About
This is not your typical local news machine.
Welcome to Avant Garde Greensboro, an online news and arts magazine and collective focused solely on the vibrant pulse of our sweet city in the heart of North Carolina. Avant Greensboro aims to give a mosaic narrative by writers, community leaders, and regular folks alike, in hopes of making Greensboro a more connected, cultural place to live.
Rae Alton | Editor
Rae is a Greensboro native with unapologetic affection for this town. On an ideal night out, she’s with friends at a dive bar or supporting one of her favorite local bands; ideal nights in would include writing on her porch, working on a collage, or dancing in the hallway with her daughter. You can find this shameless activist and pedestrian combing downtown streets for “trash art” collage contributions or at political events in the community.
From Rae: “Too many local artists and businesses go under the radar, unable to reach through the almost impassible filter placed on us, and I’m rather pious about exposing all the talent and vivacity that Greensboro has to boast.”
Rae on Twitter
Keith Warther | Graphic Designer, Webmaster, and Contributor
Keith Warther is originally from South Carolina and has lived in Greensboro since 2009. He is a freelance graphic designer, a social media aficionado and currently works as an SEO. Most importantly, he loves food and trying new restaurants in the Triad. On Sundays you can find him worshiping at The Church of Brunch.
In Keith’s free time he enjoys listening to music, collecting vinyl, drawing and doing various art projects. One of his favorite side projects is a music blog, merit/demerit, which Keith and 3 others contribute their music mixes.
He and his fiancee, Sally, live together in a tiny apartment with their cat, Mr. Susan (yes, the name is from The Mighty Boosh).
For ad placements with Avant Greensboro, Keith is the man to talk to. You can contact Keith via email at keith@avantgreensboro.com.
Charlie Wood | Contributor
Little is known about Charles’s early life. Some say he grew up in the barren tundra of Antarctica and was raised by a group of polar bears. Others claim he was the result of a failed genetic experiment by the U.S. government and was left for dead in a back alley of Detroit. Still others believe he swam all the way to Florida from the mythic lost city of Atlantis. What is known is that he appeared in Greensboro around 2002 to pursue a degree in English. Since then he has worked various odd jobs, including an embarrassing stint as stock boy at Hollister as well as an intern writing for Go Triad, sporadically enrolled in classes, and fought back an alien invasion intent on taking over Greensboro in the summer of 2008. Charles’s proudest moment, however, was when he challenged Abraham Lincoln to an arm wrestling contest and won. When not currently working on this blog and writing about topics ranging from strip clubs and karaoke to film making and painting Charles spends his time drinking at dive bars, bumming cigarettes from friends, and fighting Somalian pirates on the high seas.
Charlie on Twitter
Cynamon Frierson | Contributor
Many people refer to me as Cyn and I’m currentaly a full-time MBA student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG) trying to juggle work, volunteering, and life with the cutest dog ever, Roxie. Of course everybody thinks their dog is cute but seriously…mine is the CUTEST! It’s important to spend time with my dog but it can be difficult when life is so busy. In this blog, I hope to talk about different ways I spend time with Roxie such as some of the pet friendly places we like to visit as well as advice on all things doggy-related including training and other interesting facts. This will definitely be a journey for me but I know it will be a great one that I hope you enjoy!
Cyn on Twitter
Lilly Nelson | Contributor
Lilly Nelson is an actor, singer, dancer, horse rider…just a general Jill-of-all-Trades (and all round goddess of the universe). She is a current CPR Instructor for Forsyth County, Drama Instructor for the City of Greensboro, Web Designer for her friends, mommy for her dog (the smallest Chihuahua you will ever see), actress for whoever needs her at the time, and when she has time to breathe she even works. Greensboro is her happy home.
Katei Cranford | Contributor
Howdy! I’m Katei, a recent UNCG and a wee girl about Greensboro. I talk a lot. I write a lot. I write blog feeds and read daily newspapers. I stayed plugged-in to the music scene throughout my college years as promotions director at WUAG 103.1FM, the radio station for the UNCG area. Although I dearly miss working with WUAG, I’m stoked to highlight my city in a brand new way.
Katei on Twitter
Katei on Facebook
Katei on LinkedIn
Matty Sheets | Contributor
Matty Sheets is a musician and a songwriter from Connecticut and New York, and has resided in Greensboro for almost two decades. He currently fronts the band The Blockheads, and plays guitar in Come Hell or High Water. A supporter of Greensboro and local music, you can find him hosting the Open Mic at the Flatiron every Tuesday night.
Matty on Twitter
http://mattysheetsandtheblockheads.blogspot.com/
http://electronicphotographbook.blogspot.com/
Sarah Parker | Contributor
Originally from upstate New York, Sarah has been living in Greensboro for the past ten years after moving here to attend Guilford College. She had the awesome experience of attending high school in the UK, where she developed strong interests in travel, current events and politics. She loves living in the College Hill neighborhood, where it’s easy to find a friendly face sitting in the booth at one of the local bars or sipping coffee outside of Tate St. Coffee. Currently residing in a fairly small apartment with her dog and two cats, she looks forward to the day when she can move into a larger place.
Julie Joyce | Mean Old Business Owner and Person Who Rains On Parades
After providing the inspiration for the character of Sondra on the hit American tv show “227”, Julie Joyce was catapulted into the Hollywood scene, where she met her first husband, actor Brian Dennehy. Shortly thereafter, she left her husband Brian for a rural life back in the South where she worked 2 years as an expert scientist and discovered the cure for ebola. She then accepted a job with the World Health Organization and, after being parachuted into Algeria to investigate a new outbreak of pig tuberculosis, joined a rebel guerrilla group responsible for the assassination of several famous world leaders. She was a POW for 2 weeks and is still recovering from being forced to eat a first edition of Albert Camus’ The Plague. She currently spends most of her time volunteering with the library where she conducts a special “adults only” erotic reading circle, using taxpayers money. She enjoys early 80s punk rock, chocolate doughnuts, searching for the ever-elusive Tasmanian devil in Tanzania, mistakenly, and making cupcakes for the homeless.
Julie on Twitter
Avalon Kenny | Hipster Youth/DJ
Hey. I’m Avalon and I’m terrible at autobiographies. I’m from Greensboro, born and raised. I tend to stray somewhere between elusive and ever-present, but chances are you can find me at a local coffee shop writing or reading. I like to create things like art and music, and see other people create things like art and music. There are few things I find more pleasant than singing along to my favorite local band. I’m a DJ at WUAG, and I always love getting involved with the community.
Dwight Mabe | Contributor
Dwight Mabe is a local guy who lives, breathes and eats bass guitar and music (not a recommended weight-loss method as the photo shows). In his spare time, he teaches bass, compiles a forthcoming method book and spends a lot time on the phone with or traveling to NY to visit with the mystery woman. All will be revealed in good time.
Dwight on Twitter
Dwight on Facebook
You. | Friends and Neighbors of Avant Greensboro
Are you interested in submitting guest posts to Avant Greensboro? We encourage you to do just that! Prior to submitting a post, it would be helpful to first get in touch with the editor via email to pitch your post idea. Please be advised that guest posts must be Greensboro-centric and should not be an advertorial. Avant Greensboro is particularly interested in posts about sports and local politics, as well as fiction submissions. Your guest post must be original and may not be republished elsewhere (past, present, or future.) Please include at least one photo (with appropriate photo credits) with your post.
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