Columnists
A recent grad from the University of Colorado – Boulder, Jennifer earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising, an additional field of study in Anthropology, and a certificate in Digital Media. All three of these things combine what interest her most: culture, people, and their relationship with modern media. Originally from northern California, she chose to venture to Colorado not only because she fell in love with CU, but also for the mountains, the ski slopes, and the bounty of breweries to explore here. Her time spent studying abroad took her all over Southeast Asia and Africa, so she has walked along the Great Wall of China, explored the temples of Angkor Wat, taken in the beauty of the Taj Mahal, and dived with Great White sharks in Cape Town. All this has given her a little perspective on how gorgeously complex the world is and how much more there is to see. Find her at the local happy hour deal on Pearl Street, hiking at Chautauqua Park, or binge-watching “The West Wing” in her room.
Recent Content
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
People, this has been a rough couple of months. It was bitter, it was convoluted, it was stressful, and it certainly did not end on a great note. In light of that, let’s take a moment to look at so…
People, this has bee…
People, this has been a rough couple of months. It was bitter, it was convoluted, it was stressful, and it certainly did not end on a great note. In light of that, let’s take a moment to look at some things that actually DID go well last Tuesday: You can smoke weed in a lot more states now. Recreational marijuana is now legal in California, Nevada, and Massachusetts. Medical marijuana is also now legal in Florida, Arkansas, and North Dakota. The passage of these ballot measures means it’s legal to purchase, possess, and consume that Mary Jane, but this privilege is accompanied by est…
We're millennials. We haven't lived through a war fought on our turf. We haven't rebelled to join a revolution of new-age rock and roll. We haven't joined an anti-war movement or burned our draft card…
We're millennials. W…
We're millennials. We haven't lived through a war fought on our turf. We haven't rebelled to join a revolution of new-age rock and roll. We haven't joined an anti-war movement or burned our draft cards. We haven't picketed for the right to vote and burned our bras. We haven't experienced segregation first hand. We grew up knowing that we could drive, buy expensive things, go to whatever school we wanted, worship however we wanted, and date whoever we wanted to date. But these are privileges of the most sacred kind. Generations of people that came before us fought long and hard – sacrifici…
August in Boulder means hot summer temperatures, students coming back to school, and summer events beginning to wind down. In order to make the most of these last few weeks of August, here are a coupl…
August in Boulder me…
August in Boulder means hot summer temperatures, students coming back to school, and summer events beginning to wind down. In order to make the most of these last few weeks of August, here are a couple things to keep in mind: School is starting up again. All month, the Hill has been a hotbed of college students moving out of their old places and into their new ones. Mattresses and couches and toaster ovens are left on the side of the roads like some kind of post-apocalyptic disaster has struck. Classes start up again at CU Boulder on Monday, August 22nd, so be warned. The week of August 2…
Attending the University of Colorado, Boulder is definitely one of the best decisions you could have made, so congratulations on passing your first test. Your choice is wise and sound. This is where y…
Attending the Univer…
Attending the University of Colorado, Boulder is definitely one of the best decisions you could have made, so congratulations on passing your first test. Your choice is wise and sound. This is where you will spend your next four years … or five or six give or take a couple summer courses. The thing about college is that adults really love to ask you questions and give you vague, over-reaching advice about these next couple years. Truth is, of course it will be the best four years of your life. You are – for the first time – only accountable for yourself. There is no one there to tell you…
"At the end of August, I'm moving to Pristina, Kosovo. I'll be working as a high school social studies teacher at the American School of Kosova. Sometimes I have moments of extreme excitement for my u…
"At the end of Augus…
"At the end of August, I'm moving to Pristina, Kosovo. I'll be working as a high school social studies teacher at the American School of Kosova. Sometimes I have moments of extreme excitement for my upcoming adventures, then I have moments of nervousness, questioning, and anxiety. Like, how do you teach about the Holocaust and genocide to students who have witnessed a genocide? What challenges will I face? How will I adjust to life in Kosovo? I love my Colorado life, but I want to explore elsewhere, too, and learn other histories." - Megan Lukens
The bars in this city are about as diverse as the people that live here, so you have plenty of options when launching into a night out. Aside from well drinks and beers on tap at the usual places, her…
The bars in this cit…
The bars in this city are about as diverse as the people that live here, so you have plenty of options when launching into a night out. Aside from well drinks and beers on tap at the usual places, here are a few of the main stops down along Pearl Street that you should be sure to hit: Where: Bohemian Biergarten What to get: the Boot It’s two liters of any beer on tap served in a huge glass shaped like a boot. What could be better? Swing by for a boot on Tuesdays and they’re only $8, or come by on Wednesdays to fuel up before karaoke. The Czech-style bar is authentic, rowdy, and full o…
"Favorite artist? Kendrick Lamar. He says what a lot of other rappers can't or won't say because they're afraid to say anything." - Kevin Mulligan
"Favorite artist? Ke…
"Favorite artist? Kendrick Lamar. He says what a lot of other rappers can't or won't say because they're afraid to say anything." - Kevin Mulligan
"I'm stuck in that point between being a man and being a child and I hope it lasts forever. I think I'm just going to sit here, drink a beer, do some laundry, recycle ... the usual." - Bryce
"I'm stuck in that p…
"I'm stuck in that point between being a man and being a child and I hope it lasts forever. I think I'm just going to sit here, drink a beer, do some laundry, recycle ... the usual." - Bryce
"We saw Sufjan Stevens last night at Red Rocks. It was beautiful. It was magical. His performance was mesmerizing. You couldn't look away the whole time. Lights, costumes, everything. Life is music an…
"We saw Sufjan Steve…
"We saw Sufjan Stevens last night at Red Rocks. It was beautiful. It was magical. His performance was mesmerizing. You couldn't look away the whole time. Lights, costumes, everything. Life is music and life is love." - Francie Saunders and Paige Rooney