Issue 372 – December 2019 cover art

december Issue

Read the issue »

About The Cover: Our Local Literary Issue boasts book artist Claire Taylor’s broadside art. She also takes inspiration from bookplates and includes the phrase “Ex Libris,” which indicates to whom a book belongs. Per the fox carrying a book, natural and whimsical imagery is a hallmark of bookplate art. Read about Taylor here and find more of her work on Instagram @clairetaylor.art.
Blood Warrior | Animal Hides | Ernest Jennings Record Co.

Review: Blood Warrior – Animal Hides

By Billy Swartzfager [Posted December 9, 2019]

Blood Warrior = Sam Beam + Tents … read more

Black Mountain @ Urban Lounge 12.02 with Ryley Walker

By Billy Swartzfager [Posted December 9, 2019]

Black Mountain is such a exceptional ensemble; a band with a sound so eclectic, it can feel like Sabbath, Floyd and Voivod all at the same time. … read more

The Aeronauts is a film that, though historically based, depicts a narrative that is more historical fiction than anything else.

Film Review: The Aeronauts

By Patrick Gibbs [Posted December 6, 2019]

If anyone out there needs a reminder that the phrase “based on a true story” should be taken with a grain of salt, The Aeronauts is here. … read more

Being inspired by the DIY scene, Tayler Lacey takes full control of all aspects of his artistic process.

Localized: Tayler Lacey

By Kassidy Waddell [Posted December 5, 2019]

Folk musician Tayler Lacey is a 100% independent artist who will be performing at SLUG’s localized showcase in early December. … read more

Moderated by Plan-B Theatre Artistic Director Jerry Rapier (purple shirt), Plan-B’s Theatre Artists of Color Writing Workshops provide a space for emergent playwrights of color to discuss their works in progress. At the table, clockwise from Rapier: actor Louise Vitória Dapper, actor Pedro Flores, actor Yolanda Stange, actor Darby Mest and actor Kandyce Marie Abreu.

Playing Right: Plan-B Theatre’s Community Writing Workshops

By Parker Scott Mortensen [Posted December 5, 2019]

Plan-B Theatre’s Artist of Color Writing Workshops provide a space for emergent playwrights of color to discuss their works in progress. … read more

Content Shifter: 9 Streaming Series from Fall ’19

By Bill Frost [Posted December 5, 2019]

There are too many shows to stream. Here are nine series from this fall alone you might have missed—tune out the family and catch up. … read more

"Local author Janalyn Guo’s Our Colony Beyond the City of Ruins is a series of soothing reveries."

Book Review: Our Colony Beyond the City of Ruins

By Alexander Ortega [Posted December 5, 2019]

Janalyn Guo’s Our Colony Beyond the City of Ruins is an excellent short-story collection, one I earnestly recommend picking up. … read more

(L–R) Lila, Tony and Catherine Weller carry on the Weller Book Works legacy while in tandem modernizing and revolutionizing the business with each generation.

Unveiling the Unknown: Weller Book Works

By Nia Shaunce Morton [Posted December 5, 2019]

Weller Book Works’ legacy includes offering a colorful community an array of books that make connections between the unfamiliar and familiar. … read more

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is a 17th-century Mexican nun, poet, playwright and intellectual.

Sor Juana Poetry and Prose

By Alexander Ortega [Posted December 5, 2019]

Artes de México en Utah’s Sor Juana Contest for Poetry and Prose in Spanish is Utah’s statewide contest for literary writing in the language. … read more

Cover artist Claire Taylor’s work is a mosaic of visual, literary and book arts—a meta-literary potpourri from page to page.

Magical Realism with Claire Taylor

By Kia McGinnis Wray [Posted December 5, 2019]

As a book artist, Claire Taylor combines “creative nonfiction, illustration and biology” as she examines the intersections between humans and nature. … read more

Roots Café's Utah Burger is topped with a succulent fried egg and goes great with baked kale.

Fresh, Local, Creative Eats: Roots Café

By James Bennett [Posted December 5, 2019]

Roots Café is a creative place to enjoy fresh, locally sourced food. As a breakfast and lunch place by design, their menu is simple and affordable. … read more

MICA uplifts underrepresented communities with things like after-school programs.

Mestizo Institute of Culture and the Arts: Rejuvenating What It Means To Be Mestizo

By Bianca Velasquez [Posted December 5, 2019]

The Mestizo Institute of Culture and the Arts celebrates 16 years of advocating for underrepresented communities in Salt Lake City. … read more

Serving as the poetry arm of the Field Work Program here in SLC, Katherine Coles has worked hand in hand with local scientists to merge science and poetry.

Greater than the Sum of our Parts: The Field Work Program’s Interdisciplinary Enrichment

By Jesse Hawlish [Posted December 5, 2019]

Salt Lake pooled their resources and disparate knowledge bases to cooperate in a pilot program called Field Work: Aligning Poetry & Science. … read more

“It’s a labor of love and comes with frustrations we [the team] didn’t imagine,” says Natalie Young on creating and running Sugar House Review

Nothing Beets Poetry: Sugar House Review Celebrates 10 Years of Publication

By Connor Lockie [Posted December 5, 2019]

Founding Editor Natalie Young discusses the challenges and triumphs of running Utah’s first independent poetry journal: Sugar House Review. … read more

Lisa Bickmore is a published poet and teaches at Salt Lake Community College

Poem: Mother of Swords by Lisa Bickmore

By Lisa Bickmore [Posted December 5, 2019]

Lisa Bickmore is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Ephemerist (Red Mountain Press, 2017), and teaches writing of all kinds at Salt Lake Community College. … read more

December's Beer of the Month is SaltFire Brewing Co.'s Punk as F*ck IPA.

Beer of the Month: Punk as F*ck

By Chris and Sylvia Hollands [Posted December 5, 2019]

The craft beer world is a bit like the punk world. You can start with an idea or a feeling and build on it through hard work and hustle. … read more

Social Stigma's newest album provides listeners with a tracklist that touches on prominent societal issues.

Local Review: Social Stigma – Veganarchist: RedBlood/ Black Flags

By Eric U. Norris [Posted December 5, 2019]

Social Stigma = Chokehold + Morning Again + Groundwork … read more

Self proclaimed, "Midwestern-poet-gone-rogue" Abraham Smith helps curate Witch Lit each month.

Witch Lit: Lyrical Mixology With Abraham Smith

By Brian Udall [Posted December 5, 2019]

Curated by Abraham Smith and Matthew Pfohl, Witch Lit is a monthly poetry reading showcasing the diversity of local poets. … read more

Black Lantern features the tattooed, pumpkin-headed Edgar amongst other characters.

Walking the Path of Black Lantern with Chris Bodily

By Ricky Vigil [Posted December 5, 2019]

Black Lantern is truly epic—the first book clocks in at 250 pages—and Bodily estimates it will take him three more volumes to tell the story. … read more

Contributor Limelight: Connor Lockie

[Posted December 5, 2019]

Connor Lockie began writing about experimental music for SLUG in October 2016—and carved a niche at the magazine in doing so! … read more