Local Blogs

In her post today plugging Cranky Yellow’s upcoming Zombie Invasion (Depleted Uranium-An Art Show Opening featuring mutants, zombies, and freaks on Saturday, September 6th from 7PM till 11PM), Stefene Russell said “Cherokee’s popping like I can’t believe.”  She was discussing Cranky Yellow specifically, an indie publishing/art/etc shop at 2122.  Although I’ve been reading the CY blog for some time, I just recently checked out the bricks and mortor for the first time (and made off with a one-of-kind tee by Stan Chisholm during his “What Makes Sense” opening.)

But Cherokee is in fact popping so much that even though I live on the street I find myself saying “When did THAT open?” and “Oh, look, so-and-so is on Cherokee” on a regular basis, not only when I walk by a new window display as per last weekend - Lucky You Productions, “Oh, look, that’s Rachel McCalla, she was so helpful during Let Them Eat Art” - or during conversation - “Yeah, you should definately move to Cherokee!” - but also via the blogosphere.

The most obvious example is the new Cherokee Street News, brainchild of Jason Deem and Lyndsey Scott, with contributors including the Cranky Yellow folks.  It seems that the “Cherokee News” of old was a Post-Distpatch insert, and the site has used that as inspiration to “bring the news back to the people –catalyzing and publicizing the connections that are restoring these blocks– bit by bit, brick by brick.”

Also last week, I discovered a blog by Brian of Kakao Chocolate (2837): Pelletier the Chocolatier.  Advisory Warning: Read after lunch, lest your stomach start growling so loud that you disturb those in surrounding cubicles.  One of his latest experiments, a pine-smoked black tea truffle with sea salt, sounds insanely interesting.

Off the street, but still of Southside interest, I’ve been enjoying some other new-to-me blogs, including local artist Jennifer Weigel, who began blogging as ChaoticBlackSheep in June.  Her self labeled rants and raves, usually related to the minutia of making a go at it with this whole art thing, sometimes reflect all the things I rant/rave about in private, but never get around to discussing in a public forum.  It’s nice to see someone writing those things.

And then there’s South City Confidential, with conversational posts about “pop culture, politics, and life in South City.”  It’s written by a former high school teacher who is, among other things, creating an urban farmstead at her home in the city.  She also writes for Green Options.