Current Magazine

In an era dominated by digital streaming and hard-drive projection, watching a movie on 35mm film offers a distinctly different experience. At the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor, preserving that experience requires more than nostalgia—it takes specialized equipment, skilled projectionists and a community willing to invest in keeping a cinematic tradition alive.

Wayne Millette and Diana Wong, Co-owners of The Back Office Studio. Ypsitasty celebrates its 15th year on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 4 to 8 p.m. The popular grub crawl takes place in Downtown Ypsilanti, Cross Street and Depot Town, with local restaurants offering tasty bites and other businesses staying open late to invite attendees to stop in.

From artificial intelligence and robotics to startup pitches and family-friendly technology demonstrations, a2Tech360 is returning this fall to celebrate the innovation that has made Ann Arbor one of the Midwest’s leading technology hubs.

For nearly 11 months, the lights were off at Juicy Kitchen. Photo by Donna Iadipaolo. The popular Ann Arbor café, known for its fresh, locally sourced breakfasts, smoothies, and prepared foods, sat silent after a freezer fire forced it to close. What began as what many hoped would be a straightforward restoration quickly evolved into an extensive renovation filled with construction delays, insurance hurdles and unexpected code requirements.

The Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) is inviting the community to celebrate one of America’s most beloved entertainers with a day devoted to music, movies, crafts and the enduring spirit of Dolly Parton. Dolly Day will take place Friday, September 25, at the Downtown Ann Arbor District Library.

Fans of bestsellers A Quiet Place, Station Eleven and Bird Box are in for a treat: Local Michigan author Paul Michael Peters’ new book, “The Rhythm is Going to Get You,” blends exciting elements of post-apocalyptic, dystopian and survivalist science fiction—and shines a light on the heroic nature of the Deaf community. International Deaf Awareness Week International Week of Deaf People, September 21-27 2026, shines a light on the Deaf Community.

The average artist is at a disadvantage when they submit their work to be shown at a gallery for all sorts of reasons. But Rita Malone has an unusual advantage in that she doesn’t just have a lot of experience organizing art galleries, she makes a living helping Chris Nordin organize and arrange shows at his gallery on Ann Street, which is where her show is currently running until September 27. The following interview was conducted over email. It has been edited for clarity.

For Michelle Smolarski, poetry has never felt like work. While longer forms of writing demanded time and structure, poems seemed to arrive effortlessly. “I think I realized when I found I liked writing short flowy, rhyming pieces that came to me like water gushing or flowing from my mouth like a river very naturally,” she said. “Stories and screenplays were harder. They took so long.

Head down to the block of Liberty Street between Ashley and Main on the afternoon of September 11 and you’ll find the annual Street Art Encounter. Main Street Ann Arbor is gathering 16 artists to turn the block in front of the Ann Arbor Art Center into an “open air gallery” where you can chat with artists as you watch them create. The 2026 Street Art Encounter poster. Image credit, Main Street Ann Arbor.

The Dog Stars, Now Playing, State Theater At 87 years old Ridley Scott is still producing and directing at an impressive pace. His latest, The Dog Stars, is a Sci-fi drama about a post-apocalyptic world after a virus wipes out most of humanity. Survivors face scavengers called Reapers. The film’s protagonist is Hig (Jacob Elordi), a pilot who survived the virus but lost his wife. Still living in a hanger with his dog and a neighbor, one day he receives a random transmission on the radio.