On The Inside at STELLA'S

1476 S. Pearl St, Denver, Colorado
303-777-1031

I've been frequenting Stella's Coffee House on South Pearl for maybe seven years. I like it there because it's clean and homey, the staff is funky and friendly, and usually, Stella's is reliable. Twice, however, Little Miss Stella has surprised me: once I came back after a long absence and they had built an enormous deck out front. This past time, they moved the couch and coffee table ensemble from the back room on the left to the back room on the right. Whoa. Somebody should have warned me.

Okay, so it hasn't really changed. But that's why we like it. It's still your basic environment of squeaky high schoolers, briskly efficient yuppies, easy-going granolas, and cool college- types existing together in defiance of the dictate of Nature claiming these groups must not be mixed. (Please don't be offended if I've left your "type" out: allow this parenthetical addendum to validate the fact that everyone could, on any given summer/ winter day/ night, be spotted at Stella's).

Inside the copiously nook-and-crannied house, they maintain (and always have, I think) a smoke-free environment. The walls are lined with shelves of books of every stripe, which you are free to either borrow or buy for leisurely reading over coffee ... or cake ... or coffee cake. Afew titles that jumped off the wall were The Moon's a Balloon, Two Thirds of a Coconut Tree, and Twentieth Century British Literature. And Pure Baseball. And Memoirs of an Editor, which my odd companion excitedly purchased moments after discovering (I deny any and all allegations that my companion was our very own Chris Magyar).

The non-shelved walls boast the work of local artists, and musicians play the side room on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. They used to also have a large assortment of games to borrow, but a very friendly and informed barista told me the game collection has dwindled due to missing pieces. This pisses me off! Go home right now and get one of your old board games and donate it. Stella has been kind to you; give back to Stella. Next time I go there I want to play Scrabble with all the tiles.

And let's consider location: where else but across the street from the sheeshy Sushi Den could you find such a lovely concoction of ambiance and attitude? Stella's is the pearl of Pearl Street, strong in her reliability and oblivious to the struggle of hundreds of teens vying to keep up with which coffee house is cool this month, which will never be cool, and which is too cool and must be avoided. Stella doesn't care. She's kept clean, serves great drinks and food, and keeps a front and a side door open.

It is precisely this open door policy which makes it exciting and even weird there: some sort of interview for a religious position (as far as I could gather by eavesdropping) plods along around the corner of the next room, oblivious to the noisy group of students riotously "studying" two rooms away, who are in turn oblivious to the woman shuffling tarot cards and consulting a tarot-reading manual on the couch next to me, who is obviously oblivious to a writer casually recording the moment in print.... Yes, I think I already mentioned that there's something for everyone here.

Andrea Moore

photo by sean hartgrove

Film Notes

Two huge opportunities for local filmmakers are here. If your masterpiece is sitting on a shelf, dust it off and submit to either the Denver International Film Festival (DIFF) or the Denver Video Festival (DVF).

The Starz Encore Denver International Film Festival, an invitational exposition of film, presents approximately 150 films over ten days and plays host to more than 75 film artists. Submissions are now being accepted and entry information may be obtained by visiting the Denver Film Society website at www.denverfilm.org, e-mailing dfs@denverfilm.org or calling 303-595-FILM. The entry fee is $35 per piece ($20 for students). Submission deadline is July 15. The DIFF will be held October 11-21 at the Starz Encore Film Center in the Tivoli Student Center on Auraria Campus.

The Denver Chapter of the Media Communications Association, International (MCA-I) (formerly the International Television Association) announced entries for the 2001 Denver Video Festival must be submitted by July 13. The awards banquet will take place October 10, on the eve of the DIFF opening.

Entries must be accompanied by an entry form, entry fee, and any support materials, as described in the Call for Entries. Entry fees are $40 for the first, and $25 for each additional if you are a member of MCA-I. Non-members must pay $60 for the first, and $40 for each additional. Students only pay $25 for all entries ($ 20 if the student is a member). Interested people can down-load the Call from the Denver ITVA/MCA website at www.mcadenver.org. You can also obtain a Call by contacting Bob Amend, 303-556-2674; Molly Archibold, 303-753-1136; or Susan Wilcox, 303-232- 6511. For more information about the Denver Video Festival, call 303-692-4284.

Congratulations to the makers of Hannah House for a successful celebration at Eight Ounce Fred Gallery June 29. We wish everyone at Monkey Angel Studios the best with the submissions to film festivals across the country, and hope to see Hannah House in a theater near us someday soon. For more information about this great local horror film, check out our story at www.gogomagazine.com/0312/.

Chris J. Magyar

Fashion Clip

Dust off your leather harness and grab your sexiest riding crop, because Rock Island is once again housing Whip It July 13 for those 21 and over, with all the disobedient fun starting at 9 pm.

The majesties of ceremonies Paige and Suzanne will discipline you and all of your feral friends throughout the night of naughtiness. Giveaways, a midnight panty packed balloon drop, and a "Best Dressed" contest (awarding a trip for two to The Exotica Ball in San Francisco) is sponsored by FashioNation, Pandora's Toy Box, Twisted Sol, and others. If there is rubber and latex in the air, then local DJs Tower, Ivo, Cyrus, and Mike Rich must be spinning the immoral mixes for your dancing pleasure.

Boasting the event will "titillate, fascinate, instigate, and undulate," this Toad's Wild Ride will feature fire performances, erotica, and a fetish photography show. Also on the mischievous menu is additional Phetish Phashion Photography by beloved Gary Stefanski, with the "best of" photos showing up on the Rock Island website to share with all your friends and family.

Six is the sexy number of times Rock Island has housed this slippery summer fetish festival, and it is surely not an evening to be forgotten. Besides, according to the promotion, "If you miss this show your libido will surely suffer for a very long time." Ouch!

Kity Ironton

For more information check out www.rockislandclub.com or call the club at 303-572-ROCK.