By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – Thousands are expected to gather in Albuquerque on June 13 as Albuquerque Pride celebrates community, visibility and inclusion through its annual Pride Parade and Pridefest. This year’s celebration carries the theme “Unity: None of us are free until we are all free,” a message organizers say reflects the importance […]
Sara Atencio-Gonzales
Sara Atencio Gonazales is a features reporter for nm.news and The Paper. She is a native of Albuquerque.
Posted inAlbuquerque
All of Burque’s a Stage: The New Mexico Shakespeare Festival Returns
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – The New Mexico Shakespeare Festival is returning this summer with two productions that organizers say speak directly to modern audiences while continuing the festival’s tradition of accessible outdoor theater. This year’s lineup includes Shakespeare’s political tragedy Julius Caesar and the romance The Winter’s Tale. Performances will once again take […]
Posted in+Arts & Culture
NM CreativeCon reaches out to state’s artists and entrepreneurs
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – New Mexico’s creative community will gather in Albuquerque this weekend for NM CreativeCon, a statewide conference focused on helping artists, entrepreneurs and organizations connect with resources to grow their work and strengthen the state’s creative economy. Hosted by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Creative Industries Division, CreativeCon has […]
Posted in+Arts & Culture
West End Productions celebrates a decade on stage with a return visit from Shirley Valentine
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – West End Productions is celebrating a major milestone this spring with a return to the production that helped launch the company a decade ago. From May 29 through June 14, the company will stage Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell at the North Fourth Theater, once again starring Jessica Osbourne […]
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ABQ’s newest LGBTQ-focused bar VERS hopes to serve community, build connection
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. — As Albuquerque prepares to welcome a new queer gathering space, the owners of VERS say the project is about much more than opening another bar. The new LGBTQ-focused venue is expected to open in June, just in time for Pride Month and arrives at a time when many queer […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Women Who Run ABQ: Nicole Sterling-Bruton balances business and personal at FemCity ABQ
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – Nicole Sterling-Bruton did not expect to become president of FemCity ABQ. “I was doing Christmas shopping in her shop,” Sterling-Bruton says of the organization’s former president. “And she said, ‘Do you want it?’” Two days before Christmas, the offer was made. By the day after Christmas, Sterling-Bruton was preparing […]
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Winrock Town Center reopens summer stage for weekly music concerts
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – Winrock Town Center is bringing back its free summer concert series for a second year, offering Albuquerque residents a place to gather for live music, local vendors and community connection on Friday nights throughout the summer. The Live @ Winrock Park concert series returns beginning May 29 and will […]
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Waiting For Godot returns to Vortex for theater’s 50th anniversary
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – At The Vortex Theatre, the road to Godot looks a little different this time around. The theatre’s newest production of Waiting for Godot, directed by Lauren Albonico, reimagines Samuel Beckett’s classic absurdist play in a contemporary setting while honoring the production’s deep connection to the Vortex’s history. Waiting for […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
After two-decade hiatus, QueerJoyFest welcomes LGBTQ+ community back for a night of joy, celebration and community
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. — For two decades, WIMINFEST offered Albuquerque’s lesbian community a place to gather, celebrate and feel safe being fully themselves. Now, after a 20-year absence, organizers are bringing that spirit back in a new form through QueerJoyFest, a one-night festival designed to celebrate the broader LGBTQIA2S+ community at a time […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Sabaku Con gets animated this weekend in ABQ
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – Anime, cosplay, gaming and community will take center stage this weekend as Sabaku Con returns to Albuquerque for another year of fandom-focused entertainment and programming. The convention, which has been running in Albuquerque for nearly a decade, is one of the Southwest’s longest-running anime and gaming conventions. Organized by […]