Once again, we've put together an issue of our magazine that has a wide variety of content. We've got painting, photography, books, music, wine, small business, pets, redistricting, fitness, and cooking. (And by the way, if you think we're missing something we ought to include, click the 'Contact us' button and tell us about it).

Let's see what we've got.

THE ARTS

Each issue of our magazine has a lot of coverage for the arts.

There’s the cover itself, of course. This month’s piece by Sandy Whitby is something we had been planning to use during the winter — it has kind of a winter feel to it, I think — but we decided we needed some relief from the heat right now.

Meanwhile, Al Rendon’s photograph accepts that heat and takes us to the beach and the 1980s. Playlists were a lot bigger back then.

Tommy Newman’s music column looks at post-punk, but if you’re like me, it doesn’t matter what Tommy’s writing about; it’s always fun to read (and, by the way, Tommy has a radio show now — get the details in his piece).

We’ve also added a brand new feature: Worth a Read. This month I tell you about some books I’ve been reading that I highly recommend. I invite you to contact me about books you think I should be reading.

OK, I’m going to call this ‘art’, too:  My neighbor, Jane Gennarelli, is a terrific cook, and I regularly benefit from her creations. She’s got a recipe this month that she says is absolutely simple, and I’ll say it’s absolutely delicious.

SMALL BUSINESS

Local small businesses are a key part of our neighborhood, and we’ve got three pieces with a small business focus.

First — and this is a really big deal — Liliane Spenle of non-profit lender LiftFund outlines a grant program from the city that’s aimed at giving further financial assistance to small businesses that have been hurt by the pandemic and by the disruption of center-city construction. Our neighborhood restaurants and service businesses are great candidates for these grants, and LiftFund can help you apply.

Next, we’ve got a piece about long-time neighborhood business Pig Liquors. I’ve been shopping there for years, but it was only while writing this article that I realized how much selection is stuffed into this little place. (And I also got to ask the question: Why ‘Pig’ Liquors?)

You’ve probably noticed the new restaurant right at the Alamo Street / César Chávez gateway to the neighborhood. Hola! is a fun tapas place owned by Azusa’s Chef Rene Fernandez, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

VOICES

A key motivation behind starting this magazine was to provide a platform for neighborhood ‘voices’ — a place where our neighbors could write about things they know and care about, and we’re delighted with how that is working out.

Month after month, our school district board member, Sarah Sorensen, has given us crystal-clear explanations of important issues related to our neighborhood schools. This time, Sarah talks about the redistricting of our district. That may sound confusing, so let Sarah explain.

A popular feature each month is Jen Beckmann’s column on wine. In this issue, Jen takes a look at how grapes go from the vine to the bottle.

We’ve also got three new voices, one writing about fitness and two with a focus on animals.

Alison Galvin is the owner of the EnergyX fitness studio in Hemisfair. She's also (as of this writing) pregnant. Alison is going to write about fitness for us on a regular basis, and she's started with something personal: Staying fit while pregnant.

Neighbor Joanne Gallagher — the ‘Puppy Adoption Coordinator’ for Charming Pet Rescue — tells you how to select a dog that’s a good fit for you and your lifestyle.

And Jen Galletti, who is involved with animal rescue and feral cat TNR (trap, neuter and release) programs, has written up some advice for keeping feral cats from colonizing your property.

LET US HEAR FROM YOU

We want to keep improving the content of our magazine, and we look to you for advice.

• Is there something we should be covering, but don’t?

• Is there something you’d like to read about?

• Would you like to become a ‘voice’ and speak to the neighborhood?

• Is there something that we are doing that you like and want us to keep doing?

Let us know what you think. Click the ‘Contact us’ button on this page or send me an email at jim@lavaca-and-friends.com.