Arts & Culture

Before writer, film director and all-around renaissance man Kevin Smith was ‘too fat for 40’ (his words), he was too cool for school. In the early 1990s, Smith’s low budget celluloid gem Clerks put Hollywood on notice. Shortly thereafter he wrote and directed Mallrats. Like Clerks, his follow-up (technically a…

When it comes to urban farming, there are plenty of people who give a cluck. So many, in fact, that the Valley Permaculture Alliance has organized a home tour of sustainable proportions. Now in its sixth year, the Tour de Coops is a self-guided exploration of some of the Valley’s…

Finally, Phoenix is starting to cool down and catch up to the rest of the country’s seasonal changes. But this weekend, the Valley of the Sun is about to heat up once again thanks to the 2014 CALA Alliance International Festival. The Celebración Artística de las Américas Alliance will take…

There was a time not too long ago when heading to Grand Avenue between McDowell and Van Buren roads was a no-no. However, with all of the new life breathed into the stretch of street in recent years, there’s no better time and place to celebrate Phoenix’s rise than this…

If you’re a fan of shows such as The Next Food Network Star or Chopped, then you probably already recognize chef Aarti Sequeira, host of Taste in Translation on The Cooking Channel and winner of The Next Food Network Star Season 6. This Sunday the celebrity chef will be in…

Sure, it’s the beginning of November, but is it ever too early to start your holiday shopping? We didn’t think so. Lucky for you, the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue, is offering the perfect chance to check your family, friends, and even that co-worker who you drew in the…

The Arizona Coyotes aren’t exactly dominating the NHL, but they’re off to a promising start. The Yotes looked like a strong bet to miss the playoffs on paper, but the beginning of the season has seen Arizona play like a playoff contender — especially in a 3-2 win over the…

Far Side comic author Gary Larson once confessed that his “Cow Tools” drawing caused the most consternation among the public as readers were unable to decipher the exact meaning of the cartoon showing a cow standing in front a row or strange looking “tools.” Why all the fuss? Larson never…

Arizona’s recent cold snap is enough to drive winter chills down the spine. So why not go somewhere tropical — such as Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea? Easier done than said, at least when one considers the National Geographic Live series. Coral, Fire and Ice begins in this remote corner…

Claustrophobia and despair are no fun when it’s you experiencing them, but the claustrophobia and despair of Agnes White and Peter Evans are frequently a hoot in Tracy Letts’ play Bug, presented through Sunday, November 16, by Binary Theatre Company, the student production arm of the theater program at ASU…

It’s time to get interactive with your theater-going experience and fall into the wild and wacky world of Shear Madness. The part improv, part stand-up, and part scripted show challenges audience members to help solve the murder of a Phoenix landlady who owns the building in which a present day…

Grim visions of the future often cast technology that gets out of humankind’s hands as our ultimate conqueror. We will gladly welcome our new overlords if they are as charming as the clanky figures of Space Boy Robot’s “Musée des Roboddities,” whose opening reception is on Friday, November 7.Space Boy…

Are you sick of soggy sandwiches and cold leftovers for lunch? Or maybe you’re just looking for a good excuse to get up from your desk and out of the office during your lunch break. Well, for a limited time Zinburger at the Scottsdale Quarter is doing its best to…

As Woody Allen, our favorite purveyor of existential dread, so drolly put it, “The difference between sex and death is that with death you can do it alone and no one is going to make fun of you.” So inextricably linked and thought-consuming the two are, it’s no wonder that…

There are certain things in the world that connect people in often unspoken ways. With her honest greeting cards, Emily McDowell has discovered that wanting to simply lie in bed and look at your phone next to that special someone is one of those things. These kind of insights about…

There are a lot of things that factor into which state you choose to call home: cost of living, job availability, and let’s not forget the neighborhoods, whether they’re up-and-coming, Midcentury Modern, or super expensive. But if you follow real estate blog, Estately, you’re probably also in tune to which…

Put your razor down and bust out the mustache wax. The Canyon State Facial Hair Championships are coming to Club Red in Mesa on Saturday, November 8. This year’s event, titled “Whisker Bent and Hell Bound,” will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps wounded veterans and their families…

It’s time we had the talk about the birds and the freebies. After all, it pays to know the who, what, where, and when behind the Valley’s most budget-friendly events. From classic movies in the grass and artsy meet and greets to craft fairs, anniversary parties, and lectures that look…