The Un-Private Collection: Christopher Wool and Kim Gordon
In the latest event in The Broad’s signature series, The Un-Private Collection, the museum presents artist Christopher Wool in conversation with musician and artist Kim Gordon on Saturday, February 15 at 2pm. They will be talking about the interplay of art and music on their respective artistic practices. Moderated by John Corbett (music curator and critic, author, and gallerist), this Un-Private Collection event will provide a platform for Wool and Gordon to share how their experiences with music, art, and other genres influenced how they approach their creative undertakings.
During the 70s and 80s, Wool and Gordon spent formative years in the vibrant, gritty art and music scenes of Lower Manhattan and the East Village. Artists and performers of this era freely ventured to the edges of film, literature, art, music, and fashion to craft an intentionally “lo-fi” aesthetic that favored abandon and process in contrast to the commercialization that was expanding into the downtown art scene.
The event is made possible by Leading Partner East West Bank with support from Land Rover and Van Cleef & Arpels. Located at Zipper Concert Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles California. Tickets are available at the Broad’s official website.
More info: The Broad
MORE CULTURE:
Fergusons Downtown Presents Picnic In The Alley
ALLTHE WOMEN presents Picnic In The Alley on October 6, a boutique epicurean culinary event designed to celebrate food, the women behind the food and the women who tie it all together. From the design to the makeup artist and production, Picnic In The Alley is 100% curated by a team of amazing women.
The event is organized by SecretBurger.com and Fergusons Downtown. SecretBurger drives high-margin covers into local business connecting consumers to chefs through a series of off-the-menu creative events. Fergusons Downtown is a city block curating local art, music, food, green spaces, and creative experiences which is rooted in community.
The line-up includes dishes from La Strega, Rooster Boy Cafe, Locale, Le Thai, Shiraz, Hell's Kitchen, Mott 32, Cured & Whey and more. Drinks by lead mixologists, breweries and wineries. Live music curated by Savannah Smith. The event is a gathering place filled with interactive art, activations, and photography.
Velveteen Rabbit will be taking over the Excusez-Moi Speakeasy where co-owners Pamela Dylag and Christina Dylag with Heidi Rider have something very special planned.
A portion of the ticket price will benefit Dress For Success Southern Nevada. Founded in 2009, Dress for Success Southern Nevada is the local affiliate of the international non-profit that empowers women to achieve economic independence by enabling them to build a career and become self-sufficient. The organization assists local women in the Las Vegas valley looking to get back on their feet by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help them thrive in work and life.
More info: www.picnicinthealley.com
Photo Bang Bang Grand Re-Opening Set For October 4th
Owner Curtis Joe Walker at the previous location of Photo Bang Bang
After 9 years in the Las Vegas Arts District Photo Bang Bang has upgraded to a newer, bigger space in the New Orleans Square Shopping Center located in the rear of Commercial Center near Sahara and Maryland. New Orleans Square is one of Las Vegas’s most established shopping centers and retail destinations, offering a variety of unique, speciality shops, and art galleries and is home to Core Contemporary and the new Linear Space Gallery.
During Construction of the new Photo Bang Bang
Photo Bang Bang opened in 2010 by Curtis Joe Walker as a ‘personal photographic playground’ and is now open to the public for rentals as well. Along with being the owner of Photo Bang Bang, Curtis Joe Walker (CurtisJoeWalker.com) is also a photographer and serves on the Las Vegas Arts District Board. The grand re-opening is set for October 4 with the themed rental studio offering a haunted house scenery, a medieval dungeon, a clock tower, 3-wall Cyclorama, 9 paper backdrops, and a large green room.
View of the Clock Tower at Photo Bang Bang
Previous events featured have been a Shibari Boudoir Lighting Workshop, a Portraiture workshop, a smoke workshop, and even a Fetish Play party.
Artist and Model Elyse Spangler of ‘Brat-Craft Arts’ and host of the Body Positivity Body Painting series.
On October 26 Photo Bang Bang will be hosting Brat Craft’s Body Positivity Body Painting which theme is ‘Halloween Dolls (Creepy Dolls).” The event, hosted by Artist and Model Elyse Spangler features an opportunity for models, artists, and photographers to partake in creative sessions to create new art.
More info: www.photobangbang.com
Co-zi LV, a Comic and Zine Fest Launches Aug. 3rd at The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada
Las Vegas's first comics and zines fest in partnership with The Jolt Coffee Co. launches August 3rd. Co-zi LV is dedicated to self-publishing and print media. Proceeds from the event to benefit The Center.
The Jolt (meaning Jump on the Love Train) is the sister shop to TIABI @iwanttiabi, both founded by Tiffany Stiles. The Jolt specializes in locally roasted coffee, good eats, and are located inside The LGBTQ Center.
The Center is an organization that promotes activities that support the well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, its allies, and Southern Nevada residents of moderate to low income.
The Comics and Zines Fest is an event to benefit not only indie publishers in Las Vegas, but to also help collect cash donations to help continue The Center's mission of providing valuable services and education to Las Vegas's LGBTQ community.
If you plan on coming by Comics and Zines Fest August 3rd, please consider making a donation to The Center at the door.
Here are some of the presenters scheduled to appear:
Tiffany Salerno is a photojournalist documenting local Las Vegas music culture. Her self-published zine, I'M AN ALIEN, is a visual guide to local music consisting of band photos, live performance shots, interviews, and writing from various musicians. You can follow her progress on the current issue, Metal: Volume 2, on the instagram account @imanalienzine and on Facebook at facebook.com/imanalienzine.
Local musician and abstract expressionist painter Brian Gibson is known for doing vocals and guitar for the band Wax Pig Melting. He started his zine, ABRASION IS LOVE, a local DIY publication, to highlight bleak/minimal micro-prose poetry and takes contributions from writers nation-wide. You can see it online at https://teamkilleveryone.
The Canon, established in the Spring of 2019, is a quarterly art zine created by the Vegas Occult Art Collective (VOAC). Featuring original artwork, writing, and music, the Canon's motto is ""efficimus brevitātem et levitātem arcanīs,"" bringing brevity and levity to the occult. Learn more at findthecanon.com
@voac_vegasoccultartcollective
The Las Vegas Zine Library (@lvzinelibrary) was established in 2010 by Jeff Grindley. Formerly in Emergency Arts, now located in the UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, the Las Vegas Zine Library has been a force for bringing zine culture to Las Vegas.
Ian is a storyteller/teacher/husband and dog dad, who just wants to be equal parts Jack Kirby and Patrick Swayze when he grows up.
@FeralPublication make comics that are working class humor as well as zines about issues from a POC perspective. He sells his zines on his Etsy and does zine reviews.
Laura-Marie brings mental health zines, poetry, Resisting Capitalism for Fun, and text-heavy perzines, bound with thread and made with love. She's been making zines for 29 years. Facebook.com/functionallyill
Monet Green (she/her) is a graphic design student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who creates zines related to personal life, ephemera, and existence "The work I create is about personal experiences and existence, often utilizing photographs and ephemera. I enjoy showcasing the ordinary in ways that seem a little strange.”
Check out the map below to find the festival once you are inside The Center:
More info: Co-zi LV
Artist Juan Muniz Launches Go Fund Me for “I’m Not Okay” Book
Artist Juan Muniz of Ninobuni recently launched a Gofund Me campaign for his latest endeavor, “I’m Not Ok,” a book that focuses on starting the conversation to help fight the stigma and taboo that is constantly encountered with mental health illness.
“In any given year, approximately every 1 in 5 adults in the US experience a mental illness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death between the ages of 10-24. I believe that one of the most important ways to battle mental health illness is speaking up. “ Juan Muniz says.
”As a person who suffers from depression and anxiety, I created a book that focuses on starting the conversation to help fight the stigma and taboo that is constantly encountered, “ he added.
“The book, “I’m Not Ok,” allows us to realize that we are not alone in our thoughts. These illustrations helped me as I created them based on the emotions I feel and go through on a daily basis.” Juan says, “Creating these pieces of art along with the individual quotes can hopefully reach those who feel lost. “
As of this article publication the book’s Go fund me campaign has already managed to go past the halfway mark.
His previous work has been featured and highlighted in the Las Vegas Weekly, E-volved Magazine, and LA Weekly.
For more info and to donate visit: I’m Not Okay Go Fund Me
Behind The Scenes: AIGA LV 2019 Lush Art Exhibition
Check out these behind the scenes photos from AIGA LV Lush Collab Art Exhibition. Photos by Walter Birdsong of Escape Artist Studios and Birdsong Photo And Design. This year’s pieces of artwork are available to bid on at https://www.32auctions.com/lush. Closing reception is July 12 at 6pm. AIGA LV is the local chapter of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of design. @Birdsongphotoanddesign @escapeartistsstudios www.escapeartiststudios.com
AIGA LV Board of Directors Therese Bautista, Juan Beltran, Jennie Marsh, and AIGA Program Director and Editor In Chief of VIM Magazine Jorge Lara planning at Escape Artist Studios.
AIGA LV Board of Directors Jennie Marsh, Juan Beltran, AIGA Program Director and Editor In Chief of VIM Magazine Jorge Lara, and Therese Bautista setting up at Escape Artist Studios.
AIGA LV Board of Directors Jennie Marsh, Juan Beltran, AIGA Program Director and Editor In Chief of VIM Magazine Jorge Lara, and Therese Bautista setting up at Escape Artist Studios.
Final setup of 2019 AIGA LV Lush Collab Art Exhibition At Escape Artist Studios
Final setup of 2019 AIGA LV Lush Collab Art Exhibition At Escape Artist Studios
Velveteen Rabbit Announces New Summer Menu
Photo by Bianca Scott
Velveteen Rabbit recently announced their new summer cocktail menu. Each seasonal cocktail menu is the product of innovation, creativity, and care, boasting of fresh produce and house-made ingredients. New selections include “Beron Beron,” “Mary Toft & The Sooterkin,” “Princess Peach Is In Another Castle,” and “Butcherette.”
The Summer Menu was designed by Keith Ten Eyck ( keithist.com) , a multimedia designer specializing in poster design and filmmaking. Filmmaker Keith Ten Eyck most recent endeavor was a music video for the band Axioma titled “Sacred Killing Machine.”
Velveteen Rabbit is situated in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District. With a focus on local music, art and performance; as well as a rounded selection of draft and bottled beer and crafted and classic cocktails.’
More info: https://velveteenrabbitlv.com
Latinos Who Lunch Podcast Reflects The Intersectionality Between Queer, Latinx, and Spanglish Voices
Photo by Krystal Ramirez
Latinos Who Lunch is a podcast that was created to provide a digital media platform that reflected the intersectionality between queer, Latinx, and Spanglish voices in an Anglo-dominated podcast world. FavyFav and Babelito approach the topics of identity, food, family and history in a responsible yet humorous way. Latinos Who Lunch intends to blend all these ideas together by placing into context everything from the piñata as a symbol of multiculturalism in Mexico, to the politics of Frida Kahlo as an icon of Mexicanidad. By maintaining visibility, accessibility and philosophy of de-centering white male dominating cultural practices at the core mission of their content, Latinos Who Lunch strives to open a dialogue with their listeners about topics that many podcasts will not address. http://www.latinoswholunch.com/
Babelito, is a recent Ph.D. in Ibero-America colonial art history from the University of New Mexico. Since 2007 he has explored themes of violence, identity, race and class difference in colonial Latin American art. Among other venues, Babelito has presented his work at The Universidad Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), The Denver Art Museum, The College of Art Association and American Studies Association. He has curated art exhibitions for Museo de Arte Religioso Ex-Convento de Santa Mónica in Puebla México, for the Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas and for the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). An essay titled Hagiographical Misery and the Liminal Witness: Novohispanic Franciscan Martyr Portraits and the Politics of Imperial Expansion, was published by Brill in the spring of 2018. An essay titled Spanish Colonial Art History and the Work of Empire is forthcoming in UCLA's Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture Journal this fall. Currently, Babelito is a Visiting Professor in Chicago, collaborates to the education programs of Arquetopia, Foundation for Development in Puebla and Oaxaca Mexico, and lectures on Latinx visibility in the podcast world.
FavyFav is a Las Vegas native working in the mediums of painting, sculpture, and performance. His work draws from art history, popular culture and his Guatemalan/Mexican heritage. He has participated in exhibitions and been awarded artists residencies across the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Favela has curated many shows throughout southern Nevada, at spaces such as UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art to El Porvenir Mini-Market in North Las Vegas. Recent exhibitions of note include Unsettled at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno; Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place, featuring site-specific installations by 13 Latino artists that express experiences of contemporary life in the American West at the Denver Art Museum and the group exhibition Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness touring the United Kingdom. FavyFav is also the 2018 recipient of the Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award for International Artist. To view Favy's work please visit, www.justinfavela.com
Dr. Erika Gisela Abad joined UNLV's Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Department in Fall 2016. While her primary training has been in Queer and Latinx Studies, working in customer service, Latino youth advocacy, and food justice has added to her initial insights on Queer Latinx individuals' representation in community building and social movements. Since 2017, Abad has presented at ClexaCon — an annual media and entertainment convention for the female LGBTQ community and its allies — and organized its first academic lab in 2019. Extending her interest in queer women’s representation, her guest-edited issue of Sinister Wisdom is set to be published in late 2019. Before working in Las Vegas, she was a Chicago-based oral historian and ethnographer for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies.Her expertise has been published in Sounding Out, Latinx Talk, Women in Higher Education Newsletter. Abad is also a well-published essayist, poet, and fiction writer whose creative works have been published in Sinister Wisdom and Crab Fat Magazine, among other venues.
Human Rights Campaign Hosts Panel Discussion at Barrick Museum On The Evolution of the Word "Queer"
The Human Rights Campaign will be hosting a panel discussion by national and local experts on the evolution of the word 'Queer' and what it represents for many today. The discussion will take place at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, March 12 at 7:00 p.m.
The word 'Queer' has had a long and complex history in the LGBTQ movement and is still debated within the community. Join the Human Rights Campaign for a panel discussion with national and local experts on the evolution of the word 'Queer' and what it represents for many today. Guests are welcome to arrive early to have time to view the ground-breaking exhibition Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. There will also be time to view the exhibition after the panel.
More information: https://www.unlv.edu/news-story/panel-discussion-lets-talk-about-q
Velveteen Rabbit Announces Call For Artist + Writer Submissions
Velveteen Rabbit has announced a call out for artists and writers. They are currently accepting submissions for their Spring Menu Zine with a deadline on Tuesday, February 12th by NOON. They are accepting Flash fiction or poetry 100 words or less or black and white art (4"x5", jpeg format, image size 300 dpi resolution).
Velveteen Rabbit is situated in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District. With a focus on local Las Vegas music, art and performance; as well as a rounded selection of draft and bottled beer and crafted and classic cocktails.
Velveteen Rabbit has featured in numerous magazines and online destinations including Paste, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Sunset Magazine, Maxim, and Buzzfeed.
please email all submissions to : velveteenrabbitart@gmail.com
15th Annual Dam Short Film Festival Returns Feb. 7
By Jorge Lara
Email: jorge@vimmag.com
Each February, filmmakers and film fans travel from all over the world and descend upon Boulder City, Nevada and celebrate the art of short film at the 15th Annual Dam Short Film Festival. This year the festival will present over 100 short films in all styles and genres. The film festival is scheduled for February 7-10 at the Boulder Theatre.
Categories for the 15th Annual Dam Short Film Festival include Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Animation, Student, Music Video, and Nevada Filmmaker, presented in 20+ thematic program blocks over four days. It’s an experience that’s guaranteed to enlighten, entertain, and inspire.
At the Dam Short Film Festival, it’s the audience that chooses the award winners. After each screening, audience members receive a voting chip to select a favorite film of the program. Festival organizers tabulate the results, and the best films take home the one-of-a-kind awards, each hand-crafted by a local artist.
According to reviews from FilmFreeway users, the Dam Short Film Festival ranks in the top 1.5% of more than 7,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world.
The Dam Short Film Festival, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded in 2003 by Lee and Anita Lanier. They both developed a love of short films while traveling to numerous film festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Lee worked in film production and computer animation since 1989 and directed a half-dozen short films.
Today, the Dam Short Film Festival has become a traditional Southern Nevada cultural event that attracts thousands of visitors to Boulder City each February. The festival has welcomed scores of filmmakers from all over the world and has screened over one thousand unique independent short films during its history.
More info: damshortfilm.org
Help Back A Comic Anthology Created To Help Young Adults Tackle the Issue of Sexism
Queens Comic Anthology is a 44 page comic anthology, 9 different stories detailing how society can undermine the potential of women's capabilities. Each character is driven to rise above with humor and courage. The stories are non-fiction or fiction, but all of them are relatable. This is a character from a story by Mark Otto, drawn by Sir Rabbitkins (IG), and lettered by Greg Boucher!
As a long time comics reader and social justice activist, Jean Marie Munson has wanted to mobilize the Nevada community to create a comic that made advocacy fun.
“Everywhere I go in my adult life I am surrounded by people fighting for representation and so I wanted to bring a team together that could help young adult readers understand what representation looks like. A team comprised of women, non binary folks, and allies have done their best to address what it means to be told to "smile," to experience "mansplaining," to combat body shaming, and gender discrimination in the workplace. It is full of rich stories that we hope to distribute nationally on an affordable scale for schools, organizational infrastructures, and non-profits to utilize for their young folks trying to grasp all these complex social justice issues,” Munson said.
If you would like to help make this 44 page book to take a step towards an equitable solution for all those that care about diverse gender issues check out their Kickstarter page here: http://kck.st/2Ls8Xh8
Editorial: On Believing That Nothing Is Impossible
Editor In Chief and Founder of VIM Magazine Jorge Lara, on the art of creating and living, on what's next and looking back, and believing that nothing is impossible.
On the Art of Creating And Living
It seems to always begin with a dream, a bit of fancy, realizing your surroundings, making them your own, in a visual style that doesn't negate your sense of being, but that elevates it to a wholly different level. First, you have to ask yourself, what is your mantra? What's your calling in life. What makes you realize your potential? What makes your existence more than worthwhile. You make yourself your own creator, to live is to create, to make an impression on the world that you see through your eyes.
"First, you have to ask yourself, what is your mantra? What's your calling in life. "
Most Recent Interviews for VIM MAGAZINE
This magazine has been an extension of that. It’s helped me realized my potential as I realize the potential for this city. This city, this city is a waking dream. Sometimes you don’t realize what is real and what is fantasy. The artists are just personas but it’s who they are. We make bold irrational decisions but it’s always worth taking a risk for your art, if you believe in it enough because honestly if you don’t believe your own hype then no one else will.
We live this life and realize how short it really is. The years become decades in a century where your perception of yourself was the only thing that really held you back.
"The years become decades in a century where your perception of yourself was the only thing that really held you back."
Yes that's a pleather jacket and those are a replica of Bono from U2 glasses ha
On What’s Next And Looking Back
Creatively speaking, I feel as though I still have a good 20 years left in me and honestly I think I am just starting. I do take a couple months off here and there to realize anew the potential. I created a poetry nonprofit and magazine for one primary reason. No one else was doing anything close to it or bringing it justice. I always see things and tell myself, I can do something better. And it’s nothing against that person or artist, it’s just that I like looking at ideas and problems and create solutions for them. The key is to make something better than what has come before. Las Vegas lacks many things so I always admire the individuals who take it on their own to create something of substance, something ideal, that may catch on or for a brief moment create that spark of imagination in another human being.
"....it’s just that I like looking at ideas and problems and create solutions for them. The key is to make something better than what has come before"
I See A Smile In There
"If you would have told me that I would be working with creative agencies and organizations on projects that I love I would not believe you."
On Believing That Nothing Is Impossible
If you would have told me that I would be working with creative agencies and organizations on projects that I love I would not believe you. It’s been a true honor to be able to give back, to be respected by my peers, to be able to express myself and let my work stand on its own.
Recent "Coverstars" for VIM Magazine
I’ve always loved the art of design, the art of language, the idea of reinventing yourself through your growth and ideals and the way you perceive the world.
We are all humans with a need to reach out. Just some are more vocal than others and some are more radical and depart from the norms. It all depends on what type of creative monster you want to be.
Nothing is impossible when everything that you can imagine is tangible, within reach. What we cater our souls to believe. We are the overreaching hearts aching for an idea we can make our own.
Model Tatiana Ashleigh for VIM Magazine
The potential for this magazine has not been reached. In a couple of months we will be changing gears, working toward a digital / print edition has been our ultimate goal and it’s something that would cap this whole endeavor off nicely. So yes, it’s in the works. Finishing up a media kit we will be presenting to potential sponsors and advertisers.
Flyer design for our LUSH: Design + Poetry Exhibition with AIGA Las Vegas
So what does the future hold? Already confirmed the next LUSH exhibition for 2019, creating a local press that will print books and promote them like only we can, continuing our endeavors with the nonprofit poetry organization as we look for ideal candidates with a background in nonprofit work to fit the criteria needed to move forward, creating new photography for the magazine and for other creators.
Neon Lit’s Pop-Up At The Believer Festival
On the eve of this year’s Black Mountain Institute’s Believer Festival, VIM Magazine speaks with MFA writer Timea Sipos, who will be hosting Neon Lit’s Pop-Up at the festival at ReBAR.
VIM MAGAZINE: What can we expect at Neon Lit’s Pop-Up at the Believer Festival?
TIMEA SIPOS: To be floored. Two of our creative writing MFAs, Gabrielle Faith and Zach Wilson, and one of our PhD fellows, Wendy Wimmer, will read alongside The Believermagazine’s founders,Vendela Vida and Heidi Julavits, current Believer editor-in-chief and executive director of the Black Mountain Institute Joshua Wolf Shenk, andBeliever contributor and Bennett Fellow Ben Ehrenreich. It’s an impressive line-up of well-established and emerging writers who are sure to wow us. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us.
VIM MAGAZINE: What are you most looking forward to from the festival this year?
TIMEA SIPOS: Hard to choose just one! There are so many fantastic readings and events featuring amazing writers, comedians, and musicians lined up. I’m looking forward to them all, but if I to choose just one, I’d have to say I’m most looking forward to the event at the Red Rock Amphitheater. Not only is the line-up great, but the venue is gorgeous. I remember how peaceful and mesmerizing it was last year to hear poets and writers read their work against the backdrop of the mountain ranges at sunset while the coyotes howled in the distance. It’ll be even better this year, because I’m going to make sure to bring a jacket, so I don’t freeze once the sun sets!
VIM MAGAZINE: For people who have never been to the Neon Lit readings, what are they and what can we expect for the next season?
TIMEA SIPOS: Neon Lit is a monthly reading series that features writers from the UNLV Creative Writing MFA and PhD programs. Kathryn Kruse, who is an alumna of the UNLV MFA program, a short fiction writer, and a community organizer, founded the reading series back in 2009. It was originally held at the Arts Factory, and in 2015 we found a new home for it at The Writer’s Block bookstore on East Fremont. Everyone in the program has the opportunity toread once a year, and the reading connects us to a wide audience—weconsistently draw in a packed house with standing room only. You can expect to see a bunch of new faces next year, when the incoming class of poetry, fiction, and the new, nonfiction track MFAs and PhDs enter the program. As always, we’ll also feature guest readers, including alumni of the program and local or visitingwriters.
VIM MAGAZINE: What have been some of your favorite past Neon Lit performances?
TIMEA SIPOS: I always love hearing what my fellow members of the cohort are working on. That includes both work I’ve never heard before and work I’ve seen earlier iterations of in workshop—Ilove hearing what changes writers have made based on our feedback and what criticism they’ve resisted. I love seeing how a writer develops a piece, be it fiction, poetry, nonfiction, random musings, whatever, and I love hearing authors read who are confident about their craft.
A tradition that we carry forward at Neon Lit are the often funny, sometimes sentimental, but always unique introductions. Whoever we choose to have emcee for the month usually brings something special to the introductions. I’ve heard emcee’s read intros they’ve written in the style of The Night Before Christmas, or horoscopes they’ve written based on readers’ zodiac signs, or fake interviews for Ellen. Our last reading of the academic year—whichwill take place on Friday, April 27th this year—isalways really special, because we choose a first-year MFA student to introduce the MFAs and PhDs who are graduating, who often read from their theses and dissertations. I’ve yet to leave an AprilNeon Lit reading with dry eyes.
VIM MAGAZINE: What is one thing you want people to take from this Pop-Up?
TIMEA SIPOS: I just want the audience to take it all in, to leave having digested a taste of the immense talent we have in the UNLV MFA and PhD programs, at BMI, and The Believer.
More info: https://festival.blackmountaininstitute.org
Poet Laureates From Across The Southwest To Present In Las Vegas
Poet Laureates from across the southwestern United States are scheduled to present their poetry on January 4 for Preview Thursday at Left of Center Art Gallery.
Five poet laureates : Manuel Gonzalez, Deborah Mouton, Lindsay Wilson, Rosemarie Dombrowski, and Vogue Robinson will be sharing their work and what being "Poet Laureate" means to them. This event will be preceded by a self-guided tour through one of North Las Vegas' hidden gems, the Left of Center Art Gallery. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Check out the featuring poets in our gallery below:
VOGUE ROBINSON
Vogue Robinson recently became Clark County’s second-ever poet laureate. With a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University, she has dedicated herself to expression. Spoken Word brings a new element to her writing. Robinson will always have an appreciation for human beings who find ways to put truth and heart into words. She serves as organizer and co-host to the Battle Born Poetry Slam and Words in Motion Open Mic. Her work has been published in Red Rock Review, Catching Calliope: Vol. 2, Legs of Tumbleweeds, Wings of Lace: An Anthology of Literature by Nevada Women and Clark: Poetry from Clark County, Nevada. Vogue has competed at the National Poetry Slam as a 4-time Las Vegas representative. She spends her spare time with family, and as Executive Director of Poetry Promise, Inc.
MANUEL GONZALEZ
Photo courtesy: Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal)
Manuel Gonzalez is the current Poet Laureate of Albuquerque, NM. A performance poet who began his career in the poetry slam, Manuel has represented Albuquerque four times as a member of the ABQ Slam Team at the National Poetry Slam. Manuel has appeared on the NMPBS show, Colores: My Word is My Power, and is one of the founding members of the poetry troupe The Angry Brown Poets. Manuel teaches workshops on self-expression through poetry in high schools and youth detention centers. He has also worked with art therapists to help incarcerated young men find an outlet to express themselves. Manuel was a also a coach and mentor for the the Santa Fe High Poetry Slam Team for four years.
DEBORAH MOUTON
Photo: Houston Chronicle
Houston’s current Poet Laureate is Deborah "DEEP" Mouton. She has published and performed poetry since the age of 19. She released her first full-length album in 2009 titled "The Unfinished Work of a Genius." Her sophomore album, "Beautiful Rebellion," was released in 2015, exploring more socially themed poems.
Deborah Mouton is Slammaster/Coach for the Houston VIP National Poetry Slam Teamand a high school English teacher.
LINDSAY WILSON
As of April 2017, Lindsay Wilson is the winner of the FY2017/18 Poet Laureate position. Lindsay Wilson is an English professor at Truckee Meadows Community College where he has edited the literary journal, The Meadow, since 2006. He has served on the editorial boards for Unwound Magazine, the Owen Wister Review, and Fugue. From 2009 to 2017 he served on the Nevada Writers’ Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He earned his B.S. in Social Science (1997) and his M.A. in English at the University of Wyoming (2003) before completing his M.F.A. in poetry at the University of Idaho (2006). In 2016 he won the Board of Regent Nevada System of Higher Education Regents’ Creative Activities Award. He has been named a finalist for the Phillip Levine Prize, he has published five chapbooks, and his first collection, No Elegies, won the Quercus Review Press Spring Book Award. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals including The Bellevue Literary Review, Pank, The Portland Review, Verse Daily, and The Missouri Review Online.
ROSEMARIE DOMBROWSKI
Rosemarie Dombrowski is the founder of rinky dink press, the co-founder and host of the Phoenix Poetry Series, and an editor for Four Chambers. She has received four Pushcart nominations, was a finalist for the Pangea Poetry Prize in 2015, and was nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology in 2016 (Sundress publications). Her first collection, The Book of Emergencies (Five Oaks Press, 2014), was the recipient of the 2016 Human Relations Indie Book Award for Poetry (personal challenge category). She's a Senior Lecturer at Arizona State University's Downtown campus where she teaches courses on radical poetics, women's literature, and creative ethnography. Additionally, she was selected in December 2016 to be the inaugural poet laureate of Phoenix, AZ.
At the 10th Annual Las Vegas Comic Book Festival
At the 10th Annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival with Plot Twist Publishing, Alternate Reality Comics, Las Vegas!, MaximuM Comics, Very Awesome Girls LV, and others!
ATOMIC SESSIONS: SUICIDE
In the first episode of Tiffany Salerno's Atomic Sessions project, Jesse Pino ( of Jesse Pino and The Vital Signs) speaks on the subject of suicide, which has touched his life more than once.
"I wanted to talk to musicians about subjects that are universal and affect us all, such as life, death, love, etc. I think as artists, they offer an interesting perspective, and I hope that this can be educational as well as inspire discussion," said Tiffany Salerno about Atomic Sessions. "Jesse offers some insightful and compassionate words that I believe can benefit anyone who is willing to listen."
In Episode 2 Las Vegas musician Joshua Greenway will be discussing dating.
Special thanks to Shahab Zargari and Shawn Flanagan for feedback and help on editing Atomic Sessions.
GRRLS ORGANIZATION
Girls Reaching Radical Levels of Success (GRRLS) is a new nonprofit group in Las Vegas created by Crystella Quintero, Jean Munson, Marisol Montoya, and Sandra Oceguera. The organization’s mission is focused on empowering young women in the community and inspiring them to try new things, create art, and empower each other through youth leadership conferences, workshops, and similar events. To date, every event the organization has put together has sold out, pointing to a true need in the community. You can keep up to date with their events and organization on Facebook at GRRLS (facebook.com/grrlslv).
From top left: Crystella Quintero, Sandra Oceguera, Jean Marie Munson, Marisol Montaya
VIM: Hello! You are all part of GRRLSLV. Tell us how you got involved in the organization and what your goal for the nonprofit is.
CRYSTELLA QUINTERO: I have always loved doing youth outreach. I was an ArtsBridge scholar during my junior year of college and that experience really gave me a passion for empowering youth through creativity. When the lovely Jean had the idea to have a female youth conference I knew I wanted to be involved. We organized an amazing leadership conference with Very Awesome Girls LV and that branched off into the nonprofit GRRLS. The goal of GRRLS is to empower and educate young women in our community. Through female representation and workshops GRRLS is helping to create future leaders and a stronger community.
JEAN MARIE MUNSON: I had met the other board members of GRRLS at the nerdy girl group Very Awesome Girls Into Nerdy Activities (V.A.G.I.N.A) . I wanted to create a mentorship program similar to V.A.G.I.N.A. for younger girls that felt insecure about being nerdy, strong, and smart. So GRRLS (a term coined by now Founding President Crystella Quintero) was originally meant to be a conference that featured our strengths as older geeky women as well as raise funds for V.A.G.I.N.A.
MARISOL MONTOYA: I became involved with GRRLS through the first conference. When the conference was being planned the question was floated around as to what workshops we would be able to offer. I have experience teaching boxing and Muay Thai. I feel like self-defense is something I’m passionate about and young people should learn. My goal for GRRLS is to offer young women tools to be successful especially in areas that may not typically be welcoming of women. I would like it to be something that if I myself, would find to be fun, useful, and interesting.
SANDRA OCEGUERA: I got involved in the first GRRLS conference where Crystella and I ran a workshop on zine creation. We had so much fun teaching the girls how to create zines with mixed media, many of whom had never heard of zines before. I was inspired by the creativity and sense of humor the girls had in making their own. Going forward, my goal for the group is to continue creating workshops and events that truly empower girls and women to create and try new things, inspiring them to continue it outside our events.
VIM: What future partnerships would the organization be open to?
CRYSTELLA QUINTERO: We would love to partner with organizations that are also focused on empowering women and youth. An organization I would personally love to partner with would be Girls Who Code as well as local schools.
JEAN MARIE MUNSON: I hope that we continue partnerships in the valley that represent women of color. GRRLS also supports all ages events that feature leadership development for diverse women and their interests. Our board is comprised of this very model of versatility. We have women that are interested in social justice, self-defense, environmental preservation, immigration rights, comics, art, graphic design, and public speaking.
MARISOL MONTOYA: Anyone that wants young people to be successful! I think we are at a point as an organization where we have the flexibility to work with many different organizations. I personally would like to partner with a lot of the boxing gyms, athletic commission, and gyms that teach various martial arts in Las Vegas. I am very grateful to the coaches and trainers that I have been lucky enough to work with. They had the same expectations for me as they did of any guy they were training and ensured that their gyms were a safe space for me to be. I want other young women to know that these sports have a lot to offer them and that if they choose to participate there is space for them. I also would like to connect with different education organizations. Education is so important offers many tools for people to be successful, whether that be tutoring, supplies, money for college, or special camps for their interest.
SANDRA OCEGUERA: I'm really excited to be a part of the Winchester Cultural Center's Dia de los Muertos event where we'll have an ofrenda. I'd love to see GRRLS partner with both local and national organizations with similar visions of empowering young women, promoting their work, art, and passions. Ideally, I’d like to see us work with groups who are focused on children who are coming from backgrounds that can hinder their success later on in life and help lift them out of it. Here in our community we have talented children who fall through the cracks and aren’t able to reach their full potentials. I’d like to partner up with any organization that is willing to help lift those children up and allow them to succeed. We can use all the help we can get given that our organization is new and still getting established.
VIM: Tell us all a bit about yourselves. What brought you to Las Vegas?
CRYSTELLA QUINTERO: I am a graphic designer currently finishing my undergrad degree at UNLV.
JEAN MARIE MUNSON: I am Filipino-American that was born and raised in Guam for the first 18 years of my life. I came to UNLV, to pursue a history degree and eventually become a high school teacher. Life did not go as planned and I am now 30 years old and the owner of Plot Twist Publishing, a kick boxing instructor, and the leadership conference coordinator at UNLV’s Women’s Research Institute of Nevada.
MARISOL MONTOYA: I am a literacy tutor for 2nd and 3rd graders. I have been doing Muay Thai for 16 years and was certified by the Thai government in 2014. I began boxing in 2014 and teaching women pugilism since. I really enjoy gardening and reading with my 3 year old son. I was born in Las Vegas. My parents meet here in 1986 as my dad was walking across the United States to protest nuclear proliferation. I went to University of Hawai’i and majored in Political Science. I loved it there but a strong message I heard while I was there was that you should make the world a better place, where you are from. So, I came back to where I am from and am trying to do just that.
SANDRA OCEGUERA: I’m a first generation Mexican American who grew up in the Las Vegas suburbs. Like many classic immigrant stories, my parents made a big deal out of working hard to attain a higher quality of life for my siblings and I but being first generation comes with its own struggles in navigating worlds that are very different from our parents’ and I think that has shaped so much of my passion in wanting to help others. I work in social services, serve on this board and Very Awesome Girls LV’s, as well as write freelance, while raising my three children and finishing up a degree.
VIM: You all had an event that featured a documentary about the untold history of women in the comic book industry. What woman have been an influence in your life?
JEAN MARIE MUNSON: My Professor Joanne Goodwin at UNLV has taught many women’s herstory classes while I was fulfilling my undergraduate degree. Being her student, I was given a lot of context over the work that needed to be done for women. She eventually encouraged me to apply to the National Education for Women’s Leadership Program Summer Institute. They only choose 25 student leaders in the entire state of Nevada each year and I was able to attend in 2009. This is the moment in my life that opened many doors to other amazing womentors and friends that I still keep in touch with today.
CRYSTELLA QUINTERO: My mom, grandmother, Selena and Dana Scully have probably been the most influential women in my life. I like to think I’m some amazing monstrous mix of them all.
MARISOL MONTOYA: So many! My mom, my grandma, Maya Angelou, Dolores Huerta, Claressa Shields, Dawn Barry, Reem Bassous, Hilda Solis, and Farideh Farhi to start off. My mom is a retired immigration attorney and is now a mentor. My mom is one of 9 children, grew up in the projects, was the first in her family to graduate high school, and put herself through law school. My grandma had 9 children, only had a third grade education, and faced adversity with a tremendous amount of dignity. She worked so hard, first on a farm picking potatoes and then cleaning hotels. There is dignity in all work and we should never take advantage of people for the work that they do.
SANDRA OCEGUERA: My daughter and the women running this organization would honestly have to be the most influential females in my life. My daughter because she's so kind and smart and still believes that we're both capable of anything. It reassures me that I'm doing okay as a parent and that the future for women is always getting bigger and brighter. The rest of the board because they're so creative and self motivated. We had an idea and instead of sitting on it, we immediately acted on it and have created this amazing organization. I'm really inspired by their passion and drive to empower young women for the sole purpose of empowering women.
VIM: How do you envision GRRLS growing in the next couple of years?
CRYSTELLA QUINTERO: We are really going to focus on become established in the community over the next couple of years and create events the community looks forward to. We hope to have a physical location for our workshops and larger conferences in the future. We have already had so many amazing people come out and support us so we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. Our next event will be an ofrenda at the Winchester life in death festival.
JEAN MARIE MUNSON: I hope that we can continue to be a cost effective, educational, and accessible leadership resource in the Valley. I hope that every person that experiences this non-profit organization’s events can help us build a larger network of women leaders and allies. I envision that we keep having innovative programming that directly address issues and fosters interests for women all over Nevada. Right now, we have a strong following from local parents that are fans of what we do and how we do it.
MARISOL MONTOYA: The women that make up GRRLS are incredibly talented and dedicated, I am honored to call them my friends. I see GRRLS growing into forum for young girls to connect with other girls that have similar interests, develop themselves, and one day take over GRRLS. I want this to be a forum to teach these young women what we know and empower them.
SANDRA OCEGUERA: If our conferences and movie screenings - Rebel GRRLS Reels - indicate anything, it's that we're here to stay. We had so many women confirm that there is gap in the community that we're filling by holding these events. My goals for the organization revolve around turning our conferences into annual events, holding other workshops, and continuing our growth in the areas of educating and empowerment.
