The close of November brings with it the scent of winter, StudProd-induced laughter, and the end of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Senior Linda Song, as well as thousands of others, spent the past 30 days working on a 50,000-word novel for the NaNoWriMo program. Essentially writing a 175-page book, each of these amateur writers tried their hand at one of literature's toughest endeavors. Look inside for more on the Great Frantic Novel.

Whether it was nerves or something else, writer-director Kumars Salehi wasn't feeling very well earlier today. That's surprising, since the preparation for his StudProd play, "Run to the Sun: A Concise Vignette," has gone swimmingly — especially compared to his experience at filmmaking camp last summer.

Four Uni students will be performing in the Champaign Urbana Ballet's annual holiday production of "The Nutcracker" this weekend and next Saturday: Karolina Kalbarczyk, Sophie Shenk, Claire Liu, and Simone Ballard. The first performance is tonight at 7:30. Anna Cangellaris, a veteran of "The Nutcracker" herself, went to a recent rehearsal and came back with this preview.

Aran Yoo had 8 steals and Karen Woodley grabbed 16 rebounds, but that wasn't enough as Uni fell to host Villa Grove 43-39 Thursday night. The Illineks trailed by 14 points in the first half, then came back to within a single point in the final minute of play before Villa Grove clinched the win.

The headline you see above is shamelessly stolen from the program of this year's Student Productions, also known as "The Brunhilda Chronicles." If none of this makes any sense, come to StudProd tonight or Saturday and all will be explained. Trust us, you'll love it — or, more specifically, trust Katherine Allen, who is your guide to Uni's annual showcase of student theatrical talent. Tickets cost $4 for students, senior citizens, and faculty, and $5 for everyone else.