Kristin Hunt

Kristin Hunt is a senior staff writer for PhillyVoice. A history and pop culture junkie, she spends her spare time stalking the Free Library shelves and binge watching TCM. She has previously contributed to Vulture, GQ, Mental Floss, JSTOR Daily, and The Washington Post.

kristin@phillyvoice.com

October 5, 2023

History

This 5,000-year-old stone tablet at the Penn Museum is among the oldest examples of writing in the world

by Kristin Hunt

The Penn Museum in Philadelphia has 5,000-year-old Sumerian tablet in its collection that is one of the earliest examples of writing and a key to understanding Mesopotamia. Experts believe its text describes a real estate deal.

October 5, 2023

Music

Japanese Breakfast plays 'Colbert' as late night shows mark first week back from the writers' strike

by Kristin Hunt

Japanese Breakfast appeared on Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show' on Wednesday to play their song 'Kokomo, IN' from their 2021 album 'Jubilee.' Late night television shows returned this week following the 148-day Writers Guild of America strike.

October 5, 2023

History

Mr. Potato Head's forgotten friends from the 1960s live in Philly at the Please Touch Museum

by Kristin Hunt

Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia has in its collection three of Mr. Potato Head's four friends from the 1960s, short-lived toys made by Hasbro named Katie the Carrot, Cooky the Cucumber and Oscar the Orange.

October 5, 2023

History

Story of a pioneering queer writer's audacious love life is preserved in the Rosenbach collection

by Kristin Hunt

In Philadelphia, the Rosenbach's collection of rare books and manuscripts includes the Mercedes de Acosta papers. The queer writer of 'Here Lies the Heart' was uncommonly open about her sexuality, and described romances with Hollywood actresses like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.

October 5, 2023

Courts

Brooklyn subway shooter, who was living in Philly prior to the attack, sentenced to life in prison

by Kristin Hunt

Frank James, the man who shot 10 people on a crowded New York subway in 2022, has been sentenced to life in prison. James had rented a U-Haul in Philadelphia and drove it into Brooklyn on the day of the April 12 attack.

October 5, 2023

Arts & Culture

Inside the Archives spotlights items at Philly museums that you won't typically find on display

by Kristin Hunt

Philadelphia's cultural institutions like the Penn Museum, Please Touch Museum and Rosenbach invited PhillyVoice into their archives to learn more about items in their collections that are not currently on display.

October 4, 2023

Tours

True crime trolley tour explores Philly's most heinous homicides

by Kristin Hunt

'Bad Things Happen in Philly,' a true crime trolley tour taking place in October, features stories of some of the worst homicides in city history, including the crimes of America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes. The BYOB tour costs $55 and runs Thursdays through Sundays.

October 4, 2023

Weekend

'Mean Girls,' Mutt Strut and apple cider doughnuts: Your weekend guide to things to do

by Kristin Hunt

Philadelphia will host a fall food festival at Reading Terminal Market and the 'Mean Girls' musical at Kimmel this weekend. PAWS will raise money through its annual Mutt Strut, which will feature a dog costume contest. National Coming Out Day celebrations will take place in the Gayborhood.

October 3, 2023

Food & Drink

'It's Always Sunny' stars release new whiskey

by Kristin Hunt

'It's Always Sunny' stars Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton have released a new blended liquor. Four Walls Irish American Whiskey combines Irish whiskey with American rye from Iowa.

October 2, 2023

Books

Penn professor, the first woman to translate 'The Odyssey' into English, now breathes new life into 'The Iliad'

by Kristin Hunt

University of Pennsylvania classics professor Emily Wilson has translated Homer's 'The Iliad,' the ancient Greek poem about the Trojan War, into English. In 2018, she was the first woman to translate 'The Odyssey.'