David Rakoff wrote the sort of books that you can never shake off; his essays grab hold of the emotional center of your brain, burrow themselves deeply into your gray matter and take root. He boils down the most complex emotional experiences into poignant and precise prose (and sometimes verse!). But at the center of […]
Henry Ellis
Henry Ellis has been a freelancer with NCJ since 2011; he has never made a deadline.
Posted inNews
Star Light, Star Bright — Perseid Meteor Shower on Its Way
Technically, meteor showers aren’t rare. Every year, a handful of large showers comes through like clockwork, continuing their orbits in a mathematically predictable fashion. And stray chunks and dust hit the Earth’s atmosphere daily. Some of this debris brightens a sliver of sky for a fraction of a moment before disintegrating, but a significant portion […]
Posted inMusic
Blitzen Trapper
Standing on the burnished hardwood floor, surrounded by the laughter and chitchat of the waiting crowd, I try to imagine what the Humbrews vat room looked like before they turned it into such a classy show space. The show was supposed to start at 9:30, but in true rock ‘n’ roll fashion, it’s now 10 […]
Posted inArts + Scene
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman is a charmingly bizarre combination of Roald Dahl and Edgar Allen Poe. He has gained rock star status as a writer in the hipster/nerd crowd, penning popular episodes of Doctor Who, winning repeat Hugos and Nebulas, and gaining a Twitter following that boggles the mind. Gaiman’s imagination produces fantastically dark and quirky stories […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Hot Cops
THE HEAT. I’m sorry I doubted you, Paul Feig. During every preview for The Heat, the Bridesmaids director’s sophomore feature, I moaned and groaned, complaining about Sandra Bullock playing yet another character who balances her femininity with her professionalism, as she’s done in nearly every movie since Miss Congeniality. “It could be OK; it is […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Monsters and Monster Disappointments
Reviews WORLD WAR Z. When Max Brooks’ novel World War Z came out in 2006, the avalanche of zombie-related entertainment was just beginning to gain momentum. Shaun of the Dead had just obtained cult status, Zombieland wasn’t even a twinkle in Woody Harrelson’s eye and The Walking Dead had yet to be adapted for television. […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Ridin’ Ropin’ and Racin’
We all know you’ve been raring for a reason to show off your 10-gallon hat and shiny, new spurs, and on Friday, June 14, you’ll finally have that opportunity. Saddle up your pony, grab your buckaroos and buckerettes, and head to the 56th Annual Garberville Rodeo. The wildly western weekend kicks off at 4:30 p.m., […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Oysters, Oysters, Oysters (Beer), Oysters
The $10 price tag may be strange and new, but Oyster Fest 2013 promises to make this year’s event as bivalve-filled and beer-soaked as always (maybe even a little bit more). Center stage of the fest goes to the delicious, local Kumamoto oysters, of course, but the silver and slippery shellfish will have to share […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Giant Bugs! Bicycles! It’s Race Time
It’s not often you see grown men pedaling giant insects through the middle of Old Town, but this is one of them. The Kinetic Grand Championship (the Sculpture Race, to most people) has been rolling along, in one form or another, for over 40 years now (probably due to a lack of friction, yes, physics!). […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Let It Commence
Graduation: that final, traditional hurdle between a priceless education and decades of paying off student loans. It’s the magical time of year when justifiably proud parents struggle to understand exactly what the deal is with Arcata, while their matriculated children try to understand exactly what the deal is with their parents. On Saturday, May 18, […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Every Mom’s Kinetic Dream
All children have asked themselves, “How do I show my mom how much I love her while simultaneously gaining a better knowledge of physics?” To the great relief of children and mothers everywhere, The Kinetic Universe and the Rutabaga Royal Family have supplied an answer. On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, the Eureka Waterfront Amphitheater […]
Posted inArts + Scene
My Name is Mud
Reviews MUD. Jeff Nichols has read too many middle school novels, and it shows. His most recent venture into the realm of writing and directing, Mud, is a two-hour display of cheap drama and sickeningly thick foreshadowing, with an ending that doesn’t come soon enough. I’m in the minority with my opinion of Mud; most […]