The audacity of grope

My friend’s girlfriend hits on me all the time. (We’re all lesbians.) She always offers to get me a drink before she gets her girlfriend one, and she’s taken to giving me quick shoul

Tail from the crypt

I’ve been with my boyfriend for two years. I do have trust issues, having been cheated on in past relationships. My boyfriend’s best friend of six years, a beautiful and intelligent woman,

Smells like libertine spirit

I got involved with my co-host on my Web show – a woman in an “open relationship” with her live-in boyfriend of two years. Things were light and fun between us until we developed act

In sickness and in stealth

This woman and I were involved 13 years ago, before I met my wife, but she was married then. She got divorced and moved away. We reconnected recently on Facebook, and I discovered she’s now only

Fry, fry again

I walked into my apartment and, to my horror, thought my boyfriend had been electrocuted. He was sprawled on the kitchen floor by an open electrical outlet with wires sticking out. There was a screwdr

When you wish upon a sleazebucket

I was seeing a guy for four months – a guy I liked better than I’ve ever liked anyone. Two months in, he was calling me his girlfriend, putting me on the phone with his mom, and saying tha

Will you flash mob me?

I’m going to propose to my girlfriend, and it seems there’s this trend of doing crazy, elaborate things to ask a girl to marry you. I can’t compete with guys like the New York City d

Stammer time

I can’t talk to really pretty girls. If I’m talking to a girl I’m not that interested in or a dude, I’m golden. But if I’m attracted to a girl, my thoughts get totally sc

The math to true love

You need to tell men to never be the first to say those “three little words.” A woman will tell you she’s ready to hear them by telling you first. It seems the dating gurus agree: Wh

Ex-rated movie

I’ve been with my boyfriend for a year. We were best friends and talked about everything – what our kids would be like, projects we’d do together, magical worlds, and even other peop

Whiskey of the Damned

Take an Irishman, drop him in Milwaukee and let him go wild in a Celtic-influenced rock band, and that’s Whiskey of the Damned. With Eoin McCarthy (guitar, vocal), Blaine McQuinn (fiddle, bagpip

ZZ Tripp

Springfield’s ZZ Tripp with Brad Alan (as Billy Gibbons on guitar), Dan Kress (as Dusty Hill on bass) and Tom Summerlin (as Frank Beard on drums) gives ZZ Top a tremendous tribute treatment. Wit

The Brothers

The Brothers do the Allman Brothers music and do it well. Unlike other tribute bands, they have actual experiences of working with the group they celebrate, as some of the “brothers” actua

Josh Catalano and The Dirty Thoughts

A stalwart on the local music scene in performing, writing and recording original, rocking American music, Josh Catalano (guitar, vocals, songwriting) formed The Dirty Thoughts in 2011 with former Dam

CW Ayon

New Mexican bluesman CW Ayon (pronounced “I own”) began his adventure as a one-man band in 2008. Playing what he terms his “Hill Country Blues, Chihuahuan Desert, hook-laden groove,&

Randy Charles and the Western Angels

This five-piece group are darn good purveyors of country, folk and bluegrass tunes, combining choice covers by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks with a handy bunch of well-suite

James Armstrong

Some people play the blues and some people listen to the blues, but James Armstrong just is the blues. From starting his first band in seventh grade to traveling the country playing major festivals an

Amy Benton

Blessed with a lovely voice, a sweet smile, a creative streak and enough gumption to take on the music business world, Taylorville native Amy Benton lives her dream. Between consistent shows in centra

In This Moment

From an introduction through friends, Maria Brink (lead vocals, piano) and Chris Howorth (lead guitar, vocals) got together in August of 2005 and immediately formed a common bond of music through song

Family Groove Company

This Chicago-based quartet keeps making the rounds and stirring the pot with festival appearances at the Midwest’s finest, including Summerfest, Summer Camp and 10,000 Lakes. Family Groove Compa

Innocence, the mystery

Northwestern students face Chicago corruption

The Innocence Game, by Michael Harvey.Knopf. 256 pages.Mystery writers often set their stories in their hometowns. For Michael Connelly it is Los Angeles, for Sara Paretsky, Chicago. The late Stuart K

The book of baseball books

Start off the season with a good read

501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die, by Ron Kaplan. University of Nebraska Press, $24.95. “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by lik

Carefully crafted poems of imagery

Springfield professor debuts new book

Judging from his new book of poetry From Delancey West (forthcoming by BlazeVOX [books]), Springfield poet Brian Jackson will not be poetry slamming any time soon. This is no insult. This is just to s

Lindsay’s ‘Little Turtle’ comes back to life

Two famous locals’ work united in new book

Vachel Lindsay, a lifelong resident of Springfield, internationally renowned poet and author of 20 books of poetry and stories, was born in 1879. Two years before Lindsay’s death in 1931 came th

A literary album of a farm

Jackie Jackson recalls the well-ordered life of her youth

The Round Barn: A Biography of an American Farm, Volume 2, by Jacqueline Dougan Jackson. Beloit City Press, 2012. 487 pages, $24.95 Imagine you’ve discovered a box of jumbled old black and white

The golden boy of Illinois

Reading Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself out of the Governor’s Office and Into Prison, is an excruciatingly painful experience. But the pain does not come from the work of Jeff Coen an

Minute perception and the cosmic

John Knoepfle’s latest collection of poetry

Shadows and Starlight by John Knoepfle. 84 pages, $16.68. Indian Paintbrush Poets, 2012. Few writers remain active in their ninth decade, but John Knoepfle is one of those few; his Shadows and Starlig

Spare and elegant: The William Maxwell style

Conversations with the late author and central Illinois native, edited by UIS professor

Conversations with William Maxwell, edited by Barbara Burkhardt. University Press of Mississippi. (Literary Conversations Series) 241 pages. Hardback, $40.When Barbara Burkhardt, an associate professo

A magical high school baseball season

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach and a Magical Baseball Season, by Chris Ballard. Hyperion, 234 pages.Here in central Illinois we love our high school sports. Granted we also pay a

Growing up in the Cultural Revolution

I thought I knew the story of Wenguang Huang, who will be the commencement speaker at the University of Illinois Springfield May 12. After all, I’ve known Wen for 21 years, first as my student a

Africans lived here first

Scholar explores connections to Cahokia Mounds “pyramids”

Historians credit Christopher Columbus for finding the Americas, but Kaba Hiawatha Kamene declares that African descendants lived in what is now the United States many years prior to 1492. Kamene, a s

When the city becomes a stage

New Year’s party brings safe, affordable all-ages fun

For the past 25 years, Springfield’s downtown has become a giant party every New Year’s Eve with First Night Springfield, the first and longest-running event of its kind in Illinois. The p

Art for every need

The arts scene in Springfield finds vitality in niche markets

“We’re grateful that we still have this nice space to be in. It’s really made a big difference to what we’ve been able to deliver to the community,” says Janet Seitz Carl

Country dancing for 25 years

Homecoming Dance Oct. 19 marks Prairie Land Dance Club anniversary

Yes, it’s a little boot scootin’ and a little two-steppin,’ but Prairie Land Dance Club (PLDC) in Illiopolis ain’t your mama’s square dance. Folks at PLDC are just as com

A green beauty

For his own office building, architect John Shafer optimizes sustainability and design

Architect John Shafer’s new office building at 1230 S. Sixth St. in Springfield recently won an award for sustainable design from the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Archit

Anatomy of an Advice Goddess

Illinois Times interviews columnist Amy Alkon on her career, methodology and the scourge of rude behavior

Every week, Amy Alkon provides IT readers with her spin on romantic problems in her syndicated column The Advice Goddess. The column, which received the first place award for commentary last month fro

Taste of Downtown

In celebration of local food and good music

Visitors and residents hungry for good music and good food in Springfield are sure to find some of both this weekend at the 11th annual Taste of Downtown. The popular event is presented this year in c

Steal these ideas

Springfield should copy what works in other towns

“To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.”Abraham Lincoln uttered those words in his famous farewell speech to Springfield almost 150 years ago. Since then, Sprin

Dancing without the stars

The capital city learns to tango, swing and waltz

It’s chilly in the packed parking lot of the Eagles Club on Springfield’s far east side. But inside the club’s cavernous concrete ballroom more than 100 novice dancers are shedding s

Hero of Hotel Rwanda campaigns for truth about genocide

Paul Rusesabagina speaks in Springfield May 12

Just when we thought Rwanda had reinvented itself into a genuine success story in Africa, and that Rwandan president Paul Kagame had become a star of international leadership, along comes the hero of

Darkness a worthy addition to Trek canon

Viewers are likely to be sharply divided after seeing J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, his second entry in the venerable science-fiction series. Is it shamelessly derivative or an inspired

Furious 6 throws Fast into reverse

I was just as surprised as anyone when Fast 5 not only revived the Fast and Furious franchise but also proved to be one of the best action films of the last decade. You’re excused for having mis

Fitzgerald’s Gatsby survives Luhrmann’s grandiose approach

Director Baz Luhrmann is one of the more polemic filmmakers working today. While many praise his modern take on the Bard with his Romeo Juliet (1996) and his radical musical Moulin Rouge (2001), oth

Home Run rife with errors

It really comes as no surprise that faith-based dramas have found a devoted following. Films such as Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous answer a need with their life-affirming messages as the

Iron Man 3 a clunky debut for Marvel’s second phase

Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 has the unenviable task of following Joss Whedon’s widely entertaining The Avengers as the next Marvel Studios movie out of the chute. Too bad that Iron Man 3 gets

Boyle’s Trance rewards the patient

How much you enjoy Danny Boyle’s Trance depends entirely on how much you like to be manipulated while watching a movie. And while it might be distracting to other viewers, they may end up thanki

Pain’s outlandish story matches Bay’s garish style

Director Michael Bay throws audiences a curveball with his latest film Pain and Gain as he actually tells a story that revolves around human beings rather than alien robots. After conquering the inter

Pines a haunting look at the sins of two fathers

There’s no question that writer/director Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines, is an ambitious film, the sort of work that intelligent filmgoers long to see. It tackles profound t

Narrative déjà vu haunts Oblivion

There’s no question that Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion is a well-crafted film, sporting a unique vision of a dystopian future that delivers on the promise the director showed with his first m

42 is a fitting tribute to Jackie Robinson

A solid film biography of Jackie Robinson is long overdue. Though it was made with the best of intentions and features the man himself, the 1950s The Jackie Robinson Story, isn’t a film that&rsq

Chuck Koplinski interviews Mike Kortlander

Chuck Koplinski interviews Doug Jones and Katlyn Carlson

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Doug Jones ("Hellboy", "Pan's Labyrinth") and Katlyn Carlson, stars of the indie feature "My Name is Jerry", winner of Best Comedy Feature at the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews Oscar Piloto and Alfonso Corona

IT film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews star Oscar Piloto and director Alfonso Corona (both are co-producers) of the short film "Dixon's Girl".

Chuck Koplinski interviews director Sam Holdren

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Sam Holdren, director of the film "The Paradigm Shift", playing in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews Brian Dobrik

IT film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Brian Dobrik, director of the indie short "Robert Shaw", playing in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews director Daric Gates

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Daric Gates, director of the film "Crook", winner for Best Thriller in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews Dominique Schilling

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Dominique Schilling, director of the film "Business As Usual", playing in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews Zach Baliva and Morgan Mead

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Morgan Mead, director, and Zach Baliva, co-producer, of the film "My Name Is Jerry", winner for Best Comedy in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews directors and star of Sinnerman

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Travis Pittman and Kelly Daniela Norris, co-directors, and Matthew Cadet, star of the film "Sinnerman", playing in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Chuck Koplinski interviews Lynelle White

Illinois Times film critic Chuck Koplinski interviews Lynelle White, director of the film "And Seven Hours Later", playing in the Route 66 International Film Festival.

Unique perceptive

Springfield Art Association opens a new exhibit featuring the interesting and intricate work of Jean Poklop. An opening reception is Saturday, May 25. Poklop was a Chicago housewife in the 1950s and 6

Historic race

Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association has a full weekend of racing planned for Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, May 24, American Motorcycle Association amateur TT will start at 5 p.m. A pro class wa

We-cycling

Sustainable Springfield, Inc. invites the public to its free program at Lincoln Library titled “The Making of a Bike Friendly town.” Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illino

Future stock

World Affairs Council of Central Illinois is holding its next program Wed., May 29, with special guest Dr. Daniel Twining. Dr. Twining serves as a consultant to the U.S. National Intelligence Cou

LGBT celebration

Downtown Springfield is the setting for three festivals this weekend. Make sure to visit Springfield PrideFest on Capitol Avenue between Fourth and Sixth streets on Saturday, May 18, between noon and

Talent trove

Old Capitol Art Fair is one of the most beloved festivals in central Illinois. Join scores of art and festival lovers this weekend, May 18 and 19, on the downtown square for amazing and unique fine ar

Refreshing reds and whites

Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association and Downtown Springfield Inc. offer Art of Illinois Wine Festival both Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 19. Open to anyone over 21 years of age, admiss

Scots and Irish revelry

Rain or shine join the Celts in Chatham for a day of Irish and Scottish dancing, athletic competitions, food, music and more on May 18. Celtic bands from around the U.S. may participate in the Springf

Pioneer experience

The largest lineup of entertainment, food, re-enactors and demonstrations of pioneer craftsmanship and skills ever assembled await you at the Clayville Spring Festival, May 18-19. Taking you back

Getting fresh

Old Capitol Farmers Market presented by St. John’s Hospital and Downtown Springfield, Inc. opens for the season Wednesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Frank Trompeter Quartet will play, Ashley Glatz

The Warrior's Way

In theaters December 3, 2010 is The Warrior's Way, a visually-stunning modern martial arts western starring Korean actor Dong-gun Jang who plays an Asian warrior assassin forced to hide in a small

Faster

After 10 years in prison, Driver has a singular focus - to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to-do list in han

Love & Other Drugs

Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him w

The Next Three Days

Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a gruesome murder she says she didn't commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together,

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,is a much-anticipated motion picture eventto be told in two full-length parts. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort's Death Eaters seize control of the Min

Morning Glory

When hard-working TV producer Becky Fuller stumbles into a job at Daybreak, she decides to revitalize the show by bringing on legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy. Unfortunately, Pomeroy refuses to cover

Skyline

After a late night party, a group of friends is awakened in the dead of the night by an eerie light beaming through the window. Like moths to a flame, people outside are being drawn to strange lights,

Unstoppable

A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed The Beast and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer and a young conductor, aboard

Megamind

When super villain "Megamind" defeats his archrival Metro Man, the world should be his oyster. But instead, "Megamind" falls into total despair. It turns out that life without a ri

For Colored Girls

In 1974, Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf” made its stage debut, combining poetry, dance and music, and most signif

Reel foreign

Seven international films screen in Springfield

Springfield area cinephiles benefit as the Route 66 Film Festival and the Springfield Art Association’s Film Series grow in size and quality. The 2009 Route 66 Fest, held last September, tripled

An independent obsession

The behind-the-scenes process that brings foreign and indie films to town

Molly Schlich knows movies. She has organized the Springfield Art Association’s annual film festival for the past 18 years. The event, she says, was started not as a fundraiser, but as a way to

Q&A with Goodbye Solo director Ramin Bahrani

2009 was a good year for director Ramin Bahrani. The 34-year-old was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and watched as critics continued to laud Chop Shop (2007) and Goodbye Solo (2008). Not

2009 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

WED, SEPT 16Taste of the Festival7-9pmFREE Open to the publicCapital City Bar and Grill3149 S. Dirksen PkwyFor those not familiar with film fests, this evening event will include a preview of 5-6 of t

Terrible teens

They’ve met the enemy – and it’s them

Untitled Document Many recent films about troubled youth remind me of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit, in which hell is other people. The biggest problem facing teens today

Fab Four on film

The Beatles left an incredible screen legacy

Untitled Document Forty years ago the Beatles changed music for the second time with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and it still tops lists as

Mr. Costner

A reliable presence, even when he defies expectations

Untitled Document Kevin Costner needs no introduction, but he seems to need a reintroduction. Audiences mistakenly think that they know what to expect from him. His taking on the

Hurricane Billy is back

Bug marks William Friedkin’s return to form

Untitled Document Bug may have been drowned in the current flood of sequels, but it has great cinematic significance. The intense psychological-horror thriller marks the return t

The cult of Jodorowsky

Mexican director’s influence goes beyond his name recognition

Untitled Document His is hardly a household name, but the influence of Alejandro Jodorowsky goes beyond name recognition. His best-known film is El Topo (1970), which translates

All is Welles

The greatest Orson Welles film he didn’t direct

Untitled Document The Third Man (1949) is the greatest Orson Welles movie Welles didn’t direct. It is a testament to the greatness of this film that many people assume that

Symphony season goes out on a high note

Maestro Alastair Willis has great expectations for coming years

This past weekend marked the end of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s 20th anniversary season, which was the first under the musical direction of Maestro Alastair Willis. Willis did not conduct

One hell of an awards show for Springfield hip-hop

Torch Tuesday blows the roof off the sucka… respectfully

Nobody can accuse the crowd at Torch Tuesday of not knowing how to party. Springfield’s most prominent showcase for regional hip-hop talent presented the second annual Torch Tuesday Awards on Ja

Henry Rollins brings a ‘talking show’ to the Hoogland

Former Black Flag singer is on a tour of state capitals

Henry Rollins is no Abe Lincoln.But that doesn’t stop the 51-year-old punk rock icon, TV personality, author and blogger from incorporating sections of the 16th president’s 1838 speech to

Art, bikes and rock ’n’ roll

Jeff Williams of NIL8 has been creating music and art in Springfield for 30 years

Rock musician. Fine artist. Cycling champion. If lifelong Springfield resident Jeff Williams does not qualify as a genuine renaissance man, he’ll have to do until one comes along. In addition, t

Meet the maestro

The Illinois Symphony starts fresh with a new musical director

“The power of music can unite a community,” says Alastair Willis, brand new music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. “That’s what we all need to be striving towards.

Confessions of a (minor) rock star

Mike Doughty performs at Legacy Theatre March 30

Mike Doughty has been through the ringer. The former lead vocalist for sample-heavy ’90s alternative-rock mainstays Soul Coughing (“Super Bon Bon,” “Circles”) has put a l

This Langfelder son is a New York singer

Home for the holidays, Jacob Langfelder performs in Springfield Dec. 29

From the moment he made his musical debut at age 10, lip syncing Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” at Blessed Sacrament School’s talent show, Jacob Langfelder wanted to be on sta

Hip-hop in the Heartland

The talent at Torch Tuesday may be the Springfield music scene’s best-kept secret

[SOUND EFFECTS: needle drops onto vinyl; surface static; reporter clears throat]I’ll never forget the day I stumbled onto Springfield’s underground hip-hop scene. It all started with Raekw

The mysterious Lazer Dudes

Springfield’s own electro-rock-sex-revival adventure

Black leather fingerless gloves. Love Club and Stripping Glitter. Tattoos of strange designs in stranger places. Cahokia Mounds and MoonPandas. What link ties these odd and peculiar things together? A

Central Illinois bands in Texas

Sounds from home at South by Southwest music fest

Austin, Texas — At the South by Southwest music festival, the spring break of the music industry, sensory overload is practically guaranteed. From March 17-21, nearly 2,000 acts played in Austin

Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Yes, friends and neighbors, the official beginning of the summer season is upon us as we celebrate Memorial Day with a weekend of fun and excitement. Please remember to remember your lost loved ones a

From Perkins to Presney

John Michael Presney spent the better part of the last two years on the road in the first national touring production of the Tony award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet portraying the “fat

This Momma’s Boy is blessed

Within the burgeoning Springfield music scene bubbles a wonderful and creative world of hip-hop and rap music that thrives on talent and expression. As the national music direction goes, so goes the f

20 years of the FTQ

Oh, how we love to measure time, indeed, we live by that desire, but that’s the human way of observing and commemorating movement through our lives. Important events in our travels are designate

Kirwan, Foster and Lincoln

What do the songs “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races” (“doo-dah, doo-dah”) and “Old Folks at Home” (“… way down upon the Swanee River”) a

Heil, high and hi-fi

During a recent conversation with Illinois Times blogger Scott Faingold, I mentioned that National Record Store Day coincided with what has become national “weed” day (Huffington Post has

Marina V’s magical music tour

A performer’s journey from Moscow to Springfield and beyond

What separates the dreamers and schemers of the world from the believers and achievers? Some say hard work and some say circumstance, but most would think it’s a fair amount of both that make th

Drum Fest 2013

Back in 2010 for the debut of Drum Fest, I started out with a few typical drummer jokes such as “What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer.” And a beauty like thi

No fooling April

If last Monday someone tried to pull an April Fool’s joke on me by talking about the quality and variety of upcoming live music this month, I think I’d wholeheartedly felt foolish and fell

The sounds of spring

Oh, I can close my eyes and hear those wonderful sounds of music played out-of-doors as the weather breaks and spring returns to take us into summer. I hear rock bands outside in beer gardens, festiva

Gus’s new gig

Gus Gordon takes the helm of the Hoogland Center for the Arts

“At a certain point I realized I was a clone,” says Gus Gordon of his 22-year tenure as chief meteorologist at WICS-TV Channel 20. His tone is more amused than bemused, and entirely withou

Genders bent here

Hedwig is a “transformative” rock musical

“The word of the day is ‘immersion,’” says Legacy Theatre owner Scott Richardson, and truthfully there are few more appropriate terms to describe the Legacy’s production

The Civil War’s effects on ordinary folks

Civil War Journeys continues at New Salem’s Theatre in the Park July 19-22

The stories we tell and the songs we sing help us make sense of the past, understand the present and build the future. Civil War Journeys, which opened last weekend at New Salem’s Theatre in the

I bought a theater

Scott Richardson’s theatrical labor of love brings eclectic culture to Springfield

“I would say buying real estate is an emotional decision,” says Scott Richardson. “It’s probably not the wisest move, but sometimes you follow the heart. So we bought a theater

UIS stages a classic, True West

And don’t miss Den of Thieves by the Less is More Theatre Company

Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, the head of the UIS theatre department these last 10 years, is taking a sabbatical this semester, but he is staying home in Springfield. As head of an academic program, he do

A winter full of fine Springfield theater

The new year begins with exciting theater in Springfield, with the now-playing Chess, a musical by Benny Anderssen and Bjorn Ulvaes (of ABBA fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evit

The 25th annual First Night

On New Year’s Eve come downtown for a bargain celebration of the arts

On Dec. 31, 1987, Springfield became the first city in Illinois to host a First Night event celebrating the new year through the arts. Penny Wollan-Kriel, executive director of the Springfield Area Ar

A family’s clash of values in a time of war

Shenandoah at New Salem July 15-17 and 21-24

Don’t let the music fool you. The stage adaptation of Shenandoah is a drama. Set in the Commonwealth of Virginia during the Civil War, the play explores the impact of the war on a family whose p

Springfield playwright brings ice cream to comedy

What could possibly be more fun than a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake? How about two ice cream cakes and one wedding ring? Throw in a rich software developer named Alvin Chandler, a veterinarian named

A rich season of summer theater

Summer theater is upon us and there’s quite an exciting list of possibilities for area theater-goers over the next three months.Theatre in the Park at New Salem outside Petersburg opens its seas

personal pilgrimage poem

her ashes – my brit child’s – were in abaggie about a teaspoonful I left a pinchat the dorset farm she loved another onwhite horse hill near the town of her birthsun wind skylarks br

ecopoem #17

ecopoem #17everything livingon this thin skin that supports life has three missions eat to stay alive for the same reason avoid being eaten and breed in order to perpetuate your line so it can go on e

earthday-ecopoem # 11

“A major study commissioned by theBritish government concludes in itsyesterday report that rapid andsubstantial spending to combatglobal warming is needed to averta catastrophic reduction in wor

earthday poem #3

earthday poem #3went to earthday festivities at union park: encouraging displaysgreeny ideas demonstrationsso cold and rainy not many camethe decorated refrigerators caughtmy heart they should be a tr

marathon poem #2

marathon poem #2two unbidden pictures keep fillingmy head neither from tv screens onethat kid younger than my grandsonslying in his pooled blood in the beachedboat waiting for the inevitable he’

ZenMomentPoem #2

by guest-poet Delinda Chapman

The visiting choir directorWhen speaking with the childrenAsked their favorite song.As they shrugged their shouldersShe asked then their favorite animal.“Cows” said a boy,“The cows s

north fifth street poem #17

north fifth street poem #17 seventy score and seven runners passedmy door this morning many in blue t-shirtsthe lincoln half-marathon: I’ve lived in lincolnland over 40 years now; one getsinocul

poetrypoem #11

poetrypoem #11my brother once got booted froma ninth grade english class for his reply to a reprimand “oh butcher spare yon tender calf” sure a poetic quote but archy and mehitabel must no

funnybiz poem #6

how about a joke in this spacemy daughter #2 reports shegot a t-shirt for her son had agroup of marshmallows sittingaround a campfire with terroron their faces the marshmallowstoryteller was saying &l

obitpoem #1

a recent obit in the state j-r istoo good to pass up who wrote itnephew maybe niece the accountis of an ordinary life if such bebirth education job etc etc then“she became adventuresome inher ol

MMA mania

Mixed martial arts comes of age in Springfield

In an unassuming beige garage on the edge of town, two muscular, tattooed young men circle around and around, punching, kicking and grappling with one another with all the intensity of a dogfight. A l

Scrumming in Springfield

The Celts are looking for a few good men

It is easy to imagine the Springfield Celts as third-graders.These are the guys who loved dodgeball, the ones who laughed and screamed “Whoa!” when balls found their mark in particularly v

Golf classic to benefit injured motorcycle riders

Charlie Roberts, 51, of Springfield, knows what it’s like to race a motorcycle at speeds of more than 130 miles per hour around a flat track. He also knows what it’s like to lose control o

Springfield Sliders, a family operation

New team owner aims to bring community together

Some children draw pictures of dogs and cats, but when Shane Martin was a child growing up in the early 1980s, he drew baseball stadiums. Shane, the new owner and CEO of the Springfield Sliders baseba

Talk derby to me

For fun, fitness and self-esteem, be a roller derby queen

“The night that I fell in love with a Roller Derby Queen, Round and round, oh round and round, The meanest hunk of woman that anybody ever seen, Down in the arena …,” – Jim Cr

Everybody plays

Thousands take the field for youth soccer

With the end of summer come the beginning of a new school year, the harvest and the start of an area tradition that draws thousands of children away from their video games and outside onto the mown gr

Swim, bike, run for fitness and fun

Maybe it’s the obesity epidemic that has so many people worried about their waistlines. Or maybe it’s the ongoing recession that has people looking for low-cost extracurriculars. Whatever

‘Ultimate Frisbee’ offers fitness, fun and community

Springfield group needs more women to play

If you’re home from college or just wanting to get fit and have fun in central Illinois this summer, ultimate Frisbee may be for you.A game of “ultimate” is like soccer but is played

School’s out, but there’s plenty for children to do

For at least a few students, the countdown to summer vacation began last August. Others maybe waited until January, by which time the bitter cold and recent memories of semester finals started giving

Not ready for the big time

UIS stumbles into the NCAA

As the University of Illinois Springfield in October 2008 made another move toward full membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, then-Chancellor Richard Ringeisen said the eventual

ARTIFICATION of Springfield

A mural project is set to bring beauty to downtown

“It used to be scary down this way.”Barry Friedman, owner of the Alamo, 115 N. Fifth St., is reminiscing about conditions in downtown Springfield prior to the 2005 opening of the Abraham L

Wonderful world of Illinois watercolors

Statewide contest honors Skip Watts’ support of arts

Carol Watts and Mary Selinski enjoyed a watercolor class together years ago. Neither could have guessed that in 2012-13 they would collaborate on a sizable statewide watercolor exhibit and contest.Car

Photo contest winners: Images of Illinois

Prairie Art Alliance contest yields impressive regional talent

Digital cameras that are affordable and easy-to-use, including those cameras and image-sharing apps in our smartphones, have sparked a photo craze. Who could have predicted that so many Americans woul

Feet first

Kimberly Conner’s Jump In has red carpet premiere

Midway through the filming of Jump In, director Kimberly Conner of Springfield faced a day of personal reckoning.“We were on day five of a 10-day shoot,” she recalls. “My emotions we

The Stories Behind the Faces

Springfield Art Association adds biographies to new portrait exhibit

The Springfield Art Association has an interesting new exhibit planned to open Friday, Jan. 4, that includes images and stories of local people. The Stories Behind the Faces, features a combination of

Skin City

Tattoos come of age in Springfield

Why would someone voluntarily undergo several hours of a needle stabbing them several thousand times per minute? The simple answer is for the sake of art, but the long answer is a bit more complicated

America Behind Barbed Wire

Art at UIS captures nightmare of US concentration camp

America has a dark little secret. We imprisoned 120,000 fellow citizens during World War II in U.S. concentration camps or, as some call them, internment camps. Artist Roger Shimomura tells this troub

Art fun in the summertime

The Pharmacy ups the ante and throws a party

Since mounting its first group show on 11/11/11, upstart local art collective The Pharmacy has already become something of a Springfield institution. Along with providing work space for a variety of a

Living pictures come to life again

The Soldiers Aid Society performs at SAA’s Civil War Ice Cream Social July 14

“The ladies of Springfield gave a grand Tableaux last week for the benefit of the Soldiers Aid Society,” Mercy Conkling wrote to her son in 1862. “It was a brilliant affair.  Mr

Pottery summer at Edwards Place

“The experience is more than the end result.”

The Springfield Art Association is offering two exciting opportunities for the community to explore ceramics and pottery-making over the summer months. A kickoff event, ROASTED:%u2008Hot Pots or Pork,