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 […]
The Paper.
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 […]
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 […]
ABQ tries to break its heavy metal habit with new copper theft law
By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Drivers and pedestrians are navigating dark stretches of East Central Avenue after copper thieves have ripped wiring from streetlights, prompting a pair of city councilors to tighten Albuquerque’s scrap metal recycling laws in an effort to curb the vandalism. Rather than creating a new law, Councilors […]
Get Out! Our editor’s picks of the best things to do this weekend in ABQ
After a rainy weekend last week, you’re due something fun to do around the Duke City this weekend. Here are just a few of our favorites from the calendar in The Paper. Live @ Winrock (Friday 29, Music) The Live @ Winrock Concert Series returns to Winrock Town Center (2100 Louisiana Blvd. NE) with weekly […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Get Out! Our editor’s picks of the best things to do in ABQ this weekend
Out There: A National Parks Story (Thursday 21, Film) National Parks, one of our country’s greatest assets, are under siege by corporations and government officials who can’t see the forest for the dollar signs. So, filmmaker Brendan Hall set off on a 10,000-mile journey to document just what National Parks mean to America. The result […]



