Broad Street | True stories, honestly.

Adieu, and Be Well ... Broad Street is now closed.

Adieu, and Be Well … Broad Street is now closed.

by broadstreetmag on May 24, 2021 • Comments Closed

One last time, and forever, we thank all of our contributors, our readers, our boards, and our editorial staff over the last almost-decade. We had a great run and published so much of which we are deeply proud. We started laying plans in 2011 with a dream and a shoestring...

“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

essays / illness / memoir / spirituality

“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

by broadstreetmag on Nov 5, 2020 • Comments Closed

Reflections on life, afterlife, and the reality of the dark, dark passage. “Nothing in my life will be erased after I die.” Photo by the author. To most of you out there, I’m old. I’m so old, odds are I’ll probably die soon. You can think on that for a few seconds and move...

“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

Art / Coronavirus / COVID-19 / creativity / illness / politics

“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2020 • Comments Closed

A pandemic and other global breakdowns inspire a visual journal of diverse styles and influences. “I think for me what is interesting about this series of work is the diversity of voices within myself.” “Vitriol.” Editors’ Note: Alexandra (Ali) Blum is a California-based artist who draws on influences from around the...

Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser.

Culture / current events / History / photography / race

Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser.

by broadstreetmag on Jun 11, 2020 • Comments Closed

The BLM movement is writ large on the Civil War monuments of the Confederacy’s former capital. And now some controversial statues are being removed. “We Just Want Justice,” protesters and graffiti at the base of the Robert E. Lee statue. Broad Street’s home is in Richmond, Virginia, where Jefferson Davis once presided...

From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

Coronavirus / COVID-19 / memoir / quarantine

From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

by broadstreetmag on Apr 12, 2020 • 1 Comment

On learning that she should sacrifice herself for the good of the public. pikrepo.com On the television this morning, an idea was floated with great sincerity. I could sacrifice myself for the public good. If anyone had to get sick or starve or die from a lack of oxygen, I was...

Latest entries

“Film School Follies,” a memoir by Michael Hess. From "Birth, School, Work, Death."

memoir / school / sex

“Film School Follies,” a memoir by Michael Hess. From “Birth, School, Work, Death.”

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2019 • Comments Closed

Portrait of the author as a young auteur. “We had arrived with vision. Golden children with artistic streaks. Golden children with talent and means, certainly, and cocky attitudes. Auteurs.” The author as student director, c. 1990. Photo by Anna Copeland Wheatley. 1. At what tragic point did we begin to think that film school might not...

“I Got Grown,” a memoir by Joe Milan, Jr.

death / illness / memoir / work

“I Got Grown,” a memoir by Joe Milan, Jr.

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2019 • Comments Closed

A young man starts his working life where others’ lives end. “We worked well together. We hustled. We batched. We finished our tasks quickly, all the while head-banging to Alice in Chains or nodding to the Ray Brown Trio. I thought I’d finally found my stride.” Kachina doll class. Photograph by Chad Hunt. I Got Grown In the year...

“Panthera leo leo; or, a Civics Lesson.” An essay by Alison Powell from "Birth, School, Work, Death."

childhood / school / sex

“Panthera leo leo; or, a Civics Lesson.” An essay by Alison Powell from “Birth, School, Work, Death.”

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2019 • Comments Closed

“The girl imagines her body losing a dimension, her self as a pocket door.” This feature is also available, in slightly different format, on Medium. Panthera leo leo; or, a Civics Lesson A girl walks down the hallway in junior high wearing stone-washed jeans and a choker, assuming no one will touch her though many...

“Aunt Milwee’s Balm,” a memoir by Chris Carbaugh.

death / essays / medicine / memoir

“Aunt Milwee’s Balm,” a memoir by Chris Carbaugh.

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2019 • Comments Closed

A home remedy unites mourners after its maker’s death. “Milwee was certain that her uncle’s formula was a panacea for countless ailments, aches, and pains: ‘Just rub some on and expect a miracle to occur.’” Saint Mary Magdalene with ointment jar. Illuminated manuscript, c. 1470. There was a strange assortment of people observing the funeral of my aunt...

“Singing Lauridsen’s ‘Lux Aeterna’ in the First Rehearsal,” a poem by Stuart Gunter.

poetry / religion

“Singing Lauridsen’s ‘Lux Aeterna’ in the First Rehearsal,” a poem by Stuart Gunter.

by broadstreetmag on Sep 6, 2019 • Comments Closed

Learning to sing the sublime. “We knew the presence of significant things …” To read this feature as a broadside, drag the image to your desktop … or scroll down to read it in plain text. This poem is also available, in slightly different format, on Medium. 0 Singing Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna in the First Rehearsal We knew...