For his monthly You Are Hear podcast, Brian Beatty talks shop his old friend, award-winning fiction writer Anne Panning, author of the new novel, Butter.

Katie Czarniecki Hill—mnartists.org staffer and an organizer of the Walker’s Internet Cat Video Festival—seriously considers Jaime Carrera’s recent Dummies exhibition of cat prints at Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis.

Dance critic Lightsey Darst talks ballet—specifically, the touring performances by New York City Ballet’s MOVES project, recently presented by Northrop Dance.

Two shows—unauthorized performances of famous choreographers’ dance solos and Broc Blegen’s conceptual art recreations—prompt some questions: Is this sort of appropriation plagiarism or homage? Fair use or naked theft?

Music writer Jeremy Walker ponders his teenaged son’s deceptively simple question about making a career in the music industry — not about the money or other practical concerns, but this: “Is being a musician a good life?”

Andy Ducett’s 12,000-square-foot Soap Factory installation has been set up like a film, but the viewer gets to have a hand in making their own narrative as it unfolds around them.

This month’s episode of the You Are Here podcast features a spooky story by Rob Callahan, of Rockstar Storytellers, Cracked.com, and others.

“There’s hardly anyone in the dance scene who influences from so many angles,” writes Lightsey Darst of Judith Howard. “Howard’s touch shows up all over.”

Lightsey Darst reviews new performances by Time Track Productions and choreographer Penelope Freeh.