Barnes & Noble chose UI alum and writer Jerry Gabriel as the 2010 Discover Great New Writers Award finalist for his collection of short stories titled Drowned Boy. “It’s a great honor,” Gabriel...

In a world in which photographers work in the digital fortress of computers, Kelli Connell enjoys working in a darkroom. “Sitting at a computer [editing photos] holds a little less magic,” she said. The...

Think of a singing penis, a Heisman Trophy, and a comb phone. Think Poona the F*ckdog. “It’s so over the top,” codirector and actor Brian Tanner said, describing the play. “But it seemed like...

The experience of being on tour has definitely been interesting for Velvet Davenport — even if it hasn’t been the most hygienic. “You just have to get to a place, play music, and have fun,” said...

SWISHER— The trio standing in the Cedar Ridge Winery in Swisher created quite the visual contrast. The first two men to speak — Hancher executive director Charles Swanson and music director for Orchestra...

Investigative journalist Jeff Biggers is not a big fan of coal. Having his family’s ancestral home of Eagle Creek, Ill., razed to make way for coal production, Biggers found no other way to illustrate...

If President Obama ever suffered a loss of words, Honest Abe’s legacy could act as a tag team and spring into the ring. “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present,” President...

Annie Clark wanted to be among her own — the freaks. “I’m, in some ways, really glad I grew up in the suburbs, because if I hadn’t, I don’t think I would’ve wanted to move to New York City,”...

The late 1940s saw plenty of social change, including the beginning of the end of segregation and discrimination. It was the concept of this cultural upheaval that put the wheels in motion for author...

** out of ***** With its all-star cast and enticing previews, Valentine’s Day was bound to give moviegoers high hopes. It resembles the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually and at first even appeared...

Tie-dye is usually associated with peace signs, long hair, and the psychedelic. However, the practice dates as far back as 500-800 A.D. pre-Columbian fashions, a little before the Grateful Dead took the...

Working at a homeless shelter, fixing a leaky roof, organizing benefits for those in need — these things were all part of a typical day for Russell Karkowski until he fell from his roof in November 2009. The...