Jaime Lazich

“That’s … awesome,” I said, looking into the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in my surgeon’s office and seeing my new chest for the first time.
I was at my first post-op appointment, three days after my top surgery. I was struck by the normality of my chest. It felt so familiar, a seamless accompaniment to the rest of me. My chest was there the whole time, waiting to be uncovered under the weight of what was piled on top. ...

Being queer is a liberatory experience. We reject norms handed down to us through our power to construct our own lives, selves, bodies, families and communities. Such flagrant displays of freedom threaten power structures that depend on the status quo. Driven by fear of dismantlement, those in power move to silence disruptors at any cost. So the world tries to convince us that we do not exist, or that we do not deserve basic rights, much less a thriving sense of belonging. This psychic fricti...

Kentucky lawmakers are really digging their heels in on their gross anti-trans agenda. Alongside fast-moving sports bans HB 23 and SB 83, this year legislators have introduced bills HB 253 and SB 84. The new wave of legislation aims to ban healthcare practitioners from providing gender affirming care for trans minors, and even giving a referral for the care.
The bills’ name, “Kentucky’s Children Deserve Help Not Harm Act”, signals that gender affirming care is dangerous. A wealth of research ...

My parents love Jeopardy. I grew up watching it with them and when I visit Kentucky we watch it together. Otherwise, I do not watch this show. My current income (of nothing) makes my streaming capabilities somewhat limited (yes I am 34 and still on my parents’ Netflix account) and means I can in no way justify buying an arcane TV antenna.
But I was in Kentucky recently, with my family, watching Jeopardy. And I witnessed the beginning of Amy Schneider’s winning streak. It was electrifying. Her...

Listen to a piece I wrote for Field Guide for the Times above (it’s aired at the beginning of the episode) or peruse it below if you prefer readin’.
The Benefits of Unrequited Love, Drunk Texting & Being Fired
I don’t have regrets. Remorse for my mistakes, yes, and I have participated in what some may see as regrettable behavior. I could have regrets. But I don’t. I tuck the experience in the back of my mind, making sure not to neglect it. It acts as a bent page corner of a book, a circled pa...

Nationally acclaimed Kentucky comedian Stewart Huff performed at the Al’s Bar Comedy Series’ one-year anniversary in December. The series presents a show with local and regional comics every month. Photo by Jaime Lazich
In less than a year, the city has seen a marked increase in locally organized live local humor; perhaps leading the cause is a new monthly series at Al’s Bar organized by local comedy enthusiasts Tony Manuel and Chuck Clenney. Rising from the ashes of the No-to-Low Expectation...

From the origins of bluegrass to folk, country, jazz, rock, punk and beyond, our state's musical roots run deep. In no particular order, here are our picks for Kentucky's greatest and most influential musicians.
Loretta Lynn
Born in 1932 in the small coal-mining community of Butcher Hollow, near Paintsville, Loretta Lynn is the most awarded female country recording artist of all time. Her most recent accolade came from President Barack Obama, who bestowed her with the Presidential Medal of Fr...

Photo furnished.
In a category of its very own making, Danville’s Great American Brass Band Festival (GABBF) is entering its 27th year as the only brass band festival of its kind. A Kentucky original, the festival offers four days of free music, art, and events at various Danville venues. Staffed by a small work-force of two part-time employees who work year-round to plan the festival, with a couple hundred community volunteers pitching in at the the event itself, the festival draws an averag...

The sixth annual Harry Dean Stanton Festival returns June 10-12, for a jam-packed weekend celebrating the long-spanning career of the Kentucky-born actor. Having started in February 2011 at the historic Kentucky Theatre, the event has branched out significantly over the past five years, now hosting multiple events at different venues throughout downtown Lexington.
Festival creator and organizer Lucy Jones notes that the event is the longest running annual film festival in honor of a living ac...

Around three years ago, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill approached local videographer and musician Derek Feldman to help curate a musical line-up for a festival to be held on the village grounds. The similarity between the title of the music video series that Feldman co-created, Shaker Steps – which features songs from local and regional musicians performed live against interesting local backdrops – and Shaker Village was a coincidence, but it turned out to be a great fit.
Now entering its th...

Overhaul and general management of content on NWI Glass website through wordpress. Implementing SEO basics in copy, updating copy to current plant standards, editing copy for succinctness, managing images and video for current client projects.