Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Friday, June 09, 2023 — Houston, TX

Hadley Medlock


A&E 4/18/23 11:41pm

Ink these tattoo and piercing shops into your calendar

As the weather heats up and requires more tank tops to be worn and long hair to be thrown into ponytails, you might be realizing that more people have tattoos and piercings than you first thought. Whether this has now made you want your first ear piercing or third tattoo, the vital first step is figuring out where to get it done. Now that I have a few ear piercings my dad probably doesn’t like and a fresh new tattoo, I feel almost obligated to give you this list of shops to get your own body modifications done in Houston, if only so you can be as cool as me. 


A&E 4/4/23 10:49pm

Review: ‘the record’ is boygenius at their best

Indie rock supergroup boygenius is back, this time with a 42-minute, full-length LP titled “the record.” Comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, boygenius boasts an impressive fanbase that has long been awaiting their comeback. After the triumph of their self-titled six song EP in 2018 and ongoing wildly successful solo careers, boygenius had lofty expectations to live up to that they easily surpassed with each song on “the record.”  



A&E 2/28/23 11:07pm

Bull ride and barrel race at the Rodeo

Everyone say “yee-haw” because it’s that time of year again — the weather is finally back in the 80’s, midterm assignments have every Rice student in tears and the annual Houston Rodeo has come to town. Running from Feb. 28 to March 19 at NRG Park and attracting around two million visitors each year, even if you haven’t yet been to the Houston Rodeo you’ve probably heard about it. While this might not be your first rodeo, it may be your first in Houston, so here’s the Thresher’s guide to navigating the Houston Rodeo this year. 


A&E 1/31/23 11:16pm

Anti-Valentine’s rom-coms to cry to

Sick and tired of love? Dread walking into Target for groceries and seeing rows upon rows of pink and red? Hate watching movies where the two main characters always end up together? The Thresher understands, and we’re here for you during this trying time. While I do consider myself to be a bit of a hopeless romantic, I still have plenty of heartbreaking movies for you bitter singles in my repertoire and am willing to share. So, listen to our anti-Valentine’s playlist while reading through the Thresher’s official list of anti-rom-coms for Valentine’s Day haters. 


A&E 1/24/23 10:17pm

Hot off the press: Authors share new works

Literary enthusiasts filed into Congregation Emanu El on Monday to hear from acclaimed authors Yiyun Li and Matthew Salesses. As part of the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading series, the authors came to Houston to share excerpts of their newly released novels and take part in an on-stage conversation with the University of Houston creative writing program faculty member Brenda Peynado. Both Li and Salesses shared insight on politics in their novels and finding joy in their writing.


A&E 1/18/23 12:10am

Weston Twardowski uses theatre to spotlight environmental issues

Both on and off the stage, theatre has long been a part of Weston Twardowski’s life. From professionally acting to directing shows to co-founding his own theatre company in Los Angeles, Twardowski has made his love for the stage into a living. Now the program manager of the Diluvial Houston Initiative and lecturer in theatre and environmental studies at Rice, Twardowski finds his passion for theatre and academic research intertwining with a pertinent issue — environmental justice. 


A&E 11/29/22 11:26pm

Writer Anna Meriano talks youth literature, community

Since facing her first bout of writer’s block when scribbling down a story in kindergarten, Anna Meriano said she knew she wanted to be a writer. A Martel College (‘13) alumna, Meriano has watched those childhood dreams come to life as a middle-grade and young adult author published by HarperCollins and Penguin Random House. After writing fantasy stories about a family of brujas running a fictional Texas bakery and tales of girls finding belonging on their local quadball team, Meriano understands the power of children’s literature in shaping youth perspectives and works to share diverse stories of family, adolescence and friendship. 


A&E 11/2/22 12:11am

New climate justice mural at Rice’s Solar Studios

A year ago, Aaron Ambroso and Tiffany Jin co-founded the Houston Climate Justice Museum with a mission: to challenge conventional museum ideals and address climate change within spaces that do not traditionally acknowledge it. This Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the museum will be unveiling their newest project at Rice’s Solar Studios, an experimental exhibit titled “Creosote Stories: Seeding Planthroposcenes in Northeast Houston.”


A&E 10/4/22 11:47pm

Review: Maude Latour shines bright in ‘001’

Recent Columbia University graduate by day and up-and-coming pop star by night Maude Latour just released her third EP titled “001.” Known for her catchy and bright tracks on heartbreak, sisterhood, love and friendship, “001” preserves her classic, upbeat style but focuses more on themes of self-discovery and personal reflection. Although I don’t know that anything can beat her 2020 song “One More Weekend,” Latour shows a new side of herself as a singer-songwriter in “001” and takes listeners through the process of finding herself.