Multimedia

It was four in the morning. A man whose pockets were bursting with poems took the stage at Lawn Gnome Publishing. A meager crowd sleepily clapped. It was only 10 hours into a 24-hour poetry reading. We had a long way to go.

This week's Third Friday guide features Ziindi art with custom shoes, 24 hours of poetry reading, a film-world get together, surreal photography, interpretations of gravity and a pop-up darkroom show.

As a conclusion of sorts to our critique of State Press Magazine's Best of Downtown coverage, we have decided to compile our own, admittedly small Better of Downtown list. We believe our categories are a more accurate depiction of the many offerings in downtown Phoenix, as it is the community that we aim to serve.

First Street was transformed from a vehicular route to a dining hall complete with food and drinks for hundreds of community members seated at a half mile-long table between Taylor and Moreland streets Saturday.

Four panelists and dozens of downtown Phoenix artists, entrepreneurs, community leaders and students gathered Wednesday night at the final Downtown Devil Discussion of this semester to tackle that very question: Does Phoenix have a realized identity?

City Square Church, coordinated by reverends Brian Kemp-Schlemmer and Robert Rynders, has appealed to a young demographic by valuing spirituality in whatever shape it may take. Their community is built on that idea.

This First Friday features an experimental film series, Nao Matsunaga, decorated stilettos and more.

Dancers will perform under the lights of Roosevelt Row Saturday on the A.R.T.S. Market lot for the sixth annual Expresiones Seis dance festival.

USGD presidential candidates Travis Arbon and Frank Smith III spend almost every weekday campaigning on Taylor Mall speaking to students about student government.