Arizona Illustrated

On April 23rd, 2023, the iconic Steward Observatory dome on the University of Arizona campus celebrated its 100th birthday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating its original dedication in 1923. The observatory was built thanks to a donation from philanthropist Lavinia Steward, which was also the first major grant that the University had ever scored. Since then, the astronomy program at the University of Arizona has become one of the best in the world, and hosts telescopes on mountaintops across the state and beyond. The University itself has grown up around the dome, but the original structure still stands as a testament to that storied history. In collaboration with the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and American Indian Studies Bojan Louis recites “Poem V” (five). Poem V speaks of the ancient relationship between Native American culture and the loquacious desert environment in which we live. One of Em Bowen's powers as a human being is having gone through different cycles of gender expressions. As a movement coach, teacher and standup comedian, Em uses the knowledge gained from those experiences to teach others how to unwind the stories given to us about our own lives and bodies, and how being honest with oneself and one’s own subjectivity is a starting point in holding ourselves accountable to our communities and working against systems of oppression. Angelika Gloyd is the popular owner of Angelika’s German Imports in the community of Sierra Vista, Arizona. It is one of three German restaurants there, even though it has a population of fewer than 50, 000 residents. Cochise County’s largest city has a thriving international dining scene, thanks in part to US Army base Fort Huachuca.