Readings Under the Influence

10/28/2025

Tonight Tonight Tonight!!! RUI's theme of 'Cringe. Old Haunts.' is sure to make your recoil and grimace. Writing so bad, it's good!

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04/30/2025

Friends! Kristina here...my apologies...didn't upload Artist Highlight #4 of 4 for Ora Uzel yesterday afternoon before the RUI event (thanks to all who showed up for Readings Under the Influence: April Showers Bring...). So, here it is! Ora is just too important to not be shared as much as possible! So here you go. Just reading her bio and Q&A is fun!

Artist Highlight #4 of 4: Ora Uzel

BIO:
Ora is a improvisatory composer and pianist. She caretakes sacred spaces, photographs ice, spins fire, has seen the fnords, has read all of Shakespeare, builds voxel skyscrapers with spreadsheets, has over twelve thousand paper cranes, is an Eagle scout, has a dragon, and holds substantial geek cred.

Q&A:
• Best birthday party you ever had?
-- 32, prom dresses with a few friends, sushi, nightclub, gay DJ at the Metro in Kalamazoo.
• Country you'd wanna visit right now?
-- Svalbard.
• Name a rabbithole that goes through the looking glass.
-- Dispatches from Elsewhere.

So there you have it, folks!

Keep an eye out for our August 26th installment of RUI.
We are so excited for it!

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04/29/2025

Artist Highlight #3 of 4: Kyle Murphy!
Kyle is our featured musician tonight. Hell be sharing original, lyric-forward music at RUI...TONIGHT! 6:30 doors, 7:30ish show.

Kyle's Bio: "I am a carpenter, farmer, potter. I want nothing more than to spend most of my life outdoors and to eke out whatever self sufficiency I can. I write music when the world bumps and bangs me around."

See you soon, word nerds. ✔️

04/29/2025

Artist Highlight #2 of 4: Andy Benson

Bio:
Naturalist Nerd, Staunch Earth Steward, Intrinsic Vibe Seeker.

1. Fave Color: Shades of Green and Cobalt Blue
2. Dog or Cat Person: Both. Cats for home, dogs for adventure.
3. Fave Bodily Function: Sneezing Is The OG of Feelz.

Andy will read an original piece at RUI on Tuesday, April 29th, along with other word nerds. See you at the Smokestack!

Doors 6:30, show 7:30ish!

04/28/2025

RUI artist highlight #1 of 4 -- Amber Carlin. Join us tomorrow for our RUI themed 'April Showers Bring...' at Smokestack!

Amber is a Dubuque native, artist and art educator, so naturally, she loves all things creative, especially jewelry making. Other interests include: Traveling, being active, live music, dancing, cooking, time in nature, quality time with friends and family. Amber is Intensely competitive, but mostly when it comes to board games.

Q&A:
✔️ Best Birthday: I just turned 40 this year, and my husband surprised me with a trip to Italy. We spent my birthday in Sorrento and ate amazing food and met a lovely British couple that we sang karaoke with into the wee hours of the night.
✔️ Cat or dog: Definitely a dog person, my dog Coco is the best. I don't have any children, so she's my 95 lb fur baby.
✔️ Pet peeve: when people don't respect my time or my space.

We'll see YOU and the rest of our amazing creative community tomorrow night!

01/28/2025

Bob Bucko Jr FINAL Guest Artist Highlight #4 of 4 for Readings Under the Influence -- 'When Life Gives You Lemons...' at Smokestack happening TODAY, Tuesday, January 28th -- Doors 6:30, Show 7:30. FREE.

“I like sound. I play a bunch of instruments. I write a ton of songs, and love improvising with friends. I put out a lot of records, my own and other artists. I used to tour all the time. I hate the word “I”.

Q&A
- Favorite quote?
----- “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Samuel Beckett, Worstword Ho
- Best birthday party?
----- When my age was still measurable in single digits, I requested my parents stop having birthday parties for me. I was a very serious child, apparently.
- Sunset or sunrise?
----- Sunrise. It used to mean time to go to bed. In my advanced age, it is something I enjoy waking to and watching from my east-facing windows.

That's it, everyone! You've gotten a taste of your 4 wordsmiths for tonight. Come for the words, for the spelling bee, for the trivia, for the burden prizes, for the drink specials (cocktails and mocktails), come for the camaraderie.

We know you will feel the love, the belonging.

I know you R, but RUI?

01/27/2025

Curtney Germaine💥Guest Artist Highlight #3 of 4 for Readings Under the Influence -- 'When Life Gives You Lemons...'at Smokestack happening TOMORROW, Tuesday, January 28th -- Doors 6:30, Show 7:30. FREE.

“My name is Curtney Germaine and I am from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia where it’s 80 degrees year round. I am 26 years old and moved to Dubuque in the Spring of 2022. Part time poet, full time athlete.”

Q&A:
- Cat or dog person?
----- Cat
- Country you’d like to visit?
----- New Zealand
- Fave self-quotable?
-----“Always prepare to get burnt by the things you want most before you actually get it”

One more Guest Artist Highlight coming tomorrow, the DAY OF RUI - Tuesday, January 28th at Smokestack… See you there!💥

01/27/2025

Andrew Maxwell Klinkhammer 💥Guest Artist Highlight #2 of 4 for Readings Under the Influence -- 'When Life Gives You Lemons...' at Smokestack this UPCOMING Tuesday, January 28th -- Doors 6:30, Show 7:30. FREE.

Andrew likes to describe himself as a "Jack-of-all-trades, but master of none," although he's not entirely sure that isn't true for everyone. For Andy, he finds the most joy in the arts. Andy is a visual artist, foremost, who lately has been incorporating his poetry into visual art through cut-up mixed media. Andy is dusting off a special poem for RUI that digs deep into the pain of trauma. Come prepared.

Q&A:
- Fave quote/book?
----- ”So it goes” from Slaughterhouse Five
- What you’re looking forward to the most?
----- There's two: finally getting top surgery (on March 7, 2025 y'all!), and my mom finishing her treatments and eventually being able to say she beat the Big C.
- Fear you gotta overcome before you die?
----- SPIDERS!!!

💥Stay tuned, RUIers, for the 3rd & 4th Guest Artist Highlights. Tuesday, January 28th at Smokestack… See you there!

01/23/2025

💥 Ali! Guest Artist Highlight #1 of 4 for Readings Under the Influence -- 'When Life Gives You Lemons...' at Smokestack this UPCOMING Tuesday, January 28th -- Doors 6:30, Show 7:30. FREE.

🗣️ Ali L lives her best life with her partner Shane and their pupper Scoob. A maker at heart, her curiosity and confidence helps her to "give it a try" to see what happens. Her mantra Be Flexible and Open to Opportunities has brought possibilities to her life that she could never imagine, and keeps her life filled with the chaos she loves!
Her BFF says “Ali is an Artist who finds inspiration in every aspect of her life experience and offers to engage in multiple perspectives with anyone who crosses her path.”

Q&A
❓Fave quote?
✔️ Do or do not, there is no try - Yoda
❓Body part of yours that you love the most?
✔️Forearms.
❓Do you believe in magic?
✔️ Yes, all kinds of magic.

🌀 Stay tuned, RUIers, for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Guest Artist Highlights in the days to come, leading up to Tuesday, January 28th. See you there!

10/29/2024

Guest Artist Highlight #4 of 4 for TONIGHT's Readings Under the Influence --- 'I Scream, You Scream' at the Smokestack (doors 6, show 7).

Stephon Wxlley Baldwin !!! 💥💥💥
Wxlley is a multi-genre singer/songwriter from Dubuque, who's been writing since the 2nd grade.

Q&A
✅ Favorite color? = Green
✅ Favorite body part? = My oddly shaped birthmark
✅ How many times have you been in love? = Once

Folks, it's a few hours from curtain and this installment of Readings Under the Influence is gonna be 🔥🔥🔥 👁️🎤💀👻🕸️🦇👄

Can't wait to see YOU! Bring your peeps!
I know UR, but RUI?!

10/28/2024

Guest Artist Highlight #3 of 4 for TOMORROW NIGHT's Readings Under the Influence --- 'I Scream, You Scream' at the Smokestack (doors 6, show 7).

🗣️
Chrystina Morteo-Bowman is a Mom, Small Business Owner, singer/songwriter & vehemently introverted Dubuque native. She is a self-love advocate and seeker of all things rich in emotion and depth. Chrystina has spent the last few years hiding from the world; taking time to heal emotional wounds, and is ready to enter this next phase of life with joy.

Q&A
✅ Country You’d Want to Visit Right Now: Vietnam! Two years ago my husband and I were married there. We were invited to attend a traditional Vietnamese Wedding in Ho Chi Minh City of some dear friends of ours & decided it was the perfect place for our own nuptials. The people were kind & accommodating, the food fresh & delicious! We didn't want to leave the incredibly beautiful city of Da Nang, where we had our honeymoon. I am eager to visit again and again to see the rest of the country I’ll always hold dear!!
✅ Do You Believe in Magic? Yes! Having real love in my life has created immeasurable amounts of magic.
✅ Bucket List Item: Singing the National Anthem at a major sporting event.

Stay tuned for the 4th Guest Artist Highlight tomorrow...the DAY OF the event.

I know UR, but RUI?!