Little Village issue 322 - October 2023

L ittle Village

WHEN IOWA’S OWN

Donna Reed

AND HER SCIENCE TEACHER TOOK ON THE ATOMIC BOMB

Kari Lake

FROM SCOTT COUNTY, IA TO MAGA INFAMY

LittleVillageMag.com/

INDEPENDENT

Since 2001

IOWA NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

LittleVillageMag.com

22 box Office bomb

28 trump in Heels

40 tunes for Nosferatu

Live-scoring so bloody good, even Dracula’s coming to this screening.

6 From the Newsletter

8 Ad Index

12 Letters & Interactions

15 Fully Booked

20 Contact Buzz

22 Donna Reed

28 Kari Lake

36 Bread & Butter: Harry’s

38 Bread & Butter: Monsterama

40 Prairie Pop

44 A-List: Eastern Iowa

46 A-List: Central Iowa

49 Events Calendar

67 Dear Kiki

69 Astrology

71 Album Reviews

75 Book Reviews

79 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 CAFE DEL SOL & SMOKEY ROW COFFEE

SAVE, SHARE OR

RECYCLE

Support Little Village

Venmo: @littlevillagemag

PayPal: lv@littlevillagemag.com

become a sustaining member: littlevillagemag.com/subscribe

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 strange story of the first nukefocused film starts in Denison.

Kari Lake’s journey from Iowa student to rightwing extremist.

Courtesy of Nosferatu: A Live Scoring

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 Director

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Photographer, Designer Sid Peterson sid@littlevillagemag.com

Multimedia Journalist

Courtney Guein courtney@littlevillagemag.com

Calendar/Event Listings calendar@littlevillagemag.com

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

October Contributors

Ali Peters, Alyssa Cokinis, Anne Wilmoth, Ben Smith, Casey Maynard, Chris Burns, Dan Ray, John Busbee, K. Twaddle, Kembrew McLeod, Kristen Holder, Lauren Haldeman, Max Adams, Malcolm MacDougall,, Sam Locke

Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Tom Brazelton

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001

LittleVillageMag.com

PRODUCTION

Digital Director Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

Production Manager

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

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

Advertising

Genevieve Trainor, Joseph Servey, 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

Sam Standish, Andersen Coates, Joe Olson, Patrick MacCready, Courtney Guein, Joseph Servey, Heber Martinez, Sarah Dirks 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:

Alyssa Cokinis is a writer/theatre artist from the Des Moines area, currently residing in Oregon.

Anne Wilmoth is a children’s and collection services librarian at Iowa City Public Library.

Ben “Smasher” Smith is a blasphemy endeavorist, non-American food addict, black metal expert, codgeristic opinionista, mushroom hunter, unrelenting gourmand and eastern Iowa lifer.

Chris Burns lives in Iowa City. He writes weird stories and plays music with the Shining Realm.

Dan Ray (she/her) is a journalist, musician, model and 1994 Aquarius.

John Busbee is a creative project developer who has worked as a locations manager (The Crazies, Play by Play TV series, Molly’s Girl, The Experiment) and field producer

Send

Issue 322 , Volume 2

October 2023

ON THE COVER:

By Shane O’Shaughnessy

Sit back and enjoy this episode of LV! True Hollywood Story Also inside: spooky and spidery classics get live soundtracks, the “Iowa witch” of politics ascends, new restaurants appeal to the kid (or beatnik) in all of us, and more.

(Apple+ TV docuseries Omnivore, Butter) on a range of projects.

K. Twaddle is an Iowa transplant and a lifelong book enthusiast. She lives in rural Iowa with her partner and three cats.

Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communications Studies at the University of Iowa.

Max Adams is a writer and post-graduate student living in Des Moines.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa.

Shane O’Shaughnessy aka Rv. Xen is a cartoonist and illustrator. Their work can be found on the socials via @rvxen.

Tom Brazelton is a freelance writer based in the Des Moines area.

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/subscribe

‘Student loan socialism scheme’: Iowa’s senators decry SAVE plan as millions enroll (Sept. 8) In just two weeks, almost 40,000 Iowans applied for the new SAVE plan to lower their monthly student loan payments, restarting in October. But Iowa’s U.S. Senators are joining efforts to try and kill the plan, with Sen. Grassley claiming SAVE “doesn’t have much to do with saving people money.”

Special election will decide Sheumaker’s replacement, Des Moines city council votes — and the first candidate has already declared (Sept. 12) The Des Moines City Council voted unanimously on Monday to fill its vacant Ward 1 post by means of a special election on Nov. 7. The seat has been officially empty since Aug. 31, when Councilmember Indira Sheumaker resigned after six months of unexplained absences from board meetings.

brenna bird continues crusade against non-English voting materials once fought by Steve King (Aug. 31) Iowa Attorney General (and former Steve King staffer) Brenna Bird is trying to prevent Iowans from getting access to official voting forms—such as voter registration forms, absentee ballot request forms and ballots—in any language other than English, in order “to protect election integrity.”

Anti-trans former college swimmer is Gov. reynolds’ special guest for her biggest fundraiser of the year (Sept. 19) The same week Iowa’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors went into effect, Gov. Kim Reynolds showed she intends to continue fundraising on her opposition to trans rights. Reynolds’ guest for the Oct. 14 Harvest Festival will be Riley Gaines, best known for her 30 Fox News appearances since tying a trans competitor in 2022.

Adamantine Spine Moving (67)

Arnott & Kirk (37)

Baker Paper Co.

Ballet Des Moines (2)

Bartertown Toys & Collectibles

Broadlawns Medical Center (66)

Catch Des Moines (41)

Caucho (69)

CommUnity (29, 80)

Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (39)

Coralville Public Library (74)

Crooked Path Theatre

Des Moines Art Center (66)

Des Moines Botanical Garden (45)

Des Moines Metro Opera (33)

Des Moines Performing Arts (48)

Des Moines Playhouse (65)

Des Moines Symphony (45)

FilmScene (21)

Full Court Press (35, 51)

Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (66)

Grinnell College Museum of Art (51)

Hancher Auditorium (57, 59, 61, 62)

Historic Valley Junction (33)

Honeybee Hair Parlor and Hive

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

Collective (45)

House of Glass (31)

Independent Cedar Rapids (72)

- NewBoCo

- Goldfinch Cyclery

- Next Page Books

- Cobble Hill

- The Daisy Independent Downtown Iowa City (10-11)

- Mailboxes of Iowa City

- The Green House

- Release Body Modifications

- Critical Hit Games

- Merge

- Fix!

- Harry’s Bar & Grill

- Basic Goods

- Beadology

- Record Collector

- Yotopia

- Revival

- Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe

- Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing

Independent Highland Park / Oak Park Neighborhood (27)

- Des Moines Mercantile

- Bill’s Window and Screen Repair

- The Collective

- The Slow Down

Independent Northside Marketplace (24-25)

- John’s Grocery

- Oasis Falafel

- Marco’s Island

- Russ’ Northside Service, Inc.

- Pagliai’s Pizza

- R.S.V.P.

- George’s

- Artifacts

- Press Coffee

- Dodge St. Tire

Indian Creek Nature Center (29)

Iowa City Book Festival (52)

Iowa City Climate Action (36)

Iowa City Communications (31)

Iowa City Community Theatre (45)

Iowa City Public Library (30)

Iowa Department of Public Health (18, 19, 27, 55)

KRUI 89.7 (43)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (23)

LaMere Family Travel (66)

Micky’s Irish Pub (43)

Musician’s Pro Shop (67)

Nearwood Winery (41)

New Pioneer Food Co-op (47)

Nodo (43)

Obermann Center (30)

Old Capitol Screen Printers (34)

Optimae Home Health Services (50)

Orchestrate Hospitality (78)

Phoebe Martin (68)

Polk County Conservation (43)

Primary Health Care (79)

Public Space One (16)

Raygun (39)

Refocus Film Festival (4)

Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City (35)

Riverside Theatre (37)

Science Center of Iowa (14)

Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (69)

Sierra Club (76)

Table to Table (67)

Ten Thousand Villages (55)

The Club Car (69)

The Englert Theatre (70)

The James Theatre (32)

The Wedge Pizzeria (12)

Theatre Cedar Rapids (17)

Varsity Cinema (42)

West Music (32)

White Rabbit (7)

Wig & Pen (12)

xBk (53)

Who reads Little Village?

It's BACK... LITTLE VILLAGE’S ROAST ofIOWA CITY

THE ANNUAL INTERROBANG ON THE IOWA CITY BOOK FESTIVAL

Sunday, Oct. 8 Door 5:30 p.m. Show 6 p.m.

REUNION BREWERY Downtown Iowa City

HOSTED BY

Megan Gogerty

FEATURING

Shmuckdate

Travis Coltrain

Carson Tuttle

Jane Yan

Zach Vaughan

Zach Hoyle

Karen Sanchez Dougall

Lauren Haldeman

AND Iowa City Police Log

Magic the Gathering. Video Games. Warhammer. Warmachine. RPGs. Board Games. X-Wing. Dice. LotR. HeroClix. Miniatures. GoT. Blood Bowl. L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. Kidrobot Vinyl. Retro toys. Pop vinyl & plushies. Gaming & collectible supplies.

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

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

Fun atmosphere and great customer service!

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

LittleVillageMag.com

Letters & Interactions

tHE bOArDS AND cOMMISSIONS Review Committee was created in Governor Reynolds’ government reorganization plan. Recommendations released Aug. 29, 2023 listed names of Boards and whether they would be continued, reorganized/other changes, consolidated/ merged or eliminated. Five findings and eight recommendations included no data, rationale or facts as to how decisions were reached.

Chairman Paulsen created three two-member subcommittees, allowing each to meet privately without violating Iowa’s open meetings law. Why deliberately avoid this law? Finding any documentation, resources or rationale used to make recommendations is difficult if not impossible, contributing to secrecy and lack of transparency. Supposedly recommendations were made based on which boards were effectively serving

Iowans. Numerous comments made during a Sept. 6 public hearing spoke to the harm, risks to health and safety, and dangers these recommendations would cause Iowans if implemented. Did subcommittee members spend any time actually gathering facts and data, or talking to members, professionals and practitioners of these boards?

Submitting comments to a committee email, bcrcomments@iowa.gov, is great; however comments don’t seem to be publicly available. Why? Was the public hearing even recorded? Searching committee meeting minutes provides no information. I wonder how Chairman Paulsen and Gov. Reynolds can explain and justify all the secrecy and lack of transparency surrounding recommendations which will impact the professions, lives and safety of so many Iowans.

—Diane Duncan-Goldsmith, Iowa City

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.

HAVE AN OPINION?

Better write about it! Send letters

tHE rEcENt cY-HAWK GAME brought bedsheet banners to Iowa City. I’d like to give a shoutout to the person or persons behind the banner claiming “State killed Jimmy Buffett.” You win. That’s the sort of tongue-in-cheek snark anyone can appreciate.

To everyone else, consider the bar set. You went to the trouble of buying supplies to hang a giant banner on the side of your home. What’s up with the vulgar, misogynistic slurs? Is that all you’ve got? The truckstop called. They want their restroom vandalism back.

Next time—do better. Get meta. Dedicate a beer circle in the yard to brainstorming or something. Stand out for the right reasons and help keep this little city shining bright.

I freaking love seeing clever shit all over town, but I’d rather not have to explain things like “kick their girlfriends in the mouth,” or “Plan B,” and why girlfriends would have it for breakfast to my elementary-aged daughter.

We love your fighting spirit and the energy you bring to town. Do us a solid and make this a tradition we can all be proud of, eh? A little bit of respect for your neighbors goes a long way.

I feel old now. —A townie dad who wishes to remain anonymous

‘Student loan socialism scheme’: Iowa’s senators decry SAVE plan as millions enroll (Sept. 8)

Why do they hate us? —Erin S. Nobody gave a shit when it was the PPP loans being forgiven —TRF

How much has Grassley made off farm subsidies again? —PFB

Along with his government paycheck and healthcare and lobbyist gifts, he’s way better off than he’s left most of his constituents. There’s a joke in there somewhere with welfare queen vs Dairy Queen but im just too tired. —H. Fritz

This is so silly. In order to get forgiveness through SAVE (without PSLF), you have to repay for 20-25 years. If someone reliably makes payments for that long and files all necessary documents required for that time period, forgiving the remainder of the loans seems like the least that could be done. Ffs. —TA

Grassley’s ENTIRE political career was made by securing broad spectrum bailout programs

for farmers in the mid ’80s. Iowa has forgotten what it means for the government to help people who need it. I’d bet 90%+ of family farms in Iowa owe their continued existence directly to government debt assistance in one form or another over the past 40 years. —DR

The military budget for this year was two trillion USD and these boomers are complaining about a student loan debt relief plan that takes two decades to coke into effect? —NW

How are these banks supposed to collect

“Dear Kiki, The guy I like is breadcrumbing me. I can’t help but fall for it every time. How do I stop?”

Where is your Little Village?

Little Village is a community supported monthly alternative magazine and digital media channel offering an independent perspective on Iowa news, culture and events. The magazine is widely available for free, with a distribution focus on the state’s cultural centers of Iowa City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Cedar Falls/ Waterloo and the Quad Cities. Scan here to find which one of LV’s 800 distribution locations is nearest to you >>

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!

To request copies in your area, or to add your business as a distribution location, contact:

distro@littlevillagemag.com

Fully Booked

Chilling Stories for the Whole Family

If there’s a tween in your life looking for a spooky story this Halloween season, these picks are eerie but not too scary. Aimed at 8-to-12-year-olds but enjoyable for all who appreciate a good ghost story, these titles deliver chills and suspense!

The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead is told from the alternating perspectives of a cat, a ghost librarian and an anxious middle-schooler named Evan. When Evan takes two books out of a little free library that’s cropped up overnight, he becomes embroiled in a mystery that unearths long-held secrets in his small town. A gentle book that celebrates the power of community and stories, with a page-turning ghost story at its heart.

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown is decidedly creepier, but similarly deals with buried community history. Playing in the woods on a cold winter night, two friends, Iris and Daniel, stumble on a child’s grave in a neglected Black cemetery. While the friends work to restore the cemetery and achieve recognition for the citizens buried there, unsettling things begin happening: the child from the grave is determined to find a BFF, and Iris has become her target.

If you prefer your spooky stories with a dash of humor, try Wretched Waterpark, the first in the Sinister Summer series by Kiersten White. In the series, the Sinister-Winterbottom twins solve mysteries at increasingly bizarre summer vacation destinations as they attempt to locate their parents, who have left them with their weird Aunt Saffronia. It might be hard to imagine a gothic tale set in a waterpark, but you haven’t visited Fathoms of Fun, where the employees wear unseasonable black attire, a shadowy figure looms from the top of the slide tower and a mysterious black goo is seeping into the wave pool.

cONtAct: ads@littlevillagemag.com

If an action-filled supernatural fantasy is more your speed, pick up Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad. Lucely and her best friend Syd accidentally cast a spell that awakens malicious spirits, who begin wreaking havoc across old-town St. Augustine. Syd’s witch grandmother helps the girls in their quest to reverse the curse, culminating in a chilling encounter in a cemetery at midnight. Managing to be both heartwarming and spine-tingling, woven with Dominican culture and mythology, this is a high-energy, magical adventure.

In Small Spaces by Katherine Arden, a field trip to a farm begins innocently enough, but slowly becomes a full-on nightmare for Ollie and her friends as they take to the woods to escape the “smiling man,” a sinister specter who grants your greatest wish, but only for the ultimate price. Featuring a strange bus driver, a field full of staring scarecrows and a previously broken digital watch that suddenly begins flashing the word “RUN,” Ollie and her friends will lead you on an exquisitely paced fight for survival against forces living and dead. The most intense of the bunch!

—Anne Wilmoth

1000% over the value of the loan if Biden keeps cutting off their teat? Glad Joanie and Chuck are standing tall for predatory lenders!!! —Craig A.

Iowa AG Brenna Bird keeps threatening outof-state companies (Sept. 11)

She thinks she knows what’s best for everyone else without consulting them. Cares nothing for the needs of the people of this state, seems to be on an agenda to forcibly push her personal ideas on the rest of the world whether they want it or not. —Bill

R.

The ‘door of impeachable whatever’ is creaking open in the U.S. House, and Iowa’s Republican representatives are ready (Sept. 13)

Where there’s misinformation about smoke, there’s bound to be disinformation about fire.

—Christopher B.

“What evidence may exist”? Evidence *may* exist that Zach Nunn likes to wear a pretty pretty princess dress while gargling dog balls on the weekends, but we shouldn’t open an impeachment inquiry just based on that offhand possibility or simply because we dislike him for being the humanoid form of a used condom stuck in a frat house toilet. This whole thing is a loaded question fallacy writ large, and they’re hoping voters are stupid enough to fall for it. —Baruch

S.

The impeachment idea is absolute insanity. Do I think Biden could be removed from office as part of the 25th amendment? Absolutely. But so could most of our senators over the age of 80. It should be illegal for anyone to serve that office at that age to be frank because their mental capacity at that age is suspect at best. I’d say the same about Trump, Grassley, Feinstein or the turtle dude who froze up. Their facilities just are not there anymore.

—Ann A.

What’s your favorite among these Herzog films?

Peace Tree, one of Iowa’s oldest breweries with two locations, is up for sale (Sept. 15)

Let’s hope it is a positive move! I love Blonde Fatale and Peace Tree overall. I’m not in a position to buy it…… but hopefully it’ll all work out in the end. —Locke FM

Anti-trans former college swimmer is Gov. Reynolds’ special guest for her biggest fundraiser of the year (Sept. 19)

Incredible. There’s like 4 transwomen competing in the whole country and it’s “the most important women’s issue of our time.” You’d think Republicans would realize they got high on their own supply based on the results of the 2022 elections and that people don’t care about this shit, but I guess it might still be effective in like Iowa and Florida. —TW

Tied for fifth place. She’s really more upset that she didn’t get her participation trophy right away. Lia Thompson won her 500m race and she got her NCAA title. No one stole an NCAA title from Riley. I was under the impression that Republicans hate participation trophies, but here we are. —N

Republicans don’t hate participation trophies, or bodily autonomy, or government social services. They LOVE all of it… but they only love it secretly and ONLY for the RICH. —CL

I concede that transgender women competing in elite athletic competitions is a tricky issue. I do not agree that it is one of the most important issues of our time. I also don’t see transgender issues as a “women’s” issue. I see it as a “human” issue. Because “women’s” issues are things that threaten women

in particular, and transgender women don’t threaten women. Because they are women.

—WE

I used to swim competitively at a pretty high level. This is something I know a fair bit about. USA Swimming is quite strict on eligibility for female athletes that have transitioned. Elite athletes do everything they can to keep their body in peak physical condition, legal and… whatever. The drugs required to transition from male to female do the exact opposite. If anything, athletes assigned male at birth competing after transitioning are at a disadvantage. The amount of extra training it must take when you’re taking drugs that actively suppress muscle development blows me away. If Katie Ledecky suddenly starts coming in last to a field of AMAB athletes then maybe there’s an issue with the eligibility policy. Right now? It’s a non-issue “issue.” Bluntly, there’s no way anyone would go through the years of surgeries and drugs required just to “beat girls at sports.” —Davey

If anyone is interested and has time, the Gaines family history is certainly enlightening and helps explain some of the why behind all of this. —Stewart

W.

State officials weigh an exception to the Iowa Open Records Act that lets them ignore ‘vexatious requesters’ (Sept. 25)

“Iowa’s Open Record Act, passed in 1967, is one of the broadest open records, or freedom of information, laws in the country. With certain limited exceptions — such as personnel records and documents in ongoing criminal investigations — any Iowan is supposed to be able to request and receive public records for any reason.” Oh, so just stfu and do your job then. Holy fuck republicans are just the worst.

—Rusty C.

At the same time, I can picture some mom for liberty or some other antivax parent inundating a school board or other local body with numerous bad faith requests. But at the end of the day, whatever happens will probably just be another attempt to hamper Rob Sand’s office from doing its job. —MIP

The article gives examples of the vexxers, but also points out a simple injunction could stop them under the current rules. —CaoCao

Regents walk out as UI grad student workers protest for ‘a real raise’; Reynolds announces $1.8 billion state budget surplus (Sept. 28)

Strange that the University President received a 14% raise, but the graduate students didn’t even receive more than inflation last year. Oh, and add to that the contract lasts til FY2025.

Mason W.

I’m employed at Iowa State. We got a 1% raise, and are unlikely to see any more this year. Oh yeah, and they’re eviscerating our health insurance for 2024. Great times. —TC

1 year surplus is a pretty dumb way to justify a multi-year tax cut (probably for the rich) —PM

What if COGS keeps going? And growing? Grad worker unions are exercising real power right now. Like for real. Shit’s happening. WII

PERSONALS

Waiting for a gentleman to sweep you off your feet? Archibald would like to do the honors. Green eyes, black-tipped nose and a dapper tuxedo coat, this 5-year-old chap is a fan of luxurious blankets (and makin’ biscuits with them). He is positive for Feline Leukemia Virus, which suppresses his immune system, so he’ll need you to encourage healthy habits. He should also be an only cat, or only join other FeLV felines. Care to court Archie?

Inquire with the Iowa City Animal Center at icanimalcenter.org or 319-356-5295.

Send your personals for consideration to editor@littlevillagemag.com with subject line “Personals.”

contact buzz Lights, camera, Inaction

The golden age of Hollywood in Iowa need not be behind us.

bY JOHN bUSbEE

Filmmaking and all of its related fields are perfect for boosting a creative economy. So much so that, 16 years ago, the state of Iowa attempted to brand itself the Hollywood of the Heartland, offering an enticing film tax program.

It’s easy to see how this could have worked in the long run. The heralded “Iowa work ethic” would be unleashed on both sides of the camera. Many filmmaking roles are flexible meat-n-taters jobs that keep the primary bills paid, but allow one to answer job calls when new productions arise.

And yet a myriad of vulnerabilities closed the program—with prejudice. A lack of accountability, a lack of staff to handle the flood of applications, resistance to ROI and politics all helped sink a program that could have grown a promising industry in Iowa.

Iowa was home to a few major productions prior to the program, including Twister (1996), Field of Dreams (1989) and Bridges of Madison County (1995). Media production continues to

Prior to the tax incentive program, the weather rom-dram Twister was partially filmed in Eldora and Ames; heartbreaker The Bridges of Madison County was filmed in, well, Madison County; and the majority of Iowa’s beloved nostalgic sports drama Field of Dreams, including the climactic hotdog scene (pictured) was filmed near Dyersville. Warner Bros. Entertainment; Gordon Company; Hy-Vee’s Limited-Edition ‘Field of Dreams Cornflakes’ box; collage by Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

happen in Iowa, but big projects such as the $30 million-plus The Crazies (2010) will likely never utilize Iowa’s wealth of locations again.

During that brief golden run, production companies hired countless Iowa artists in a variety of fields: costuming, set decoration, painting,

Iowa Film Festival Open Calls

Iowa may lag in luring blockbusters lately, but there are plenty of opportunities for filmmakers already in the state to achieve recognition! Below are six Iowa film festivals currently accepting submissions. Visit filmfreeway.com to submit.

cedar rapids Independent Film Festival (Est. 2001)

Collins Road Theatres, Marion, April 5-7, 2024

Next Deadline: Oct. 20, 2023

(Super Early)

Final Deadline: Jan 12, 2024

(Late)

Iowa-specific category? N

Des Moines Latino Film Festival (Est. 2021)

Multiple Venues, Des Moines, April 16-20, 2024

Next Deadline: Nov. 30, 2023

Iowa-specific category? Y

Farm to Film Fest (Est. 2023)

Multiple Venues, Washington, April 20-21, 2024

Next Deadline: Nov. 21, 2023 (Regular)

Final Deadline: Jan. 8, 2024 (Extended)

Iowa-specific category? Y

Julien Dubuque

International Film Festival (Est. 2012)

Multiple Venues, Dubuque, April 24-28, 2024

Next Deadline: Jan. 8, 2024 (Regular)

Final Deadline: Feb. 1, 2024 (Extended)

Iowa-specific category? N

Iowa Motion Picture Awards (Est. 1992)

Boman Fine Arts Center, Forest City, May 4, 2024

Next Deadline: Feb. 29, 2024 (Regular)

Iowa-specific category?

All entries must have an Iowa connection

Interrobang Film Festival

Des Moines Art Festival (Est. 2008)

makeup and, of course, as cast and crew. Good wages were paid, and communities realized an infusion of unexpected revenue.

If future efforts are pursued, they would need a solid foundation of creative, business and government support. The brief and bygone flurry of

Other Iowa film fests:

Sioux city International Shorts Film Festival, Promenade Cinema 14, Sioux City, Oct. 5-8 48 Hour Film Horror Project, Fleur Cinema, Des Moines, Oct. 6-8

refocus Film Festival, FilmScene, Iowa City, Oct. 12-15, 2023

Halloweenapalooza Horror Film Festival, Bridge View Center, Ottumwa, Oct. 13-14

Central Library, Des Moines, June 28-30, 2024

Next Deadline: Dec. 31, 2023 (Early bird)

Final Deadline: April 1, 2024 (Extended)

Iowa-specific category? N

Siouxland Inspirational & Historical Short Film Festival, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Sioux City, Nov. 5

Oneota Film Festival, Multiple Venues, Decorah, Feb. 29-March

3, 2024

Alternating currents Film Festival, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Aug. 15-18, 2024

film business was a combined effort; it occurred in response to the growing national trend of tax incentives.

As the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes reach a resolution—shortly after Marvel Studios’ VFX workers vote to unionize—film and television production is an evolving industry. Despite Iowa’s failing to keep pace, the state is not without filmmaking resources.

Produce Iowa (Iowa’s film office) and the Iowa Artists Directory (through the Des Moines Arts Festival) are two excellent statewide resources for filmmakers. Produce Iowa maintains strong industry connections through ongoing representation at industry conferences and events. Its Media Production Guide (culture.iowaeda.com/ produce-iowa) is free to anyone who wants to register for possible production work.

For anyone seeking on-camera opportunities, many beginning talents find short projects that offer experience, such as the recent 48-Hour Film Project, and other projects connected to the Iowa Motion Picture Association.

The Iowa Artists Directory, another connecting tool to allow individual artists to connect with work opportunities, not only connects artists with the media industry, but also potential viewers of their work.

For the dedicated film/television professional willing to invest time to help light the lights or get camera time, there are still ways to take action.

2024 dates not yet announced:

Snake Alley Festival of Film, Burlington Capitol Theater, Burlington (Summer)

cedar river Film Festival, Oster Regent Theatre, Cedar Falls (Summer)

International ScreenDance Festival, FilmScene, Iowa City (Summer)

48 Hour Film Project, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines (Summer)

Midwest Monster Film Fest, Village Theatre, Davenport (Fall)

Iowa Independent Film Festival, Multiple Venues, Mason City and Clear Lake (Fall)

Donna, Ed and the bomb

An A-list actor from Iowa and her high school chemistry teacher sought to spotlight to the horror of nuclear weapons. Then the U.S. government got involved.

bY PAUL brENNAN

The studio promised it would be a prestigious motion picture, with big stars and stunning visual effects. The movie would tell the true story of the creation of the atomic bomb, and give people a fuller understanding of what it means to live in a world with such weapons. It was 1947, 76 years before Oppenheimer, and The Beginning or the End was the first feature film about the Manhattan Project and the destruction of Hiroshima.

If you’ve never heard of The Beginning or the End, that’s because none of what the studio promised happened. But before studio executives, terrible screenwriting and the demands of the U.S. military and the Truman White House mangled the project, there was a good idea for an important movie.

It began with a letter from a Manhattan Project scientist to movie star Donna Reed, shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. How the two knew each other is a story that starts in the small town of Denison, Iowa.

Before The Donna Reed Show was one of the most popular TV programs of the late ’50s and early ’60s, before Reed became the first Iowa-born actor to win an Oscar, before she starred in the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life and before her first movie role in ’41 at age 20, Donna Belle Mullenger was a painfully shy sophomore at Denison High School.

“I saw in Donna a bright and intelligent girl, and sensed that underneath her shyness there was a natural charm,” Ed Tompkins later recalled.

Tompkins was teaching biology and chemistry at Denison High, when Donna became one of his students in 1936.

“I think anyone that had him for a teacher would agree with me that he was the most interesting teacher we have had, and he had a good sense of humor that made classes fun,” Mearl T. Luvaas wrote in the Denison Bulletin-Review in 2012.

Tompkins grew up on a farm outside Winterset, and before leaving to earn his bachelor’s degree at the State Normal School of Colorado (now the University of Northern Colorado), he’d been a shy

high school student, embarrassed by the overalls he wore to school. Tompkins could tell Donna was another farm kid who felt awkward at school.

He talked to her about his school days and how he was finally able to overcome his shyness. Tompkins encouraged her to take part in school activities. He also gave her a copy of Dale Carnegie’s

The Des Moines Register’s Sunday Magazine’s spread on Donna Reed Des Moines Register, March 1946; Reed appears with her high school science teacher Edward Tompkins on This is Your Life in March 1956 Video still, ‘This is Your Life’

How to Win Friends and Influence People, which had been published earlier that year.

Reed credited those talks and that book with changing her life. She followed Tompkins advice and started participating in extracurricular activities. Donna excelled at speech contests. She won leading roles in school plays. Throughout her

Working at Oak Ridge meant almost entirely cutting yourself off from the outside world. Tompkins stopped writing to his former students. Reed didn’t know why he had stopped replying to her letters until shortly after the war, when she learned from a newspaper story he’d been part of the Manhattan Project.

45-year-long career in show business, Reed would always mention her high school chemistry teacher when asked about people who influenced her.

Tompkins was gone by the time Reed started to shine in school. He left Denison in the fall of 1937 to start graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. But Tompkins kept in touch with some of his former students. He and Donna regularly corresponded as he worked on his Ph.D in chemistry, and even after he graduated in 1941 and became a chemist at the Armour Research Foundation, part of the newly formed Illinois Institute of Technology.

By that time, Reed was in California and about to become a star.

By the time she graduated in 1938, Donna had decided to become a teacher. But her family couldn’t afford college. The country was still suffering through the Great Depression, and Hazel and William Mullenger had four children younger than Donna—two boys and two girls—to care for. Fortunately, Donna’s Aunt Mildred, who lived in Los Angeles, had a solution.

Donna could move to L.A., live with her and go to Los Angeles City College. California residents could attend tuition-free, they just needed to pay a $5 student fee each semester (adjusting for inflation, that’s a little over $100 today). Donna left Iowa and headed west.

At college, she continued to pursue her interest in the theater, even as she worked three jobs. In December 1940, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page photo of her after she won a campus beauty contest. It caught the eye of Bill Smith, an agent. He signed her up, and got her a screen test at MGM. The studio gave Donna a contract and a new last name, changing Mullenger to Reed, and quickly began casting her in movies.

Her first movie, a crime drama called The GetAway with Reed as the female lead, hit theaters in June 1941. The New York Times called it “deadly dreary stuff,” but bad reviews did nothing to slow Reed’s career. Before the year was over, she appeared in two more movies, and even worked steadily throughout World War II.

However the war did dramatically change the course of Ed Tompkins’ life.

Tompkins nor almost anyone else at Oak Ridge knew the uranium would be used for a bomb, they just knew their work was vital to the war effort.

Working at Oak Ridge meant almost entirely cutting yourself off from the outside world. Tompkins stopped writing to his former students. Reed didn’t know why he had stopped replying to her letters until shortly after the war, when she learned from a newspaper story he’d been part of the Manhattan Project. She wrote Tompkins a letter, sending it care-of the Oak Ridge laboratory.

Tompkins replied quickly with a long letter expressing the worries he and some of his fellow scientists had about the atomic bomb, and the public’s lack of understanding about how the bomb “necessitates a reevaluation of many of our previous modes of thought and life.” It wasn’t like other weapons, he explained, adding “a hundred longrange rockets carrying atomic explosives could wipe out civilization in a matter of minutes.”

That wasn’t the message the Truman administration was promoting to the public. There was

In 1942, Tompkins was recruited for the Manhattan Project, the massive, top-secret scientific effort to develop an atomic bomb. Tompkins was sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the laboratory and production facilities were focused on enriching uranium. Everything about Oak Ridge was top secret and on a strictly need-to-know basis. Neither

no need for change or concern, according to the administration. The bomb guaranteed America’s safety. There was no moral ambiguity about using atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagaski, two cities with little connection to the Japanese military. The deaths of well over 100,000 civilians in those two cities were just the sort of thing that happens in war. Stories about severe radiation burns and sickness among survivors were nothing to worry about.

Tompkins explained that many Manhattan Project scientists were working to inform the public about “the horrors of atomic warfare” through newspaper interviews and by writing books, but they realized a movie would reach “a large segment of the population.”

“It would, of course, have to hold the interest of the public and still not sacrifice the message,” he wrote. “Would you be willing to help sell this idea to MGM?”

As journalist and historian Greg Mitchell points out in his 2020 book about the movie sparked by this letter, The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood—and America—Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, there were few dissenting public voices in October 1945.

“The day before Reed received the Tompkins letter … more than ninety thousand locals had gathered in the Los Angeles Coliseum to witness a ‘Tribute to Victory,’” Mitchell writes. The event featured “a re-creation of the bombing of Hiroshima” with a B-29 dropping “a package that produced a large noise and a small mushroom cloud. The crowd went crazy,”

After thinking about it for a few days, Reed phoned her old teacher and said she would help.

Reed turned Tompkins’ request over to Tony Owen, who was then both her husband and her agent. Owen immediately began contacting producers, but had little success. In another phone call, Reed told Tompkins producers were nervous. Some told Owen they’d be willing to make a nuclear bomb movie only with the approval of the military and only if the movie didn’t have any “political repercussions.” Tompkins remained hopeful, but Reed warned him that whatever movie he had in mind would likely end up very different after studio

executives took charge of it.

Before October was over, Owen found a willing producer. Samuel Marx had already been interested in making a movie about the bomb. He had a fuzzy vision for a history-making epic and instant classic. He was excited Owen could connect him to Manhattan Project scientists. Marx and Owen went to see the head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer.

Mayer got caught up in Marx’s enthusiasm. He green-lit the still-vague movie, declaring it would be “the most important picture” the studio ever made.

Owen and Marx flew to Oak Ridge at the beginning of November, where they were greeted by Tompkins and four of his colleagues.

“We are very happy that you are here!” Tompkins said, according to notes Marx made of the visit. “We hope you can tell the world the meaning of the bomb, because we are scared to death.”

That was not the attitude Marx was looking for. Like the other producers, he knew cooperation from the military was essential—the movie would need army equipment as props and bases as filming locations—and he knew how important it was to make a movie President Truman wouldn’t find objectionable.

In the end, Marx would grant Truman and his representatives, as well as Leslie Groves (the army general who had been in charge of the Manhattan Project) the right to change the script or anything that had been filmed. Both Groves and Truman had no patience for people with qualms about atomic weapons or the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both found scientists annoying.

“I don’t want to see that son of a bitch in this office ever again,” Truman said after a White House meeting with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer told Truman he felt guilty the bombs he created had been used against largely civilian targets. Truman told Secretary of State Dean Acheson, “This kind of sniveling makes me sick.”

Even though Marx was determined to please Groves and Truman—both made major changes to the movie—he did assure many concerned scientists the final product would reflect their opinions. Tompkins was the first to receive that assurance. It wasn’t true.

The first feature film about the Manhattan Project and the bombing on Hiroshima. MGM, 1947

OCTOBER DONOR DRIVE

Marx hired Ed Tompkins as a consultant for the movie, and had him move to Los Angeles. Marx was interested in using Tompkins to get technical details right, or close enough. MGM’s publicity department was interested in using Tompkins’ and Reed’s decade-old connection as teacher and student to generate early interest in the movie. For the first few months of 1946, MGM got newspapers around the country to run stories about their Denison High days and how Tompkins was the one who first suggested MGM’s upcoming movie to Reed.

In March 1946, the Des Moines Register Sunday Magazine ran a story saying MGM had slated Reed to star in The Beginning or the End. It wasn’t true. Reed was never approached about being in the movie. When the Register story appeared, she was busy getting ready for a movie at a different studio. The following month, Reed started filming her role as Mary Bailey in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life at RKO.

As MGM was using Tompkins and Reed to promote the movie, Tompkins was growing more frustrated. Marx was ignoring his suggestions about the movie and its message. After a tense meeting in early February 1946, in which Marx called him “less than useless,” Tompkins wrote to a colleague that he finally realized he was working for “a bunch of potential bastards.” He quit and went back to Oak Ridge.

Ed Tompkins had a long and distinguished career, first at Oak Ridge, and later at the University of California Radiological Laboratory and the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory. He died in 1986 at age 78, following complications from surgery.

Donna Reed also had a long and distinguished career, winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1954 for her performance in From Here to Eternity, and finding great success in movies and TV. She continued acting until just a few months before her death from pancreatic cancer at age 64 in 1986.

The Beginning or the End was a flop. It had a muddled and occasionally ridiculous storyline, in which all its characters overcome their worries about the bomb. The actors were B-list at best. The special effects paled in comparison to newsreel footage of the actual bomb. The movie arrived in theaters, over budget and behind schedule, in March 1947. According to MGM’s records, the studio lost almost $1.6 million on it (about $24 million in today’s dollars).

In 1958, Reed and Tompkins briefly reunited on This is Your Life, a popular TV show that recounted the lives of celebrities by surprising them with people from the past. Tompkins was one of the surprise guests on the episode about Reed. The two talked about Denison High and how he helped her overcome shyness. There was no mention of The Beginning or the End

Paul Brennan is Little Village’s news director. He watched The Beginning or the End, so you wouldn’t have to. It felt much longer than 112 minutes.

BLOOD, JUST MONEY!

Iowa Witch

If Kim Reynolds is a corn-fed extension of the DeSantis campaign, Kari Lake is the MAGA version. But the multielection denier isn’t the same Lake that left Iowa 30 years ago.

bY EMMA MccLAtcHEY

When Arizona politician Kari Lake braved the cold this February to deliver a speech in Iowa, her home state, it wasn’t to encourage students at one of her alma maters, and she certainly didn’t bother visiting one of her former newsrooms in the Quad Cities.

Best known for losing (and refusing to concede) her 2022 bid for Arizona governor, the former Iowan and TV news anchor spoke in front of a packed crowd of hundreds in Bettendorf’s Tanglefoot Hills Pavilion.

“They picked a fight with the wrong woman,” Lake said of her perceived enemies. “I have just enough Arizona in me. I have just enough Iowa in me. And I’m not going to let them win. No way!”

Lake spends much of her recent autobiography, Unafraid, dehumanizing these enemies. Over four pages she recalls a violent, elaborate dream in which she’s kidnapped by a smug-faced Bill Gates and his crony Stephen Richer, who drag her into the desert and attempt to shoot her. Fantasies like this are portrayed as portents— messages from God that her anti-vaccine efforts and far-right beliefs are over the target.

Central to Lake’s message is “election integrity.” After a whirlwind Republican primary in which Lake scored Trump’s endorsement for governor, she ultimately lost by a thin margin to Democrat Katie Hobbs last November. On Christmas Eve, a judge threw out Lake’s attempt to overturn the results, and Lake has been working on her appeal throughout 2023. During that time, Lake tweeted accusations at the judge— which she deleted under threat of sanctions—and her lawyers were fined for making “unequivocally false” statements in court.

In June, she released a song with a band called the Truth Bombers, “81 Million Votes, My Ass,” referencing Biden’s vote total in 2020.

“If you lose, you lose with dignity, you shake that other person’s hand and you walk away,” Lake told the crowd in southeast Iowa, sharing a lesson her father, a retired teacher and coach at North Scott High School, taught her.

“I didn’t lose,” Lake concluded, “so I’m not doing that.”

Whether she’s speaking at CPAC or a state

fair, her most popular material is attacks on the news media. She’s struggling to be “Iowa Nice” these days, she joked. “I’m starting to think maybe I need to try a little Iowa— how do I say? I’m not going to say the word I’m thinking.”

“I’m about to go Iowa witch on the media.”

Lake was a hit with the crowd, which included a few relatives and out-of-state supporters. Audience members waved glossy signs handed out by Lake’s team that said “I’m a Kari Lake

Republican” and, strangely, “Save Arizona.” At one point, someone shouted “VP!”

“That a failed gubernatorial candidate from a state some 1,300 miles away is packing a hall full of Iowans in a non-election year is testament to Ms. Lake’s appeal,” the Christian Science Monitor noted in their coverage.

Whether she manages to nab her dream job on Trump’s ticket, or—far more likely—launches a campaign for Kyrsten Sinema’s Arizona Senate

“They picked a fight with the wrong woman. I have just enough Arizona in me. I have just enough Iowa in me. ”

—Kari Lake, speaking in the Quad Cities on Feb. 10

Emma McClatchey / Little VIllage

seat, Kari Lake’s rural Iowa roots are a crucial ingredient in her manicured MAGA brand. Still, it’s hard to reconcile the Kari who left Iowa three decades ago—a hardworking public school student who became a trusted news anchor in Phoenix, Arizona, and even voted for Obama in 2008—with the sycophant she is today.

For Trump, it seems, that contrast is part of the appeal.

“She is a fantastic person who spent many years working as a highly respected television anchor and journalist,” reads Trump’s endorsement of Lake in the 2022 Arizona governor race. “Because of this, few can take on the Fake News Media like Kari.”

Somewhere in Scott county

Kari Lake was born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1969. The youngest of nine children, Lake says she and her siblings would sometimes go hungry when times were tough.

“We had to fight for food, not recognition,” she told a reporter in 2022 when asked if she had to compete for attention growing up.

She elaborates in her memoir: “With eight older sisters, the hand-me-down clothes I inherited probably made me look about a decade out of style. But it never bothered me all that much. No one ever told us we were poor; back in the ’70s and early ’80s everyone had some sort of struggle.”

Her parents divorced when she was young and Lake was primarily raised by her father. She recalls with nostalgia the morning routine at John Glenn Elementary School in Donahue, which included reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “three or four patriotic songs” before classes began. (“Oh how we need to return to something similar to that now, and fast!”)

MAGA, for Lake, is clearly a Gen Xer’s rose-colored view of the 1980s. She doesn’t seem to have reevaluated or developed a more nuanced perspective on the decade—including the circumstances that kept her family hovering around poverty despite her public school teacher father’s strong work ethic.

“I was raised that if you work hard, you can get ahead. Conversely, if you don’t work hard, life will be difficult and you will struggle. It’s your choice,” Lake writes. “Our parents gave us life. It’s our job to take that gift of life and do something with it. It is sink or swim. That was the environment I grew up in.”

A teenage Lake certainly didn’t sink, graduating from high school and heading off to college at the age of 16. In 1992, she married her high school sweetheart and graduated from the

University of Iowa with degrees in journalism and mass communication, but you’d barely know it listening to her describe her own background. Absent from her recent autobiography are any mentions of her college studies. Instead, she argues over and over again that education was only worthwhile before some unspecified time when “victim mentality” took over.

She advocates for shrinking the Department of Education and funneling as much public education funds into private schools as possible, believing that “spending more on public schools [has] resulted in poorer education.”

And, of course, she wants Critical Race Theory and “gender ideology” banned—popular Republican priorities that have led to confusing state laws and messy book-banning campaigns in Iowa and across the country.

At some point in her life, Kari Lake decided the education system that prepared her for a successful career in broadcasting is too obsessed with equity, and “Equity is just clumsily packaged consultant jargon for Communism.”

‘I wasn’t telling the news, I was the news’

In her memoir, Lake recounts a scene from her childhood in which she spotted an airplane in the sky above Scott County. “Someday I’m going to be on a plane going somewhere,” she told herself; suddenly, God “enveloped” her, telling her she “WAS going places.”

“This was definitive. This was declared. This wasn’t a choice; it was going to happen … I wanted that feeling to last.”

Lake doesn’t directly attribute her career in TV news to a divine plan, but says “it was a love for storytelling that led me to my first ‘real’ news job at KWQC-TV in Davenport,” and eventually WHBF-TV in Rock Island.

“I didn’t care if I was forecasting the weather, doing a human-interest piece, or delivering hard-hitting news,” Lake writes. “All that mattered was that I had a clear line of communication into American families’ homes.”

She said she was following in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan—literally and figuratively.

“He too must have had a God-moment. Some divine inspiration that led him on the path from small-town Dixon, Illinois, to Davenport, Iowa, where he took his first sports announcer job at WOC radio (it eventually became KWQC TV where I got my first job in television news) and then to WHO radio in Des Moines…”

Lake’s own career in media led her to Phoenix, Arizona’s FOX10 station in August 1994, when she was 25. She divorced her first husband, marrying Phoenix videographer Jeff Halperin

in 1998. She climbed the ranks at FOX10 until she was anchor, making a salary upwards of $400,000.

However, the job came with pressure to change. As her FOX10 colleagues told PHOENIX magazine, there was an “‘intense scrutiny of appearance’ endured by TV news talent—especially female personalities—in the social media era.”

Lake switched her party affiliation from Republican to Independent to Democrat and back to Republican between 2006 and 2012. She even donated to the campaigns of John Kerry and Obama. But her admiration for Trump seemed to pull her even further right.

After the Access Hollywood tape was leaked in 2016, Lake defended Trump’s comments about sexually assaulting women, as well as Trump’s choice to disparage John McCain’s status as a POW. (“He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”)

“Was what Donald Trump said tactless and boorish? Absolutely. But in the context it was given—as an impassioned defense of the Republican voters that McCain had ridiculed and failed time and again—it made complete sense,” Lake writes in Unafraid. “But the media didn’t want to take it in its context and make sense of anything.”

It didn’t help that FOX10 allegedly fostered a “hunger games” atmosphere around employee’s social media engagement, incentivizing controversial posting. In 2018, Lake tweeted that a movement to increase teacher pay was “nothing more than a push to legalize pot.” She apologized and deleted the tweet.

In 2019, for the sake of “free speech,” Lake joined Parler, a new social network popular with far-right posters. Some viewers complained about this, and Lake was caught on a hot mic complaining about the complaints to her co-anchor John Hook. Hook said the bosses were worried about “blowback” from local publications like the Phoenix New Times, an alt-weekly.

“Fuck them,” Lake said. “They’re 20-year-old dopes. That’s a rag for selling marijuana, and it used to be a rag for selling sex.”

Hook points out they have to be able to “explain” her use of Parler to viewers.

Lake replies, “I’m reaching people.”

“That’s when all of this started going downhill,” Diana Pike, the former human resources director at FOX10 and a 20-year colleague of Lake, told the Washington Post

The leaked comments stirred some national headlines. “Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t telling the news,” Lake writes, “I was the news.”

In 2020, FOX10 quietly took Lake off the air

for a couple months. In her book, Lake describes this “cancellation” as the darkest stage of her life. She started wearing a cross necklace “for protection.”

Meanwhile, Lake was still a household name in Arizona, and her blunt comments earned her admiration from the Trump set. “You are literally the only reporter in Arizona I trust,” one fan encouraged her on Twitter during Lake’s leave. “Hope everything works out and you get back to us soon.”

Conservative narratives became a currency in the COVID-19 era, and Lake’s new brand “brought her power and recognition that she had never felt before,” former FOX10 anchor Marlene Galán-Woods told the Post. “It’s intoxicating. The Kool-Aid is the power and all these people fawning over you—you forget what the truth is anymore.”

At the same time, she experienced a religious “epiphany” while joining her best friend Lisa Dale at an Evangelical church in Scottsdale. Lake used to describe herself as “a lapsed or lazy Catholic”; some former coworkers claim she even had a Buddhist streak. “But Covid changed all that.”

“I looked at the Bible: this was the TRUTH,” she writes in Unafraid. “I looked at the news script: these were the lies.”

On March 2, 2021, she announced her resignation from FOX10, and the journalism profession. Within three months, she launched her first campaign for office.

“The newswoman-turned-politician was a hell of a story,” Lake discovered.

trump in heels

Her built-in name recognition and off-the-cuff speaking style—not to mention her willingness to demonize her former profession and give fuel to conspiracy theories—earned her quick praise among conservatives.

“People have said Kari Lake is ‘Donald Trump in heels,’ but really, she is Donald Trump with media training and polish,” wrote Ruby Cramer in the Washington Post

It doesn’t hurt that her husband Jeff Halperin, a videographer with his own production company, keeps his lens trained on Kari, and installed a professional studio in their home. (“The way to a woman’s heart is through lighting and photography!” she wrote in a post on Facebook.)

Lake took every opportunity to go “Ultra MAGA” on an audience, which ultimately caught the president’s eye at a July 24, 2021 “Rally to Save our Elections” in Phoenix.

“When President Trump saw how popular she

was with the grassroots here in Arizona, arguably one of the most important target states, it was like, how do you deny that?” said Tyler Bowyer, one of the rally’s organizers.

She won Trump’s endorsement and says she still has it pinned to her refrigerator. She describes Trump as a friend and confidant, and even gave him a special ringtone in her phone, “Hail to the Chief.”

“Our calls became more frequent, his advice more focused,” she recalls. “I could tell he had taken a personal interest in my campaign.

“Trump taught me that a debate could be won off the strength of an unrestrained, dominant personality ... when you take up all of the oxygen in a race, all the rest of the candidates would struggle for air.”

Lake won the GOP primary, and recalls that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a “class act,” was one of very few Republicans who called to congratulate her. Her controversial statements and campaign content—most notably, an ad in which she takes a sledgehammer to a stack of TVs playing CNN, and a T-shirt for sale featuring a burning face mask—earned national headlines.

Meanwhile, Lake’s Democratic counterpart Katie Hobbs refused to debate her opponent. “I have no desire to be a part of the spectacle that she’s looking to create,” Hobbs told CBS.

Lake’s attempts to get Hobbs on the debate stage, including having her staffers show up to Democratic events in chicken costumes, ultimately failed. And swing voters weren’t thrilled about Lake’s promise to declare an “invasion” at the Southern border, or crack down on “the ultimate sin” of abortion.

“Kari Lake is struggling with resources and her narrative is very narrow,” Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin told the Post ahead of the election. “It only appeals to a very, very hardcore traditional primary voter that is caught up in Trumpland.”

On Election Day in Arizona, nearly 34,000 Republican voters in the crucial Maricopa County picked Hobbs over Lake, while Lake only flipped 8,541 Democrats.

Lake disputes these results, of course, but some in her own campaign expressed relief.

“I’m glad she lost,” a former Lake staffer told the Christian Science Monitor, adding that, if she runs again, “I’d work for free against her, that’s how I feel about her being in leadership.”

“It was all Trump, Trump, Trump,” according to a former campaign consultant. “She didn’t want to be governor. She wanted to be Trump’s running mate.”

Since the two-day trial in which a judge rejected Lake’s claim to the governor’s office, Lake

has spent much of her time staying in a suite at Mar-a-Lago—former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis compared her to “a bum college dropout,” “couch-surfing at her friend’s house.”

Lake herself had an odd reply when asked about her VP ambitions in May, claiming Trump “doesn’t really need” a running mate; “He’s that powerful.” If he does pick one, she continued, she hopes it’s someone “the media fears more than they fear him.”

Major outlets have reported she could launch a campaign for U.S. Senate as early as mid-October. According to a report in the New York Times, Trump recently called up Blake Masters—the last GOP Senate nominee in Arizona, who lost to then-Democratic incumbent Kyrsten Sinema in 2022—to say he’d prefer to see Lake for Senate in 2024.

If her recent memoir/manifesto is any indication, Lake will be a MAGA candidate no matter what.

“We must win the culture war at home,” Lake writes in Unafraid. “That’s where the battlefield is. MAGA helps. The iconography, the attitude. It’s transformational. It’s actually countercultural in this culture of globalist rot.”

Her own transformation is still hard for some former associates to swallow, but not Lake’s best friend Lisa Dale, also a former news anchor.

“It’s always funny to me when people say, ‘Oh, Kari’s changed,’” Dale told the Post. “I’m like, ‘I’ve known her for 30 years. She didn’t change. You just didn’t really know her.’”

Emma McClatchey is a graduate of the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and is always puzzled when fellow alumni (Kari Lake, QAnon’s Liz Crokin) or former Iowa journalists (Benny Johnson, Ashley Hinson) take the red pill. Unable to find a free copy of Unafraid to read, Emma followed her $30 book purchase with a $50 donation to the Emma Goldman Clinic in honor of Lake.

to do

LV recommends: Eastern Iowa

Harry’s bar & Grill

An early taste of the new, old-school diner.

bY bEN SMItH

Like its seasonal student population, Iowa City is constantly in a state of change. Brand-new downtown diner Harry’s Bar & Grill (116 E Washington St) is offering a chance to step back in time to Iowa City in the ’60s and ’70s, when a beloved and campy landmark bookstore called Epstein’s Books still existed.

The new diner is named after Harry Epstein, an avid Kurt Vonnegut fan and local musician who co-owned Epstein’s Books with his brother Glen for around a decade. The store was “a popular hangout for bibliophiles, beatniks, hippies, and counterculturists of all stripes,” according to Harry’s obituary in the Press-Citizen. “Former Iowa Writers’ Workshop director John Leggett called the store ‘the social center of the Left Bank atmosphere here.’”

Hart Epstein, Harry’s son and a longtime Iowa City restaurateur, tried to capture some of the Epstein’s vibe at Harry’s Bar & Grill, which soft-opened last month. Just the right amount of eccentricities and adornments give the place a bold identity—especially the vintage photos and iconic “EPSTEINS BOOKS” sign on the walls.

The menu at Harry’s includes burgers, appetizers, sandwiches, salads, desserts, cocktails and a decent amount of options for vegetarians (any burger can be Impossible’d). Hart drew inspiration from East Coast sandwiches, Southwest flavors and fellow Iowa City institution Bluebird Diner, which Hart opened and co-owned with Thomas Connolly from 2008 to 2020.

Hart proudly describes Harry’s menu as “elevated but familiar”—a “middle ground” between

Above: the Cheese Curd and Breaded Mushroom Po’ Boy at Harry’s Bar & Grill. Jordan Sellergren / Little VIllage Right: Glen and Harry Epstein inside their urban renewal module bookstore, 1974. David Morice

fancy and fast food.

“Eating out is a luxury, of course, but everyone needs to treat themselves once in a while, and folks who can’t afford a $50 steak still deserve food and drink made from scratch with care and love,” he explained. “I want people to come away feeling good, feel like it’s ‘their place.’”

Diners are encouraged to “smack it,” which adds peppers, onion, garlic, bacon and cheese to any menu item. My heart was warmed to find a burger named after John Hopkins, a departed icon of Iowa City’s music scene and friend of mine, as well as a sandwich dedicated to Motorhead’s Phil

Taylor. If I ever lose consciousness, revive me by whispering scintillating menu verbiage such as “gooey, smothered, caramelized, smokey, country-style ... sauce,” and I’ll awaken, flapping my wallet at you.

I started with the cheese curds, which came with an impressive dill pickle aioli, before diving into the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. My partner ordered the Breaded Mushroom Po’ Boy with wild mushrooms and that amazing dill aioli. To our delight, the sandwiches came on homemade rolls, their contents pouring over. I topped off my meal with a slice of apple pie, though according to our server, the German chocolate cake is the specialty.

The vibe at Harry’s was comfortably raucous for a middle-aged proto-codger like myself. I felt quite at home hearing Manowar and Nirvana on the Sunday afternoon playlist.

After Epstein’s Books closed in 1977—its Clinton Street building was demolished to make way for the Old Capitol Mall—Harry Epstein became a craftsman, selling decorative mirrors to customers in Iowa City and beyond. (Remember those tiger hawk mirrors? Harry made and sold scores of them.) He died in 2020 at the age of 81.

I asked Hart what his dad would order at Harry’s if he was here today.

“He’d eat whatever we put in front of him!” Hart said, adding that Harry might have gone for the Cheesesteak Hash (with extra green chile; he spent decades living in Socorro, New Mexico), the Huevos Epsteinos, or some fried chicken with lots of hot sauce.

“Honestly, I believe he would love all of it. Wish he could be here to see the place.”

Harry’s Bar & Grill will celebrate its grand opening throughout October, with plans to expand its hours, start delivery through Chomp and add to its dinner menu, including seafood and non-meat options. Keep up at harrysbarandgrilliowacity.com.

LV recommends: central Iowa

Monsterama Arcade & Pizzeria

This gamer-kid sanctum makes Pizza Planet look WEAK.

bY MAX ADAMS

Wednesday, 6:11 pm. Of course I’m at Monsterama. Where the hell are you?

Monsterama Arcade & Pizzeria (located at 3108 SW 9th St, next to Lucky Gal) on Des Moines’ south side serves pizza, calzones, hot dogs and mocktails adjacent to a gaggle of games.

If the tantalizing eats and creative concoctions don’t endear you to Monsterama, the theming certainly will: every wall, floor to ceiling, is adorned with vintage movie posters, knick-knacks and haunted house set pieces, including a gigantic gorilla hand that hangs over the register.

At first glance this haunt doesn’t seem too huge, but through a secret doorway (I won’t spoil where it is) you’ll find an arcade bigger than the dining area. A cloaked nine-foot skeleton, along with several of his creepy friends, watches over those who dare to peruse the rows upon rows of arcade games. You’ll find some of the classics, such as Mortal Kombat and Pac-Man, alongside pinball machines and driving games like Crazy Taxi

And leave that jar of quarters at home—for a one-time fee ($15, or less if you’re younger than

12) you get to free-play in the arcade to your heart’s content.

Rest assured the food here isn’t just low-bar gamer fuel. Personally, I’m a Dog Hound (a person who loves a good hot dog), and if your menu has a Chicago dog on it, you can rest assured that I will be trying it. Naturally, I found myself ordering Monsterama’s true-to-form take on the dish, featuring a quarter-pound frank, mustard, relish, tomato slices, diced onions, a pickle spear, sport peppers and a sprinkling of celery salt all on a hoagie bun.

If you’re not a wiener enthusiast you may not

with a satisfying bite. The veggies taste crisp and fresh: the onion offers a pleasant edge, the pickle has a lovely crunch and the sport peppers pop with their dish-balancing acidity and spice. The hoagie bun is a perfect container for such a laundry list of ingredients, offering reliable structural integrity without being stiff or too “bready.” At $9.99 for the dog, chips, a fountain drink and the ambience, there wouldn’t be much to complain about if it had sucked. Lucky for me, it’s a goddamn hit.

I finished my dinner happy as a clam, but I couldn’t resist the allure of their mocktails, or “Specialty Gamer Drinks.” After asking the server/host for their favorite, I was given a Bloody Sunday, consisting of Monster Loco Mango, cranberry juice and grenadine (pomegranate syrup), put on ice and garnished with Swedish Fish. This thing is SWEET with a capital S-W-E-E-T, but I have to give credit where it’s due and report that the flavors are well-balanced. Some carbonation from the Monster combined with the cranberry tartness adds a much-needed delicacy to what could have been an overwhelming sugar bomb. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

know that a quarter pound is pretty big for a dog. Sometimes all that meat is unnecessary, and if the quality isn’t up to snuff then frankly it can be disgusting. Thankfully that is not the case here. When I first laid eyes on it I was smitten by its beauty—a lovely dark-red dog blanketed with the toppings’ neon shades of green and yellow, all resting comfortably within a pillowy bun.

Much to my delight, the first taste comes from the star of the show, the hot dog. It’s certainly not made in-house (why would it be), but it’s not Bar-S either: it’s a well-seasoned, good tasting dog

Overall, Monsterama Arcade & Pizzeria is a great spot for people of all ages. Their arcade is well-stocked and reasonably priced (in my humble opinion), the décor rules, and if I’m being real with you the food is way better than it should be. The owner-managers very clearly care about fostering positive, immersive experiences, and that’s something that I simply must appreciate. I think next time I’ll be trying one of their pizzas, or perhaps one of the off-menu specials they offer from time to time.

Rating: Two spooky dismembered thumbs up!

The food here isn’t just low-bar gamer fuel. Personally, I’m a Dog Hound (a person who loves a good hot dog), and if your menu has a Chicago dog on it, you can rest assured that I will be trying it.

Max Adams / Little Village

A hotdogandtacopizza, via Monsterama

Prairie Pop

Nosferatu reborn

Sentenced to destruction, the seminal 1922 silent film continues to inspire symphonies of horror.

bY KEMbrEW McLEOD

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is one of the most unsettling visual tales ever imprinted on celluloid, with an origin story and afterlife as shadowy as its vampiric subject matter.

The 1922 German Expressionist film, directed by F.W. Murnau, first crept into this world by sinking its teeth into Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, which prompted his estate to file a copyright infringement lawsuit against this unauthorized adaptation. As part of the settlement, all existing prints of Nosferatu were to be destroyed, but because the film had already been widely distributed, the silent cinema classic continued to circulate as an undead bootleg until it entered the public domain at the end of 2019.

Once released from its intellectual property shackles, film archivists were finally free to preserve Nosferatu in new high-definition restorations without worrying about copyright owners suing them. Likewise, musicians could now legally sync their own scores to the film, which is how Dream Chambers, Eve Maret and Belly Full of Stars were commissioned by Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre to perform a live score for Nosferatu’s hundredth anniversary in 2022.

Just in time for the Halloween season, these three electronic musicians will bring their own symphony of horror to the James Theater in Iowa City, where they will provide a live soundtrack

Ra Tempel, Amon Düül II and Tangerine Dream.

The seeds for this collaboration were planted in 2018, when Belly Full of Stars (the electronic sound project of Nashville-based artist and composer Kim Rueger) began playing with Eve Maret and Jess Chambers (who performs as Dream Chambers). “We hadn’t formally collaborated on a project like this before the first Nosferatu live score,” Maret said, “but we have been friends and jammed together enough to feel really comfortable improvising.”

genres, but also have a very diverse group of artists included. That openness and cross-collaboration certainly gives us a sense of both freedom and inclusiveness when it comes to exploring different types of sounds and spaces within our music, as well as who we create, collaborate, and share our music with.”

to a 35mm restoration of Nosferatu. Their score is a stunning work that envelopes listers in a kaleidoscopic wash of disembodied sound that is akin to Wendy Carlos’ two-LP masterpiece, Sonic Seasonings, or the early-1970s electronic krautrock soundscapes produced by Cluster, Ash

“The experimental scene here in [Nashville] has a lot of variety and many circles that overlap with each other—electronic, folk, jam bands, spoken word poetry, free jazz, noise, ambient,” Rueger said. “I think all of us can say that we often play on bills in town that not only cross

As individual artists, they have each developed their own particular aesthetics, but these three musicians are connected by their choice of instruments: modular synthesizers, analog oscillators and other old-school aural technologies that are enjoying a revival in today’s digital age. Rueger, for instance, recalls that when she was a student in the Recording Industry program at Middle Tennessee State University in the late 1990s, she spent a lot of time working and

Nosferatu: A Live Scoring James Theater, Monday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., $12-25

“I use the Strega heavily in peak moments when Nosferatu himself appears. Its eerie, almost cackling, pitchswooping tone can sound like an edgy version of a theremin, heard in sci-fi and horror film scores of days gone by.”

still from Nosteratu, photo via Dream Chambers

playing in the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Lab, where music was compressed into ones and zeros.

“Back then, us synth-oriented artists were definitely a rarity,” she said. “Happy to say that somewhat the times have changed!”

Chambers moved to Nashville in 2012 from New Zealand, where the singer-songwriter had established herself with a series of subtly orchestrated folk albums. Once ensconced in Tennessee, she fell into a vibrant underground electronic music scene. Chambers began messing around with analog synths after a friend and neighbor let her sample his modular system for a song that she was producing using the audio editing software Ableton.

“The raw power and lovely complexity of the analog oscillators became clear to me as I was editing those recordings,” she said, “and I fell in love with that sound.”

While living in Nashville, Chambers met Maret, an experimental artist and composer who cites a variety of influences that include 19th-century orchestral and choral works, the Fluxus movement, Kosmische Musik and funk. Maret and Chambers helped co-found Hyasynth House, an electronic music collective and education center for women, trans and non-binary artists that facilitated community-wide conversations, workshops and performances to support and empower marginalized groups.

Over the past few years, Maret, Chambers and Rueger developed friendships and working relationships that paved the way for their Nosferatu score. The trio’s live performance is mostly improvised, though there are certain moments that they loosely score to emphasize what is happening in the film—such as how they play specific notes or chords to accompany the action of particular characters.

“After we spent some time becoming familiar with the movie,” Maret said, “we decided to assign different characters and settings specific sound profiles. For instance, we play in E for Ellen, and [Chambers] triggers eerie vocal samples whenever she enters the scene. We also wanted to consider the full spectrum of frequencies in creating our score. [Chambers] covers the bass and granulated vocals, [Rueger] provides field recordings and keys, and I am responsible for the rhythms/beats and arps, and some field recordings as well. Getting to know the film better also led us to refine the arc of intensity so that the music guides the listener/viewer along.”

“We have allocated sonic ‘areas’ to each of us,” Chambers added. “For example, [Rueger]— who uses, among other things, field recordings, granular processing and live sampling software,

FM synthesis and an 0-coast—is mostly occupying an ambient space and adding lovely chordal pads and foley, while [Maret] is creating arpeggios and harmony on her Novation Peak and rhythm on the Moog Dfam. I am contributing bass and melodic pads using a couple Moog Mother 32s, as well as vocals processed through a Make Noise Morphagene.”

Rueger, who also loves to nerd-out about gear, noted that one of her favorite pieces of equipment used in the Nosferatu score is the Strega, a semi-modular synth and effects processor. It has an analog oscillator with an “interference” circuit that can add noise or warp and warble the tone, depending on how much it is mixed into the signal.

“I use the Strega heavily in peak moments when Nosferatu himself appears,” Rueger explained. “Its eerie, almost cackling, pitch-swooping tone can sound like an edgy version of a theremin, heard in sci-fi and horror film scores of days gone by. I also use a pair of Korg Volca FM synths for two different types of organ sounds in the sweeter moments, especially whenever Ellen appears on screen.”

In the olden days of the late 20th century, this kind of technical talk was largely the domain of men making electronic music, even though women had played instrumental roles within that realm since its beginnings. (Check out the 2020 documentary Sisters With Transistors, which explores the legacy of groundbreaking artists such as Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Clara Rockmore, Wendy Carlos and Laurie Spiegel.)

Even though Maret, Chambers and Rueger feel compelled to perform with electronic instruments because they are driven by their love of music and experimentation, there is still a politics embedded in their everyday creative practices.

“Hopefully, a wonderful ripple-out effect of being onstage as women and nonbinary creators is that we can help demystify music technology for anyone who might feel intimidated by its seeming complexity,” Chambers said. “The reasons why electronic music lacks gender diversity are many and complex. It has to do with music technology spaces often not feeling welcoming or particularly comfortable for us, and access to resources, gender socialization, the pay gap, etc. It’s a complex social issue, but I feel optimistic that this is changing rapidly in a positive way.”

Kembrew McLeod was born on Halloween, the most evil of all birthdays.

A-List: Eastern Iowa

Found in translation

Iowa City celebrates the diamond anniversary of the UI Translation Workshop.

bY SArAH ELGAtIAN

The Masters of Fine Arts in Literary Translation at the University of Iowa is one of only a handful of similar programs worldwide. A key facet, the 60-year-old UI Translation Workshop, predates the MFA program by a decade.

Boasting the title of “the country’s first translation workshop in a university setting,” it took shape during Paul Engle’s tenure as director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1963. The MFA program would emerge from the Translation Workshop in 1974, founded by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Daniel Weissbort.

Events celebrating the 60th anniversary begin on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Capitol Building: Spivak will make an appearance as part of the Iowa City Book Festival. Two days later, at 4 p.m. on Oct. 14, the Iowa City Public Library will host Patchwork: A Reading of Literary Translation featuring students in the Literary Translation MFA Program.

MFA candidates come from a range of academic backgrounds, all dedicated to precise translations and making texts more “accessible.” Some, like alum Kelsi Vanada, stumble on the discipline while following other pursuits.

“Literary translation wasn’t a practice I had known was even an option for me until I started taking translation workshops in the International Writing Program (IWP) while I was getting my MFA in Poetry at the Writers’ Workshop,” Vanada said via email.

She “found literary translation to be the perfect blend of my love of creative writing and my love of languages.”

After finishing her MFA in poetry, Vanada started the Translation Program and is now Program Director at ALTA (the American Literary Translators Association and the country’s largest organization dedicated to literary translation). She’s also published eight complete books of translation from Spanish and Swedish.

“I had a unique early experience because, in the IWP translation workshops, I got to sit right next to the poets I worked with and ask them any question I wanted in person,” Vanada added. “It was such a daunting task at first (well, it still is) that in the entire semester of my first workshop, I translated just TWO poems.”

Vanada’s timidity led to a common error in her translations. “Like with most new translators, out of respect for the original text, I stuck very close to the original grammar, which we call ‘translatese’ because it usually leads to bad writing in English,” she recalled. “Now I know, thanks to the example and mentorship of many wonderful translators, that the best translation is a poem that works in English.”

Translators may work on any project that excites them in the Translation Workshop—the only part of their curriculum in which the students get to present translations-in-progress and

several years, said that the collaborative nature of the MFA program is what makes it stand out. “Everyone is so invested in not only their own work but in everyone else’s. We spend hours in workshop on a single sentence and everyone is so invested. It’s not even your own sentence!”

For Vanada, the program stands out, “because it gives support and credibility and camaraderie

critique one another in real time. Ara Javaheri, a current graduate student in the MFA Program, said that this is the first time she’s been in a space in which everyone is working in English.

“When I read translations from other people I think, ‘OK, this sounds like this,’ and we talk about it and the translator asks, ‘OK, how does this sound to you?’ It’s so interesting that the thing that is most important to me now is how can I perfectly translate what [the text] is trying to say with the same voice, the same register, the same characters, the same story.”

Being in this group of careful translators made Javaheri more sensitive to the nuances of translation. “Now I think, ‘This is how the English sounds, this is how the Farsi sounds. Is it the same?’”

Javaheri, who has done translation in Iran for

to those of us working in a pretty small field in the U.S., treating our work as both art and labor, and teaching us also how to do the work around translating, such as the research, writing critical introductions, pitching and publishing books, etc.”

According to Javaheri, Aron Aji (the director of the MFA in Literary Translation) “usually refers to it as a ‘playground’”—an accurate assessment by Javaheri’s own estimation.

“You can be free to translate whatever you want, find your true passion,” she said. “Find that thing that makes you happy and when you leave you know what you love and what you can do and you have been trained so well.”

More information about the program, including upcoming events, can be found at translation. uiowa.edu.

“I had a unique early experience because, in the IWP translation workshops, I got to sit right next to the poets I worked with and ask them any question I wanted in person, It was such a daunting task at first (well, it still is) that in the entire semester of my first workshop, I translated just TWO poems.” ––Kelsi Vanada

Gayatri Spivak: “Translation! Ever New, Ever Elusive” Old Capitol Museum, Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Aron Aji, the director of the UI Translation Workshop, leads a workshop session on Sept. 28, 2023. Photo by Ara Javaheri

Presented Scan for tickets!

DARE TO DISCOVER!

AWARD-WINNING SANDBOX PERCUSSION MAKES ITS DES MOINES DEBUT WITH VIET CUONG’S VIRTUOSIC RE(NEW)AL . RIMSKY-KORSAKOV’S SCHEHERAZADE BRINGS THE CONCERT TO A DAZZLING CLOSE.

DISCOVER SCHEHERAZADE

SAT OCT 21 7:30PM / SUN OCT 22 2:30PM / CIVIC CENTER

Joseph Giunta, conducting Sandbox Percussion, The Fred & Charlotte Hubbell Visiting Artists In Residence DVORAK Carnival Overture

Gabriela Lena FRANK Escaramuza

Viet CUONG Re(new)al for Percussion Quartet & Orchestra

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade

Sponsored by Record Collector, Musician’s Pro Shop, and All Music All Art

For tickets or more information, visit our website, www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com, or find us on Facebook.

Produced by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC. (www.broadwaylicensing.com)

A-List: central Iowa

Scoring the Spider-Verse

The orchestra that brought Ratatouille the TikTok Musical to life is bringing an ambitious concert to Des Moines.

bY ISAAc HAMLEt

You’ll want to sit through the credits of this Marvel movie, just not for the usual reason.

“The movie ends … and then we score the whole credits for eight minutes,” said Emilly Marshall, the New York-based conductor who will be leading the Broadway Sinfonietta for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert when it comes to Des Moines. “The volume goes up and it becomes a live rock concert. That all comes to life and gives the orchestra even more of a moment to shine.”

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the Oscar-winning, 2018 animated predecessor to this year’s acclaimed Across the Spider-Verse The film follows the coming of age of Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino teenager living in the Bronx who must abruptly take up the mantle of Spider-Man.

On Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., the Broadway Sinfonietta—an all-women (and majority women of color) orchestra—will arrive at the Des Moines Civic Center (221 Walnut St) to perform the music of Into the Spider-Verse with Marshall conducting.

“Bringing this score to life is so much fun. There’s so many different added sound effects and live keyboard typing and folie things that we’re doing live every night along to the movie,” said Marshall of the all-ages event. “We perform it with a click track in our ears just to match it up to everything happening on the screen. So what the audience is watching is a live, film scoring session.”

Unlike common live-in-concert films scores like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, Daniel Pemberton’s Spider-Verse score makes heavy use of hip hop inspired numbers, calling for DJ Damage to join the performance. The film also features original music from artists like Lil Wayne, Post Malone and Jaden Smith.

As is the case for Miles in the film as he meets alternate Spider-People from across the “SpiderVerse,” Marshall’s conducting of the Broadway Sinfonietta ended up being “a meeting of two different worlds of mine, all colliding together.”

Marshall explained, “I’ve worked with the Sinfonietta since their conception back in 2020. Their founder, Macy Schmidt, and I have known

each other for years.”

Beyond conducting for the Sinfonietta, Marshall has played with the group and co-produced tracks. Many readers—particularly musical theater fans who found themselves on TikTok in the first year of the pandemic—may already be familiar with the work of Marshall and the Sinfonietta.

“In December of 2020, the Broadway Sinfonietta got to record—[Schmidt] orchestrated and Daniel Mertzlufft arranged—Ratatouille the TikTok Musical,” said Marshall. “I recorded

a star-studded recording of the musical took shape. In addition to Marshall and the Sinfonietta, the musical also tagged, among others, Tituss Burgess as Remy the rat and Tony-winner André De Shields as the antagonistic Anton Ego.

“I was co-producing that and co-music supervising that so I was wearing a lot of hats,” said Marshall. “All of us were wearing a million different hats to try and produce a whole, full-fledged musical that didn’t exist without anyone being in the same room. That was one of our first big Sinfonietta projects and it was a wild one.”

all the piano parts for that just in my apartment.”

This TikTok musical got its start when 26-year-old Emily Jacobsen uploaded a ballad, inspired by the 2007 Brad Bird-directed Pixar film about a rat with exceptional cooking skills, that she composed while cleaning her apartment. From there, more musical ingredients were assembled as other TikTok-ers uploaded more songs inspired by the musical, created faux playbills and other work without the expectation the effort would reach beyond social media.

Yet the fan project picked up so much steam that professionals—out of work due to the shuttering of Broadway—took notice. In short order,

According to Marshall, a performance like SpiderVerse Live in Concert allows audiences to see exactly the kind of work that goes into creating a score playing out in front of them.

“A lot of people don’t know exactly what they’re walking into when they come see the show, but you’re watching the entire movie of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and we are scoring the film alongside it,” she said. “So it’s everything that you hope to hear from the movie, plus more.”

This touring production will have a single performance on the night of Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. More information about the show can be found at desmoinesperformingarts.org.

“Bringing this score to life is so much fun. There’s so many different added sound effects and live keyboard typing and folie things that we’re doing live every night along to the movie.”

––Emilly Marshall

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert, Des Moines Civic Center, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m., $29-70

Lightroom Zen

EDITORS’ PICKS: OCTObER 2023 EVENTS

Planning an event? Add it to littlevillagemag.com/calendar! Please include event name, date, time, venue name/address, admission price (or range) and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). Contact calendar@littlevillagemag.com with any questions.

MUSIC CRANDIC

Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Shade of Blue, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City, $20

Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Jordan Hamilton, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $16-18

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Robert Cray, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $37-69

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. We Are The Willows, CSPS Hall, $17-21

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Pieta Brown & Chastity Brown, Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, Maquoketa, $35

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Temptress w/Louisiana Drifter & Dustlord, Wildwood Saloon & BBQ, $12-20

Monday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Folk Legacy Trio, Paramount Theatre, $15-50

Monday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Feed Me Weird Things: TENGGER, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Iowa City, $15-20

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Sunny Sweeney w/Jordan Sellergren, Wildwood Saloon, $20

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Infinite Dream: The Sphinx Virtuosi, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $10-25

FEaST Festival: Claire Rousay, Zoh Amba and Chris Corsano, James Theater, Iowa City, Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., $25-100

Feed Me Weird Things’s FEaST Festival kicks off at the James with three distinct, special acts: Claire Rousay, Zoh Amba and Chris Corsano. Rousay’s an LA-based artist who zeroes in on personal emotions and the minutiae of everyday life and explodes their significance. Zoh Amba’s music blends avant-garde, noise, devotional hymns, and is full of folk melodies. She has collaborated with a variety of noteworthy musicians such as double bassist William Parker and Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Chris Corsano is an energetic, creative, NYC-based drummer who has played alongside some of the heaviest contemporary purveyors of jazz and rock. He’s played alongside Bjork, Sir Richard Bishop and Evan Parker and Paul Flaherty. Grab an individual ticket to the show for $25, a full FEaST pass for $100, a sustainability pass, or personal sponsorship pass that includes extra FEaST perks.

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. Easy Honey w/Early Girl & Worst Impressions, Gabe’s, Iowa City, $10

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Bitch and Cry Matthews, CSPS Hall, $18-22

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Infinite Dream: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily, Hancher Auditorium, $10-35

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Infinite Dream: Love In Exile and In These Times, Hancher Auditorium, $10-35

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. Tallah w/NonGrata & Crimson Clean Sweep, Wildwood Saloon, $15

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Shovels & Rope w/Margo Cilker and Christy Hays, Wildwood Saloon, $43.75

Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Dale Watson w/Matt Hillyer, Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, $25

Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Scott Ellison, CSPS Hall, $25-30

Friday, Oct. 13 at 9:30 p.m. Infinite Dream: Model/Actriz w/ KL!NG, Gabe’s, $10-15

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. Warlock Hour Festival 2, Gabe’s, $15 minimum donation

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m

Infinite Dream: Kurt Vile and The Violators w/Lonnie Holley and Mourning [A] BLKstar, Hancher Auditorium, $10-35

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Chayce Beckham, Wildwood Saloon, $20

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Glenn Miller Orchestra, Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Fairfield, $21-43

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. David Rosales, Wildwood Saloon, $12

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Rational Anthem, Raging Nathans, Hospital Job, Gabe’s, $10

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tommy Emmanuel w/Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Englert Theatre, $25.50-225.50

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Bell Witch, Spirit Possession, Mystic Cross, Gabe’s, $22-30

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tennis w/Sam Evian, Englert Theatre, $25-35

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m Blitzen Trapper, Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, $35

Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Kevin Burt w/Ken Valdez & Funkatude, Wildwood Saloon, $15

Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Kolombianas, Public Space One Close, $20

Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Critical Mass w/Monstrophe, Soup Riot & Odds Of, Gabe’s, $10

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m Iluminate, Englert Theatre, $25-64

Monday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Nosferatu: A Live Scoring, James Theater, $12-15

Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Mary Lattimore w/Jeremiah Chiu, James Theater, $15-25

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Samara Joy, Hancher Auditorium, $20-55

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. Track Zero: Madison McFerrin w/Alyx Rush, Gabe’s, $15-22

Thursday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. Halloweekend Kickoff w/Hasta Verano, Gabe’s, $10

Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The Beaker Brothers, Englert Theatre, $10-20

Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Holloween w/Chicago Farmer and Joseph Huber Band, Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, $35

Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. Alisabeth Von Presley’s Disney Villains Halloween Bash, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids, $17

EDITORS’ PICKS: OCTOBER 2023

Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. Southall, Wildwood Saloon, $20

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Fishbait Album Release, Gabe’s, $10

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The Shining Halloween Party w/Vandello, Ideal Theater, Cedar Rapids, $20-25

Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. FEaST Festival: Drew McDowall and Jairus Sharif, James Theater, $25-100

Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. FEaST Festival: Laurel Halo and Kalia Vandever, James Theater, $25-100

Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. FEaST Festival: Bill Orcutt and El Khat, James Theater, $25100

Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Djunah, xBk Live, Des Moines, $15-18

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Max & Iggor Cavalera: Morbid Devastation, Wooly’s, Des Moines, $29.50

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. All Access Live: Allegra Hernandez, xBk Live, $5-10

Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Grace Potter w/ The Cactus Blossoms, Hoyt Sherman Place, $39.50-64.50

Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Tough Ghost, xBk Live, $10-12

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Pure Noise 2, Wooly’s, $15-20

STEPHEN APPLEBY-BARR CORRESPONDENCE

Kaki King, Temple Theater, Des Moines, Monday, Oct. 16 at 7:30

p.m., $20-45 Performer and composer Kaki King, who was included in Rolling Stone’s pantheon of “The New Guitar Gods” in 2006 is arriving in Des Moines this month with a show at the Temple Theater. Not only has King released nine albums over the course of the past two decades (the latest being Modern Yesterdays in 2020) but also has been involved in scoring films like Twilight, Into the Wild and August Rush. On top of that, she’s performed with symphonies and chamber ensembles, including an album made in collaboration with the Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra commissioned by the Berklee College of Music.

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Amos Lee, Hoyt Sherman Place, $39-69

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Lauren Sanderson, xBk Live, $18.69-25

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. Benefit Show for Maui, xBk Live, $20-25

Monday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Drayton Farley, Wooly’s, $15

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. Tallah w/Enox, All Things Lost, Elision, Lefty’s Live Music, Des Moines, $15

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Bahamas, Wooly’s, $25

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. The California Honeydrops, Wooly’s, $29.50

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Hoyt Sherman Place, $30-60

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. Sunny Sweeney, xBk Live, $20-25

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Druids, Cursed Existence, Animals on LSD, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $8

Courtesy of DMPA

EDITORS’ PICKS: OCTOBER 2023

Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Noah Gunderson, xBk Live, $20-105

Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Wooly’s, $20

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Bitch, xBk Live, $15-20

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Al Ross, PLATFORM, Des Moines, $26.45

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Phillip Phillips, Wooly’s, $29.50

Monday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. Carbon Leaf, Wooly’s, $22

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Candy, xBk Live, $24.02

Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Kings Kaleidoscope, Wooly’s, $25

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m LANCO, Wooly’s, $29.50

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Elizabeth Moen, xBk Live, $1822

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. Trilk Rock School Showcase, xBk Live, Free

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Samia, Wooly’s, $20

Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Keith Harkin, xBk Live, $35-75

Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. Roosevelt, Wooly’s, $22.50

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. The Cadillac Three, Wooly’s, $25

Thursday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. Goblin’s Lounge: Halloween Hits, xBk Live, $10-15

Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. The Nadas’ Birthday Party, Hoyt Sherman Place, $28-33

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Night Stories, xBk Live, $10-15

LITERATURE

CRANDIC

Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Kaveh Akbar, Prairie Lights, Free

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Michael Dumanis & Johannes Göransson, Prairie Lights, Free

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Halloween Book Trivia Night, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Margo Steines w/Melissa Febos, Prairie Lights, Free

Saturdays, Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28. Writing Interiors: An All Genre Workshop w/Glen Waters, Iowa City Poetry, Online, $100

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. ICBF: Joanne Ramos, Pomerantz Center, Iowa City, Free

Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. ICBF: Sarah Cypher, Prairie Lights, Free

Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. ICBF: A New Opera w/John Lake and Cecile Goding, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 12 p.m. ICBF: Marta McDowell, Coralville Public Library, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m ICBF: How to Read Old Paper, UI Main Library, Iowa City, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Evening w/Mindy Mejia, Marion Public Library, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m ICBF: Tracie Morris, Prairie Lights, Free

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. ICBF: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Old Senate Chamber, Iowa City, Free

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. ICBF: Dr. Chris Jones, Keith Schneider, Erin Jordan, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Friday, Oct. 13 at 12 p.m. International Writing Program Panel Discussion: On The Body, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. Book Fair, Merge, Iowa City, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. ICBF: Josh Larsen, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m. ICBF: Daniel Kraus, Prairie Lights, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m. ICBF: Justin Torres, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. ICBF: Eskor David Johnson, Prairie Lights, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. ICBF: Kristen Roupenian, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. ICBF: Mindy Mejia, Prairie Lights, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. ICBF: Nathan Hill, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. ICBF: Patchwork: A Reading of Literary Translation, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. ICBF: Open House Party, Porchlight Literary Arts Center, Iowa City, Free

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. Local Author Book Fair, Merge, Free

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. Poetry in Public Reading, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. Jonathan Lethem, Prairie Lights, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Panel Discussion w/Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Iowa City Book Festival: Ayana

Mathis, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m., Free University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Ayana Mathis will be presenting her novel, The Unsettled, during this year’s Iowa City Book Festival. This latest book follows multiple threads, one with Ava Carson and her 10-year-old son as Ava devises a way to leave the cockroach-infested, Philadelphia family shelter she and her child have been relegated to. The other thread is that of Dutchess, who struggles to keep the Alabama establishment known as the Bonaparte despite the beacon of Black freedom only having five remaining residents. Mathis’ first novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie was published in 2012, became a New York Times bestseller, was the second book selected for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 and was named an NPR Best Book of 2013. Mathis’ fellow Writers’ Workshop graduate and author of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers has called Mathis “one of the most brilliant authors working today.”

Beaverdale Books Banned Books Festival, Franklin Event Center, Des Moines,

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m., Free Join Beaverdale Books for a special literature event at the beginning of October that celebrates the freedom to read. The festival will include nationally recognized authors, panel discussions, a children’s storytime, reading of banned poetry, vendor tables, and a banned books trivia contest. Additionally, there will be a discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird, a Banned Books 101 discussion co-hosted by the Des Moines Public Library, and the event’s keynote author is Ashley Hope Perez, author of Out of Darkness

Beowulf Sheehan

EDITORS’ PICKS: OCTOBER 2023

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Taylor Wolfe Book Club, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Micah Fields, Prairie Lights, Free

Monday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. Author Event & Costume Party: Hazel Beck, Marion Public Library, Free

Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. Robyn Schiff, Prairie Lights, Free

Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Brittany Means, Prairie Lights, Free

Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Tom Geraty, Beaverdale Books, Free

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. Meet the Author: Marta McDowell, Clive Public Library, Free

Monday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: T. Patrick Graves, Beaverdale Books, Free

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Megan Bannister, Beaverdale Books, Free

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. Community Mixer w/Erin Huiatt, Slow Down Coffee Co., Des Moines, Free

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Meet the Author: Carmen Maria Machado, Beaverdale Books, Free

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Meet the Author: Craig S. Maltby, Beaverdale Books, Free

Monday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Nancy Vallar, Beaverdale Books, Free

Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Des Moines Storytellers Project: Family, Hoyt Sherman Place, $12-28

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Hazel Beck, Beaverdale Books, Free

Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Liz Cooney, Beaverdale Books, Free

Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Meet the Author: Margaret Renkl, Franklin Avenue Library, Des Moines, Free

PERFORMANCE

CRANDIC

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. serpentwithfeet, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $10-25

Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Carmen Christopher, James Theater, Iowa City, $15-25

Opening Friday, Oct. 6. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Giving Tree Theater, Marion, $21

Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Dan Alten & Danny Franks, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids, $15

Opening Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Clue, Theatre Cedar Rapids, $18-52

Opening Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. The Woman in Black, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Grandon Studio Theatre, $15-27

Opening Thursday, Oct. 12. Wyrd Sisters, Dreamwell Theatre, James Theater, $12-22

Friday, Oct. 13 at 9:30 p.m. Friday the 13th Comedy, Joystick Comedy Arcade, $5-10

Opening Friday, Oct. 20. High Fidelity, Iowa City Community Theatre, $14-22

Opening Friday, Oct. 20 The Trip to the Bountiful, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. John Crist, Paramount Theatre, $26.75-149.75

Monsters of the American Cinema, Mirrorbox Theatre, Cedar Rapids, Opening Thursday,

Oct. 19, $20-25 Just in time for the Halloween season, Cedar Rapids’ Mirrorbox Theatre is bringing Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of the American Cinema to its stage for two weeks. This play is about Remy Washington, a Black man mourning the loss of his husband, while trying to figure out how best to care for his late-partner’s straight, white son, Pup. Thankfully the Remy and Pup have a mutual love of classic American monster movies to bond over. The play is told in a combination of dialogue and monologues and is directed by Mirrorbox’s artistic director.

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. Rocky Horror Picture Show, NewBo City Market, $23

Friday, Oct. 20 at 9:30 p.m. Haus of Ruckus Comedy, Joystick Comedy Arcade, $5-10

Opening Friday, Oct. 27. The Sound of Waves Crashing on an Island of Broken Glass, ArtiFactory, Iowa City, $16

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28. The Rocky Horror Show, RHCR Theatre, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $35-50

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha Burlesque Halloween Show, James Theater, $30-35

Des Moines

Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 5-7. Des Comédie Festival, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $15-25

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6 and 7. Comedy XPeriment, Stoner Theater, Des Moines, $15

Closing Sunday, Oct. 8. Beetlejuice, Des Moines Civic Center, $80-120

Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 10 and 11. Bluey’s Big Play, Des Moines Civic Center, $28-74

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. Capital City Pride: Sam Schedler, Temple Theater, Des Moines, Free

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m

Kathleen Madigan, Hoyt Sherman Place, $39.50-46.50

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Dan Donohue: Stand-Up Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20

via Mirrorbox Theatre

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m

Direct from Sweden: The Music of ABBA, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-90

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Beer + Ballet, Ballet Des Moines, Hall

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Queercore Drag Show, xBk Live, $10-15

Opening Friday, Oct. 20. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Stoner Theater, $24.50

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. The Haunting of Rhythm & Pep: Gathering of the Gremlins, xBk Live, $10-15

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Dirty Dancing in Concert, Des Moines Civic Center, $5095

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse Live in Concert, Des Moines Civic Center, $29-70

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Cat & Nat Unfiltered Live, Hoyt Sherman Place, $42.50-128

Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Monica Nevi: Stand-Up Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20

FILM CRANDIC

Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. The Hunger and Rot, FilmScene—Chauncey, $8

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m Jason X, FilmScene—Chauncey, Free-$8

Monday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Anna Karenina, FilmScene— Chauncey, $10-13

Jekyll & Hyde, Des Moines Ballet, Temple

Theater, Des Moines, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 27-29, $31.50-107.50

Des Moines Ballet presents Jekyll & Hyde, a performance inspired by the classic gothic novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. Choreographer Tom Mattingly’s Jekyll & Hyde will captivate audiences through a story of good and evil, and will tell the cautionary tale of leaning too far into our darker side, for fear we might never return. Performances run Friday night, Saturday afternoon and night, in addition to Sunday night.

Refocus Film Festival Opening Night: Robot Dreams, Englert Theatre, Iowa

City, Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., $25-100 Last year’s inaugural Refocus Film Festival kicked off with Bones and All at the Englert Theatre, and this year, festival organizers have chosen Robot Dreams as Refocus’s opening night pick. Robot Dreams is an animated film adapted from graphic novelist Sara Varon, and it follows a dog and his robot best friend, and is a story of friendship and loss. The film was the official selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and several other international festivals. Prior to the film, Festival-goers will hear live music from Sylvee & the Sea and vivid experimental instrumentals from Pieta Brown. Immediately following the film, there will be a postfilm conversation with Varon and a postscript party at FilmScene at the Chauncey.

Courtesy of Des Moines Ballet

Courtesy of Refocus Film Festival

DANCE GALA

Friday & Saturday, November 10 & 11 / 7:30 p.m. Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating

Co-produced by the University of Iowa Department of Dance, Performing Arts Production Unit, and Hancher Auditorium

The Department of Dance presents a rich program of both new and restaged works by faculty members and creative collaborators as well as a work by distinguished guest choreographer Aaron Samuel Davis.

Davis is an African American choreographer, performer, and teaching artist who has worked with David Rousseve/REALITY, The Limón Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance, Kyle Abraham/A.I.M, Raja Feather Kelly/ The Feath3r Theory, Nicholas Leichter Dance, Giorgia Maddamma, Ben J. Riepe, and 10 Hairy Legs. He currently works as a performer with dance company Unusual Symptoms in residence at Theater Bremen and is a cast member in the acclaimed immersive theater work Sleep No More

TICKETS: HANCHER.UIOWA/2023-24/DANCE-GALA

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.

Photo: Tim Schoon

Friday-Sunday, Oct. 1315. Refocus Film Festival, FilmScene—Chauncey & The Ped Mall, $13-100

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. Late Shift at the Grindhouse: Cybergrime, FilmScene— Chauncey, $8

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Pride at FilmScene: Drop Dead Gorgeous, FilmScene— Chauncey, $10

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Pride at FilmScene: Fright Night, FilmScene—Chauncey, $10

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. American Pyscho, FilmScene— Chauncey, Free-$8

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22 at 11 a.m. Mulan, FilmScene—Chauncey, Free-$5

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Can’t Hardly Wait, FilmScene—Ped Mall Rooftop, $20

Monday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. Boycott, FilmScene—Chauncey, Free w/RSVP

Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Pride at FilmScene: Fresh Kill, FilmScene—Chauncey, $10

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. Late Shift at the Grindhouse: Teenage Tupelo, FilmScene— Chauncey, $8

Thursday, Oct. 26 at 3:30 p.m. Mulan, FilmScene—Chauncey, Free-$5

Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. The Bride of Frankenstein, FilmScene in the Park, Free

Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Disney/Pixar’s COCO Liveto-Film Concert, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $20-45

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Varsity

Cinema, Des Moines, Thursday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 p.m., $20

Celebrate Halloween early this year and take part in an exhilarating, interactive cinema experience at the Varsity’s Rocky Horror screening. The show will feature a live Shadow Cast performing along to the film. The cult classic ran regularly at the Varsity in the 1970s and is finally making its return to the Drake Neighborhood theater. Prior to the film, there will be a collaborative pre-show happy hour at xBk, running from 5-8 p.m. Ticket-holders are encouraged to dress up in their best Rocky Horror-themed attire, and will receive an extra treat if they’re tickets were purchased in advance.

Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. Filmscream, FilmScene— Chauncey, $17.70-30.45

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m Pride at FilmScene: Suspiria, FilmScene—Chauncey, $10

Saturday, Oct. 28 at 10 p.m. The Return of the Living Dead, FilmScene—Chauncey, $8

Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. The Curse of Frankenstein, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, $9-12

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7 and 8 at 1 p.m. Coraline, Varsity Cinema, $5

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Horror of Dracula, Varsity Cinema, $9-12

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. Blue Beetle, Varsity Cinema, $9-12

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m Black Swan, Varsity Cinema, $9-12

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. National Theatre Live: Frankenstein, Varsity Cinema, $22-25

Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. Rosemary’s Baby, Varsity Cinema, $9-12

COMMUNITY

CRANDIC

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. Scrutinizing the Shelves: Banned Books, Obermann Conversation, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Thursday, Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. Cedar Rapids Park Foundation: Beers in the Barnyard, Old MacDonald’s Farm, Cedar Rapids, $50

Friday, October 6 at 6 p.m. Oktoberfest, Fairfield First Friday, Free

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. Puzzle Palooza, NewBo City Market, Cedar Rapids, $30-40

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. Art Gardens School, Public Space One, Iowa City, $10-50

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Welcome to Night Vale, Englert Theatre, $15-37.50

Rocky Horror movie still

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. The Roast of Iowa City, Reunion Brewery, Iowa City, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. Infinite Dream: RECONSTRUCTING: Who & How Are We Together, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, Free

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 5 p.m.

Infinite Dream: Herein Lies

The Truth: A Work-In-Progress Conversation, Stanley Museum, Iowa City, Free

Friday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m.

Infinite Dream: Regarding The Continuum: An Exploration of Dreams Fulfilled, Old Capitol Museum, Iowa City, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m

All Ages Art: Stitching, Public Space One, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m

Infinite Dream: Storytelling

Across the Arts: A Conversation with Lonnie Holley & Kurt Vile, Old Capitol Museum, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.

Infinite Dream: Uncharted Myths: Reckonings, Reflections, and Riffs on American Stories, North Hall, Iowa City, Free

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. 50th Celebration Event, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, $50-100

Sunday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. Iowa City Flea Market, Public Space One Close, Free

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m

Infinite Dream: N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (the stars): A Creative Matters Conversation, Hancher Auditorium, Free

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.

Reflecting the Infinite Dream: Visions of the American Story, Hancher Auditorium, Free

Day of the Dead, NewBo City Market, Cedar

Rapids, Friday, Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m., Free

In collaboration with Fuerzas Culturales Ballet Folklórico de Cedar Rapids, NewBo City Market presents its second annual Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican tradition that honors deceased loved ones. It’s a lively celebration that often consists of painted faces, vibrant decorations, and festive parades. The evening will begin with an opening introduction from Fuerzas Culturales, then proceed with alternating sessions of dance performances and Loteria, Mexican bingo. A screening of Coco in Spanish will take place afterwards, in addition to face painting and a communal ofrenda (altar) throughout the event. All donations will go to Fuerzas Culturales Ballet Folklórico de Cedar Rapids.

Highland Happening, Divine Times Vintage, Highland Park, Des Moines, Sunday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m., Free Divine Times Vintage has planned their first vintage market in the Highland Park neighborhood in honor of the shop’s first anniversary. Over 30 vendors will be set up in Divine Times’s parking lot and inside their shop. Stop by the event to browse vintage clothing, jewelry, art, handmade goods, and grab a bite to eat at one of the three local food trucks.

Courtesy of NewBo

Courtesy of Divine Times Vintage

TWO GREAT EVENTS COMING UP AT HANCHER! SAMARA JOY

Wednesday, October 25 / 7:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

The Verve Records catalog includes a collection of celebrated female jazz vocalists who can each be identified by a single name—Billie, Sarah, Ella. The label’s next mononymous jazz singing sensation may just be Samara Joy, whose “buttery vocals melt across the warm grooves of whatever song she’s singing, conjuring the greats of yore while simultaneously forging her own effervescent style” (The Old Grey Cat blog). In 2019, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She followed up by collecting the 2023 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for Linger Awhile, an award she was widely expected to win. But it was the 2023 Best New Artist Grammy that was far less expected—and which catapulted her to mainstream fame.

Not yet 25, Samara can already count herself among the greats—and even if she comes to be known by just her first name, she’ll still be bringing the joy to every performance.

HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS

Jeff & Sara Braverman

Dale & Cyndy Crider

Marvin & Helen Schumacher

Nancy J. Sereduck

Patty & Steve Yeater

TICKETS

Adults $55 / $35

Students & Youth $55 / $20 * * limited availability

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Paris Sissel in advance at (319) 467-4849 or at paris-sissel@uiowa.edu.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/CALENDAR PRESENTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA STANLEY MUSEUM OF ART

Lost Woods Music

Festival, Cedar Falls, Saturday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m., Free

A new music festival presented by indie-pop music group Salt Fox is taking place the first weekend of October somewhere in Cedar Falls. The lineup includes Night Dangers, 24thankyou, Jim Swim, Bella Moss and a DJ set by Day Trader. It’s a bike-friendly festival with on-site overnight vehicle parking, and taxi services available. Festival organizers ask attendees to RSVP, and the secret location will be shared with folks at least one week before the festival.

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. Infinite Dream:

Mobilizing Dancers for War in Irving Berlin’s This Is the Army, Stanley Museum, Free

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22. Paper Puppets w/Emily Martin, Public Space Close House, $20-180

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28-29

Screenprinting w/Pastels, Iowa City Press Co-op, $20-175

Friday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. CRMA Gala, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

DES MOINES

Friday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. October First Friday, Mainframe Studios, Free

Friday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. Exhibition Opening Celebration: Transform Any Room, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. Heartland Bazaar, Rumors Vintage, Des Moines, Free

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. Artist Lecture: Liza Lou, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. Local Food Harvestfest: An Education in Preservation, Confluence Brewing Co., Des Moines, Free

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. A Masked Soiree, Ballet Des Moines, $75

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. Gallery Talk w/ Max Colby and Laura Burkhalter, Des Moines Art Center, Free w/registration

Friday-Sunday, Oct. 20-22. Art & Activism Teen Workshop w/Max Colby, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. Ghoulish Gala, Salisbury House & Gardens, Des Moines, $150-275

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. The Salvation Army: Unmasking the Singer, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, $35-125

Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Empowerment Arts Showcase, xBk Live, Des Moines, Free

Friday, Oct. 27 at 9:30 p.m. A Siricasso Sip ‘N Paint Event, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $2530

Sunday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. Day of the Dead, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Friday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. November First Friday, Mainframe Studios, Free

waterloo/cf

Monday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. 7000 Miles to Broadway, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts, Cedar Falls

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Misery, Waterloo Community Playhouse, $10-22

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. ZMD Day, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Waterloo, $5-35

Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. Cedargrass Music Festival, Oster Regent Theatre, Cedar Falls, $10-76

Erica Lewis, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m., Free-$5

The SPECTRA Reading Series will host a special event featuring acclaimed poet Erica Lewis on Thursday, October 19 at Rozz-Tox. Lewis, who lives in the Bay Area, will be stopping in the Quad Cities on the Midwestern leg of the tour for her new book mahogany. Doors for the event open at 7:00 p.m., and readings will start at 8:00 p.m. Lewis will be joined by another celebrated poet, Becca Klaver, and two local rising stars: Melissa Conway and Htoo Htoo.

‘mahogany’ by Erica Lewis

24thankyou, Cat Dooley

EDITORS’ PICKS: OCTOBER 2023

Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Vertigo: Performance Art Series, Waterloo Center for the Arts, Free

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Concert: Beethoven and Bartók, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts, Cedar Falls, $7-56

Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Cedar Valley Revealed, Waterloo Masonic Temple. $10-30

Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Tom Papa, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts, $40-65

QUAD CITIES

Friday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. Crib Fest, Corn Crib Nursery, Coal Valley, Free-$6

Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Release Party: For A Second In The Dark, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, Free

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. Nahant Marsh Fall Festival, Davenport, Free

Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Halloween Season, Factory of Fear, Moline, $30-40

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. QC Artists’ Market, Skeleton Key, Rock Island, Free

Thursday, Oct. 12, 5:30 p.m. TEDxDavenport, Capitol Theatre, Davenport, $20

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. Pottery with Miss Carolyn, ARTery, Rock Island, Free

Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Friday The 13th in IMAX, Putnam Museum, Davenport, $10

Friday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Ghost Stories Ballet, Spotlight Theater, Moline, $15-105

Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. Second Saturdays, The ARTery Pottery, Rock Island, Free

Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. Back Road Fest, Walcott, $5

MOVING SOON?

Dear Kiki,

Dear Birdie, First, let’s clear things up for the olds (like me!) among our readership:

According to Urban Dictionary, “breadcrumbing” is “When the ‘crush’ has no intentions of taking things further, but they like the attention. So they flirt here or there, send dm/texts just to keep the person interested, knowing damn well they’re staying single.”

Basically, he’s leading you on.

LOCAL & CROSS-COUNTRY PACKING & CUSTOM CRATING

SHORT OR LONG-TERM STORAGE THE BEST CREWS IN THE U.S. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!

And, Little Lost Bird, you’re fully aware of this. So there’s two layers here, aren’t there? You ask, “How do I stop?” But your real question is, “How do I make myself want to stop?”

How do I stop?

––Little Lost Bird

living situation: mansion, apartment, shack or house.)

Once you’ve got your list, break it down into “must haves,” “strong preferences,” and “nice but not necessary.” Now, shoot your imagination forward instead of back: You’re 80 years old, on death’s door, rereading this list and contemplating your regrets. Is spending or not spending time with this guy you like among them?

Remember, the most efficient way to filter any difficult choice is through the lenses of, “Am I making decisions that would make past-me proud?” and “Am I laying the groundwork for

YOU ASK, “HOW DO I StOP?” bUt YOUr rEAL QUEStION IS, “HOW DO I MAKE MYSELF WANt tO StOP?” tHErE’S A cOUPLE OF StEPS tO ADDrESSING tHAt. FIrSt, GEt rEAL WItH YOUrSELF. StAGE A SOLO INtErVENtION. SIt DOWN WItH A PEN, A NOtEOOK AND tHE bEVErAGE OF YOUr cHOIcE AND WrItE DOWN HE tHINGS YOU WANt OUt OF A rELAtIONSHIP.

There’s a couple of steps to addressing that. First, get real with yourself. Stage a solo intervention. Sit down with a pen, a notebook and the beverage of your choice and write down the things you want out of a relationship. Be honest with yourself! Note everything, from your preferred gender (if you have one) to the eye color you find dreamiest to the number of children you want someday. Pretend you’re 8 years old playing M.A.S.H. with your friends.

(Let’s clear things up for the youths among our readership: M.A.S.H. is a game for “determining” one’s future, where you choose several options in a variety of categories and then perform arcane rituals to figure out which you’ll end up with. The name refers to your future

future-me to be happy?”

Then, after all that, close your eyes and do the thing that you know you can’t not do.

Because, Little Bird, every breadcrumb you follow is a choice. If your choices are bringing you joy—if you’re having fun being flirty and not causing any ancillary harm—then let yourself enjoy being flattered and fawned upon, however sporadic.

But if you choose to keep following the trail, knowing full well that you have different expectations of the future, and that’s a dealbreaker for you, then aren’t you leading him along by prolonging the inevitable? Maybe the question actually is, “Who’s breadcrumbing whom?”

xoxo, Kiki

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS!

Submit

The guy I like is breadcrumbing me. I can’t help but fall for it every time.

ASTROLOGY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take a few deep, slow breaths. Let your mind be a blue sky where a few high clouds float. Hum your favorite melody. Relax as if you have all the time in the world to be whoever you want to be. Fantasize that you have slipped into a phase of your cycle when you are free to act as calm and unhurried as you like. Imagine you have access to resources in your secret core that will make you stable and solid and secure. Now read this Mary Oliver poem aloud: “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An Oklahoma woman named Mary Clamswer used a wheelchair from age 19 to 42 because multiple sclerosis made it hard to use her legs. Then a miracle happened. During a thunderstorm, she was hit by lightning. The blast not only didn’t kill her; it cured the multiple sclerosis. Over the subsequent months, she recovered her ability to walk. Now I’m not saying I hope you will be hit by a literal bolt of healing lightning, Scorpio, nor do I predict any such thing. But I suspect a comparable event or situation that may initially seem unsettling could ultimately bring you blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What are your favorite mind-altering substances? Coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, or tobacco? Alcohol, pot, cocaine, or opioids? Psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, or MDMA? Others? All the above? Whatever they are, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to re-evaluate your relationship with them. Consider whether they are sometimes more hurtful than helpful, or vice versa; and whether the original reasons that led you to them are still true; and how your connection with them affects your close relationships. Ask other questions, too! PS: I don’t know what the answers are. My goal is simply to inspire you to take an inventory.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In his book Meditations for Miserable People Who Want to Stay That Way, Dan Goodman says, “It’s not that I have nothing to give, but rather that no one wants what I have.” If you have ever been tempted to entertain dour fantasies like that, I predict you will be purged of them in the coming weeks and months. Maybe more than ever before, your influence will be sought by others. Your viewpoints will be asked for. Your gifts will be desired, and your input will be invited. I trust you won’t feel overwhelmed!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): William James (1842-1910) was a paragon of reason and logic. So influential were his books about philosophy and psychology that he is regarded as a leading thinker of the 19th and 20th centuries. On the other hand, he was eager to explore the possibilities of supernatural phenomena like telepathy. He even consulted a trance medium named Leonora Piper. James said, “If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper.” I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect you will soon discover a white crow of your own. As a result, long-standing beliefs may come into question; a certainty could become ambiguous; an incontrovertible truth may be shaken. This is a good thing!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If we hope to cure our wounds, we must cultivate a focused desire to be healed. A second essential is to be ingenious in gathering the resources we need to get healed. Here’s the third requirement: We must be bold and brave enough to scramble up out of our sense of defeat as we claim our right to be vigorous and whole again. I wish all these powers for you in the coming weeks.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’ve been doing interviews in support of my new book Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. Now and then, I’m asked this question: “Do you actually

By Rob Brezsny

believe all that mystical woo-woo you write about?” I respond diplomatically, though inwardly I’m screaming, “How profoundly hypocritical I would be if I did not believe in the ‘mystical woo-woo’ I have spent my adult studying and teaching!” But here’s my polite answer: I love and revere the venerable spiritual philosophies that some demean as “mystical woo-woo.” I see it as my job to translate those subtle ideas into well-grounded, practical suggestions that my readers can use to enhance their lives. Everything I just said is the prelude for your assignment, Aries: Work with extra focus to actuate your high ideals and deep values in the ordinary events of your daily life. As the American idioms advise: Walk your talk and practice what you preach

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’m happy to see the expanding use of service animals. Initially, there were guide dogs to assist humans with imperfect vision. Later, there came mobility animals for those who need aid in moving around and hearing animals for those who can’t detect ringing doorbells. In recent years, emotional support animals have provided comfort for people who benefit from mental health assistance. I foresee a future in which all of us feel free and eager to call on the nurturing of companion animals. You may already have such friends, Taurus. If so, I urge you to express extra appreciation for them in the coming weeks. Ripen your relationship. And if not, now is an excellent time to explore the boost you can get from loving animals.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Chuck Klosterman jokes, “I eat sugared cereal almost exclusively. This is because I’m the opposite of a ‘no-nonsense’ guy. I’m an ‘all-nonsense’ guy.” The coming weeks will be a constructive and liberating time for you to experiment with being an all-nonsense person, dear Gemini. How? Start by temporarily suspending any deep attachment you have to being a serious, hyper-rational adult doing staid, weighty adult things. Be mischievously committed to playing a lot and having maximum fun. Dancing sex! Ice cream uproars! Renegade fantasies! Laughter orgies! Joke romps! Giddy brainstorms and euphoric heartstorms!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian comedian Gilda Radner said, “I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn’t itch.” Let’s use that as a prime metaphor for you in the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be wise to opt for what feels good over what merely looks good. You will make the right choices if you are committed to loving yourself more than trying to figure out how to get others to love you. Celebrate highly functional beauty, dear Cancerian. Exult in the clear intuitions that arise as you circumvent self-consciousness and revel in festive self-love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The amazingly creative Leo singer-songwriter Tori Amos gives this testimony: “All creators go through a period where they’re dry and don’t know how to get back to the creative source. Where is that waterfall? At a certain point, you say, ‘I’ll take a rivulet.’” Her testimony is true for all of us in our quest to find what we want and need. Of course, we would prefer to have permanent, unwavering access to the waterfall. But that’s not realistic. Besides, sometimes the rivulet is sufficient. And if we follow the rivulet, it may eventually lead to the waterfall.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do you perform experiments on yourself? I do on myself. I formulate hypotheses about what might be healthy for me, then carry out tests to gather evidence about whether they are. A recent one was: Do I feel my best if I eat five small meals per day or three bigger ones? Another: Is my sleep most rejuvenating if I go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. or if I sleep from midnight to 9 a.m.? I recommend you engage in such experiments in the coming weeks. Your body has many clues and revelations it wants to offer you.

NEXT UP ON TRACK ZERO...

a new concert series by the englert!

oct. 19 the englert

TENNIS

w/ sam evian dreamy indie 70s-fused pop duo

nov. 11 james theater

SEN MORIMOTO jazz rap multi-instrumentalist

w/ kI!ng

w/ sam burton & 24thankyou indie folk singer-songwriter

oct. 25 gabe’s

MADISON MCFERRIN soulful r&b-driven pop singer

w/ alyx rush

nov. 17 james theater

w/ yxng raskal & sarahann kolder

FOLLOW US FOR MORE...

ZORA pop-influenced rapper & producer :@trackzeroic

Love, Lani is an aptly named album. Across nine tracks, its creator reflects on love and relationships while shifting through musical genres that are clearly dear to her.

Released in late July, Love, Lani comes from Lani Eclatt (who performs simply as Lani), the Des Moines-based musical artist behind the album.

The first two songs are upbeat break-up songs. In “Blue,” Lani takes on a delightful doo wop tone to open the album—one that celebrates an ongoing love with a blueeyed love. “No Longer In Love” reminisces on a past relationship in which Lani ponders the location and emotional state of a bygone lover. Both songs, at least in terms of instrumentation, wouldn’t be out of place on a playlist with Lake Street Dive or songs from Blue Kid’s Upright, Love album.

In “Amorcito” Lani taps into her Latin-music influences which are induced with a hip hop as PettyAssPunkin—another Iowaarea performer—lends her vocals for a rap break. (A clean version of the song fills the slot of the ninth and final track on the album.) That latin influence also returns for “Disgusting,” another post-breakup song—this time with a sala infused trumpet helping Lani express the titular emotion towards an ex in English and Spanish. “All I know is now I’ve been set free / ‘cause you’re disgusting.”

Another guest rapper, BASI, pops up in “Girl,” where the

narrator expresses a desire to keep on seeing a girl who’s been hanging around lately a little bit more.

For track-four, “Touch Me,” Lani makes a light return to the jazzy tempo of the opening two songs, before transitioning into something closer to a piano ballad, reminiscent of her previous album Digital Stars

Gears shift and things slow down a bit at the halfway point, “Without You.” Morose piano chords play before Lani’s mournful lyrics. Tonally it reminded me of some of British musician dodie’s more moody songs— “Burned Out” and “When” in particular—but with a more lonesome piano; when guitar and percussion do add a rock-tinged flair to the song, the piece has nearly already reached its end.

“Who Is She” skews toward rock more than previous tracks. Like the rest of the album, it focuses on the narrator’s relationship dynamics—in this case, a mystery woman who has entered the life of the narrator’s partner. Hence the title and refrain, “Who is she?”

ANDErSEN cOAtES

New Lands

ANDERSENCOATES.BANDCAMP.COM

Describing his debut EP New Lands, arriving Oct. 20, Iowabased singer-songwriter Andersen Coates says his songs are born out of the sense of fear and existentialism that comes with the transition into adulthood. “I’m 24 and clueless,” he says.

If these four songs are about fear and existentialism, it isn’t evident in the mood Coates has created. New Lands doesn’t carry any of the oppressive weight or worry of those feelings. These songs are quite the opposite. Relaxed, confident, sunny and upbeat.

FEAr AND EXIStENtIALISM cOULD LAUNcH AN ArtIStIc PrOcESS tHAt ENDS UP SUbDUING tHOSE EMOtIONS.

IF tHAt’S tHE cASE HErE, cOAtES HAS SUccESSFULLY MANAGED tO trANSMUtE tHESE cOMPLIcAtED EMOtIONS INtO SOMEtHING MUcH MOrE MANAGEAbLE.

Across all of these tracks, Lani’s voice is aflutter, modulating longheld notes throughout the album. If I do have a critique, I believe it would be with the sound balancing on the album. While the instrumentation is delightful, I wish Lani’s voice rang a bit clearer in All said, I think my favorites are the more upbeat numbers “Girl” and “Amorcito,” both of which keep Lani’s voice moving beautifully.

—Isaac Hamlet

That said, the feelings that inspire a song aren’t always present in the final product. Fear and existentialism could launch an artistic process that ends up subduing those emotions.

If that’s the case here, Coates has successfully managed to transmute these complicated emotions into something much more manageable.

The EP’s title track kicks things off with a bright, Tom Petty-esque lick that chugs like a locomotive into an optimistic chorus about new opportunities and challenges. It’s aspirational and grand, but humble at the same time. “New Lands” is a song capable of living comfortably on either pop or country radio.

“Assassin (Anxiety)” dims the lights a little. The lyrics anthropomorphize anxiety as an invader, stalking around an absent mind. Attempting to suavely disarm its host, it croons veiled threats like “I’ll be here but don’t you pay me mind / I’ll keep my weapons under wraps if you stay near-sighted” and “Don’t you run away / You know I’ll find a way / To keep you right side of cross-hairs”

On this track Coates draws the listener in with lush production quality and jangly, relaxed riffs that carry a hint of Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac.

The remaining two tracks on the EP—“In A Different Life” and “Sunflower Bouquet”—-don’t quite rise to the same lyrical level as the first two. Still, “In A Different Life” does a good job evoking the feeling of a fleeting romance and awareness of the rare moments in life that you want to hold onto. Languid and smooth, the arrangement is warm and inviting even if the narrative loses momentum.

“Sunflower Bouquet” is similarly inviting, with a sunny and upbeat intro that reminded me of “Friday I’m In Love” by the Cure. Coates tries to create a similar sense of happy naivety and twirl-inducing joy in a song about focusing on simple pleasures and the indifference toward the passage of time. It’s clear what kind of emotional state Coates is trying to invoke here, but the sentimentality is a little stale.

Ultimately, these lyrical limitations don’t diminish what is an otherwise very competent and enjoyable debut EP. Coates (who, we should note, is a Little Village delivery driver) has a voice that is grounded and confident. As a guitarist, he has a clear command of his instrument and a strong capacity for bluesy improvisation. Both are significant talents that belie his young age.

If Coates considers himself to be “clueless,” then there is reason to look forward to the music he produces once he figures things out.

—Tom Brazelton

Looking at the cover art for Dave Helmer’s Such a Clown, I’ll be honest—I was expecting some trite country rock at best and an Insane Clown Posse knock-off at worst. What I found instead as I listened through was myself writing a plot outline for Paddington 4: Paddington Goes to College (Paddington 3: Paddington in Peru is in production and set to release in summer 2024.)

Across Such a Clown, Helmer, an Iowa City musician, displays the same lovable, wholesome quirkiness as London’s favorite bear. The 10 tracks immersed me in their world so wholly I couldn’t help but imagine a Paddington sequel.

In my Helmer-fueled plot, Paddington goes to college and joins a fraternity on the verge of being suspended for bad behavior. The frat has a raucous tailgating party where Paddington learns how to play beer pong to the tune of the punk-rockabilly track “Hey.” A little drunk, Paddington stumbles into the common room to find some of the brothers about to take LSD. They offer him some, and— because Paddington is a team player—he partakes.

At this point the psychedelic

“Lemonade” and “Waiting in the Wings” play over a montage of Paddington’s trip. Picture Bono singing “I Am the Walrus” in Across the Universe but instead of ’60s porn ‘staches and a magical bus ride, it’s marmalade and flip cup.

The movie comes to a climax when the fraternity is presented with the option to either hold an appropriate charitable fundraiser to pay for damage they caused at a hotel or be disbanded. Paddington comes to the rescue and teaches the brothers how to make marmalade so they can have a bake sale.

Penultimate track “Make That Money” plays during a montage of the entire town coming to taste the delicious orange flavor and oranges ferociously flying around the kitchen as Paddington and the brothers work to keep up with the heartwarmingly unexpected high demand. Bonus points: a lyric in “Make That Money” is “you gotta make that money / you gotta find somebody / you gotta taste the honey.” I know Paddington prefers marmalade, but he is a bear.

I’d call Such a Clown 60 percent rock, four tablespoons Beat Happening, a dash of “Hotel California” and 100 percent music to inspire a screenplay. If you’re reading this and you have connections to the Paddington team, shoot me an email (heyimdanray@ gmail.com) so we can get into pre-production for Paddington Goes to College

Ray

t.A.N.G.

Big Bright Empty Nothing

TANGIOWA.BANDCAMP.COM

Space is the place and T.A.N.G. is here to tell us about it on their 2023 release, Big Bright Empty Nothing. Recorded and mastered at Flat Black Studios by Luke Tweedy, T.A.N.G. has unleashed a doom tinted contemplation of the cosmos and the emptiness that stares back.

T.A.N.G. consists of bass play-

continues, each track expands in length and concept. The second track, “Voyage Domino,” is just shy of 13 minutes and continues the floaty motif before descending into spacey doom vibes.

“Murphy’s Comet,” the third track, begins with squelching feedback before the tagline riff starts. It creates a feeling of unease and tension. Here, I imagine whatever ship we’re on hurtling into a field of cosmic debris. After nearly five minutes, the song shifts into softer tones, as if giving us time to soak in the grandeur of the nebulae around us. Then, slowly, the song speeds up, Herbach’s snares hitting like mini-meteorites on the ship hull before the heavy riffs come in.

The album cycle ends with “Yuri’s Blues,” which I imagine is a nod to the famous Soviet Cosmonaut. At 21 minutes, it is the longest track and a fitting conclusion to the odyssey a Big Bright Empty

Nothing has led us on.

The track seems to orbit around a central riff, each cycle getting tighter and

er Zach Ryerson, drummer Cleo Naughton Herbach and guitarist James Stortz. They make long form instrumental tracks mostly dealing with themes of space, altered states of consciousness and contact with entities of the cosmic-horror variety. Since 2017’s Namek Space Program, recorded in the small town of Decorah at Luther College, T.A.N.G. have put out five albums, Big Bright Nothing being the latest, a four-song prog-stoner rock trip.

The album opens with its shortest track, “Towards the Rorschach Nebula,” which offers a meandering guitar that gives the feeling of floating in space, barely tethered to a shuttle while the vast emptiness spreads out in every direction. As the album

tighter until the elliptical loosens to a seemingly doomed trajectory. By the end, there is no sense that we have returned home, more that we must accept that we are lost to the void. There is almost a calm that wraps around the song up until a crashing descent.

T.A.N.G.’s Big Bright Empty Nothing is a doomed journey with moments of serenity, the calm derived from accepting the inevitable. I’d be remiss not to mention the great cover art by Max Green: Hieronymus Bosch filtered through an Adventure Time lens and depicting crashing meteors, burning landscapes and a wizard.

––Chris Burns

DAVE HELMEr

Such a Clown

DAVEHELMER.BANDCAMP.COM

ArOL

rOH SPAULDING

Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PRESS

Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories by Drake University professor Carol Roh Spaulding is well-deserving of winning the 2022 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, utilizing a masterful short story cycle structure spanning four generations of a Korean American family.

Add this to your fall TBR list. I believe you, too, will read the book in one sitting.

Standing around 200 pages, the collection is a flowing, fastpaced read about the Song family. Spaulding doesn’t shy away from striking commentary within different characters’ point-of-views about the racism the Korean family experiences in America. While centering around Gracie Song, the stories also transports us into the headspaces of her family members, providing a fuller view of their lives, individuality and culture over the 20th century.

“Day of the Swallows, 1924” details Gracie’s mother Changmi’s reflection on immigrating to the U.S.: “I leaned into the forward movement, into the wind and sky, urging the ship onward, utterly filled with, if blind to, my future. I licked the spray from my lips like tears.” Then, heartbreakingly and cruelly, the Immigration Act shatters her dreams of returning home, wherein she dubs herself “an exile.”

The story cycle continues with her children. Most interestingly is the story titled “A Former Citizen” in the point-of-view of a Song

child who died young. The child observes her siblings—specifically her baby sister, Gracie, with whom she feels a kindred connection. Utilizing a ghost as narrator gives us a different sort of immediacy into the Songs’ lives that I enjoyed.

Then the title story “Waiting for Mr. Kim” shows a teenage Gracie coming to terms with the expectations placed on her for marriage. In “White Fate, 1959” Gracie’s father witnesses his daughter’s transformation in attending college and provides his blessing for her to marry a White man. “Typesetting, 1964” situates us in the Beatnik/ counterculture movement and Gracie’s clever way to humiliate her fetishizing racist boss. “Made You Look, 1979” jumps to Gracie’s daughter Evie’s perspective and her growing understanding of sexuality.

In the longest section of the cycle, titled “The Inside of the World, 1997,” the fourth generation is reached with Adam, Gracie’s blonde-haired grandson she takes care of at Evie’s request after a period of estrangement from her daughter. (Here we get mentions of Iowa!) This moving story completes the cycle with an older Gracie teaching Adam about his Korean ties and coming to face her thoughts on family, love, sex, Asian American identity and growing old.

Eventually, Gracie and Adam journey to her parents’ homeland: “She wondered about the person [her father] was in that limbo, that traveling self that was neither the person you had been nor the person you were about to come. She thought about both the willing and unwilling traversal of distances that had made her life—and Adam’s life—possible.”

With this poignant, beautiful moment and more in its pages, Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories is the perfect read for autumnal reflections.

––Alyssa Cokinis

A.E. KINcAID

The Demon, the Hero, and the City of Seven

Imagine going to your middle school Scholastic Book Fair, picking up an intriguing fantasy title and thumbing through to find “fuck” sprinkled throughout.

If that prospect delights your inner (or outer) 6th-grade persona, then A.E. Kincaid’s The Demon, the Hero, and the City of Seven (2021,

read like the kind of title I’d become absolutely obsessed with in middle school, just aimed at older readers. Most of the chapters could stand on their own as being short, fun, high concept adventures and the whole thing is written in a humorous tone that owes something to Douglas Adams.

Similarly, I would be shocked to discover that Reg and Mal’s dynamic didn’t owe anything to Neil Gaimen and Terry Partchet’s Good Omens. I would immediately recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of Aziraphale and Crowley’s interactions.

My only real issue with the book is it doesn’t feel like it starts in the right place. While the paperwork error Reg made with his hero form is what summoned his demonic companion, we don’t see this first encounter. Perhaps more puzzling, we never see the oft spoken of interaction with the dryads that resulted in the duo being magically bound to close physical proximity with one another.

Phantom House Press) is for you. This debut novel is a breezy romp and the first entry in the Mal & Reg Novels of Widdershins. The book follows a middling demon and a subpar hero who have been bound together through a combination of dryad magic and a paperwork error.

Kincaid—an Iowa-based fantasy author—writes this book from the perspective of the demon, Malgon Belroth Kirranith, “Fifteenth of His Name, Giver of Papercuts, Collapser of Souffles and Inventor of the Humblebrag.” Traveling with him is Sir Reginald P. Asstradle, who seems more concerned with his left-at-home pup (Bitsy Wigglebottom) than actual heroics.

Though cursing and some sexual themes make this a book you’d probably avoid handing to an actual sixth grader, it otherwise does

Kincaid seems to have a work title When the Demon Met the Hero, presumably recounting the very beginning of Mal and Reg’s adventure. Unfortunately, it’s not entirely clear to me how to access When the Demon Met the Hero as I haven’t been able to spot it on the Barnes & Noble or Kindle storefronts. (It is on Kincaid’s timeline but is, perhaps, a yet to be released title.)

Rocky as the first few chapters were, The City of Seven won me over in about 50 pages. Though not a novel dynamic, I came to love Reg and Mals interactions, how they rubbed off on one another and I fully intend to pick up the second entry.

The third novel in Kincaid’s Mal & Reg series—The Demon, the Hero, and the War for Widdershins—is set to release this November. An ebook novella in the Widdershins Universe following two ancillary characters from The City of Seven titled Where Saffron and Goodfallow Went was also released in late-August.

––Isaac Hamlet

PHANTOM HOUSE PRESS

It rEADS LIKE tHE KIND OF tItLE I’D bEcOME AbSOLUtELY ObSESSED WItH IN MIDDLE ScHOOL, JUSt AIMED At OLDEr rEADErS.

cULLEN McHAEL

Inmani: Nova Mundo Blues

CULLEN MCHAEL

Never before have I come across a book that so thoroughly encapsulates the experience of enjoying a piece of Juicy Fruit gum. Cullen McHael’s debut Inmani: Nova Mundo Blues does just that; the novel provides a world and characters that are satisfying to chew on, but in some ways leaves the reader wanting.

Inmani follows Maxine “Max” Ali, code name Red Mercury, as she seeks out genetically enhanced humans called inmani in the city of Nova Mundo. The product of religious zealotry and martial training, Max goes undercover in the slums of Nova Mundo, establishing herself as a killer-for-hire while seeking clues as to who is leading the human enhancement scheme. The stakes of Max’s mission are compelling, for they extend beyond the political machinations expected of science fiction thrillers: people’s eternal souls are on the line, as to become inmani means a rejection of the church and its influences.

Max is a funny narrator who carries her childhood trauma both in her interactions and her scars. She engages in the world with paradoxical confidence and insecurity, flaunting her physical prowess while shrinking under the smallest social pressures. Max’s shifting worldview is indicated by one of the novel’s nuanced narrative choices—the characterization of Max’s internal dialogue. As she slips deeper into her mission, she has internal conversations with Optimism, Reason and Regret

that help the reader recognize her uncertainties even as she believes herself truly committed to her mission.

As fully fleshed out as Max is, the other characters peppering the novel pale in comparison. Max’s devotion to her mission, and her church, produces an imbalance in her interpersonal relationships. This creates a chasm between relationship and motivation that the reader needs help to understand— for example, Jaq swears to never see Max again, but three scenes later sends Max a bouquet. It isn’t until the novel’s second half that we start to see Max put in emotional effort with those around her, making much of the relationship building prior feel undeserved.

Inmani also left me grasping for worldbuilding, as what it possesses is remarkable but what it lacks is stark. Nova Mundo is a city built in the shadow of a colossus, with infrastructure that is increasingly being supported by the church. This deepens the hierarchy in place as the city’s destitute increasingly become inmani to survive, inhibiting their ability to interact with basic healing and technology. This fascinating dichotomy, paired with the blurring of science and magic that creates the world’s most flavorful components, feels less lustrous given its scarcity. Perhaps it is my own biases for the genre, but I wanted more. The novel’s break-neck pace, while refreshing, also meant a loss of the lingering moments to construct the world around. It’s a testament to what McHael has created that I want more of it, a need that will hopefully be addressed in the series to come.

Beneath its growing pains, Inmani shines with true potential and uniqueness. While I strongly suspect Max’s story does not end happily, I look forward to seeing the journey she takes.

––K.

Twaddle

Marianne Maili’s second fulllength publication, I am home. (Chez Soi, 2023) is a memoir hiding inside other genres. It flits through its own timeline, asking to be considered among modernist texts.

This makes sense, Maili is clearly influenced by modernism and themes of which come through in her story: there are moments that seem frivolous—lots of highbrow exploits on beaches drinking cava

themes of coming into one’s own identity through struggle, awakening to the world at large and grappling with familial relationships. (Maili even references the Bildungsroman a few times despite the non-fiction status of the book).

After losing her father and moving halfway across the globe, her relationship with her husband grows tenuous and our narrator has an epiphany, “The loss of an idea, a dream, is worse than the loss of reality.” The story is wrapped around this idea, asking repeatedly what stories we tell ourselves and what stories we want to create. Maili’s story also spans several paradigm-shifting changes while trying to maintain relationships, raise a son and be true to herself as a student and an artist.

Refreshingly ordinary, despite often rubbing up against luxury, Maili’s story presents a dilemma that’s growing ever-more common: do we choose to live or do we choose to survive? Maili repeatedly turns down security because it doesn’t fit her comfortably.

with diplomats—but when added together with the labors and trials of the other scenes we see a bigger, darker picture.

I am home. is a quick read that follows its narrator (presumed to be Maili) from asserting to her audience that she is independent and secure in herself, into a place where— despite her strength of identity— she loses agency and clarity. The book is nonlinear though, as you read, the timelines clear themselves up and Maili’s journey is clarified: through each timeline she is learning to trust herself while facing new challenges and, eventually, learning to grieve.

It is easy to call this a new type of coming-of-age (coming of middle-age?) and it certainly includes

Maili’s language wouldn’t fit another story. She is in conversation with her favorite artists and the product of living abroad for most of her adult life. In another context, I suspect Maili’s voice would feel formal and withdrawn, but the vibe here is vulnerable—maybe reluctantly so—and open. It took me a while to realize that this isn’t a literary voice—it’s her most authentic cadence.

Esoteric at times (our narrator defends her PhD and engages in academic discussions about it throughout the book), Maili offers her readers truths sexual, sensual and domestic without defenses, she “suggests a life of caring for self and others as a creative act, and a caring for eros, voice, and wound as the means of constructing a precious life.” She is inviting her readers to get comfortable and to come home.

––Sarah Elgatian

tHrOUGH EAcH tIMELINE SHE IS LEArNING tO trUSt HErSELF WHILE FAcING NEW cHALLENGES AND, EVENtUALLY, LEArNING tO GrIEVE.

MArIANNE MAILI I am home.

CHEZ SOI PRESS

Centro 1003 Locust St. 515.248.1780 centrodesmoines.com

global flavors . local values . unrivaled hospitality .

Django 1420 Locust St. 515.288.0268 djangodesmoines.com

Malo 900 Mulberry St. 515.244.5000 malodesmoines.com

Gateway Market 2002 Woodland 515.243.1754 gatewaymarket.com

Bubba 200 10th St. 515.257.4744 bubbadsm.com

OHOSPITALITY.COM

Zombie Burger 300 E. Grand, DSM Jordan Creek, WDM zombieburgerdm.com

ACROSS

1.Cagney & ___ (cop show CBS considered rebooting a few years back but then was like, nah)

6. Word after powder or cream

10. URL ending, often

13. Fabric, or West Side Story character to whom “How many bullets are left?” is addressed

14. Dubious

15. Driver’s ID: Abbr.

16. Gossip that’s indiscreet in more ways than one?

19. Sing with cocktail piano accompaniment, say

20. “Face Down, ___” (2 Live Crew song improbably performed on Donahue)

22. Someone leaving a bad Yelp review for a group working on commission?

27. Presidential nickname that Google assumes is a typo for a Swedish furniture store

28. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande star Thompson

29. 33.3% of the number of fingers Ron DeSantis uses to eat pudding

30. Magic brownie ingredient in some Stephen King

stories?

36. Beer with a high IBU, usually

37. Fish in a dragon roll

38. Well-planned goodbye that might still go awry?

45. Country that somehow only now is pissed at Netanyahu: Abbr.

47. Repair

48. MSG hoops team

49. Collapsing ceiling in an old apartment, perhaps?

55. Garfunkel and ___

56. Award that Ke Huy Quan accepted with the

purest speech ever

57. Simply adore firstcourse vegetarian dishes that taste like dirt to me?

63. Midwestern “whoopsy, ’scuse me”

64. Arty island of Indonesia

65. More underhanded

66. Bing’s portal

67. Shoe decorated with charms

68. Machine with computer tech that’s known for crashing (as has happened in this puzzle’s six theme entries)

DOWN

1. Alternative to a light-emitting diode: Abbr.

2. Yellowfin tuna, by another name

3. Shapes you can draw with a thumbtack and string

4. ___ nous

5. Toys similar to kites (in that they are also attached to strings)

6. Trailblazer

7. “Nope” sighting

8. Initialism kindred to WTF and JFC

9. Sam Goody competitor (I was going to say “once,” but I guess both are actually still around?)

10. Necklace fastener

11. Stain on a parking garage floor

12. Rod of cheesy poetry and songs

17. Property that might be vacant

18. “Clueless” transfer student

21. Opposite of post22. [I left this in because the author is a jerk and I want you to know he can’t spell]

23. Letters before an alias

24. “Te ___” (Rihanna song)

25. 9:00 p.m. in Roman military time?

26. Tended, as an autumnal lawn

31. Knotted accessory

32. Spinners in sleeves, briefly

33. “Get bent!” kin

34. Projectile in Plants vs. Zombies

35. “Want to feel ___?”

38. Items of outerwear that may have built-in cups

39. Once-___ (villain in The Lorax)

40. Apt ending for “ampers”

41. Extremely unwise, as an idea

42. Boxes where printed memos might be dropped

43. Shadowy location for some?

44. Nat. with a blue and yellow flag

45. Event that welcomes investors, briefly

46. Sport in which gatekeeping is necessary

50. Whole number whose square root is closest to e

51. Alternate transliteration for part of “Mao Zedong”

52. Sound of sizzling seitan

53. “... featuring ___ of thousands!”

54. Room, in Reims

58. Strictly Come Dancing airer

59. Wax receptacle?

60. Band whose songs appeared in a 1980 Gene Kelly movie

61. ___ Taco

62. One told to “shake, shake, shake” in a Harry Belafonte song: Abbr.