Monthly Archives: July 2018
Indian Eateries Duel for Diners
By Amal Khateeb Spectrum staff The two men stood in front of the respective doorways of their side-by-side restaurants, beckoning diners. “Come in, come in,” the first guy said, waving at people passing by. “No, no, no, this is the one,” the other said, waving, too. From the steps of the single stairway leading […]
Iconic Theater Aims for New Audiences
By Hannah Hur Spectrum staff Since May, Film Forum, one of the nation’s handful of non-profit movie theaters, has been outfitted with tiered stadium seating to give its ticket-buyers more leg room, comfort and better sight-lines. These and other improvements are part of a $6 million renovation that Film Forum directors hope will provide a […]
A Performance Space of Their Own
By Samhitha Saiba Spectrum staff Four women glide across a black floor, bodies twisting and leaning into one another under a pink glow of light. Audience members watch from the edges of the room, some rising every now and then to drift to a different corner. Their eyes stay trained on the dancers. It’s closing […]
Tackling Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant Bias
By Vanessa Handy Spectrum staff The sound of feet shuffling toward seats subsides. The lights dim. The chit-chat of a waiting audience goes silent. The piercing screech of the sole microphone on stage fills the room. The first performer, a woman wearing a hijab, steps to the mic, sighs and opens her mouth. I am […]
Off B’way Playhouse Crowdsources Funds
By Juliana Guarracino Spectrum staff Money has gotten so tight at Off Broadway’s Theatre 80, which doubles as an East Village performance space and a community meeting house, that it has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $70,000. “When you kill the entertainment industry here, when you turn New York into a cultural […]
Entrepreneurs Want to Spread Positivity
By Christian Richardson Spectrum staff Nia Imani Wellman, 21, designed a mobile app that’s all about hair. R’chelle Ayanna Boyce, 24, designs clothes imprinted with Christian messages and scripture. Every item in the apparel line that Ty’leib Redd, 18, launched is imprinted with “fly,” which stands for “first love yourself.” These young entrepreneurs said they […]
Food Vendors Balk at Styrofoam Ban
By Dan Hu Spectrum staff Some food cart merchants are concerned that a Styrofoam ban, taking effect on Jan. 1, will lower their take-home pay. The higher costs of paper, aluminum and other allowed food containers will cut into their earnings, they said. Halal food cart merchant Mia Lat said his cart will be switching […]
The Changing Face of “West Side Runners”
By Daniel Han Spectrum staff Faded photos of athletes from years past, wearing red tank tops expressly made for runners, are strewn around a bedroom. In the kitchen, yellowed race bibs bearing the numbers that identified past runners, and ribbons some of those runners won, fill a poster board. A map of Central Park is […]
Selling Chess Sets, Creating a Community
By Ryan Kim Spectrum staff Chess pieces clack against tabletop chess boards with peeling paint and scratched wood. The sound of orchestral strings streams in. Seated on opposing sides of the boards, the chess players murmur. They ponder their next move. Standing behind what doubles as a display case and sales counter at Chess Forum, […]
A Global Contest for Hip-Hop Ladies
By Andrew Najjar Staff writer Sunlight poured through the window and onto the mural, an abstract splash of colors, in the main entry and hallway of the Knockdown Center in Maspeth, New York. A group of dancers occupied the hallway. Some were sitting on the floor, eating, stretching and socializing. Some had headphones in their […]
Activists: “Families Belong Together”
By Isabella Calix Spectrum staff Lee el version del Espanol aqui The woman’s story silenced the room. She is a wife, a mother of two and a registered nurse studying for her masters degree. She has built a life in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents already took her passport. They have […]
Activistas: “Familias Unidas, No Divididas”
Por Isabella Calix Spectrum escritor Read the English version here. La historia de la mujer silenció la habitación. Ella es esposa, madre de dos y enfermera que estudia para su maestría. Ha construido una vida en los Estados Unidos. Los agentes del U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas […]
A “City of Gold” that Doesn’t Shine
By Ashley Quinonez Spectrum staff Valentin Peralta eased the Sidewalk Tacos food truck into a space on West Fourth Street, put the gear in park and began doing what he does at the start of every workday. The boxes of avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, tortillas and other ingredients for cooking Mexican dishes were the first things […]
New Grads Navigate Job Market
By Juan Vargas Staff writer Job prospects for new college graduates have improved since the Great Recession, but still haven’t returned to previously higher levels. An improving job market however, doesn’t stop the job search from being difficult. “Technological skills, analytical and data science skills have really emerged in really profound ways and shifted everything […]
Instagram Wants News on Vertical Video Channel
By Sarvani Nori Spectrum staff In addition to being a platform for its existing celebrities and non-celebrity trendsetters and personalities, Instagram’s recently launched vertical video app aims to add news organizations and journalists to its list of users. Instagram executives, however, are in the early stages of figuring out how IGTV, that new video app, […]
Making Art With News Headlines
By Erinn McKenzie Staff Writer A poster on Cem Kocyildirim’s desk says “Everything is So F*cked Up.” That’s one of the first things a visitor might see in Kocyildrim’s studio in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where he creates art with plenty of messages, some subtle, some not so subtle. “She Said” is how he titled one piece. It’s a […]
Mental Health Helpline Goes Online
By Evie Newman Spectrum staff To broaden its mental health services to students, New York University plans to add an online chat service to its current list of services, which include a telephone hotline and a walk-in clinic. The online chat tool goes live August. The services are offered through NYU’s Wellness Exchange, which also […]
“I’m Just a (Muslim) American Girl”
By Siddrah Alhindi Spectrum staff My little sister and I listened to the sounds of protesters and police clashing back home in Syria. “Don’t look,” our father commanded, while his eyes were glued to his laptop computer and Facebook. It was 2011. We were at home in Staten Island, where my sister and I, native […]
Blogging About a Black Girl’s World
By Tyler Newman Spectrum staff Since kindergarten, I’ve attended a private, predominantly white, all-girls school. I’m a black girl. And, at first, that didn’t make me feel much different than anyone else of my classmates. In 8th-grade, though, a white teacher stuck her hand in my cork-screw curly, natural hair. Without asking. I was sort […]
Khachan: Chess as a Common Bond
By Tyler Newman Staff writer Imad Khachan switches off the storefront display window’s chandelier. In the near-darkness, the glass chess pieces light up. They show as orange and purple while placed on the chessboard, but not when he holds them in his hands. Because of its color and magic, this set is his favorite. Inside […]
Washington Square Park, A Constant Amid Change
By Annie Li Spectrum staff Back when Victoria Larkin was growing up, the rent her single mom—a part-time actress and liquor store cashier—paid for the family’s Upper West Side apartment was $340. Today, it’s $4,000. “Somebody like her could never make it here, now,” fiftysomething Larkin said of her working-class mother. “And that is just […]