Dallas Life

Even if you’re not really into getting glam, makeup is a fact of life for many women. Having to begrudgingly slap on a coat of mascara and eyeliner before heading off to work isn’t a lot of fun, especially if you’re still using the crappy drugstore products that made you…

You may not have heard of Anne Waldman, though you’ve heard of her friends. She was the co-founder with Allen Ginsberg of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado; she was the director of NYC’s St. Mark’s Poetry Project for more than a decade;…

The first, and far too obvious, question desperate to fall from my lips when Anne Waldman answers my phone call is, “What was it like to hang out with Allen Ginsberg?” It’s the unfulfilled dream of this poetry student to sit in the room with a creative force like Ginsberg,…

It’s Friday night at Station 4 and Jenna Skyy is dressed and ready to perform. She is drinking an Angry Orchard and “tribbling” — a term she uses to describe mingling. A young man gropes her ass, but she is polite…

Dear Web Readers, It’s been a minute since we wrapped up the 100 Creatives list, but this week the list of awesome Dallas people, with a few selected full interviews, runs in print. So, step away from your computer and grab one from the Dallas Observer boxes around the city…

America’s favorite poet Billy Collins and indie singer songwriter Aimee Mann shared the Winspear Opera stage Saturday night as part of the DMA’s Arts and Letters Live. An enthusiastic audience cheered as these two artists performed their most beloved works filling the Winspear with music, poetry, laughter and tears. Touring…

Last May I sat staring into my laptop and a blank document stared back. One hundred can seem like such a daunting number. But some of the Observer’s sister papers in cities like Phoenix and Miami had come up with 100 creative people to feature in an ongoing series, so…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Shay Youngblood is an artist of several varieties. An author and playwright with numerous publications to her name, Youngblood began to write by reflecting on her tumultuous childhood and the women who raised her, or…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. It’s been said that nobody leaves a theater humming the scenery. But if you’ve ever seen a show designed by Dallas scenic artist Rodney Dobbs, you might leave singing its praises. Dobbs’ sets often help…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Over the span of four months at the beginning of 2014, the Dallas Biennial hosted 12 exhibitions, showing 50 artists. The art of DB14 was all over the city’s map, and artists were both local…

Most of us wouldn’t think that there is a lot of art to working in the nonprofit world, and that’s probably a pretty fair assessment. Many agencies that work with struggling families are so focused on providing basic assistance like food and shelter that sometimes life’s finer details aren’t always…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Kevin Rubén Jacobs isn’t your average Dallas curator. In a city that worships blue chip artists and lets money do most of the talking in the art world, Jacobs is far more interested in shaking…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Danielle Avram Morgan is a photographer turned video artist turned curator, all of which she likely does a great deal better than the average person. Hers is a name you’ll see around Dallas now that…

Amid a residential area surrounded by charming old homes, Greenville Avenue shimmers with its gripping nightlife. With venues like Granada Theater and Crown and Harp guarding both its ends, and great restaurants and bars in between, the area’s become something like Deep Ellum’s less naughty little sister. So despite Trader…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Julie McCullough says that she “stepped into” fashion design but has been blazing quite a trail since arriving in Dallas in 2001. Originally from Michigan, McCullough moved to Chicago to attend school at Columbia College…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Ben Fountain is one of the most successful writers to call Dallas home. His 2007 collection of short stories, Brief Encounters With Che Guevara, won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and his first novel, Billy Lynn’s…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. It’s true that art is not just a beautiful part of life, but it can be valuable for mental development. And not just at young ages, but late into life. Even so, accessibility programs are…

Joshua Peugh’s name is becoming familiar to those in the dance scene both here in Dallas and the wider world. With the amount of recognition he has received over the last year, it’s safe to say that Peugh and his dance company, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, are having a pretty…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Fresh off the 18th year anniversary party, the guys at Crown & Harp have a lot to be thankful for, particularly our next Dallas luminary, Moody Fuqua. Since 2013, Fuqua’s been doing everything there, from…

Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Gina and Dustin Orlando are two cool cats. A few years ago, these two gallerists opened up Circuit 12 Contemporary, which quickly became a go-to space in the Design District, and their programming roster continues…