10 Favorite Home Decor Stores in Metro Phoenix

So your spring cleaning is done and you have some empty spaces to fill. While garage sales are great, and you can always try your luck on Craigslist, sometimes it just pays to go straight to the source. Whether your interior interests veer more towards modern or rustic, our list…

Global Stilt Congress 2014 Starts May 18 at Arcosanti

Time for a show that really steps up its game. The California-based Carpetbag Brigade is hosting the annual Global Stilt Congress, and this time it’s happening right here in Arizona. For two weeks, Arcosanti will serve as the arena for stilt performers of all levels to learn, connect, share, and…

The Italian Job: How I Lost My Virginity While Studying Abroad

Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch’s weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty. I lost my virginity to an Italian man named Romeo. Okay, fine. His name wasn’t Romeo…

ASU Art Museum Seeks Collections for Summer CRC Show

Beanie Babies, porcelain figurines, bad decisions — we’ve all acquired at least a few things over the years. That being said, some collections are more interesting than others. Works gathered over time become works gathered as an art. Such is the theme for “These Are a Few of My Favorite…

The Graduates

School may be out, but the summer exhibitions are just getting started. As the academic year comes to a close, artistic hopefuls will be showing off their higher-learning art skills for a chance to feature their work at R. Pela Gallery in Phoenix. The “Summer Juried Graduate Exhibition” will offer…

Orange Crush

It’s going to be big year for Big Brain Award winner Orange Theatre. The experimental performing troupe that won a Best Of Award for its 2013 production of Blood Wedding is taking on new multimedia projects in a new performance space. To kick things off it’s throwing its Second Annual…

CO+HOOTS Launches Nonprofit Foundation in Phoenix

CO+HOOTS is downtown Phoenix’s largest co-working community space and it just got a lot more communal. On Thursday, May 1, CO+HOOTS announced the launch of its first-ever nonprofit, the CO+HOOTS Foundation. A collaborative effort by CO+HOOTS founder Jenny Poon, co-founding member Odeen Domingo, and local nonprofit strategist Kristin Romaine, CO+HOOTS…

Tempe-Based THEO to Launch Innovative Line of Mobile Accessories

Worried about draining your battery life by reading this post on your smartphone? We feel ya. Which is why we’re pretty excited to hear that a Tempe-based startup is looking to change all that, with a wireless battery-charging “best friend, personal companion and butler all in one.” His name is…

3 Free Events in Metro Phoenix This Week

Temperatures may be rising but prices don’t have to. Here to help you fuel your inner frugality are our top picks for free events this week, which include everything from fitness events to creative demos to theatrical productions…

10 Best Cold Sandwiches in Metro Phoenix

“Can I share with you my worldview? All of humankind has one thing in common: the sandwich. I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.” — Liz Lemon, 30 Rock “Sandwich Day” Truer words were never spoken. From brown…

Phoenix Festival of the Arts 2014 Poster Contest Now Open

The Third Annual Phoenix Festival of the Arts may be several months away — Friday, December 12, through Sunday, December 14, to be exact — but the Phoenix Center for the Arts’ festival planning committee is already on the lookout for new artwork to grace the page of this year’s…

50 Signs You’re Dating a Basic Bro

Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch’s weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty. Are you searching for a stand-out man but feeling like you end up dating the same…

Crack Ups Comedy Club to Open in North Phoenix

North Phoenix will soon find a lot more to laugh about. At least, that’s the goal of local comedians Sidney Smith and Jamie Camire as they take their knack for making people chuckle all the way to Interstate 17 and Union Hills to open up the all new comedy club,…

Home Goods Run

Dumpster diving isn’t for rookies, and antique hunting isn’t just for grandmas. Nowadays, nearly everyone wants to get their hands on salvaged industrial signage, mint condition mid-century furniture, and that made-for-me vintage cocktail dress. Fortunately, there’s a market that meets the demands of your yesteryear yearnings. Junk in the Trunk…

Like Mike

Nobody does awkward like Mike Birbiglia. The Boston-bred comedian has made a career of telling tales of his embarrassing encounters on the road, on stage, and in his personal life. His anecdotes about porn viruses on his parents’ computer and sleepwalking out the window of a La Quinta Inn can…

LepreCon Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention Returns to Mesa in May

Next weekend, fiction nerds will be taking their noses out of their books and into the convention arena as the Phoenix Marriott Mesa hosts LepreCon 40: 50 Shades of Green. The annual sci-fi and fantasy convention brings together special genres of art and literature and is going all out this…

Mike Birbiglia’s Favorite Comedian Is Arizona’s Doug Stanhope

It’s a rainy day in New York as Mike Birbiglia reflects on comedy. Since beginning a career in stand-up in his early 20s, the Boston-bred comedian certainly has come a long way, both professionally and personally. Between starting out as a pizza-bingeing, commitment-fearing night owl with undiagnosed REM disorder to…

The Book of Mormon Is Coming to ASU Gammage in Tempe

South Park fans and musical enthusiasts, rejoice. Mormons, maybe not so much. The Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, which has won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, has announced it’s taking its national tour to Tempe for ASU Gammage’s 2015-16 season. Exact dates have not been announced…