Arts & Entertainment

Nonfiction author Melissa Faye Greene spoke about her first novel “Praying for Sheetrock” at Ivy Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 4. The book took 15 years to write and was published in 1991. Greene is known for writing books based on true Georgian tragedies such as “The Temple Bombing” and “Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster.” She has also been inducted into the Georgia Writer’s Hall of Fame at the University of Georgia.

Author and blogger Blake Butler read from his new book “Three Hundred Million: A Novel” at Ivy Hall at 6:30 p.m. last Thursday. Butler is the author of five books of fiction including “Ever” and “Scorch Atlas” as well as a memoir titled “Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia.” In addition, Butler was the editor of the former literary blog HTMLGIANT.

Photo by Nancy Juarez. The 2015 winter Ivy Hall Writers Series is going into its third week. On January 21, “Stinky Kids” creator Britt Menzies opened the series with an

Like most people, I enjoy hosting a Super Bowl party. However, with a $20 weekly grocery budget, I had to make due with what was in the fridge instead of ordering out.

Last week's grocery shopping left me with a bunch of kale that I wasn’t interested in chopping into a huge salad. For this week's grocery plan, I decided to search for other "super foods" to pair with my leftover kale. Foods are classified as "super" when they provide a high amount of a daily recommended nutrient and have health benefits.

After ringing in the New Year, many people have the ambition to improve their health by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. My ambition this post-Christmas season is to maintain a healthy account balance. Last year, I realized how much money I was throwing in the trash in the form of unused food.

What does a film involving hippie detectives, neo-Nazis, drug smugglers and a missing rich guy create? Surprisingly nothing that exciting. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”), “Inherent Vice” is set in 1970 and follows private investigator/hippie Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix, “Her”) who’s hired by his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston, “Michael Clayton”) to track down her missing current lover, a real-estate mogul named Michael Z. Wolfmann (Eric Roberts, “The Expendables”).

With the excellent “Interstellar,” director Christopher Nolan continues his career-long crusade against mindless moviemaking. This film is an artful, operatic science fiction epic with a potent emotional core. It’s Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Cosmos” on steroids, and my top winter break entertainment recommendation.

On episode four of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” Beth, who was previously taken at the end of season four by a black car with a white cross, wakes up and discovers the former way of life: electricity, the ticking clock on the wall. She’s also startled when police officer Dawn and Dr. Steve Edwards enter the room.

Written by Kristofer Seppala, contributor Summit Entertainment | LionsGate Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”) stars as a hit man who goes on a murderous rampage after his car is stolen and