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Culture

Environmental journalist paves way for truth, diversity in work

Megan Gleason | April 25

Walking along the river or basking in the New Mexico sun you can probably find Laura Paskus, a journalist who’s devoted decades of her life to reporting on the environment in New Mexico. Not only committed to exposing the scientific views of these topics, Paskus wants people to connect to their landscapes and communities. Paskus flourishes outside and loves “learning about the world around us.” Currently working as a correspondent and producer for New Mexico PBS, Paskus explores a variety of environmental-related work on the air. From studio interviews to field pieces, Paskus said the goal is to help people “understand things like climate change or community resilience.”

Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Northman’ takes viewers to Valhalla and back

John Scott | April 25

As I took my seat in a dimly lit theater on Friday, April 22, I thought my anticipation for acclaimed writer and director Robert Eggers’ latest work couldn’t be any higher. After having to sit through a series of previews that was almost entirely made up of sequels, though, an unflinching, brutal and thoroughly original $90 million Viking spectacle sounded like just the right type of medicine for my blockbuster blues. Of course, that isn’t to say that the only thing going for this film was its refreshing originality; given my utter adoration for Eggers’ past work with “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse” in tandem with an absolute beast of a cast (most of which have appeared in Eggers’ previous work)

Culture

Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department seeks donations for incoming surge of kittens

Zara Roy | April 25

‘Tis the season to care for cats and canines, and the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department is holding a “puppy and kitten shower” through April 30 to accrue much needed supplies to accommodate for the nearly 2,000 kittens and 400 puppies they expect to take in during the warm months. In previous years, “kitten season,” the time of year in which the shelter gets their vast majority of incoming orphaned or abandoned kittens, has only extended through summer months. But increasingly warm winters have greatly widened the window during which these animals are reproductively active.

Culture

‘Not Yet and Yet’ showcases graduate art, emphasizes process

Nell Johnson | April 25

For second-year Master of Fine Arts students, the juried graduate exhibition “Not Yet and Yet” has been more than just an opportunity to showcase their work at a museum; the exhibition, which opened on March 11 and consists of MFA and Graduate Art Association artwork, ushered students back into an in-person art world. Since they began their study at UNM amid quarantine in fall 2020, remote critiques and the inability to interface with their peers’ art directly made things difficult, according to GAA member and artist in the show Eleonora Edreva. “Some things are physical and you want to be there; you want to see it. Having the opportunity to show work together in person has been really wonderful.

Culture

Local independent bookstore bound to collections and community

Zara Roy | April 25

As Independent Bookstore Day on April 30 draws near, Albuquerque mainstay Page 1 Books is hoping to bring in some like-minded lexophiles for a celebration of small business and great reads. As the store is still practicing masking requirements, they will be commemorating Independent Bookstore Day with a COVID-safe celebration. Store manager Ian Carrilllo said independent bookstore day is a welcome way for community members to show support for these stores which help the community to thrive. “It’s a reminder that we exist and independent bookstores are a vital part of the community,” Carrillo said.

Culture

5 and Why: 5 reasons incoming freshmen are excited to attend UNM

Natalie Jude | April 25

High school senior Florence Garcia is currently preparing for her freshman year at the University of New Mexico this fall, filling out housing forms, planning her schedule and visiting campus on a tour with her mother. She’s excited for college and has a variety of things she’s looking forward to in college. Social exploration Garcia anticipates meeting new people and is excited to navigate a new social setting. She hopes to find a new group of friends she works well with and with whom she shares similar interests.

Culture

Former UNM staff member dedicates life to nonprofit work

Zara Roy | April 18

After 25 years of groundbreaking work at the University of New Mexico and United Way, recently retired Chief Operations Officer for Student Affairs Kim Kloeppel was recognized with the UNM Zia award, an award that recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through their service to the University or greater community. Kloeppel’s weighty list of accomplishments include serving as interim dean of students for three years, leading renovations of Smith Plaza, creating the Lobo Food Pantry and starting the UNM Random Acts of Kindness initiative, now known as BeKind UNM, a group which promotes kindness and respect on campus and in the greater Albuquerque community.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ is worth a few sickles

Elizabeth Secor | April 18

This review contains spoilers “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” exceeded my very low expectations but only marginally. The film was enjoyable but could have been a lot better, especially in comparison to its predecessors. While I could never really dislike a movie that dives back into the Wizarding World (I’ve adored the Harry Potter franchise since I was little), author J.K. Rowling is less than likeable and has opinions on matters outside her series are starkly different from mine. The first five minutes of the movie surprisingly hooked me and managed to leave me teary-eyed. It began with the assembly of a team in a fashion akin to that of a heist movie.

Culture

REVIEW: Poetry collection ‘The Loneliest Girl’ confronts sexist mythology

Nell Johnson | April 18

Kate Gale’s “The Loneliest Girl,” published earlier this year by the University of New Mexico Press, is a book of poems that address sexual violence and the interactions that enforce and encourage it. Gale adds softness and depth to the well-known myth of Medusa — the Gorgon who was transformed into a monster through a rape by Poseidon — rendering her as a vulnerable woman seeking healing. The best works in this collection are the short and sensory pieces, like “Medusa’s Cookbook,” which includes lines such as “cloves — an unopened flower bud/cinnamon — a spiraled brown quill.” These poems flesh out Medusa’s physical world, removing the mythic and aligning us with her as an individual.

Culture

UNM feminist literary club is totally radical

Zara Roy | April 18

The University of New Mexico’s newly minted Radical Feminist Literary Society is in full swing. Meeting every Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building, the group flourishes as a space on campus to read and discuss radical feminist theoretical works in a safe and inclusive environment. “I think engaging with the actual theoretical tradition that actually exists is so important to push back against the idea that it’s just intuitive and that we already know what it is,” Mohammed Rawwas, UNM student and club member said. UNM senior Vivian Norman started this organization as well as UNM’s Students for Socialism. They were inspired to create the group when they noticed a pervasive lack in the consideration of feminist frameworks across leftist spaces.

Culture

Fiber Arts Fiesta returns to ABQ with fuzzy flair

Nell Johnson | April 17

The Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta brought crafters together at the Expo New Mexico Manuel Lujan Jr. Exhibit Complex from April 14-16. Eighteen different guilds were in attendance representing a variety of fiber art disciplines such as quilting, beadery, weaving, embroidering, lacemaking and more. Vendors sold their work, judges awarded prizes to spectacular pieces and guilds held demonstrations for those interested in picking up some new skills. Typically a biennial event, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the fiesta from being held in 2020. Event Director Elizabeth Whitehead expressed her excitement about having New Mexico’s fiber arts community gathered under one roof again.

Culture

REVIEW: Amanda Seyfried skillfully humanizes a monster in ‘The Dropout’

Emma Trevino | April 14

This review contains spoilers Hulu’s critically acclaimed miniseries “The Dropout,” which chronicles the rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, is a scathing adaptation of the eponymous podcast. An incredibly gripping take on a true story and top tier performances from Amanda Seyfried and Naveen Andrews make “The Dropout” one of the best shows of the year thus far. Theranos was founded by Holmes in 2003 after she dropped out of Stanford University. By 2013, the company — which claimed to run hundreds of blood tests on only a few drops of blood — was valued at $9 billion.

Culture

Loboscopes: April general predictions

Zara Roy and Nell Johnson | April 11

April showers bring May flowers, or so they say. This month’s zodiac forecast, however, predicts sunny, breezy days ahead as Jupiter and Neptune, the planets of expansion and dreams respectively, will be traveling close together for the rest of the month, meeting their closest conjunction on April 12 for the first time since 1856. On a larger collective scale, this is a very powerful conjunction that may denote a more extreme shift in the general cultural atmosphere. This expansive dreamy energy will be further intensified when Venus, planet of love, beauty and creation (exalted in Pisces), conjuncts Neptune on April 27.

Culture

Through the lens of ABQ Backyard Refuge Program participants

Liam Debonis | April 11

With wildlife thriving among different experiences in the Albuquerque Backyard Refuge program, participants and program managers are working to change Albuquerque from a concrete and gravel desert into a city teeming with plant and animal life. Debby Knotts, a retiree from the University of New Mexico, has seen all sorts of wildlife in her yard, from bumblebees to hummingbirds to raccoons. Her property is a sprawling landscape of native plants, herbs and fruit trees. She also is a docent for the park across the street, growing perennial native plants that will continue to grow year after year, as opposed to annuals which must be re-planted each season.

Culture

UNM grad student advocates for youth literacy

Megan Gleason | April 11

Inusah Mohammed, a University of New Mexico graduate student in the communication and journalism department, pursues an activist lifestyle that emphasizes the need for youth literacy. “I am involved with students and I'm involved with young ones. I always want young ones to go up, to come up, to rise up to the full potentialities of themselves,” Mohammed said. Mohammed studied marketing in his undergraduate degree, to which he said communication was central. He said this was especially helpful in his hometown Nima in Ghana to highlight various issues or topics.

Culture

Incoming GPSA president to focus on inclusivity, sustainability

Megan Gleason | April 11

With nearly half the votes secured to his name, University of New Mexico student Shaikh Ahmad won the 2022-23 Graduate and Professional Student Association presidential election for which voting ended on April 1. The results are still awaiting certification from the Elections Committee. Ahmad, a dual-degree student pursuing a Master of Science in information systems and assurance and a Master of Public Administration, is in his third year with GPSA. He plans to prioritize inclusivity of minority groups, holistic sustainability and communication in his term. A whopping seven candidates were vying for the role, although Paul Tice was found to be ineligible when voting started.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is a hit in every universe

John Scott | April 11

While Marvel might be the predominant figure in the Hollywood sphere in terms of multiversal moviemaking, the concept doesn’t belong solely to them. Enter A24 and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the latest effort from directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, credited and more commonly referred to as Daniels, that’s just as large-scale and multidimensional as it is small-scale and heartfelt. I must admit that the trailers for the film made me skeptical. The googly eye jokes, people having hot dogs for fingers and a whole slew of other millennial-askew jokes made me more than doubtful of Daniels’ ability to follow up their charming and unique feature film debut “Swiss Army Man.”

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Our Flag Means Death’ charts new course for positive representation

Shelby Kleinhans | April 11

This review contains spoilers After scrounging up crumbs for positive representation, David Jenkins’ new series “Our Flag Means Death” on HBO Max shows what a queer rom-com set on the high seas during the golden age of piracy would look like. The 10-episode series dropped the first three 30-minute episodes on March 3, but it wasn’t until after the finale aired on March 24 that I even heard about the show due to HBO’s obscene lack of marketing. After being bombarded with people on my social media singing the sea shanty praises of the show, I queued it up and couldn’t help but consume it all within a day.

Culture

UNM physics professor wins award, seeks to expand research opportunities for students

Nell Johnson | April 4

Darcy Barron, an associate professor at the University of New Mexico with a Ph.D. in physics, has research that’s taken her from the icy Midwest to the dry Atacama Desert of Chile, where she works with a team of collaborators twice a year to monitor the cosmic microwave background of the universe. Barron was recently awarded a Cottrell Scholar Award, which celebrates both her research and teaching achievements. The award, which maintains a three-tiered review process and a competitive 14 percent funding rate, will provide $100,000 over three years to support Barron’s research.

Culture

Local artist imbues art with love and weed

John Scott | April 4

Cannabis has long inspired countless films, music, paintings and other forms of art that all center around an idea of cannabis culture, and Semaj Glover is one such artist inspired by cannabis. Glover not only features cannabis in her art but also attempts to remove the negative stigma around weed, encouraging a more positive attitude. Glover grew up in Oregon but moved to Albuquerque in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2021. While she was still an artist prior to the start of the pandemic, the free time afforded to her allowed her to sink deeper into her art than ever before. Semaj was raised in an environment of artists, something that has encouraged her to pursue art.