Wisconsin author McCown follows up his previous War Memorials with this marvelously sardonic satire of seat-of-the-pants, renegade journalism. As a boy in Alabama, Taylor Wakefield watches his no-count cousin commit a murder—and then later suffers a humiliating defeat in the National Spelling Bee by screwing up the word “responsibility.” When, years later, his cousin accuses … Read more
In the realm of home improvement porn, HGTV is the softcore king. Designer dominatrices who flagrantly ignore client safe-words (“Please, no purple walls!”) have no place on this channel. Nor do professional organizers who march around like Dr. Phil with obsessive compulsive disorder, tough-sorting messy homeowners into a state of tidy bliss. In an effort … Read more
When amateur photographer Subhankar Banerjee set out in 2001 to document the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge across four seasons, he could not have known how many hot buttons his project would push. Last year, with Seasons slated for wide exposure through a prominent Smithsonian gallery exhibit and a nationally distributed book, liberal senators wielded Banerjee’s … Read more
Election years are prime media-inundation time, and we’ve found that some forms—like witty Internet cartoons—are categorically cooler than others—say, party-sponsored ads. The Poster Offensive takes the cool kind—visually appealing public discourse set to the tune of clever wordplay and cheeky graphics—and presents it in a series of posters that are both an offensive against the … Read more
Think of Josh Blanc’s terra cotta tiles as a grownup version of finger painting. With that classic kindergarten exercise, the child’s still-developing coordination and sense of color create a surprising synergy; the painter moves one direction, the paint pulls another, and the piece springs to life. Blanc makes tiles—on display at Clay Squared To Infinity’s … Read more
A celebration of the beauty and usefulness of pots, as well as a chance for art lovers and art creators to come together and exchange ideas and techniques. The festival will include exhibits and sales of pots by twenty-five guest artists from all over the country, as well as demonstrations, studio tours, and artist talks. … Read more
Casual suburban dining is usually limited to greasy food courts, carb-laden sandwich shops, and franchised “microbreweries.” But one day, heading for home off Highway 55, we spotted the Tea House: A shining beacon amid a tangle of road construction it had been here, waiting for us, all along. Serving up two menus—authentic Schezuan fare and … Read more
How can you not flock to a place named for the very thing that binds life together? Butter is an homage, my friends, to the joy of living, the celebration of life that happens every time you suck the creamy center from one of Stacy Sowinski’s éclairs. In its first life, this little joint on … Read more
The sleek and chic stylings of Cosmos may, at first, cause some to feel underdressed and overly-Midwestern. Are you cool enough to eat here? The answer is always a resounding yes, and Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty, a local hero, wants to make sure you know it. The food is simply amazing, offering the safety of … Read more