Best Zine 2014 | Michael Max McLeod's Texas Porno Roadtrip | People & Places | Phoenix

Best Zine

Michael Max McLeod's Texas Porno Roadtrip

If you thought you would never get to see the inside of an adult video arcade, think again. Photographer Michael Max McLeod has been documenting these ever-disappearing establishments across the country for the past few years. Beginning in Phoenix, McLeod eventually branched out; after a summer trip through The Lone Star State, Texas Porno Roadtrip was born. The zine is ingeniously divided into sections signaled by different paper size and texture — it's a small detail, but one that really sets the book apart. Texas Porno Roadtrip puts you right there in the arcade, dick pics and all, but the quality of McLeod's photos is what legitimizes the book, making it a true work of art.

Best Library

Desert Foothills Library

This award-winning library serves the residents of Cave Creek and Carefree and surrounding areas, and it serves them awfully well. When's the last time you visited a library with its own grand piano? Desert Foothills has one, and it uses it, too, for its live music events. The library also hosts monthly art openings, because the place is lousy with gorgeous work — paintings, sculpture, photography — by local artists. And if you've never been to a library where the staff is not only friendly but smiles at you and engages you in conversation, head to this giant book nook at once. While you're there, stop in for a long look at the library's used-book store, the largest one in the North Valley, with over 15,000 hardcover and paperback books in all genres. You'll find mind-blowing deals on special books, CDs, and DVDs. After you find a book, settle in for a cozy stretch on the long, wide patio out back. If you can tear your eyes from the amazing desert views, you might even get some relaxing reading done.

38443 N. Schoolhouse Rd., Cave Creek, 85331 Map
480-488-2286
www.desertfoothillslibrary.org

Best Model

Alexis Hamilton

Three words regarding Alexis Hamilton: Girl. Can. Walk. Not in the everyday, putting-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other sort of way. No, it's more of a pretty-sure-she-could-win-Top Model type of vibe. And Phoenix's fashion scene is all the better for it. When Hamilton powers down the catwalk, it's damn near impossible to not think of Naomi Campbell. Named Phoenix Fashion Week's model of the year in 2011, Hamilton continues bringing garments to life on the runway. Doesn't matter if they're impeccably crafted gowns or poorly executed pieces, Hamilton's look and energy are immutable.

Best Fashion Collaboration

Bunky x Sentrock at Bunky Boutique

Bunky owners Rachel and Jim Malloy and artist Joseph "Sentrock" Perez go way back. Sentrock, a Phoenix native based in Chicago, came to Bunky looking for a new shirt to wear to his first-ever exhibition opening. In the seven years since, the Malloys and Sentrock have stayed tight, with the pair supporting the painter's burgeoning career as both muralist and studio artist. Now, they've collaborated on a fashion-meets-art project that pairs Sentrock's bird city character with wearables like shirts and hats. Talk about wearing your art on your sleeve.

1437 N. 1st St., Phoenix, 85004 Map
602-252-1323
www.bunkyboutique.com

Best Fashion Week Cameo

Robert Black

Phoenix Fashion Week 2013 opened with a bang. The annual style outing brought together emerging and established designers to show off their wares. But local fashion icon and boutique owner Robert Black brought to the runway something a bit different. He styled pieces from his eponymous shop with a Southwestern flair that frankly set the bar a little too high for the work that followed. Still, bringing in one of Phoenix's most established and treasured institutions to its not-quite-established annual fall fashion week brought increased credibility to the event. But we sure felt bad for the designer who was up next.

Best Creative Collaboration

The Creative Center

The Creative Center of Scottsdale, an eco-friendly co-working space set to be completed later this year, is a collaborative project by owner/photographer Michelle Pelberg-Biely and green designer Christina Noble of Contour Design Studio. The idea is inspired: a social hangout and networking hub for local creatives. In addition, this 6,000-square-foot property, formerly the home of a gun supply store and an auto body shop, will be the first in Scottsdale to uphold the International Green Building Code. Put all that together and The Creative Center carries a word not often found to describe life in these parts: sustainable.

3616 N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 85251 Map
480-415-7013
creativecenterscottsdale.org

Best Phoenician to Follow on Instagram

Helen Yung

If you've been to Sweet Republic for ice cream (and who hasn't?) you know that ice cream maker Helen Yung has great taste — from the Toffee Banofi sundae to every sweet detail in the new Central Phoenix outpost of the tiny ice cream empire she and business partner Jan Wichayanuparp run. From time to time, Yung does post ice cream-related images on Instagram, but more often than not, she's sharing amazing shots of the Asian food she seeks out around town. If you want to know where to find Yung's favorite dim sum or her latest veggie discovery, follow her on Instagram. And if you ever meet her or catch a glimpse of her on IG, you'll wonder where on earth the diminutive Yung puts all that food.

Best Phoenician to Follow on Twitter

Robbie Sherwood

He's charming and funny, and if you aren't lucky enough to know Robbie Sherwood personally, you can follow the political consultant on social media. His posts are newsy, smart, and entertaining — and he never takes himself too seriously. Hey, Robbie, maybe you should run for public office!

Best Politician

Congressman Ed Pastor

It turns out that it's completely possible to be a member of Congress without being desperate for attention, and it's not actually a requirement to make constant appearances on Fox News or MSNBC to blame all of society's ills on President Obama or Republicans in Congress. Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor is proof of this, retiring this year to end a 23-year run in Congress. Pastor is what a congressman is supposed to be — someone who gets things done instead of someone pretending to be working by constantly complaining in the media. In other words, the opposite of Senator John McCain. Pastor's credited with securing federal funding for things like light-rail and airport improvements, as well as expanding health insurance for children of low-income families in Arizona after the state's program suffered massive budget cuts at the hands of the Republican-controlled state Legislature. Congress could use quite a few more people like Ed Pastor.

Best Power Couple

Kate and Ruben Gallego

In a state where Democrats are an endangered species, Ruben Gallego is a liberal's dream candidate. He's a Harvard graduate and Iraq War veteran who's fought hard for every progressive cause as a state representative, from marijuana legalization to supporting a recall of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. After just four years as a state representative, Gallego ran to represent the Phoenix area in Congress — and won his primary handily, beating longtime political operative Mary Rose Wilcox in August. His wife, Kate, is no slouch, either — and certainly not a typical politician's wife. She's also a graduate of Harvard (that's where the two met) and won a hotly contested seat on the Phoenix City Council in 2013. They're such dedicated Democrats that Ruben actually proposed to Kate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Even in a Republican hotbed, these Gallegos are going to be around a while.