Local ‘green’ fashion designer infuses Buddhist teachings into her clothing and bag line

Spirituality and fashion. They seem so … out of style. How often do you run across an article in Vogue about a leading designer who’s focused on putting a spiritual spin on the construction of his or her garments? Praise God and wear high heels? Follow Buddha and slip into something slinky? It seems like an unlikely pairing—as unlikely as wearing a trench coat in the dead heat of summer. But there are some fashion designers who are trying to make a difference with their creative work by way of constructing fashionable attire that offers a positive message. Case in point—Anastasia Keriotis, the 51-year-old founder of Dharma Love, a wildly successful local “green” design company whose wares can be seen in stores around the county and in numerous Whole Foods markets.

Bike Dojo unveils new program that links kids in need with bikes—and exercise

In 2010 the Outdoor Foundation reported that cycling is the second most popular activity. But while that may not be “news” to the many avid cyclists here in Santa Cruz, another factoid may raise eyebrows and force people to take action: More than 50 percent of children don’t have a bicycle or don’t even know how to ride. The statistics also note that more kids know how to play video and computer games than those who know how to ride a bike.  

But not for long.

Dengue Fever breathes new life into vintage Cambodian pop

While backpacking with a friend through Southeast Asia in 1997, Ethan Holtzman, organist for Los Angeles-based band Dengue Fever, had a revelation—all thanks to a mosquito.

“Traveling by bus somewhere between the ruins of Angkor Wat and the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Holtzman’s traveling buddy was going through the symptoms of Dengue Fever,” explains friend and fellow band member Paul Smith. “Each time Holtzman made his way to the front of the bus to check in on his friend, a kind of music he had never heard before came blaring from the tape deck of the bus driver, leaving him hungry for more.”

How creativity and expression bring a renewed sense of importance to the incarcerated

Jack Bowers once had a revelation while walking through his Seabright neighborhood. As Bowers, who worked as an art facilitator at Soledad State Prison, and his kids made their way to a local playground, he saw a man on a porch that he recognized—a former inmate from Soledad. It gave him a renewed sense of the importance of prisoners being a part of the larger community.

“It was brought home to me: Who do we want coming back to the community?” says Bowers. “Someone who is angry and bitter, or someone who’s part of the community, a responsible neighbor? It’s called enlightened self-interest."

MAH’s ‘Poetry and Book Arts Extravaganza’ explores new dimensions of books and words

If you walk into the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History on Friday night (Jan. 20), you may find words in surprising places. A poet may pop out of a bathroom stall, or recite lines while the elevator ascends. You’re likely to find sculptures created from books, haiku built from blocks, a book that’s sprouted wings. Someone you don’t know may pass you a poetic scroll—and you’ll probably be invited to chalk words on the museum stairs.

While 2011 was considered the year of the rabbit, for author Téa Obreht, it was really the year of the tiger. In March of last year, the 26-year-old released her first novel through Random House and became a literary sensation with “The Tiger’s Wife,” a mystical fable set to the backdrop of the recovery of war in the Balkan area. With rich language, compelling storytelling, magical realism, and historical events, it’s no surprise that “The Tiger’s Wife” was such a hit with readers and critics. As a young literary voice, Obreht writes like a longtime seasoned pro—her writings have already been featured in The New Yorker online, The Atlantic online, as well as in the pages of Harper’s.

Moto Ohtake's new sculpture lends beauty and motion to Santa Cruz

The newest art installation in the Heritage Plaza on Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz is a massive kinetic sculpture, which its creator, local artist Moto Ohtake, describes as his "personal self-contained imaginary universe." On a windy day, the new sculpture, entitled “Aero No. 7,” can be seen wildly gyrating and sending numerous disks orbiting around its base. When the winds subside the sculpture is static and calm. This seems symbolically fitting as both the universe and Downtown Santa Cruz are places that often test the relationship between chaos and order.

The Devil Makes Three comes home thirsty and ready to rock

When a band invites you to “stomp, smash, slash, crash, bash, bust and burn,” coming out alive doesn’t seem like an option. But nothing could be further from the truth as The Devil Makes Three shows have nothing to do with violence and everything to do with a rollicking good time.

Local booksellers weigh in on books, book selling and the ins and outs  of the industry

It was books that brought them together. Joe Mancino had been working at Bookshop Santa Cruz for seven years when Kat Bailey, a UC Santa Cruz creative writing and literature graduate, was hired at the bookstore.