Living through a frightening epidemic is more than a plot line for Jen Silverman. In 2007, the playwright was living in a small, rural, southern Japanese town when the avian-flu outbreak hit. “[The...

Exploding torsos and other dances Eight choreographers will showcase work at this year’s Graduate/Undergraduate Dance Concert, and each dance differs from the others. The performance will take place...

I sat down with Dean Koontz’s latest novel, Breathless, after having heard many a guilt trip because I had never explored his terrain. This kind of pressure led me to believe that I was in for something...

Last week, another season of “Dancing with the Stars” mercifully came to an end with the predictable victory by someone old, wholesome, and white. While grandparents everywhere were delighted with...

Confession time: I’m a fan of Jackass. Perhaps it’s because my tween and early teen years were during the height of Jackass’ popularity. I was one of the many young boys who ignored the “do not...

What better way is there to await the joys of Christmas Day than with the Rat Pack? This playlist combines the romantic and the childlike aspects of Christmas from timeless artists, which lends to the...

Dumb and Dumber, 1994 Dumb and Dumber — the godfather of all intuitive wisdom in this strange reality we call life. It has the answer to any question a person could ask, such as, “Where should I go...

Radiohead In my short life, I’ve lived through a few memorable events. I remember being in Mr. Rogers’ eighth-grade literature class when I found out about 9/11. And walking on the field in my first...

Lean back in a worn booth surrounded by wood-paneled walls. Hear a few beer bottles clank. See a silhouette in low-lights. Hands move rapidly as voices dance above the room’s cluttered racket. The scene...

Thanksgiving’s over, and thank goodness. Most of us couldn’t wait to get home and away from the stress of school, and just a week later, we couldn’t wait to get away from the stress of home and...

Would Stephen King make it into the Writers’ Workshop? The literary elite often put off the author’s work as simple reading that requires very little analysis or thought. Ask a UI English professor...

Katherine Heigl used one in The Ugly Truth. Comedian Katt Williams devoted an entire movie to their use. And even some in Iowa City are getting the click of it. Popular films often portray users of online...