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Youngstown State to host political philosopher

Political philosopher Philip Pettit will speak at Youngstown State University on Oct. 2 as the Dr. Thomas and Albert J. Shipka Speaker for fall 2025. His lecture, “Democracy: The What, the Why and the How” will explore core questions: Is democracy just an electoral system, or a way for people to influence government? Does it matter because it forms a common will, or because it holds leaders accountable? And should power come from one authority or a network of checks and balances? Pettit is the L.S. Rockefeller Professor of Human Values at Princeton University and a distinguished ...

Ohio, Pa. writers part of reading

Author Michael Dittman and poet Shei Sanchez will be featured at the next Lit Youngstown First Wednesday Reader Series event. Dittman’s most recent novel is “ Who Holds the Devil,” and his other books include “Jack Kerouac: A Biography,” “Masterpieces of the Beat Generation” and “Small Brutal Incidents.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the College of Wooster and his master’s degree in English at Slippery Rock University. He teaches at Butler County (Pa.) Community College and is a freelance writer and editor. Sanchez writes from Southeast Ohio. Her ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Jim Soppelsa: Abstract Variations” and “Dan Droz: Hidden in Plain Sight,” both through Nov. 6. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. ASHTABULA ARTS CENTER, 2928 W. 13th St., Ashtabula: “Greg Zbach: Surrealectric II — Intricate Digital Dreamscapes for the 21st Century,” through Sept. 29. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. ...

Copeland’s blues can be topical and comical

Shemekia Copeland has a distinctive voice. The Washington Post called her, “the greatest blues singer of her generation,” and the Chicago Tribune called her, “the greatest blues vocalist working today. There’s no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery.” That voice will be on display Oct. 4 when Copeland headlines the 7 17 Credit Union Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at Warren Community Amphitheatre. But she also has a distinctive voice in the subject matter of her songs. Copeland sings about topics ranging from a woman’s right to choose ...

Top Hat announces dinner and dancing fundraiser

Tickets are on sale now for T op Hat Productions’ annual Dinner and Dancing fundraiser. In addition to its stage productions, Top Hat contributes monthly meals to the Dorothy Day House, pro duces the free “Around the World in Plates” summer program with Heart Reach Ministries and sponsors the Tri-County Drama Club,” which gives area high school students a chance to showcase their talents. Top Hat also offers technical lighting and sound apprenticeships for teens, works with Potential Development students through set-building and skits to encourage self-esteem for those on ...

‘One Battle After Another’ is an American masterpiece

In Paul Thomas Anderson ‘s gloriously messy, madcap roller coaster ride through modern America, objects in the rear view may go out of sight, but they don’t disappear. Political struggles never die in “One Battle After Another,” they just repeat. Or maybe they grow older and become paranoid, pot-smoking, pajama-wearers like Bob Ferguson ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), a washed-up revolutionary living off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). The cycles of oppression and resistance are palpably felt in Anderson’s film, a decades-spanning odyssey where gun violence, white ...