Over the past year, our team of writers and freelancers at St. Louis Magazine have shared interesting new projects, profiled some of the city’s brightest stars, and taken you behind the scenes of cultural spaces around the region. Here are some of the stories we were most excited to bring readers in 2023.
In January, we got an early look at The Center, Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ space for youth creativity and development in Grand Center. Writer Gaby Mendoza spoke to several young artists about what the space means to them, and how Story Stitchers’ programs foster positive change.
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Composer and educator James Lee III turned his focus to the region’s ancient history to write “Visions of Cahokia” for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Lee’s piece was inspired by the pre-Columbian Native American archeological site near present-day Collinsville, Illinois, which was once the center of Mississippian culture.
Chamber Project Saint Louis celebrated 15 years of crafting intimate, inclusive concerts across the city this year. Ahead of the anniversary performance, we caught up with executive director Dana Hotle about the organization’s mission and the way the project has changed and grown.
In February, we were on site for the dedication of “Pillars of the Valley” at CITYPARK. Community and arts leaders gathered with former Mill Creek Valley residents and family members to celebrate the Damon Davis-designed monument to the former neighborhood.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works Collective brought us some of the most exciting works of the spring arts season. The much-buzzed-about program brought together community members and artists to produce three 20-minute operas: Cook Shack by Del’Shawn Taylor and Samiya Bashir, Slanted: An American Rock Opera by Simon Tam and Joe X. Jiang, and Madison Lodge by Tre’von Griffith.
St. Louis experienced a mini cinema boom this year as new theaters popped up, others changed hands, and many turned their focus toward screenings of older, notable, or hard-to-find films. Film writer Max Havey caught up with the leaders of several cinemas to discuss the trend and its impact on St. Louis cinephiles.
Local luminary Carl Phillips, a Washington University in St. Louis professor of English, was awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for his collection Then The War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020. Ahead of the announcement, writer Tobeya Ibitayo caught up with Phillips to discuss the collection, his process, and what St. Louis has meant to him as a poet.
Culture writer DeAsia Paige has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, and for our May issue, she spent time with St. Louis up-and-comer NandoSTL, who released his debut album on T-Pain’s NappyBoy Entertainment record label earlier this year. The North County native has had a winding path toward success, but his star is quickly rising.
Local singer-songwriter Lizzie Weber worked on her most recent album, Fidalgo, for more than a decade before releasing it this past June. Ahead of the release, we spoke to Weber about what she’s called her opus, returning to the stage, and the emotional journeys that led her to write Fidalgo.
Comedy superstar Nikki Glaser was SLM’s covergirl for the annual A-List issue, in which senior editor Nicholas Phillips profiled the 39-year-old Des Peres native. The comedian was everything viewers of her specials and reality shows have come to expect: charming, funny, and deeply candid.
One of the biggest buzzwords among leaders in our city’s cultural scene is “collaboration.” That idea was at the heart of Lauren Warnecke’s August Spotlight story about three local dance companies that are making an impact on St. Louis’ dance scene.
This summer, film writer Max Havey got the chance to speak with celebrated director Steven Soderbergh about the 30th anniversary of King of the Hill, based on A.E. Hotchner’s memoir of the same name. The director shared stories about shooting the film in St. Louis and insights about his career in cinema.
Dominic Chambers is the artist behind one of our favorite exhibitions of the year: Birthplace at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Chambers reflected on his hometown of St. Louis and his series of magical, nostalgic spaces in an interview with SLM ahead of the exhibition, which runs through February 11.
Big Boss Vette is one of the most exciting artists to come out of St. Louis in recent years. Writer Adam Davidson got a chance to speak with the “Pretty Girls Walk” rapper for a Spotlight piece in our Arts+Culture newsletter this fall to discuss her EP, her past, and her big plans for the future.
Writer Melissa Meinzer highlighted 13 of our city’s most exciting visual artists, including photographers, sculptors, illustrators, painters, and more. Staff photographer Kevin A. Roberts also captured several of the artists in their studios for the package, giving readers a glimpse of these talented artists in spaces that are uniquely theirs.
Ongoing issues at community radio station KDHX have been a hot topic among local listeners and music fans for most of 2023. In October, music writer Austin Woods broke down the conflict ahead of the Save Our Station Festival, speaking to DJs, artists, and organizers about their efforts.
SLM dove into St. Louis’ thriving comedy scene to introduce readers to some of the faces and places that keep the city laughing. We also caught up with some of the many funny women who call St. Louis home about what the industry looks like for them and how it has—and hasn’t—changed.
YouTube star Andrew Rea of the Babish Culinary Universe took some time out of his busy release day schedule to discuss his new cookbook, Basics with Babish, with SLM. The author’s Cookbook Night was one of the highlights of the annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival.
Ellen F. Harris got a chance to sit down with “empress of paranormal noir” and #1 New York Times best-selling author Laurell K. Hamilton, who recently released the 30th book in her Anita Blake series. Hamilton helped pioneer the types of genre-spanning stories that now flood BookTok.
Meinzer also checked back in with The Noir Bookshop owner Ymani Wince, who’s expanding the mission of her Cherokee Street space with her ongoing “Books Are Good” campaign. The campaign will help bring ONYX, a free book vending machine, to those who need it.
