sticks in a skirt, but no proof

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Chris Kuhn, Editor of Skirt! Tampa Bay.

She wanted to profile me and Sticks of Fire.  But there was a catch.

Skirt! is a monthly tabloid publication aimed at the fairer sex, and the entire magazine is about what local women are doing.  But one feature each month was called “He’s So Original,” where they profile a gentleman.  The catch is that the one guy in the magazine would have to be photographed wearing a skirt.

So me never missing a chance to get my face in any publication, I put on a dadgum skirt and posed in front of the Sticks of Fire sculpture over in Plant Park.  We got several photos, and Chris wrote up a overview of what makes me “original.”  The piece was scheduled for the May edition of Skirt! Tampa Bay.

Well, Media General did it again.

You’ll remember that they started up an edgy arts tabloid called “Orange,” and then after six months killed it after an editor tried to make it, uh, edgy.  Well, Skirt! Tampa Bay survived an entire year, before it was laid to rest this week.

Florida Communications Group on Monday laid off 53 employees … In addition, the company ceased publishing the Flair and Skirt lifestyle publications.

Chris announced Skirt!’s demise on Tuesday morning for her twitter followers:

Loyal skirt! tweeps, some sad news to share. You may have already heard. The new [April] issue of skirt! Tampa Bay will be our last…

I kid about losing publicity, but please know that our thoughts are with those laid off from Media General, including Channel 8’s Dave Reynolds, and, yes, former Skirt! Tampa Bay editor Chris Kuhn.