought, I just gotta break it and I’m rich. I pulled out my bolt cutters and cut the chains, but I wasn’t able to break the cage, so I just took it with me.

Then I climbed back through the vent, and I was gone before the alarm went off. I climbed back in my car and drove off like I was never there.

The pumpkin sat in the back seat giving off weird vibes. And I heard this weird sound “clip-clop” “clip-clop” over and over until a loud scratch as my car flipped over and slid across the road.

Ow, what hit me? I wondered. As I climbed out of the car, I looked around for what hit me. Nothing was there. I was strangely ok. Oh crap, the pumpkin!

I turned around and the shock on my face as I saw the pumpkin was out of its cage and sitting on the top of my flipped-over car. What shocked me to my core is the pumpkin’s frown was now a bright smile.

I grabbed the pumpkin and started to run before anyone saw me. The time ticked past. Before I knew it, it was 3:32 in the morning. I dipped through alleys.

I kept getting this feeling that I was being followed and heard the constant sound of horse feet. I spun around and saw a man in a black coat on a horse, but what messed me up was the man had no head.

I ran, yelling in confusion. “What is that thing? Why is it chasing me? Where is its head?” The pumpkin in my arms grew hotter and hotter. It was burning my hands. I had to drop it. It was burning my hands.

The man stopped, hopped off his horse and picked up the pumpkin and placed it on his neck and the pumpkin’s eyes caught flames. Then it was gone.

That’s why I don’t steal anymore. I quit my job, ending all the deals. A few months later I changed my life. I heard a knock at my door.

“Who is it?!”

No answer. I opened my door and there was no one there. I looked down and saw the pumpkin. The memories come flashing back. I picked up the pumpkin and I heard a laugh behind me…

The End

Hiding Away from Reality Writers In Residence M.C.

I tend to hide away my problems from other people and I hide into myself. A lot of people don’t see what a wonderful person I actually am. I’m kind-hearted, caring, loving, and a genuine person but most of the time, I hide away that part of me because I have been so hurt in my past. I don’t wanna get hurt again. But I need to start showing that side of me more, so people know who I actually am. My family and friends see that side of me but not other people.

GET OUT Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks

WED 08/27

Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Two very good MLB teams with low payrolls face off today as a threegame series between the Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays comes to a close. First-pitch is at 1:10 p.m. at Progressive Field. 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians.

THU 08/28

2025 NewNow

Work by some 77 regional artists will be displayed at this Artists Archivers of the Western Reserve show. It opens today with a reception that takes place at 6 p.m. at Tri-C’s Gallery East. Admission is free. 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Hills, 216-987-2473, www.tri-c.edu/galleryeast.

FRI 08/29

An Acoustic Summer Evening:

A Fundraiser for Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future

Hosted by Anjie and Jim Anderson, this all-ages concert that features local music as well as food serves as a fundraiser for the local nonprofit Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future. There will also be raffles and auctions; proceeds go to mental health initiatives for the music community. It starts at 7 p.m. at the Treelawn.

15335 Waterloo Rd, 216-677-TREE, thetreelawn.com.

Cleveland Oktoberfest

The annual Cleveland Oktoberfest returns today to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. The fest features more than 15 different types of Oktoberfest-style beers, German and European restaurants, tribute bands, vendors and local artisans, wiener dog races, fireworks, a Miss Oktoberfest contest, a Bavarian Shopping Village, the Great Lakes 5K Bier Run, the Best Oktoberfest Microbrew Competition and a classic car show. Festivities continue through Monday, and the event takes place next weekend as well.

19201 East Bagley Rd., Middleburg Heights, 440-243-0090, clevelandoktoberfest.com.

Disney’s The Lion King Live in Concert

At 7 tonight, tomorrow night and

Sunday night at Blossom, the Cleveland Orchestra plays the score of The Lion King while the movie screens. 1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

Guardians vs. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners swept the series when the Guardians played them in Seattle earlier in the season. As a result, the Guards will be looking for payback as they go up a team that’s vying for a playoff spot. Tonight’s first pitch is at 7:10 p.m., and the series continues through Sunday at Progressive Field.

2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians.

SAT 08/30

Cleveland National Air Show

This annual event returns to Burke Lakefront this weekend. U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Navy F/A18 Super Hornet and the Red Bull Air Force will be on hand and so will vintage aircraft including T-33 Shooting Star, Trojan Phlyers and “Mister Mulligan.” The event continues through Monday. Burke Lakefront Airport, 2301 N. Marginal Rd., clevelandairshow.com.

Hingetown Jazz Festival

This free event held in the Hingetown neighborhood celebrates Northeast Ohio’s rich jazz community by showcasing talented local and regional artists. The festival

takes place across multiple venues, including the Bop Stop, Saucy Brew Works and Jukebox. It runs from 3 to 10 p.m. hingetownjazzfest.org.

Real American Freestyle

A new wrestling league backed by Hulk Hogan makes its debut at 7 tonight at Wolstein Center. There will be eight men’s and four women’s matches.

2000 Prospect Ave., 216-687-9292, wolsteincenter.com.

SUN 08/31

Mekimi

The University Heights-based band that plays modern Hebrew and classic rock music plays a free show tonight at 7 at Cain Park. 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com.

Reggae Sundays

This special Reggae Sunday Happy Hour Concert series is a summer highlight. The indoor/outdoor concert series will take place rain or shine with live music from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Music Box. The venue will also offer food and drink specials exclusive to the series. Music Box Supper Club, 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

MON 09/01

The 11th Congressional District Community Caucus Labor Day Parade & Festival

The 11th Congressional District Community Caucus Labor Day Parade & Festival will take place today at 11 a.m. Expect marching bands, drill teams and floats. The parade begins on Kinsman Avenue and ends at Luke Easter Park, where there will be a celebration and party. 11cdccparade.com.

TUE 09/02

Food Truck Tuesday

This weekly event that takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Public Square (Rockwell and Ontario) will feature live music and some of the city’s best food trucks. It’s free, but the food will cost you. downtowncleveland.com.

WED 09/03

An Evening with John Cusack and Screening of Say Anything

Tonight at 7:30 at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage, actor John Cusack will be on hand for a screening of his cult classic Say Anything. He’ll still around for a Q&A after the screening. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

THU 09/04

19th Annual Cleveland Jewish FilmFest

This year’s lineup includes 33 films from nine countries. Opening Night at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Murch Auditorium features the award-winning French drama Once Upon My Mother followed by a dessert reception. It takes place at 7 p.m.

1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, mandeljcc.org.

FRI

Glamgore

09/05

The monthly event featuring a range of performers, from beauty queens to “drag monsters” returns to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. Doors open at 8 p.m.

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire

The family friendly event takes place at 7:30 p.m. today and at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Rocket Arena. In addition to the monster trucks, there will be a “transforming” robot and a demonstration by the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Freestyle Motocross Team. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com.

The Lynched Among Us

Six wrongfully convicted men take the stage to tell their own stories in this theatrical production. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Mimi Ohio Theatre. 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

SAT 09/06

Tom Segura

Best known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog, Disgraceful, Mostly Stories and Completely Normal, comedian Tom Segura brings his latest venture, his Come Together Tour to town. He performs tonight at 6 and tomorrow night at 5 at the Akron Civic.

182 South Main St., Akron, 330-253-2488, akroncivic.com.

SUN 09/07

Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Hope springs eternal once again this season as the Browns try to recapture the magic that took them to the playoffs two years ago. They start the season with a matchup against

the Cincinnati Bengals, their division rivals who’re also looking for a return to form. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Huntington Bank Field. 100 Alfred Lerner Way, 440-891-5000, huntingtonbankfield.com.

Our Town

Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores themes of life and death and love and friendship. Cleveland Play House’s production of the play promises to be a “magical new staging.” Performances take place at 2 and 7:30 p.m. 1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony

This multimedia symphonic experience features country music superstar Dolly Parton, who talks about her songs and stories in prerecorded material. Guest vocalists and musicians will help bring the program to life. It begins at 7 p.m. at Blossom. 1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

Shining Star CLE 2025

Monica Robins from WKYC serves as the master of ceremonies for this annual event that features high school singers vying for a prize package that includes $18,500 in college scholarships. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Mimi Ohio Theatre.

1511 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

MON 09/08

Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals

Division rivals, the Kansas City Royals have struggled last year’s magic that got them into the playoffs. Still, they’ll be tough to beat as they come to Progressive Field this week for a four-game series that starts tonight. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians.

TUE 09/09

The Notebook

This musical that features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson comes to the Connor Palace for an extended run. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30, and the play runs through Sept. 27. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

EAT

BUZZWORTHY

By Douglas Trattner

JUDGING SIMPLY BY THE wishing tree that looms over the main dining room, Kyuramen has welcomed literally thousands of guests since opening in early June. The wooden structure is in full bloom, dripping with hand-written notes bearing the hopes, dreams and prayers of previous diners.

But attention soon shifts to the left side of the restaurant, where booths are stacked in a striking honeycomb pattern, each glowing like the sunlit cells of a bee frame. Straight ahead, an open kitchen is a beehive of activity, where chefs drop noodles into boiling water, ladle hot broth from bubbling cauldrons, and cap bowls with various toppings. Moving deeper into the restaurant, one finds a stretch of cozy nooks concealed by curtains that mimics the lantern-lit alleyways of old Tokyo.

Belying its suburban shopping mall address, Kyuramen is a compelling dining destination that marries form with function and flair. Located at SouthPark Mall in Strongsville, the restaurant is the first of its kind in Ohio, brought here by Cleveland-based entrepreneur Sheng Long Yu. Yu is behind a bevy of local eateries, both first-to-market concepts such as Lao Sze Chuan and Dagu Rice Noodle and original creations like Shinto, YYTime and Build the Pho.

Founded in New York City a decade ago, Kyuramen is expanding quickly around the country. The draw, naturally, is the ramen, a mix of regional styles plucked from around the island nation. Those bowls are complemented by a wide

variety of tantalizing appetizers, which add depth and complexity to meals. Glossy pictorial menus help diners navigate items that might be unfamiliar.

The most popular starter on the menu is the honeycomb platter ($14.99), a combination of snacks presented in hexagonal dishes that mirror the stacked-booth arrangement. Edamame pods are tossed in chili oil and sprinkled with togarashi; Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken is crispy, juicy and well-seasoned; tempura-fried shrimp is light, crisp and grease-free; soft tofu is flash-fried, doused in umami-rich sauce and capped with bonito shavings; molten-hot and custardy takoyaki are studded with firm bits of octopus.

Yakitori skewers arrive hot from the grill, lightly charred and pleasantly seasoned. They can be ordered a la carte or as a platter ($16.99) that mixes skirt steak, chicken thigh, pork belly, fried tofu and zucchini. While the skirt was on the chewy side, the pork belly and dark meat chicken were both succulent and perfectly cooked.

Order the gyoza ($8.99) pan-fried (as opposed to deep-fried) and the dumplings arrive shatteringly crisp on the bottom but delicate and ten-

der above. The thin wrappers are filled with an airy ground chicken mixture.

Many customers visit Kyuramen just to try the omurice ($20.99), an eggy phenom made famous on social media. This hearty, comforting dish features a deftly prepared omelet that is balanced atop a mound of fried rice. At the table – once cameras are aimed and focused – the server glides a blade across the surface, unleashing a custardy interior that oozes over the rice. Sauce, either a tangy curry or savory demi-glace, is poured over top.

Ramen – wide, deep bowls of savory broth, bouncy egg noodles and sundry toppings – is the main draw. Pork bones simmer for five days to make the base broth for most bowls. The #1 is the classic deeply flavored, collagen-rich tonkotsu shoyu, flavored either with white garlic or black garlic ($17.99). In addition to the noodles, there is well-marbled chashu pork, marinated soft-cooked egg, bamboo shoot, nori, corn and scallion. There are also spicy versions, curry flavored brews, Korean kimchi ramen, and broths made from chicken or vegetables. The Yinyang bowl lets diners enjoy two styles side by side.

Diners can tweak their bowls with tabletop spices like citrusy togarashi, fiery cayenne, and a Chinese-style pickled vegetable relish that adds texture, heat and flavor.

For dessert, there’s matcha pudding, cherry blossom jelly, and matcha tiramisu ($7.99). The latter, served in a wooden sake box, features layers of light cream and ladyfingers beneath a vibrant green dusting of matcha powder.

TBaar, a standalone bubble tea counter in a front corner of the restaurant, services both sit-down and carry-out customers. The wellknown brand offers milk teas, fruit teas, fruit smoothies and refreshing lemonades. My personal favorite is the brown sugar bubble milk tea ($5.95). Ice and sugar levels are customizable.

When it comes to restaurants, Yu is an unstoppable force. In addition to the above-mentioned spots, he also operates Kenko Sushi and Hell’s Fried Chicken. On deck is a third Shinto Japanese Steakhouse at Legacy and a second Lau Sze Chuan in Strongsville. Yu stated that he’s also in talks to bring a Kyuramen to the east side of Cleveland. For purely selfish reasons, I hope he does.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

EAT BITES

$7 deals await during Cleveland Wing Week

By Douglas Trattner

WINGS, LIKE EVERYTHING else in this world, have gotten more expensive. Which is all the more reason to get excited about and take advantage of Cleveland Wing Week, which runs through Saturday, August 30.

For seven days, dozens of Cleveland’s best restaurants are offering up wing deals starting at just $7, a price point we can all get behind during these inflationary times.

Make your plan at ClevelandWingWeek.com and on the Cleveland Wing Week app and chart your course through all the seasoned, sauced and dry-rubbed action.

Use the official Cleveland Wing Week mobile app to check in to four participating restaurants and be entered into a drawing to win $250 in gift cards. No purchase necessary.

Cuisine of India in Parma Heights to Close After 15 Years

For the past 15 years, Cuisine of India (6857 W. 130th St., 440-8425907) has attracted diners to its modest strip-mall perch in Parma Heights. The restaurant has earned its reputation as a reliable source for flavorful Indian cuisine and one of the best lunch buffets around.

Sadly, this story ends after service on August 24th.

Owner Abhay Shah announced that he – along wife Jagruti and son Mahek – have made the difficult decision to close the restaurant. There has been talk of finding a new home for the business, but nothing has been planned or announced.

In a social media post, Shah thanks both customers and staff.

“After 15 wonderful years of serving this community, the time has come for us to close the door. Cuisine of India been more than just a place to dine — it has been a home filled with laughter, celebrations, and countless memories shared with all of you.

“We are deeply grateful to our esteemed guests for their support, loy-

Courtesy Photo

alty, and love over the years. Thank you for letting us watch your children grow up. Thank you for spending your special days here.

“Special thanks to Chef Lok Ghising, Chef Pritesh, General Manager Amit Kuwar, and Chef Peter for your hardworking through long nights, busy weekends, and countless challenges.”

The Writer’s Room in Tremont is a Members-Only Bar for People Who Appreciate Cocktails and Comradery

Unlike the private clubs of old, which used high barriers to entry as a way of separating the us from the them, many of today’s members-only businesses do so for more practical economic reasons. That’s what was behind Cory Hajde’s decision to open The Writer’s Room, an intimate cocktail lounge that resides over Cloak & Dagger in Tremont.

Given today’s economic climate, one that is especially harsh on small business owners, the membership-based model offers some relief in the form of a reliable income stream regardless of a single night’s till.

“I have nerves about where the cocktail industry is going because, you know, the impending recession; people don’t want to spend that kind of money,” Hajde explains. “But I also know that there are a lot of people who value cocktails, who value service and quality ingredients. If we have a select few people who pay a reasonable membership, we can swing it and have a successful business.”

Now entering its second year, The Writer’s Room is hitting its stride,

boasting 135 members who commit to a monthly fee in return for the benefits. Those benefits include access to the 50-seat lounge, ability to bring non-member friends, store precious spirits in a private locker and carry a special key that unlocks the castle door.

Hajde, co-owner of Vessel Hospitality, the group behind Cloak & Dagger, Mahall’s, Pins & Needles, The Roxy, Rood Food and others, says that The Writer’s Room began as a way to further utilize the talents of bartender-partner Mitch Didion. Since Cloak opened in 2020, Didion has cultivated a loyal following for his distinctive cocktails. A few invites were dispatched to “die-hard Cloak & Dagger fans, people we knew would get what we were doing,” Hajde notes.

From that point on, the club has increased organically by word of mouth.

“We’ve grown quite a bit by referrals – and that’s the way we want it,” says Didion. “We want the people who are going to enjoy what we think we do best to be in the space. Cocktails are always going to be the main pole but even more important than that is the service, and with a small group, I know every single person who walks through the door by their first name, what they like to drink, their favorite cocktail.”

Unlike downstairs at Cloak & Dagger, where reservations are vital and enjoyment windows strictly followed, The Writer’s Room is a bit looser. Members call or text a private number to secure a last-minute spot or to book a date and time in the future.

The dim and loungey space features a main barroom and other nooks, each with its own identity and vibe. Throughout the space are subtle nods to Cloak & Dagger and its annals of previous menu books. Didion uses The Writer’s Room as a sort of incubator space for Cloak, where the best ideas seep through the floorboards and worm their way into future menus. Thus, the menu upstairs is a perpetual work in progress save for a handful of “locks,” beloved cocktails that maintain their spots. All are deeply original creations that arouse in the sipper delight, surprise and approval. The back of the menu lists Didion’s infusions, syrups and tinctures, distinctive flavors that are the backbone of the bar program. Guests use that list for inspiration or to build a cocktail from scratch.

As great social lubricants, these cocktails also spark conversation. The Writer’s Room is the type of place where guests are likely to bump into the same folks, resume previous conversations and form actual friendships. It’s these kinds of sociable people – not wealthy fat cats with inch-thick cigars wedged between their fingers – that Hajde hopes to attract and retain.

“Is this the kind of person who will be a longtime member?” he asks rhetorically. “Is this somebody that engages with the community, who is going to be bringing in guests that are good for this place? We care about making sure that everyone up here is having an eclectic good time but also is cultivating community.”

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

MUSIC

Vinyl Answer

Akron’s Kenan Bishop releases his inspirational new album exclusively on wax

By Jeff Niesel

WHEN HE WAS JUST 14 YEARS old, Akron-based rapper and producer Kenan Bishop started freestyling and honing his musical chops. Acts such as Common, De La Soul and Busta Rhymes served as musical inspirations.

“I remember [Busta Rhymes’s] ‘Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check’ was on the boombox if our track team won,” he says in a phone interview. “We would play that during our victory lap. But it’s not just hip-hop. When my brother I would be driving to church, we’d be listening to Biggie [Smalls]. But we also threw in some Fred Hammond and some Kirk Franklin and some Hezekiah Walker. That was the introduction to a lot of Christian music, which was influential. I always want my music to have that spirit behind it.”

By the time he went to college at Kent State University, Bishop, who was born in Cincinnati, started to take music more seriously.

“My buddy and I had a group that played out locally,” he says. “We even got to do a show overseas in Italy.

While Bishop has posted numerous singles online, his first major release was last year’s Period, an album he also produced.

“It was well-received,” he says when asked about the LP. “I put a show together in Akron. People came out to a restaurant, and we did an evening of great food and great music. I also performed some shows as part of an event called Souls at the Polls during election season last year too. I try to make sure the music is an extension of everything

I do and believe, and I try to do it in a way that can be inspiring. What I produce and put out now I do by myself. I’ve been a part of a group and learned how to make beats from a good friend named Jonesy, and we put some projects out together, but the last few have been all Kenan.”

“Ohio,” one highlight from Period, possesses a strong sense of immediacy thanks to its rapid-fire raps and references to Klan rallies. The song stems from an exercise Bishop did at work one day.

“We do an activity called ‘I’m from,’” he says. “You take the time to write down where you’re from. It’s less attached to geography but more about the experiences that make you who you are. ‘Ohio’ came from me writing my own version of where I’m from, and I took it and put a beat to it and recorded it. I’m mentioning experiences that are very much Ohio, but most of it is a description of the formative experiences that make us into who we are.”

Soulful backing vocals turn the shimmering “Deedee,” another album highlight, into a beautiful

ballad.

“That is a vocal chop from a sample from an artist who is scatting,” says Bishop when asked about the track. “It’s a R&B song from the ‘90s. I chopped a piece of the scat that ended with ‘Deedee.’ It’s to her, but it’s also any other person looking for that special somebody.”

Bishop says he wrote the tunes for his forthcoming new album, First Sunday, which will be a vinyl-only release, in isolation. He had come back from Florida and tested positive for COVID.

“I told my wife, and she told me, ‘Alright, brother, go in the basement,’” he says. “I have my music set up in the nice part of the basement. I basically was making the music after work. All these old records were playing. There’s Aretha Franklin and bands you never heard of. If I was on a break, I would make it, but I mostly recorded at night. I mixed it and was down there by myself. Then, when the body of work was done, I was ready to release the best of it. I believe in the Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones approach. Put your best stuff out. [Jackson’s] Thriller had just nine songs on it, but every

song was a single. That’s how it came together.”

His gut instinct told him to release it on vinyl.

“I’ve had a desire to have vinyl in people’s hands for years,” he says. “I thought it would be cool. I love the sound and feel of it. It was always in the back of my head. In terms of what project and when, I wasn’t sure. Streaming is now a saturated space. I wanted something that could connect with my people directly instead. It’s spirit music. It’s soul music. And it’s necessary for this moment in time and for the challenging times we’re in.”

Bishop will press 100 vinyl records and offer the vinyl record with a digital download, the vinyl record and a First Sunday T-shirt, and the Full Sunday Set (the vinyl record, a T-shirt and a hoodie). He’s taking orders at indiegogo.com/projects/ first-sunday-vinyl-album-pre-order#/.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

THU 08/28

Ice Nine Kills

The metalcore group that reportedly took its band name from the 1963 Kurt Vonnegut novel Cat’s Cradle brings its summer tour to the Covelli Centre in Youngstown. The group’s latest album, Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2, offers the usual quotient of blistering guitar solos and parched vocals. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. 229 East Front St., Youngstown, 330-746-5600, covellicentre.com.

FRI 08/29

Streetlight Manifesto

This ska-punk band has been a staple on the scene for more than 20 years. They released their debut album, Everything Goes Numb, way back in 2003 and have toured and recorded steadily since then. They’re touring behind the new album, The Place Behind the Stars, and the LP really shows off their ability to write complex horn arrangements. The tour comes to the Agora tonight. Doors open at 7. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

Tate McRae: Miss Possessive Tour

This singer-songwriter and dancer became an overnight sensation back in 2020 when her confessional, Billie Eilish-like “you broke me first” became a massive hit. For her latest album, So Close to What, she teams up with producers such as Timbaland and the Neptunes, who provide the club friendly beats on the release. She performs at 7:30 at Rocket Arena. 7 p.m.

One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com.

SUN 08/31

Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour

The industrial rock group with ties to Northeast Ohio returns to Rocket Arena. The group just released “As Alive as You Need Me To Be,” the first official music from the band in five years. The tune comes from the soundtrack for the forthcoming TRON: Ares film and features noisy

guitars mixed with pulsating synths and Trent Reznor’s typically intense vocals (he always sounds like he’s on the verge of a breakdown). The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com.

TUE 09/02

Dorothy San Diego-born hard rock singer Dorothy Martin says she sang since she was a kid and found inspiration by sifting through her father’s vinyl collection, listening to everything from Dolly Parton to Credence Clearwater, Janice Joplin and Pink Floyd. After moving to Los Angeles, she put

together Dorothy in 2014 with the intention of making hard-rocking music that, as she has put it, metalheads like Beavis and Butthead would like. The group performs tonight at 7 at Globe Iron.

2325 Elm St., globeironcle.com.

THU 09/04

UB40

Formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England, UB40 has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and achieved considerable international success. Expect to hear its biggest hits — “Red, Red Wine,” “Food for Thought,” “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You” —

when the group performs tonight at 7 at House of Blues. Not ones to rest on their laurels, the group recently had a hit with the poppy “Forever True.”

308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

Hudson Westbrook

The singer-songwriter performs at 7 tonight at Jacobs Pavilion as he brings his tour in support of his new album, Texas Forever, to town. The album’s latest single, “Damn Good Taste in Whiskey,” features lilting vocals and a catchy chorus, showing off the young musician’s songwriting abilities (he co-wrote all the tunes on Texas Forever).

2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.

FRI 09/05

A Day to Remember & Yellowcard

The double bill featuring Warped Tour alumni A Day To Remember and Yellowcard rolls into Blossom. A Day to Remember adroitly mixes metalcore and pop-punk, and Yellowcard famously throws a violin into its mix of punk and rock. Should be a good pairing. The show starts at 6:15 p.m.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

Texas Headhunters

The three members of this blues trio — Ian Moore, Johnny Moeller and Jesse Dayton — represent the last wave of the late Clifford Antone’s discoveries. The Austin-based blues club owner also famously mentored guitarists such Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson and Gary Clark, Jr. The Texas Headhunters will aim to keep his legacy alive when they perform tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

SAT 09/06

Studio-A-Rama

WRUW 91.1 FM’s annual showcase for local music takes place today at Mather Memorial Courtyard The day-long music festival begins at 1 p.m. The Louisville-based post-harcore band Wombo headlines, and Cincinnati’s Artificial Go will perform as well. Admission is free. 11220 Bellflower Rd., 216-368-2208, wruw.org.

Unwound: 30 Years of The Future of What

One of the flagship bands of the Kill Rock Stars label, the post-hardcore act Unwound has reunited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its 1995 album, The Future of What. The album’s angular guitars and droll vocals recall acts such as Jawbox and Slint. The show begins at 8 p.m. at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. Harriet the Spy and Deep Essence open. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

SUN 09/07

Alison Krauss & Union Station

The veteran bluegrass-y band performs at 6 p.m. at Jacobs Pavilion. Arcadia, the band’s first album in 14 years, finds it in great form. Album opener, “Looks Like the End of the Road,” puts Alison Krauss’s voice up front in the mix, and she sounds as sharp as ever. Other tunes like the narrative “The Hangman” show off the group’s bluegrass roots as well as its ability to cast a dark mood with sparse instrumentation. Singer-songwriter Willie Watson opens.

2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.

MON 09/08

Alabama Shakes

The terrific neo-soul group out of Athens, AL established the talent of frontwoman Brittany Howard, a monster guitarist and singer who infused songs such as “Hold On” and “Don’t Wanna Fight” with real grit and determination. Howard left the band to pursue a solo but returned to it last year. The reunited group performs at 6 p.m. at Jacobs Pavilion. Singer-songwriter Sam Evian opens.

2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.

TUE

09/09

The Crooner & the Cowboy: Leon Bridges with Charley Crockett

Soul singer Leon Bridges and alt-country singer-songwriter Charley Crockett bring their Crooner and Cowboy tour to Blossom. Both artists hail from Texas and have rightly received significant acclaim. Bridges has won a Grammy, and Crocket has been nominated for a Grammy. Expect showmanship from both. The concert begins at 7 p.m. 1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

Grow Together.

We bet your organization is doing great things to make Cleveland better — more fun, more successful and more healthful for all of us. You might want a print story that will share your message, a website that will attract more customers or a video that will capture the audience’s attention. Find out how partnering with us can help make that happen.

SAVAGE LOVE

FOUR OPTIONS

by Dan Savage

I’m a 31-year-old heterosexual woman who has been married for nineyears.Themath:myhusband and I got married right after university. Like you, I grew up Catholic, and as a girl/woman, all of the purity culture bullshit was foisted on me. Over the years, I’ve come to reject everything I was brought up to believe. I never stepped out of line, and now I grieve for my younger self because I missed out on formative experiences — sexual and otherwise — that I should’ve had in my teens/20s. I feel stunted. It was pounded into me (only figuratively, sadly) that I would deeply regret having sex before marriage. Ironically, what I actually regret is not having sex with the kind, loving guys I dated before my husband.

In the last year or so, I’ve developed a curiosity to experience more and some very ambiguous desires. I wonder what it would be like to have other sexual partners and what it would be like to date now. I’ve talked about this with my husband, and he validates that my feelings are normal given my/ our strict upbringing and lack of experience, but ultimately shrugs it off. After all, he says, we can’t go back in time and get married later or have different partners, etc. I cannot imagine him being open to any arrangement other than what we have now: garden-variety monogamy. My ambiguous desire had no outlet until recently, when I developed a huge crush on a coworker. While we’re flirtatious together, he’s also unavailable, so there is nowhere for this attraction to “go.” I have not felt like this for as long as I’ve been married. The alchemy of this crush is staggering.

Dan, what do I do if I want to experience more, but I can’t put my finger on what that means exactly? If I want experiences that aren’t possible within my marriage, are my only options to sup-

press those desires or leave, when leaving could mean I would lose a mostly solid relationship for potentially nothing?

Grass Is Getting Greener Every Day

You have four options, GIGGED, not two.

Option #1: Ask. You may think you already asked your husband for permission to fuck some other men, GIGGED, but if your husband was able to shrug your concerns off come on — you failed to communicate to him exactly what it was you were asking him for. And if you can’t imagine him being open to “any arrangement” other than the one you agreed to when you married, that’s because you didn’t ask him a direct question about other possible arrangements. If you had, you wouldn’t have to imagine. You would know. Like a lot of married people who want to open their marriages, you kept the ask vague and plausibly deniable in case he reacted with shock or anger, and you wanted to deny having made the ask at all. So, ask him directly: Can we open our marriage? If he surprises you and says yes, you get the freedom you want without having to give up the husband you love. If he says no…

Option #2: Leave. This means losing your marriage — and just asking about openness has cost some people their marriages — but even if you lose him, GIGGED, you won’t be left with nothing. You will have your freedom. Freedom isn’t a guarantee of current or future happiness, of course, but freedom isn’t nothing. You don’t mention children — which would radically change the math here — and divorce is painful and messy with or without kids, but you’re still young. And if you suddenly found yourself young and single, you could go out there and make up for all that lost time and all those lost dicks.

Option #3: Cheat. This is the advice that will piss everyone off, but it belongs on the table because people do it, and because in some instances — not yours, from the sound of things, but some — cheating is the least worst option for all involved, including the person who got cheated on. But it’s a high-risk gamble: you could get caught right away and blow your marriage up and be seen as a villain, or you could get away with it but then spend the rest of your life with the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head. Some people manage to have affairs and get

away with them, some don’t. Some people learn to live with the stress of a secret, some crack under it.

Option #4: Suppress. Basically, suck it up. Tell yourself your marriage is good enough, your husband is good enough, and you’re willing and able to go to your grave fifty years from now without ever having sex with anyone else. This is the path of least resistance — it’s the path most monogamously-married-but-sexually-miserable people choose to walk; it’s also the path lots of cheaters who are getting away with it pretend to walk. (For the record: Not all monogamously married people are sexually miserable.) But it’s also the path most likely to rot your marriage from the inside out — very slowly — as your feelings of resentment build over time. Most people who wind up cheating were attempting to suck it up.

None of these options are perfect. All of them come with costs. But pretending you only have two choices — suppress or leave — isn’t true.

I’m a 40-year-old straight married guy. This past weekend, I got a day pass to a nearby nudist club — you know, the kind with families, a lake, kayaks, tennis courts, that sort of thing. I was basically on a scouting mission to see if it was the kind of place my wife might like to spend some time. (It was fun!) Everyone was super nice and welcoming, but I always made sure to drop a reference to my wife and kids in conversation, especially with women — it just seemedtomakethingsgosmoother, given I was a single, unaccompanied male. At one point, though, another unaccompanied male, around age fifty, approached me and started talking. It became clear pretty quickly that he was flirting. Totally fine, all good, people do that! But I then dropped in a reference to my wife, almost without thinking about it, because that’s what I’d been doing all day, and he ended our conversation abruptly and walked away.

I felt bad about it afterward. I think he read it as me trying to communicate my straightness to him, which I wasn’t really trying to do. Or at least, I wasn’t communicating anything I hadn’t been communicating to everyone else all day. Is there a good way to subtly let a guy know I’m straight and not interested without making it sound like I’m trying to get out of the conversation because he’s gay and I’m not? And is that advice

any different when we are both standing naked in front of each other?

Needs Understanding

Dan’s Evaluation

You’re overthinking this. In a mixed nudist environment — a mix of queers and straights, old people and young, folks there for the naked tennis and folks there for naked kayaking — you will occasionally be approached by men who are interested in your dick. So, unless you get “STRAIGHT” tattooed across your forehead (Pete Hegseth knows a tattoo artist who would be happy to do it), you’re gonna have brief interactions with gay men drawn to your dick.

Now, you only had one conversation that ended abruptly, NUDE, and unless that guy was the kind of pushy jerk who felt entitled to your dick because he could see it — and pushy jerks don’t do well in (and aren’t welcome at) nudist resorts — I doubt he took it personally when you mentioned the wife. He hoped you might be gay, he realized you weren’t, and he moved on. You most likely talked with other men that day you didn’t realize were gay because 1. they were just making conversation and weren’t trying to get into your invisible pants (and so they kept chatting with you even after you dropped the “wife” bomb) or 2. they were trying to get into your invisible pants but stuck around after they realized you were straight because they were enjoying the conversation.

All that said, you don’t need a secret handshake or subtle wink or an appalling tattoo to let people know who you are. All you need is a willingness to make conversation and the ability to slip relevant details about yourself into the conversational flow. This advice applies whether you’re wearing nothing at the nudist resort, a full gimp suit at the fetish club, or a tux at your best friend’s wedding.

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