Many larger cities have these weekly newspapers that focus on very local news and information with a few syndicated columns. Political columns tend to lean towards "progressive" and "liberal" which I'm not objecting to, just pointing it out. You'll find articles about the local arts and entertainment scene including which performers are coming to town and which venues have new exhibits. As well, which restaurants are offering interesting takes and meals with some quite detailed reviews. I enjoyed reading up and figuring out where I'd be heading for my next fabulous meal. Or even better, seeing if the RFT reviewer agreed with my own review! The newspaper is free and you'll find display copies here and there throughout town. [Review 17387 overall - 187 in Missouri - 905 of 2022.] read more

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RFT has been, from the beginning of my stay in the Lou till the end, an invaluable guide to getting to know the city as a tourist and as a resident. There's always a weekly restaurant review to introduce you to the new or reintroduce you to the old. There's features on upcoming festivals or events (the pull out a few weeks ago was "Summertime in St. Louis" - awesome!) And the price is right. read more

The Riverfront Times (RFT) is the local free fishwrapper. If you've ever visited a big city, you've seen one. It's the paper that people use as makeshift umbrellas and that local hippies say bring the "real" news that the big newspapers don't want to report because of the man or the system or whatever. Here's the pros and cons of the RFT (and pretty much every newspaper of this sort). Pros: - Free - Perfect reading time for a Friday lunch. - Gives a quick and somewhat detailed rundown of the local arts and event happenings. - Looks at local stories from a snarky smartass perspective which is good for a few laughs. - Pretty comprehensive concert calendar. - The local "best of St. Louis" is better and more comprehensive than any other annual "best of", so that's at least 1 issue a year you should read. - You get to find out which adult video starlets will be gracing the local gentlemen's clubs. Cons: - You get what you pay for. - Perports itself to report real "news", instead of admitting it's just a sensationalist muckraker. - Movie reviews are outsourced out to some generic indie snarky reviewer. - The RFT in particular has incorporated more national stories (reported by sister-papers elsewhere in the country) at the expense of local stories. Sometimes it feels I could be living anywhere and read the same garbage. - Reporters often skirt facts that get in the way of their agenda, skew numbers in their favor, or do selective interviewing to push their point of view. - In actuality, not really worth reading outside of the arts and events calendars. All in all, the RFT isn't really very different than the other papers owned by their parent corporation, Village Voice Media, who owns 14 "alternative" weekly newspapers. All their websites are set up the same, their papers look the same, the layout is the same, etc. Of course everyone says the RFT was better before it was sold, but the RFT has always been like this as long as I can remember. It's just the local paper that single people in their 20's read for arts & events and nothing else. Every city has something like this now, maybe even 2 or 3. There's really nothing unique about it, but it serves a niche market. I never really expect it to change or get better. It is what it is: A free paper that provides good info on local events, with reporters who place more creedence in anecdotes than facts. It's not worth getting worked up over. It's just there. And that's A-OK with me. read more

Attn: Or Review: Sex, The World History, Through Time, Religion, and Culture, by John R.Gregg Audio Just out: 2021: Sex, The World History; Through Time, Religion and Culture (3 volumes) On Audible Amazon. This Work has been hailed by European LGBTQ organizations as the FIRST ever, Gender Honest History of Sex For Review and Information  ...Radical Gender Honest Humanist history of sex. PURCHASE URL https://www.audible.com/pd/B093NG2X2R/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223 ILLUSTRATED 3  PRINTED VOLUMES:= SEX, THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, THROUGH TIME, RELIGION AND CULTURE, Volumes, I,II,III...... 900+ ILLUSTRATIONS.      (Cultural Bisexuality and illustrations Mainly in the second section of each chapter) Vol.1: SEX IN The ANCIENT WORLD.EARLY EUROPE.THROUGH THE RENAISSANCE, AND ISLAM VOL 2: SEX IN ASIA,AUSTRALIA,AFRICA,THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND THE INDIGENOUS AMERICAS VOL 3; SEX IN THE MODERN WORLD; 17TH TO THE 21ST CENTURY. EUROPE AND COLONIAL NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA. (WORLD SLAVERY,TRAFFICKING,CHURCH ABUSE,BISEXUALITY LGBTQ HISTORY A cross-cultural examination of sexual beliefs, the book traces sexual practices with gender honesty, the unusual and the transcendent, throughout the worlds' cultures. A deep look at world religions and their control of sex, the book explores and exposes complex relationships between spirituality, sexuality, and the treatment of women and boys throughout history. The book revamps previous historical interpretations of gender fluidity in worldwide cultures. While women were exalted as leaders and priestesses in many cultures, they suffered a drastic loss of power and prestige over time. The supremacy of the Mother Goddess throughout most of human existence, and her relatively recent fall, is detailed. Other themes are; the undeniable existence of bisexuality in the majority of human cultures, the influence and abuses of the Church, the history of sexual slavery including World War II, child brides and forced marriages, historical perspectives on homosexuality, the origins of the LGBTQ  and Feminist movements.. Included are works of mythology, erotic artwork, and literary excerpts. These weave together a multicultural and historical tapestry which we can now see reflected in our contemporary world. It offers in very readable form an encyclopedic tour of the sexuality of humankind! read more

I like print media. There's something timeless about flipping through an ex-tree as you soak in the news of the world, incurring ink stains on your hands as proof of your effort. Of course not all print media is worthwhile and the saying "you get what you pay for" applies aptly to the RFT. The RFT is free BTW. The RFT is a household name and the newspapers are ubiquitous throughout the city and environs. They could do much to fill the noticeable void in local journalism and perform a public service by filling their pages with relevant local news in addition to local arts and entertainment schedules. Instead they regularly choose to waste paper and ink on poorly-constructed rants from anonymous locals (I assume), concert listings, biased political swill and trashy ads. The same goes for the website, but without the ink and paper wastage. I'm a sucker for trying new things and going new places. That's why I joined Yelp. But in the past three years, I couldn't glean from the RFT a single event/venue that was interesting enough to commit to. When I first moved to STL, I used to grab a copy every week, but now I only bother once every few months, in hopes that the content has improved. Needless to say, every few months, I'm disappointed. The glorious exception to everything written above is the RFT's annual "Best of St. Louis" list. It's simply the best "best of" resource I've ever seen, check it out right now! read more

The Riverfront times used to be fun to read, great short articles, restaurant reviews and Savage love was my favorite section but, it has changed to a mostly one sided LOOOONNNGG story book. Most of the articles now are 4 to 5 pages long and the first thing I think when I see that is "skip". The ones I do read could be cut in half easily and are very obiously self serving soap box articles. Even Savage love has turned into a column and a half answer that could be done in 2 paragraphs and most are uniteresting to say the least. The only thing left that I look at anymore is the new restaurant reviews and stories. It's a shame, wish they could be more brief and look at both sides of a story. read more

I really, really, really used to love this paper but i think once it was bought out it really slide downhill quickly. Yes, i still read it but mainly online these days because it's hard for me to find it where i live and that's okay, i like reading them online because it saves trees and all that jazz. I miss the days where the back of the paper had missed connections, and other sundry things that would make me laugh. read more

I'm not really sure how the RFT can get a bad review since you know it's uhh...free. In my opinion it is one of the last remaining bastions of halfway decent journalism left in the area. Yes it follows the obligatory Village Voice format of regurgitating local news with a snarky leftist spin, but it does a good job at doing that. The RFT occupies a unique spot somewhere in between the Post Dispatch and Evening Whirl of legitimate news and entertainment. Each week they have a cover story that is usually interesting and relevent and a helluva lot better than anything the PD staff could come up with these days. But what really wins me over as a fan is the online component to the RFT. They do a lot of really neat features on their online blogs such as featuring literary giants that hail from or have a strong connection to St. Louis. Or during the world cup they ran a feature that showcased local ethnic enclaves as they cheered on their home country's team. Not only are things like that interesting, but they showcase a side of the community that the local media giants tend to ignore. Oh and their annual best of St. Louis list is probably the best comprehensive guide to where to check out that you will find anywhere. No the RFT is not going to win a pulitzer and I don't think Paul Krugman will be jumping from the NYT to the RFT anytime soon. But let's face it people, the Post Dispatch is garbage and the local news stations are barely any better. The RFT actually tries to be engaged with what goes on in St. Louis and it does so a lot better than its more widely read competitors. Oh and did I mention that it's free? read more

IN ST LOUIS MISSOURI....WEhave only one paper that does any investagative reporting .. RIVERFRONT TIMES... THE POST ONLY COPY AP AND OTHER JUKE YOU CAN GET ON THE INTERNET.. WHY PAY FOR IT!!!!!!! read more

Every city I have ever lived in has had a newspaper like this one. It's hip and people in their 20's love to read it while sitting on buses or in coffee shops. They are found on street corners and often used to wrap glasses in when you move because well, it's free and usually easy to grab. The RFT is no different. I love this paper. I hate to admit it, but most of the time, I would rather be reading this than the Post Dispatch. This paper is filled with some news (but nothing really poignant, obviously), the editorials are always great and make me laugh out loud, but I generally use this paper for three purposes: (1) Savage Love: I mean, who does not love Dan Savage. This has to be the best advice column in America. I could read it day and night and probably never get sick of it. I never miss a week. Is that sad or does that just make me that much more knowledgeable about relationships?? (2) Events around town: This thing is better than Sauce or Metromix in my opinion. You can open this thing up and find some of the coolest stuff going on around town. There are always midnight movies and book signings and bars opening and clubs having random nights that I would never know about without my trusty RFT. (3) I just love the advertisements in the back. I mean, for how many years have the same "Smoke Pot for Money" ads been running in the back of this thing. It's always good for a laugh. And of course, the escort service ads. They are just, well, hilarious, and have afforded my friends and I many a laugh at Coffee Cartel over the years. So, if you are looking for hearty news stories and deep thoughtful editorials, you may not want to pick this up. However, for a good laugh and a different spin on the goings on in this city, I highly suggest picking up an RFT next time you see them laying out on Thursday afternoon. If nothing else, use it for packing....it's truly a shame to just let them be recycled. read more