Literary Quarterly: Thesaurus Lex
Thundering word books reconquer the linguistic jungle.

The Cattle Killing: Novelist John Edgar Wideman casts a light of burning truth on the bridge between Africa and America in our history.

The Last Best Thing: Pat Dillon's Silicon Valley roman à clef has more bugs than even Windows 95.

Towards Black Community Development: Activist Manu Ampim posits new approaches to old social problems.

Drown: Junot Díaz's stories give a pungent taste of the immigrant experience.

Readings: Upcoming authors, lectures and book readings around the valley.

News: No Way, Jose
The dilapidated Jose Theater once staged Al Jolson, but now faces Redevelopment's wrecking ball. Can preservationists get their act together to save it?

Public Eye: Eye parties on with the sore winners and proud losers in the hype hangover of Election '96.

Mortuary Girl: Melissa Lopez makes no bones about her job preparing the departed for their final moment in the spotlight.

Don't Drink the Salami: Metro's meat expert Zack Stentz says the incident at Odwalla mirrors an eerily similar outbreak that struck the San Francisco Sausage Company's Columbus brand salami products back in December 1994.

DeCinzo Cartoon: Out with the King, in with the Duke.

Hey 'Jude': Director Michael Winterbottom takes a sad story and makes it sadder.

Moral Addiction: Abel Ferrara sounds a familiar ethical strain in 'The Funeral.'

Big Trouble in Little Illyria: At last, the movies do Shakespeare right in 'Twelfth Night.'

Next Stop, Dystopia: A sci-fi retrospective at the Towne Theater casts a jaundiced eye on the future.

The Spice of Life: At Samrat, Cupertino's newest dining establishment, the chefs use spices the way they did back in northern India, adeptly and unabashedly.

Spin Cycle: The Invisible Scratch Pickles elevate DJing to turntable art.

The Nutty Professor: Nicky Baxter on the Mad Professor, the reigning genius of reggae dub, who plays the Agenda Lounge on Nov. 10.

Jazz in an Acid Bath: The new age of hip-hop jazz owes its success to guitarist Ronny Jordan.

Vista's Vision: The Nova Vista Symphony proves that community orchestras aren't always just amateur affairs.

Beat Street: A new club occupies San Jose's second-storied Ajax.

Taking a Plunge: A new group show at d.p. Fong Galleries in San Jose veers from profound to shallow.

Inner Cubicles Of Hell: Two cartoonists dissect workers' anomie in the modern market.