Little Village Eastern Iowa issue 318: May 2023

ON VIEW NOW

Glory, 1981 Museum purchase with support from the Joyce P. Summerwill Art Fund, 2022.1

Elizabeth Catlett

©2022 Catlett Mora Family Trust/Licensed by VAGA at Artist Rights Society (ARS), NY.

Homecoming is supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

LittleVillageMag.com/

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001

LittleVillageMag.com

20

Out of the Closets...

Ignored or despised, queer Iowans in the ’70s and ’80s asserted their right to space, safety and culture.

30

40 years of Summer

Another Summer of the Arts is upon Iowa City, playing all the hits: art, music, food, films and fresh air.

33

Iowa City, Present Day

The Odd Couple meets Breaking Bad in Riverside’s latest production, set here in town.

6 Top Stories

8 Ad Index

14 Interactions

17 Time Capsule Dale

19 Fully Booked

20 Community

26 Your Village

28 Bread & Butter

30 Prairie Pop

33 A-List

34 Events Calendar

47 Dear Kiki

49 Astrology

51 Local Album Reviews

55 Local Book Reviews

59 Crossword

Little Village (ISSN 2328-3351) is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City, published monthly by Little Village, LLC, 623 S Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community according to 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.

Subscriptions: lv@littlevillagemag.com. The US annual subscription price is $120. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@ littlevillagemag.com. To browse back issues, visit us online at issuu.com/littlevillage.

POWERED BY SMOKEY ROW COFFEE

SAVE, SHARE OR RECYCLE

Support Little Village

Venmo: @littlevillagemag

PayPal: lv@littlevillagemag.com

Become a sustaining member: littlevillagemag.com/support

Reader support helps make Little Village a resource that everyone in the community can access and enjoy for free. Become a sustaining member at the $10/month level or more for a free copy delivered to your door each month!

The Gay Liberation Front rides in the 1970 Homecoming parade. Image courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives, UI Libraries.

EDITORIAL

Publisher

Genevieve Trainor genevieve@littlevillagemag.com

Editor-in-Chief

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

Arts and Culture Editor

Isaac Hamlet isaac@littlevillagemag.com

News Director

Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Art and Production Director

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Photographer, Designer

Sid Peterson sid@littlevillagemag.com

Multimedia Journalist

Courtney Guein courtney@littlevillagemag.com

Spanish Language Editor

Summer Santos

Calendar/Event Listings calendar@littlevillagemag.com

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

May Contributors

Anne Mangano, Avery Gregurich, Becca Gorman, Christopher Burns, Claire Thoele, Dan Ray, Don McLeese, Jay Goodvin, John Martinek, Kelsey Conrad, Kembrew McLeod, Lauren Haldeman, Michael Roeder, Mike Kuhlenbeck, Quiara Vasquez, Rob Cline, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Tom Brazelton, Tom Tomorrow

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001

LittleVillageMag.com

PRODUCTION

Digital Director

Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

Marketing Analytics Coordinator Malcolm MacDougall malcolm@littlevillagemag.com

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

President, Little Village, LLC Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com

Advertising

Genevieve Trainor, Joseph Servey, Malcolm MacDougall, Matthew Steele ads@littlevillagemag.com

Creative Services

Website design, E-commerce, Publication design creative@littlevillagemag.com

CIRCULATION

Distribution Manager Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

Distribution

Bill Rogers, Ellen Keplinger, Ethan Edvenson, Huxley Madeline, Justin Comer, Sam Standish distro@littlevillagemag.com

OFFICES

Little Village HQ, LV Creative Services 623 S Dubuque St Iowa City, IA 52240 319-855-1474

Little Village—Des Moines

900 Keosauqua Way, Ste 253 Des Moines, IA 50309

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @LittleVillageMag Instagram @LittleVillageMag Twitter @LittleVillage

Meet this month’s contributors:

Adria Carpenter is a freelance journalist based in Minneapolis, and a Little Village staff reporter from August 2021 to April 2023.

Anne Wilmoth is a children’s and collection services librarian at Iowa City Public Library. Her favorite local hiking trail is at F.W. Kent County Park.

Avery Gregurich is a writer living and writing at the edge of the Iowa River in Marengo.

Dan Ray (she/her) is a journalist, musician, model and 1994 Aquarius. You can connect with her through IG (@heyimdanray) or by emailing her at heyimdanray@ gmail.com.

Jav Ducker is a graphic designer and photographer living Cedar Rapids. He is curious about all things visual. He’s also always hangry.

LittleVillageMag.com/

Jav Ducker / LV

Issue 318 , Volume 2 May 2023

Cover by Jav Ducker

In this issue, LV kicks off a threepart May series on Iowa City queer history of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, while exploring why the governor is trying to restrict HIV/ AIDS education in 2023. Plus: An historic Davenport brewpub, 40 years of Iowa Arts Fest and more!

John Martinek is a visual artist that works on channeling his anger and frustration into cartoons, and is still learning how to draw.

Kelsey Conrad is a contributor to Prairie Schooner and a freelance editorial assistant based out of Iowa City.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.

Tom Brazelton is a freelance writer based in the Des Moines area. He’s always on the search for new music.

Culture writers, food reviewers and columnists, email: editor@littlevillagemag.com

Illustrators, photographers and comic artists, email: jordan@littlevillagemag.com

From the Newsletter

Four of the top stories featured last month in the LV Daily, Little Village’s weekday afternoon email written by Paul Brennan. Subscribe at littlevillagemag.com/support

Under Bird, the Iowa aG office has stopped covering emergency contraception for sexual assault survivors

Saturday, April 8

April is Sexual Assault and Awareness Month, and Iowa’s new attorney general, Brenna Bird, has been advertising her support in social media posts. Meanwhile, Iowa Public Radio reports that Bird has halted a 33-year-old program supplying Iowa rape victims with emergency contraception while she “carefully evaluat[es] whether this is an appropriate use of public funds.”

Iowa City receives the nation’s leading anti-trans personality with trans-affirming chalk, chants, music and disruption

Thursday, April 20 (By Emma McClatchey)

Hundreds of LGBTQ people and allies—including University of Iowa students, antifascists and a pep band—protested Daily Wire host Matt Walsh’s event at the IMU Wednesday evening. They were determined, but full of good cheer, as they rallied against a man who considers trans people “the greatest evil our country faces,” and disseminates this message daily to an audience of millions.

Iowa Legislature OKs Reynolds’ remaining education restrictions

Monday, April 24

Republicans in the Iowa Senate passed a bill to complete the governor’s education priorities for 2023, including: requiring written permission from parents before a teacher or school can acknowledge a trans or nonbinary student’s identity; preventing teachers from acknowledging LGBTQ people in any lesson before 7th grade; and removing library books conservative activists find objectionable.

Iowa Senate Republicans maintain status quo spending on state parks, water quality improvements

Wednesday, April 26

No state has less public land, such as parks or nature preserves, than Iowa, and the new budget bill approved by state Senate Republicans makes sure it stays that way. And despite the heavy nitrate load from agricultural run-off polluting the state’s waterways, the Senate majority also wants to restrict efforts to address the condition of Iowa rivers.

80/35 (34)

Adamantine Spine Moving (49)

Arnott & Kirk (59)

City of Iowa City Communications (18)

CommUnity (43)

Coralville Public Library (56)

FilmScene (17)

Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (27)

Grinnell College Museum of Art (34)

Independent Iowa Downtown Iowa City (10-11)

- The Green House

- Release Body Modifications

- Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe

- Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing

- Critical Hit Games

- Record Collector

- Yotopia

- Beadology

- Mailboxes

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S

- Basic Goods

- Fix!

- Revival

Independent Iowa Northside Marketplace (22-23)

- Marco’s Island

- High Ground

- John’s Grocery

- Oasis Falafel

- Russ’ Northside Service

- Pagliai’s Pizza

- R.S.V.P.

- George’s

- Artifacts

- Press Coffee

- Dodge St. Tire

Independednt Iowa New Bohemia & Czech Village co-op (29)

- Next Page Books

- SOKO Outfitters

- Goldfinch Cyclery

- NewBoCo

- The Daisy

- Cobble Hill

Indian Creek Nature Center (45)

Iowa City Climate Action (18)

Iowa City Police Log (4)

Iowa City Public Library (35)

Iowa Department of Public Health (58)

Iowa Metaphysical Fair (39)

Iowa Public Radio (41)

KRUI 89.7 FM (31)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (27)

La Wine Bar & Restaurant (35)

Linn County Conservation (25)

Martin Construction (9)

Medical Reserve Corps Johnson County (39)

Mesa 503 (9)

Musician’s Pro Shop (27)

Nearwood Winery & Vineyards (45)

New Pioneer Food Co-op (7)

Nodo (31)

Orchestra Iowa (60)

Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (54)

Public Space One (12)

Raygun (16)

Riverside Theatre (41)

Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (43)

Taxes Plus (48)

The Club Car (43)

The James Theater (37)

Trowel & Error (25)

University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts (48)

University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (2)

Vino Vérité (50)

West Music (37)

Wig & Pen (49)

Willow & Stock (39)

World of Bikes (32)

Who reads Little Village?

Magic the Warhammer.Gathering.Warmachine.

Board Games. X-Wing. HeroClix. Miniatures. L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. 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 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

Always buying & selling quality vinyl records, CDs & turntables.

LittleVillageMag.com

Letters & Interactions

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.

It’s full steam ahead for Iowa City Starbucks employees moving to unionize (April 6)

“…in the past few months where us as a store have tried to take safety precautions due to biohazard exposure or active shooters on campus, but management had instead instructed us to remain open despite our concerns”. I can’t believe staff had to deal with that.

—Roman S.

Under Bird, the Iowa AG office has stopped covering emergency

contraception for sexual assault survivors (April 8)

Jesus, we have a billion sittin around.

—Kathy L.

What’s not appropriate use of public funds? These are rape victims. Have we sunk this low? —Dennis

J.

I’m pretty sure the conclusion of her “careful evaluation” will be to punish rape victims further and deny them contraception. —Mary

Beth M.

Well, when you’re forking out

millions of dollars for people to send their kids to private religious schools ya gotta save money wherever you can… —Larry

M.

This constituent thinks it’s absolutely an appropriate use of public funds. I mean, aren’t they trying to limit abortions anyway!? What an moron. —Krystal L.E.

So tired of the pseudochristians using their political positions to force others to live under their beliefs. —Ricky

W.

Workers behind the scenes of Iowa’s biggest productions seek ‘voice, power and protection’ through unions (April 10)

It’s about time that the people who make the shows happen at the Englert get pay and benefits that the rest of the Englert staff get. They have to be there from beginning until end. —Joe

Murphy (Murphy Sounds, Iowa City)

There’s no good reason to keep stage employees (IATSE) and music artists (AGMA) separated. If they work in literally the same building for the same employer, they have the same interests. Siloing them off into their own separate labor organizations only weakens the power of organized labor. One big union y’all. —Rickey W.

These people are huge reason our community is as great as it is - happy to see them working towards getting the pay and benefits they deserve. —B.W.G.

Sharon Malheiro, attorney who helped win marriage equality for Iowans, has died (April 11)

What a loss. We’re so fortunate that she worked so tirelessly as an advocate and as an attorney for LGBT people in this state. We need One Iowa more than ever

/LittleVillage READER POLL:

A Utah-based company is purchasing Kum & Go. If they decide to rebrand, what should the new name be?

Sharon is the primary reason Iowa won marriage equality, especially as early as we did. —Kate

I was an admin assistant at the same firm, and worked down the hall from her. I vividly remember the day the Iowa Supreme Court decided on marriage equality. She was so happy! She will be missed. —A.N.C.

I’ve known her more than half my life and I just feel like this huge vacuum suddenly took her place in my life. —Rivkah

May her memory be a blessing. —LJ Y.

with

MOMBOY LAUREN HALDEMAN

Iowa Supreme Court rejects Gov. Reynolds’ attempt to have open records

PERSONALS

Jerry Springer is dead, but Springer is just getting started. A 2-year-old terrier and “well-traveled Carolina boy,” according to his compatriots at the Iowa City Animal Center, Springer seeks adventure for the body and mind. He’s been attending classes at Spot & Co to sharpen his skills, but true enlightenment won’t be reached until he can transcend the shelter for good. Can you handle these sophisticated zoomies? Inquire at 319-356-5295.

Send

lawsuit thrown out (April 18)

It should be telling, and a red flag for ALL, when someone fights against oversight. It’s also incredibly odd that she has made a habit of turning down federal funds - millions, if not more, of federal funds that would be life changing for some Iowans. Why, when she is cutting funding across the board and making getting funds much harder for those already struggling, would she then turn away millions of dollars?! I’m curious if there is oversight that comes with the spending of federal funds and that’s why she doesn’t want to accept them, because she would then be forced to be transparent about how they were used?! I’m speculating but… only because…nothing she’s doing lately makes any sense. This SNAP benefit thing is just…cruel. —Nicole P.

Iowa City receives the nation’s leading anti-trans personality with transaffirming chalk, chants, music and disruption (April 20)

They didn’t seem all too prepared for being shouted at as much as they weresome people even left their place in line and didn’t return. Meeting their hostility with likewise hostility works, it tells them to stay home, to not bother. Keep it up, because hate is a restless thing so we cant afford to go easy now. —B.Y.

Sending love to these young people. History is documenting bigotry in real time. —Ebony

H.

“No single demonstration, even Higgins’ pie, brought down Bryant. But each one galvanized a community against an enemy, and little by little, made the whole sideshow look sillier.” I hope Iowa City set a good example of this strategy last night. —Maggie

H.

Gorgeous and truthful coverage of @ uiowa students rallying to oppose the platforming of a vile fascist. The protrans pep band played Green Day to drown out hate, giving extremely 2023 The Music Man. —Jenny

S.

Article pulled zero punches, we love to

see it. —Mars H.

The right wing needs to realize it’s not just about trans people. It’s about the supposed “debate” - they have no say in defining the rights of others which they consider inalienable for themselves. We don’t owe them a debate. —Randy P.

Right? They all say people should debate him. And then

STRESS FRACTURES

Jav Ducker / LV

at the actual event, there was no debate. The people who didn’t agree with him either had their mic taken away or the mic conveniently wasn’t working.

—L.B.G.

To my knowledge, @ LittleVillage is the only Iowa news outlet that covered Matt Walsh’s UI visit and mentioned his endorsement of the white supremacist great replacement

JOHN MARTINEK

Time Capsule Dale

Meet LV’s newest columnist—a Gen X townie who goes to bed in the ’90s and wakes up in modern day IC/CR.

Ifinally got my 1978 Impala back up and running, so I figure I’ll test its grit and drive up to North Liberty, away from the hubbub of graduation week in Iowa City. There seem to be a lot more Hawkeyes these days, or is it just me? Taking the Coralville Strip, I try to focus on the lines on the road and not the fact hardly a thing is recognizable. The PennySaver, Long John Silver’s, Sluggers, that little carnival outside the Hy-Vee—these losses are only tolerable knowing there’s now a mall to explore in Coralville. I hope they have a RadioShack.

The drive to North Liberty was once so sleepy. Now, there are lanes and lanes of traffic, big box stores galore, restaurants, dentist offices, a wholeass high school—even a hospital in construction! When did these suburbs become cities??

There used to be three reasons one might find himself in North Liberty: cutting through town on your way to Lake Macbride, a show at DanceMor in Swisher, or league night at Penn Meadows Park, competing with plumbers, insurance agents and bartenders who came straight from work to the game, changing into their cleats and logo-covered T-shirts in the car in the parking lot. It was one of Johnson County’s summertime Shangri-las.

To my sweet surprise, Penn Meadows Park is still a park—and is even more of a ball-playing bonanza, packed with players and families across nine diamonds suited for baseball, softball, kids, adults—heck, there are even tennis courts, playgrounds and a splash pad in this place! (City Park pool has to have one of those by now, right?)

An even more familiar sight glows on the corner of Penn Street and Dubuque—Pizza Plus! A small-town hub where bragging rights earned on the field could be exercised over garlic-coated breadsticks. And a timely reminder that some things never change.

FilmScene in the Park is back for the summer! As always, screenings are FREE and begin at sunset.

conspiracy. —Isabella R.

Iowa Legislature OKs Reynolds’ remaining education restrictions (April 24)

Iowa also passed a Bill at 4 am that legalized Child Labor. 14-year-old children can serve alcohol if passed. That’s why banning books and closing libraries make sense. No need for education since children must work adult jobs so Republicans can have a minority rule autocracy. —Sheila S.

“An exemption for the Bible and other religious texts that contain descriptions of sex acts was added.” Hypocrites all.

—Ben S.

Iowa Senate Republicans maintain status quo spending on state parks, water quality improvements (April 26)

“Maintaining the status quo for spending” i.e. All state funded parks and water quality improvement programs just got a budget reduction due to inflation. —P.S.

And the maintenance backlog due to prior years’ underfunding just got longer. —C.F.

That is not how you inspire people to live or stay here and enjoy recreational activities outdoors. —Matt R.

Iowa voters passed a referendum over a decade ago to provide funding to improve (and expand? Don’t remember) public recreational land. Iowa GOP has refused to fund it. Think about that... It’s an actual law now. But because it didn’t benefit GOP donors and in fact could limit future farm/hog lot expansion, Iowa GOP says “F you, we don’t care what you voted for, we work for our rich conservative donors only.” There’s more. Google the “backfill from business tax cuts” from about 8-10 years ago.

Iowa GOP knew cities would suffer lack of funds due to a corporate tax cut, so they promised cities to make up the difference. It was another trick to destroy local services. —D.T.

Where is your Little Village?

Copies of Little Village are available at more than 400 locations in Eastern Iowa. Check out the live map of all our locations to find your neighborhood rack:

Sponsor a rack!

By sponsoring a Little Village rack, you can: show the community that your business supports local media

help increase Little Village’s presence in the area

be honored with a permanent sponsor recognition plaque

get a shout-out to our social media followers and email list

help us brighten up the CRANDIC, one street corner at a time!

Little Village is distributed free of charge in the following areas:

• Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty

• Cedar Rapids/Marion

• Cedar Falls/Waterloo

• Solon/Mt Vernon

• West Liberty/West Branch

• Hills/Washington

• Riverside/Fairfield

• Quad Cities

To request copies in your area, or to add your business as a distribution location, contact distro@littlevillagemag.com today!

Adventure Memoirs that Take You Places

With spring in the air, my feet itch to hit the Iowa dirt and take in the sight of green, new growth outdoors. While I consider myself a dedicated weekend wanderer, I also relish many hours on my couch reading about the more daring and knowledgeable outdoor exploits of others.

Raynor Winn and her husband are two such adventurers. Her book, The Salt Path, describes how the couple impulsively decides to walk England’s 630-mile South West Coast Path after they lose their home and business and her husband receives a terminal diagnosis. While tackling the trek, Winn connects with the moody, wild landscape of England’s seacoast as she and her partner persevere in the face of disability, financial insolvency and bad weather.

Former elite distance runner Lauren Fleshman has her own story of perseverance. In her book Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World, she describes overcoming challenges in the professional track and field world. Fleshman skillfully conveys mind-blowing research about women’s physiology and how it leads to a completely different athletic performance trajectory than the currently celebrated model.

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham, a wildlife ecologist and avid birder, creates a strong sense of place with gorgeous and richly detailed descriptions of the rural South Carolina environment of the author’s youth. Lanham examines how a history of enslavement and modern race relations has impacted Black Americans’ relationship to the natural world.

Potawatomi scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants similarly melds science, history, personal experience and poetic storytelling. And if harrowing escapades are your thing, try End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood, a memoir by rock climber Jan Redford, who escapes a dysfunctional family by finding support in the local climbing community. Near-death experiences are plentiful—spending all night dangling by a rope off the face of El Capitan while awaiting a rescue is a memorable one—as well as Redford’s struggles with a failing marriage and balancing parenting and her rock-climbing passion.

No matter how you choose to experience the outdoors this season, these memoirs will propel your growth through varied perspectives on nature. Lace up your sneakers and go outside!

—Anne Wilmoth

you Had to Fight For It

Iowa City’s pioneering queer activists were bold and flamboyant in the face of prejudice. When AIDS reared its head, they coalesced into a community.

By aDRIa CaRPENTER

In the early 1980s, Rev. John Harper was a fresh-faced graduate student at the University of Iowa and a semi-active member of the Gay People’s Union.

He’d heard about some disease affecting gay men in New York and San Francisco. He started being more careful, though he doubted whatever it was would spread as far as Iowa.

But by June 1983, Iowa’s first case of HIV/ AIDS was reported in Des Moines, and when it finally hit Iowa City, the disease multiplied fast.

“There was a period of time when probably a dozen or more people I knew in Iowa City died pretty quickly,” Harper said.

This article is the first in a three-part series that will document how AIDS changed the LGBTQ community in Iowa City. The second and third parts will be published to LittleVillageMag.com in the lead-up to Pride Month, June 2023.

This first installment will cover the ’60s and ’70s, focusing on the gay and lesbian communities, and their occasionally competing interests.

The second article will show the beginnings of HIV/AIDS in the ’80s and Iowa City’s reaction, leading to the creation of organizations like the Iowa Center for AIDS Resources (ICARE), the AIDS Coalition of Johnson County and the university’s Virology Clinic.

The final article will describe the end of the AIDS crisis, spurred by effective antiviral treatments, and how ’90s activism adapted following a decade of homophobic rhetoric and policies.

Out of the closet and into the streets

John Harper was born and raised in Des Moines, from a long legacy of native Iowans. He attended UI in 1964 to finish a degree in business and stuck around, serving as an English professor for 37 years.

He came out in 1968, a year before the Stonewall riots ignited the Gay Liberation Movement.

“When I started it was pre-Stonewall. So, there wasn’t a whole lot that was known about what it meant to be gay,” he said. “I had so many gay friends who felt they had no option but to marry a woman and have children because

anything else would be suicidal.”

The ’70s were “wild, radical times.” Like elsewhere in the country, LGBTQ activism in Iowa City sprouted from the ’60s anti-war movement and protests against the Nixon administration.

This became the bedrock of early activist groups, including the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, Domestic Violence Intervention Program and the Emma Goldman Clinic, according to Laurie Haag, a program director at the Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC).

On Sept. 23, 1970, a small group of gay and bisexual students at UI gathered in the Wesley Center to discuss equal rights in education, housing and employment. In attendance was Ken Bunch—the first to apply for same-sex marriage license in Iowa, with his partner, Tracy Bjorgum—and Rick Graf, who later co-founded ICARE.

That was the first meeting of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), one of the first university-recognized LGBTQ student groups in the country. Other inaugural members included Garry Smith, Paul Hutson, Paul Hauer, Dean Blake and Raymond Perry.

GLF, as their name suggests, were willing to use militant, “in your face” tactics that could be “loud and obnoxious,” said Michael Blake, a later member.

Their public displays were eye-catching and unapologetic. Harper recalled men in drag roller

Top left: Groups from throughout the Midwest attended the 1987 Iowa City Pride March. Press Citizen/Rodney White Middle left: the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence originally formed in Iowa City in 1976 and are now based in San Francisco. The Daily Iowan, June 29, 1987

“MEN HaD THEIR OWN ISSUES, aND WOMEN HaD THEIR OWN ISSUES. aND THERE WaS SOME CROSSOVER, BUT THERE WaS aLSO SOME HEaLTHy DISTRUST OF EaCH OTHER’S ISSUES. BUT WHEN aIDS STaRTED TO BE a REaL CRISIS, I THINK COMMUNITIES CaME TOGETHER IN WayS THaT THEy HaDN’T … IF THERE WaS aN UPSIDE, THaT WaS WHaT THE UPSIDE WaS.”

—LAURIE HAAG

Attendees at the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, October 1987. Courtesy of Michael Blake

become more service oriented. They offered support and intervention services and a crisis phone line.

These support groups helped a young Michael Blake come out. Blake grew up on a farm in Riceville, Iowa, and was raised in a Catholic family with eight siblings. He graduated UI with an education degree in 1974 but couldn’t find a teaching job, so he decided to work at Student Health and join GPU.

Jack also joined GPU around the same time, becoming one of the first women in the group. She worked closely with Blake holding joint speaking engagements with GPU and the Lesbian Alliance, and organizing protests and Pride rallies (originally called Harvey Milk Week).

“We started to work across the aisle, as it were,” Jack said with a laugh.

“I think I got along really well with the women because I was always willing to give them deference,” Blake said. “I always knew kind of where the boundaries were with the women.”

Even still, they’d argue about the Gay and Lesbian Pride March—“Why are the women always second?” Jill said—and after many fights they decided to alternate the name every year.

skating around the Pentacrest.

The group’s first outing was the UI Homecoming Parade in October 1970. GLF rode through Iowa City on a Cadillac convertible with signs reading, “Out of the closet and into the streets,” “Gay pride is gay power” and “No racism, no sexism, no classes.” They chanted “Two, four, six, eight, gay is good as any straight” while tossing Hershey Kisses to spectators, and they ended the parade by crowning an “anti-queen.”

NBC Evening News covered the parade float, and people protested the university’s tolerance of GLF, demanding it disband the group.

“This university was quite a pioneer in acceptance,” Harper said.

We didn’t get along

Unlike the united acronym of today, the ’70s queer community was split on gendered fault lines. GLF was technically open to anyone, but its members were predominantly men.

“Men had their own issues, and women had their own issues. And there was some crossover, but there was also some healthy distrust of each other’s issues,” said Haag, the founder of the Iowa Women’s Music Festival and Girls Rock! Iowa City. “But when AIDS started to be a real

crisis, I think communities came together in ways that they hadn’t … If there was an upside, that was what the upside was.”

The Lesbian Alliance grew out of WRAC in the spring of 1974, alongside other feminist organizations like the Emma Goldman Clinic. The Lesbian Alliance was the square to WRAC’s rectangle. It was intersectional, focusing on women’s issues like reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, domestic violence and sexual assault, in addition to sexuality.

Jill Jack, a native Chicagoan, came to the university the following year and cobbled together a women’s studies degree before the program existed. She joined WRAC and soon headed the Lesbian Alliance.

The university and student government treated the GLF and Lesbian Alliance as one entity, often refusing to fund Lesbian Alliance, Jack said. Unlike the women’s group, GLF was narrowly focused on gay rights.

“We didn’t really get along. For one thing, the culture was different early to late ’70s. We were always fighting with the university for lesbian rights to get funding,” Jack said.

In 1976, the Gay Liberation Front rebranded to the Gay People’s Union (GPU), a move to

The women’s groups had a separatist reputation. Women had their own establishments and community in Iowa City.

“We had the women’s press, women’s plumber—you’ll see where this is going—mechanics, electrical, carpenter. We kind of had all our own little stuff,” she said. “A woman in town would sell books, lesbian books, out of a suitcase. And then a couple of women started the women’s bookstore.”

The women’s bookstore was on the upper floor on 330 E Prentiss St, now The Vine, before moving to the Hall Mall. The women’s coffee house was in the same building. There was also a women’s gym near the 620 Club, and a women-only restaurant, Grace and Rubies, open from 1976 to 1978 at 209 N Linn St, now Brix Cheese Shop & Wine Bar (membership cost 50 cents).

Close-knit but cautious

The separatist reputation was a double standard, according to Haag. Some gay men’s groups could be exclusionary, and the Iowa Women’s Music Festival, for example, was welcoming of trans and nonbinary people, she said.

Still, distrust was prevalent.

“The women were more paranoid,” Haag said. “It was very covert.”

The paranoia came from the Nixon administration, which was suspected of sending spies and informants into leftist organizations. The women’s community was close-knit but cautious.

“For years, I didn’t know people’s last names,” Jack said. “A lot of people had nicknames. And for some people today, I couldn’t tell you. Which isn’t unique to here, or even unique to the ’70s.”

The Lesbian Alliance and GPU held regular dances at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Gilbert Street. But they couldn’t advertise them as “lesbian dances” or put the church’s name on flyers, Jack said.

“You would put up a poster and you’d say, ‘Friday night, three o’clock, 10 South Gilbert.’ The bad part was we were right down from the police department. You didn’t really trust that you wouldn’t get raided, and you had to be careful,” Jack said. “I heard that somebody within the lesbian community was actually an informant. And some women got arrested and stuff, because it wasn’t legal. So consequently, when we’d hold the dances at the Unitarian, we’d have lookouts for the police. We’d have somebody at the door just to make sure the police weren’t gonna come in.”

The suspicion was warranted. In 1973, Iowa state liquor control agents, Iowa Highway Patrol officers, the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Departments raided a Gay Liberation Front dance at the church “for selling beer illegally,” according to Daily Iowan archives.

Like GPU, the Lesbian Alliance also held a phone line and provided counseling at WRAC, Jack said. They curated a resource book and offered spare bedrooms where women could spend the night. Oftentimes, women escaping unsafe, abusive environments would rely on that network.

“When you go to the Women’s Center, and you walk in, if you hadn’t been there before, it could be terrifying, a little intimidating and exciting all at the same time. We offered counseling, and I just don’t know how many women I’ve met with who were, ‘Well, I came into college with my boyfriend, but I really think I might be gay. I don’t know what to do,’” Jack said. “A number of women, who I don’t always remember, have come back and said, ‘You really changed my life.’”

WRAC and the Lesbian Alliance also had an unofficial phone tree to provide 24-hour guarding of the Emma Goldman Clinic, using walkie-talkies to coordinate—“an old version of Twitter,” Jack joked.

Starved for gay culture

The Lesbian Alliance didn’t have an official signup sheet, but Jack estimated that they had several hundred members.

“I would throw an event, and if women showed up, I’d count how many there were and then figured they’re lesbians and that’s how many are part of Lesbian Alliance,” she chuckled.

Jack went to picnics with friends and softball games in the summer. Blake belonged to a Sunday brunch group of 30 to 40 people, hosted on a rotating schedule. The Lesbian Alliance and GPU held movie screenings, usually of a crappy, independent film with a queer storyline, or a TV show with a lesbian kiss.

“In those days, people were so starved for gay culture, they would come to anything,” Haag said.

Gay men would hang out in “little pockets,” Harper said, like Kenney’s Bar, an artistic space also popular with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop students, and The Boulevard Room (later called That Bar), open from 1975 to 1977. The building now houses Artifacts.

Ethel and Gene Madison owned The Boulevard Room, but it wasn’t officially a gay bar.

“They made the mistake of hiring a gay bartender,” Blake said. “So a few friends of his started hanging out, and hey, it was fun … And before long, it became this gay bar. And of course, they hired a gay DJ.”

The crowd at The Boulevard Room was academic—college kids and townies, writers and poets—but there were also groups of gay farmers who tumbled into town.

“The gay farmers used to be a hoot,” Blake said. “Sometimes you forget here in Iowa City. It’s different.”

The Daily Iowan mistakenly labeled The Boulevard Room as a gay bar in a 1975 article,

was the first official gay bar in Iowa City.

It was open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (Tuesdays and Wednesdays with no DJ), and welcomed everyone. But patrons had to embrace the queer community, otherwise why were you there? A local artist painted a poster in the style of Soviet propaganda, depicting a muscley, idealistic man pointing at you with the words, “Are you queer?” in big letters.

THE CROWD aT THE BOULEVaRD ROOM WaS aCaDEMIC—COLLEGE KIDS aND TOWNIES, WRITERS aND POETS—BUT THERE WERE aLSO GROUPS OF Gay FaRMERS WHO TUMBLED INTO TOWN. “THE Gay FaRMERS USED TO BE a HOOT,” MICHaEL BLaKE SaID. “SOMETIMES yOU FORGET HERE IN IOWa CITy. IT’S DIFFERENT.”

and the Madisons sued the Student Publications Inc. and the article author, Daily Iowan Assistant News Editor Kim Rogal, for libel. They won the suit, but “it was a big slap in the face” to the LGBTQ community, so the community boycotted the bar.

“That was considered the impetus for 620, you know, ‘Fuck Gene and Ethel. We’ll get our own bar,’” Blake said. “There’d be this caravan of gays to Cedar Rapids to the gay bars up there. And that prompted Woody to open 620.”

Daryl “Woody” Woodson, who also owned The Sanctuary, opened The 620 Club at 620 S Madison St, an industrial building. A row of tables was elevated up on the side of the dance floor, along with a drape railing (Rick Graf, who was a carpenter, did construction inside). 620

“We were pretty militant about [the fact that] we were here, and we were gay. If you didn’t like that, you could go somewhere else,” said Riverside Theatre actor Tim Budd, who served as a bartender and doorman at 620, becoming manager in 1992. “We actually had a stamp that said, ‘I’m gay.’ And people hated it. They hated it. Because it takes a few days for that to wear off.”

Working the bar was hard. You’d hear the music echo in your ears long after the shift was over, Budd said. But it also came with memorable moments, like bartending on New Year’s Eve and seeing his friend meet his longtime boyfriend for the first time.

“We were who we were, because we felt we were on our own, and we would have to take care of each other,” Budd said. “The bar really

Michael Blake as the Condom Queen (Courtesy of Michael Blake) and in his home today Adria Carpenter / Little Village

worked as a community center as well.

“We had a Halloween Costume Contest one year, and the guy who won came in drag and wore a dress that was entirely made of condoms, still in their packaging. He made that whole dress out of condoms he’d taken from our bar, and then we gave him $150 for doing it.”

Budd would caravan to the gay bars in Cedar Rapids but thought they were boring, less atmospheric and smaller. It was an older crowd without the university’s presence, and Budd felt like a stranger.

you had to fight for it

Iowa City was the queer omphalos. If Jack had to be anywhere in the state, Iowa City was the place. But despite the relative tolerance in Iowa City, the LGBTQ community was constantly fighting to secure their rights and spaces.

“People were still getting beat up. I had death threats. I had my phone tapped because I was getting death threats,” she laughed. “I used to wear suits a lot, and walking downtown in a threepiece suit could be a little challenging at times. And when we would do Take Back the Night, they tried to run us over. That was not unusual at all. There were pipe bombs at 620 before.

“During those decades, the politics was front and center, because we had to move the needle. University wasn’t gonna do it. That’s for damn sure. The city wasn’t going to do it. That’s for damn sure,” Jack said. “You had to fight for it.”

One early victory came in 1977, when the Iowa City Council added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination ordinance. Iowa City was the one of the first cities in the country to include that protection in its human rights ordinance.

Tragically, advancements made by the nationwide Gay Liberation Movement were undone in the ’80s.

“AIDS was an enormous setback for basic rights that we take for granted today,” Harper said. “And not only speaking about the nature of unions, but housing, employment, medical, all kinds of things. Two steps backwards.”

“The sort of wild bucking ’70s, it really came to a screeching halt. So many people died,” Haag said. “They didn’t change the world as much as they’d hoped to. But the world is kind of hard to change.”

Adria Carpenter is a freelance journalist based in Minneapolis and former LV staff writer. Thanks to everyone who decided to share their story with me, and thanks to the UI Special Collections and Archives for helping me sort through boxes and boxes of documents and materials. I hope this series does our history justice.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members sign up at the beginning of the season to receive a box of seasonal produce for 16 weeks (late May - late September) from the farm (4811 Melrose Ave, Iowa City)!

Full share - 16 weeks of veg from the farm: $475

Half share - 8 weeks of veg from the farm: $250

Full share SNAP: $50/month x4 months

Half share SNAP: $25/month x4 months

2023 Double Up Food Bucks pays for half of the CSA cost for CSA members paying entirely with SNAP!

Reagan again

By PaUL BRENNaN

Thirty-six years after the Reagan administration began a long-delayed public education campaign about HIV/AIDS, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have decided that education about HIV/AIDS is no longer needed in public schools.

One of the provisions of SF 496—a bill introduced by the governor’s office that makes major changes to Iowa’s schools—eliminates the requirement that a public school provide students with age-appropriate information about HIV/ AIDS as part of its health curriculum.

That section of the bill also ends the requirement to provide information about human papillomavirus (HPV), and the safe and effective vaccine to prevent it. HPV is spread through sexual contact and can cause cancer. The HPV vaccine became available in 2006, and the next year the Iowa Legislature mandated students receiving information about it. (In 2007, both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office were controlled by Democrats.)

“Limiting teens and young adults from learning about this preventive approach to limit HPV infection is detrimental and illogical,” a group of public health researchers and educators said in a letter to the *Gazette*.

“Don’t remove education on HPV/HIV from schools,” they concluded.

Gov. Reynolds has not said why she wants to remove that education, and most Republicans supporting the bill claim it doesn’t prohibit such instruction.

Of course, many conservative activist groups have objected to schools sharing information about safe sex since the 1980s. And preventing people from getting accurate information about the HPV vaccine is a top goal of the anti-vaxxer movement.

Just as the vaccine has proven effective against HPV, advances in medical research have turned HIV from an exceptionally lethal virus to a chronic, but treatable, one. But before those advances, it was public education efforts led by activist groups like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, ACT UP and, closer to home, the Iowa Center for AIDS Resources and the AIDS Coalition of

Johnson County, which were eventually joined in that work by federal, state and local health agencies to help Americans cope more effectively with the disease.

• • •

In a 2012 article published in the Journal of Public Health, Dr. Donald Francis, an epidemiologist at the CDC in the 1980s, recalled how political consideration trumped public health consideration in the Reagan era.

Francis was involved with the CDC’s work on AIDS since it began in June 1981, six months after President Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his first term.

“By January 1983, the full picture had emerged. AIDS was a deadly infectious disease transmitted by sexual activity and by the sharing of blood and blood products,” Francis recalled.

As long as the people suffering and dying from AIDS were primarily gay men or IV drug users, inaction suited the personal and political prejudices of White House leaders and their supporters.

“[W]ith AIDS, the Reagan administration prevented [the CDC] from responding appropriately to what very early on was known to be an extremely dangerous transmissible disease,” Francis wrote.

Francis was put in charge of creating the nation’s first AIDS prevention program, which involved public education on how to prevent virus spread. In early 1985, his section chief at the CDC took the plan to the White House. Even though no one at the CDC expected much from the White House, Francis was still surprised by

the reaction to his plan.

“Don, they rejected the plan,” he recalled his section chief telling him. “They said, ‘Look pretty and do as little as you can.’”

It wasn’t until Sept. 17, 1985, four years after the start of the epidemic and seven months after the start of his second term, that President Reagan first mentioned AIDS in public. He did so in response to a reporter’s question during a news conference. Reagan said it a “top priority” for his administration. That, of course, was a lie.

But responding to public pressure led by AIDS activists, two months after that news conference, Congress appropriated $190 million for AIDS research, almost double what the administration requested.

In 1987, the Reagan administration finally launched its first concerted effort to raise public awareness about AIDS. Things did begin to improve after Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush was elected president in 1988. But the Bush administration still prioritized politics over public health, seeking to placate the conservatives and religious fundamentalists in the base of the Republican Party, many of whom embraced the superstitious belief that AIDS was divine vengeance instead of a virus.

“The elite of the Reagan administration, and later the Bush administration, had no idea of their responsibility to protect the health of the people who had elected them,” Francis wrote.

It’s understandable that the provision of SF 496 ending mandatory HIV and HPV education didn’t get much attention, because the bill

Life-saving lessons from the first years of the HIV/AIDS crisis, hard won by LGBTQ advocates, are being snubbed by Iowa’s Republican leadership.

Jav Ducker / Little Village

included so many other sweeping changes, such as forbidding K-6 teachers from acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ people in classroom lessons or other school programs; prohibiting teachers and schools from offering any recognition of a transgender or nonbinary student’s gender identity without first getting written permission from a parent; and making it easier to ban books conservative groups find inappropriate (typically books with LGBTQ characters).

It’s also not the most consequential example of putting politics over people’s health this year.

In March, Reynolds signed into law a bill banning any transgender person—student, faculty and staff, or visitor—from using a school bathroom or locker room that corresponds to their gender identity, and a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for any transgender Iowan under 18, which also requires any ongoing care cease 180 days after the governor approved it.

Every medical expert, education expert and mental health professional who testified about those bills strongly opposed them. It didn’t matter to the governor or most Republicans in the legislature. Every major organization representing medical professionals in America agrees that gender-affirming care is safe and often essential for transgender youths. It didn’t matter.

Last year, Gov. Reynolds signed into law a ban on transgender girls and women participating in girls’ and women’s sports at schools and colleges. It faced the same unified opposition from experts and professionals. It didn’t matter.

The governor and her Republican colleagues were warned that all of these bans will lead to a greater incidence of depression and suicidal ideation among young transgender Iowans, and likely result in more suicide attempts. It didn’t matter.

It seems that Reynolds and other Republican leaders in the state didn’t learn from Reagan’s failure on AIDS that put politics above people’s health-–and relying on personal prejudices, misinformation and imaginary fears of what might happen, rather than following sound medical advice—produces disastrous results. But perhaps they learned something else from the ’80s.

“These people caused immense preventable suffering and death—and it is likely that no one in the Reagan Administration will ever be held accountable,” Dr. Francis wrote at the end of his 2012 article.

Whether voters will hold Gov. Reynolds and other Republicans accountable for putting politics ahead of the health of Iowans remains to be seen.

Paul Brennan is Little Village’s news director.

Front Street Pub & Eatery

208 E River Dr, Davenport 563-322-1569, frontstreetbrew.com

One of the things I find handy about living in eastern Iowa is my relatively close proximity to the Illinois border and that state’s, uh, produce markets. Every month or two I gaze into an empty jar, curse my home state’s regressive vegetable supply policies, gas up the car and drive east for exactly one hour (the World’s Largest Truck Stop serves as a kind of midway marker). One quick hop over the Mississippi River later, I’m stocked on greens for weeks.

It didn’t take more than a few times running this errand before I started to fall for the Quad Cities. Now my supply runs also serve as periodic day trips to visit a new QC destination.

Last month, I stuck around Davenport for lunch at Front Street Pub & Eatery, the oldest brewpub and second-oldest brewery in Iowa, and the 300th craft brewery in the U.S., according to the business.

Front Street debuted inside a century-old building in Davenport’s historic Bucktown neighborhood in 1992, a seven-barrel brewery tucked in the basement below the pub and restaurant. Within months, owners Steve and Jennie Zuidema were organizing volunteers to pile sandbags as the Mississippi River encroached during the flood of 1993. The building was devastated by floodwaters in spite of those efforts, but the Zuidemas were able to rally community support for renovations.

“As a thank you to all those who helped in the flood-fighting efforts, Steve brewed a special beer and gave it out free to all those who helped,”

I’M THE KIND OF BREWFLy WHO TENDS TO ORDER WHaTEVER EXPERIMENTaL, QUaDRUPLE-HOPPED PaLE aLE THE HOUSE BREWER FRaNKENSTEINED INTO a BaRREL THaT MONTH, aND yET NOTHING PaIRS BETTER WITH DINNER THaN a CLEaR, BRONZE-COLORED IPa.

Tim Baldwin, the current owner, told the Des Moines Register. “That beer was Raging River, one of our most popular core beers.”

It was also the first thing I ordered after sitting down in a booth with a friend at Front Street. When I say this IPA is basic, I mean it in the best way. Sure, I’m the kind of brewfly who tends to order whatever experimental, quadruple-hopped pale ale the house brewer Frankensteined into a barrel that month (some of which do look, as Succession’s Roman Roy puts it, like runoff at

the car wash)—and yet nothing pairs better with dinner than a clear, bronze-colored IPA with a reasonable ABV (7%) in which the malt and hops are in perfect sync.

After 20 years of success, the Zuidemas expanded their brew operations at 208 E River Dr to an historic former freight station down the road, 421 W River Dr, around the turn of the millennium. They sold the operation to Baldwin and his partners in 2006. Between and around the two locations are some of Davenport’s biggest

attractions: The Figge Art Museum, Analog Arcade Bar, the Raccoon Motel, the River Center, Adler Theatre and Centennial Park, which includes the Quad City River Bandits’ ballpark, a skatepark and a dog park.

The Freight House location was closed the Monday I made my trip, but the original location is the one with a food menu, anyway. And I was hungry for a burger.

Good, fresh Midwest beef just hits different, doesn’t it? My medium burger actually came medium, pink and juicy in the center. The Smoked Gouda Steak Burger is topped with enough gouda cheese (sourced locally from Cinnamon Ridge Farms in Donahue, Iowa), sauteed onions, bacon and mayo to justify its sizable ciabatta bun. I took half of it home and scarfed it down later for dinner; none of the golden, crispy tater tots that came on the side made it into my to-go box, though.

My friend dove into the Spicy Hawaiian Burger (also $15), a patty of fried pepper jack cheese oozing from under the pretzel bun. The popular menu item is topped with bacon jam, mango puree, pickled jalapeños and mixed greens.

I don’t anticipate Iowa’s majority party evolving anytime soon, but as long as I’m compelled to haul my greenbacks east to the Land of Lincoln every couple months, I might as well get better acquainted with the eastern-est of Iowa’s communities—and Front Street is a great place to start. The Mississippi may be getting murkier, but the 14 taps at Iowa’s oldest brewpub run clear and crisp.

—Emma McClatchey

Left: That alleyway leads to a spacious patio; Front Street’s Spicy Hawaiian Burger. Above: Raging River IPA and Weiz Guy Hefeweizen Emma McClatchey / Little Village

Prairie Pop

The art of Summer

Volunteers pulled off the first Iowa Arts Festival 40 years ago, and IC hasn’t been the same since.

BY KEMBREW MCLEOD

What started 40 years ago as a volunteer-led labor of love is now a downtown Iowa City institution: the Iowa Arts Festival. Back in the summer of 1983, Joyce Carroll and Kristin Summerwill helped organize a multi-day event on the Ped Mall that brought together artisans, visual artists, poets, local musicians such as Greg Brown and Dave Moore, and a variety of performers (jugglers! puppeteers! dancers!)—all under the banner of ArtsFest ’83.

“Kristin Summerwill was truly the genius and inspiration behind the development of ArtsFest,” Carroll told me. “I agreed to co-chair, and we were off and running. It was a lot of hard work, but it was also some of the best fun I have ever had. After the first year, I believe everyone involved agreed that we wanted to keep and grow the event. We added several interested leaders to the group and began adding events to the festival.”

There had been previous attempts to launch an arts festival in Iowa City that never quite stuck, including the first big downtown gathering that occurred in the fall of 1979. It coincided with the completion of the Pedestrian Mall, which was a cornerstone of an urban renewal project that transformed the town by the end of the ’70s, so the local government wanted to show it off.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen previewed an eclectic array of events that ranged from a Youth Arts Fest and Polish folk music to a trippy multimedia film and electronic music performance during the evening, which must have warped minds

in this new public space. That year, Iowa City resident Nancy Rosenbaum was a student enrolled in the Community Experimental Education Center (CEEC, an alternative school within the Iowa City Community School District that was associated with United Action for Youth).

As part of her senior project, Rosenbaum helped organize a one-day Youth Arts Fest as part of the weeklong series of Ped Mall events. Fellow CEEC student Lorene Hunter demonstrated weaving techniques on a loom set up outside and gave observers a chance to participate. Young artists showed off recent paintings and ceramics projects, while others set up a face-painting station.

There was also plenty of music. Rosenbaum recalled organizing a full day of shows featuring young local musicians such as herself, along with a choreographed dance set to Cat Stevens’ “Sad Lisa.”

Unfortunately, the momentum stalled after 1979 and the town was left without a festival for the first three years of the ’80s, until Joyce Carroll and Kristin Summerwill began planning ArtsFest ’83.

One person who took in the many musical and cultural opportunities that downtown Iowa City had to offer was a young teenager named Dave Zollo, who would go on to play numerous gigs at the Iowa Arts Festival over the years, as well as downtown for the Friday Night Concert Series.

“I would go to Arts Fest and other university-sponsored concerts with my dad,” Zollo recalled. “He knew several musicians in the area, so was usually aware of what was happening where.

It was really a great time to be a kid in Iowa City— not that it isn’t that way now—as far as being able to find a lot of things to do. In hindsight, it was really a great atmosphere out of which to become a working artist.

“I feel wholly a product of the time and place where I grew up,” he continued. “I can’t overstate the importance of getting up on that big stage, with professional production, and performing for the people about whom you care. Also, when I was starting to perform professionally, or semi-professionally, there wasn’t a mid-sized room in Iowa City, so any opportunity you could get that allowed you to play for an audience larger than, say, a couple hundred people, was really illustrative: is this something I can do for a living?”

For Zollo, the answer was an emphatic yes, and he never looked back. Over the years, Summer of the Arts—the organization that now oversees the Iowa Arts Festival and the Friday Night Concert Series, among other annual programs—has played a key role in nurturing new generations of local and regional artists. In the early days, much of this cultivation work was done by community members who were deeply invested in making Iowa City a great place for artists, musicians and other creative types to live.

“You see, ‘back then,’ we weren’t paid to organize the festival,” Carroll told me. “We all volunteered incredible amounts of time to make this become an Iowa City staple. It was wonderful to be a part of the beginning where the energy and the enthusiasm was contagious. To have been in

on the beginning of something so grand and successful makes me feel like I contributed something important to Iowa City. The hard work and hours we all put into ArtsFest were more than worth it. And, well, I feel nostalgic. Every year in June, I am reminded of a time when we all came together with a common goal, with limited resources and still made it happen. And it makes me wonder, ‘What’s next, Iowa City?’”

Kembrew McLeod can be seen during the Iowa Arts Festival inhaling funnel cakes until his arteries congeal.

“CaN’T OVERSTaTE THE IMPORTaNCE OF GETTING UP ON THaT BIG STaGE, WITH PROFESSIONaL PRODUCTION, aND PERFORMING FOR THE PEOPLE aBOUT WHOM yOU CaRE.” —DAVE ZOLLO

Friday Night Concert Series, Iowa Steel Band 6:30 p.m., May 12 at the Ped Mall Stage

Friday Night Concert Series, Liberty, City and West High School Jazz Ensembles, 6:30 p.m., May 19 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Top Gun Maverick, 9 p.m., May 20 at Brown Deer Golf Course

Friday Night Concert Series, Savage Hearts with Liberty High MC’s and Free Strings, 6:30 p.m., May 26 at the Ped Mall Stage

Northside Concert Series, Uniphonics, 6:30 p.m., May 27, Northside Market Place

SUMMER OF THE ARTS, June 2-4 in Downtown Iowa City

Music on the Move, Kevin Burt, 6:30 p.m., June 6 at James Alan McPherson Park

Friday Night Concert Series, BYOBrass, 6:30 p.m., June 9 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Minions: The Rise of Gru, 9 p.m., June 10 at S.T. Morrison Park

Music on the Move, Blake Shaw, 6:30 p.m., June 13 at Lower City Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Juneteenth Celebration, 6:30 p.m., June 16 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Strange World, 9 p.m., June 17 at James Alan McPherson Park

Music on the Move, Miss Christine, 6:30 p.m., June 20 at Old Town Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Kid Logic, 6:30 p.m., June 23 at the Ped Mall Stage

Northside Concert Series, Marc Janssen & the Locals, 6:30 p.m., June 24 at Northside Market Place

Music on the Move, Dave Zollo, 6:30 p.m., June 27 at Fairmeadows Park

JAZZ FEST, June 30-July 2 in Downtown Iowa City

Friday Night Concert Series, Crystal City and Subatlantic, 6:30 p.m., July 7 at the Ped Mall Stage

(cont. >>)

From the 1998 Iowa Arts Festival program

Free Movie Series, Uncharted, 9:15 p.m., July 8 at City Park, Hills, Iowa

Music on the Move, Kevin Burt, 6:30 p.m., July 11 at Mercer Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Avey Grouws Band, 6:30 p.m., July 14 at the Ped Mall Stage

Music on the Move, Annie Savage and Friends, 6:30 p.m., July 18 at North Market Square Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Ryan Jeter’s Mind @ Large, 6:30 p.m., July 21 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 9 p.m., July 22 at Mercer Park

Music on the Move, Blake Shaw, 6:30 p.m., July 25 at Willow Creek Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Winterland, 6:30 p.m., July 28 at the Ped Mall Stage

Northside Concert Series, Slim Chance & the Can’t Hardly Play Boys, 6:30 p.m., July 29 at Northside Market Place

Music on the Move, James Tutson, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 1 at Wetherby Park

Friday Night Concert Series, The Beaker Brothers, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 4 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, The Lost City, 8:45 p.m., Aug. 5 at Iowa City Municipal Airport

Music on the Move, Dave Zollo, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 8 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area

Friday Night Concert Series, Sophie Mitchell and Jordan Sellergren, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 11 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Encanto, 8:30 p.m., Aug. 12 at Pepperwood Plaza

Music on the Move, Miss Christine, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 15 outside Macbride Hall

Friday Night Concert Series, Funkatude and Jumbies, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 18 at the Ped Mall Stage

Music on the Move, Annie Savage and Friends, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 22 at Upper City Park

Friday Night Concert Series, The Recliners, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 25 at the Ped Mall Stage

Northside Concert Series, Natty Nation, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 26 at Northside Market Place

Music on the Move, James Tutson, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 29 at Cardigan Park

Friday Night Concert Series, Brad & the Big Wave and Saint Silver, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 1 at the Ped Mall Stage

Friday Night Concert Series, Lou Sherry and Worst Impressions and Dolliver, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 8 at the Ped Mall Stage

Friday Night Concert Series, The Zeffsterr and Ivy Ford Band, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 15 at the Ped Mall Stage

Friday Night Concert Series, SFP Presents: Local Anesthetic with Ahzia, Ion Alexakis, Jim Swim and Alyx Rush, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 22 at the Ped Mall Stage

Free Movie Series, Casper, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 23 at Johnson County Fairgrounds

Northside Concert Series, We Funk, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 30, Northside Market Place

HOLIDAY THIEVES MARKET, Dec. 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency in Coralville

a-List and They Were Roommates

Riverside Theatre’s two-woman play has a familiar setting, and an ending that may catch you off guard.

BY ISAAC HAMLET

Though the play takes place in Iowa City, and was written by an alumnus of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, this marks the first time The Roommate has been staged in Iowa City, according to Adam Knight.

“I knew the story [before moving here], I knew it took place in this quiet, Midwestern town, but at the time I didn’t know Iowa City,” said Knight, Riverside Theatre’s producing artistic director of the past four years. “It was only when I picked back up the play last year that I was shocked to see that, and all of a sudden they’re mentioning the Co-op and the farmers market and Gilbert Street, and it was really fun.”

Knight moved to Iowa City in 2019 to assume his post as Riverside’s artistic director. The Roommate and an upcoming production of Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will mark the first complete season of live theater programmed on his watch.

Often described as The Odd Couple meets Breaking Bad, The Roommate opened on April 28 and will continue at Riverside through May 14. The script, written by Jen Silverman, was first produced in 2015.

Silverman was one of the 20 most produced playwrights of the 2019-2020 theater season, according to American Theatre. That list also included names like August Wilson, Lynn Nottage and Tennesse Williams (the latter of whom also came through the University of Iowa).

Over the past few years, Silverman’s creative reach has expanded to include novels like The Island Dwellers and We Play Ourselves, and television scripting for the Netflix mini-series Tales of the City

The Roommate is a two-person play focused on an Iowa City resident, Sharon (Joy Vandervort-Cobb), a 50-something recent divorcee who posts a listing for a new roommate. Robyn (Mary Mayo), a former entrepreneur fleeing the Bronx looking for a fresh start, responds to the listing.

“This play is by someone who knows this community and clearly has lived here and one of the unique pleasures of our production is that we get to experience it in the setting in which it takes

place,” Knight said.

That much was also apparent to Joy Vandervort-Cobb, one of the play’s two leads, as she made her way to Iowa City for the first time in April.

“Jen Silverman, they constantly refer to Iowa City as being a very cultural city [in the play]— they talk about hot yoga and a reading group and obviously the university comes in,” said Vandervort-Cobb, who, ironically, is a visitor to Iowa City despite playing the character rooted in the town.

“Mary Mayo has driven me around a lot of places here so I can see what I’m talking about,” she added.

Devotees of the Iowa City theater scene may recognize Vandervort-Cobb, who appeared in a virtual Riverside co-production of the one-woman show No Child… which streamed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In rehearsing for The Roommate, VandervortCobb enjoyed the moments of discovery that have emerged while playing off of Mayo and discussing the show with director Nina Morrison.

“We did a lot of table work trying to decide how these women became who they were,” said Vandervort-Cobb. “In rehearsal, what I’ve discovered is there’s a reason Sharon is exactly the way she is, so when her transformation happens, we’re all surprised, including her … You certainly, in the beginning, can’t expect the ending.”

These discussions helped bridge the gap of experience between Vandervort-Cobb and Sharon.

Where Vandervort-Cobb had a pleasant

conversation with her son over the phone shortly after arriving in Iowa City, Sharon’s calls to her son are more tense, reflecting a strained relationship. Sharon’s character, the more uptight of the two protagonists, also tends to be a bit more naive.

Perhaps most noteworthy during the development of the play is that Sharon does not present as a Black woman on the page.

“We’ve talked about the racial—or lack of racial—qualities in the play and how that impacts me, who is a Black woman,” said VandervortCobb. “As we said around the round table discussing the play, we talked about how there is nothing that defines her as a Black woman in the play. It’s really interesting that she is likely surrounded by white women, and her presentation is conscious of that.”

One particular facet of the production that’s stood out to Vandervort-Cobb is the fact that this is a show about two women experiencing middle age differently.

“The older character is not dropping in, dropping a bomb and leaving,” she noted. “That’s lovely to wrestle with too as an actor of a certain age, [to have] a part that allows you to bring the breadth of your world and what you understand and what you know.”

More information about this production can be found at riversidetheatre.org.

The Roommate Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, through May 14, $15-35

Rob Merritt

EVENTS: MAy

MAY 2023

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.

Morning in the Burned House: Writing Poems on Grief & Loss w/Joan

Kwon Glass, Iowa City Poetry, Online, Saturdays, June 10, 17, 24

and July 1, $100

Iowa City Poetry is offering a new virtual four week series titled Morning in the Burned House: Writing Poems on Grief & Loss that begins in early June. Joan Kwon Glass, the Korean American author of the poetry collection Night Swim, is leading this workshop series. Workshop participants will write poems about loss and grief, answering writing prompts inspired by memorable poems by Victoria Chang, Danez Smith, Eugenia Leigh, Charles Simic and others. Tuition for the four-part series is $100, however, tuition assistance is available if needed. Email iowacitypoetry@gmail.com for details.

Cautious Clay · Blu DeTiger · Thumpasaurus · William Elliott Whitmore

Etran de L’Aïr · Disq · McKinley Dixon · Ax and the Hatchetmen · Lipstick Homicide · Kiss the Tiger · Ancient Posse · Annie Kemble · Us Vs Them · Emma Butterworth · Penny Peach · Hurry Up, Brothers · Allegra Hernandez · Lady Revel · Flash in a Pan · Chill Mac· Surf Zombies · Basketball Divorce Court · Zap Tura · Glass Ox · Salt Fox · Belin Quartet · The Crust Band · Lost Souls Found · Girls Rock! Des Moines

Sudan Archives · Deerhoof · Ric Wilson · Gustaf

House of Large Sizes · Elizabeth Moen · Maxilla Blue · Pictoria Vark · Tayls · Ramona and the Sometimes · Neil Anders and the Brothers Merritt · Monstrophe · Des Moines Music Coalition Summer Camps

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

Literary Luxuries

Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. An Evening w/ Rumaan Alam In Conversation w/Dr. Tameka Cage Conley, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $10140

Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Reading w/Sabrina Orah Mark, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, Free

Friday, May 5 at 7 p.m. Reading w/Jeff Boyd, Prairie Lights, Free

Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. Comic Book Day, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free

Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. Reading w/Chloe Angyal, Prairie Lights, Free

Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. Reading and Conversation w/Kirsten D. Anderson & Mackensie Graham, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Iowa City, Free

Friday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. Conversation w/ Brenda Novak and Heather Gudenkauf, Swamp Fox Bookstore, Marion, Free

Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. Conversation w/Ruta Sepetys, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Sunday, June 4 at 2 p.m. Conversation w/ Katherin Nolte and Tess Weaver, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. Conversation w/Chloe Angyal and Denise Williams, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Tuesday, June 13 at 6 pm. An Evening w/Nicole Baart, Marion Public Library, Free

Tuesday, June 20 at 1 p.m Conversation w/ Rebecca McKanna and Kali White Van Baale, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Tuesday, June 27 at 7 p.m. An Evening w/ Michael Thompson, Online, Swamp Fox Bookstore, Free

Smoke & Mirrors Ball, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids, Saturday, May 13 at 7:30

p.m., $35 Drag queens from across the country will descend on the Ideal for a magi

cal night of acceptance and allyship. All queens will be performing live vocals, no lip synching. Featured performers will include Nikki Turner (Davenport), Anjila Cavalier (Cedar Rapids), Kylie C Augusto (Orlando, Florida) and special guest Isaac Jordan (Minneapolis, Minnesota). A full red carpet experience awaits. Fanciest frocks are encouraged!

Theatrical Thrills

Opening May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Dancing at Lughnasa, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, $17-30

Opening May 5 at 7:30 p.m. The Spongebob Musical, Theatre Cedar Rapids, $15-48

Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m. Sweet & Spicy Burlesque Buffet, The James Theater, Iowa City, $25-40

Friday, May 5 at 6 p.m. Mexican History

Through Dance: Cinco De Mayo, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $13-15

Friday-Sunday, May 5-7 Follies, Iowa City Community Theatre, $14-22

Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. American Ballet Theatre, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $56-95

Saturday, May 6 at 9:30 p.m. Carson Tuttle, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, Iowa City, $5

Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. Annie, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $58-88

Open Air Media Festival (OAMF), PS1 Close House, Iowa City, Saturday, June 3 at 8:30

p.m., Free Open Air Media Festival, an annual outdoor media arts program hosted at Public Space One, is returning for its fourth year. This one-night-only festival is happening on the first Saturday of June and begins at dusk. Wander PS1 Close House’s dreamy, open outdoor space where installations, performances and film/ video screenings will take place. Over 30 Iowa and Midwest-based artists have contributed work to OAMF this year. The festival is curated by director and founder Zen Cohen, an intermedia artist and assistant professor of Art and Film Studies at Coe College, and Dana Porter, an assistant professor of Interactive Digital Studies at UNI. All are welcome to OAMF, no tickets or RSVP required.

Friday, May 12 at 9:30 p.m. Firecracker Comedy Takeover, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, $5

Closing Sunday, May 14 at 2 p.m. The Roommate, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, $15-35

Thursday-Sunday, May 18-21 Out, Darn Spot!, Mirrorbox Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $20

Friday, May 19 at 9 p.m. Kitty Litter, Lucky Cat Comedy, Cedar Rapids, $15-25

Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. For the Love of It–Insomnia: A Spoken Word Play, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $30-45

Friday, May 26 at 9:30 p.m. Best of Iowa Comedy Show, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, $5

Opening Friday, June 2 Honk! The Ugly Duckling Musical, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $25-55

Opening Friday, June 9 Plaza Suite, Giving Tree Theater, Marion, $21

Saturday, June 17 at 10 a.m. Martika: The One Woman Stunt Show, Cedar Rapids Downtown Library, Free

Opening Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. Rock of Ages, Theatre Cedar Rapids, $18-48

Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 Disney’s Frozen Jr., Coralville Center for Performing Arts, $15-17

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

Films In Focus

Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Lost in the In-Between: Graduating Into 2020, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Iowa City, PayWhat-You-Can-$10

Friday and Sunday, May 12 and 14 Raging Bull, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $10-13

Tuesday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. Minari, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Pay-What-YouCan-$10

Wednesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. Raging Bull, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $10-13

Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. The Wedding Banquet, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $10-13

Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free-$5

Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m. Vino Vérité: Hummingbirds, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $12-25

Saturday, May 20 at 9 p.m. Top Gun Maverick, Brown Deer Golf Course, Iowa City, Free

Thursday, May 25 at 3:30 p.m. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free-$5

Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $10-13

Saturday, June 10 at 9 p.m. Minions: The Rise of Gru, S.T. Morrison Park, Iowa City, Free

Saturday, June 17 at 9 p.m. Strange World, James Alan McPherson Park, Iowa City, Free

Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18 at 11 a.m. Finding Nemo, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free-$5

Thursday, June 22 at 3:30 p.m. Finding Nemo, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free-$5

BioBlitz, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, Sunday-Saturday, June 25-July 1, Free

Indian Creek is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year! The center opened back in 1973 as a nonprofit, making it the first nonprofit nature center in Iowa. As part of their year-long celebration, Indian Creek is hosting a BioBlitz, a community survey aiming to document as many living things as possible in a certain area. In late June, the center will host sessions with local experts dedicated to helping community members learn how to identify different species. Groups will explore Woodland Trails, Stimple Prairie, Christiansen Prairie, Wood Duck Way, Bena Prairie and Věčný Woods. All sessions are free but space is limited (capacity is 25 per session). Secure your spot by pre-registering on Indian Creek’s website.

Community Connections

Saturday, May 6 at 9 a.m. Spring Plant and Art Sale, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, Free

Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. University of Iowa Dental Screening Clinic, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free

Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. Earth Festival, Unitarian Universalist Society, Coralville, Free

Saturday May 6 at 11:45 a.m. Girls on the Run Spring Celebration, Riverfront Crossings Park, Iowa City, $25

Sunday, May 7 at 12 p.m. Vinyl Market, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, Free

Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m. Linn St. Picnic Fundraiser, Northside Iowa City, $65

Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m. New Pi’s Annual Co-op 2 Co-op Bike Ride, Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp, Iowa City, Free

Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21 Houby Days, Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, Free

Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 Friends of the Library Book Sale, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free

Saturday, May 20 at 1 p.m. Spring Pig-Nic, Iowa Farm Sanctuary, Oxford, $34-39

Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m. Puttin’ Around Downtown, Downtown Iowa City, $55

Monday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. Gravel Curious, World of Bikes, Free

Tuesday, May 23 at 7 p.m. Cocktail Classic, NewBo City Market, Cedar Rapids, $55

Saturday-Monday, May 27-29 Iowa Renaissance Festival, Amana, $15-48

Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. Summer Gallery Walk, Downtown Iowa City, Free

Friday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. Full Moon Night Hike, Indian Creek Nature Center, Free-$7

Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4 Iowa Renaissance Festival, Amana, $15-48

Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 Iowa Arts Festival, Downtown Iowa City, Free

Thursday, June 8 at 5 p.m. DogFest, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, Free

Saturday, June 10 at 10 a.m. Great Iowa River Race, Sturgis Ferry Park, Iowa City, $40

Sunday, June 11 at 9 a.m. core4backside, Wilson’s Ciderhouse & Venue, Iowa City, Free

Wednesday, June 14 at 11 a.m. Downtown Grab-A-Job, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free

Saturday, June 17 at 12 p.m. Iowa City Pride Festival, Downtown Iowa City, Free

Saturday, June 24 at 4 p.m. Iowa City Block Party, Downtown Iowa City, Free-$10

Courtesy of Indian Creek Nature Center

David Huckfelt & The Unarmed Forces w/ Elizabeth Moen and Chris Porterfield, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa, Saturday, June 3 at 8 p.m.,

$30 Indie folk enthusiasts, three great Midwestbased acts are coming out to play at Codfish Hollow for one night, don’t miss out! David Huckfelt, an Iowa native, known as a founding frontman of the Minneapolis-based band The Pines, has shared stages with artists like Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris and Trampled by Turtles in the past. He’ll be joined at the barn by beloved former Iowa City singer-songwriter Elizabeth Moen and Chris Porterfield of the Field Report, a Wisconsin-based folk band. Prior to Field Report, Porterfield was a member of the Eau Claire folk-rock group DeYarmond Edison, alongside Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) in the early 2000s. Snag your tickets before this show inevitably sells out!

Musical Marvels

Thursday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. Cary Morin Duo, The James Theater, Iowa City, $10-25

Thursday, May 4 at 9 p.m. Feed Me Weird Things: Eli Winter, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Iowa City, $10-15

Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Orchestra Iowa: Havana Nights, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $18-59

Saturday, May 6 at 9 p.m. Ryan Radig w/Ahzia and Marcel Bleach, Gabe’s, Iowa City, $10

Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. Humbird, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $15-18

Friday, May 12 at 8 p.m. Lunar Ticks w/Worst Impressions, Two Canes, Gabe’s, $10

Fridays, May 12, 19, 26 and June 9, 16, 23 Summer of the Arts Friday Night Concert Series, Downtown Iowa City, Free

Friday, May 12 at 8 p.m. David Huckfelt, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $18-20

Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m. Diet Lite w/ Fishbait, Dolliver, Death Kill Overdrive, Gabe’s, $10

Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m. The Claudettes, CSPS Hall, $20-25

Wednesday, May 17 at 8 p.m. Giovannie & The Hired Guns w/Letdown, Wildwood BBQ & Saloon, Iowa City, $20

Wednesday, May 17 at 8 p.m. Storyhill, The James Theater, Iowa City, $12-15

Wednesday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. The Wailers, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $20-38

Friday, May 20 at 5 p.m. Inside Out’s Spring Concert: Pictoria Vark, Anthony Worden and the Illiterati, and Jordan Sellergren, Riverside Festival Stage, Iowa City, Free

Friday, May 20 at 7 p.m. Dave Zollo w/ Bernemann Brothers, The Olympic South Side Theater, Cedar Rapids, $10

Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m. Orchestra Iowa: Nordic Passage, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $17-58

Sunday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Rickie Lee Jones, Englert Theatre, $20-44.50

Thursday, May 25, 8 p.m. 40 Years Old with Nowhere to Go, Group Therapy and Songwriting Swap with Joel Sires & Jordan Sellergren, The James Theater, Iowa City, $1018

Friday, May 26 at 8 p.m. Gizzae, CSPS Hall, $25-30

Saturday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. Northside Concert Series: Uniphonics, Northside Iowa City, Free

Courtesy of Codfish Hollow

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

Tuesday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m. Music on the Move: Kevin Burt, James Alan McPherson Park, Iowa City, Free

Friday, June 9 at 5 p.m. Bike-in Beats 2023: The Solon High School Mariachi Band, Mars Hojilla, Jordan Sellergren, Ph DJ, Iowa City Bike Library, donation

Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. Feed Me Weird Things: Derek Monypeny, Ak’chamel, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-15

Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. Them Coulee Boys, Humbird, Long Mama, Codfish Hollow, $30

Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m. The Quire: Protest, Power, and Remembrance, Englert Theatre, Goodwill donations encouraged

Tuesday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Music on the Move: Blake Shaw, Lower City Park, Iowa City, Free

Wednesday, June 14 at 8 p.m. James McMurty, Wildwood BBQ & Saloon, $20

Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m. Lilli Lewis, CSPS Hall, $20-25

Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. Music on the Move: Miss Christine, Old Town Park, Iowa City, Free

Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. Intimate at The Englert: Goran Ivanovic & Fareed Haque, Englert Theatre, $20-30

Saturday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. Northside Concert Series: Marc Janssen & the Locals, Northside Iowa City, Free

Sunday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Hancher Auditorium, $29-94

Tuesday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m. Dave Zollo, Fairmeadows Park, Iowa City, Free

Tuesday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Matt Kearney, Englert Theatre, $23-101.50

Tuesday, June 27 at 9 p.m. Feed Me Weird Things: Justice Yeldham w/Maul of America, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-15

Friday-Sunday, June 30-July 2 Iowa City Jazz Festival, Downtown Iowa City, Free

RiverLoop Rhythms: Avey Grouws

Band, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Waterloo, Friday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m., Free

RiverLoops Rhythms concert series is kicking off its latest season in mid-May at the RiverLoop Amphitheatre in downtown Waterloo. Performing this first show is the Avey Grouws Band, a blues jam group that hails from the Quad Cities and released its debut album Devil May Care in 2020, with Tell Tale Heart following a year later.

EDITORS’ PICKS: MAY 2023

Mostly True: An Evening of Storytelling for Adults,

Phoenix Rising Hall, Fairfield, Friday, May 19 at 7:15 p.m., $10 suggested donation

Join a group of storytellers for the inaugural event of a new adult storytelling series in Fairfield. The evening will be hosted by Barbara Foley and Brad Fregger. Storytellers for the May event include Rachel Hillier, Solomon Davis, Connie Boyer (Fairfield’s mayor), Anna Spanton, Kathryn Wild and Brad Fregger. Expect to hear many personal, inspirational stories throughout the evening. There is a suggested donation of $10, but everyone is welcome.

For more events and specific details on each of the events below, visit: fairfieldjournal.org

Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m. Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops Album Release w/Jordan Mayland and Odd Pets, Octopus College Hill, Cedar Falls, $10

Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. Monsoon, Marls in Charge, Garage Daze, Octopus College Hill, $10

Friday, May 5 at 6 p.m. First Friday Gallery Walk, Fairfield, Free

Friday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Ballet Des Moines: SHE, Sondheim Center for Performing Arts, Fairfield, $24-$60

Saturday, May 6, 13, 20, 27 at 8 a.m. Farmers Market, Howard Park, Fairfield, Free

Saturday-Thursday, May 6-11 Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Fairfield Cinema, $6

Finest Fairfield

Wildest W’loo + more!

Public domain

Kim Andera Photography

Saturday, May 13 at 9 a.m. Annual Plant Sale, Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, Waterloo, Free

Thursdays, May 18 and June 1, 15 Pint Night Ride, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Waterloo, Free

Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m. Sam Locke Ward & Mr. Softheart, Octopus College Hill, $10

Saturday, May 20 at 9 a.m. Furry 5K, Big Woods Recreation Park, Cedar Falls, $45

Saturday, May 20 at 11 a.m. Ephemeral Art, Seerley Park, Cedar Falls, Free

Saturday, June 3 at 9 a.m. The Bridges Ride, Gilbertville Depot, Cedar Falls, Free

Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 Sturgis Fall Celebration, Cedar Falls, Free

FAIRFIELD

Sundays, May 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 12:30 p.m. Community Potluck, Phoenix Rising Hall, Fairfield, Free

Wednesdays, May 10, 17, 24 and 31 at 8 p.m. Open Mic, Café Paradiso, Free

Friday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. Barhydt Organ Silent Film Series: Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Free

Friday, May 12 at 5:15 p.m. Family Bike Ride, Chautauqua Park, Fairfield Public Library, Free

Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. Friday Night Movie, Fairfield Public Library, Free

Friday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. Naturally Seven, Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, $18-$39

Saturday-Wednesday, May 27-31 Super Mario Bros Movie, Cinema Fairfield, $6

Thursday, June 1 at 2:30 p.m. Genealogy Group, Fairfield Public Library, Free

—Fairfield Journal

Capital City PrideFest, Historic

East Village, Des Moines,

Friday-Sunday, June 9-11, Free

Des Moines’ 44th annual PrideFest arrives the second weekend of June in the city’s East Village with parades and performances galore. Over the course of the weekend expect to see both local drag stars and RuPaul’s Drag Race alums (who also have their own successful TV shows) Trixie Mattel, performing a DJ set, and Shangela, as well as musicians like Sheila E., Leslie and the LYs and Haiku Hands. This year’s entertainment is in partnership with 80/35. Among the myriad activities will be dozens of vendors and the Capital City Pride Stride 5k presented by DLL on June 10.

Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. Speak Easy: A Spoken Word and Open Mic Nite, xBk Live, Des Moines, $5

Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. AVid Presents: Emily St. John Mandel, Central Library, Des Moines, Free

Thursday, May 11 at 6 p.m. Capital City Pride Speaker Series: Rutger Goethart, Temple Theater, Des Moines, Free

EDITORS’ PICKS: MAY 2023

MQCHOB

Premiers:

The Movies That Made Us, Spotlight Theatre, Moline, Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m., $15

Mary Quite Contrary’s House of Burlesque will premier their new show inspired by the television series The Movies That Made Us. Burlesque dancers will perform routines based on classic movies that have inspired them. Each performer has their own set dedicated to their own “movie” including lots of surprise elements and mixed media. This show is for adults 18 and over.

Thursdays, May 11, 18, 25 and June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Summer Concert Series, Jasper Winery, Des Moines, Free

Friday, May 26 at 8 p.m. Panic! At the Burlesque Show, xBk Live, $20-30

PRESENTED BY WILLIS DADY HOMELESS SERVICES

Quintessential QC

Saturday, May 6 at 9 a.m. Free Comic Book Day, In This Issue Comics, Bettendorf, Free

Saturday, May 6 at 12 p.m. Crafty AF Craft & Plant Sale, Radicle Effect Brewerks, Rock Island, Free

Saturday, May 6 at 6 p.m. Frog & Toad Chorus, Wapsi River Center, Dixon, registration required

Saturday, May 6 at 9 p.m. Alternative Adult Skate, Eldridge Community Center and Skatepark, Eldridge, $9

Sunday, May 7 at 9 a.m. East Moline-Silvis Kiwanis Spring Flea Market, Rock Island County Fair Grounds, East Moline, Free

Sunday, May 7 at 4 p.m. Hey Buddy, Go Fly A Kite, LeClaire Park, Davenport, Free

Tuesday, May 9 at 4 p.m. Plant-Based Junk Food Pop-Up, Front Street Brewery, Davenport, no fee for entry but food will be for sale

Dynamic DSM

Haiku Hands at 80/35 2022, Sid Peterson

Courtesy of Spotlight Theatre

DES MOINES

Friday and Saturday, May 26 and 27 20th CelebrAsian, Western Gateway Park, Des Moines, Free

Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. Hyperfocused: Immersive Art Exhibit, Mainframe Studios, Des Moines, Free

Opening Friday, June 2 *Native Gardens*, Des Moines Community Playhouse, $29-43

Tuesday-Saturday, June 6-10 Zenith Chamber Music Festival, Various Venues, Des Moines, Free

Tuesday-Sunday, June 6-11 Dear Evan Hansen, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-139

Thursday-Saturday, June 8-10 DMGMC: Cages or Wings: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Temple Theater, $31.50-51.50

Thursday, June 15 at 8 p.m. CupcakKe, xBk Live, $45-45

Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 Des Moines Arts Festival, Western Gateway Park, Free

QUAD CITIES

Thursday, May 11 at 6 p.m. Subatlantic Dinner Party, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, $10

Saturday, May 13 at 11:30 a.m. Quad Cities Beer Battle On The Belle, Celebration Belle, Rock Island, $30

Sunday, May 14 at 1 p.m. Mom & Me Paint, The Potter’s Delight, Eldridge, $10

Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m. Halfway to Halloween Haunted House, Factory of Fear, Moline, $25

Sunday, May 21 at 10 a.m. Drag Brunch, Crane & Pelican Cafe, LeClaire, $40

Sunday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. Cultivating Mindfulness Class, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, $5

Tuesday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. Hamilton Prairie Walk, Codfish Hollow, Moquoketa, Register online or by phone

Friday, May 26 at 5 p.m. Mercado on Fifth, Mercado, Moline, Free

Dear Kiki, I recently had to live with some family members due to being between jobs and finally got a place of my own two months ago. The problem? I left a few things that I got mailed to me in a box yesterday. Some clothes, a couple books—and a large-ish vibrating strapon. No words were spoken about the strapon, though they obviously know about it, and I’m a couple states away so I haven’t seen them since I got the box. I’m planning on visiting them within the next couple of months but I’m afraid of it being weird. They aren’t like, super conservative or anything but they’re fairly repressed. Is there a way to soften the awkwardness before I arrive? Help me, Kiki!

—Did a Dil-don’t

Dear Did a Dil-don’t, The answer to this dilemma will differ from family to family, of course. If I had done something like this, I guarantee the next visit would be filled with endless ribbing (pun intended), because my family is, well, not

well. Like every human being, they understand what it means to be exposed in the way you were. They’re probably having the same concerns you’re having right now, and will be trying to act in ways that ease your anxiety and awkwardness. The best thing to do is just be genuine with each other, enjoy the same activities and conversations that you always did and just value the time you get to spend in each other’s company.

If for some reason they decide that this has changed the way they see you? That’s a them problem. You can’t control their inner narrative. But you didn’t give any indication in your letter that you fear that particular outcome or think they’re that kind of people.

These are family members who took you in when you were in a difficult situation. They obviously care about you, and the fact that you’re heading back to visit means you clearly also care about them. Just bear the little bit of discomfort that you feel. It will fade, and family is worth it.

Of course, you should also be prepared for the possibility that one of them may ask you where

REMEMBER, HOWEVER REPRESSED THEy aRE, THEy

LIKELy HaVE aSPECTS OF THEIR LIFE THaT aRE PRIVaTE aS WELL. LIKE EVERy HUMaN BEING, THEy UNDERSTaND WHaT IT MEaNS TO BE EXPOSED IN THE Way yOU WERE.

repressed. But if your relatives are on the tamer side, it’s probably best to let the situation be.

Any attempt you make to address it will most likely exacerbate things. Keep in mind, for example, that any member of the household could have packed that box. All you know for sure is that one person knows about it—bringing it up, even just to clear the air, could make things far more uncomfortable, maybe even raising “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”-esque questions that could make family dynamics awkward even after you leave.

From the way you describe them, I’m guessing they’re happy to have sent it along without needing to talk about it. When you see them, express your gratitude again for their hospitality and for returning your things, but don’t mention specifics unless they do. Stay nonchalant, avoid subjects that could trigger memories of the device (don’t, for example, ask if they have a massager you can borrow) and treat them with the same respect and kindness that I presume you did while you lived with them.

Remember, however repressed they are, they likely have aspects of their life that are private as

you bought it or if you have any recommenda tions! If that happens, especially if you feel your anxiety peaking just imagining it, just tell them to pull up littlevillagemag.com and search “vibrators.” We gotchu.

xoxo, Kiki

LET LOVE FLY

June 3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Centennial Park

Mega kites soar for a community celebration of love. Come for awe-inspiring views, and information, activities and giveaways from LGBTQ community groups.

Get the full schedule and all the details at northlibertyiowa.org/cityslate

2023 Downtown Iowa City Block Party

Sat., June 24 from 4 p.m.–11 p.m., $10

FEED ME WEIRD THINGS PRESENTS Derek Monypeny // Ak'chamel

Fri., Jun 9 at 9 p.m. at Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-15

Justice Yeldham with Maul of America

Thu., Jun 29 at 9 p.m. at Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-15

Hayden Pedigo with Jordan Sellergren

Sun., July 9 at 7 p.m. at Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-15

ARE YOU AN EVENT ORGANIZER?

START SELLING TICKETS TODAY. IT’S FREE! CONNECT WITH LV TO SELL TICKETS TO YOUR EVENTS.

LITTLEVILLAGETICKETS.COM

There’s always something fun — and free — to do in North Liberty, including the City Slate collection of special events. Every event on the slate is free to attend. The City Slate is made possible by our community sponsors: Centro, Inc; The Family Dental Center; The Eastern Iowa Airport – CID; Hills Bank; MidWestOne Bank; Shive-Hattery; South Slope Cooperative; University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; Urban Acres Real Estate and Veridian Credit Union.

ASTROLOGY

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’ve selected a passage to serve as one of your prime themes during the rest of 2023. It comes from poet Jane Shore. She writes, “Now I feel I am learning how to grow into the space I was always meant to occupy, into a self I can know.” Dear Taurus, you will have the opportunity to grow evermore assured and self-possessed as you embody Shore’s description in the coming months. Congratulations in advance on the progress you will make to more fully activate your soul’s code.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Georges Rouault (1871-1958) was a Gemini painter who bequeathed the world over 3,000 works of art. There might have been even more. But years before he died, he burned 315 of his unfinished paintings. He felt they were imperfect, and he would never have time or be motivated to finish them. I think the coming weeks would be a good time for you to enjoy a comparable purge, Gemini. Are there things in your world that don’t mean much to you anymore and are simply taking up space? Consider the possibility of freeing yourself from their stale energy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Britain occupied India for almost 200 years. It was a ruthless and undemocratic exploitation that steadily drained India’s wealth and resources. Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t the only leader who fought British oppression, but he was among the most effective. In 1930, he led a 24-day, 240-mile march to protest the empire’s tyrannical salt tax. This action was instrumental in energizing the Indian independence movement that ultimately culminated in India’s freedom. I vote to make Gandhi one of your inspirational role models in the coming months. Are you ready to launch a liberation project? Stage a constructive rebellion? Martial the collaborative energies of your people in a holy cause?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As crucial as it is to take responsibility, it is also essential to recognize where our responsibilities end and what should be left for others to do. For example, we usually shouldn’t do work for other people that they can just as easily do for themselves. We shouldn’t sacrifice doing the work that only we can do and get sidetracked doing work that many people can do. To be effective and to find fulfillment in life, it’s vital for us to discover what truly needs to be within our care and what should be outside of our care. I see the coming weeks as a favorable time for you to clarify the boundary between these two.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Marie Laveau (1801-1881) was a powerful Voodoo priestess, herbalist, activist and midwife in New Orleans. According to legend, she could walk on water, summon clairvoyant visions, safely suck the poison out of a snake’s jowls and cast spells to help her clients achieve their heart’s desires. There is also a wealth of more tangible evidence that she was a community activist who healed the sick, volunteered as an advocate for prisoners, provided free teachings and did rituals for needy people who couldn’t pay her. I hereby assign her to be your inspirational role model for the coming weeks. I suspect you will have extra power to help people in both mysterious and practical ways.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What are the best methods to exorcize our personal demons, ghosts and goblins? Or at least subdue them and neutralize their ill effects? We all have such phantoms at work in our psyches, corroding our confidence and undermining our intentions. One approach I don’t recommend is to get mad at yourself for having these interlopers. Never do that. The demons’ strategy, you see, is to manipulate you into being mean and cruel to yourself. To drive them away, I suggest you shower yourself with love and kindness. That seriously reduces their ability to trick you and hurt you—and may even put them into a deep sleep. Now is an excellent time to try this approach.

By Rob Brezsny

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As she matured, Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote, “I am learning how to compromise the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities without such screaming pain.” I believe you’re ready to go even further than Plath was able to, dear Scorpio. In the coming weeks, you could do more than merely “compromise” the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities. You could synergize them and get them to collaborate in satisfying ways. Bonus: I bet you will accomplish this feat without screaming pain. In fact, you may generate surprising pleasures that delight you with their revelations.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some primates use herbal and clay medicines to self-medicate. Great apes, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas ingest a variety of ingredients that fight against parasitic infection and help relieve various gastrointestinal disturbances. (More info: https://tinyurl.com/ PrimatesSelfMedicate.) Our ancestors learned the same healing arts, though far more extensively. With these thoughts in mind, Sagittarius, I urge you to spend quality time in the coming weeks deepening your understanding of how to heal and nurture yourself. The kinds of “medicines” you might draw on could be herbs, and may also be music, stories, colors, scents, books, relationships and adventures.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The mythic traditions of all cultures are replete with tales of clashes and combats. If we draw on these tales to deduce what activity humans enjoy more than any other, we might conclude that it’s fighting with each other. But I hope you will avoid this normal habit as much as possible during the next three weeks, Capricorn. I am encouraging you to actively repress all inclinations to tangle. Just for now, I believe you will cast a wildly benevolent magic spell on your mental and physical health if you avoid arguments and skirmishes. Here’s a helpful tip: In each situation you’re involved in, focus on sustaining a vision of the most graceful, positive outcome.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Is there a person who could serve as your Über Mother for a while? This would be a wise and tender maternal ally who gives you the extra nurturing you need, along with steady doses of warm, crisp advice on how to weave your way through your labyrinthine decisions. Your temporary Über Mother could be any gender, really. They would love and accept you for exactly who you are, even as they stoke your confidence to pursue your sweet dreams about the future. Supportive and inspirational. Reassuring and invigorating. Championing you and consecrating you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Congratulations on acquiring the Big New Riddle! I trust it will inspire you to grow wiser and kinder and wilder over the coming months. I’ve compiled some clues to help you unravel and ultimately solve this challenging and fascinating mystery. 1. Refrain from calling on any strength that’s stingy or pinched. Ally yourself solely with generous power. 2. Avoid putting your faith in trivial and irrelevant “benefits.” Hold out for the most soulful assistance. 3. The answer to key questions may often be, “Make new connections and enhance existing connections.”

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before forming the band called The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney performed under various other names: the Quarrymen, Japage 3 and Johnny and the Moondogs. I suspect you are currently at your own equivalent of the Johnny and the Moondogs phase. You’re building momentum. You’re gathering the tools and resources you need. But you have not yet found the exact title, descriptor or definition for your enterprise. I suggest you be extra alert for its arrival in the coming weeks.

PRESENTED BY

Not many teenagers can say they’ve already made a dent in their career bucket list. But since performing at a music festival for thousands of people and releasing her five-song EP, 16-year-old Urbandale musician Kelsie James has bagged two of her goals.

and wounded, James digs deep to infuse her choruses with soulful crescendos that send the track soaring. On “Love Me Not or Love Me So,” she taps into a heartbroken blues groove with convincing sincerity.

If Songs About Daisies stumbles anywhere, it’s on the lyrics, which can at times feel circular or contrived. But occasionally, James hits at a wisdom beyond her years. On “Settle with Me,” she croons, “I don’t care what the gossips have to say / I don’t care if the small town casts me away / Give up my whole life to live with you in the mundane.” Here, the lyrics are evocative, resonant and reflect an ability to step into someone else’s shoes and tell an engaging story.

There is an emotional maturity that James is connected to on

Ask HomeBrewed to play instead.

HomeBrewed describes themselves as a “fun filled, mixed generational group, playing bluesy rock and roll and rockabilly.” The band performs primarily at benefit shows for nonprofits around the area. Recent benefactors include CommUnity Food Bank, Penfield Children’s Center and Shelter House. Back in December,

most of the members either work repairing instruments at local music stores or in the dental field. But make no mistake: *Devil In My Soul* is an exciting record by serious musicians unafraid of taking chances.

Opening with the title track, backed by ominous boogie piano lines and several searching saxophone parts, lead vocalist and harmonica player Pete Damiano sets the tone early. “Spirit of Hope” is a rockabilly tribute penned to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that finishes off with a ripping guitar solo, while “Loss in My Life” features a full-out jazz clarinet breakdown with a distinct Dixieland-bent.

James played Des Moines’ 80/35 last summer, and released Songs About Daisies earlier this year—an engaging exploration of both the passion and confidence of youth. The EP features a warm, lush orchestration that blends elements of alt-country and gospel.

The organ that introduces and weaves through both “Things That We Don’t Talk About” and “One Hundred” envelop the listener like the glow of a sunrise cresting over a hilltop. The steady strumming and mellow strings of “Settle with Me” are cozy and inviting.

Through it all, the confidence in James’ vocals belies her age. “Lost in You” is an excellent example of her range. Starting out whispering

this EP that lends her songwriting unique authenticity. More than simply mimicking her influences, she’s building on them.

“Songs About Daisies” is a promising debut. As James’ experiences continue to shape her worldview, there is reason to be encouraged by what comes next.

—Tom Brazelton

HOMEBREWED Devil In My Soul

If you are planning a fundraiser in the CRANDIC area and are thinking about just putting on a Spotify playlist and calling it a day, please don’t.

HomeBrewed’s debut album release party at Wildwood Saloon raised over $3,500 to support Elizabeth Tate High School families during the costly holiday weeks, according to the band’s blog.

That album was Devil In My Soul, an ambitious first record consisting of four original tunes and three covers. Recorded by the incomparable Luke Tweedy out at Flat Black Studios, the album is an eclectic assortment of horn-and-harmonica-driven rock and electric blues tunes. As far as audition tapes go, this is an impressive sampling of what the band brings to their live performances.

The band’s bio says that by day,

Along with original tunes, the band proves it is equally adept at taking on more modern fare by covering “No Good” from Icelandic blues rockers Kaleo. They swing for the fences here, pouring several straight-gas guitar solos into the mix. As fearless as this one is, the band continues the streak by taking on two tunes from a pair of iconic and unique vocalists: Roy Orbison and Nathaniel Rateliff. “Pretty Woman” stays as true to Orbison’s as it can. It also gets as damn close to Billy Sanford’s original guitar tone as humanly possible. And with the horn section that HomeBrewed has assembled, it feels inevitable that they might try a Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats number. HomeBrewed get’s the jubilant horns and driving drum beat of “I Need Never Get Old” right.

It’s as simple as this: the band is making good music in support of good causes in the area. So check out HomeBrewed if you see them in a lineup somewhere this summer. And in the meantime, be sure and check out Devil In My Soul —Avery Gregurich

KELSIE JaMES

Songs About Daisies KELSIEJAMES.BANDCAMP.COM

THE LyRICS aRE EVOCaTIVE, RESONaNT aND REFLECT aN aBILITy TO STEP INTO SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES aND TELL aN ENGaGING STORy.

MAY 01 AN EVENING WITH RAINN WILSON Reading of “Soul Boom”

$38 + FEES

PRESENTED BY: Prairie Lights Books

MAY 04 CARY MORIN DUO Blues guitar & vocal duo

$10 - 25 + FEES

The James Theater

MAY 10 TELLERSBRIDGE : “M OTHERS”

Open Mic Live Storytelling

$12 + FEES

MAY 17 THE WAILERS Reggae band

$20 - 38 + FEES

MAY 18 WHOSE LIV E A NYWAY? From Emmy-nominated show “Whose Line Is $55 - 65 + FEES

SEASON SPONSORS:

MAY 21 RICKIE LEE JONES

Singer-songwriter

$20 - 44.50 + FEES

SPONSORED BY: West Music & Adamantine Spine Moving

MAY 26 FOR THE LOV E O F IT-INSOMNIA A Spoken Word Play

$34.50 - 51 + FEES

JUN 02 LIVERPOO L L EGENDS Beatles tribute band

$45 - 65 + FEES

JUL 09 BOOKER T. JONES 60 years of Green Onions

$20 - 42.50 + FEES

JUL 11 BÉLA FLECK: MY BLUEGRASS HEART

Feat. Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Bryan Sutton

$60 - 84.50 + FEES

CO-PRESENTED BY: True Endeavors

JUL 20 THE LITTL E M ERMEN

Disney tribute band

FREE - $20 + FEES

Folk rock singer

JUN 14 JAMES MCMURTRY

$15 - 20 + FEES

Wildwood Saloon

JUN 23 GORAN IVANOVI C & FAREED HAQUE

Englert (Intimate On Stage)

$20 - 30 + FEES

CO-PRESENTED BY: Natural Talent Music

JUL 26 JEFFREY MARTIN & ANNA TIVEL

Folk songwriters

$10 - 20 + FEES

Trumpet Blossom Cafe

AUG 16 THE WALLFLOWERS Rock group

$55 - 75 + FEES

CO-PRESENTED BY: Mammoth Live

Pop & rock singer

JUN 27 MAT KEARNEY

$20 - 89.50 + FEES

CO-PRESENTED BY: First Fleet Concerts

AUG 18 ADEEM THE ARTIST Country singer

$10 - 18 + FEES

Trumpet Blossom Cafe

On her debut album Dream

About a Cowboy, there’s a quiet strength to EleanorGrace’s voice, like Reba McEntire and Billie Eilish had a baby that’s singing through Taylor Swift’s Fearless

entire history of country music and somehow coalesces into a collection of songs that pushes the modern genre’s boundaries.

EleanorGrace’s biggest talent lies in the poetry of her lyrics. “Daydreams” enters with a vividly turbulent image: “My hair’s a mess / And my favorite dress is ripping at the seams.” “Outlaw,” track five, gives “Wide Open Spaces” vibes with lines like “hightail it out of here and move out west,” but it’s the first line that creates the sweet intimacy of the song: “Carry my boots / Down the steps / Trying to avoid makin’ a bigger mess.”

“Moon Phases” captures a feeling of long nights sitting and staring out the window: “And I say it all to the moon / She moves the

ELEaNORGRaCE’S BIGGEST TaLENT LIES IN THE POETRy OF HER LyRICS. “DayDREaMS”

ENTERS WITH a VIVIDLy TURBULENT IMaGE: “My HaIR’S a MESS / aND My FaVORITE DRESS IS RIPPING aT THE SEaMS.”

At only 19 years old, EleanorGrace (EG) has created a work of art with influences spanning decades and genres. The album opener, “Daydreams,” is an airy, modern-country-pop tune that begs to be cranked up while driving down an open highway, arm hanging out the window and undulating to the beat. It could easily be imagined as a Kelsea Ballerini song.

But on track four, “Did Yourself in,” EG’s slight yodel harkens back to country’s true roots in Appalachia. The fiddle makes me picture her sitting on a beat-up front porch, picking at a washboard while she laments, “It’s the end/The end of wanting revenge/I became a free woman tonight.”

The production, done by Bryan Vanderpool at Golden Bear Records, masterfully ties all of these elements together into an album that takes its cues from the

way that I do / I’m going through phases.” The third track “Nothing’s Real” brings the plight of Gen Z to the forefront: “Nothing’s real … except reality TV and pollution.”

Ultimately, on Dream About a Cowboy, you can hear that EG is only 19. She doesn’t always start lines strong. The last track, “Season Finale,” ruins the symmetry of starting the album on “Daydreams” and ending on title track “Dream About a Cowboy.” But it’s these imperfections that make the album so alluring—it’s raw, easy and dang catchy.

Her voice flits across notes so effortlessly you don’t even know they passed you by, and the album went just the same. I found myself wanting to listen over and over, wondering if this may just be Iowa’s own homegrown Fearless (EG’s Version).

—Dan Ray

JEFF STaGG

Basement Views

Within 10 seconds of hitting play on Jeff Stagg’s Basement Views I had to double check that I hadn’t hit play on a Todd Snider album.

While Stagg is more lyrically agnostic than Snider, thematic overlaps make it clear they have at least some of the same thoughts in their minds. That sentiment should help gauge your level of interest in the 10-track sophomore album from Stagg, a Des Moines-based folk-country artist.

While I don’t know if songs from Snider like “Talking Reality Television Blues” or “Conservative, Christian, Right Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males” influenced Stagg (more likely, he and Snider simply share similar influences), both songs came to mind early in this album.

Market or Iowa State Fair have likely encountered his music at least in passing.

In the opening track, “Quiet Day,” Stagg lyrically introduces us to reflective and simple lyrics that exist alongside instrumentation that is generally limited to a simple guitar and harmonica—though Jon Locker appears on bass for this first. The other exceptions to this are “Need a Honky Tonk Tonight,” which brings in pianist Justin Appel, and “She Ain’t Ever Had the Blues,” which features both Appel and Locker.

While the talent of everyone involved is apparent on “She Ain’t Ever Had the Blues,” the song itself feels a touch out of place, a bit too upbeat for this particular album. Besides that, it isn’t sonically distinct to leave much of an impression.

When Appel returns for “Need a Honkey Ton Tonight,” Appel’s graceful work on the keys marries an optimistic tone with Stagg’s sorrowful, longing lyrics. The song not only blends with the rest of the album but, like “Quiet Day,” is one of the highlights.

The influence of artists like Bob Dylan is more strongly felt in the back half, particularly in songs like “Is it Cold in Chicago.” A composition that waxes about a bygone

LyRICaL THEMING THROUGHOUT TOUCHES ON a DISCONNECT BETWEEN GENERaTIONS, SOCIaL aLIENaTION aND SOME GENTLE EXISTENTIaLISM.

Lyrical theming throughout touches on a disconnect between generations, social alienation and some gentle existentialism in an album that’s primarily concerned with the melancholic recollection of bygone days.

Despite this only being Stagg’s second album, he’s been writing and performing on the regular in central Iowa, though has dipped into the east side of the state on occasion. In particular, those who’ve frequented the Des Moines Farmers

relationship, wishing a former love well while also pondering what could have been and inviting what might still be.

The final song “Great Day (FlexOnCancer)” is optimistic while maintaining a sense of belonging on the album. It’s a song for appreciation of the little things— walking around the block, holding hands, seeing a sunrise—and is a heartwarming send-off to a formidable folk/country album.

—Isaac Hamlet

ELEaNORGRaCE

Dream About a Cowboy ELEANOR-GRACE.COM

DILMaN DILa

Where Rivers Go to Die ROSARIUM

Whatever else you take away from this review, it should be noted that Where Rivers Go to Die is primarily a collection of horror stories. Deftly created horror, sure, but unsettling—along the lines of the more mild episodes of The Twilight Zone, at its lightest. At its most frightful, expect tales akin to The Ring or Alien

Author Dilman Dila is a Ugandan writer and filmmaker who participated in the University of Iowa’s 2017 fall residency in the International Writing Program. Throughout the eight stories collected in Where Rivers Go to Die (Rosarium Publishing), Dila draws from Ugandan folklore and history.

Most take place in modernity, but one dips into the 19th century, cataloging colonizers who encounter “flying green men.” Others reach into the future, in one case telling of a world where machine-made narratives flood the entertainment industry.

The first three tales exist in urban-fantasy settings where spiritual and supernatural mysteries are afoot. These stories somewhat resemble The Dresden Files, though in tone and texture they are more reminiscent of early The Witcher books.

After these initial stories, the book bends more towards science fiction, starting with “The Last Storyteller.” Don’t be mistaken though, there are still supernatural elements at play, like the titular “last storyteller” finding that one of her protagonists has miraculously

become a flesh and blood entity.

The strongest and longest story of the bunch, “The Flying Man of Stone,” occupies the middle of the book. Here Dila has the space to develop a setting that realizes the marriage of spirituality and science fiction he’s clearly occupied with. The narrative follows Kera, a boy fleeing with his father up a mountain after his town is attacked by soldiers – within that mountain he finds strange creatures capable of bestowing strange characteristics and powerful knowledge.

In stories before “The Flying Man of Stone,” the weakest point was often abrupt endings. In more than one instance, I found myself getting excited for a story only to turn the page and find its conclusion. While there is a somewhat

hush hush SMALL HARBOR PUBLISHING

In hush hush hush, Audra Kerr Brown’s writing turns the mundane to horror.

This chapbook is a collection of Brown’s flash fiction, some of which has previously been published across journals and literary

Royce. This theme of loss and the starkly beautiful quality that Brown’s writing possesses both achieve their greatest heights in the final story, titled “When the Pregnant Girls First Arrive at St. Eulalia’s Home for the Lost and Wayward.”

Each paragraph of this final story begins by echoing that title, which creates a haunting repetition within the piece. The implications of the snow that the girls arrive in, paired with the shared naivety of the group, seems to bode poorly for the children they are expecting. The nuns at St. Eulalia’s introduce the girls to a Frozen Child, meant to remind them of their sins and encourage them to repent. In this final story, the nuns insist that “[the] grave is never satisfied . . .

THERE IS a NEaRLy IMPERCEPTIBLE LayER OF GROTESQUENESS SHaRED By aLL THE NaRRaTIVES, aS THEy EXPLORE THEMES OF FaMILIaL RELaTIONSHIPS. THE UNDERSTaTED DyNaMICS BETWEEN THE CHaRaCTERS—aS WELL aS THE PROSE THaT BORDER ON THE LyRICaL—BOTH LEND a SPOOKy QUaLITy TO THE STORyTELLING.

sudden ending to “The Flying Man of Stone,” it felt more appropriate—there had been a build to that ending and the world had been given time to breathe before the finale.

Another note on these stories’ endings: all hold some measure of tragedy. The exception is the final story, “The Terminal Move,” which arguably still contains the collection’s most horrifying moments. (Think Attack on Titan or some of the more grusome imagery of Princess Mononoke.)

These are primarily horror stories, but as bloody as they may become, they are just as often breathtaking. The very best of them stuck with me and kept me thinking for days after just as great science fiction stories should.

Where Rivers Go to Die is scheduled to release on June 6.

—Isaac Hamlet

magazines over the years. Many of the stories contained within have won awards and been included in the editions of the Best Small Fictions anthology from 2018 and 2021.

The collection features stories that, while perfectly plausible, have an almost supernatural feeling to them. There is a nearly imperceptible layer of grotesqueness shared by all the narratives, as they explore themes of familial relationships. The understated dynamics between the characters—as well as the prose that border on the lyrical—both lend a spooky quality to the storytelling. Characters experience abandonment, abuse and displacement, often inflicted by those closest to them.

Each story explores a different kind of loss, whether that be loss of life, innocence, relationships or an ill-fated prosthetic leg named

neither is the barren womb, nor the eyes of man.” Instead, it’s easy to feel that the girls are the ones who will never be satisfied, even as it is heavily implied that their babies are taken away from them, and their rosy views of the world collectively dimmed.

Reading this final story and its predecessors, it comes as no surprise that Brown’s work has won awards. The chapbook takes the form of the short story to an entirely new level. Brown’s stories range from one paragraph to five pages, though never surpassing just a few hundred words. Even with the limited space that the form provides, her writing feels effortless—she deftly crafts stories that will follow the reader for days and weeks after the book has been closed.

—Kelsey Conrad

PUBLISHING

aUDRa KERR BROWN hush

aUREL SNyDER

The Witch of Woodland

f I were Zipporah Chava McConnell, writing an essay about The Witch of Woodland (the newest middle grade novel from Laurel Snyder) for class, I’d probably talk a lot about the themes of Silence and Space. Any theme that recurs is worth mentioning, right? And isn’t it strange? A book about a 7th grader, centered on the last two things you’d ever think to associate with the cusp of the teenage years?

Silence and Space don’t have much resonance when you’re looking at 7th graders from the outside. But when you’re in that headspace, when you revert to a junior high mindset, that’s all there is: echoing emptiness in your mind, a vacuum that you don’t know whether to fill or flee from. And all you can feel is the space between yourself and others, a widening chasm of disconnection in relationships that were once so easy.

But there’s more to Snyder’s expertly voiced narrative than those straightforward themes. I want instead to talk about the tension between being and becoming. Because that’s the kind of thing I thought about all the time in 7th grade, and honestly haven’t stopped thinking about since. The onset of puberty is the epitome of becoming. The influx of hormones into the body literally changes who we are, in ways both sudden and subtle, and for smart kids who pride themselves on having answers—like Snyder’s hero, Zippy— the shift from being to becoming can feel like a 9.5 magnitude shake up.

In The Witch of Woodland, Snyder weaves that tension into Zippy’s bat

mitzvah preparation. She adroitly lets the character of Rabbi Dan do the heavy lifting of introducing Zippy (and the reader) to the foundational philosophy of questioning that underpins the Jewish faith. As the story unfolds, Zippy’s notions of being—the things that ground her in her identity (being a witch, excelling in school)—are placed in direct conflict with the ways in which she is becoming. And it’s that curiosity, that questioning, that allows her to tie the two together.

I wish I had a deeper knowledge of Jewish culture and history, because I suspect there are beautiful layers to this book that I’m incapable of accessing. But I recall very similar conversations with my Episcopal priest during Confirmation classes as those Zippy has with her Rabbi. It’s exactly what a kid at that age needs: permission to not know things. Encouragement to question.

There’s more, still, than that. The delightful asides about The Truth and writing style and Ms. Marty the language and literature teacher allow the book itself (framed as Zippy capturing her own story so as not to forget) to be simultaneously being and becoming. And then there’s magic and mythology and erratic access to power, all drawn together in ways best understood by those who are at an age when it’s hard to think of anything as real. Synder’s mastery of that 13-year-old perspective is an immersive delight, evoking memories and evincing empathy.

Which, actually, all circles back to silence and space. Zippy (and, for that matter, Snyder) chooses to fill the silence and space around her with the most powerful magic: words. In doing so, she forms connections and community. Casually, in the midst of some narration about three-quarters of the way through the book, this line slipped in: “... do you know how sometimes, the world is just too much?”

Yes, Zippy. I do know. But together, we can get through it. If we ask the right questions.

—Genevieve Trainor

EFE DUyaN

TRaNSL. aRON aJI

The Behavior of Words

In the translator’s note, Aron Aji gives some insights on his methodology and experience as both a reader and translator of Efe Duyan’s The Behavior of Words (White Pine Press, 2023). “Given the infamous incommensurability of English and Turkish grammars,

cracks you didn’t realize he left in the narrative and making the poems stronger for it.

Ordinarily, I read poetry collections quickly. I let each poem sit on its own while consuming the collection as a single unit. I wasn’t able to do that with The Behavior of Words Each poem required focus. The words within this book are in stronger and more complex relationships with one another than I think I’ve ever seen, each one leaning on another, reaching across a stanza, across a poem to link with a partner. It is a lacework of language that makes it difficult to excerpt.

Because the poems are hard to excerpt, I’ve taken some favorite lines out of context: From “To Each Other”: “The lactic acid collecting in our patience.” From “Morning Mythology”: “the gods / have planted their jaws at road ends / they drink our sweat at breakfast.” From “Away From The World”: “if asked as a child you would’ve said / all the decisions you’ll make / are the mouthfuls of bites / you take out of an apple.”

the process often required forcing the natural Turkish syntax … on the English in order to foreground the physical direction of the verse and the gradual accretion of meaning.”

I thought it would be cute, as an Armenian, to read and review the work of a Turkish poet who I know to be a gentleman in every respectable sense. Reading the introduction, learning about (and later delighting in) formal structures I’d never seen before, I felt my background come to foreground. If you are like me, do not despair: these poems delight in your existence.

Aji’s assessment of Duyan’s work makes me thirsty to see the originals—Duyan’s poems are rife with wordplay and nuance. He employs anaphora with precision within his stanzas, causing them to come together like kintsugi—gold, filling in

Duyan’s poems of falling in love twist with longing and delight and are documented so precisely, with unexpected sensory metaphor that his sadder love poems, his poems of the human condition and his poems of observation stand in relief against them. Here’s a moment from one of his love poems, “Maybe Except For Other Women,” “our proud silence / is a wild animal // holding its breath / as if pouncing upon a bird / it will pounce upon / everything crossing my mind / that is not you.”

Throughout this book there is repeated imagery of waves and seas, space and stars, and sand. Natural elements play heavily with an exploration of domesticity. Then, keeping the natural world in the imagery, the narrative shifts for the final quarter to more political tones which include jail, human rights activists and the military.

I can’t explain how it works, but the final poems add a weight to the collection that makes it close nicely and still stick in your head.

—Sarah Elgatian

aJI’S aSSESSMENT OF DUyaN’S WORK

MaKES ME THIRSTy TO SEE THE ORIGINaLS— DUyaN’S POEMS aRE RIFE WITH WORDPLay aND NUaNCE.

men.

Iowa women

quadrupled from 2019 to 2022.

Syphilis is a sexually transmissible infection (STI) that may have no symptoms. If left untreated, it will stay in your body, and it can cause serious, long-term health problems. Syphilis can also be passed on to sexual partners or to an unborn baby during pregnancy.

Thankfully, it’s easy to test, treat and cure! If you’re sexually active, make sure that getting tested for STIs, including syphilis, is part of your regular health routine.

1234

5678 910111213

the Iberian peninsula

66. Not just treat

67. Instruments to which orchestras often tune

68. Raisins on a “log”

69. Tax form IDs

DOWN

1. Thing to use instead of crying over spilled milk

2. Type A verb

3. Like a Janeane Garofalo delivery

4. “Ahh! That spider is huge!”

5. “That better be false!”

6. What Star Wars Holiday Special is not, but The Mandalorian is

7. Lena of Chocolat

8. “Morons (White)” by Banksy, e.g.: Abbr.

9. Scattered community

10. One of many things that has flattened Wile E. Coyote

11. What LeBron James covers for some University of Akron students

12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer airer, once

ACROSS

1.Name in Miami’s county

5. Word after gay or hamburger

9. Piece of an informational puzzle

14. Red or blue treat sometimes served at a movie theater

15. Pi, vis-à-vis tau

16. Erotic features

17. Agree formally, in a way

19. Showing extreme enthusiasm for a film

21. Riding

22. Put forth

23. Squat unit

24. Kylo ___ (Leia’s son)

25. Shui jiao or banh bot loc

28. The Mists of (Marion Zimmer Bradley book about Morgan le Fay)

30. Noted droid, casually

31. ___ Mutual Friend (last completed Dickens novel)

32. Actress Rowlands whose credits span 1954–2014

33. “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” band

35. Starr who was better than Best

37. Be direct ... or a hint to this puzzle’s theme

40. Joe of Conversations With Friends (and Taylor Swift’s ex)

43. Colorful type of tape

44. Declare

48. SpongeBob SquarePants milieu

49. Wear

51. “Sorry, Charlie”

53. Cut from the loin

55. Dept. with a Rural Development program

56. Menially employed sort

57. Despotic king of Judea

58. NAACP and SNCC stalwart Baker

59. Stout alternative

60. Online forum before social media

62. Cleaning material that shouldn’t be used on plastic

64. “And the other thing ...”

65. Red dessert wine from

equivalent

34. The Testaments novelist

36. Cocomelon viewing device, for many kids

38. Opens, as a cheap bottle of wine

39. Curled hair spirals

40. Cerastes vipera, more commonly

41. “I’d be just like ___ in San Tropez” (Taylor Swift diss)

42. Bronze Star recipient

45. Cold-blooded

46. Greenwashing, by another term

47. Entertains

50. Shot

52. Like most dental work

54. Ghanaian textile worn by royalty

55. Phone notification

58. British school attended by many prime ministers

60. One might be depicted full of little green men

61. Respond appropriately to a tearjerker film

62. Place for “me time”

63. Loos

13. Certain umami source

16. It’s #sponcon

18. Mark’s replacement

22. Overthrow attempt

25. Most cottonmouthed

26. Unit of cannabis flower, as it were

27. Miracle-___

29. Like some wedding dresses

30. C-double-flat