NO OTHER CHOICE. It can be a stifling, stymying exercise to sit with one’s own predilections and preferences. Our current, rotten era has reinforced this, of course, but in this case, I’m thinking more specifically about the art and artists we enjoy — revere, even. We hope the work will be both reliable and unpredictable. […]
Arts + Scene
Reviews, interviews and upcoming highlights from the week in visual and performing arts around Humboldt County.
Posted inPoetry
Morning Breakfast
One apple, sliced Bowl of oatmeal, piping hot Brown sugar over the top Sweetened coconut Strong coffee, cream, slowly drunk Watching morning news In horror. — Lori Cole
Posted inScreens
Survival Instincts
Send Help SEND HELP. In a rare moment of self-preservation, I chose not to see and review Melania, fun though it might have been to dunk on it as every critic not employed by or chasing the favor of the Trump administration has. Its pedigree makes all the statement it needs to, helmed by Brett […]
Posted inPoetry
Winter Revelation
Redwood bark oozes the morning downpour through spongy fibers, scattered drops free fall from high in the forest canopy, sagging cowls of moss drip from thick maple trunks the forest is leaden and still, but as the sun sinks light floods the understory, luminescent fingers stretch eastward among the tall trunks, unmasking sluggish moisture-laden motes […]
Posted inFront Row
A Full Friendship
The Half Life of Marie Curie at Redwood Curtain The Half Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson is a glimpse into the lives of two historical women of science, Marie Curie and Hertha Ayrton. The events that took place during their lives and their part in them changed them and the world. Gunderson tells […]
Posted inScreens
The Oscars and Sentimental Value
Sure as death and taxes, the Academy Award nominations are once again upon us. The big news: Sinners has obliterated the previous record for previous nominations. Time now being what it is — some previously unknown, unknowable glue-trap of speed and paralysis — a lot of time has passed since the movie debuted and, I […]
Posted inArt Beat
Every Day Feels Like Low-Fired Clay
Annakatrin Burnham’s Flowstate At first glance, Annakatrin Burnham’s idiosyncratic sculptures are abstract and otherworldly — almost alien. Titling these quirky ceramics Trophies creates an immediate inroad for viewers to recognize their trophy-esque formal qualities: three-dimensional objects designed for display bearing a stable base adorned with a decorative stem or crowning object rising vertically from the […]
Posted inScreens
The Rip is a Genre Good Time
THE RIP. When asked if we really “need” another crooked cop heist movie, I suspect most casual viewers — even cineastes — would say no. As a bit of a dork (I still haven’t earned the nerd title) and a basic genre enthusiast, I would argue that while we may not need it, a crooked […]
Posted inPoetry
Home
I am from ocean air and silver fog. I am from marshes, blue herons, and white egrets. I am from Eucalyptus holding winds at bay, piebald cows blanketed in mist lichen on ghostly fences. I am from otters, whitecaps, and the sea spray of a whale’s journey. I am from Sunday beach picnics — golden […]
Posted inFeature
How to Meditate When the World is on Fire
This week has been incredibly trying for so many of us and our community. How do we move toward a sense of balance, ease and fulfillment in a world that is so loud? I don’t expect 2026 to feel easier or calmer than 2025, but I know I will move into it with some more […]
Posted inScreens
‘Primate’ Fails to Evolve
PRIMATE. Upon re-examination of our newsroom Slack channel, it was Calendar Editor Kali Cozyris who first posted the link to the trailer for Primate and asked, “When are we seeing this?” But after the adrenaline rush of press day wore off and we remembered how goddamn unsettling simians are and how awful rabies is, we […]
Posted inPoetry
Checking Out at Northtown Books (cancrizan)
She looks up. Smiles. “Are you in our system?” “Used to be, but I moved away.” “But you’re back now?” “Yes.” I smile at my son. “When I knew he was on the way, I brought us back.” She smiles at him, too. “I understand. I found you. You’re here.” I look from her to […]