Words by Su Ertekin-Taner The process doesn’t begin at the start as most processes do. There is a prestart, a prelude to the prelude. The urge to body build begins in those moments before the decision to do it, 32-year-old female bodybuilder Shalom Barile informs me. We are on a Zoom call now, and she feels the need to justify her shuffling after she says this. She tells me she is returning to her apartment after her ER shift. She is energetic considering the time — 8:10 p.m. — and the length of her work day as a nurse practitioner …

Words by Su-Ertekin-Taner The Terry Jaymes Show “Welcome to The Terry Jaymes Show” reverberates with a familiar voice. An original rock-esque theme song created for the show shortly follows. The Terry Jaymes — yes, the famed national radio co-host of Lex and Terry, podcaster, and comedian — then delivers a 20- to 30-minute monologue/rant/standup comedy act/audio column. Thinks the “Ask Amy” column for the “Washington Post” column meets David Sedaris comedy piece.  Much like each installment of “Ask Amy” and each Sedaris composition, episodes of “The Terry Jaymes Show” are nothing if not diverse in content. In his weekly podcast …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner   When I search for spaces to occupy, I search for untrodden spaces. That is not to say I don’t traverse or find myself in well-trafficked places, I just prefer those less-trafficked. Spaces uncharted or else well-charted but hidden. Places not at the center or the crossroads but in the peripheries. I search for the somewhat inconvenient places because there is little reward in the convenient.   I approach my restaurant search process in this way, trying to find a recess from large food outlets and plazas that become congested with patrons. This Monday my search …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner I take a resident cheddar block out of the fridge and try my best to cut the hunk into small cubes— I am partial to the shape. I adorn a now cheddar-filled plate with pretzel crisps; I fashion hearts out of my pretzels that will frame the cheese cubes. I am considering the category of dip now, hoping for a variety of texture. I decide on plain hummus. For a splash of something fresh and bright, I cut some cucumbers and tomatoes.    Both out of laziness and desire for a quick indulgence, I’ve thrown (almost …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner   First Coast Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) wrapped up its eighth season with its annual gala and competition at WJCT Studios. The gala’s format imitates, as the name suggests, that of the eponymous Emmy Award-winning TV series, “Dancing with the Stars” — except on a local level. Local professional ballroom dancers and local celebrities team up to compete for the local version of the iconic mirror ball trophy. Instead of the multiple rounds of competition that the celebrities of Dancing with the Stars endure, however, the First Coast DWTS teams undergo only one crucial round …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner The Quinntessentials’ Podcast    In many ways, The Quinntessentials’ Podcast is a quintessential podcast: weekly, sometimes biweekly episodes, a bass intro, an hour-long exploration of a niche, an outro that advertises all hosts’ social media and frequent episode teasers. In other ways, this podcast exceeds the quintessential: energetic hosts and fluid dynamic, risqué jokes for an 18+ audience and, most importantly, Joseph Quinn.   The Quinntessentials’ Podcast — no, it’s not misspelled — was built from Danielle Nicole, Laura Vanessa, and Shannon A.’s joint obsession with British actor Joseph Quinn. What began as a Joe Quinn-inspired …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner   At 13, I watched my words, spoke quietly and re-evaluated my interactions. Because awkward silences and missed social cues were a warrant for social death, I preemptively planned conversations and decisive reactions. Authenticity was vulnerability, and I attempted to adapt. What choice did I have? In the 2010s, social dexterity was king and I was subservient to norms and taboos … that is, until awkwardness became orthodox in mainstream media.   ***   In an increasingly algorithmic generation, a niche video from a quick TikTok scroll session can make for an omnipresent media trend just …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner   Alyx Carrasquel wasn’t surprised when I told her an estimated 500 million people lack access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities (according to worldbank.com). As a 27-year-old reproductive justice advocate, she expected as much, citing the stigma around periods and absence of legislation making period products free as the cause of this period poverty.    But Carrasquel doesn’t want period poverty, defined as menstruators’ struggle to access and afford menstrual hygiene products, to be a universally accepted truth. She wants change.    For the local activist, combating period poverty begins with community care and conversation. …

Words by Su Ertekin-Taner Completely Booked:    “Folio” is completely hooked on the Jacksonville Public Library’s official podcast, “Completely Booked”! On this bimonthly podcast, Jacksonville’s chroniclers, thriller authors, cookbook creators, biographers, queer historical fiction writers, poets, romance novelists and wordsmiths gather for a recorded tete-a-tete with a cute and snappy name — Lit Chat or Teen Lit Chat for the library’s teenage audience — with other Jacksonville-based writers. As the equally cute and snappy synthesizer-based introductory music fades, I ready myself for some literary shop talk among the stacks.    I peruse the episode library as I would a conventional …

Where Dope Sandos and Hungry Randos Assemble to Feast: Lone Wolf Co. Words by Su Ertekin-Taner I half expect a member of KISS or one of those Harley-Davidson bikers that travel in herds to enter behind me when I walk into punk-inspired sandwich shop Lone Wolf Co. The edgy decorations that adorn the walls of the venue suggest as much. The Punk’s Not Dead flag, wolf’s skull mural, coffin-shaped Little Red Riding Hood-esque mural, and three-eyed wolf logo are all artistic nods to the type of counterculture that KISS and Harley-Davidson represent. And as punk music reverberates throughout the restaurant, …