Radley Balko

Senior Writer and Investigative Reporter, The Huffington Post

There are sardonic artists in Nashville and, alternately, singer/songwriters who treat the stage like a confessional. But House manages to pull off both wry and sincere at once. He then he sets it all to viscid melodies that stick in your ear like a warm hunk of taffy.

Catie Keck

Arts & Culture Journalist

Sacha Jenkins is here to clear the air regarding some misconceptions surrounding the art of graffiti writing, namely that the ever-infallible mass media hasn't any idea what even constitutes as such.

Tony Bartolone

Actor, comedian, writer

"I'm not bold enough to put myself up there so nakedly. So I pass all my inner stirrings through to the characters and the situations they're in. I am none of those people. But I've handed off to them what I've been consumed by in my life."

Menachem Rosensaft

Professor of law and son of Holocaust survivors

This sordid tale is of far more than academic interest for me: My parents were imprisoned at Auschwitz. I'd be horrified to discover their uniforms advertised on eBay or anywhere else.

Kristi York Wooten

Founder of SustenanceGroup.org, Music/Art Critic, Advocate for Women's Rights

New York artist Michael David pioneered his edgy encaustic painting technique in the 1970s when he was an enfant terrible of the downtown art scene and bass player with seminal punk rockers. Three decades later, he's still creating powerful paintings that explore spiritual metaphors.

Sally Duros

Writer for Knight Digital Media Center, Journalist, Consultant

The people who settled the neighborhood in the 70s, 80s and 90s are keeping Bucktown's homespun tradition of supporting artists and the arts going, despite tight wallets in a down economy.

Virginia Broersma

Artist

Emily Silver makes work that is as visually calm as an air horn. Objects, drawings and videos that may have literally been involved in some kind of explosion or had their glitter-and-ribbon brains bashed out with a bat fill her studio.

Bill Bush

Publisher of Artweek.LA, a leading online magazine dedicated to the Los Angeles art scene

Global Yodel

Because Your Home Is Someone Else's Destination -- GlobalYodel.com

In the transition from hunting and gathering to tweeting and posting, what did we lose? That's what Charles Fréger set out to explore in his photo series Wilder Mann, a study of the costumes used in pagan rituals still practiced today in Europe.

U.S. News Travel

U.S. News & World Report Travel

Over the past few weeks, renowned British street artist Banksy has taken New York City by storm, leaving a trail of spray paint in his wake. But graffiti is nothing new here: The city has long acted as a blank canvas to artists.

Carmen Pelaez

Director, Writer, Actor

The production is representational and simple and at the same time as modern as it is traditional. Everything from balls, to carriage rides, to angry mobs are brought to breathtaking life through a sound scape, a lighting scheme or a glance.

Matthew Beresford

Archeologist, Author

In recent years, it has been the vampire who seen somewhat of a resurrection (if you will forgive the pun), largely due to a certain Edward Cullen. Now, I'm not going to say vampires are "so last year," but..."vampires are so last year!"

Kelly Frazier

Detroit Urban Music Advocate

This is the first time since he's been an active musician and artist that he's been single. The constraints that being a musician has on a relationship finally came into play in his life and he felt that it's best to focus on what's good for the future.

Michael Schmidt

Clothing and jewelry designer

Recently I designed a 3D-printed gown for Dita Von Teese, leading to a number of invitations for speaking engagements relating to the promise of 3D printing and its potential for the fashion industry. However, nothing prepared me for a request by the Russian government.

Jincey Lumpkin

Founder and Chief Sexy Officer, Juicy Pink Box

When my friend, writer/director/producer Tobly McSmith, launched a musical parody of Saved by the Bell, I knew I had to see it. It turns out that magic mushrooms, swapping sex partners and gross-out performance art are what inspired Tobly and her writing partner, Bob McSmith.

Sugar Rautbord

Author of three bestselling novels

The Figures are in from EXPO/CHICAGO 2013 and it is confirmed. Now in its second year under the aegis of President and Director Tony Karman the recent September Art Fair has become the third Basel.

Robert Greene

Author, "The 48 Laws of Power," "Mastery"

The feeling that we have endless time to complete our work has an insidious and debilitating effect on our minds. Our attention and thoughts become diffused. Our lack of intensity makes it hard for the brain to jolt into a higher gear.