We are, all of us, standing at fateful, unsought crossroads where swift changes of fortune derail a lifetime of expectation. Such is the setup for bestselling author Bill Clegg’s first novel Did You Ever Have A Family, released last fall to rave reviews. Clegg will appear at Changing Hands Bookstore’s…
We’re coming up on a year of Bar Flies, Phoenix! Don’t miss the eleventh installment of the monthly live reading series, brought to you by Phoenix New Times and Valley Bar. The next Bar Flies’ theme is Friends, and it will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 19,…
Approaching the three-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire, two new books examine the June 2013 summer wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona, that involved 20 Granite Hill Hotshots and left 19 of them dead. They’re called The Fire Line and My Lost Brothers. The first is an extensive recount, subtitled The…
In the first pages of poet Elly Finzer’s first full-length book, Says the Speck, readers will find a dedication to one Mrs. Hughes – her sixth grade teacher. Back when Finzer was her pupil, Hughes stuck a Post-it to her student’s class journal that read: “I fully expect to see you published, Michelle.” Needless…
If you live in metro Phoenix, chances are you know of Amy Silverman. She’s a commentator on KJZZ and managing editor of New Times. She’s been heard on This American Life, seen in The New York Times, and documents her experiences with her family on her blog, Girl in a Party Hat. But…
Last year, Mesa Arts Center put out a call for artists interested in painting pianos as part of a public art project, offering $500 honorariums for selected artists. Today, 24 pianos painted by chosen artists dot various spaces in Mesa, serving as reminders of what can happen when creative types…
Hey Phoenix, you ready for more stories? We suggest you get your tickets (just $5!) early for the Thursday, April 7, installment of Bar Flies at Valley Bar. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the event is at 7. R. Bradley Snyder is curating, and the theme is Fathers. The…
The publisher’s subtitle appended to prosecutor Juan Martinez’s new book, Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars (William Morrow, $26.99) is only partly true. Much of what Martinez reports in this just-published hardcover was widely covered in this internationally ballyhooed case, which resulted in Arias being convicted…
Local YA authors Amy K. Nichols and Bill Konigsberg have been announced as spring 2016 writers in residence by the Arizona State Library’s Archives & Public Records office. Nichols will serve as writer in residence at the Glendale Public Library from March through May, while Konigsberg’s residency will take place…
“It’s taken me until the age of 45 to frame these stories about my life so they don’t have control over me,” says storyteller Molly McCloy about Mad Dog Grudges, her first-ever solo show. McCloy, a Phoenix native, will present the 45-minute spoken word piece at the Trunk Space this…
Bar Flies — the New Times/Valley Bar live reading series — is bursting at the seams. So we’re trying to something new on March 10, when the same lineup of readers will perform twice in one night. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a show at 7, and another at…
On June 23, 2014, John Rehm, the late husband of revered radio host Diane Rehm, died after a near decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease and a lengthy, 10-day decision to end his life on his own terms: by electing to deprive himself of food, fluids, and medications. Throughout their 54-year…
Editor’s note: Longtime New Times contributor Robrt Pela is a volunteer with the VNSA and shares his behind-the-scenes experiences with the annual book sale in this essay. I’m always forgetting myself and putting an inner apple box where an outer citrus box goes. Or sticking an Isaac Asimov novel in the Fiction…
Everyone’s got a story to tell (or so it seems). The Phoenix literary scene is in full force, in part, due to the many live storytelling events popping up all over the city. “There’s a nice feedback that’s occurring between these well-attended shows,” says Jake Friedman, founder of Four Chambers…
For the second year in a row, Scottsdale Public Art and New Times are teaming up for a spoken word event — and it’s time to party. Birthday party, that is. “Stories with a Splash: A Birthday Party” will be presented in conjunction with the public art celebration Canal Convergence…
Still recovering from that post-holiday financial slump? That doesn’t mean you need to sit around waiting for that next paycheck to roll in. Take a stand against boredom this week with these totally free events. “Buckhorn Baths I: Identity – Authenticity – Eternity of a Landmark” Once a thriving bathhouse known for…
Hey Phoenix, thanks for all the love you’ve been giving Bar Flies! New Times’ new(ish) live reading event at Valley Bar has been selling out for months now. We suggest you get your tickets (just $5!) early for the Thursday, February 4, installment of Bar Flies. Doors open at 6…
Hey Phoenix, you ready to get schooled in storytelling? Better start taking notes now: Arizona School for the Arts faculty Julie Hampton and New Times are teaming up to present Shooflies, an occasional reading series that puts the spotlight on stories from ASA high school seniors who are encouraged to explore…
Too often deemed esoteric or frivolous by those who don’t run in literary circles, the literary journal has never really been the medium for the masses. Frankly, they’ve always been kind of a fringe thing. But Four Chambers 03, released in November 2015, affirms the literary magazine’s relevance and utility by…
Hey Phoenix, thanks for all the love you’ve been giving Bar Flies! New Times’ new(ish) live reading event at Valley Bar has been selling out for months now. So resolve to get your tickets (just $5!) early for the January 7 Bar Flies. Katie Johnson is curating, and the theme…
I worry that Jon Talton’s new book will be mistaken for one of those sometimes pleasant Images of America photo books about Arizona, and therefore overlooked. At first glance, A Brief History of Phoenix looks like another installment in the Arcadia Publishing series; its trim size is the same, its…
In a small Tempe strip mall, Marna Kay and Charissa Lucille are painting walls and hanging small paper zines in an artistic frame to go up on the wall. The pair has spent many long days preparing for the December 8 opening of the Valley’s newest gathering spot for local…
