Anthony Guilbert is unhappy with the current state of poetic activism. “The image of the writer is not one that people really think of in the context of social issues,” Guilbert says. “They write things about these issues, but they don’t really go out and do anything. So I decided…

“I had just met this guy who disclosed to me that he was a male escort, and I just had a million questions,” says photographer Jeff Ball. “So we did a photo shoot.” But the experience felt too far removed, too inauthentic for what Ball wanted to accomplish: “I just…

If you think nothing could be worse than downtown rush-hour traffic, you’ve never been a motorist stuck behind Critical Mass. Started by San Francisco bike messengers in 1992, Critical Mass is a passive-aggressive movement of bicyclists seeking social change that’s reached more than 300 cities to date. On the last…

In the entire Peel and Play Presentations universe, no man is luckier than Bob. That’s because during every learn-to-strip-dance workshop — whether it’s a drunken bachelorette party or an intimate private consultation — Naomi Tepper uses Bob as a sort of stand-in prop to teach women all the moves necessary…

You might recognize Buddha Bomb’s name from fliers for Gypsie Nation, the weekly trans-dance night at the Avalon Ballroom in Boulder. You might also recognize Buddha Bomb’s voice from his regular appearances as a producer on KGNU Community Radio’s Electronic Air techno show. But you probably wouldn’t recognize the 55-year-old…

Chip Walton knows what you’re thinking. As director of the dark comedy Mall-Mart: The Musical — which follows the story of a businessman named Walt Sampson, who revolutionizes retail sales after World War II by selling more for less — he understands that audiences might come expecting a lefty commentary…

DIVAS for Change is what happens when a small group of professional women in Boulder decide to throw fun, philanthropic parties that benefit less-fortunate women. The Roaring 1920s Cocktail Benefit, says member Kate Linehan, is what happens when these divas decide to “do a twist on the traditional kind of…

Sweet Jerusalem, are you ever effed. ZQAYXTF? You’ll never make a high-scoring word out of those tiles. Think. Don’t panic. You’re good with words — a total dictionary junkie. Get it together! Oh, the shame! Relax. This is Scrabble Club, remember? Your toughest decision should be whether to have hot…

Denver is like a big sister to Fort Collins: When Fort Collins is having bicycle problems, Denver gives her a ride to the mall; and when Fort Collins no longer has venues big enough for shows put on by its own art collectives, Denver steps in and gladly opens her…

Drink specials were pretty much the best thing about college. Flip cup was a close second. Also known as “flippy cup,” “tippy cup” and “boat races,” this tabletop game of speed and agility pits two teams of up to five players against each other in what is essentially a relay…

Believe it or not, Denver’s Irish do more than just sit around pubs and drink. No, it’s true. For starters, they often stand around pubs and drink. But they also play some pretty competitive Gaelic sports, including Gaelic football (rugby meets soccer) and hurling (lacrosse meets field hockey). Today from…

Everyone knows that First Fridays on Santa Fe Drive are for people-watching, not art-buying. Sure, there are a dedicated few who aren’t afraid to throw a subtle kidney punch or let their shoulders do the talking in their quest to see the writing on the wall — but, in general,…

Ever have that dream where all your teeth fall out? What about the one where you look in the mirror and your hair is gone? Make the latter a reality — and show solidarity for children with cancer — by shaving your head this morning during the St. Baldrick’s Event…

America clearly has talent. But if shows such as American Idol have taught us anything, it’s that Americans aren’t always clear on whether they actually have it or not. For this reason, talent shows are cursed to forever feature the clueless — if not the totally talentless and the downright…

Maybe it’s their suspenders. Or their ladder-climbing, hose-wrangling, pole-sliding panache. Hell, saving kittens from trees and babies from burning buildings doesn’t hurt, either. It really doesn’t matter what that je ne sais quoi quality is; the fact is, firefighters are damn sexy, and during tonight’s Fire Chief Ale date auction,…

As the inspiration for the Rolling Stones’ 1968 anthem “Street Fighting Man” and a former comrade of the late John Lennon, British Pakistani writer, historian and filmmaker Tariq Ali knows a thing or two about dissent. “Tariq ranks among the foremost critics of U.S. foreign policy,” says David Barsamian, founder/director…

“For me,” begins Laura Cuetara, associate professor of theater at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, “the big white ball — the moment when I decided, yeah, I really have to do this — was when I was looking in the library at taking out some…

The concept of “exquisite corpse” is simple: Images or objects from a plethora of collaborators are collected and assembled to form a unified composition. For the past several months, Katie Taft has spearheaded just such an exquisitely philanthropic project. It’s called Lovely, and Taft has been asking everyone in the…

I wrote an erotic poem once. It went like so: Your breasts are like two fawns /That browse among the lilies /Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb /Milk and honey are under your tongue /You are a garden locked up /You are a spring enclosed /Your plants are an…

Whodunit? Was it Laura, the victim’s wife, found at the scene covered in blood? A deranged bibliophile with a penchant for murder? Mystery lovers who join the new Whodunnit Book Club at Miss Prothero’s Books won’t find out who killed Robert Marshall in John Dunning’s The Sign of the Book…

California-based political satirist Will Durst calls himself an equal-opportunity offender and a bi-partisan smartass; he once quipped that Democrats have less traction than a roller-skating giraffe on ice, and dissed the president by saying that a puppy-eating cobra could keep higher ratings in the polls. It’s no wonder, then, that…