What Joshua Ferris is looking forward to the most during his visit to Iowa City is eating pesto pizza at the Sanctuary and making a stop at Record Collector. Ferris will also read from his most recent...

Rob Zombie is bloody, scarred, and pissed off on the cover of Hellbilly Deluxe 2, which is a good indicator for what’s in store for the listener on the new disc — it is his most aggressive and consistent...

Tonight, an award-winning playwright is among us. After considering the countless accolades Tony Kushner has received — a Pulitzer Prize for drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards,...

Jerald Walker escaped his high-crime neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, came to the world-renown Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and stayed for 10 years. He and his wife still have strong feelings for...

** 1/2 out of ***** One of Hollywood’s most controversial figures, Mel Gibson, has been absent from major pictures since his anti-Semitic tirade during a DUI arrest in July 2006, but now he returns...

It’s not every day that a band creates its own social movement against a popular food. Minneapolis-based hard-core punk/thrash band In Defence has initiated what is known as the Taco Liberation Front....

For violinist Elizabeth Oakes, music and religion have always been connected. The Maia Quartet will perform at the Congregational United Church of Christ, 30 N. Clinton St., as part of the Sundays at...

Corrine Smith thinks each day is an aesthetic surprise. Smith, a resident of Rock Island, Ill., works as an abstract artist creating work that evolves on a daily basis. Her work can be viewed at the Chait...

Alex Scott will gladly talk about the play he has directed, but don’t even dream about asking him how it ends. “It’s a wild ride, that’s for sure,” he said a week before the show’s opening...

Artist Cathy Patterson doesn’t have to look very far for inspiration. “[I] just look at the world around me for the things that seem beautiful,” she said. Patterson has countless colors in...

While some bands defy categorization, others outright refuse it. When asked about his band’s music, Craig Miller, the bassist for Danger Is My Middle Name, was reluctant to dive into categories. The...

Raise the Red Lantern has one simple goal: sweetness. The metal band plans to showcase this when it plays at the Picador, 330 E. Washington St., at 9 p.m. Saturday in a 19-and-over show. Iowa City-based...