While February 14th is more commonly known as Valentine's Day, it also happens to be Arizona's birthday! So, in honor of our wonderful state, a few of the Lux editors wanted to shine a spotlight on a few of our favorite creatives from Arizona.
One of my favorite local music groups is Breakup Shoes. They are a Tempe/Phoenix-based band that produce great indie-pop/surf rock music, and I would describe their sound as if Hippo Campus, The Walters, and lovelytheband had a sweet sweet baby. I found out about them after being invited to go to one of their winter shows at Crescent Ballroom by a friend, and it was a super fun show! They had friends and skits, and it was a weird but wonderful experience for all involved. I think of that show fondly and look forward to when we can go to live performances again!
- Irene Zhang, Music Editor
I really love Arizona-born writer Diana Gabaldon. She is most well-known for her book series “Outlander”. I love her work because I love the way that she blends historical fiction and fantasy elements. Her story telling is very captivating and inspiring.
- Grace Brodner, Poetry Editor
My favorite artist from AZ is a favorite among many people. Even though he's not originally from Arizona, it's safe to say that he had an enormous influence on Arizona's architecture. Even though I've read about Frank Loyd Wright before, I learned more about him in my History of Architecture class. Not long after, I visited Taliesin West and really connected to Wright's idea that living in the desert should be "of the desert." I think that looking at the rest of Scottdale today, as stunning as the houses are, Wright's attention to nature made his architecture connect to the desert on a whole other level. By the way, many of you might not know that when you walk by the ASU Gammage on campus, you're walking by another one of Wright's designs. Funny Story: In 1957, ASU President Gammage asked his close friend Frank Lloyd Wright to assist with the auditorium's design. Wright had a plan prepared for an opera house in Baghdad, Iraq, that he decided to use for this theater.
- Sophie Huxel, Nonfiction Editor
My favorite AZ writer is Stacey Richter. She is a short fiction writer who lives in Tucson. I like her work because when I’m reading it, it feels all-encompassing and atmospheric. She’s also a brilliant prose stylist.
- Chris Clements, Fiction Editor
My favorite artist from AZ is Esao Andrews. He is a Japanese-American artist that grew up in Mesa, Arizona but studied art in New York. His work is often described as gothic surrealism. While he primarily uses oil-based paints on wood, Esao is also known for large murals and skateboard designs. I absolutely love the detail and texture in his work. All of his pieces have a sort of softness to them, and I have found myself staring at his work for hours. I found his work through YouTube when I was in middle school, where I saw his work on the cover of the album On Letting Go by Circa Survive. He has been my favorite artist since then. I was lucky enough to have met him twice, both during the summer of 2019, when he had some of his work displayed at the Mesa Arts Center.
- Rachael Kha, Editor in Chief
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