Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Issue 2
FREE
Publisher's Note
MICHAEL A. MONKS
STAFF
AwesomeCmag
AwesomeCityMag
AwesomeCityMag
1 AWESOME CITY
PUBLISHER
MichaelA.Monks
EDITORINCHIEF
K.A.Simpson
Dec 2016
holiday cooking
with will
18
pride comes to
chillicothe
13
triple threat
young, gay, and black in cincinnati
10
kevin feldman
an accidental
entrepreneur
3 AWESOME CITY
AVAILABLE ON
AMAZON
NOVEMBER 25
SequeltoChroniclesofaBoyMisunderstood
KEVIN FELDMAN
AN ACCIDENTAL
ENTREPRENEUR
While planning my rendezvous with Kevin
Feldman , I am hell - bent on getting him to meet
me at one of the many new eateries in Northern
Kentucky . Comeuppance , I think , for me only
seeing him previously in Cincinnati
establishments , including his own .
I suggest we visit Cock & Bull , a bustling pub
featuring English fare , 60 craft beers & frequent
specials , and he quickly kills that idea . Frida , a
whimsical setting with Frida Kahlo inspired
accents set for Mexican eats and mezcal
cocktails ? Negative . We settle on one of
Covington ' s newest eateries , Inspirado , an
unfussy place to eat showcasing eclectic , area sourced New American cuisine and works by
local artists .
How have you been ? , I ask him after we meet
and hug on Covington ' s Madison Avenue ,
hoping to get a dish of gossip before we head
in to be seated .
5 AWESOME CITY
K. A. Simpson
Bockfest, weekly
Bengals celebrations
and a wellpatronized drinking
establishment...
whats next for
Kevin Feldman?
Well, it's
complicated.
AWESOME CITY 6
8 AWESOME CITY
K.A.Simpson
TRIPLE THREAT
in cincinnati
I t'snotaseasyforaBl ackmantobegay
thananyothercommuni ty/cul ture. Ci nci nnati i s
al readyprettyconservati ve, sounfortunatel y,
manyoftheBl ackgaymenstaycl osetedto
protectthemsel ves, thei rj obs, everythi ngthat
theyhaveworkedforwhi l ei nthatcl oset.
JPCarterNel son complications of AIDS, but
When the film was released , the nation was just For me , " says Jonah , a young man I
beginning to discus homosexuality candidly
interviewed for this article , , " Being a young ,
amid the AIDS epidemic gripping the county . So gay , Black man in Cincinnati has been an
when this film portrayed the hyper - masculine
interesting journey to say the least . The
Black male image through a gay - tinted lense ,
LGBT community has its standards
the wholesome American psyche went into
concerning what ' s acceptable for a gay
anaphylactic shock ; the true Black gay male
male . The Black community has its
image being so far displaced from the gay
standards concerning what ' s acceptable
White culture which America still had yet to
and expected of a Black man . But being
understand .
both , I ' ve often come to realize there are
conflicting unwritten rules . Over time , I
Not only did this documentary cause a fold in
thought I had found a happy medium that
the way that America viewed homosexuality , it keeps unsolicited opinions and hurtful
also helped Black men , who identified as being criticism at bay while still being true
gay , cope with their own societal displacement . enough to who I am so that I didn ' t feel
Not being able to completely integrate into the like I was compromising my individuality .
Black community due to their homosexuality
Though still very discreet and sometimes
and not being able to completely assimilate
closeted , I found an appropriate balance
into the gay society because of its White
that I and most others around me seemed
construct
.
to be comfortable with . "
The fact that the
Black male here in
As Jonah explains , this dichotomy and the
the United States has
isolative nature of being gay AND Black
been subjected to
gives more evidence to the fact that the
racism , classism , and
Black gay male experience is one that is
oppression only serves
very unique .
up evidence that
the gay Black male is
a new form of
segregate .
In 2008 , President
Obama called out the
omnipotence of
homophobia in the
Black community by
Yeah,it'sbeendifficult.GrowingupinaBlack
saying , If we are
honest with ourselves ,
familywherereligionandBlackhistorywasthe
we ll acknowledge
backboneofourtradition.Ihadtostayinthe
that our own
community has not
closetandcodeswitchbetweenfriendsandthose
always been as true to
whoacceptedmeoractedlikemeandthosewho
the King s vision of a
condemnedanyofmygaylikebehaviors.Itwas
beloved community .
We have scorned our
likebeingoppressedinanalreadyoppressed
gay brothers and
population,andIcouldn'tbreathe...Icouldn'tlive.
sisters instead of
embracing them .
JPCarterNelson
More evidence can be
found when CNN
anchor , Don Lemon ,
publicly announced
his homosexuality in
the book Transparent
and said , It s quite
different for an
African - American
male . Being gay is
about the worst thing
you can be in Black
culture .
AWESOME CITY 12
K.A.Simpson
PRIDE
COMES TO
CHILLICOTHE
Remember when the only conceivable way to find support as a gay person was to hit up
the big city , which is one of the reasons why Ohio cities like Cincinnati , Columbus or
Cleveland have been havens for the small town gay , bursting to express themselves ? That
was then . Even though the world has become smaller with the advancement of the
Internet , there are still pockets of our country that does not celebrate or embrace the
gay community .
So you can imaging how tough it is to be gay in a small town , but there is one young man
who is bucking the trend . In doing so , he found that he wasn ' t alone and that there is a
whole gay world in his small Ohio town .
I was able to sit down with Northern Kentucky
native , Travis Brown . Though born in Covington ,
KY , he has lived most of his life in the small Ohio
town of Chillicothe . He is attempting to continue
his city ' s efforts to bring equality to the heartland
of America .
KA : Tell me about your efforts to bring a PRIDE
celebration to Chillicothe .
TB : Pride isn t about going to a metropolitan city
where there will be more gays and more stuff to
do . To me , PRIDE is about providing a sense of
community to those who may feel outcast by
advocating political and social causes such as love
and acceptance in places where its needed , such
as Chillicothe . Instead of being another person in a
crowd , I would rather be one of the first to
contribute to make a difference and start
something in hopes that one day Chillicothe PRIDE
could provide for this community so that no one
flees to bigger places because they do not feel
accepted .
Chillicothe PRIDE has been a small gathering of
about 50 people for the past 3 years in the form of
a PRIDE walk that began after I graduated from
Union - Scioto High School in 2012 . Now , I attend
Ohio University - Chillicothe and am the president
of my school s LGBTQ student organization
( United ) and had great feedback when I
announced that I would be hosting this year s
PRIDE .
13 AWESOME CITY
K.A. SIMPSON
GRIDIRON
TURNS GAY
With another football season rolling into Cincinnati this Fall , there is another team
worthy of your attention and they have been working at it since the Summer .
On a muggy , late August morning earlier this year , the Queen City Pigs flag football team
convened for a scrimmage on the Withrow High School Football Field . They are the
Cincinnati GLBT Gay Flag Football League s all - star travel team . The entire Cincinnati
league boasts just over 40 members who , together , are made up of 4 teams , each with
about 11 members , plus drop - ins from time to time . If that August practice was more
frenetic than usual , it was because the Pigs are hell - bent on making a good showing
when they travel to compete on the national level .
The team , just finishing up its first season of play , is set to begin its 2017 season on a
positive note .
Unlike most football teams and leagues , the Pigs play during the summer , bringing the
sport to a football - craving community a few months early . It fills the summer , player
Eric Hilson said . Everybody misses football throughout the summer . Hilson , who played
his high school football career at Schroeder High School in Cincinnati , is one of the
league ' s organizers and is an active player . I m excited to bring gay flag football to
Cincinnati and show how gays can turn up ! , Hilson laughed .
Closing out its first year of play in 2016 , the
league was able to gather gay , straight , lesbian
and transgender players from across the region to
one of the many football fields in the area , dawn
a ring of flags around their waists and attack the
gridiron . In its 2017 season , the league is set to
play eight regular - season games , plus a few
games away on the national scene .
The just - over a dozen players who make up the
Queen City Pigs have been practicing once a
week since August . ( Cont . on page 17 )
15 AWESOME CITY
It s going to be a very
community - oriented team , where anyone
and everyone is welcomed . Comments
J . P . Carter - Nelson , another one of the
league ' s organizers .
The newly formed GLBT Flag Football
League here in Cincinnati plans to make
its league an annual event , adding to the
many gay - centric sports leagues already
boasting strong support , like volleyball ,
bowling and softball .
Jahmar Daniels , a Cincinnati realtor
and another of the league s organizers
says , We are striving to compete at the
highest level , and to do that , we want to
prepare well beforehand . Just working out
a few times at the gym is not enough to
succeed in an actual game .
During the season , each of the league ' s 4
teams schedules their own weekly
practices and a separate weekly practice
for the dozen or so players chosen to play
for the traveling team which competes
quarterly in different cities in the United
States against teams from around the
country .
Just this past summer , the league ' s
traveling team went to Chicago to play in
the National Gay Football League s Pride
Bowl where they debuted the team s
prowess on the national scene .
HOLIDAY COOKING
WITH
WILL
OPERA
COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
WET :
- 2 sticks of butter , softened
- 1 / 4 C shortening
- 1 T water
- 1 1 / 2 C granulated sugar
- 1 / 2 Cup dark light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 2 t vanilla extract
DRY :
- 3 C all purpose flour
- 1 t baking soda
- 1 / 4 C baking cocoa
- 1 / 2 C dark chocolate baking
cocoa ( you can use 3 / 4 cup of either
OR this mixture )
- One 12oz . package of salted
caramel / butterscotch chips ( c . 2
cups )
- Topping of course kosher / sea salt
DIRECTIONS
MORE
WILL
ABOUT
INGREDIENTS
CRUST :
- 12 oz . GENERIC gingersnap
cookies
- 2 T brown sugar , packed
- 6 T salted butter , melted
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
CHEESECAKE :
- 3 ( 8 oz . ) packages of Cream
Cheese , room temp
- 15 oz . can of pure pumpkin
puree ( if watery , drained . )
- 3 Large Eggs , plus 1 yolk
- C of Sour Cream , room temp
- 1 C of granulated sugar
- t cinnamon
- t fresh ground nutmeg
- - t allspice
- t cumin ( this is my secret
ingredient that gives a little
smokiness to the flavor . )
- 2 T All - purpose flour
- 1 t pure vanilla extract
Stabilized Whipped Cream
TOPPING :
- 1 t unflavored Gelatin
- 4 t cold water
- 1 C heavy whipping Cream ( the
more fat the better )
- C sifted Confectioner s Sugar
Other stuff that you ll need :
- Food Processor OR rolling pin
- 9 inch Spring Form Pan
- 11inch cake plate OR Aluminum
Foil
- Large enough pan to hold water
and 11 inch cake plate
- Stand / hand mixer
- Piping Bag
- Standard star tip
PUMPKIN SPICE
CHEESECAKE
DIRECTIONS
APPLE STACK
CAKE
INGREDIENTS
Filling between layers :
- 1 46 oz jar of applesauce
- 2 t cinnamon *
- 2 t allspice *
- 1 C of sugar *
- 4 tart apples ( granny smith / golden delicious ) ,
pealed , halved , cored , cut in about
- inch thick from top to bottom
- C of water
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 t cinnamon *
- 1 t allspice *
- t ground nutmeg *
* Amounts will vary to taste preferences
DIRECTIONS
Caramel Sauce :
- 1 C granulated Sugar
- 6 T salted butter , room temp
and cubed
- C heavy whipping cream
Other stuff you ll need :
- Large Pot for cooking the
applesauce
- Splatter screen
- Large bowl for mixing
- 2 - 4 9 inch round cake pans
- Cooking spray for pans - Heat resistant whisk
- Jar and lid for storing
remaining caramel sauce
- Kitchen Scale ( optional )
- FLAT cake plate / serving plate
Cake Layers :
- 3 C Self - rising flour
- 1 1 / 2 C sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 t pure vanilla extract
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 t lemon extract ( optional )
Applesauce filling:
In the large stockpot, empty the entire apple sauce jar stir and put over medium low heat
to cook out the water. Youll need to stir about every 15 minutes or so, this is the LONGEST
active part of the process. Itll take about 2-2 1/2 hours to get it to the right consistency (if
youre crunched for time, you can use store bought apple butter . . . )Put it on the back
burner while you prep your cake dough. After all of the water is cooked out (if the entire
mixture is pulled to the side of the pot, it will stay put without spreading over the
bottom), mix in sugar and spices and simmer for about 15 minutes (taste to make sure it has
enough sugar for your taste buds); remove from heat and cool. This cooks to about the
original jar. This mixture will have some left over that you can put back into the applesauce
jar to put on biscuits/toast as apple butter . Itll store for about a week in the fridge.
21 AWESOME CITY
CAKE DOUGH
CARAMEL SAUCE
ASSEMBLY!