LIZ SPIKOL

Writer and editor

LIZ SPIKOL

Writer and editor

Christine Blasey Ford's testimony through the eyes of a survivor
Christine Blasey Ford said she was "100%" sure Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her. Christine Blasey Ford said she was "100%" sure Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her. Reactions to the testimony by Dr Christine Blasey Ford have split. Some see her as a hero, others as a political pawn. What writer Liz Spikol saw was a fellow sexual assault survivor describing the worst day of her life.
BBC News
I Used to Love Steak — Then I Met a Cow
How, at age 50, I finally brought my love of animals in line with my behavior. When I was in my 20s, I started working at an alternative weekly, which I should explain to younger readers was a free tabloid-format newspaper that told people where to go, what to do, and which people were being crapped upon by politicians.
Philadelphia Magazine
Kate Spade's suicide: Another example of how the media fails people with mental health issues | Perspective
As we all know by now, designer Kate Spade died this week at 55 by suicide. We know this because she was a prominent businesswoman and cultural figure, and the news media has dutifully reported on her newsworthy death, as it should. Unfortunately, we also
The Philadelphia Inquirer
‘Generation Wealth’ Details Money Obsession
In early July, a new issue of Forbes hit the newsstands with a photo of Kylie Jenner and a caption describing the 21-year-old as “set to be the youngest-ever self-made billionaire.”. The phrase “self-made” rankled just about everyone, the magazine was lambasted on Twitter, and similarly well-heeled celebrities, from Kim Kardashian West to Paris Hilton, defended Jenner, with Hilton saying she, too, was self-made.
Jewish Exponent
The Eagles Parade: A Love Letter to Philly
Philadelphia Magazine
Jewish Filmmaker Turns Camera onto Her Own Personal Tragedy
That was the headline on RollingStone.com last week, just three days before the autobiographical film The Tale, made by Jewish Philadelphia native Jennifer Fox, made its HBO debut on May 26. Though the headline sounds like clickbait, it’s not a spurious question, as The Tale engages with a controversial theme — childhood sexual abuse — in an extremely direct way.
Jewish Exponent
It's About Time Birds Got a Little Respect
Philadelphia Magazine
For Rape Victims, the #MeToo Movement Can Cut Both Ways
Philadelphia Magazine
Separation Agreement: What It Means to Be Living Together Apart
Philadelphia Magazine
Is this how people see me? What happened when I visited Pennhurst's Haunted Asylum | Liz Spikol
When the Eastern Pennsylvania Institution for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic was founded in 1908 in Spring City, Chester County, it was ostensibly for people with seizure disorders and intellectual disabilities. But almost from the start, it suffered from overcrowding due to the influx of people without those conditions: the mentally ill, the blind, immigrants, so-called juvenile delinquents, even orphans.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Tear down the Frank Rizzo statue now | Opinion
Over the weekend, Charlottesville, Va., saw the largest public gathering of white nationalists in at least 10 years. The ostensible motivation for their march was to protest the recent decision to remove from a public park the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. a decision in line with other Southern states that have endeavored to chip away at the public luster attached to the racist pro-slavery Confederate agenda.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
What Would You Do If You Found a Bag of Human Ashes?
*The names of this person and those related to him as well as identifying details of his death have been changed. The day I found Charles started out pretty much like any other — well, except that I was doing a park cleanup and I never do park cleanups. It’s not that I don’t care about parks. But I don’t have the social acumen for group activities that compel small talk, especially when that small talk might be about recycling.
Philadelphia Magazine
Love in the Time of Dog DNA Testing
This is my third Chihuahua. That’s what I used to say about my dog, Birdie, until this summer, when I got her DNA tested. I paid nearly a hundred dollars to ship some glorified Q-tips to a laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska, so that Science could tell me who my dog really is, deep down in her soul.
Philadelphia Magazine
Why Are So Many Children on Antipsychotic Drugs?
I had my first hallucination at 17, when I was studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic. I was walking down the street, about a half-block behind an old lady with a cart, when I saw someone attack her with a piece of wood, cracking her skull open so her brains leaked onto the pavement. I can still remember the way it looked — the bone and blood and wet gray matter.
Philadelphia Magazine
Is Jim Kenney the Face of New Philadelphia?
I thought there would be glad-handing. I thought there would be exuberant, sweaty-palmed high fives. I thought there would be clusters of well-wishers leaning in for brush-with-fame selfies. I had visions of Jim Kenney, 56, the mayoral candidate and former city councilman, in a slightly too tight Neumann-Goretti sweatshirt, smiling as he greeted supporters tromping up the metal rafters in Philadelphia University’s gymnasium.
Philadelphia Magazine
Growing Up in Philadelphia: The Lost City
Eddie Gindi seems genuinely excited as he stands at the dais in the Union League. The executive vice president and co-owner of Century 21 department stores is explaining why a new Philadelphia location at 8th and Market is the logical next step for a chic discount chain that until now has stuck to New York and New Jersey.
Philadelphia Magazine

About

LIZ SPIKOL

Liz Spikol is a reporter and editor with more than 20 years experience in journalism, from digital startups to legacy print publications. An award-winning writer who has been profiled in The New York Times, among other outlets, she is a seasoned newsroom manager who also specializes in conceiving and launching new online products. Reporting beats include mental health, politics, Jewish community, sexual assault, cities and the built environment.

Spikol is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and for media outlets. She also does storytelling performance and was one of the featured subjects in the documentary film "Of Two Minds." She is the editorial director of Maryland-based Mid-Atlantic Media, a columnist for Philadelphia magazine and a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer's opinion section. She teaches in Drexel University’s graduate publishing program.

Spikol received a B.A. in creative writing from Oberlin College, and an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Philadelphia.