2 westword.com WESTWORD NOVEMBER 9-15, 2023 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 7 THE HARD CELL The turmoil inside Colorado’s understaffed prison system. BY ALAN PRENDERGAST 12 FINDING FANTASY MadVan Designs reimagines the “land of enchantment” for Denver Fashion Week. BY KASTLE WASERMAN 15 EAT WITH YOUR EYES Xan Creative has designed some of the city’s most well-known restaurants. BY HELEN XU 19 THE BIG DREAM Wayfarer looked to history for its latest album, American Gothic. BY EMILY FERGUSON 4 News 12 Culture 15 Cafe 19 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 22 28 Marijuana TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 28 ASK A STONER ......................................... 30 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 32 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER 9-15, 2023 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Chris Perez Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Cannabis Editor Thomas Mitchell Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. 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Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] “COMING TO AMERICA,” BENNITO L. KELTY, NOVEMBER 2 T H E W E L C O M E M A T I appreciated Bennito Kelty’s story about refugees in Aurora. I am proud to live in this city, which has put out the welcome mat to people who need shelter. This is exactly the promise of America. Janey Stern Aurora I wish Aurora was less of a doormat than a welcome mat. We need to pay attention to the people who already live here, not encourage more people to come. Lester Martin Aurora Denver could learn a lesson from Aurora. Phyllis Sparks Denver “MAKING BOOK,” TEAGUE BOHLEN, OCTOBER 26 T A K I N G S T O C K I appreciate all of Teague Bohlen’s sugges- tions for improving Tattered Cover. I want this place to survive, but I also want to be able to walk into the stores and fi nd books that I want to buy. Focusing on expanding the stock is a smart move! Jaye Vigil Denver Hire better money managers who want to cut costs rather than expand and go into debt. Really a shame this business was so misman- aged. Hire managers who treat their employ- ees with respect rather than bully them! Christine Pancyzk Denver Differentiation from the masses. Adopt the old-world charm as suggested and make it inviting. Defi nitely miss the old Cherry Creek location. Sam Zymurgist Denver “IT’S CHILE!,” MOLLY MARTIN, OCTOBER 19 H O T D A M N ! I loved Molly Martin’s story about making chile, and tried her recipe. Really hot, really good. Sarah Fowler Denver I’m here in Albuquerque, and I’m embar- rassed for Denver if this is as good as it gets for green chili stew! Carolyn Moore Woolcott Albuquerque “HANKY PANKY,” PHIL NASH, OCTOBER 19 N O H O L D S B A R R E D I absolutely loved the eye-catching headline of “Hanky Panky” for Phil Nash’s article, which was interwoven with humor in his otherwise serious stroll down memory lane upon shar- ing the fi fty-year history of the now-defunct Triangle gay bar in Denver. Nash’s excellent article greatly broadened my awareness about a segment of gay men, but I’m not quite certain about the headline’s subtitle asserting that the Triangle’s advent fi fty years ago “established a stronghold for gay liberation.” Given that the bar was a non- activist entity that was fi rst and foremost a business with profi t as its centerpiece, it seems a bit of a stretch to link the bar to a social- justice movement such as gay liberation. I fully realize that article authors are not always the people who compose headlines, so it’s possible that Nash did not choose that subtitle. Perhaps the basis for the claim that the Triangle bar “established a stronghold for gay liberation” is related to Nash’s view of the role of the bar’s founder, Don Young, about whom Nash wrote: “While he wasn’t known as an advocate for gay liberation, during an extended era of police repression, he courageously carved out a space for mas- culine gay men to congregate and enjoy lusty camaraderie.” As someone who has read Westword regu- larly for fi ve decades, I applaud the diverse topics of your stories. Butch Martínez Denver ON THE COVER ART BY JAY VOLLMAR LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. 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