Profane poets, fulsome films and rapturous writers in our year-end review.

Even if it wasn’t expedient at a time when deadlines got shorter, even if it wasn’t an indulgent revisit of our own coverage, a year-end review would be a worthwhile endeavor for appreciating the past before moving on to another year. So here it is. Hope you had the time of your life.

Alison Bechdel explores her family’s dysfunction in the musical Fun Home – Feb. 15

Poet, educator, playwright, activist and actor River Navaille led an ensemble cast as adult cartoonist Alison Bechdel in PacRep’s musical of Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir Fun Home, starting off the year in theater on a high – and wry – note.

Three concurrent film festivals send a shower of very different films our way – March 1

There was no shortage of local film festivals in 2018, with Monarch, United Nations Association, Big Sur Short Film Series, Wandering Reel and others. Three of them – LatinX LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Carmel Jewish Film Festival and the BANFF Mountain Film Festival – even fired up the projectors the same week, throwing cinephiles into delirium.

F. Howard Burnham: The actor impersonates famous people in history for entertainment and teaching – March 1

In this Face to Face interview, the British-born Burnham described his knack for historical impersonations: “It’s one thing I’m good at. I was born with a bone deficiency so I couldn’t play sports. I can’t change a tire. But I’m quite good at remembering things and changing voices.”

Five poets fly in from around the country to speak on the frontier of identity – April 12

Most of the arts, music, movie and food stories in the “back of the book” of the Weekly (not to mention the A&E Calendar) are designed as previews and samplers. This story about Latinx poets only hinted at the intelligence, emotion and irreverence they brought to Salinas. There is no substitute for being there.

Art Around the County – May 24

A feature in each week’s A&E Calendar (coordinated by Marielle Argueza) is a column called Art Openings & Happenings devoted to three current art shows. This one focused on painter David Ligare’s new Art & Language West studio gallery, Tiffany Lucero’s photographs at La Piccola Casa, and Lisa Rock’s solo show at Monterey Museum of Art.

Celebrated poet Langston Hughes spent quality time in Carmel, with the help of a wealthy local patron – July 5

The Weekly’s annual Summer Reading issue included political, sports and graphic novel summer reading ideas, a preview of a new local book/author festival, a news story about local bookstores, and a feature (by Paul Wilner) about Langston Hughes’ obscure but fascinating respite and repudiation in Carmel.

A photo show wrestles with ideas from the past to reflect on the politics of the present – July 26

The impetus for this opinion piece about Carol Henry and her FotoSaga women’s photography group was a photo that seemed like throwback exoticism of indigenous culture. But it became evident that it was an anomaly in a body of work that includes some of the most mature, progressive statements by local artists.

Comedians thirsty for laughter and cash compete at a winery – sept. 6

We like comedians. Paula Poundstone, Steven Wright, David Cross. Comedians give us a chance to simply transcribe their jokes into a story to score some easy laughs, which I did with four of the 16 stand-ups of this competition. Comedy done well seems effortless, but it’s not. Some of the 101-Word Short Story entries (see story, p. 26) can attest to that.

Artists from various fields help us form a picture of the arts in Monterey County – Sept. 13

The annual Fall Arts Preview gives readers a telescopic view of the most interesting arts and culture coming down the pike. This year I took a survey approach and asked a few locals about trends they’re seeing, principles they follow, stuff they want to check out, and random thoughts about their respective fields.

We take a look at Monterey History Fest 2018, after having a few too many – Oct. 11

What is culture? I like the Google Dictionary definition – “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively” – because it lets all kinds of stuff fit into an arts and culture story. Like history. Or a satirical take on history from the point of view of an inebriated narrator of such.

The long, strange (and wonderful) trip of the Weekly’s arts and culture stories – Oct. 18

How do you sum up three decades worth of arts and culture coverage? For the Weekly’s 30th anniversary issue, I gave it my best – and failed, of course.

An artist explores the world through recycled objects, installation and sound – Nov. 8

Margaret Noble channels her upbringing in an impoverished but diverse San Diego neighborhood and her obsession with hip-hop, dance and electronic music, into an art show in which sound is the object and touching is allowed – even mandatory.

Meow Wolf: Origin Story – Nov. 29

I don’t get to see as many movies as I would like – much less review them. I def would have given Ralph Breaks the Internet more than the two-and-a-half stars that another reviewer gave it. But the Meow Wolf documentary was so fun and captivating that it deserved a shout-out ahead of its one-night screening.