Culture

News

Author Mohsin Hamid visits UNM

Marisa Cabanillas | April 5

“I suppose I am someone who likes to wonder,” said internationally renowned author Mohsin Hamid Tuesday evening in Woodward Hall. Hamid visited the University of New Mexico to participate in a free talk with book sales and a signing. The event was co-sponsored by Bookworks and the UNM English Department. He was born in Pakistan and later moved to the U.S. During a creative writing class in college he discovered just how much he loved to write, he said. During this time he started his first novel, “Moth Smoke,” he said.

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News

UNM hosts slam poet for recital and workshop

Megan Holmen | April 5

The University of New Mexico Women’s Resource Center hosted poet Olivia Gatwood for an evening of spoken word poetry and for a writing workshop. Gatwood is an Albuquerque native and is known across the country for her slam poetry. The Women’s Resource Center invited Gatwood to perform as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, said Sarah East, a communications assistant at the Women’s Resource Center. Gatwood frequently participates in lectures to educate students about Title IX, East said.

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Culture

Book Review: "Poison or Protect" hits all the sweet spots

Nichole Harwood | April 4

Have you ever read a story with an ending that left a smile on your face? Every avid reader has one — or in my case multiple. A story that makes them laugh, cry and yes, just smile. As a reader I am not prone to enjoy romances. I find most stories centered around a romance to be dreadfully boring, and I can normally only enjoy a good one when it’s surrounded by much more interesting plot points.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Tomb Raider" nothing but disappointment

Hector Valverde | April 4

Video game movies have gotten a bad rap ever since “Super Mario Bros.” From their middling to terrible quality, they’ve hardly improved in recent years. Even with the A-list talents of actors, such as Michael Fassbender, Mark Wahlberg and Angelina Jolie, the video game genre can’t seem to do any good. Somehow, Hollywood seems bent on producing them after over 20 years of continual failure — and 2018’s first offering for the genre continues this trend with “Tomb Raider,” a dumpster fire of a movie without the redeeming residual warmth one could provide.

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Culture

Movie Review: “Ready Player One” is no blockbuster for Spielberg

Hector Valverde | April 3

In 2045, the world’s most valuable economic resource is the OASIS, a massive virtual reality universe where people can escape the overpopulated, polluted slum the world has become. Upon the death of its creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), the full ownership of the OASIS is up for grabs for whoever can complete Halliday’s last will and testament: a challenge to collect three keys hidden across the virtual world.

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News

Students hope treats business will win competition

Mikhaela Smith | April 1

Editor's Note: This is the first profile in a series on students and recent alumni who are part of the UNM Business Plan Competition. Continue to stay updated with the Daily Lobo for more information. Over 20 teams from the University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College and New Mexico State University will compete in the 2018 UNM Business Plan Competition on April 20. The competition has roots dating back to 2005 and aims to help teams of college students and recent alumni test their startup business ideas by writing a business plan and presenting it to judges, said Alberto Solis, the interim director for the UNM Business Plan Competition Program, in an email to the Daily Lobo.

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Culture

Art student creates exhibit dedicated to crying

Megan Holmen | April 1

Sallie Scheufler’s art exhibit, “A Good Cry,” examined the act of crying both socially and emotionally from March 12 through 30. This exhibit was her last step in earning her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of New Mexico. The exhibit reflected her own experiences with crying and allowed viewers to begin to reflect on their own experiences, she said.

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Culture

Photo Story: Exchange students explore the beauties of the American West

Morgan Ledden | April 1

What does a University of New Mexico student do when that final class is done before spring break starts? Do they fly home? Do they stay on campus? No. If you are two foreign exchange students from England, you find two American students that love to road trip and tag along.

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Culture

How alum Russ Parsons made it big in food journalism

Elizabeth Sanchez | April 1

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of alumni profiles of former Daily Lobo contributors, created in an effort to connect current readers and contributors to the past and present. Continue to follow the Daily Lobo for more. Just one month before he was set to graduate from the University of New Mexico, Russ Parsons said he discovered he still needed six credit hours and was “schooled out.” He already had a job waiting for him and decided to leave the University in 1978. In 1973, he had just graduated from high school and was looking for something to do over the summer, he said. He lost his job at Der Wienerschnitzel, “lasted a half a day selling vacuums” and was doing phone solicitations — but he knew he wanted to be a journalist.

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Culture

Movie Review: “Love, Simon” tells powerful love and coming-of-age story

Timber Mabes | March 31

I will get right to the point — “Love, Simon” tops my list as my favorite movie I have seen all year, and I see a lot of movies. Now it probably is not Oscar-worthy, but it was happy, funny, sad and devastating all at the same time. Directed by Greg Berlanti, “Love, Simon” was released on March 16 and is a teenage romantic comedy.

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Culture

Movie Review: “Gringo” is a waste of a talented cast

Hector Valverde | March 29

Much like the current socio-political climate of Mexico, “Gringo” is enormously messy. The “dark comedy” film directed by Nash Edgerton and starring the — wasted — talents of David Oyelowo, Sharlto Copley, Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron never follows through on its promises of humor or drama and is instead an utter chore to sit through. The premise is simple. After he learns he’s being stabbed in the back by his best friend and boss, Richard (Joel Edgerton), Harold Soyinka (Oyelowo) fakes his own kidnapping following a shady exchange with a Mexican pharmaceutical company. When Richard calls in his brother, an ex-special-ops soldier (Copley), to help rescue Harold, shenanigans ensue.

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Music

UNM course studies women in music

Annie Edwards | March 29

Female Voices in Music Composition is an ongoing course this semester, taught by Ana Alonso-Minutti, Ph.D., an associate professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology at the University of New Mexico. This course, offered through UNM’s Department of Music, focuses on female composers throughout various genres of music, encouraging students to engage with content through readings, listening selections and films.

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News

UNM prof teaches Afro-Mexican culture

Megan Holmen | March 28

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of five profiles on women associated with the University of New Mexico, who have been recognized by Albuquerque Business First as women of influence in New Mexico. Doris Careaga, Ph.D. is a professor in the Chicano and Chicana Studies Department, where she teaches classes that focus on Afro-Mexican culture and heritage. “Afro-Mexican studies is not only my subject in a professional way, but it is a huge part of my life,” she said.

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Culture

Art exhibit depicts junk food's health impacts

Shayla Cunico | March 26

The University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum is showcasing a temporary exhibit that demonstrates the negative effects of processed foods in modern diets, titled “Last Supper.” Over the next two weeks students will have the chance to experience the conceptual installation by C. Maxx Stevens. The exhibit displays monotone-painted processed food placed on a large white table dusted with glitter to represent the commercialism and the addiction of sugar, Stevens said.

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Music

Student receives composer award

Aubrie Powell | March 26

As part of the John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium, Annie Merrill received the Scott Wilkinson Student Composer Award and her recent piece, “Torusot,” for flute, clarinet, percussion and cello. Born is Colorado, Merrill attended the University of New Mexico initially to study French horn performance, she said. “I’ve been a musician for as long as I can remember,” Merrill said.

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Culture

Stand-up comedian Beth Stelling visits UNM

Timber Mabes | March 26

Stand-up comedian, Beth Stelling, performed a one-hour comedy show Thursday night for a full audience of students and community members at the University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building. Stelling was introduced to the crowd by Student Special Events member Victoria Pena-Parr who spent the day showing Stelling around Albuquerque, letting her see some of Albuquerque’s most famous locations and taking her to eat at the city’s Frontier Restaurant.

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News

President Stokes' many "firsts"

Shayla Cunico | March 25

After being unanimously selected last November, the University of New Mexico’s first female President Garnett S. Stokes had her historic moment during the 31st anniversary of Women’s History Month, as she began her term on March 1. Stokes has been a “first” several times, she said. A: I’m happy to be in that role. It’s such a great message to say to women that these opportunities are available. It’s not the first time that I’ve been “the first.” I was the first woman head of psychology at the University of Georgia and the first woman dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia, the first woman provost at Florida State University (and) the first interim president at Florida State.

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News

Online exhibit showcases achievements of women at UNM

Megan Holmen | March 24

The University of New Mexico Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communications Program, or DISC, created an online exhibit entitled “And Yet She Persisted: Documenting Women’s Lives in New Mexico.” This exhibit is in celebration of Women’s History Month and seeks to recognize the achievements of women who have graduated from UNM, said Mary Wise, digital humanities librarian and assistant professor. Wise collaborated with Amy Winter, DISC program specialist, to create the online exhibit. According to Wise, “And Yet She Persisted” will be an ongoing project and will be available even after Women’s History Month ends.

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Culture

Graduate Art Association holds 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition

Megan Holmen | March 24

The University of New Mexico Graduate Art Association is having its 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition at the UNM Art Museum now through May 5. The graduate students in the art and art history department at UNM have an opportunity to have their work on display every year in this exhibit. The exhibit is put on and run by the GAA. The GAA chooses the juror and oversees the jurying process, according to Mary Statzer, the UNM Art Museum curator of prints and photographs and this year’s juror for the art exhibit. Statzer is new to the UNM Art Museum and collaborated with Steven Hurley, the UNM Art Museum coordinator of exhibitions to put up this year’s exhibit.

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Music

Music department gears up for 47th Annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium

Aubrie Powell | March 22

The University of New Mexico music department will host the 47th Annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium from March 23 to 29. The symposium brings distinguished composers from around the world to campus. This year it is hosting a larger-than-usual number of composers, including Betsy Jolas, Cort Lippe, Hilda Paredes, Augusta Read Thomas, Hans Tutschku and Hildegard Westerkamp. To get an idea of the individual voices of these composers the Symposium has put together a YouTube playlist.