Dr. Marlene Tromp is the Director of the Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies and Professor of English and Women and Gender Studies at ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Her latest book, Untold Titanic, invites readers to learn the truth on the Titanic’s 100th Anniversary. A 50-page,…
There’s a huge lineup of geeky cool writing workshops at this year’s Phoenix Comicon, where you can try your hand at writing dystopian fantasy, paranormal fiction, steampunk fiction, faerie lore, zombie erotica (to name a few).There’s plenty of books and authors programming to sink your teeth into throughout the four-day convention,…
“I wish Kiki Smith had been my biology teacher.” That’s what I can’t help thinking as I take my first enthusiastic looks around “I Myself Have Seen It: Photography and Kiki Smith” at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The experience of entering the first of three rooms (and the…
On Saturday, May 5, The The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and the Phoenix Public Library are teaming up to present CozyCon, a mystery-writing conference with a dozen favorite mystery authors. Jenn McKinlay, author of both the Cupcake Bakery series (Sprinkle With Murder, Buttercream Bump Off, Death by the Dozen) and the Library…
Photographer David Emitt Adams’ show, Conversations With History on view at the Northlight Gallery at ASU through April 21, takes tools and materials appropriated from photography’s past and re-purposes them in surprising new ways. Specifically, Adams makes tintypes using the exact same photographic processes used in the 1850’s but prints…
Bestselling author Sarah Vowell will be giving a reading and book signing at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 28, at 8 p.m..You may know her wise cracking, dry-humored voice from the radio show, This American Life, or from appearances on The Daily Show With Jon…
Cassandra Powers, baker at Lux Coffeebar and creative writing student at ASU, always has a book (or two or three) close at hand. She confidently recommends poetry and the books in her living room are as warm and inviting as a hearth. What are you reading? I always have too…
In the back of the exhibition space for “And the Land Grew Quiet: New Work by Matthew Moore” sits a crazy one-and-a-half-scale stud-skeleton house. Built askew and appearing to be sinking into the ground, the house is surreal. Walk through its beams and a disorienting sense of vertigo might knock…
Have you ever wondered what your bookmark says about you? You’re not alone. Not Just Scraps of Paper is a local blog that’s summed up in its tag line: because what you use to mark your place is as important as what you’re reading. It features photos of books lying next to…
SMoCA Lounge will host best-selling author Josh Bazell on Tuesday, March 6, where he’ll be reading and signing his new book, Wild Thing! a sequel to 2009’s bestselling Beat the Reaper, published earlier this month. Bazell’s first book was a gore-y, funny, turbo-paced page-turner with mobsters and goons. (There’s a scene with…
There’s still time to sign up for the Indie Author Publishing Conference & Pitchapalooza this Saturday, February 25 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the South Mountain Community Library.The all-day conference is co-hosted by Changing Hands Bookstore and the Phoenix Public Library, who partnered in January to host a Young Adult Writing…
Miracles are close at hand in Julianne Swartz and Ken Landauer’s “Miracle Report,” the eighth of ASU Art Museum’s Social Studies Projects. The pair spent a month-long residency at the museum asking strangers, “Have you experienced something miraculous in your life?” then building an installation around the recorded conversations provoked…
Books make great Valentine’s Day gifts because, let’s face it, they last longer than grocery store flowers, and there’s even room to write an inscription. Our three gift recommendations (for your valentine … or yourself) are full of text and images, and can be skimmed in a few minutes for a…
The Library of Congress is our country’s oldest federal cultural institution, which means they have a pretty amazing collection of stuff, including these bold and colorful prints that would make book lovers drool. You can, of course, browse the collection in person or online, or if you’d like to take one…
Whether you’ve been writing for a while, or just thinking about getting started, everyone can use a boost of inspiration from time to time. This round-up of writing workshops could be just the thing to help you put your stories on the page. Many of them are one-day events too — easy…
There’s something addictive about great Young Adult writing. For one, teenage protagonists make the stakes just feel a bit higher. Throw in some characters tackling edgy social situations and a bit of peer pressure, and we’re hooked. Saturday, January 28 is going to be a banner day for YA readers and writers alike,…
Ladies and Gentlemen! Dreamers and Fools! Why not enter the fantastic world of wonders and horrors that is Melissa Pritchard’s, The Odditorium. It was just named one of “Ten Titles to Pick Up Now” by O, The Oprah Magazine in it’s January, 2012 issue. “The stories in this strange and…
There’s something about the daily ritual of commuting via subway that encourages strategizing. Especially when the LED display says that the train is still five minutes away. Time, therefore, to plot your moves. I experienced this firsthand for many years. Constantly weighing my options: Where can I stand on the…
The holidays are the perfect time to hunker down with a good book. Here are a few gift ideas for the reader or book lover in your life: 1. Assorted Lined Notebooks Keep track of the books you want to read, or jot down overheard conversations at your favorite coffee-shop. It’s…
Novelist Aimee Bender will be at ASU on Wednesday, November 30 to discuss her novel, national bestseller The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, at two campus events. First up, the Public Craft Q&A will take place at 1:00 p.m. at the Piper Writers House – ASU Tempe Campus, followed that evening…
Meet author Christopher Paolini at the Burton Barr Central Library, on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m., as he discusses his latest work Inheritance. Inheritance is the anticipated conclusion to the book series, which includes Eragon, Eldest, and Brisinger. Paolini’s story began when Eragon, a poor farm boy, found a blue stone and stumbled upon his destiny as a Dragon Rider…
This year we’re giving thanks to some of our favorite writers for sharing tales of Thanksgiving woes — and joys. Today Sativa Peterson’s got the story of a truly unforgettable holiday. Oh Thanksgiving, full of thanks and food — a holiday for families to come together around a meal. Thanksgiving you…
