Ecstatic Émigré: An Ethics of Practice and We Step Into the Sea: New and Selected Poems by Claudia Keelan

In 2000, Aimee Mann and her husband Michael Penn co-headlined an unlikely but engrossing show at the old Joint, the two sharing the stage, performing each other’s songs and having comedian Andy Kindler do bits in lieu of awkward stage banter. It was called Acoustic Vaudeville, and it felt like a singer-songwriter showcase turned into a variety show.

What is literary activism? Besides the exact name of the February 28 open forum with UNLV professors and authors Doug Unger and José Orduña? Thirty years ago, it encapsulated a movement pushing alternative ways to print literary works. But Unger defines it two other ways: One describes the act of writing a book on a subject of importance, typically resulting in the writer himself becoming a public advocate for that subject. And then there’s the second: the promotion of the literary arts—or, as Unger puts it, “Making sure literature—and the reading of serious writing—maintains a cultural place in American society.”

There are only a few weeks left until Christmas, which means it's time for children to write their letters to Santa Claus. And with a bit of help from the U.S. Postal Service, your child can get a response from ol' St. Nick himself!

A professor led a group of American poets on a nine-day visit to Cuba this summer – the first trip by American poets since the country’s revolution nearly 60 years ago. Narlan Teixeira, a professor in the romance, German and Slavic language department, organized the trip, which included meetings with Cuban officials and days of poetry readings. Members of the delegation said the trip helped re-establish an important cultural link between Cuba and the United States after decades of political tension between the two countries.

My former co-worker once drank so much during a waitressing shift, she stumbled through the restaurant with her intoxication on full display to guests. Even the chaos of the service rush couldn’t hide the state she was in. By closing she was fired.

With several award winners from film and TV, the actors and actresses on this list debuted in a variety of unlikely roles. Even though they were cast in parts that now seem so unlike them, they all became accomplished actors. Some have even achieved the status of movie icons. Here’s a look back at their curious cinematic debuts.

Most of the filmmakers who brought us the movies on this list were doubly creative. Except in two cases, they both directed their films and wrote or created the story for them. Directing the movies they’d written ensured that their visions would appear on the screen in much the same way as they’d appeared in their minds and on the pages of their scripts.

While American exports to Cuba are a mere trickle, a UNLV professor is about to bring to a new product of immeasurable value to the Caribbean island nation: poetry. Claudia Keelan, who has taught English at the university since 1996, is part of the first delegation of American poets to attend the Havana International Literary Festival.

Last week’s ouster of Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News ratings juggernaut, over quiet settlements in numerous sexual harassment cases against women, drew attention to the treatment of women in the workplace — a topic also swirling at the Minnesota Legislature.

Jarret Keene is a fan of the apocalypse.

He’s edited books about it, played music about it, and now he’s giving a talk about it.

The UNLV University Libraries will host "Sin City Apocalypse: Writing and Editing Las Vegas Dystopian Futures" on March 28 at 4 p.m. in the Lied Library. Dr. Jarret Keene, assistant professor in residence of English at UNLV, will survey fictional and cinematic images of the neon heartland