Letters: Westword readers laud Lauri and call Ward a has-been phony -- and Westword wins awards!

"Bye, Biennial," Patricia Calhoun, July 15

Congratulations, Lauri Lynnxe Murphy! What a wonderful and well-deserved send-off.

Thank you for continuing to support Colorado's incredible art community. If there weren't issues of ethics to consider, Patricia Calhoun would be a shoo-in for a MasterMind herself!

Adam Gildar

Denver

I was in a show titled Freedoms and Liberties at Lauri's Capsule gallery some time ago. I've never met anyone more supportive of my work in all of Denver's galleries that I've seen come and go. She called my work "manic obsessive." She really liked the pieces I entered in that show. I've had good feedback about my work, but not like hers. I wish her well in Ohio.

Brother Love

Denver

"Talking Trash," Colin St. John, July 15

How can these douches claim to be capitalists, then have the socialist nerve to say, and I quote: "Right now the garbage industry is getting into composting, which is a scary thought. The garbage industry has no business in the organics recycling business. You want to keep an industry with horrible environmental stewardship far, far away." How is that being a capitalist? If the garbage industry decided to change its M.O. and start composting and doing a better, cleaner job, then it should be allowed to — and it should be allowed to compete with their sorry asses.

That's capitalism, you socialist scumbags.

Niles A.

Lakewood

"Funny Pages," Off Limits, July 15

How fitting: Ward Churchill writing an introduction for a comic book and, based on the subject matter, the left-wing BS should run deep! Go away, Ward: It was proven you're a has-been as well as a phony.

And remember: Cancer cures smoking.

Joe Morales

Denver

"Stage Fright," Off Limits, July 1

I have to agree with the artist here regarding the use of the wheelchair. Unless she was going to use two actors to portray one person, how could she illustrate both parts of her friend's life? Not that using two artists is not possible, but is it really necessary? Since the dance is a portrayal of one person's story, we cannot impose our ideals upon it without changing what is meant to be an illustration of one person's experience. Being in any group, minority or otherwise, means that there is a diaspora when it comes to experience. No matter what joins us together, there are differences that add to each member's uniqueness. No one can write the story of another or demand it be portrayed the way they like. If the person portrayed felt it represented her experience, that is the litmus test.

Judith Wilson Burkes

Denver

WESTWORD WINS

For the second year running, staff writer Alan Prendergast took first place in the feature-writing category in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' annual awards. This year's winning story: "The Giveaway," Prendergast's May 14, 2009, piece about the suicide of John Francis Beech. In the same large-paper category, Westword art director Jay Vollmar took first place in the cover-design category for a collection of three covers: Dead Wrong, Bad Dog?, and Dude, Where's My Car? The awards were announced last week at the annual AAN convention. And earlier in July, at the convention of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Westword editor Patricia Calhoun won second place in the general-interest column-writing category for papers under 100,000 circulation. All of the winning pieces are still available online.