Joel Warner

Westword writers receive national acclaim

The Humor Code, Untitled edition: Pete McGraw and Joel Warner explain funny

Scientists have long understood that farts are hilarious. What's less understood, however, is why. In all seriousness, though, actual scientists have been trying to theoretically understand humor since the time of Aristotle without much success -- until University of Colorado Boulder professor Pete ... More >>

A Funny Thing Happened

Westword wins big in 2011 with several journalism prizes

Letters: "We rely on the sham system of oversight that John Hickenlooper instituted"

Reader: If Judgment Day is May 21, I'm going to break the bank on May 20!

​Joel Warner's post about billboards announcing that Judgment Day is May 21 was originally published early last month. But with J-Day predicted for this Saturday, it's timelier than ever. And thanks to one of our readers, we know what we'll be doing on May 20...

Comment of the day: Joel Warner's night moves are shady

​This summer, don't forget that it is important to hold onto at least one thing you've got, because it does matter if it makes it or not: The 88-Drive-In Theatre needs you to stay alive. So says Joel Warner, who, in his post about the 88 Drive-In yesterday, makes an impassioned plea for kids l ... More >>

Reader: Judgment Day is supposed to be on May 21 -- so see you on May 22

​The comments section of Joel Warner's post about a billboard proclaiming that May 21 is Judgment Day has taken on a life of its own, with Biblical-verse droppers facing off against those who dare to doubt. Group the following reader in the latter category.

Reader: Manitou Springs bed-and-breakfasts that ban children are definitely okay by me!

​An interesting response to Joel Warner's post about the prevalence of lodgings in Manitou Springs that don't allow children. Far from complaining about this state of affairs, plenty of our readers backed this policy wholeheartedly. Here's a prime example.

Judgment Day is coming May 21: Downtown billboard guarantees it

Big pic below.​That gutter-cleaning job you've been putting off? Forget about it. That iPad you've been cautiously eying? Time to splurge, my friend. Why? Because we only have a mere seven weeks, just 47 more days, until Judgment Day. Swear to God. After all, a downtown billboard proclaims -- ... More >>

A few egregiously irresponsible things to get drunk and do on St. Patrick's Day

Here's to rampant dumbassery!​It's St. Patrick's Day today, and we all know what that means: If you haven't started drinking by now, you're doing it wrong. We also know that there's nothing like unbridled day drinking to provide the lubrication for actions you will later regret -- and as far a ... More >>

Dead Drop Denver: Guerilla tech project allows file sharing by downloading "from the wall"

​The Dead Drop movement/art project is tech-savvy variation on freedom of expression. All around the country, bare-bone USB keys are being affixed to walls, railings and trees so people everywhere can use them for offline, anonymous file sharing with their fellow techies -- poems, photos, reci ... More >>

Readers' love-hate relationship with Rick Griffith

Reader: Marijuana legalization won't curb drug violence, just fuel more drug cartel fights

​Joel Warner's piece analyzing a federal government pot cheat sheet used to argue against California's Proposition 19 went viral yesterday, stirring up plenty of debate among readers along the way. Among those weighing in: a reader who believes legalization isn't the panacea marijuana advocate ... More >>

Letters: "How you can sleep at night is beyond me"

With all the pot advertising, Westword should change its name to Weedword

Brian Vicente on victory in hearing to void Board of Health's medical-marijuana ruling

Brian Vicente helped make the Board of Health back down, at least temporarily -- and he'll get paid for doing so.​As reported in our live blog about a Denver District Court hearing this morning, Judge Larry Naves ruled in favor of medical-marijuana advocates, who argued against a controversial ... More >>

From the week of September 24, 2009

Cash Crop: More on Colorado's booming medical-marijuana business

Aaron Thackeray​In this week's Westword, Joel Warner reports on the "ganjapreneurs" cashing in on Colorado's booming medical-marijuana business. In it, he explores the growing number of dispensaries and offers an introduction to the Candy Girls, a team of marijuana edible bakers operating out ... More >>

From the week of September 3, 2009

Urbavore's Dilemma: EarthLinks helps the displaced set down roots

Joel WarnerGreenFingers workers tend to their garden​Urbavore's Dilemma is an ongoing web series detailing city dwellers' commitment to urban homesteading. From May through September, Westword writer Joel Warner will get his hands dirty, covering everything from backyard chickens to front-lawn ... More >>

From the week of August 6, 2009

Charlie Master is moving on

Charle Master will soon be out of Sketch.​Charlie Master -- well-known floorman-about-town and scion of the former Mel's restaurant empire -- is packing it in at Sketch, leaving his gig with Jesse Morreale and Sean Yontz to become the new FOH guy for Goose Sorensen at Solera. "I'm excited abou ... More >>

Urbavore's Dilemma: Blue and Yellow Logic hopes to mix up a new form of green

Joel WarnerAshara Ekundayo and Maurice Ka at the Eastside Growers Collective garden​Urbavore's Dilemma is an ongoing web series detailing city dwellers' commitment to urban homesteading. From May through September, Westword writer Joel Warner will get his hands dirty, covering everything from ... More >>

From the week of July 2, 2009

Urbavore's Dilemma: Denver's convoluted livestock laws lead to renegade chickens

Urbavore's Dilemma is an ongoing web series detailing city dwellers' commitment to urban homesteading. From May through September, Westword writer Joel Warner will get his hands dirty, covering everything from backyard chickens to front-lawn gardens, from greenhouses to co-ops and food-sharing. Chec ... More >>

From the week of May 7, 2009

You'll have a swine time at the Cherry Creek mall

Urbavore's Dilemma: Grow Local Colorado brings back the Victory Garden

Urbavore's Dilemma is an ongoing web series detailing city dwellers' commitment to urban homesteading. From May through September, Westword writer Joel Warner will get his hands dirty, covering everything from backyard chickens to front-lawn gardens, from greenhouses to co-ops and food-sharing. His ... More >>

Urbavore's Dilemma: Christie Isenberg aims to till the asphalt jungle

Urbavore's Dilemma is an ongoing web series detailing city dwellers' commitment to urban homesteading. From May through September, Westword writer Joel Warner will get his hands dirty, covering everything from backyard chickens to front-lawn gardens, from greenhouses to co-ops and food-sharing. ... More >>

Mile Haiku: Video from the Blue Mustang poetry reading

Almost a hundred people piled into the Denver Public Library basement on Monday to write, read and hear poetry inspired by DIA's Blue Mustang. Organized by Westword, the event... happened. We think it was a success, but we don't plan many poetry slams, so it's hard to say. Anyway, a few of the po ... More >>

How I became a swine flu expert

A Flickr photo."Quick, call Professor Warner! This porker has the sniffles!" As the swine flu scare spreads across the country, people are desperate for answers. They're looking for experts to give them direction, context and reassurance about this strange new terror gripping the globe. Turns out ... More >>

Letters from the week of March 19

The League of Super Friends: "Real-life superheroes" from around the world

Entomo the Insect Man. In this week's Westword cover story, Joel Warner reports on the Wall Creeper, a young man who "patrols" Colorado as a "real-life superhero." Access the story at the link above, and see photos of more superheroes from around the world at westword.com/slideshow.

From the week of February 19

Will the bell toll for Buzz Geller's Bell Tower?

Is a chicken wing without chicken even a wing?

Pantsless Vail skier gets viral fifteen minutes of fame

As reported with merciless pix on TheSmokingGun and with keen analysis by our own intrepid Joel Warner ("New Ski Move Spotted at Vail"), a 48-year-old skier at Vail got depantsed on the chair lift yesterday, dangling upside down for fifteen minutes while rescuers tried to get him down and fellow ... More >>

A big day for Denver's Big Blue Bear

Don't swim in this Aquarium

It's a thought that haunts the over-stimulated, over-movied imagination: a school of hungry piranhas eating you alive. And while our Café writer Jason Sheehan would have preferred that fate to the time he spent at the restaurant inside the Downtown Aquarium (see "Finding Nemo," his 2005 review), s ... More >>

From the week of October 23, 2008

The Westword.com blog shortcut, August 14 edition

The Westword.com Blog Shortcut, July 9 Edition

Day Five: Wherein I Learn All The Horrors Contained in Children's Books

Day Four: Wherein I Learn For The First Time What Fear Truly Is

Day Three: Wherein My Baby Starts The Revolution

Day Two: Wherein You Learn Why My Baby Is Better Than Yours

Day One: Wherein I Learn to Be Thankful that I Am Not A Sabretooth

Letters to the Editor

From the week of 7/5/2007

Letters to the Editor

From the week of October 12, 2006