Little Village magazine issue 283: June 17-30, 2020

0, 20 20 Ju n e 17 -3 IS SU E 28 3

Y S A L W A

F R E E

2 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

VOL. 29 ISSUE 283 June 17-30, 2020 ALWAYS FREE LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM PUBLISHER MATTHEW STEELE DIGITAL DIRECTOR DREW BULMAN Anjali Huynh / Little Village

ART DIRECTOR JORDAN SELLERGREN MANAGING EDITOR EMMA MCCLATCHEY ARTS EDITOR GENEVIEVE TRAINOR NEWS DIRECTOR PAUL BRENNAN VISUAL REPORTER—PHOTO ZAK NEUMANN VISUAL REPORTER­—VIDEO JASON SMITH STAFF WRITER/EDITOR IZABELA ZALUSKA ENGAGEMENT EDITOR CELINE ROBINS FOOD & DRINK DIRECTOR

10

20

28

No Fresh Starts

Sign O’ the Times Needle Scratch

Finding work and housing after incarceration is hard.

COVID-19 made it harder.

Protesters in Minneapolis are setting an example for the world.

A record store isn’t the same without customers. Still, Record Collector plays on.

IZABELA ZALUSKA

ANJALI HUYNH

KEMBREW MCLEOD

4 - Letters/Interactions 6 - Brock About Town 10 - Re-entry & Recidivism 16 - Protest Imagery 20 - Iowa Dispatch 24 - Bread & Butter

26 - Sex & Love 28 - Prairie Pop 32 - A-List 35 - Events Calendar 41 - Ad Index

43 - Dear Kiki 45 - Astrology 47 - Local Albums 49 - Local Books 51 - Crossword

FRANKIE SCHNECKLOTH DISTRIBUTION BRIAN JOHANNESSEN, DAI GWILLIAM, NORBERT SARSFIELD, NICOLE ELDRIDGE ADVERTISING ADS@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM LISTINGS CALENDAR@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM CONTRIBUTORS AUDREY BROCK, NATALIE BENWAY, KELLI EBENSBERGER, SARAH EGLATIAN, AMANDA FADDEN, DIVIIN HUFF, ANJALI HUNYH, JOHN MARTINEK, KEMBREW MCLEOD, OFER SIVAN, KIM THOMPSON, TOM TOMORROW, SAM LOCKE WARD, KENT WILLIAMS, AUSTIN YERINGTON SUBMISSIONS EDITOR@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM DISTRIBUTION REQUESTS DISTRO@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM CREATIVE SERVICES CREATIVE@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM CONTACT (319) 855-1474, 623 S DUBUQUE ST, IOWA CITY, IA 52240

Proudly serving

THE CRANDIC since 2001

Little Village is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community in the Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids area according to a few core values: environmental sustainability, affordability and access, economic and labor justice, racial justice, gender equity, quality healthcare, quality education and critical culture.

Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome. We reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@littlevillagemag.com. Little Village is always free; all contents are the licensed work of the contributor and of the publication.

If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@littlevillagemag.com. To browse back issues, visit us at 623 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, or online at issuu.com/littlevillage.

Jason Smith

POWERED BY CAFE DEL SOL ROASTING LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 3

LETTERS LV encourages community members, including candidates for office, to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.

I HAVE LEARNED more about Iowa City

in the past two weeks than the two decades prior to this. I bought the myth of Iowa City as a progressive town. I would watch and sometimes participate in protests where liberal choirs preach liberal sermons, sometimes vehemently, and then everyone goes home. The desire for change is exhausted in voicing it.

Nothing changes.

Watching the Iowa City Council meeting on June 9 was informative. The council discussed the demands made by the Iowa Freedom Riders. The bulk of the two-hour meeting focused on how to create the image of an Iowa City that respected all of its citizens. The council literally discussed painting streets and creating a mural. The discussion of new policies to reform the police was similar: it would be a show of support that would ultimately only

FEATURING

THE BLACK FUSIONIST SOCIETY A TRANSMEDIA HISTORICAL FICTION DIGITAL PROJECT BY ANTOINE WILLIAMS VISIT:

support the status quo. This status quo falls short of being anti-racist, even if individual persons do not see themselves as racists.

The Black Lives Matter movement is committed to allowing all humans to flourish. It wishes to liberate everyone: oppressed and oppressors. This message is communicated in each of the protests. Protesters are fed, litter is cleaned, water is offered: genuine care abounds.

Elected officials have marched, talked, worked, listened, spoken. These conversations too often reflect the world of 2019, not the future that invites us. I want to join the Iowa Freedom Riders to ask the city council to commit to change.

I want to live in a city that values life over property. I want to live in a city so deeply committed to its anti-racism that it transforms

HAVE AN OPINION?

F U T I L E W R A T H

S A M LO C K E WA R D

BETTER WRITE ABOUT IT! SEND LETTERS TO EDITOR@LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

the lives of those who come to town for a game, or a show, or a festival.

Let us lead Iowa to becoming known as an anti-racist state, rather than a home to racists.

Instead of focusing on the “eight can’t wait” policies embraced by the mayor toward prison reform, let us try the eight to abolition that foregrounds the needs of vulnerable populations and leads to a healthier city. Far from anti-police, the BLM movement advocates defunding and disarming law enforcement in a way that seems pro-police. Such policies would give police their humanity back, allow them vulnerability and compassion. This would enable them to greet and guard the dignity and worth of those at the margins of our community.

Let us embody our reputation, rather than performing it. Disavow the privilege bestowed by chasing white ideals, and embrace the love that comes from another kind of community.

Thank you, Iowa Freedom Riders.

—Daniel Boscaljon ‘When is enough enough?’ Hundreds gather in Iowa City to remember George Floyd and other victims of racism and police violence (May 31) We are lucky to have strong leaders like Royceann Porter, Bruce Teague, and Mazahir Salih guiding our city! —Stephanie C. We do not deserve peace until we can END police brutality. I am thankful for you [Royceann Porter] AND your language as well as your message: “F-ING enough.” I have seen recorded and televised police brutality against black men my whole life (remembering Rodney King in the ’90s). Maybe the cost of systemic racism and police brutality allowed for generations is an establishment in ashes. —Annalee M. Coralville imposes a curfew, which Gov. Reynolds says are needed to stop ‘distractors’ from causing chaos (June 1) What a joke. Using Walmart being vandalized as an excuse to enforce a police state and try to strip away constitutional rights … Vandalism

*Due to COVID-19, the physical Rummage in the Ramp resale event has been cancelled.

icgov.org/ RUMMAGE

Visit

How to donate and properly dispose of your "stuff" Reuse, repair & upcycling activities and more!

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 5

INTERACTIONS is not a lawful reason for you to enact a state of emergency or enforce a blanket curfew.

PERIOD. —Chris G.

Coralville is quiet, one glass panel is broken in Iowa City as protests over racism and police violence continue (June 2)

If she handles this the way she’s handling the pandemic, expect nothing. —Gregory D.

ICPD, take a lesson from CRPD, which vetted the BS internet threats, found them non-credible, and got the word out. People are hysterical with fear. If the threats are questionable, let us know. —Julie E.

White supremacist fliers distributed in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids (June 2) Such a weird strategy. I wonder if anyone, at all, is moved by it? —Jason A. I had one dropped in my yard in 2018. It moved me to get more involved in anti-racism work.

Probably not what they were after. —Kelcey P.F.

‘It was terrifying’: Police use flash-bang grenades and tear gas against protesters in Iowa City (June 4) Common sense would tell you that keeping people off the interstate saves lives, especially

BROCK ABOUT TOWN

AU D R E Y B R O C K

Iowa City is not making this whole “journalism” thing easy for us. It’s like every time we come out with a new issue, we have two weeks’ worth of crazy to cover. The whole “murder hornets” thing came, went and was completely forgotten while Little Village was on a print hiatus. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that many Iowa City residents are protesting the widespread police brutality against black Americans. If you didn’t know that, welcome back to the world! (If you’re wondering why no one will shake hands with you, boy, do I have news for you.)

Even those of us who have been living in above-ground homes may want to learn more about what’s going on and what, if anything, they should be doing about it.

Without further ado, I present my guide to the current protest for clueless white people. (POC can kick your feet up and sit this column out, or clip it to keep in your back pocket so you can hand it out instead of having That Conversation again.)

Chill out. If you have white privilege and you’re not particularly politically inclined, like a lot of people I know, you might view these protests primarily as an inconvenience. It’s understandable, because, well, they are. Disrupting the status quo is kind of the point. So, if you’re irritated because you fell asleep last night to the sound of wailing sirens, walked outside this morning to find that your apartment building had been tagged to within an inch of its life and took an extra five minutes to get to work because some streets were blocked off, rather than masklessly complaining about it to the barista at Starbucks, take a minute to think about why it’s happening. Hint: hundreds of years of racial discrimination and violence towards black people.

Learn more. For all you rock-dwellers out there who don’t seem to have the first clue about what’s going on, my advice would be to try the internet. Open any web browser and become engulfed in a tsunami of current events-related information. If you’re at a loss for where to start, just Google any of the slogans spray-painted on the ground outside the police station. Avoid Breitbart and your uncle’s Facebook page and you should be fine.

Do something. If your little sojourn into Google left you outraged and ready for action, congratulations: You used the internet good. Steal a cardboard box out of your neighbor’s recycling bin and make yourself a sign! Don’t forget to bring lots of water, and remember: no face, no case, so wear a mask! (Plus, there’s that whole pandemic thing.) Protest isn’t for everyone, and it might not be for you, especially if you have health issues. That’s OK; you can call our representatives, donate to civil rights organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and ACLU, and have conversations with your friends and family about institutional racism. Anything is better than the nothing you’re doing right now.

6 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

/LittleVillage READER POLL: How have you demonstrated against police violence and racism this month?

Attending protests 20.8% Donating to bail funds 37.5% Contacting officials 12.5% All of the above 29.2%

after dark. People had the city streets. Heading for the interstate was done to provoke an incident. —Connie P. Common sense should tell you that tear gassing, beating and shooting people protesting against police brutality and immunity isn’t going to help do anything other than to prove that all police are brutal, unaccountable thugs even in little ol’ Iowa City.

—Justin H. After confrontations with police on Dubuque Street the night before, protesters peacefully marched past I-80 Thursday (June 5) Gee, what happens when the police back off and let the protesters protest? Nothing.

—Mike R. Protest organizers in Iowa City name themselves the Iowa Freedom Riders, present a list of 13 demands (June 7) The notion that marijuana legalization has a place in this is just nuts ... focus, your message is beginning to blur. —Tim L. The “war on drugs” has been a tool of racial oppression for our entire lifetimes. They’re trying to get YOU to focus on something you’ve been ignoring forever.

—Randy K. Letter to the editor: Let the graffiti breathe (June 9) Absolutely. The quicker they take it away, the more likely it is to get tagged again just as quick. We need to let people see, be seen, be heard and listen to this moment—this movement. —Tara L.

fresh • local • organic

Come to Groundswell Cafe for healthy, fresh, and locally-sourced food. Your tips and donations provide meals for those who cannot afford to pay.

Located just off I-380!

201 3rd Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

319-200-2791 • groundswell.hub25.org/cafe Vegan and vegetarian options available!

INTERACTIONS The bench I painted downtown was painted on. I didn’t want to just cover up the justified anger that caused this so I talked with the city about it and they are letting me redesign the bench to incorporate Black Lives Matter!

—Katelyn T. If you allow it, you can feel the pain, the rage, the crying out. It is a visceral experience to walk around that building and see those words.

—Charlie M. OK, but this graffiti isn’t an artistic experience to be captured. It’s a reflection of real pain and real demands, it’s a wound that the University must address by cutting ties with the police.

Treating it as art defeats the point and ignores the hard work of organizers and the pain of Iowa City’s black community. —Madison B. Iowa Freedom Riders release a revised list of demands, march peacefully through downtown Iowa City (June 9)

I understand. No, I’m not black, but I am an ex con. I was in jail and prison for three years back in the mid-’90s. 22 years later at age 50 I still live with the stigma of being a felon. I have turned my life around, but I am unable to rent certain apartments, work certain jobs, vote, etc. I did time with many a black man who are still doing time for some of the same stuff I did to land me in prison. How is that fair? I give God the credit where credit is due, but the closer reality is that I received leniency because of my skin color, and that is wrong. The wheels of justice were kind to me, it grieves me that it wasn’t so kind to them. It’s tough enough to be an ex con, it would be devastating if I was black. I do believe the narrative of my life would’ve been way different. Change is needed because this diseased thing they call American justice should be equal for all skin types. People of color are incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates than white people.

How is that not systemic racism? —Chris F.

S T R E S S F R A C T U R E S

SAIGON’S CORNER Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

201 S. Clinton St., Iowa City (319) 333-7233 thesaigonscorner.com

JOHN

MARTINEK

How you can find us these days TO ENCOURAGE CONTINUED SOCIAL DISTANCING the June 3, June 17 and July 1 editions of LV will only be available online and in limited locations—any of our outdoor racks, and with your meal (!) when you order from one of our local restaurant partners.

OUTDOOR RACKS IN IOWA CITY:

Dubuque & Washington NW & SE corners Clinton & Washington NW corner and inside at the north and east entrances of the Old Capitol Mall 623 S Dubuque St 110 S Linn St Market & Linn NW Corner OUTDOOR RACKS IN CEDAR RAPIDS: 1100 3rd St SE By the entrance to NewBo City Market 3rd St SE & 11th Ave SE

By Raygun 120 3rd Ave SW By Dash

LOVE

LITTLE VILLAGE? HELP US KEEP IT FREE. Voluntary contributions from readers like you help keep Little VIllage free for everyone to enjoy.

ORDER CURBSIDE OR DELIVERY FROM ONE OF THESE LOCAL RESTAURANTS, AND GET A COPY DELIVERED FREE. (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)

Chip in today: LittleVillageMag.com/Subscribe

30 Hop Coralville, Cedar Rapids Big Grove Solon, Iowa City Blackstone Iowa City Brewhemia Cedar Rapids Marco’s Grilled Cheese IC Mosley’s North Liberty, IC Pop’s BBQ IC Red’s Alehouse North Liberty Pullman IC St. Burch Tavern IC Tin Roost North Liberty Trumpet Blossom IC The Wedge Pizzeria IC Iowa City Farmers Market IC

Little Village was one of four Iowa news outlets recognized for its COVID-19 coverage in the Local Media Association/Facebook Journalism Project’s first round of grants.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 9

COMMUNITY

Boxed In

Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

Hundreds of incarcerated individuals in Iowa were released early due to COVID-19. But re-entering society with a criminal record is difficult— especially during a pandemic.

BY IZABELA ZALUSKA

E

ddie Walker was released from prison last June after being incarcerated for 18 years for a robbery charge. Now living in Iowa City, Walker recalled the arduous process of finding an apartment after his release; in one instance, he was told by a rental company that he was an ideal potential renter, but they wouldn’t draw up a lease for him due to his criminal record.

“That can be crushing, because you’re thinking ‘Man, I got a place,’ … and then someone says no because you have that X in that box,” Walker said.

“If you don’t have a support system, you’re thinking, ‘Man, you know, I’ll probably be better off if I go back inside.’ Those kinds of challenges, especially when you’re vulnerable because you’ve been out of society, it’s just like, that’s why I think a lot of people just reoffend. I’ve seen guys reoffend just to go back to prison to get off the street.”

Walker said one of the biggest misconceptions about re-entry is that people think it’s not that hard—you’re “starting over from scratch,” he said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, re-entry for formerly incarcerated individuals was already challenging: Finding a job, securing housing and getting a driver’s license are among the necessities people re-entering have to figure out, in addition to following the rules of their parole.

Experts and advocates say the pandemic has and will continue to exacerbate the challenges of re-entry. Unemployment has reached record highs in Iowa and the country; people who are re-entering might not know how closed down their communities are; and local organizations focused on helping those who are re-entering are trying to adapt their services for an unpredictable public health crisis.

“All of these barriers and challenges to re-entry really overlap, with one feeding into 10 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

were already in poor health when they were incarcerated,” ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer said in a statement.

“This makes for a perfect storm for outbreaks of COVID-19.”

Nationally, at least 34,500 prisoners have tested positive, according to the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that reports on the criminal justice system. In Iowa, “IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM, 30 inmates have tested positive YOU’RE THINKING, ‘MAN, YOU KNOW, I’LL for the virus, as PROBABLY BE BETTER OFF IF I GO BACK INSIDE.’ well as 18 staff I’VE SEEN GUYS REOFFEND JUST TO GO BACK members, as of June 12.

TO PRISON TO GET OFF THE STREET.” The Iowa —EDDIE WALKER Department of Corrections and county jails began to take measures in March “It really speaks to the importance of proto prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in viding these individuals with the right amount their facilities, including releasing certain inof support and programs and financial and dividuals early. The Linn County and Johnson state assistance to help them be successful and County jails have both reduced their populaaccomplish what they need to to avoid going tions. back into prison so we can get rid of this reAs of March 23, Iowa’s prisons were 23 pervolving door,” Harper said. cent over their designed capacity. On June 1, the prisons were 10 percent over their designed A perfect storm for outbreaks capacity, with 7,627 inmates. The design caInmates and staff in prisons and jails are espepacity for Iowa’s prisons is 6,933. cially vulnerable to an outbreak of COVID-19 Since March 1, there have been 1,580 indue to crowding, ventilation issues and people dividuals released, or about 527 per month, coming in and out.

DOC spokesperson Cord Overton said in an “They are housed in close quarters. Many the other [and] creating these circumstances of setting people up to just fail and creating the perfect circumstances for recidivism, which is really unfortunate,” Shannon Harper, a sociology professor at Iowa State University, said.

“Recidivism” is a criminal-justice term referring to a person reoffending after being cited or incarcerated for a previous crime.

LittleVillageMag.com

email to Little Village on May 27. The “vast majority” of those have been released to parole supervision, he explained. Under “normal circumstances,” around 500 admissions and 500 releases occur every month.

The Iowa Board of Parole determines who is eligible for parole or work release. The DOC, along with the inmate’s counselor, provides information to the board, Overton said.

“Things that our counselors take into consideration are: those that are the lowest risk to reoffend, highest level of protective factors (such as stable housing, employment, family connections, etc). This is all in an effort of supporting the department’s mission of safer communities,” Overton said.

Michelle Heinz, who is the executive director of Inside Out Reentry Community in Iowa City, said Iowa has “really committed to expediting folks [and] trying to get them out ... of the correctional facilities across the state.” She hopes to see a continued effort to reduce the prison population.

But Heinz also brought up the challenges for individuals getting released or waiting to be released, including not knowing how “locked down the communities are” due to COVID-19 and feeling anxious about their release.

“One thing that we hear over and over again is just that people are told that they’re approved, but they’re waiting on maybe a space in a residential facility or they don’t have housing to parole to,” Heinz said. A part of a person’s parole release plan is having housing identified and verified by DOC staff.

“So they’re just kind of stuck in this waiting limbo, which whenever you’re kind of in between and waiting, it just increases anxiety,” Heinz added.

‘I think I was told no a good 40 times’ In addition to housing, another challenge of re-entry is employment.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, in her Condition of the State address in January, said she has “made it a priority of this administration to focus on prisoner re-entry and rehabilitation.” Last October, the governor tasked a newly formed committee with recommending policies aimed at reducing recidivism and addressing fair chance hiring and re-entry. The committee published its recommendations in December 2019.

Little Village emailed the governor’s office asking if re-entry and fair chance hiring are still a priority for her, and how she plans to address the challenges people are facing when LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 11

COMMUNITY re-entering during COVID-19. We did not receive a response.

In Linn County, one of the top priorities for the Board of Supervisors this year is fair chance hiring, which focuses on removing any questions about criminal records from applications for employment, housing, public benefits, insurance and other services. Linn County, along with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, held a panel discussion on the issue in February.

When people first think of fair chance hiring, Ban the Box is probably what first comes to mind, Supervisor Stacey Walker said. In fact, fair chance includes and goes beyond Ban the Box, which is a campaign focused on removing questions on job applications about one’s criminal record.

“Fair chance hiring is broader than [Ban the Box],” Walker said. “It’s about educating employers on what other services and supports are needed for individuals who are re-entering society. … [Fair chance hiring is] a suite of proposals and education initiatives to help employers to help prospective employees and to help our community understand.”

The education component of fair chance hiring is especially important, Walker said.

“For folks who have done their time, paid their debt to society, they should effectively be given a second chance at life, but we’re not doing that,” he said. “Society isn’t holding up their end of the bargain when it comes to that work, and that’s what these efforts are calling us to do—to hold up our end of the bargain.”

Cedar Rapids resident Belinda Spaeth currently works at Stoneking Enterprises in North Liberty, where she started last October. She got promoted to store manager in February.

“That’s huge to me. That’s huge to know that I made an impact to let him know that I’m trustworthy, that I am not what my past was,” Spaeth said about her boss, adding how understanding he is of her criminal record.

Before that, Spaeth said there were instances where she applied for jobs and was hired, until the company did a background check.

“Then all the sudden I would receive a phone call saying that ‘I am sorry, but we’ve got to take back our offer’—and it’s all because of that,” Spaeth said, referring to how her criminal record has impacted her ability to get a job. “I think I was told no a good 40 times.”

It’s difficult to get housing without having a job, but it’s also hard to get a job without housing. And it goes beyond that.

“It’s not just not finding a job,” Speath said.

12 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

LittleVillageMag.com

“It ends up being a whole whirlwind of events.

You can’t pay any bills so now you have no phone. So now you have no phone for people to call you for you to even get a job. You don’t have a vehicle. Don’t have money for a bus pass to even get to a job. You don’t have a home to live in because you can’t pay those bills. Now you’re living in a homeless shelter and a lot of places won’t hire you because you don’t have a permanent address.”

“At one point, I was working three minimum-wage jobs. I worked every single day, seven days a week, and all together between the three jobs probably about 80 hours a week.

I never saw my children. But then I got burnt out. I got tired. … I couldn’t sleep, or actually, I couldn’t stay awake. So that’s when I ended up relapsing because I had to stay awake because I had work,” said Spaeth, referring to her addiction to meth. “I was clean for 10 years, and then I relapsed two years ago. I’m working on a year now.”

Her first charge, a felony for burglary, is from 15 years ago. She described the act as “pure stupidity.”

“I was very fortunate because I had a probation officer that did not believe that I was a criminal, but that I had an addiction that needed to be solved, and so she sent me to treatment,” Spaeth said.

She completed her two years of treatment for her drug addiction and received deferred judgement, which means that, due to completing her probation successfully, the felony is not on Spaeth’s record. However, she said there are times when it does show up on background checks even though it shouldn’t, and that she’s lost housing because of it.

Five years ago, she received a theft charge on her record, which she is trying to get expunged.

“I was in a domestic violence relationship, and I was guilty by association. I was not the one that stole anything, but because I was with him, we both got charged,” Spaeth said, adding that when people see her charges she often isn’t able to explain what happened.

Sometimes when she tries, it can sound like she’s making excuses, even though she takes responsibility.

Under Iowa law, in order to qualify for a misdemeanor expungement, more than eight years have to pass since the date of the conviction. (Expungement in Iowa means a removal of a charge from the public record. The case still exists, but only the person that the case involves can get access to it.)

Felonies can’t be expunged, and not all

12 7 I O WA AV E N U E I O WA C I T Y ( 319 ) 3 41 - 7 7 0 0 S A I N T B U R C H TAV E R N . C O M

COMMUNITY misdemeanors can either—there are more than 20 circumstances where a misdemeanor can’t be expunged. Even if an individual can get a misdemeanor wiped away, they are limited to only one such expungement in their lifetime.

“So you have to choose carefully,” Rob Poggenklass, a senior staff attorney from Iowa Legal Aid, said. “And that’s one where we really encourage people to seek legal counsel because you want to make that decision carefully. Once you get a charge expunged that way, you can never do it again.”

Iowa Legal Aid has held around 30 expungement clinics across the state since the first one in June 2017, Poggenklass said. One of the more recent clinics was in Cedar Rapids in early February.

Due to the pandemic, there have been conversations on how to answer people’s questions on expungement and continue to help them during a time when it’s not safe to have hundreds of people in a space, Supervisor Walker said.

“We started talking about how do we bring all of these services that we sort of curated and we brought together when we were doing these clinics? What would it look like if all of those services existed in a hub—somewhere where we could access them, not just one day out of the year, but all the time? We certainly expect things to return to normal in this country and to be able to resume the in-person expungement clinic process, but until then, we’re going to have to get creative.”

Fair chance hiring remains an important issue for the Linn County supervisor.

“If you start to look at fair chance hiring, even through the lens of our new normal which is this global pandemic, I think what you start to see is a lot of these low-wage jobs that individuals who are reintegrating into society tend to take really are vital to the functioning of society,” he said. “We are never going to have a shortage of those jobs so long as our economic system continues the way it is, which means it is probably more important than ever to really think about these initiatives like fair chance hiring and how we help people move from incarceration to the workforce.”

“While priorities are constantly shifting for policymakers, like myself, there are some that remain pressing, and I think fair chance hiring is one of them.”

Treating a crisis within a crisis Like other businesses and organizations, groups helping individuals after they’re 14 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

A poster hangs in the RISE office at First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids, which has been closed due to COVID-19 and will reopen once the church reopens. Izabela Zaluska / Little Village

released from jail or prison have had to adjust their operations during the pandemic.

RISE Program in Cedar Rapids has not been able to meet with people in person while their office is closed, the group’s director Mary Crandall said. RISE, which stands for Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment, is housed on the lower level of First Presbyterian Church.

“We’ve been conducting business that way, but it certainly has not been to the extent that we usually do,” Crandall said. “So, it’s changed significantly, but if they need something, I can still get it for them.”

Prior to the pandemic, people were able to stop by the office and pick things for themselves. But for now, Crandall has been communicating with people by phone and email, dropping off items such as clothes, shoes and bus tickets.

Crandall said she can’t wait for RISE to reopen, which depends on when the church reopens. She said she plans to get masks for everybody, disinfectant to routinely clean surfaces and limit how many people can be in the room.

“It’s been just harder, just that much harder,” Crandall said about re-entry. “They can’t come and see us for a cup of coffee. They can’t ride the bus. They can’t get a bike. Now they can [because places are reopening], but in the last couple months, those that were released can’t see anybody.”

Inside Out Reentry Community in Iowa City also had to close its physical office, Heinz

said. They’ve been doing outreach and case management over the phone and through email, and have moved weekly group meetings online.

“We’re trying to be as creative as possible to try to still connect with folks that are incarcerated,” Heinz said. “We’ve always corresponded with people while they were still incarcerated, either through the online email system that the prison has or through letter writing, but we’ve really put a lot more energy into that … just to try to connect as much as we possibly can.”

An opening for reform The correctional system in the U.S. has long been overwhelmed by the growing prison population, Harper said. But the pandemic has shown it is possible to reduce the jail and prison populations.

“What’s happened recently may cause policymakers in the criminal justice system to really think differently about punishment,” Harper said.

COVID-19 isn’t the only potential catalyst for reform. The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers has people across the country pushing for further changes to the criminal justice system, highlighting how black people have been and continue to be disproportionately impacted and incarcerated.

“What we’re facing is a real reckoning on a lot of levels,” Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, told the Associated Press.

“This (coronavirus) pandemic pulled back the

LittleVillageMag.com

curtains on decades of disinvestment, decades of devaluing and also now one of the major issues that black communities face is violence at the hands of the police.”

In Iowa, black adults are incarcerated at nearly 11 times the rate of white adults, according to a 2019 ACLU report on Iowa’s criminal justice system. Even though black people make up only 3 percent of Iowa’s population, they represent 25 percent of the state’s prison population.

“The unfortunate thing is … how we treat our prisoners and how we treat the formerly incarcerated doesn’t rank very high in the minds of most folks,” Walker said.

Daniel Zeno, ACLU of Iowa’s policy and advocacy director, said courage will be required by state, county and local leaders. Zeno was one of the speakers during a webinar the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition held in April about criminal justice.

“It’s a moment for us to pause and say, ‘Is incarceration the response? Is it the appropriate response? Are there other things we can and should be doing?,’” Zeno said during the webinar. “... And to do that I think it really requires courage [and] leadership for leaders to say it may not be the norm, but we believe based on the research, based on public health data, based on the whole range of work that’s out there, that there’s a different way to do this that is more appropriate and that would be more helpful to individuals, families and communities.”

Both Harper and Walker believe the changes made during the pandemic can lead to broader changes in the criminal justice system. They also emphasized the importance of funding organizations that help people who are re-entering, such as RISE and Inside Out. “When we force jail administrators and sheriffs all over this country to really take a long, hard look about who needs to be in their jails and prisons, they were able to quickly say, ‘I’ve got an entire population of folks who don’t need to be here,’” Supervisor Walker said. “... So what that demonstrates is the hierarchy is already there. Our jail administrators and top law enforcement officials already know who belongs and doesn’t belong in the penal system.”

“I think what awaits is whether or not these top law enforcement officials have the courage to accept these facts, and step out on faith and really challenge the conventional thinking of their profession and start advocating for some of these sweeping changes.”

Izabela Zaluska is a staff writer at Little Village.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 15

COMMUNITY

“U

nderstand the largeness of this moment,” Stacey Walker told the people gathered in Greene Square Park on Saturday, June 6. “These will be the pictures our kids see in the history books. We know in our hearts, in our souls, that this is a moral moment for the world.”

More than 2,000 people had come to the Cedar Rapids park for a protest against racism and police violence and to call for action on the systematic problems that make both lethal. It was one of dozens of protests in the Cedars Rapids/ Iowa City area sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police 16 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

officers on May 25.

The protests have varied. Some were carefully organized by long-time activists, and featured speeches from political leaders like Walker, chair of the Linn County Board of Supervisors. Others were the work of people new to politics and organizing. But the messages delivered at all of them have echoed each other.

Demonstrations have been almost entirely peaceful. Though organizers do not endorse vandalism, downtown Iowa City walls, streets and signs have been tagged with messages of outrage. The most notable moment of violence happened on June 3, when a state trooper ordered flash-bang grenades and tear gas used

“THESE WILL BE THE PICTURES OUR KIDS SEE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. WE KNOW IN OUR HEARTS, IN OUR SOULS, THAT THIS IS A MORAL MOMENT FOR THE WORLD.” —STACEY WALKER

LittleVillageMag.com

More than 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, June 6, where Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker spoke to the crowd (above and left); Iowa City teacher Taylor Scudder speaks to demonstrators at a rally on the Iowa City Ped Mall, June 6 (right) Jason Smith / Little Village

against protesters in Iowa City trying to march to I-80.

“Protesting is not a box to check off to say that you have done something to make changes,” Taylor Scudder told hundreds of people rallying on the Ped Mall in Iowa City, a few hours before Walker spoke in Cedar Rapids. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough.”

She called for “hard conversations with children and adults about race and gender and sexuality.”

Scudder, a teacher, said she was

“PROTESTING IS NOT A BOX TO CHECK OFF TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE CHANGES. IT’S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH.” —TAYLOR SCUDDER nervous about speaking, but had to “because my black life matters, my family’s black lives matter, my students’ black lives matter.”

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 17

COMMUNITY More than 2,000 demonstrators gathered in downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday, June 6.

Jason Smith / Little Village

18 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

LittleVillageMag.com

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 19

COMMUNITY Iowa Dispatch

All Eyes on Minneapolis

In the midst of revolution and chaos, the Twin Cities peacefully mourn George Floyd, foster community and demand justice. BY ANJALI HUYNH

“B

e careful, and stay safe.”

As I sat on my 42-minute flight from the Eastern Iowa Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul, I replayed these words said in the days leading up to my trip. Everyone from my parents to the Little Village news director seemed to think I was entering a warzone by visiting the Twin Cities, battling a pandemic and police brutality.

To be honest, I held some of those fears myself. After spending the weekend poring over Twitter videos and news articles depicting an angry city on fire in response to George Floyd’s murder by a police officer earlier that week, I exited the plane expecting chaos. But as I attended protests and drove through streets peppered with signs reading “Justice 4 Floyd” over the next week, it became clear that Minneapolis was a city uniting to pave the way for change.

While the Twin Cities are large urban areas, they’re typically pretty calm, save for honks in evening traffic and the light rail whooshing by. But when I first arrived, things were markedly different. Abundant road closures and blaring police sirens at all hours became the new norm. When a transformer box exploded on my first night, engulfing the neighborhood in which I stayed in darkness, I saw that as confirmation that Minneapolis had literally and figuratively grown darker.

What I hadn’t realized was that, though Minneapolis sparked the protests that transformed into a revolution, overtaking all 50 states and much of the world, its streets better resembled a mourning ground than a powder keg. Restaurants and stores, though boarded up to prevent glass from being smashed, were adorned with graffiti reading “Black Lives Matter,” “Rest In Peace” and Floyd’s infamous last words, “I Can’t Breathe.” If all these store owners have expressed support, I thought, this can’t be so bad, right?

The first protest I attended, a sit-in at the Minnesota State Capitol, took place on June 2. Despite the over-90-degree heat and an 20 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

unforgiving sun beaming down on the crowd, thousands gathered on the lawn facing the Capitol building.

Unlike the pandemonium I’d seen online, the St. Paul event was peaceful, well-organized and symbolic of the resistance to current legislation governing law enforcement.

Though National Guard members surrounded the area, they primarily served as water bottle distributors. On occasion, organizers warned attendees to keep sidewalks clear and stay

“THE TIME WE’RE LIVING IN IS SCARY … BUT BEING BLACK EVERY DAY IS SCARY.” on the grass to “avoid being arrested.” It was clear they didn’t intend to cause violence but instead wanted to make a statement through the number of bodies present.

The three-hour sit-in served as a prolonged message for both the Minnesota state government and to attendees of all races. Individuals spoke about issues plaguing the Twin Cities’ black communities, sharing statements that resonated with the crowd.

“The system was not made for us,” one organizer said. Another acknowledged the

danger of thousands gathering during a pandemic, saying, “The time we’re living in is scary … but being black every day is scary.”

Emotions changed throughout the protest: It was sometimes angry, other times sorrowful. As one young black man began to lead the crowd in chants, he broke down in tears.

Seeing this, others pressed around him, encouraging him to continue. Organizers held two moments of silence where attendees knelt to honor black individuals killed by police.

Though the protest had its solemn moments, laughter, joy and celebration of black life characterized the event as well. In between speakers, hits from renowned black artists like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar kept the crowd’s energy up for hours as attendees danced and sang along. Vendors distributed free ice cream treats, snacks and drinks with big grins, encouraging attendees to stay for the whole event.

As thousands chanted, “No killer cops, no KKK, no racist USA,” their voices echoed off the marble building. Anyone inside could hear them loud and clear.

While some protests, such as the one at the State Capitol, were more symbolic than active, others like a 10k march on June 5 to “celebrate the life of George Floyd” engaged Minneapolis more directly. Organized by

CEDAR RAPIDS NEW BOHEMIA/ CZECH VILLAGE

Demonstrators on Portland Ave in downtown Minneapolis, Friday, June 5.

Anjali Huynh / Little Village

former NBA player Royce White, it was clear that much preparation had gone into the event. As hundreds gathered at U.S. Bank Stadium to march over six miles, tents with food, water and sanitization supplies welcomed them.

Like the State Capitol sit-in, organizers spoke to the gradually amassing crowd. But this time, the speakers were older and identifiable, ranging from professional athletes to the vice president of the Minneapolis NAACP. Prior to the march, the crowd heard from community organizers, cheered on black singers and chanted together.

The tone was best captured by a reverend who said a prayer prior to the march, which ended, “We want to cap this prayer with joy and love and happiness.”

At 5 p.m., while the sun was still high and the temperature well over 80 degrees, the march began traveling southward. What started as hundreds turned into thousands of individuals walking through the streets, holding colorful cardboard signs and shouting “Say his name,” “GEORGE FLOYD” and “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police.”

The first half of the march led to the

Black Earth Gallery Art Consulting

for businesses and personal homes, pop-up shows and public art events blackearthgallery.com @black_earth_gallery blackearthgallery@gmail.com If art isn’t important, then why does it have so much power?

Come work with us

JOHN@NEWBO.CO • (319) 382-5128 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 21

LittleVillageMag.com

OPEN TO

OPEN TO

JUNE 26

JULY 3

MEMBERS

THE PUBLIC

Learn about our health and safety policies at

ICFILMSCENE. ORG /REOPENING

22 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

intersection of Chicago Avenue and 38th Street, where Floyd was killed. Large portions of both streets had been blocked off since the protests began. Leading up to the junction, the street was painted with dozens of names of black individuals lost to police violence.

A memorial had formed at the scene of the crime, with an outline of Floyd’s body marking the spot where he stopped breathing. Other marchers informed me that a constant rotation of people had visited the makeshift memorial at all times of day to pay their respects over the past week. As a result, a litany of flowers, posters and artwork had been carefully placed by passersby, forming a shrine to honor Floyd’s life.

But this area wasn’t just a mourning ground. Sounds of all sorts, from music to chants to speakers, filled the air, and free foods and drinks were everywhere. At the site that had sparked so much anguish nationwide, the Minneapolis community chanted and sang and prayed together. Though intent on not forgetting what had happened, they celebrated the life of the man they had lost and called for justice so that it would not have been lost in vain.

By the time the march began trekking back to U.S. Bank Stadium, around 10,000 people had amassed. The hour-long walk towards South Minneapolis engaged more than the marchers: Drivers honked with fists in the air in solidarity, and children cheered from nearby houses as they watched the caravan parading through their neighborhood. Chants became more vigorous as the masses arrived back at the stadium, shouting Floyd’s name in unison.

In the vein of transparency, city-established curfews deterred me from attending night protests, so I’m unsure how the later demonstrations differed as far as peacefulness and messaging. Still, Minneapolis has become a beacon of hope nationwide for good reason: Its protesters are unwavering in their demands and have learned to organize well, drawing in individuals from different walks of life to support the Black Lives Matter movement and instigate change.

Outsiders can debate the merits of burning a police precinct or leaving graffiti on all visible surfaces, but one thing is certain: The Minneapolis community has truly come together in its time of grief and need.

Anjali Hunyh is an Iowa City native, former Little Village intern and current student at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she’s studying political science.

Inspiring art in uncertain times

The Englert needs your help!

From March to May, we experienced a $385,213 shortfall in earned revenue due to the cancellation of more than 80 events.

We have rewritten our plan for sustainability in 2020 which includes cost reductions and new sources for cash, but we need the help of the Friends of the Englert to fill the gap.

30%

How can you help?

Operational Cost Reductions

25% Grants

24%

LOW INTEREST LOANS

Donate to our Friends Program

Increase your normal donation

Set up your donation as a recurring gift so that we can count on your support

Donate online at:

21%

FRIENDS OF THE ENGLERT

Did you know that Friends of the Englert get great perks?

From early access to tickets, to passes to our festivals, Friends perks are our way of saying thank you for your support.

ENGLERT.ORG/FRIENDS

BREAD & BUTTER LV Recommends

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, cafes, bakeries, markets and catering businesses

T

he Eastern Iowa area is blessed to be home to a plethora of businesses owned and operated by black chefs and entrepreneurs. We’ve sung their praises in these pages before, but we haven’t covered them all yet—something that we aim to rectify in coming issues. In celebration of our black community, we’ll be focusing on reviewing these restaurants and cafes over the next approximately 18 months. If you’d like to join us by recommending additional restaurants or becoming a part of our fantastic food reviewing team, please email editor@littlevillagemag.com.

Cedar Rapids, 319-651-4886 autrysbbq.com

Dunn Brothers Coffee

Island Vybz

3284 Crosspark Rd Ste A Coralville, 319-665-2020 dunnbrothers.com

Food truck, Iowa City 319-541-4771, facebook.com/ islandvybzfoodtruck

E’s Gluten Free Bakery

Jay’s Water Ice

Emi’s Treats

Keepin Up with the Jones’s

Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

Autry’s Veterans BBQ & Catering

Caribbean Kitchen

Food truck, Cedar Rapids facebook.com/crcaribbeankitchen Crab Attack Cajun Seafood Shack

1117 First Ave SE, Cedar Rapids 319-363-1175, crabattack.com

1328 Dover St, Iowa City 319-621-1002, esglutenfree.com 2008 Mallory St SW, Cedar Rapids, 319-721-1408 facebook.com/EmisTreats

1650 Matterhorn Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, 319-981-4309 Food truck, Cedar Rapids 319-431-1368 keepinupwiththejoness.com

Crepes de Luxe Cafe

309 E College St, Iowa City 319- 887-2233 crepes-de-luxe.com

For Cakes Sake

2727 6th St SW, Cedar Rapids 319-431-2056 facebook.com/forcakessakellc

Amanda Fadden / Little Village

M & M Food Truck

Food truck, Cedar Rapids 319-350-2111 mandmfoodtruck.com

More Flavors

629 12th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, 319-270-8396 moreflavorshoagies.com Rodney’s Jamaican Jerk & BBQ

1104 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, 319-541-1330 rodneysjamaicanjerk.com

One More Bite Food Truck

Food truck, Cedar Rapids 319-929-6705 onemorebitecatering.com

Shawnniecakes and Mama Pearl’s Specialty Treats

1100 Third St SE, Cedar Rapids (NewBo City Market) 319-412-5000 shawnniecakes.com Sliced: A Bakery Emporium

Based in North Liberty, sold at Iowa City Farmers Market slicedabakeryemporium.com 24 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

Kelli Ebensberger

LittleVillageMag.com/Dining

Sugapeach

1010 Second Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, 319-200-1980 therewindcr.business.site Vivian’s Soul Food

Reviewed in LV issue 279 Best of the CRANDIC winner: Best Soul Food, 2019 2925 Williams Pkwy SW, Cedar Rapids, 319-396-2229 vivianssoulfoodcr.com

400 F Ave NW, Cedar Rapids (served inside Rumors Bar and Grill) 319-390-1600, facebook.com/ wadadlysislandflavors Willie Ray’s Q Shack

288 Blairs Ferry Road NE, Cedar Rapids, 319-206-3806 willieraysqshack.com

Zak Neumann / Little Village

The Rewind

Wadadly’s Island Flavorz

Now open with reduced hours: Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

Reviewed in LV issue 213 650 Pacha Pkwy # 1, North Liberty, 319-826-1809, sugapeach.com

11 AM–5 PM Monday through Saturday

PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASK TO SHOP! 105 S. Dubuque St. on the Ped Mall, Iowa City

CULTURE Sex & Love

Cuddle Your Sleepy Hedgehog (That’s not sexual innuendo, I promise.) BY NATALIE BENWAY

Kim Thompson

T

he anxiety that comes from living in the midst of a global pandemic is not exactly an aphrodisiac. For many of us, sex is the last thing on our minds. Others might find it an effective stress management tool, but struggle to feel safe with their partner(s) at a time when even Tinder has warned users about the risks of pandemic dating.

In Emily Nagoski’s book Come As You Are, she lays out the way the emotions associated with stress impact our minds and ultimately our bodies, provoking a fight, flight or freeze response.

Stress comes in many forms: worry, anxiety, fear and terror (“There’s a lion! Run!”); irritation, annoyance, frustration and rage (“There’s a lion! Kill it!”); and emotional numbness, shutdown, depression and despair (“There’s a lion! Play dead!”).

“And none of these,” Nagoski said, “indicate that now is a good time to get laid.”

If we want to reduce the impact of stress on our libido, and have more joyful and pleasurable sex, we need to learn how to manage our stress, Nagoski advises. (Duh—add that to the list of other things I need to do.)

But if we have any hope of staying connected emotionally, physically or sexually, we might consider another concept

Nagoski breaks down in her book: maintaining our emotional center of gravity.

You can do this, she explains, by “owning your feelings, listening to them and being responsive without being reactive, taking emotions seriously without taking them personally.”

The process of staying over your own emotional center of gravity is simplified in the “sleepy hedgehog” model.

If you find a sleepy hedgehog in the chair you were about to sit in, you should: • • • •

Give it a name Sit peacefully with it in your lap Figure out what it needs Tell your partner about the need, so you can collaborate to help the hedgehog

Each of us is responsible for our own emotions and how we manage them. Folks in healthy relationships help one another navigate those feelings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this can mean sharing new household duties equally and getting on the same page when it comes to preventative measures such as mask-wearing and surface-cleaning, so no one feels they’re taking the virus more or less seriously than their partner(s).

Staying connected is going to be a lifeline for many of us during these uncertain times. It makes me think about John Gottman’s emotional bank account idea. The idea is this: When you turn toward your partner, making a bid for connection, you make a deposit in your emotional bank account. When you turn away from your partner, you are making a withdrawal.

Imagine your partner is perturbed by the latest article about COVID-19 numbers or police

The Spread Love Not Viruses campaign aims to promote our shared goal of overcoming and recovering from the COVID-19 crisis within the Cedar Rapids area by supporting our local non-profits and sharing positive messages of support and safety.

Learn more and get your swag at SpreadLoveNotViruses.com Proceeds of every sale will be donated to the COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund set up by SHOW OFF YOUR SWAG! @SpreadLoveNotViruses 26 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

#SpreadLoveNotViruses

LittleVillageMag.com

violence against protesters, and they share their anxiety with you. Turning towards them might sound like, “I hear you. It is so hard right now, and I’m here for you.” This is an investment in your emotional bank account.

You could also say nothing and continue to read more apocalyptic articles on your own, turning away from your partner, and therefore not seeing or showing up to how they feel.

Shows of comfort and solidarity, whether they be made in the same household or virtually, don’t need to be grand gestures. They can be small ways we show our love, appreciation and compassion for one another, like thanking your husband for bringing you a cup of coffee in the morning and helping your girlfriend clean all the door knobs with Clorox wipes.

You can also work together to channel your shared grief, anger or helplessness into making COVID-19 masks or face shields, attending anti-racist protests or penning a letter to a local representative.

This isn’t just a great way to build emotional capital, but could even be a form of foreplay. Psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel (who released a COVID19-focused spin-off miniseries of her podcast Where Should We Begin? called Couples Under Lockdown) says that foreplay starts at the end of our last sexual encounter. You never know how much of a turn-on it could be for your partner to see you do the dishes, take the kids’ temperature or finish a long-term project.

As we navigate a moment of reckoning in our culture, prepare for the possibility of epiphanies (or impulses) when it comes to your love life.

“Disasters generally operate as an accelerator in a relationship,” Perel said on the Pivot podcast. “Either people say, ‘Life is short, let’s get married, let’s have babies. What are we waiting for?’ Or on the other side, ‘Life is short. I’ve waited long enough, I’m out of here.’ And so we’ve known that there is generally a spike in divorce and a spike in marriage and babies that follows disasters.”

The feeling of losing control can be the biggest stressor of all. No matter how chaotic life gets, cling to love and know you’re not alone.

Natalie Benway LISW is a psychotherapist in private practice in Coralville. She has a certification in sexuality studies from the University of Iowa and is currently pursuing additional licensure with the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

NEW N! IO LOCigAhwTay 1 West 521 H ity Iowa C

www.thewedgepizza.com

Daiya vegan cheese & gluten-free crust available!

TheWedgePizza.com

Large 14” 2-Topping

Add a second large 2-Topping

$1399

ONLY

$1199

June 30, 2020

X-Large 16” 3-Topping Add a second

$1599

ONLY

x-large 3-Topping

$1399

Add Cheesestix to Any Order

Add a House Salad to Any Order

ONLY

ONLY

$700

June 30, 2020

$689

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

NEW LOCATION! 521 Highway 1 West, Iowa City, 319-337-6677 Delivery or Carry Out

Courtesy Brandt Legg

CULTURE

Prairie Pop

Hole in the Soul

F

Record Collector’s continued COVID closure inspires a longing for record stores past. BY KEMBREW MCLEOD

or those who view music as a vital necessity like food and shelter, being without Iowa City’s longtime institution the Record Collector leaves a gaping hole in the soul.

“A record store isn’t really a record store without customers,” said co-owner Alissa Witzke. “It feels empty and sad, like we’re just a warehouse.”

The store shifted to online sales and began doing free local deliveries during the COVID-19 lockdown, which was better than nothing but not the same as the real deal.

Shops like Record Collector have been a key part of the cultural landscape for decades, gathering places where ideas and musical tastes cross-fertilize.

“Honestly, I just miss some of the general human interaction,” said Bobby Larson, the store’s other owner. “Community happens when you get enough of those music-fiend types together and talking, which is why COVID-19 has made things extra hard on businesses that were already troubled by the move to online sales and forums.”

This absence has put me in a nostalgic mood, because record shops are in my blood.

28 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

I worked in five stores from 1986 to 2000, and despite earning a Ph.D., I learned more from a three-minute record than I ever did in school.

My first job was at Cap’n Ben’s Records in Virginia Beach, located just off of the Oceanfront’s seedy main strip in a small duplex building shared with a deli. It had an old school 1970s vibe, with the weather-beaten vertical wood siding common in beach towns.

It was originally owned and operated by Benjamin Smith, an eccentric character who claimed to be an actual British naval captain.

He sold the store in 1984 to 18-year-old Brandt Legg, a successful Northern Virginia businessman who started a stamp-collecting business at the age of 10. He often visited the beach on vacations. Once, the captain got in touch with Legg to let him know that a record he had special-ordered had arrived.

“When he told me the price,” Legg said, “I thought it was too high and jokingly asked how much for the whole store. Turns out he was interested in selling and we agreed on terms.”

His older brother Brae was happy to move

LittleVillageMag.com

Locally owned since 1993

Voted BEST PIZZA in the CRANDIC

INCLUDED Unlimited Oil Changes and Tire Rotations for 2 Years According to MFR Guidelines 10% Off All Other Maintenance Items FREE Multi-Point Inspection FREE Car Wash with Service Appointment

*At Toyota of Iowa City, Weather Permitting

AVAILABLE ON ALL PRE-OWNED VEHICLES AT TOYOTA OF IOWA CITY

319-351-1501

w w w . t o y o t ai o w ac i t y . c o m

k ndmar ity la c wa an io

WIG & PEN PIZZA PUB 1220 US-6, Iowa City • (319) 354-2767

WIG & PEN EAST 363 N 1st Ave, Iowa City • (319) 351-2327

WIG & PEN NORTH LIBERTY 201 Hwy 965 NE, North Liberty • (319) 665-2255

wigandpenpizza.com

15 South Dubuque St., Iowa City, Iowa • 319-337-2681 www.prairielights.com

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 29

CULTURE

IOWA CITY SOUTH OF BOWERY IMPORT SERVICE SPECIALISTS Audi, VW, BMW, Volvo, Subaru, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda, Mini Cooper, Jaguar, and other imports

Professional Printers for 65 Years 408 Highland Ct. • (319) 338-9471 bob@goodfellowprinting.com

www.whitedogauto.com

down from the Washington D.C. suburbs to run the store, where I had become a regular.

Right before my 16th birthday, I was hired to work a few shifts and worked my way up to store manager by the end of high school.

A half block down from Cap’n Ben’s on the main drag was a sad little ice cream store named Coney Island that sat among touristy places like Old Virginia Fudge Shop and Far East Bazaar. A few doors down, a fight might spill out of Chicho’s, a local’s bar that sometimes had punk shows and sold dollar pizza slices.

By the end of 1987 the record store moved into the former ice cream parlor and was rebranded the Sound Company, where a neighborhood kid named Pharrell Williams sometimes shopped before he became famous.

Virginia Beach felt like a cultural abyss on the geographic margins, hemmed in between the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay and the Great Dismal Swamp. Little did I know that so much talent from my generation would bubble up from the area, like hip-hop goddess Missy Elliot and producers Timbaland and the Neptunes.

The store—which continued to smell like ice cream for months—employed a motley crew of punks, skaters and hip-hop heads (plus one theater geek, me, who was down with all of the above). Several musicians worked there, like Elvis From Hell guitarist Teddy Dean and Terry Josephson, the singer for a short-lived college rock band called Rain.

I got a punk history lesson working with Larry May, who was the frontman of the local hardcore band Face Reality. He turned me on to so much cool stuff back then and later formed the Candy Snatchers, mayhem-causing maniacs who were personally banned from CBGB by Hilly Kristal, the man who opened that iconic New York City punk club and had seen it all.

May was laid back at the store, but onstage he was a wild man who bled like Iggy Pop, the kind of thing I had only read about in magazines. I remember when Face Reality played the Beach Theater in 1987 opening for GWAR, where fake blood was added to the mix. The Richmond-based art school students were in the low-budget stage of their career, wearing paper-mâché masks and DIY costumes that sprayed the audience crimson red.

The Beach Theater hosted many epic shows, from dancehall reggae artists Yellowman and Eek-A-Mouse to a 1988 Fugazi show where the band faced off against

LittleVillageMag.com

Nazi beach punks. Before the show they told singer Ian MacKaye that a “hit” was out for him for “betraying the scene”—a crime, Ian later told me, he did not know was punishable by death.

Between CJ Starkey and JJ White, the Sound Company played a lot of hip hop that was still bubbling up from the underground.

Starkey was a white punk skateboarder whose tastes were shifting to rap, and we learned a lot from White, a young black musician with television actor good looks. He loved Public Enemy and played bass in Hoit, another local hardcore band. He was also responsible for turning me on to Parliament-Funkadelic.

Oh yeah, and we had a killer sound system.

“One wild memory I have from the store,” Starkey recalled, “was when Public Enemy came in and were just fucking losing their shit because of all that sound was coming out of there. They were like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ I think I was playing LL Cool J, and I looked over at the CD cover and I’m like, ‘Holy shit, you’re Public Enemy!’”

Bad Brains frontman H.R. lived nearby for a time and would come by during slow winter days and tell me rambling stories of legendary D.C. punk shows. Like I said, record stores are an educational experience.

The Record Collector’s current owners started working at their store for the same reasons I got a job at Cap’n Ben’s: They were regular customers who had already acquired a lot of musical knowledge. Kirk Walther, who opened the store back in 1982, hired Larson in the mid-aughts after he correctly identified McKinley Morganfield as Muddy Waters’ real name during an informal quiz.

Witzke started around the same time after a similarly intimidating job interview. After Walther was diagnosed with cancer and his condition rapidly deteriorated, he made arrangements to sell them the store so that it would live on and allow people to connect with one another.

“I’ve been missing listening to other people chat about records or getting excited about an item that they didn’t expect to find,” Witzke told me. “No amount of posts on social media or online orders will ever make up for that, so I hope that record shops will continue to be a place for gathering and discussing and exploring for years to come.”

Kembrew McLeod wants to remind everyone that Record Collector staff are taking appointments to shop at the store, so give ’em a call!

Grinnell College Museum of Art welcomes you to explore our exhibitions, collections and new ways of engaging. Visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube for images, activities, and videos. We look forward to welcoming you to the Museum when we reopen.

Website: grinnell.edu/museum Instagram: @GCMuseumofArt Twitter: @GCMuseumofArt YouTube: Grinnell College Museum of Art Facebook: Grinnell College Museum of Art

Image: RECENT ACQUISITION Nate Lewis, American, b. 1985. Signalling XVII, 2019. Hand sculpted paper inkjet print and ink Grinnell College Museum of Art Collection. Image © Nate Lewis, courtesy Fridman Gallery, New York

COMMUNITY A-List

No Touching!

Threshold Apprehension Sound presents a series of audience-less concerts to keep the local music scene bumping. BY DIVIIN HUFF

32 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

Jason Smith / Little Village

T

here have been some major quarantines in history brought on by plagues—yellow fever, Ebola, infectious tuberculosis and now, COVID-19. There has also been a lot of innovation to come from all that time alone. I was today years old when I found out on MSN. com that Issac Newton developed his theory of gravity during 18 months of quarantine when the bubonic plague hit. It’s even rumored that William Shakespeare wrote King Lear during that same plague.

These past examples show that today’s artists navigating COVID-19 are, to quote Pope John the XVI, “not new to this, they are true to this.” It’s no surprise that the artists in Iowa City are finding creative ways to build community and keep the music scene alive.

Crystal Sherman of Threshold Apprehension Sound, organizer of the No Touching Sessions, and Kane Edwards, who takes the stage for the June 18 edition of the series, had some amazing insights on community-building during quarantine.

No Touching Sessions was born from a desire to keep the music scene alive, Sherman said. Since the series kicked off on May 21 with Jim Swim (all of the shows are archived at thresholdappsound.com), the goals have been evolving beyond her initial effort to share a virtual concert experience.

“The No Touching Sessions was a direct effect of COVID-19 shutting down local live venues,” Sherman said. “The ‘crowdless concert’ series didn’t exist before the pandemic and social distancing. I’m an audio engineer, not a promoter, but the conditions were right for me to take on this project.”

Sherman conceived of the project as “a CDC-compliant alternative to livestreaming from your phone in your bedroom,” she said.

She and her co-producer, Dan Miller, had the equipment, access to space at Gabe’s in Iowa City—and, with the pandemic closing all the venues, time to spare.

“We both work production for live events full-time, and those events have gone away indefinitely,” Sherman said. “We’ve been focusing on solo/duo acts to minimize load-in/ load-out time, and we can quickly record the

No Touching Sessions 05 // Kane Edwards + Tomato Boy, Threshold Apprehension Sound

set and do the bulk of the audio/video editing and broadcasting remotely at home. We use condenser mics so the musicians don’t have to touch anything except their own gear.”

Due to the pandemic, many of us are going stir crazy, missing our daily connections, missing community. These stressors, along with the many unknowns during a pandemic, can cause us to crave normalcy and escape.

One thing Sherman knows is that community is essential.

“The sudden unknown has thrust most everyone into a new headspace,” she said.

“New ideas are one of the positive effects of the current unknowns. Community seems to simply be taking shape rather than being built. It’s amazing and necessary.”

We have all heard the axiom that teamwork makes the dream work. Community, after all, is a group of people with a common goal.

Sherman makes sure to note that, in bringing this project together, she was not alone; there was a lot of support along the way.

“This is a group effort—bouncing ideas off each other, brainstorming in the backyard.

Gabe’s has been awesome letting us use the space. Working with all of the artists again is wonderful, and the response from the community has been fantastic. People just want to

(@Threshold.Apprehension.Sound, thresholdappsound.com), Thursday, June 18, 8 p.m., Free No Touching Sessions 06 // In the Mouth of Radness, Threshold Apprehension Sound (@Threshold.Apprehension.Sound, thresholdappsound.com), Thursday, June 25, 8 p.m., Free

be involved and contribute to a cool thing.”

Sherman and her team are encouraged to continue the series as long as the audiences and artists are still interested in it.

“It’s still really fun,” she said. “It just came together organically out of a need to keep doing music when we couldn’t mass-gather to do it.”

One of those interested artists is Kane Edwards, who has been playing guitar for 19 years, ever since he saw Courtney Love perform in Hole as a child. He kept that same fun-loving energy in his own music, writing songs that live in the spaces between rock and pop punk.

“I’m not actually sure what powerpop is, but maybe it’s that?” Edwards said. “Most of the songs are pretty lighthearted and silly,

LittleVillageMag.com

and then there’s a few that are more personal, emotional-type of songs.”

Edwards says he is stretching his performative wings with the No Touching Sessions.

“It’s weird to be performing at all. This is really the only event I’ve actually done in months,” he said. “I get kind of nervous knowing I’m being filmed, and it’s weird to not have an in-person audience. Still, I’m very excited to be doing the No Touching Sessions. It’s been a fun thing to practice for and to look forward to.”

“I THINK IT’S DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TO BE STAYING IN TOUCH WITH EVERYONE AND SUPPORTING EACH OTHER IN WHATEVER WAY IS POSSIBLE.” —KANE EDWARDS Edwards offered an endearing answer to the question of who he would like to reach with these performances.

“I’d like to reach ... cool people that I would want to hang out with,” Edwards said.

“I guess my audience is really just my few handfuls of friends, which is pretty sicknasty.

I do really want to go on tours again, someday when it’s safe to travel and play shows, and get to meet more awesome people and bands out of state.”

Edwards agrees with Sherman that building community during such strange times is essential.

“I think it’s definitely important to be staying in touch with everyone and supporting each other in whatever way is possible.

Although it’s not quite the same, I am really thankful that people are still trying to do these online-type of shows, just to keep the music community up and running in some way.”

Creativity, innovation, building community and facing unknowns can all seem daunting.

Sherman and Edwards have found ways not only to stay motivated, but also to stay positive, all while walking in the purpose of bringing people together for something positive. Music is a balm for the soul, and Iowa City is lucky to have such dedicated creatives committed to sharing their gifts with the lot of us.

Diviin Huff is an actress, poet and clothing store co-manager in Iowa City. She supports local art and local artists, and encourages positive energy. She can be found on Instagram and Twitter @Diviin.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 33

EDITORS’ PICKS

CALENDAR JUNE 17-30, 2020

Planning an event? Submit event info to calendar@littlevillagemag.com. Include event name, date, time, venue, street address, admission price and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). To find more events, visit littlevillagemag.com/ calendar. Please check venue listing in case details have changed.

Welcome to the Big Grove Drive-Thru!

Place a pre-sale order for beers and breakfast burritos!

Available beers are listed at biggrovebrewery.com

WHEN

Pick-up in Iowa City & Solon: Saturdays between 9-11am.

Orders will be accepted until Friday at 8pm.

HOW

We are listing only OUTDOOR events in this calendar at the moment. “Locations” listed reference the presenting institution. Please visit our online calendar for relevant links, or check the organizations’ websites and Facebook pages.

Wed., June 17 Re-Imagined Virtual Hunger Banquet,

On Saturday, pull into the parking lot and follow the on-site instructions. Please don’t get out of the car (#socialdistancing) and have your ID and order number from your receipt ready.

A Big Grove employee will come to greet you, check your ID, and retrieve your order.

Please have the order number from your receipt available.

PRE-SALE SUMMARY

Anything ordered from the Drive-Thru page is available for pick-up only.

You will select your pick up location upon checkout.

Your order will be available for pick-up between 9-11 the following Saturday.

New beers will be released every week.

When you arrive, please stay in your car and have your ID and order number ready.

If you want to add other swag to your order, go for it!

We will have it ready with your order.

CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank (communityhungerbanquet.org), 7 a.m., $50, runs through June 21 Virtual 1 Million Cups Iowa City: Seat Hopper/ Assistance Tech, 1 Million Cups Iowa City (1MillionCupsIC), 9 a.m., Free World Wednesday: Russian Culture Show & Tell with Katya Boltanova and Family, Iowa City Public Library (@icpubliclibrary), 1 p.m., Free Shining the Limelight on Early Cinema and the Midwest, University of Iowa Libraries (@ UofIowaLibraries), 2 p.m., Free Boundaries 9.0, Legion Arts CSPS Hall w/ Dead Coast Presents, 7 p.m., Free ‘Turbo Kid’ Internet Watch Party, Late Shift at the Grindhouse (@ICgrindhouse), 10 p.m., Free

Thu., June 18 Big Grove Brewery & Taproom 1225 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA 319-354-2687

Big Grove Brewpub 101 W Main St, Solon, IA 319-624-2337

No Touching Sessions 05 // Kane Edwards + Tomato Boy, Threshold Apprehension Sound (@ Threshold.Apprehension.Sound, thresholdappsound. com), 8 p.m., Free

Don’t let other people’s opinions win.

NOMINATE July 1–31

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Best live band Best musician overall Best arts presenter Best local theater company Best theatrical production of 2020 Best concert of 2020 Best place to see art Best festival Best local stand-up comedian Best local writer Best local artist Best place to dance Best movie theater Best local recording studio/label Best community music or theater group Best place to see local music Best house/cover band Best improv/comedy troupe Best cultural event Best drag performer Best place for a kid's birthday party Best poet/spoken word artist Best annual event Best radio personality Best radio station Best cheap date Best free fun COMMUNITY Best library Best museum Best historic building Best elected official Best advocate for social justice Best environmental advocate Best local nonprofit or charity Hardest fightin' union Best neighborhood on the rise Best neighborhood for families Best tourist attraction Best yard/garden Best shopping district Best view Best public restroom Best Local Twitter Account Best place to volunteer Best Local Facebook Page Best local hero Best local entrepreneur Best youth sports organization Best private school Best public school Best pandemic adaptation—artist Best pandemic adaptation—business HEALTH & REC Best place to experience nature Best bike trail Best gym

VOTE

Aug. 1–Sept. 30

Best movers Best locally made product

Best fitness instructor Best massage therapist Best LGBTQ hangout Best place to read a book Best place to people-watch Best picnic spot Best campground Best women's health clinic/OBGYN Best mental health services provider Best crisis management service/organization Best aesthetician/dermatologist Best assisted living community/retirement home Best bowling alley Best dentist/orthodontist Best place to play pool Best trivia night Best karaoke night Best bike shop Best sporting goods store Best chiropractor Best pharmacy Best yoga studio Best dog park Best summer camp Best family care physician GOODS & SERVICES Best new business opened in the last year Best retail staff Best vintage or consignment store Best store for gift shopping Best store at which to splurge on yourself Most unique shop Best bank or credit union Most trusted mechanic

Most trusted plumber Best daycare Best roofing company Best HVAC company Best landscaper Best tobacco/vape shop Best shoe store Best musical instrument store Best attorney/law firm Best financial planner/tax service Best insurance agency Best jewelry store Best pet boarding/grooming Best home furnishing store Best bookstore Best pest control Best barber Best hotel Best mortgage/home loan provider Best home remodeler Best appliance store Best eye clinic Best bridal boutique Best comic book/gaming store Best florist Best flooring/carpet store Best garden store Best home improvement store Best record store Best toy store Best store for kids' books Berst house cleaning service Best homebuilder Best antique store Best auto detailing/car wash

FOOD & DRINK Presented by CHOMP Delivery Best restaurant Best cocktail menu Best chef Best bartender Best restaurant staff Best food-scene game-changer Best grocery store Best produce Best farmers market vendor Best CSA Best local farm Best craft brewery Best coffeehouse Best restaurant for delivery Best place for a business lunch Best restaurant to take your parents to Best restaurant for a first date Best pizza Best burger Best fries Best cold treat Best breakfast/brunch Best late-night food Best barbecue Best soul food Best Latin/South American cuisine or market Best European cuisine or market Best Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine or market Best African cuisine or market Best South Asian cuisine or market Best East/Southeast Asian cuisine or market Best seafood Best patio/outdoor dining Best liquor store Best atmosphere Best gluten-free-friendly Best use of local ingredients Best chicken wings Best beer selection Best wine selection Best sushi Best pub food Best dive bar Best bakery (bread) Best bakery (sweets) Best doughnuts Best restaurant to cure your hangover Best tacos Best takeout Most innovative menu Best appetizers/small plates Best ethnic/specialty market Most commendable COVID precaution game Best vegan options

LittleVillageMag.com/CRANDIC

CALENDAR.LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

Fri., June 19

Tue., June 23

Racial Injustice in Iowa and the

Virtual Freedom Festival:

Midwest, University of Iowa Libraries (@

Alisabeth Von Presley

UofIowaLibraries), 2 p.m., Free

Concert, Alisabeth Von Presley (@ AlisabethMakesMusic), 7 p.m., Free

SUSHI?

Online! Friday Night Concert Series:

LET’S ROLL!

Plastic Relations, Summer of the Arts

Wed., June 24

(@summeroftheARTS), 7 p.m., Free

Virtual 1 Million Cups Iowa City: FESTPlug/EthiGal, 1 Million Cups

Juneteenth Trivia Fundraiser

Iowa City (1MillionCupsIC), 9 a.m., Free

LIVE! (Online Pub Quiz), African

Your one-stop for sushi, rice bowls, and ramen...

American Museum of Iowa (@

Lunch & Learn: COVID-19 and

africanamericanmuseumofiowa), 7 p.m.,

the Medical Response across

$10 suggested donation

the Atlantic, National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (@

Out the Box Weekly Reading Series,

czechslovakmuseum), 12 p.m., Free

Mirrorbox Theatre (@MirrorboxTheatre), 8

(registration required)

p.m., Free (registration required)

...plus bubble tea, smoothies, and sake!

227 S Dubuque Street, Iowa City • (319)-351-1800 www.sosekicafe.com

Sat., June 20

World Wednesday: Celebrate the

Iowa City Pride Virtual Parade, Iowa

Fang Wang, Iowa City Public Library

City Pride (@iowacitypride), 11 a.m., Free

(@icpubliclibrary), 1 p.m., Free

Iowa Cyber Brew Festival, Iowa

Selfie Scavenger Hunt (grades

Brewers Guild (virtualbeerfest.org), 1

7-12), Iowa City Public Library (@

p.m., $15-50

icpubliclibrary), 2 p.m., Free

#StayHome Live Virtual Poetry

Garden Guru, Backyard Abundance (@

Reading Series, Indigenous

BackyardAbundance), 4:30 p.m., Free

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival with

Peoples Art Gallery and Cafe (@ indigenouspeoplesartgalleryandcafe), 7

‘Taming of the Shrew,’ Northeast

p.m., Free

Iowa Shakespeare Society (@

Sun., June 21

Northeast-Iowa-Shakespeare-

June Art in the Afternoon: Taissir

Free

Abdelgadir, Artifactory (artifactory.

Thu., June 25

artsiowacity.org), 1 p.m., Free

Society-113542537043884/), 7 p.m.,

David R. Collins Virtual Writers’ Garden Guru, Backyard Abundance (@

Conference, Midwest Writing Center

BackyardAbundance), 3 p.m., Free

(mwcqc.org), 7:30 a.m., $50-260, runs through June 27

Crumbs, Crumbs w/ RyJo & BriJo (@ crumbstheshow), 4 p.m.

FilmScene & ICPL Kanopy discussion, Iowa City Public Library w/

The Iowa Motion Picture Awards

FilmScene (@ICFilmScene), 7 p.m., Free

Showcase: ‘Stout Hearted,’ 6 p.m., Free (registration required)

No Touching Sessions // In the Mouth of Radness,

Zoom Against the Machine, PS1

Threshold Apprehension Sound (@

Media Arts Co-op (@publicspaceone), 7

Threshold.Apprehension.Sound,

p.m., Free

thresholdappsound.com), 8 p.m., Free

Mon., June 22

Fri., June 26

Virtual Freedom Festival: Medallion

Online! Friday Night Concert

Hunt, Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival

Series: Flash in a Pan featuring

(freedomfestival.org), 12 a.m., Free, one

Annie Savage, Summer of the Arts (@

clue each day until medallion is fount

summeroftheARTS), 7 p.m., Free

honest local BBQ

Great for Catering – lunch for a few or dinner for a crowd 1940 Lower Muscatine Rd, Iowa City - 319.354.7427 | 745 Community Dr, North Liberty - 319.665.2486

LUNCH

WITH US PIZZERIA | RISTORANTE

half-portions of handmade pasta, soups, salads, sandwiches and Italian specialties 1 1 - 5 DA I LY 121 Io wa Av enue, Io wa City

319.337.2010 | bastaioJune wacity.com LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 17-30, 2020

37

DEDICATED TO YOUR dream HOME

CREATIVITY CRAFTSMANSHIP CUSTOMER SERVICE

andrewmartinconstruction.com | 319.248.0561 | 1824 G Street

38 June 17-30, 2020 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283

EDITORS’ PICKS Out the Box Weekly Reading Series, Mirrorbox Theatre (@MirrorboxTheatre), 8 p.m., Free (registration required)

Sat., June 27 #StayHome Live Virtual Poetry Reading Series, Indigenous Peoples Art Gallery and Cafe (@indigenouspeoplesartgalleryandcafe), 7 p.m., Free Isolation Improv LIVE, Isolation Improv (@ IsolationImprov), 7 p.m.,

Sun., June 28 Crumbs, Crumbs w/ RyJo & BriJo (@ crumbstheshow), 4 p.m.

The Iowa Motion Picture Awards Showcase: ‘The Ledges—Unbeknown,’ 6 p.m., Free (registration required)

NOW OPEN serving socially-distant

HOT BARBECUE & COLD BEER

Tue., June 30 Try It Out Tuesdays: Native Plants, Iowa City Public Library (@icpubliclibrary), 1 p.m., Free

525 S. GILBERT ST. // IOWA CITY 125 E. ZELLER ST. // NORTH LIBERTY

Gifted Touch HOLISTIC MASSAGE AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

LORY VAN ALLEN L.M.T. 1570 S 1st Ave, Iowa City 319-310-9312

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 39

IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN

MOVIE NIGHT JUST GOT BETTER!

    �

Â?Â? Â? Â? Â?

Magic the Gathering. Video Games.

Warhammer. Warmachine. RPGs. Board Games. X-Wing. Dice. LotR. HeroClix. Miniatures. GoT. Blood Bowl.

L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. Kidrobot Vinyl. Retro toys. Pop vinyl & plushies.

Gaming & collectible supplies.

Huge Magic singles inventory plus we buy/trade MtG cards. Weekly drafts, FNM, league play, and frequent tourneys.

Now buying/selling/trading video games & toys! Bring in your Nintendo Gameboy, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Sega, WiiU, Xbox 360, PS1-2-3, & other used games, consoles, action figures, and toys for cash or trade credit!

Fun atmosphere and great customer service!

115 S. Linn Street (by the Public Library), Iowa City Tel: 319-333-1260; Email: chg@criticalhitgames.net www.criticalhitgames.net @criticalhitgamesiowacity

ADVERTISER INDEX

millions of live & active cultures

that’s a lot of culture, even by iowa city standards

Get 10% off when you mention Little Village

30 HOP (33) ADAMANTINE SPINE MOVING (46) BASTA (37) BIG GROVE BREWERY (34) BLACKSTONE (12) BREWHEMIA (28) THE BROKEN SPOKE (12) CEDAR RAPIDS NEW BOHEMIA / CZECH VILLAGE (21) - MAD MODERN - PARLOR CITY - GOLDFINCH CYCLERY - THE DAISY - RAYGUN - BLACK EARTH GALLERY - NEWBOCO CHOMP (43) CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS (2) CITY OF IOWA CITY (5) THE DANDY LION (38) THE ENGLERT THEATRE (23) FILMSCENE (22) FONG’S PIZZA (46) GIANNA’S ITALIAN BEEF (45) GIFTED TOUCH MASSAGE (39) GRINNELL COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART (31) THE HEARST (51) HONEYBEE HAIR PARLOR (9) IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN (40-41) - RELEASE BODY MODIFICATIONS - IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY - REVIVAL - THE CONVENIENCE STORE - CRITICAL HIT GAMES - THE KONNEXION - WHITE RABBIT - BREAD GARDEN MARKET - RECORD COLLECTOR - BARONCINI - YOTOPIA - TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES IOWA CITY NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE (44) - OASIS FALAFEL - ARTIFACTS - HAMBURG INN NO. 2 - HIGH GROUND - BLUEBIRD

LittleVillageMag.com/Advertising

- DODGE ST. TIRE - HOME EC. - WILLOW & STOCK - JOHN’S GROCERY - R.S.V.P. IOWA CITY SOUTH OF BOWERY (30) - WHITEDOG IMPORT AUTO SERVICE - GOODFELLOW PRINTING, INC. - MUSICIAN’S PRO SHOP - WORLD OF BIKES - THE BROKEN SPOKE - OLD CAPITOL SCREEN PRINTERS IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (11) JIANGHU ASIAN STREET FOOD (48) JIMMY JACK’S RIB SHACK (37) JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS (27) KIM SCHILLIG (52) LINN COUNTY CONSERVATION (48) LYNN WEINSTEIN, REALTOR (46) MATTHEW 25 (7) MAILBOXES OF IOWA CITY (7) MARTIN CONSTRUCTION (38) MICKY’S IRISH PUB (48) MOSLEY’S (39) NATIONAL CZECH & SLOVAK MUSEUM & LIBRARY (36) NEW PIONEER FOOD CO-OP (7) NODO (43) OASIS FALAFEL (50) POP’S BBQ (31) PRAIRIE LIGHTS (29) PUBLIC SPACE ONE (4) PULLMAN BAR & DINER (13) REDS ALEHOUSE (39) RED VESPA (8) SAIGON’S CORNER (8) SANCTUARY (45) SOSEKI (36) SPREAD LOVE NOT VIRUSES (26) ST. BURCH TAVERN (13) TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES (25) TIN ROOST (6) TOYOTA OF IOWA CITY (29) THE WEDGE (27) WIG AND PEN (29) WORLD OF BIKES (15)

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS! l ittlevillag e m ag .co m /adve r tisin g READ • SHARE • SUPPORT 105 S Dubuque St, Iowa City | (319) 519-2104 | tenthousandvillages.com

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 41

Reader Perks: Half-price gift cards to great local businesses Local businesses trade gift cards for advertising in our magazine then we sell them to our loyal readers.

When you purchase a Reader Perk, you double your money at locally owned shops and restaurants, they get an affordable way to get the word out and Little Village gets a little support along the way!

SHOP FOR DEALS: littlevillagemag.com/perks

Broken Spoke $50 for $25

Jimmy Jack’s $25 for $12.50

Fong’s Pizza $20 for $10

Gianna’s Italian Beef $20 for $10

Soseki $20 for $10

FilmScene $20 for $10

Oasis Falafel $20 for $10

Cafe Dodici $20 for $10

Almost Famous Popcorn Company $20 for $10

Design Ranch $50 for $25

Dandy Lion $20 for $10

Raygun $20 for $10

Bluebird $20 for $10

Haunted Bookshop $20 for $10

Micky’s Irish Pub $20 for $10

Home Ec Workshop $20 for $10

Ten Thousand Villages $20 for $10

DEAR KIKI

LittleVillageMag.com/DearKiki

D

LOCAL RESTAURANTS +

LOCAL DELIVERY =

1. ENTER AN ADDRESS 2. SELECT SOME EATS 3. ENJOY VIGOROUSLY

WWW.CHOMP.DELIVERY

ear Kiki, It’s. Not. About. You. I’m a white female, and my It doesn’t matter if you felt out of place at boyfriend is black. This is my the protest. It doesn’t matter if you’re confused first time in an interracial couple. about what role to play in the movement. It We’ve been dating almost four months and doesn’t matter that you don’t want to “sound we’ve been lucky not to experience discrimbad.” This is not your moment. I get that at ination yet. He’s been very active protesting four months, it should be your moment. You since the George Floyd video came out. I should be getting flowers, he should be cookjoined him at a protest but I felt out of place, ing you dinner for the first time, you should even though there were a lot of other white feel like the center of his world. The timing is people there. Of course I believe black lives shitty, no doubt. But if it breaks you, it won’t matter and that video was be the fault of politics sad but I don’t know what (aside: the fact that this IT’S. NOT. ABOUT. YOU. role I should play in the movement has nothing to movement. My boyfriend do with politics is a truth tells me I should keep coming out with him you should spend time investigating irrespecif I support him, but I don’t want to get in tive of this relationship). It will be because the way and I just don’t consider myself an you’re not ready to decenter yourself. activist, so I make excuses like studying or Is that fair? Shit, no. Living through moplans with friends. Plus I don’t want either of ments of seismic societal shift always looks us to get arrested if things get out of hand. My cool in retrospect, but none of us deserve to friend called me a “Karen” when I told her all have our lives disrupted by what’s happening this which didn’t seem fair. How do I tell my in the world around us. That’s where we are, boyfriend I just don’t want to march with him though, and you have a choice to make about without it sounding bad? I don’t want politics how you want to respond to it. Lots of couples to be the thing that breaks us up. face significant crises early in their time toPlease Help, gether. It’s the choices each person makes, not Am I a Karen? the situation, that determines whether it makes them stronger together or drives a wedge beDear Am I a Karen, tween them.

You’re not a Karen. At least, nothing that In the greater scheme of society, it’s not you’ve described fits the definition. In a deabout you. But yours are the only actions you lightful twist of exactly what we’re talking can control. So for the purposes of closing out about, a term that arose with a specific meanthis column, I’m going to make it about you ing on Black Twitter has been whitewashed again. With the knowledge that the world is in and neutralized to become a generic insult, upheaval, this uprising is happening around typically to mean “buzzkill” or someone you whether you like it or not and your boyviewed as selfish. I’m all for the organic evofriend is carrying a heavy burden that he likely lution of language, but sometimes one group doesn’t have the spoons to explain to you right will co-opt a term—or a situation, or a movenow, you need to decide. ment—because it makes them feel uncomWhere do you stand? fortable in a vague way they can’t describe. xoxo, Kiki There’s no malice, usually, but decentering is really, really hard. After a lifetime of being shown otherwise, there’s no easy way to accept that It’s. Not. About. You. Four months isn’t a long time to get to know someone. You might not even know each other’s favorite childhood movie or which Golden Girls you are yet. But you’ve been thrown into a crash course in understanding the deepest, Questions about love and sex in the Iowa most honest and uncomfortable parts of your City-Cedar Rapids area can be submitted boyfriend’s lived experience. There’s nothing to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com, or easy about nurturing a fledgling relationship anonymously at littlevillagemag.com/ under these circumstances. So, if you’re feeldearkiki. Questions may be edited for ing overwhelmed or confused, the good news clarity and length, and may appear either is that these challenges aren’t about you. The in print or online at littlevillagemag.com. bad news?

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS!

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 43

207 NORTH LINN STREET, IOWA CITY 319.338.1332 • WILLOWANDSTOCK.COM

o

s

pa

rt

ie

es

ss

ic

o

cla

br

fa o

o

ya

rn

IOWA CITY NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNEY

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “To hell with pleasure that’s haunted by fear,” wrote Cancerian author Jean de La Fontaine. I’ll make that one of my prayers for you in the coming weeks. It’s a realistic goal you can achieve and install as a permanent improvement in your life. While you’re at it, work on the following prayers, as well: 1. To hell with bliss that’s haunted by guilt. 2. To hell with joy that’s haunted by worry. 3. To hell with breakthroughs that are haunted by debts to the past. 4. To hell with uplifts that are haunted by other people’s pessimism.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Experiment #1: As you take a walk in nature, sing your five favorite songs from beginning to end, allowing yourself to fully feel all the emotions those tunes arouse in you. Experiment #2: Before you go to sleep on each of the next 11 nights, ask your dreams to bring you stories like those told by the legendary Scheherazade, whose tales were so beautiful and engaging that they healed and improved the lives of all those who heard them. Experiment #3: Gaze into the mirror and make three promises about the gratifying future you will create for yourself during the next 12 months.

375 3RD ST. SE, CEDAR RAPIDS (319) 200-2994 ORDER ONLINE AT:

WWW.GIANNASBEEF.COM @GIANNASBEEF

WE DO CURBSIDE & CARRYOUT! 1/2 PRICE PIZZAS EVERY SUNDAY ALL 27 TAP BEERS AVAILABLE TO GO! SANCTUARYPUB.COM /ORDER-ONLINE (319) 351-5692 • 405 S GILBERT ST, IOWA CITY

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night is one of the world’s most treasured paintings. It has had a prominent place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art since 1941. If it ever came up for sale it would probably fetch over $100 million. But soon after he created this great masterpiece, van Gogh himself called it a “failure.” He felt the stars he’d made were too big and abstract. I wonder if you’re engaging in a comparable underestimation of your own. Are there elements of your life that are actually pretty good, but you’re not giving them the credit and appreciation they deserve? Now’s a good time to reconsider and re-evaluate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Now is a favorable time to make adjustments in how you allocate your attention—to re-evaluate what you choose to focus on. Why? Because some people, issues, situations and experiences may not be worthy of your intense care and involvement, and you will benefit substantially from redirecting your fine intelligence in more rewarding directions.

To empower your efforts, study these inspirational quotes: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” —philosopher Simone Weil. “Attention is the natural prayer of the soul.” —philosopher Nicolas Malebranche.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Marianne Moore’s poem “O To Be a Dragon,” begins with the fantasy, “If I, like Solomon, could have my wish ...” What comes next? Does Moore declare her desire to be the best poet ever? To be friends with smart, interesting, creative people? To be admired and gossiped about for wearing a tricorn hat and black cape as she walked around Greenwich Village near her home? Nope. None of the above. Her wish: “O to be a dragon, a symbol of the power of Heaven—of silk-worm size or immense; at times invisible. Felicitous phenomenon!” In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to be inspired by Moore in the coming weeks. Make extravagant wishes for lavish and amusing powers, blessings and fantastic possibilities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Poems, like dreams, are a sort of royal road to the unconscious,” writes author Erica Jong.

“They tell you what your secret self cannot express.” I invite you to expand that formula so it’s exactly suitable for you in the coming weeks. My sense is that you are being called to travel the royal road to your unconscious mind so as to discover what your secret self has been unable or unwilling to express. Poems and dreams might do the trick for you, but so might other activities.

For example: sexual encounters between you and a person you respect and love; or an intense night of listening to music that cracks open the portal to the royal road. Any others? What will work best for you?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.” Capricorn hero Martin Luther King Jr. said that, and now I’m conveying it to you. In my astrological opinion, his formula is a strategy that will lead you to success in the coming weeks. It’ll empower you to remain fully open and receptive to the fresh opportunities flowing your way, while at the same time you’ll remain properly skeptical about certain flimflams and delusions that may superficially resemble those fresh opportunities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “If it makes you nervous— you’re doing it right,” says the daring musician and actor Donald Glover. Personally, I don’t think that’s true in all situations. I’ve found that on some occasions, my nervousness stems from not being fully authentic or being less than completely honest. But I do think Glover’s formula fully applies to your efforts in the coming weeks, Aquarius.

I hope you will try new things that will be important to your future, and/or work to master crucial skills you have not yet mastered. And if you’re nervous as you carry out those heroic feats, I believe it means you’re doing them right.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author Patricia Hampl understands a lot about the epic tasks of trying to know oneself and be oneself. She has written two memoirs, and some of her other writing draws from her personal experiences, as well. And yet she confesses, “Maybe being oneself is always an acquired taste.” She suggests that it’s often easier to be someone you’re not; to adopt the ways of other people as your own; to imitate what you admire rather than doing the hard work of finding out the truth about yourself. That’s the bad news, Pisces. The good news is that this year has been and will continue to be a very favorable time to ripen into the acquired taste of being yourself. Take advantage of this ripening opportunity in the coming weeks!

ARIES (March 21-April 19): My Aries friend Lavinia told me, “The fight I’m enjoying most lately is my fight to resist the compulsion to fight.” I invite you to consider adopting that attitude for the foreseeable future. Now and then, you Rams do seem to thrive on conflict, or at least use it to achieve worthy deeds—but the coming weeks will not be one of those times. I think you’re due for a phase of sweet harmony.

The more you cultivate unity and peace and consensus, the healthier you’ll be. Do you dare act like a truce-maker, an agreement-broker and a connoisseur of rapport?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask,” wrote physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn. That’s always true, of course, but it’s especially true for you right now. I recommend that you devote substantial amounts of your earthy intelligence to the task of formulating the three most important questions for you to hold at the forefront of your awareness during the rest of 2020. If you do, I suspect you will ultimately receive answers that are useful, interesting and transformative.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “A finished person is a boring person,” writes author Anna Quindlan. I agree! Luckily, you are quite unfinished, and thus not at all boring—especially these days. More than ever before, you seem willing to treat yourself as an art project that’s worthy of your creative ingenuity—as a work-in-progress that’s open to new influences and fresh teachings. That’s why I say your unfinishedness is a sign of good health and vitality. It’s delightful and inspiring. You’re willing to acknowledge that you’ve got a lot to learn and more to grow. In fact, you celebrate that fact; you exult in it; you regard it as a key part of your ever-evolving identity.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 45

NEED A MOVER? CALL THE SPINE! ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Local and interstate 5-star reviews on Yelp, Google, and Facebook Full-service packing Custom crating Licensed and insured Small business with big employee benefits

Asian-inspired & traditional pizzas UNIQUE APPETIZERS & SANDWICHES

IOWA BEERS ON DRAFT CEDAR RAPIDS’ ONLY TIKI BAR

1006 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids 319. 32 0 . 99 92 fo n g sp izza . co m For an honest quote, visit www.spinemoving.com/moving-quotes

FONGSCR

FONGSpizzaCedarRapids

LOCAL ALBUMS

Paul Cary Raven FACEBOOK.COM/PAULCARYMUSIC

P

aul Cary makes raggedy, broken music. His guitar sounds are dirty, distorted and low-fi. Drummer Johnathan Crawford sounds like he’s banging on a briefcase. Cary’s nasal voice puts the mixer in the red, surrounding every accented syllable with a cloud of fuzz.

“Snake In the Grass,” the opening track on his 2020 release, Raven, drips with menace.

It starts with a simile—“I’ve been waiting like a snake in the grass, waiting for this mess to pass”—that gets more literally snakey as he sings, “I can smell with the tip of my tongue, don’t have to see shit I can feel it coming on.” The downtempo backing of electric piano and guitar somehow brings to mind both the alt-country sound of Wilco and the fuzzy, relentless chugging of the Velvet Underground.

On “Ginger,” Cary’s voice alternately snarls and yodels, set against echoing synth strings.

Every guitarist learns all the pentatonic blues riffs growing up, but he wrings something deep out of them, something that leans in close to you. The doubled acoustic and fuzzed-out electric guitar parts slink around inside the cage of the primitive drumming.

Title track “Raven” is an instrumental, constructed around a rising and falling modal melody and an octave-jumping rhythm pattern on the low strings of his

Submit albums for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque St., IC, IA 52240

guitar. The lack of a lyric does nothing to diminish the disquieting emotion the song conveys. Again he doubles bright acoustic picking with a darker, fuzzed-out guitar. Once you hear that sound, you want to hear more of it.

“Just Walkin” revisits a common trope of Americana, the lone figure walking. Think Johnny Cash’s “Walk The Line.”

This has the same chords as Lou Reed’s “Heroin.” But Cary always adds his own twist that elevates it from the familiar. His lonely walker sees others who are together, but just as lonely: “I see couples not in love bound by fear of the unknown.”

“82nd Avenue” is a peak moment on Raven, sounding a bit like Krautrock, with repetitive guitar, organ and drums that drive the song like a locomotive.

About halfway through, some frenetic, atonal cello kicks in, illustrating one of Cary’s best qualities: The songs start out good, but just when you think you’re onto his game, he goes deeper and weirder.

The album closer, “Possum,” plays an unadorned acoustic guitar against Cary’s voice drowned in reverb. It rubs weird against your ears. The guitar sounds like your brother sitting on a bed strumming, but the vocals sound as though he’s singing from the bottom of a well.

This is not devious or tricky music. Cary writes traditionally structured songs, and the band’s sound is utilitarian, simple and grimy. Some artists are satisfied to do that well and leave it at that. Cary goes beyond by finding unexpected left turns to take while everyone else would keep driving straight. On Raven, Paul Cary makes the unexpected feel inevitable. You can’t really ask for a more unsettling yet pleasurable listen.

—Kent Williams

Dante Powell The Squirrels Get Fat STAND UP! RECORDS

C

omedian Dante Powell presents the Midwestern life in a hilarious and delightfully new way on his debut album The Squirrels Get Fat. Powell has lived in Iowa since 2012, after moving from Louisiana for a relationship that didn’t last long once he arrived in the Hawkeye State. Much of The Squirrels Get Fat is about the cultural learning curve that comes with his newfound home. The album has received a warm reaction by comedy fans, even hitting number one on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

Powell creates an album that speaks to an often overlooked aspect in much of the entertainment industry: the weirdness of Midwestern life. Powell’s album spotlights the bizarre backstory of Des Moines’ Merle Hay Mall; his newly discovered knowledge about Iowa corn; and his perspective-altering experience with an overweight tree squirrel.

“I moved to Iowa six years ago for a girl I was madly in love with, and she dumped me as soon as I got here,” Powell riffs. “But I don’t give a fuck at all, because I never connected with her the way I connected with that fat-ass squirrel.”

Powell takes the audience through the struggles of his new home, his journey to self-betterment and what he does when he gets homesick for Louisiana.

“When you’re away from home and you miss home you just go to the southern embassy to be around people who remind you of home,” Powell said. “Oh sorry, I messed this joke up, I said ‘the southern embassy.’ I meant Walmart.”

Powell speaks on his journey moving to Iowa as an AfricanAmerican Southerner and the shock it caused not just himself but his family. Jokes center around the bizarreness of a voicemail left by Powell’s father about Iowa Rep. Steve King in a hilarious example of Powell’s observational style. Another great bit from this album is Powell’s first experience with seasons.

“We don’t have seasons in Louisiana, sir,” Powell says.

“We have humidity and hurricanes, and guess what? During hurricanes it just humid as shit so bam, back to one.”

The album, recorded during the 2019 Floodwater Comedy Festival in Iowa City, also covers examples of fast food corporatations’ pettiness, sex robots and an imagined Martin Luther King Jr. walking into a Walmart.

Powell offers so many sides of himself and his humor that there is something for everyone in the 49-minute record.

Powell has a warmth in his comedy, so much that it feels like you’re being told these jokes in a small group at a party.

His humor is goofy, intimate and often absurd. Powell’s comedic style will speak to Iowa natives and non-natives alike. He finds humor in parts of life that much of Iowa’s population overlooks.

I saw Powell perform earlier this year, and now, after hearing his first full-length comedy album, it’s safe to say that I am excited to see whatever else is in store for the Des Moines comic.

—Austin J. Yerington

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 47

Jiang Hu

Asian Street Food C R E AT I V E S E R V I C E S

We are a full-service design agency working with clients to build effective media strategies.

• DIGITAL MARKETING • CONTENT MARKETING • VIDEO • PHOTOGRAPHY • GRAPHIC DESIGN • WEB DESIGN

3 19.855.1 474 littlevillagecreative.com

Hand-Pulled Noodles • MaLatang •Asian Barbuque 110 E Court St, Iowa City • 319.569.1733 JIANGHUIC AWARDED BEST PUB 2015, 2016 & 2018

KITCHEN NOW OPEN UNTIL 1AM THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY

LOCAL BOOKS

Carol Tyx Remaking Achilles: Slicing Into Angola’s History HIDDEN RIVER

O

rdinarily I read one poem in a collection at a time and digest—give each piece special attention. Remaking Achilles is different. I read it in one sitting.

And then I read it again, sure that with a second read I would find some solution to the questions it raises.

Written by Carol Tyx, a professor emeritus of Mt. Mercy University who runs a book club at Anamosa State Penitentiary, Remaking Achilles could not have come at a better time. As the U.S. (with support from protesters around the world) erupts with demands for racial equity and an end to police brutality, I found myself inside a painful, prescient narrative of the early days of the prison-industrial complex.

With an obvious understanding of poetic form and narrative, Tyx lays out a history in chronological order, using direct quotes and found poetry from her subjects to make this story tangible. Her poetry speaks for key players in Angola State Prison (in Angola, Louisiana; the inspiration for private, for-profit prisons) from 1844-1951, centering on a series of events in 1951 in which inmates cut into their own Achilles tendons in order to avoid the labor they were assigned, which led consistently to torture and often to death.

The inmates whose exact words Tyx interweaves in italics frequently quote prison staff threatening them with death. In the poem “William

Submit books for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque St., IC, IA 52240

Richardson Reading Hamlet In Charity Hospital, New Orleans,” Richardson gives three separate instances of such threats before the closing stanza: “I am twenty-two, ten months left on my 18-month sentence / for trying to buy an ounce of marijuana— which by the way / is easier to get in prison than out / I didn’t know if I was going to wind up stick-simple / from getting beat on, or scalped, like some I saw / or dead. What good would a parole do then?”

While Tyx explores the spectrum of humanity when faced with cruel reality, she’s also forcing a mirror to her audience.

The injustices the inmates faced in 1951 are still happening. One of the first poems, titled “How To Make A Plantation Prison,” reads like a leaked instruction manual for police departments in 2020 that could end up on a protest sign, “When more than a hundred prisoners die in a year, / increase arrests.”

(These men wanted proper toilets and not to be murdered.

How much has the prison system really changed since then?)

Part of this book’s effectiveness is in the building of the full narrative (making it tricky to tease out many representative quotes). The reader gets hooked on a spectacle of cruelty, only to find that there are no good intentions among those in power. But there are heroes here among both inmates and the “free.” Journalists battle with politicians while clergy and medics beg wardens for mercy.

The volume ends on a high note—“they named me / Achilles.

Best name I ever been called”— but the book is enduringly haunted.

Seventy years from the rebellion, I can’t feel certain that any of the reforms eventually granted to Angola were enough. Tyx’s painstaking research is obvious, immersive, unavoidable and functions as a call to action. May hindsight grant change.

—Sarah Eglatian

R.E. Lane Hunker in my Bunker SELF-PUBLISHED

I

n the midst of the first full month of pandemic-induced sheltering, Iowans across the state were looking for ways to make sense of their situation.

I’m talking deep April, when we all started realizing that there was no quick and easy way out of this. When the itch to socialize was becoming unbearable.

When we began to wonder if we’d get to experience spring.

IT’S NOT A WAY OF EXPLAINING TO A CHILD, PER SE, BUT AN ATTEMPT TO HELP A CHILD PROCESS. One thing that marked that time most distinctly was the realization on the part of parents that we were going to need to find a way to help our children through something that we hadn’t fully gotten a grasp on ourselves.

It was in that confusion that Iowa City artist and writer R.E. Lane found her creative space.

Released May 5, Hunker in my Bunker: When it’s time to stay inside is a charming children’s book that gives voice to the experiences of a young child weathering an extended isolation. The reasoning is ambiguous—there is sickness in the book, but all in all, it’s aiming for a child’s imperfect perception of what is going on in the world of the pandemic. It’s not a way of explaining to a child, per

se, but an attempt to help a child process.

The book is filled with coping skills couched in clever rhyme.

“Today I’ll wear pajamas / But tomorrow I’ll dress up,” Lane writes. “When you’re hunkered in your bunker, / You’ve just got to switch it up.” (Perhaps this serves as a good lesson for the ostensible adults among us as well, types your reviewer, at noon, in pajamas and not, sadly, a dragon costume.)

Lane’s interesting conceit in the publishing of this book is that there are seven different versions available. She iterated her story with different looks for the central character, so that children of a variety of races and backgrounds could see themselves in the tale. Without having purchased them all, it looks from the covers as though at least two are male characters, the rest female (the story is all in first-person, with no gendered pronouns referring to the narrator), with a wide cross-section of hair colors and skin tones.

There’s no denying that it’s important for children to see characters they can identify with in the works that they read. But the presence of so many options serves also to highlight the families that aren’t represented— there is a Mama and a Daddy in the book, for example, and both are the same coloring as the child. There are also a grandpa and a younger sibling, locking the story into a specificity that limits the child’s self-insertion.

But the effort, though imperfect, is intriguing. And the book itself, publishing conceit aside, is sweet enough that any child should be able to relate.

The honeyed hopefulness is the right dash of optimism for this point in history. And the tender moments—the look of concern on the dog’s face when the child is sick, for example—land beautifully.

—Genevieve Trainor

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 49

L E F LA

A F E TH

ity C a w et, Io

re

St n n i L .

N 6 0 2

T N I JO

T TIME 1

2

BY PAT R I C K B L I N D AU E R 3

4

5

6

7

8

The American Values Club Crossword is edited by Ben Tausig.

9

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

24

25

10

22

26

27

30

31

33

34

11

12

13

67. Exclamation after reading a super 4YEO text, say 68. Theological principle 69. Gets hard 70. Urchin’s home 71. Bill & ___ ...

23 28

29

32 35

36

37 38

39

40

41

42

49

43

44

50

51

53

45

46

47

48

52 54

55

56

61

62

57

58

59

60

63

64

66

67

68

69

70

ACROSS 1. Parade member in rhinestones, often 6. “I swear!”

9. Able to control oneself, in a way 14. “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve 15. Miracle follower?

16. Work with marble or foam, in a way 17. Command to one mugging 18. Taylor Swift’s “___ Song”

65

71

19. Rack bearers 20. The Pretenders’ “Hymn to ___” 21. Climate activist Thunberg 23. Birth control option, briefly 24. Connected 27. Frank 30. Trap 32. Island city on San Francisco Bay 33. Paulson of American Horror Story

34. Spinoff video channel that played Prince’s “1999” for 24 hours on January 1, 1999 36. Less genteel 37. Letters from ___ Jima (2006 film) 38. Campaigning concern 43. Like some pitches called balls 44. Hydroelectric power generator 49. Gelato-based dessert 51. Reputation 53. Crime that Galileo was

LittleVillageMag.com

charged with 54. Turns way up, as music 55. Wrestler Anderson or sports exec Tellem 56. St. Louis setting 60. Letters after some dates 61. Connor of *Gossip Girl* or painter Veronese 63. Snowden’s former org.

64. Tony-winner for Best Musical between Sweeney Todd and 42nd Street 66. Exercise performed while pedaling

mascot animal introduced in 2019 31. Zola who penned the letter “J’Accuse...!”

32. Says for certain 35.

38. Some avian formations 39. Repair an organ, perhaps 40.

41. Spanish letter between ele and ene 42. Namesake of an L.A. chicken-and-waffles chain 44. Apple ticket-holding app 45. One-time connector 46.

47. Made upstanding 48. Moves away from the bathroom, maybe 50. Bill who modeled his career after Mr. Wizard 52. Sked placeholder 57. Some mil. members 58.

59. Sitarist’s selection 62. Church based in SLC 65. Toy checker

DOWN 1. Some board members 2. Neighbor of Georgia 3.

4. Cruet contents 5. General heading when hugging the Atlantic coast of the U.S. en route to Maine 6. Young Frankenstein role 7.

8. Divide up, as the laundry 9 Surfaces, e.g.

10. Morsel for Seabiscuit 11.

12. Listings mag first published in 1953 13. Phrase of assent, in a relationship 21. Pomade alternative 22. Choire Sicha’s former website, with “The” (it had nothing to do with punching holes in leather) 25. Smashing Pumpkins co-founder James LV282 ANSWERS T S A R A C T AGA R A I N 26. Dramatic S T R A DD L E RUN I C K Y form whose name P R I MA DON K I T T R E E E R A S E R L I Z Z O comes from the J A N K E T A T G I S N L Japanese for MOD S U B S T I T U T E T E A CH A R I T Y T R A I L I NG “talent” UNMA D E S I S I I C E S 28. Body part ME S HCOMP L E X E D A M E I N E E X I S T S where it’s always, L O N EWO L F S N A R L A T no matter what B E ND I T L I K E H AM A P U A S U S T S I V E I AMS music is playing, A DHOC R E S E ND hammer time BO L O MA P N AME DROP S I T S T I L L 29. Liberty Mutual ST AT YL EL NA EP ET O D S ODD S

works so large you’ll be six feet apart

Lasansky Collection

Now through June 27 www.thehearst.org 304 west seerley blvd cedar falls 319.273.8641 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV283 June 17-30, 2020 51

Free Family Fun Follow us on Facebook for weekly programming info and updates!

All kinds of

ARTS

JAZZ MOVIES MUSIC

& FUN for all kinds of people

Kim Schillig, Lepic-Kroeger Realtor, is proud to support Summer of the Arts LICENSED TO SELL IN IOWA

www.summeroftheARTS.org