Interviews
Q&A: Patti LaBelle Talks Doja Cat, Her Shih Tzu and Living on the Main Line
On March 11th, the larger-than-life icon Patti LaBelle brings her new show to Caesars Atlantic City before appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s That’s My Jam a […]
My 20 Best Philly Mag Interviews of 2022
I do a lot of interviews for Philly Mag. In fact, I do two each month in the print issue — one that opens the […]
Ryan Long on His Best of Philly Picks, His Wawa Order, and the Eagles
My parents named me … after my mom’s favorite soap opera: Ryan’s Hope. I was born in … Booth Maternity on City Line Avenue. It’s […]
At 80, Philly Expat Gloria Allred Is Still Every Predator’s Worst Nightmare
Raised in Southwest Philly and educated at Girls’ High and Penn, Gloria Allred went on to become one of the nation’s highest-profile attorneys. And over […]
Pierre Robert’s Long, Strange Trip: 40 Years on the Air in Philly
When Pierre Robert took a job at WMMR in 1981, he had no idea that he’d hit retirement age at the same station, playing some […]
Keep an Eye Out for Philly’s Own Ta’Rea Campbell When Hamilton Launches in Philly This Week
The Broadway hit Hamilton is back in Philadelphia. We tracked down Philadelphia born and bred actress Ta’Rea Campbell, who has one of the main roles. […]
Muralist Symone Salib on the Philly Places and Things She Can’t Live Without
You’ve likely seen muralist Symone Salib’s bright, larger-than-life work splashed on buildings throughout Philly, from Fitler Square’s purple portrait of Jill Scott to the fluorescent […]
Helen Ubiñas on Covering Gun Violence in Philly, Newsroom Diversity, and Making Herself Heard
Ten years ago, journalist Helen Ubiñas left the Hartford Courant, where she was the paper’s first Latina news columnist, to become the Inquirer and Daily […]
Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz on Meeting Tom Hanks, Swimming in Swann Fountain, and Having a Dad on City Council
My full name is … Ana Louise Ortiz. My grandmother is Louise, my mother’s middle name is Louise, and my father’s middle name is Luis, […]
How Fox Chase’s Evelyn González Is Fighting Cancer Care Disparities in Philly
In a recently published paper about improving cancer care on a national level, experts zeroed in on the “inequities in healthcare that exist across the […]
Author R. Eric Thomas on How Living in Philly Was “Life-Giving, Vibrant and Weird”
The “R” stands for … Robert. I used to tell people it stood for Romeo, which was a deranged choice. When I shortened Robert to […]
Jazmine Sullivan on Going Vegan, Her Biggest Musical Influences, and Her New Album, Heaux Tales
The spelling of my first name … came from my mother’s love of jazz. I grew up in … Strawberry Mansion. Went to CAPA. Didn’t […]
Sonia Sanchez Still Has Work to Do
From a childhood spent in Jim Crow Birmingham to a rise as an activist in Malcolm X’s Harlem to a long legacy in the Black […]
Master Illusionist Teller on the Return of His CW Show and What He Misses Most About Philly
My full name is … Teller. It actually says that on my passport and driver’s license, but the driver’s-license people felt obliged to put a […]
Lamar Gore on Helping Nature Through Climate Change, a Pandemic and Racial Inequity
As we’ve all been seeking safe, socially distanced outdoor activities during the pandemic, many Philadelphians have discovered John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, those 1,000 acres […]