Natalie Hope McDonald

Natalie Hope McDonald is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia. You can reach her at www.nataliehopemcdonald.com and on Twitter @NatalieMcD.

October 12, 2016

Exercise

Recovering addicts using CrossFit to exercise their demons

by Natalie Hope McDonald

Using workout techniques to battle addiction and work towards a positive recovery, South Philadelphia's Phoenix Multisports at Fearless Athletics offers a program specifically designed to help those in need find a path forward.

October 7, 2016

Opinion

Forum on racism in Philly's LGBT community gets heated

by Natalie Hope McDonald

It had been almost a year to the day that Philadelphia Black Pride gathered in the same ballroom at the William Way LGBT Community Center to discuss racism in the LGBT community.

September 7, 2016

Pets

Medical marijuana for pets? Newest user has four legs and a tail

by Natalie Hope McDonald

There are two types of medical marijuana products currently on the market for pets. The first is a derivative of hemp, which is available nationwide – and the other is a cannabis extract that requires a prescription and is only available in states where marijuana is legal.

September 7, 2016

Books

Book Review: Are you eating counterfeit food?

by Natalie Hope McDonald

You’ve probably heard about Parmesan cheese being sold with wood pulp in it. But what about knockoff olive oil? Fake Kobe beef? Fraudulent fish? In “Real Food Fake Food,” author Larry Olmsted delves into this weird and deceptive world, exposing myths about what we eat and the serious effects fake foods can have on our health.

August 29, 2016

Books

Book Review: The man behind modern art

by Natalie Hope McDonald

The first time Judith E. Stein met Dick Bellamy, she had trouble reconciling the haggard man in front of her with his famous resume. He was a “charming, waifish man,” she writes in “Eye of the Sixties: Richard Bellamy and the Transformation of Modern Art,” “with frayed cuffs and eyeglasses mended with tape.”

August 26, 2016

Social Media

10 social media guidelines to save your sanity this political season

by Natalie Hope McDonald

When a former co-worker of mine got into a battle royal with an acquaintance of mine that he’s never even met on Facebook, it got ugly.

August 16, 2016

Music

Could entertainment save Atlantic City? Live Nation is betting on it

by Natalie Hope McDonald

The heat didn’t keep more than 25,000 fans away from seeing Jimmy Buffet in Atlantic City over the weekend. An event like this one offers some hope to a city that’s been on the brink.

August 8, 2016

Books

Book Review: 'Seinfeldia — How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything'

by Natalie Hope McDonald

By now, even those of us who somehow missed “Seinfeld” during its prime (it ran from 1989 to 1998) are probably familiar with a few of its most notorious references. The bad breaker-upper, the close-talker, Festivus, the Soup Nazi — these things have approached ubiquity, bolstered by reruns and cemented by the frequency with which they still resonate.

July 31, 2016

Opinion

Confessions of a Hillary Clinton supporter

by Natalie Hope McDonald

When I was in high school, I wasn't yet old enough to vote in the '92 election, but for the first time in my young life there was a promise of a Democrat in the White House. I was just a toddler at the tail end of the Carter administration – and for most of my childhood and teen years I lived under a Republican umbrella – both nationally and locally.

July 7, 2016

Art

Jet-setting gallery owner Bridgette Mayer paints a picture of abuse and resilience in her new memoir

by Natalie Hope McDonald

“Sometimes I think that if I had not been adopted and my life had not taken the turn that it took, I probably would not be sitting here as a successful gallery owner,” says Bridgette Mayer.