The student-directed productions on stage at Theatre X this weekend are not puff plays. Both directors, Barney Lopez and Steve Pinzone, selected scripts with challenges and dark undertones: Fur and Mr. Marmalade.

There once was a time when the Albuquerque Little Theatre (ALT) catered exclusively to the prim and proper. You could bring your grandma or your 8-year-old and you wouldn’t have to worry whether they might take offense at a soft-core penis joke or some simulated retching.

The year 2007 was a rough one for reading—a study by the National Education Association concluded it's in decline—and it was also a tough time for those who like to read about reading. Around the country, some newspapers winnowed their literary coverage, along with dance and music criticism, and foreign reporting—anything but pop culture and religion.