If you long for the welcoming embrace of high-school English class as an adult, the Shakespeare Festival Reads book club may be for you. This collab between Left Bank Books and St. Louis Shakespeare Festival guides readers through monthly picks from The Bard and titles that help expand your knowledge of his characters and settings.
Maplewood’s The Book House is celebrating 40 years of providing bibliophiles with new and used titles from a wealth of genres. Come for the packed shelves and stacks of books perfect for perusing, stay for the helpful staff, thoughtful recommendations, and visits from friendly shop cats Zelda and Gatsby.
The hits keep coming from St. Louis’ own Stonemaier Games, whose trick-taking superhero card game Origin Story made it to market this past fall after a decade-long journey. Featuring gorgeous watercolor art and a game system that allows both solo and group play, Origin Storyis a strong addition to any game night lineup.
Prayer for the French Republic
The New Jewish Theatre’s St. Louis premiere production of Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic, directed by NJT artistic director Rebekah Scallet, received rave reviews last spring for its emotional impact and gripping drama. The three-hour, multigenerational epic reminded audiences just how mighty this small theater can be.
Called “a theatrical threat” and “magical chaos” by reviewers, New Line Theatre’s production of Promenade gave audiences a true blast from the past. The 1969 Broadway hit from “the mother of avant-garde theater” María Irene Fornés has popped up now and again since its groundbreaking initial run, but New Line gave audiences a rare chance to see this absurd fantasia brought to life right here at home.
Tennessee Williams may not have always been kind to his hometown, but it hasn’t stopped us from packing theaters whenever his works are staged. The Opera Theatre of St. Louis festival season gave Williams fans the chance to take in one of the playwright’s most famous works, sung impressively by a cast led by Sara Gartland as Blanche DuBois and helmed by the dynamic duo of conductor Daniela Candillari and stage director Patricia Racette.
2026 Special Tony Award for The League of Resident Theatres
For the second year in a row, a bit of the Tony Award spotlight shone on St. Louis: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a member of The League of Resident Theatres and was recognized with the 2026 Special Tony Award for fostering theater artists and original productions.
St. Louisans looking for a taste of Italian culture usually head to The Hill. But this past spring, The Black Rep welcomed Italy’s Teatro di Sardegna for a one-of-a-kind production of August Wilson’s Jitney. Directed by Renzo Carbonera and featuring a full Afro-Italian cast, the collaboration gave audiences a familiar story translated and performed in a whole new way.
Emily Rauh Pulitzer has left an indelible mark on St. Louis’ cultural landscape through her patronage, but The Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s 25th anniversary exhibition, Dialogues & Conversations, offered visitors a more personal look at the woman behind the art. Curated by Pulitzer herself, Dialogues & Conversations featured landmark loans and collected pieces that told the story of Pulitzer’s career, collaborations, and curatorial sensibilities.
Forest Park is the beating heart of St. Louis culture, and this year marks its 150th anniversary. To celebrate, the Missouri History Museum put together Yours Forever: Forest Park at 150—on view through May 31, 2027—a thoughtful exhibition that tracks the history, transformation, and significance of the beloved green space.
A walk through the Missouri Botanical Garden is almost always full of vibrant color and interesting patterns, but Patterns in Nature: The Art of HYBYCOZO takes them to their extreme. Scattered throughout the park are dozens of large-scale, intricate sculptures that reflect and complement the natural landscape. They’re lovely to look at during the day, but at night they transform the park into a wondrous, color-filled landscape that feels even more special.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE READS ACROSS GENRES FROM THE PAST YEAR
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle forSt. Louis by Devin Thomas O’Shea
Come for the weird lore and upper-crust secrets; stay for the thoughtful meditations on St. Louis’ labor history and class politics. This buzzy nonfiction release from Devin Thomas O’Shea hit shelves in June, and we’ve been hearing folks’ thoughts on it at bars, coffee shops, and bookstores ever since.
The Ivory City by Emily Bain Murphy
St. Louis’ World’s Fair legacy is a favorite talking point for local history buffs, but author Emily Bain Murphy took that interest a step further with The Ivory City, released this past November. Described as Pride & Prejudice meets The Devil in the White City, this World’s Fair–set story has everything: murder, romance, and fair facts, all contained in an exciting and historic setting.
Inspired by his time spent on tour at schools across the country, author Soman Chainani turned his focus away from his usual magic and fairy tales and onto a heavily researched political thriller with a St. Louis teen at the center. The result is YoungWorld, an explosive novel written for teens but that’s enjoyable for readers of all ages.
A Moth Collection by Anna Ojacastro Guzon
This debut from YourWordsSTL executive director Anna Ojascastro Guzon contains two decades’ worth of thoughtful verses inspired by her life experiences. Time spent in medicine and education, motherhood, family, literature, and more are tied together by themes of transformation that feel both deeply personal and familiar.
Forest Park: St. Louis’s Gathering Place Since 1876 by Amanda E. Doyle and Cameron Collins
Reedy Press regularly puts out beautiful publications filled with stunning contemporary and archival photography, thoughtful copy, and fascinating tidbits. Forest Park: St. Louis’s Gathering Place Since 1876continues this tradition and offers readers both a pleasant reading experience and a perfect conversation piece as Forest Park celebrates its 150th birthday.
Equal parts thoughtful and playful, multidisciplinary artist Stamm was everywhere this past year. You could see her work with the Teen Museum Studies program at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, her Route 69 collab with Brittany Mosier at Opaque Collective, or her installation “Devotion” on display as part of the final Museum of Contemporary Religious Art show. In each case, Stamm’s work stands out for its stunning craftsmanship and singular point of view.
A year on from the May 16 tornado that destroyed parts of St. Louis, plenty of projects are working to commemorate the event and help neighbors recover. MADE Makerspace, which itself was devastated by the storm, is collaborating with the community to build, decorate, and stock 26 little free libraries that will stand on Maker Hill before they’re scattered across St. Louis.
If you haven’t visited in a while, let us be the first to tell you that the Patch neighborhood deserves your attention. The area is home to great sips and bites (Riverside Diner, Perennial Artisan Ales, Stacked STL), some of the best live and local music (The Sinkhole), and exciting arts spaces (Opaque Collective, Muddy Waters Art Gallery). A day spent wandering among the offerings will practically guarantee a fantastic time amid some of the city’s coolest creatives.
This series at the Saint Louis Art Museum manages to strike the perfect balance between class and accessibility, whether you’re bringing a date, a friend, or just treating yourself. This night out sipping themed cocktails, snacking on small bites, and hearing about the latest SLAM exhibition from the experts feels special, but not intimidating.
Those looking to gain a deeper understanding of some of the key issues affecting St. Louis need look no further than the ’ssippi patio. Each second Sunday, Kyle Olson brings expert guests to the South City wine bar for enlightening discussions during The St. Louminaries Show. Past topics have included Pride, tornado recovery, and archival work, among other fascinating conversations.
Damon Davis is on a mission to capture the energy of the hub of creativity that existed along Cherokee Street between 2010 and 2025 with The Lost Tapes Archive, an online archival project meant to preserve music, video, posters, merch designs, and other digital ephemera. The project is part of Davis’ work as an Engaged City Community Fellow tasked with documenting the community’s cultural strengths.
Founded in March 2026, the Futuremakers Club is focused on driving community and civic development in downtown St. Louis and bringing together the artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs who live there to help make it a more vibrant place. They’ve already made big waves with their first round of micro-grants for performers, in conjunction with The Moniker, and hope to use that program’s success as a proof of concept for future development.
The Saint Louis Science Center’s James S. McDonnell Planetarium is finally back in business, now with exciting technological upgrades to the space’s sound, visuals, and capabilities. Three new live shows will give visitors the chance to see stars, planets, and the far reaches of space with unprecedented clarity and accuracy.
Beloved character actor Richard Kind made headlines this summer for his Muny debut as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Not only was working with The Muny a dream come true for Kind, but it also gave him another shot at playing Edna after turning down an audition to replace Harvey Fierstein in the original Broadway run. As expected, he knocked it out of the park.
Writer, educator, and theater artist Nancy Bell’s CV is a laundry list of incredible roles and contributions to the local and regional theater scene. When she’s not teaching the next generation of young artists at Saint Louis University, she can be found on the stage (this past season saw her as Miss Bates in The Rep’s Emma and leading the fearless crew of The Tempest in Shakespeare Glen as the sorcerer Prospero) or at the helm of buzzy productions like The Orange Girls’ The Half-Life of Marie Curie or the upcomingWhat the Constitution Means to Me at The Rep. Whether she’s tackling the familiar or bringing to life something completely new, wherever Bell goes, quality storytelling follows.
Jordan Walker’s Breakout Moment
THE CARDINALS SLUGGER TRANSFORMED PROMISE INTO STARDOM THIS SEASON, EMERGING AS THE FACE OF BASEBALL’S NEXT GENERATION—AND GIVING ST. LOUIS FANS A REASON TO BELIEVE AGAIN.
Jordan Walker has arrived—at least, he appears to be in the building. Three hours prior to a late-July tilt with the rival Chicago Cubs, Walker’s wallet sits on a stack of scouting reports in the chair by his locker in Busch Stadium’s clubhouse. He just got back from Schnucks in Richmond Heights, where he greeted and signed merch for about 200 people, mostly kids, some of whom had lined up as early as 6 a.m. At the foot of his locker sits a stack of 12 boxes filled with 144 pristine baseballs, each awaiting his signature, as a donation to a local children’s clinic.
All in a day’s work for St. Louis’ newest sports icon.
Cardinal baseball fans started to believe in Walker when he exploded in the first half of the 2026 season, leading the team in home runs and runs batted in. The national media began to take notice when he emerged as a legit MVP candidate and was sent to his first All-Star Game. But the wider world discovered Walker on All-Star Monday, when the 24-year-old hit four in a row out of Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park on his last out in the final round, edging out hometown slugger Kyle Schwarber and winning the MLB Home Run Derby. The high drama, which was intercut with shots of Walker’s parents cheering in the stands surrounded by thousands of booing Phillies fans, played out on national TV, solidifying Walker as a household name—especially in St. Louis.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the Home Run Derby since I was little,” he says after the Cubs game, when he finally has time to talk at his locker. “So having that opportunity was super sick.”
That opportunity—and the celebrity that has followed—might have seemed a stretch just a few years ago, even to Walker. Despite being a first-round draft pick who rocketed through the Cardinals’ farm system, Walker’s major-league debut in 2023 was somewhat underwhelming. At age 21, he opened his career with a hit in each of his first 12 games, later strung together a separate 17-game hit streak, and mashed 16 home runs. Yet he wasn’t elevating the ball to his team’s satisfaction and was sent to the minors. He would combine for just 11 homers in the next two years and was demoted a second time, in 2024, while putting up some of the lowest offensive numbers in the majors.
Even closing out this year’s spring training, Walker looked like a hitter still searching for his swing, striking out in more than a third of his at-bats.
Then, when the season started, it all suddenly came together.
Asked if something just clicked, he replies, “Not really. I just went into spring training with something that felt good and kept going with it.”
That statement belies the work he’s put in over the offseason and the obvious adjustments to his batting stance and mechanics. Still, the seemingly overnight switch in on-field results, from prospect-gone-bust to potential Pujols-esque pillar of the organization, has been a precious boon to a fanbase desperate for hope during a year of rebuilding.
But even in a city starving for towering sports heroes, the 6-foot-6 Walker is reluctant to send in his massive measurements for a Busch Stadium statue or red Cardinals Hall of Fame jacket.
“I don’t think I’m the face of the franchise quite yet,” he says. “There’s still some work to do with that. I think we’re getting there. I think this year is a step in the right direction, and there’s more to build on that.”
In the meantime, Walker continues to play the seemingly reluctant celeb, doing what he can for the fans but preferring to spend his little down time playing video games and ordering barbecue or Imo’s.
“My focus is baseball,” he says. “[The fame] is not really my job. Baseball is.”
The Sheldon Concert Hall & Galleries
Grand Center has enjoyed plenty of sprucing up in recent years, and this past fall brought even more updates to The Sheldon Concert Hall & Galleries, including a swanky new bar and lounge; chic, airy spaces for art and events; and a new marquee and light installation that beckons visitors in with a welcoming glow.
Born in St. Louis and raised in Florissant, author Kathleen M. Finneran left her mark on St. Louis’ literary community during her 68 years. Finneran earned acclaim for her emotional, revealing memoir The Tender Land: A Family Love Story and was pivotal in establishing the creative non-fiction program at Washington University, where she was also senior writer-in-residence. Her legacy was celebrated this past summer during Queer Writes, an event that she fiercely supported. “Everyone felt they had a singular relationship with her,” author and WashU professor Edward McPherson toldSLM this past June. “She was everyone’s special friend.”
This self-proclaimed WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICAhas come a long way from smoking weed in Kirkwood Park and answering phones at a Des Peres salon. These days, the pop artist born Catherine Grace Garner is more likely to be found on some of the biggest stages in the country—2026 saw her at Lollapalooza, Coachella, and Governors Ball.
After Dissonant Works opened its doors in summer 2025, the intimate listening room quickly became a hub for the city’s creative community with an emphasis on audio and visual art, as well as poetry and story-telling. The 35-seat venue, nestled in the former historic McKinley Theater at 2218 S. Jefferson, now hosts festivals, exhibitions, and experimental music events that promise plenty of rabbit holes for the exploratory ear.
While Red Flag has been valiantly holding down the fort in midtown since its owner closed his nearby Fubar space in 2020 to make way for the new venue, St. Louis fans have missed the former dive’s more intimate vibes and underground appeal. The venue’s return as Fubar Lounge in a new space earlier this year was a welcome revival for a St. Louis institution.
The Sovereign opened last fall in the Grand Center Arts District with the goal to convey the impact and importance of St. Louis’ vibrant music scene—and this chic concert hall exceeded all expectations with a combination of local, regional, and world-renowned artists gracing its stage throughout its first year. Between the sonorous sound system, spacious lobby, and a built-in mezzanine for multi-level viewing, The Sovereign is an elevated live-music experience for fans of any genre.
“U.S. Against the World Anthem” by Mvstermind and Hannah Parrott
For those who’ve followed St. Louis rapper and artist Mvstermind closely over the years, his penning (alongside Hannah Parrott) of the title track for the HBO documentary series U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Soccer Team is hardly surprising—he was, after all, the director of musical experience for St. Louis CITY SC at its inception. But that doesn’t make it any less exciting. It’s a driving anthem fit for the world stage.
With a reputation for fierce and punchy performances, Bates had the streets buzzing long before she dropped her first full-length solo project, For Colored Folk, back in 2016. For her fifth studio album, Bates worked with hip-hop heavy hitters such as Ebony Eyes and Tef Poe, among many others, to deliver a conceptual kaleidoscope that twists elements of R&B and Mother Goose nursery rhymes.
Keyon Harrold with special guests Andra Day, Aida Ade, and Sir Eddie C at MATI
Keyon Harrold has been involved with MATI since year one, but the supernova trumpeter was the festival’s 2026 artist-in-residence. Harrold hosted three separate performances throughout the weekend that culminated in this final superjam at the Fox Theatre before the national headliners closed out the show on Sunday. Each guest brought something magical to their time alongside Harrold, from Aida Ade’s exuberance, to Sir Eddie C’s effortless flow, to a jaw-dropping cover of “Strange Fruit” from Andra Day.
LOCAL DOCUMENTARIES BRINGING BIG IDEAS TO THE BIG SCREEN
Director Ben Scholle’s documentary focuses on Darren Seals, a youth mentor, activist, and founder of the Sankofa Unity Center in Walnut Park. Seals, a reformed gang member whose life was upended by gun violence, brings an insider’s perspective to the fight to break cycles of generational violence.
Director Cami Thomas’ 30-minute film documents the immediate aftermath of the tornado and storm that ravaged North St. Louis in May 2025 and serves as a rallying cry about the need for St. Louis to unite and help North City recover before the situation becomes unfixable.
Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching
Director Owen Reiser and his brother Quentin dive headfirst into the world of birdwatching as they attempt to have their own “Big Year.” They crisscross the country, observing the highs, lows, and controversies that drive the birdwatching community.
Antagonist: How a Wonder Drug Got Sidelined
Director and journalist Ben Westhoff tells the story of St. Louis pharmacist Percy Menzies, president of the St. Louis recovery clinic ARCA, and his crusade as one of the foremost advocates for the opioid blocker Naltrexone, which he believes has been pushed aside by junk science and big-money interests.
A Black History Tour of St. Louis
Director Tony West’s film shines the spotlight on Father Gerald Kleba, a white priest from south St. Louis who has led two churches in predominantly Black neighborhoods, and tours that dig into St. Louis’ Black history and its ties to the Catholic Church.
You’ll Hear It has become the cornerstone for the many musical endeavors of Peter Martin and Adam Maness, a pair of world-class jazz pianists and educators who also run Open Studio. While You’ll Hear It often ranks in the top 10 music commentary podcasts on Apple and Spotify, the show still feels like listening to a pair of old friends wax poetic about their passion—a level of authenticity that’s increasingly hard to come by.
St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market
The Punk Rock Flea Market has become a powerhouse since its 2018 inception, swelling from a gathering held in a dive bar to one that requires a venue the size of Tower Grove Park to contain it. With dozens of bands, hundreds of vendors, and thou-sands of attendees, the massively popular event attracts normies and weirdos alike for an afternoon of free fun.
Ever since the popular RFT Music Showcase went dark, St. Louis music fans have yearned for its equal. Enter Free 4 All: It carries on the spirit of that event and has the added bonus of being free of charge. The fest’s inaugural edition took place back in September, when 100 local artists descended on Grand Center for an unforgettable weekend of St. Louis music.
It has been a rocky few years for community radio in St. Louis, as longtime stalwart KDHX (88.1 FM) descended into a bitter feud between its leadership and volunteer staff that ultimately resulted in the station going off the air in 2025. But this January finally brought cause for celebration in the saga, as more than 60 of the station’s DJs banded together to launch CRSTL.fm—it’s imbued with the KDHX spirit and once again fills the city with stellar music and smart, community-focused programming.
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