Tlaloc Rivas came to theater through activism, embracing the art for its capacity to illuminate problems and inspire change. Now a UI professor of theatre arts, he talks about plays, politics, and his more recent project—a centerpiece of the 2013 MLK Celebration of Human Rights.

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus Benjamin Nugent will read from his new book, "Good Kids," at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Spencer Gillis, a University of Iowa graduate, shares his motivation for creating the short-film, Gun, one of 85 films selected to be screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Guest pianist Oni Buchanan and author/poet Jon Woodward will perform "Uncanny Valley," a piano/poetry/electronics concert-length work by composer John Gibson, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, in Riverside Recital Hall on the University of Iowa campus.

The University of Iowa will host the Honor Choir Festival at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, in the Main Lounge of the Iowa Memorial Union on the UI campus. One hundred students from Iowa high schools, nominated by their schools’ conductors, will compose the Festival Choir.

With 70 years of association with the University of Iowa—as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a faculty member, an administrator, and a volunteer—the late communication studies professor Sam Becker more than earned the unofficial, honorary title of Mr. University of Iowa.

A new study by UI researcher Alissa Whitmore, a doctoral candidate in archaeology, shows that items lost down the drains of bathhouses during the Roman Empire are evidence that these spaces served as social centers where people snacked on finger food and did needlework, among other activities.

Spencer Gillis left Iowa City for New York City in 2006 to pursue a dream career in the film industry and has since worked as a freelance camera operator on dozens of TV and film projects. His directorial debut recently was selected to be screened in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Gerhard Loewenberg, University of Iowa professor emeritus and former dean, will read from his new memoir, "Moved by Politics," at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the UI Writing University website.

"Western Africa Before the Boats," an exhibition at the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, brings alive pre-colonial Western Africa—and the School of Art and Art History and UI Museum of Art are playing an important role.

A team of researchers led by the University of Iowa says a third mammoth has been located at a dig site in southern Iowa. The mammoths—at least two of them of the woolly species—roamed Iowa some 14,000 years ago. The team—including several UI undergraduates—is cleaning the bones at the UI's Museum of Natural History and preparing to resume digging in the spring.

Mary C. Noonan, associate professor of sociology at the University of Iowa and co-author of the recent study "The Hard Truth About Telecommuting," shares insights about the impact of telecommuting on family time and employee productivity.