By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
My friends, Abigail and her brother Caleb are in their high school’s fall musical, “The Pajama Game”. They work very hard about six days a week leading up to the shows and their energy seems boundless.
practice...practice...practice
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Sam Tanenhaus makes a compelling argument for calling President Obama a “classical conservative” in the tradition of Edmund Burke. Tanenhaus’ title for his new book has put off conservatives "left and right" at bookstores.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
…at 10th and Main, on the sidewalk of the bus stop roundabout, two gentlemen re-installed local artists Davin Watne & Dylan Mortimer’s beautiful pieces called “Uplifted Arms”…the sight of this public art coming home was uplifting for everyone watching.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
The word flies through the digital network like a comet in the sky. Everyone stops to look. And like a comet, the word comes around the discussion universe periodically for more hits. But the word merely baits you.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Those with a healthy, cultivated, insightful sense of entitlement will not read this just as they will pass over columns about executive pay controls. The entitled rarely write about something so innate. Caitlin Macy’s stories reveal this guarded state.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
David Byrne’s new book, “Bicycle Diaries” came out last week. But if you just want a taste of his writing and perspectives, visit his blog. David’s been blogging for five years and to see his body of online work is impressive. What makes his book so topical and fun?
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Last night, Ted Kooser read his poetry at the Plaza Library and gave the audience textured snapshots of people and places in his Midwest world of Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. His poems often tell stories that bring those long gone, back to life in the light for a shining moment.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Be sure to bring a small crane as William T. Vollmann’s new book, "Imperial", at 1306 pages is heavy in many ways. Much is written in this blog about immigration, legal and otherwise. This book says what he saw, first hand.
Prediction: Pulitzer (non-fiction)
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Today, "To Kill a Mockingbrd" receives classroom time throughout the nation and even the world. And this is not a call to suppress it. Never. This is merely a study question:
How do you justify Atticus Finch’s decision to keep Boo Radley’s crime a secret?
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
Dan Brown’s new book comes out tomorrow. Do you plan to stand in line?
While there, pick up a copy of the book "The Temple and the Lodge" (1991) co-written by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. This could be the makings for yet another interesting visit to chambers for Michael and Dan.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
That’s a bit strong, and Mom would not approve, but I may give the re-mastered CDs and Bill Shapiro’s Cypress Avenue show tomorrow night a miss. It does sound mildly unpatriotic, though. Sorry.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
After listening to Don Henley’s “New York Minute” a few times today, the words somehow contrasted with the life here in downtown Kansas City. This song will get serious airplay and reference on this Sept. 11.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
It may be something we want to forget
But it comes every year now
The date, the number, the one we dialed
When Uncle Freddie cut his arm
A solemn day, sacred hours, wreaths, salutes
Speeches, and every single name we know
Has it been that long since we learned his name?
Since so many went and still are there?
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
A First Friday highlight, last night, for me was Betsy Timmer’s installation, entitled “Dressed” at the Cocoon Gallery at the Arts Incubator on 18th Street.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
It’s high school football season again. Another great Friday night tomorrow. The gathering rivals anything that Arrowhead can present, even without a Jumbotron.
By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory panelist
Julia Child’s favorite cookbook was Evelyn Ébrard’s (penned under the name of Madame Evelyn Saint-Ange) Le Bonne Cuisine (1927).
by Arturo Mora, Midwest Voices 2009
I prefer to remember Michael Jackson singing and dancing, though I do not deny the evil of what he was accused of. He’ll be judged now by whatever existential standard you believe in, be it God or karma or history. I don’t pretend to know what really happened, though my strong suspicion is that he was guilty of one of the most unforgivable crimes, the ruination of childhood innocence. Still….ABC, it’s easy as 123….
By Tina Morrison, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist 2009
New Line Cinema confirmed on Thursday that Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis have signed on for the “Sex and the City” sequel, due out in 2010. The ladies, along with their alter-egos, are in their 40’s and 50’s and frankly, are looking good!
Denzyl Janneker, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist 2009
Poor old Shane Hurlbut must have wished he was on the family farm tapping maple trees.
Rather that than being on set with Batman star Christian Bale.
On the land it was spiles, buckets and braces.
Not lights, camera and action!
By Tina Morrison, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices Columnist, 2009
If you’ve ever been to Broadway, or to the local Unicorn theatre, you’ve undoubtedly heard the pre-show announcements ticking off a set of rules for the audience: turn off your cell phones, unwrap your candy now, no taking photographs, etc.
We are changing faster than ever. 21st century is just learning to speak but it has already managed to transform our very core and wiring. Everything around us has become ridiculously dynamic, immediate and unstable. Every next ipod and every new edition of Windows comes to the market finding a brand new, unreliable version of us. We want everything here, now and fast whether it’s food, news, entertainment or investment returns. The national attention span can now be measured on the nanoscale as our fragile concentration is routinely assassinated by universal remote controls, short Internet videos, over the top Fox news graphics, and microwavable entertainment.
