Kevin J. Elliott

Jun 20, 2024 | matternews.org | Kevin J. Elliott

Try as I might, finding a thread to connect my travels through Ohio is always the most daunting part of writing a column. That and packing in as much as I can to prep wanderers for the explorations ahead. If anything, the goal of Weekend Wanderlust is not just to serve up recommendations for offbeat locales, but rather to train readers in the art of finding magic on ordinary roads. To make day trips dizzyingly satisfying. To give you a path in hopes that you choose your own adventure.

May 23, 2024 | matternews.org | Kevin J. Elliott

There is a cult of Nancy. Anything that is still around and closing in on a century of existence deserves its own cult. And Nancy, the comic strip, has endured since 1938, when cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller debuted Nancy, the titular, perpetual 8-year-old niece of her flapper aunt, Fritzi Ritz. By the time Bushmiller died in 1982, the legacy of Nancy was firmly established, and the comic has continued in various guises to the present.

Feb 12, 2024 | matternews.org | Kevin J. Elliott

In the wake of a despotic sycophant leaving the White House in an insurrectionist temper tantrum, the ushering in of global pandemic that refuses to release its grip, and with a world now teetering closer to nuclear war, what’s really left for metal to say? All of the pestilence, tyranny, death, destruction and societal decay we were warned about in the lyrics and imagery inherent to metal has come to pass. So where then do the harbingers of doom go from here? What’s left to scare us?

Aug 14, 2023 | matternews.org | Kevin J. Elliott

Meteorologically speaking, the official last day of the season is Sept. 23 – but with the Ohio State Fair done and shuttered, consumers inundated with back to school sales and another Labor Day weekend rapidly approaching (Hello Zucchinifest!), the twilight of summer is intensified. As an educator, that existential dread every August is mortifying. Pure terror, really. It’s not that I don’t miss teaching or welcoming a brand-new roster of eager and engaged students.

Feb 27, 2023 | hourdetroit.com | Christina Clark |Kevin J. Elliott

Mai Tiki in Ferndale combines the allure of an old-school speakeasy with fun of a modern tiki bar. Hidden behind a wooden door inside of Tigerlily, a new Japanese pub, Mai Tiki specializes in tropical drinks made with house made syrups, juices and hard-to-find ingredients.