APRIL 2016 • VOL 2 • ISSUE #4 • THEDEVILSTRIP.COM 15 Rita Dove, Akron’s Pulitzer-winning, Nat’l Poet Laureate 27 Akron Pizza Task Force 35 Gretchen Pleuss goes “From Birth, to Breath, to Bone” FREE When things get weird the weird go to Oddmall FIVE FAST QUESTIONS WITH ANDY HOPP: PG 6 table of contents 6 6 Five Fast Questions with Oddmall’s Andy Hopp 7 More Layoffs at UA ... Wait, you haven’t heard? 13 Who are these Creative Devils? 13 15 Rita Dove, Akron’s Pulitzer-winning, Nat’l Poet Laureate The Devil Strip 18 New/Native: Roommates Edition 12 E. Exchange Street 2nd Floor Akron, Ohio 44308 20 20 Whiskey Dick was an Akron Badass Publisher: Chris “is still hoping ‘Swass’ catches on” Horne [email protected] 24 Urban Explorer in University Park Cell phone: 330-555-NEVER-ANSWERS Art Director: 27 Introducing the Akron Pizza Task Force Alesa “doesn’t sleep” Upholzer, Talented and Patient table of contents Visuals Editor: Svetla “The Balkan Comrade” Morrison 31 Lady Beer Drinker Survives the Rubber City Beer Fest Copy Editor: 24 Jessica “My name is not Jecca” Cherok Sales Director: 32 Crawling every bar in Akron TJ Masterson [email protected] 38 Gretchen Pleuss The Editorial Team goes “From Birth, to Breath, to Bone” Arts Section Editor: 31 Bronlynn “Space Kitty” Thurman 39 Standing Room: Assistant Arts Editors: 6 Akron Bands you Should Know Megan “Oxford comma slayer” Combs 27 Noor Hindi, Will Get Back to Chris about That Community & Culture Section Editors: 42 Ohio’s Amateur Comedian M. Sophie Hamad, ambitious wordsmith and mama Katie “Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory with Contest Finals a candlestick” Jackson Assistant Culture Club Editor: 45 A whole damn page of Comic Strips Jessica “Spreadsheets!” Cherok Ilenia “Our Short, Tired Garbanzo Bean Eatin', WTF Video Girl Writer” Pezzaniti 46 Our award-giving Urine Luck Music & Entertainment Section Editors: Restroom Review Jenny Conn, Real O.G. Storyteller 38 Mackenzie “Needs a whimsical middle name” Mehrl Music Editor: Brittany “Sass Master Flash” Nader Staff Writers, Columnists & The A/V Club: Emily “Lady Beer Drinker” Anderson; Holly “The Wanderer” Brown; Emily “Potty Perfectionist” Dressler and Marissa Marangoni, Bathroom Culture Enthusiast; “Lost in an Altered Realm” Dan Gorman & Brian Dunphy; Gabe “Softballin’” Gott; Paul “I don’t write” Hoffman; Chris “the Film Freak” Kessinger; Andrew “Has a mighty fine beard” Leask; Jacob Luther, the Towny Townie Toonist; Theodore “Quieter Days” Mallison; Mary “not so contrary, in fact, quite easy to get along with” Menzemer; the absolutely real and totally non-fictional Georgio Pelogrande; Roger Riddle, Wears the Purple Pants; Bronlynn “Enemy of Avocados, Destroyer of PEEPS” Thurman; The Shane Wynn Supremacy Contributors: Allie Angelo, Rick Bohan, Dominic Caruso, Mary Menzemer, PTAB Rane and Rosa are Shepherd / Lab mix sisters that Meet Mr. Meow! This friendly 5.5 year old guy arrived Shelby Heitzenrater, Brit Charek, Craftiest Staff Writer/Maker O L of Empires; Jessica Conti, Says She’s Not That Clever But Must D were born around October 2015. They currently both at our shelter after being brought in by a Good Be Lying; Heather “Doctor, Doctor” Braun; Eric Morris, Was E Abducted By Jojo Pizzaface’; Scott Piepho; Bert Stevens A weigh about 25 pounds but still have growing left Samaritan. Mr. Meow is a pretty social cat who loves to do. Rane and Rosa arrived from a neglect case everyone he meets! Mr. Meow enjoys gentle pets ———————— ———————————— and are extremely bonded and we are requiring they around his head, chin and cheek area along with be adopted out together. They are shy girls that are snacking on tasty treats! When the mood strikes him, CONTACT US: Office ..............................................................(330) 842-6606 looking for a low traffic and patient family that is Mr. Meow loves to bounce around with a fun toy! He General Info .................................. [email protected] P Advertising [email protected] ETS wiling to give them time to relax and get comfortable especially loves cat nip filled toys! If you're interested Distribution [email protected] in a new home. Once they know you, these two in getting to know Mr. Meow better, please stop by Website ............................................www.thedevilstrip.com Facebook ............................ Facebook.com/thedevilstrip energetic pups love playing with toys and getting our shelter and ask to meet him today! Twitter ...........................................................@akrondevilstrip pets. They have potential with other dogs and would Instagram ..........................................................@thedevilstrip do best in a home with older children. If you think ———————— ———————————— you have room in your home and heart for this playful duo, stop in and visit them today! The Devil Strip is published bi-monthly by Random Family, LLC. Akron Distribution: The Devil Strip is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Copyright: The entire contents of The Devil Strip are copyright 2016 by Random Family, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part PAWSibilities Humane Society of Greater Akron without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does 7996 Darrow Rd., Twinsburg, OH 44087 | 1.888.588.8436 | 330.487.0333 not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. [email protected] | www.summithumane.org | www.facebook.com/summithumane All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be mailed to the address listed above. APRIL 2016 • VOL 2 • ISSUE #4 / THE Devil Strip | 3 Just before our anniversary telling the story of who we are and who we of creative folks to re-imagine these now- challenge and the opportunity. Those who did party this St. Patrick’s Day, can become. luxuriously odd restrooms. This motley crew of indulge in arts and culture events, 54 percent Cristina González told me Artspace artists and staffers, SynHak makers, did so outside of Summit County. that the idea for Not Yo But community isn’t just what we do. It’s how the League of Creative Interventionists, Rubber Daddy’s Hot Sauce was born we do it. City Print-ers and Let’s Grow Akron gardeners, It’s not hard to imagine an Akron where just the same day our print made something together that wouldn’t have The 44 Percent — or 336,000 Summit County magazine was, March 17, 2015. Without even one full-time paid staff person, been as impressive had they done it alone. residents between the ages of 18-65 — were myself included, we’ve leaned on community actively patronizing our galleries, concerts, She’d struck up a conversation with Kaley to make each issue possible. Our editorial We love our creators, makers, orgs and plays, films, etc. What if we could get them Foster, who started Urban Buzz candles, is teams and contributors meet, plan, research, businesses, but real community requires more. to do it more regularly? Or bring a friend? If the force behind the Akron Sustainer project shoot, write and craft their work between their For community to thrive, the audience is vital. we do more than preach to the choir — if we and organizes the Akron Breakfast Club. obligations to their day jobs, families, friends Our readers aren’t just eyeballs for advertisers. engage and activate the choir and make them Somewhere in this conversation, Cristina ambassadors to the unwashed heathens who mentions her dad’s hot sauce recipe, which he do not already prefer to spend their spare time made for special occasions. Kaley being Kaley, on arts and culture (#jokingnotjoking) — she urged her new friend to make and sell the then the economic and social impact would hot sauce, even offering to connect Cristina be enormous. with a bottler. There’s just one more thing to consider. Pictured right: The crew hanging out at Urban Eats Affordable, collaborative and population-dense Today, Not Yo Daddy’s is available at fine local enough to count, Akron is already a pretty good joints, like Urban Eats ; used in food and drink place for creatives and cultural entrepreneurs, recipes at Jilly’s Music Room; featured in a those folks whose businesses contribute recent Unbox Akron shipment; and as the secret significantly to our unique sense of place. But sauce for the most addictive croutons you’ll I don’t think we should settle for pretty good ever eat, sold at Sweet Mary’s Bakery and made when great is so attainable. with the eponymous owner’s bread. We don’t need to hunt for big corporations or That conversation between Cristina and Kaley change our personality to attract hipsters from happened at our launch party. We don’t Austin and Brooklyn, but we do have to change deserve any credit for that at all, but it does and other avocational interests. They rely on They’re the people who contribute and support our story where it’s most broken. It’s time to illustrate what I want for The Devil Strip, to a network of connections around Akron to Akron with their time, feedback and talents. stop thinking that Akron is a place you leave, a bring cool and creative people together. find, vet and tell compelling stories. And we all They show up for bathroom ribbon-cuttings, place where no sane person would move. It is depend on the subjects of these stories to put generously apply Not Yo Daddy’s to their food, time to believe Akron deserves good and great This is what makes us different from the themselves out there creatively and financially, dance at Jilly’s, tell their friends about Time Cat, things. When we get the BS out of the way daily paper, other magazines, blogs and risking potential failure and humiliation in an hoot and holler at the EP Cooker and hang and can just be what we already are — a city electronic media outlets.