Orange Is the New Black author Piper Kerman talks prison reform

Since getting out of prison in 2005, Piper Kerman has been pounding the pulpit for criminal-justice reform. Her prison memoir, Orange Is the New Black , attracted the attention of producer Jenji Kohan, who adapted it into a critically acclaimed Netflix series. Kerman has used the success of the show…

How YouTube and Internet journalism destroyed Tom Cruise

It was Jason Tugman’s first day of work. Almost a decade later, he still remembers the screams. A former circus fire-eater, he’d taken a job as a lighting technician for The Oprah Winfrey Show after burning off a chunk of his tongue. The pay was $32 an hour and he…

Learning how to be vegetarian without being a jerk about it

Many times in my life, others have assumed I was a vegetarian. At a work function or a family dinner, someone would attempt to pass me some kind of animal product, only to pull back the offering abruptly and say, “Oh, I forgot. You’re vegetarian.” But I’m not a vegetarian…

Another 100 Colorado Creatives: Stephen Batura

#81: Stephen Batura Colorado native Stephen Batura is a painter’s painter, best-known for his large, monochromatic works on wood panels inspired by Charles Lillybridge’s photographs of everyday life from a century ago. Also known for working big, Batura created “Rehearsal,” a detailed mural he painted to sprawl above the bar…

City announces parking education campaign, moratorium on some tickets

This week, Denver is giving you a five-day break from certain parking violations. Yesterday the Denver Department of Public Works launched a five-day, city-wide education campaign that aims to lower the number of tickets given for non-posted violations — by letting residents know what those violations are. DPW estimates that…

Andy Canino on sacrifice, honesty and confidence

Andy Canino started out with a basic tattooing kit and a natural talent for art. He figured out how to tattoo on his own, and has been tattooing professionally for almost a decade. He is now co-owner of Dedication Tattoo. Westword recently sat down with Canino, who talked about making…

Lexis Krieg conquers collage and gets brave about painting

You can find art all over town — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we’ll be looking at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. “I love collecting old vintage pieces,” says graphic designer and mixed-media artist…

3 things to do for free in Denver this week, May 19-22

Sometimes the best things in life really are free. This week in Denver, you can celebrate the preservation of wilderness in the United States, participate in a GLBTQ mix-tape project or kick back with some cartoons and comedy — without having to pay a dime. See the online Westword calendar…

Photos: Roll! skates back to the ’70s with a Polyester theme

Denver roller disco fans were in their element Friday night, when the monthly Roll! party at Exdo returned to the heyday of disco for one “Polyester” blast from the past. Photographer Danielle Lirette caught all the bling, shiny fabric and afro wigs for our Roll! slide show; some of our…

Cheesman Park: Haunted by fun (and angry ghosts, probably)

Denver’s park-going public have long enjoyed whiling away summer afternoons sunning on the gently sloping hills of Cheesman Park. Whether strolling through the park’s neoclassical pavilion, enjoying the view of the distant cityscape over the treetops, or happening upon an especially festive Quinceañera, there are always good times to be found in Cheesman Park –along with the occasional human skull.