Robert DiGiacomo

Always looking for 'a good idea,' the 'Pink Flamingos' filmmaker — now a novelist — has come up with many memorable ones
In the world of John Waters, a bad character is always better.
Whether it's Dawn Davenport, who ruined Christmas in Waters' 1974 cult classic movie, "Female Trouble" because she didn't get her cha-cha heels; the title character of "Serial Mom," who killed someone just for wearing white after Labor Day; or Marsha Sprinkle, who makes a living stealing suitcases from airports ...

If you haven't been to Atlantic City lately, you might assume that the storied resort's luck might have finally run out.
Five casinos –– including the once fabled Trump Taj Mahal and a multi-billion-dollar flop called Revel that lasted just over two years –– shut down, leaving seven remaining. The city flirted with bankruptcy amid the lingering recession and unprecedented competition from casinos in neighboring states.
But like a player whose cards are suddenly hot, Atlantic City could be on ...

Chefs Greg Vernick and Drew Parassio source seafood with flexibility and a minimum waste philosophy.

For author Neal Thompson, researching and writing his new book, "The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of An American Dynasty," hit close to home.
As the second-generation grandson of an Irish immigrant named Bridget, who worked as a maid, and after the death of her husband, had to raise three children while living in public housing, Thompson could relate to the similarly inspiring story of President John F. Kennedy's great-grandmother.
Bridget Murphy arrived in the U.S. in the 1840s, during a...

At Philadelphia’s newly opened Rooster Soup Company, the signature choices might include mouth-watering versions of mushroom barley or matzo ball. You can pair the soups with chef Erin O’Shea’s interpretations of classic diner sandwiches and entrees like a tuna melt or chicken pot pie and finish up with a slice of the pie of the day.

Even more satisfying than the menu offerings from the team behind nationally known Zahav, Federal Donuts and Dizengoff, is the restaurant’s mission. Rooster Soup...

Over the course of a normal week, SAGE: Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders provides a lifeline—both real and virtual—to people in New York City and around the country.
Through its New York City-based CyberCenters, SAGE offers free access to computers and tech support to several hundred older adults at five locations, as well as virtual services.
“When you look at older LGBT adults that are receiving services, these are the older adults that have faced years of discrimination that have result...

“I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist.”
When these words were uttered in 1972 at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Dallas, the medical group still considered homosexulity to be a mental illness. The man who stood up and made this proclamation did so wearing a Richard Nixon mask and oversized suit to protect his identity — that’s how dangerous the admission felt.
The short but shocking speech, given by Dr. John Fryer, then known only as Dr. H. Anonymous, hel...

Multimedia artist Mary Mattingly has been thinking beyond the canvas. The climate crisis, food justice, and sustainable resource management have inspired her to create large-scale works to enlighten, engage, and—ultimately—galvanize audiences to take action.
The Brooklyn-based artist has shown her highly interactive works around the world, including at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, but often focuses closer to home in New York City and the surrounding r...

In recent decades, LGBT people in the U.S. have gained unprecedented civil rights. We can marry our partners, serve openly in the military and fully participate in government civil service.
But for most of the 20th century, same-sex love dare not speak its name if you wanted to serve your country in almost any official capacity — LGBT people weren't welcome in the federal government or in the armed services, unless we remained closeted about our lives.
This policy reflected the prevailing att...

Experience Where the Obamas dined during the 44th p...

By Robert DiGiacomo

Three years ago, while working at a New York City art gallery, self-taught furniture-maker Brian Christopher (bicyclettefurniture.com) decided to rent a space in Hoboken to try his hand at woodworking. Acquiring his first tool from Craigslist and using the power of Instagram, he began building a client base for his signature white oak pieces. Last year, Christopher returned to his native Philly and set up a s...

Credit: St. Martin's Press
In 2013, the United States took a major step forward in the fight for marriage equality, thanks in large part to the determination — and courage — of the late Edie Windsor.
The New York City-based octogenarian was the lead plaintiff in a landmark Supreme Court case that overturned a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The high court found that in 13 states and Washington, D.C., the definition of “spouse” couldn’t be restricted to marriages between...

Class of ’94 | Back in 1998, Erica Armstrong Dunbar C’94 was sifting through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s electronic archives when she spotted an advertisement in the May 26, 1796 issue of Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser. It began:
Absconded from the household of the President of the United States, on Saturday afternoon, ONEY JUDGE, a light Mulatto girl, much freckled, with very black eyes, and bushy black hair … Ten dollars will be paid to any person, (white or black) who w...

After Two Decades, a Philadelphia Urban Farm Grappl...