Mary Retta

United States

Writer at Freelance

Education Columnist at Teen Vogue

writer 🫶🏽

Featured in: Favicon

teenvogue.com Favicon

medium.com (+1) Favicon

msn.com

theguardian.com Favicon

nytimes.com Favicon

vice.com (+2) Favicon

nbcnews.com Favicon

npr.org

theatlantic.com Favicon

wired.com + 91 more

Articles

Musician Tasha on expanding your vision of success

Sep 19, 2024 | thecreativeindependent.com | Mary Retta

For Chicago-born artist Tasha, the last few years have been a time for transition and flourishing. Since the release of her last album, , the singer-songwriter has supported nationwide US tours with artists like Nilüfer Yanya and Margaret Glaspy. In 2023, she entered new professional terrain when she was tapped to join the cast of ‘Illinoise’, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that adapts Sufjan Stevens’ seminal album, ‘Illinois’, for the stage.
Musician Raveena on creating something both honest and timeless

Jul 10, 2024 | thecreativeindependent.com | Mary Retta

In the two years since releasing 2022’s , Raveena Aurora has toured internationally, become the first woman of Indian heritage to perform solo at Coachella, and released newest full-length offering, .
Clean Air Club Is Organizing Musicians to Make COVID-Safer Shows and Spaces

Apr 17, 2024 | teenvogue.com | Mary Retta

Last year, Chicago resident Emily Dupree attended a concert with her partner, who caught COVID-19 at the show. While Dupree treated her sick partner and tried to avoid getting ill in their shared home, some thoughts began to form in her mind. Dupree and her partner still wore masks everywhere they went, and had adopted air purification in their home early in the pandemic to mitigate the risk of transmission. But she knew that wasn’t the case for most people.
24 of the Best Songs by Queer Artists in 2023

Dec 8, 2023 | autostraddle.com | Mary Retta

Needless to say, it’s been an exceedingly difficult year. With immeasurable attacks on LGBTQ+ health, safety, education, and civil liberties across the globe, it feels like a miracle that anyone could find the space and time to make art. And yet, thankfully, so many queer and trans artists did just that.
Rebrand

Oct 15, 2023 | cjr.org | Mary Retta

The February 2022 cover of Ebony, a magazine that has chronicled Black life for nearly eighty years, features ten young Black women dressed in brightly colored power suits, posed as if preparing for a day of work at the lab. The issue, the latest installment in an annual series on âCampus Queens,â was devoted to âSTEM Queensâ; their backgrounds and professional aspirations differed, though a reader found recurring themes.
‘Water Made Us’: How Jamila Woods Learned to Let Go

Oct 11, 2023 | them.us | Mary Retta

The cover of Jamila Woods’ latest album shows her floating ethereally underwater, arms outstretched to touch her reflection hovering above the surface. Though it appears effortless, capturing the picture was an arduous process because the Chicago-based artist was not a confident swimmer. As a child, she developed a fear of the water, in part from the embarrassment of being the only one in a group who couldn’t swim. Once, a life guard had to rescue her at a pool party.
What Water Taught Jamila Woods About Letting Go

Oct 11, 2023 | yahoo.com | Mary Retta

The cover of Jamila Woods’ latest album shows her floating ethereally underwater, arms outstretched to touch her reflection hovering above the surface. Though it appears effortless, capturing the picture was an arduous process because the Chicago-based artist was not a confident swimmer. As a child, she developed a fear of the water, in part from the embarrassment of being the only one in a group who couldn’t swim. Once, a life guard had to rescue her at a pool party.
How the Pentagon Influences US Colleges: A History of Military Influence in Higher Education

Sep 26, 2023 | teenvogue.com | Mary Retta

Some view this development as a win: Howard University’s president, Wayne A. I. Frederick, told CNN in January that the program will “put us in a unique space to develop techniques and capabilities and skill sets that we otherwise wouldn’t.”Others, however, are not as pleased. Teen Vogue has spoken to experts who say that the growing number of university and military partnerships deeply concerns them.
Resources for LGBTQ+ College Students Are Dwindling, Due to Republican Laws

Sep 25, 2023 | ourcommunitynow.com | Mary Retta
Resources for LGBTQ+ College Students Are Dwindling, Due to Republican Laws

Sep 24, 2023 | teenvogue.com | Mary Retta

Maria C. Gonzales, associate professor of English at the University of Houston, has been teaching there for over 30 years. In 2010, she helped found the school's LGBTQ resource center. The center’s goal was to provide resources for queer and trans students and their allies, as well as opportunities for them to get to know one another. Gonzales speaks fondly of the ice cream social the organization held at the beginning of each year.