What’s your favorite mural?

I hope this isn’t too predictable, coming from a writer, but I’m a little in love with Steve Powers’ Love Letters series in West Philadelphia along the Market-Frankford line. The graphic nature of the murals speaks to the history of building-side ads that you can still see on older buildings throughout the city, and it’s fun to catch the murals peeking out from unexpected places as you ride the train. It’s actually the wistful character of the project that I love, though—Powers worked closely with the community to develop the messages, and the combination of text and image makes a nod to everyday moments of connection and disconnection, touched as they are by thoughts of economy and loneliness. Lines like “I Got the Butter / I Got the Bread / I Got the Milk / I Got the Blame” and “If You Were Here I’d Be Home Now” just gut me.

Which spring 2017 Mural Arts project are you most excited about?

There are so many exciting projects happening, from the new Porch Light Kensington storefront to the culmination of Voices. I’m particularly excited about Radio Silence, which comes together this July for a live event and continues with radio episodes in August. The project reconstructs a version of Iraq that no longer exists, calling out into the airwaves toward the missing and lost, weaving experiences together to create a public space that is auditory instead of visual. It’s both intensely personal and politically relevant on a global scale.

What mural did you get in that quiz?

I got Steve Powers’ Love Letters. The mural quiz is eerily accurate.

Soft pretzels or water ice?

Soft pretzels.