Michael, Author at New Sincerity

Pixar’s Coco Performs Rare Feat For Hollywood, Intelligently Portrays Non-White Culture in Film

Pixar’s latest film Coco follows the misadventures of a musically-inclined boy who gets stuck in the land of the dead during Mexico’s celebration of Dia de los Muertos. There, he meets his great-great-grandfather, a talented musician himself, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery amid colorful, Mexican holiday-themed imagery. The film is a hit among critics and fans, and for good reason:…

December 13, 2017 No Comments

Q&A: Mer Young on Making Art to Respect Those Who Came Before Us

Mer Young is a California-based artist of mixed descent who is best known for her colorful collages including folks of indigenous descent. Our conversation with her was spurred from a mutual desire to remember our past and use it as guidance for the future. Young currently has some pieces on exhibition at Kaleidoscope Kollective in Echo Park, LA, and ChimMaya Gallery in…

December 11, 2017 No Comments

Growing a Forest From a Wasteland

“Do you realize, my children, that the man whose mind is made up can no longer advance scientifically?” This is what Charles Bessey, botanist and dreamer, once said. He believed possibility had no bounds. Bessey created something no one could have imagined – a 20,000-acre pine forest in the middle of a ‘wasteland’ of Nebraska. And yet, today, this lush…

December 8, 2017 No Comments

American-Made Clothing for Dirty Women

Taylor Johnston, gardener extraordinaire, started Gamine Workwear in 2014 because like many women working in manual labor, she couldn’t find a decent pair of Carhartts that fit her like they should. So she made them herself, and she made them well. “In an ever more disposable world, our hope is that each Gamine Workwear garment is treasured, personalized, and reflective…

December 8, 2017 No Comments

3 Podcasts We Think You’ll Love

1. Mogul This six-episode one-time series from Gimlet tells the story of legendary hip-hop manager and executive, Chris Lighty. He was manager to stars like Fat Joe, Missy Elliot, and Foxy Brown. Tragically, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2012. Don’t worry, the podcast isn’t just about that. The series is a beautiful, lush story about…

December 7, 2017 No Comments

Radici Studios’ Jen Bloomer Makes Art That Empowers

“Art has always been an essential part of who I am,” says Jen Bloomer. Bloomer, a San Francisco-based artist whose recent works of inclusion and empowerment have made a ripple across the online community, sat down with us to talk about why she creates. After the 2016 election, Bloomer felt a new sense of urgency with her art. As a…

December 4, 2017 No Comments

MEDA Helps Graduates Land Full-Time IT Jobs

When Edwin Gonzales fled El Salvador for the U.S. he came carrying a dream and little else. Backed with a burly work ethic, he teamed up with Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and turned his dream into a full-time tech career. Edwin put time in kitchens before a friend hooked him up with the folks at MEDA. They led him…

December 1, 2017 No Comments

3 Fish Studios: California Artists, Keepers of America’s Future

“You can be powerful and kind,” artist Eric Rewitzer told Time Magazine. Rewitzer was referring to an illustration he and his wife, Annie Galvin, made in response to the Trump presidency. The piece is a linocut of a ferocious grizzly bear showing its fangs. Bright, painted poppies bloomed at its feet. Using the words of California legislature in response to Trump winning…

November 30, 2017 No Comments

Vice Menta, Young Duo From Mexico, Bring Spanish to R&B

Last year, twins Marcelo and Eugenio Garza turned 18 and – like many newly-bloomed adults – made a mad dash for the city. Only this time, the city was in a different country – they left Monterrey, Mexico, for Los Angeles, with dreams of becoming R&B artists. They lived together in a tiny studio apartment, working tirelessly on their duo project,…

November 29, 2017 No Comments

Writer’s Workshop Helps Youth Failed by Education System

Philadelphia’s economy may be on the uptick, but the education system is not. It is, in fact, failing. According to a National Center for Education Statistics study from 2003, almost a quarter of the city can’t read beyond an 8th-grade level. Beginning in 2019, three schools a year will close down. The Mighty Writers is a program that is working hard to change…

November 28, 2017 No Comments

Pixar’s Coco Performs Rare Feat For Hollywood, Intelligently Portrays Non-White Culture in Film

Q&A: Mer Young on Making Art to Respect Those Who Came Before Us

Growing a Forest From a Wasteland

American-Made Clothing for Dirty Women

3 Podcasts We Think You’ll Love

MEDA Helps Graduates Land Full-Time IT Jobs

3 Fish Studios: California Artists, Keepers of America’s Future

Vice Menta, Young Duo From Mexico, Bring Spanish to R&B

Writer’s Workshop Helps Youth Failed by Education System

Sign Up to Rise Up

Services

American Stories

Company

Contact