Defining Fine Print

Christy Kremer is a big believer in using credit responsibly and reading her credit card statement thoroughly. “Credit cards have to be used carefully,” she says. She isn’t afraid to call the company if something doesn’t mesh, and she will take her business elsewhere if she feels she isn’t being treated right.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

East meets Midwest

Peter Hessler drove from the East China Sea to the Tibetan Plateau. He strolled down Beijing city streets. And he walked the halls of Hickman High School.

Writing to heal

Dressed in a pair of light-wash denim jeans, a black shirt and an aqua scarf, Columbia native Toni Rahman holds a 439-page book on her lap. “The story is about betrayal,” she says. The story is hers.

On the nightstand: Peter Hessler

Q&A: Peter Hessler

How did your latest book come about? I took a trip across China. I was just passing through all these villages and towns that were losing population as young people migrated to the cities to find jobs. It was a wonderful trip. People were so friendly, and the landscapes were stunning, and it was very fascinating. It also made me think about the changes that were going on, such as migration and urbanization.

Vox Asks Columbians: What movie have you seen the most?

CoMo gets a makeover

Although the recession cannot be characterized as a positive development, the effects that have spilled over into interior design have brightened trends of muted colors and stuffy traditional décor.

Interior Design Tips

If you’re looking to jazz up areas in your home or business, here are some tips to give your place a new look without the high cost of a total room makeover.

DIY: Crochet

With Columbia still in winter’s icy grip, why not craft a solution to the cold and crochet a cozy scarf? Bex Oliger, co-owner of True Blue Fiber Friends, has noticed young people picking up crocheting to keep busy.

True/False Ticket Process

Trash, dates and True/False Film Festival tickets. What do these three things have in common? You pick them up. Adding a personal touch to the festival ambiance, the True/False ticket process doesn’t let you just point, click and print.

Experience Matters

Unless you snag the DeLorean from the Back to the Future trilogy, you won’t have enough time to catch all 40 films in this year’s True/False lineup. To ensure you pick the documentary that’s right for you, co-founder David Wilson and associate programmer Chris Boeckmann have selected the two films ideal for every experience level.

Beyond the Films

Reel P.O.V.

The True/False Film Festival blows into town every February just as the cold is rushing out, but the film selection process gets underway before the winter chill has even begun. With hundreds of films flowing in from independent submissions, other festivals and big-time directors, the procedure is anything but simple. The destination might be True/False, but the journey to get here isn’t clear-cut.

Pieces of Stories

For the past four years, each True/False documentary has been preceded with a short film called a bumper. Functioning like a trailer, this year’s creation demonstrates how one person’s small actions can benefit others.

T/F Survival Guide

’Naut for wimps

Juggernaut — an unstoppable force. That’s almost an understatement for the 78 dedicated souls who are about to sacrifice their social lives (and perhaps a smidgen of sanity) during the long-awaited True/False Film Festival weekend. The Juggernaut volunteer is the latest addition to the festival’s service options. Between 30-40 hours are expected over the course of four to five days, which hardly leaves any time to breathe in anything except True/False oxygen.

The Artists' Retreat

The winter air in Columbia is not charged with the taste of salt water off the Mediterranean, and George Clooney will not be spotted sauntering along the sandy shores of Stephens Lake. Despite this — for a few days, at least — Columbia becomes a cultural island awash in a vast sea of Missourah. Such is the effect of the True/False Film Festival.

People Watch

The anatomy of True/False

Vox goes behind the scenes and uncovers the true (not false) story of Columbia’s True/False Film Festival. From the camera’s lens to the silver screen, we’ve got it all. Butter some popcorn, open a box of Milk Duds, and prepare to be entertained.

Poster Post Game

(Web Exclusive) David Wilson and Paul Sturtz, self-proclaimed "co-conspirators" of the True/False Film Festival, reminisce about the past seven years of challenging perspectives through documentary film. Here, they unpack the past posters of the fest and explain how they arrived at each year's nuanced design. Call it a directors' commentary of sorts.

True/False Blogging

(Web Exclusive) It's film festival season, and we know you can't be everywhere at once. But voxmagazine.com can. Vox reporters will be out all weekend, from the kick off party to the last hurrah, sending you updates on what's happening as our fair city is taken over by film. Keep checking back to voxmagazine.com for the highs and lows of the True/False.

The Reel Story

When the Vox staff began discussing what we would write about this year’s True/False Film Festival, we found ourselves almost out of ideas. What was left to say about this fabulous festival? It’s a cultural mecca that takes over downtown, consumes Columbians and brings in business.

Tape dispenser

Like a mad scientist wielding his technological tools, Dominick Dufner creates buzzing, beeping, hissing industrial music. He formulates and records his sound art using a computer and a series of instruments, including synthesizers and effects pedals. But the way he distributes it is decidedly old school: cassette tapes.

Hear This: Lightspeed Champion and Peter Gabriel

How the “flute man” began

Greg Warren admits it took years for him to discover the flute man within, but now he plays the part well. Warren, a St. Louis native and former MU student, is a comedian arguably best known for his bit “Greg the flute man.” But the laughs didn’t always come easily; it took hard work to hone the joke that would become his signature piece and build him a career in comedy.

The return of The Avett Brothers

A lot has happened since The Avett Brothers last performed in Columbia at Ninth Street Summerfest in September 2008: Their most recent album, I and Love and You, hit 16th on the Billboard 200, claimed the No. 9 spot on Time magazine’s Best Albums of 2009 and had its title track featured as a Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week in September. But perhaps most important, The Avett Brothers scheduled a show at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts.

Eat, Pray, Sing

(Web Exclusive) Let’s talk about soul food: collard greens, chicken (baked, fried and/or grilled), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pecan pie. Unless you’re still on your New Year’s health kick, you should be salivating. For those who already have a fork and knife in hand and love soul-cleansing gospel music, check out St. Luke United Methodist Church on Sunday. Along with Columbia’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the church hosts and provides food for the complimentary Gospel Explosion and Soul Food Dinner.