Halloween a history

October 29, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes Try to picture Halloween one or two thousand years ago—Snickers bars and Skittles would, unfortunately, not make an appearance. However, much of Halloween might not be as unfamiliar as you may think. Costumes, fires, seeking tokens door to door, and even a fear of ghosts would all be present. Though times and traditions have changed, […]

The Bookshelf with Trevor Young

April 16, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes “Watchmen” by Allen Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbon, winner of the Hugo Award   Summary: What if superheroes really existed? No. What if they really existed? This is the question acclaimed author Allen Moore, author of “V for Vendetta,” takes on in his graphic novel “Watchmen,” which chronicles the downfall and experiences of a […]

Stitching our Valley together

April 16, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes A little piece of dad’s blue jeans here, a piece of grandma’s apron there and a scrap of mother’s Sunday dress on the side, all quilted together in a patchwork of memories.   Quilters can produce enduring family heirlooms and precious gifts. More recently, quilters are also producing elaborate works of art, never meant to […]

Building bridges: Visiting Latin markets in our community

March 12, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes I should have known better than to pull out my notebook too soon. Big journalism faux pas. Still, I ended up leaving with free coconut candy from Guatemala—striped like a flag, it’s the manager’s favorite. I think speaking a little broken Spanish and showing my curiosity paved some common ground.   For this article I […]

Where business meets art

February 27, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes Behind him, taped to a gray filing cabinet, are a few photos and some grandchild-made drawings. One features a tracing of a little blue hand accompanied by the words “for Grandpa Tim.”   “Grandpa Tim,” or Tim Bird, is the owner of Artist Corner, a local art supply store in Orem that sells art supplies […]

Book Review with Juli Auna, employee at Deseret Books

February 27, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes Life is a path paved with questions. As we answer one, we are led to many more. Yet each question answered still brings us another step farther on our journey.   As questions are such a key feature of life – from where to go to school to whom to marry to what to believe […]

Writing groups flourish in Utah Valley

February 17, 2012

Reading Time: 5 minutes Heads bent and pens poised, passing papers in a circle: helping each other’s writing grow. Learning from published authors, networking in the industry. Simply having fun, enjoying a sense of community. These are writers of Utah Valley, coming together in writing groups to learn and grow in their art.   Stretching across Utah Valley, groups […]

Senior Couple Love Stories

February 13, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes   Midge & Richard Johnson   How they met:   Midge and Richard met at BYU when Midge was working for a telephone company. Richard went into the company to get his telephone line connected and met Midge. He remembers her as cute and bubbly. Even though she was engaged (and had been engaged a […]

Book Review of Reviving Ophelia with Erica Robinson

February 9, 2012

Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s not difficult to imagine why a book like “Reviving Ophelia” would interest Erica Robinson, who works with troubled teens in our valley. In her work as a case manager at a crisis shelter for teenagers, Robinson has seen girls struggling with issues like drug addiction, self-harming, teen pregnancy, self-esteem and more. She has read […]

Contemporary Culture in Provo’s Newest Café

February 6, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes Even amidst the sawdust, the spirit of the café begins to shine through.   The floor isn’t yet installed, but hanging above the plywood is an exquisite, hand-blown chandelier of glass gourds and tendrils: a contemporary work by local artist, Treavor Holdman, representing the mix of traditional heritage and contemporary style the café blends together. […]