Aid groups in Des Moines are working uphill against hostile city ordinances
How fake reproductive health clinics waste precious time
PLUS:
Prairie Pop: The Prequel Sensi’il Studios’ Cinematic Universe
Remembering Colleen “Dr. Art” Ernst
Where will your dollars do the most good?
Sunday, November 17 / 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating
A celebration of prodigious talent—in the orchestra, on the podium, at the piano, and from the composer.
America’s second oldest symphony orchestra—and one of its finest—presents an exploration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s music under the baton of selfdescribed “bon vivant” Stéphane Denève. From his first symphony, composed at age 8, to Mitridate, rè di Ponto, a work composed when the prodigy was just 14 years old, to his “Paris” Symphony, which draws from the composer’s emotions upon the death of his mother, this is music from a master performed masterfully. The orchestra will be joined by Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov, himself a prodigy who arrived in Kansas City alone at 16 with no English but with an undeniable talent, for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20.
“[Abduraimov] coaxed sound of gossamer beauty from the keys and created shimmering halos around the notes.” The Times, London
$ 10
STUDENT & YOUTH TICKETS
PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
MOZART
MOZART
Anna CLYNE
MOZART
Symphony No. 1, K. 16
Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
Overture to Mitridate, rè di Ponto, K. 87
Within Her Arms
Symphony No. 31, K. 297, “Paris”
TICKETS
Adults $95 / $75 / $55
Students & Youth $10
Order online hancher.uiowa.edu
Call (319) 335-1160 or 800-HANCHER
HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS
Barrie Anderson
Wendy Carter & Don Heistad in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Preucil School
Douglas & Linda Paul
Bill Rubright in loving memory of Karen G. Rubright & Emilie J. Rubright
Candace Wiebener
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 Young in advance at (319) 467-4849 or at paris-sissel@uiowa.edu.
Aid groups dare to explore the social causes of homelessness as they treat its symptoms.
Under a six-week abortion ban, centers peddling free, phony care are even more dangerous.
From da Vinci to da bargain bin, all artwork has a story. For this curator, aesthetics come second.
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.
EDITORIAL
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Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com
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October Contributors
Andrea Truitt, Avery Staker, Ben Tausig, Danforth Johnson, Elisabeth Oster, John Busbee, John Ewbank, Kali White VanBaale, Kembrew McLeod, Kent Williams, Kylie Buddin, Lauren Haldeman, Michael Roeder, Ramona Muse Lambert, Rob Brezsny, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Sara Williams, Tom Tomorrow, Tyler Erickson
Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com
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meet this month’s contributors!
Amy Zine works as the Outreach & Program Specialist for the Family Planning Council of Iowa, a Des Moines-based nonprofit.
Avery Staker (they/she/he) is a Des Moines-based photographer and digital journalist.
Danforth Johnson has called Iowa City home since 1991, is a small business owner, and a photography enthusiast.
John Busbee works as an independent voice for Iowa’s cultural scene, including producing a weekly KFMG radio show, The Culture Buzz, since 2007.
Kali White VanBaale is a Des Moines-area creative writing professor and award-winning author of novels, short stories, essays and articles. See more at kaliwhite.com
Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communications Studies at the University of Iowa.
Lauren Haldeman is the author of Team Photograph, Instead of Dying, Calenday and The Eccentricity is Zero.
Issue 334 November 2024
Cover photo of Karol Mensink, an unhoused Des Moines resident, by Tyler Erickson
As this godforsaken year draws to a close, let LV guide your holiday giving towards local orgs tackling housing, health, the environment, education and justice. Plus: Outsider art, a year-round farmers market and more.
Melody Dworak is a librarian at the Iowa City Public Library, juggling two to three books at any given time. Having a love for all things reading and writing, she served on Little Village’s editorial team from 2005-10.
Ramona Muse Lambert makes art and music. Sometimes she’s in charge of dinner, too. Buy her art at ramonamuselambert. com.
Sam Locke Ward is a cartoonist and musician from Iowa City.
Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.
Sara Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who was raised in Bondurant, Iowa. She currently resides near Amana.
Tyler Erickson is a photographer based in Des Moines. He has a devout love for distance running, bicycle touring and photographing honest moments of the human experience.
Catch up on some of Little Village’s most-viewed headlines from last month,and get the latest news sent to your inbox every afternoon: littlevillagemag.com/subscribe
In memoriam: Ashlee Hopkins’ thoughtful, joyous spirit stretches beyond this community
By Alta Medea, Oct. 2
Ashlee Louise Hopkins (Davis) passed away on Sept. 23 at UIHC after a horrible biking accident. She lived and loved fully and with a quiet ferocity, and will be forever missed. Her involvement in her community and her life was monumental.
80/35’s future ‘is not currently determined’ as the Des moines music Coalition shuts down
By Paul Brennan, Oct.
22
Three months after the last performers left the stage at this year’s 80/35, the organization behind the music festival has announced it is shutting down. The nonprofit Greater Des Moines Music Coalition is dissolving after nearly 20 years.
Despite some legal setbacks, Iowa’s expanding cannabis beverage brands aren’t going anywhere
By Emma McClatchey,
Oct. 21
“Alcohol consumption is down, non-alcoholic consumption is up in a very exponential way. And in between those two spaces, cannabis-infused beverages fit nicely,” Climbing Kites brand manager Nick Iversen said.
Photos: Lost Woods music Festival
By Elliot Tensen,
Oct. 16
Almost too magical to be true, the second annual Lost Woods Music Festival brought stellar Iowa musicians, cozy furniture and spellbinding vibes to a rustic Cedar Falls setting. LV music reviewer Glenn Houlihan recounted his experience.
Until we see you again in print next month, subscribe to LV newsletters to stay up to date:
JUNE 27 - JULY 20
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Experience world-class opera in a theatre that brings you within arm’s reach of the action onstage. Find out for yourself why audiences from around the world make Iowa their summer arts destination! For more information and to order tickets, visit dmmo.org/tickets or call (515) 209-3257
AllSpice (15)
Arnott & Kirk (85)
Ballet Des Moines (50)
CaseGroup REALTY (51)
Cedar Rapids Community Concert Association (55)
Cedar Rapids Opera (41)
City of Iowa City Human Rights (9)
CommUnity Crisis Center (31)
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (31)
Coralville Community Food Pantry (61)
Coralville Public Library (82)
DVIP/RVAP (73)
Des Moines Metro Opera (9)
Field to Family (66)
FilmScene (27)
Four Winds Farm (64)
Friends of Iowa City Senior Center (61)
Girls Rock Des Moines (45)
Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (31)
Grinnell College Museum of Art (69)
Hancher Auditorium (2-3)
Holiday Vinyl Market (45)
Honeybee Hair Parlor and Hive Collective (60)
This issue of Little Village is supported by:
House of Glass (16)
Independent Cedar Rapids (58-59)
- Indigo River & Co
- Goldfinch Cyclery
- Next Page Books
- The Daisy Independent Downtown Iowa City (20-21)
- Record Collector
- Release Body Modifications
- Critical Hit Games
- Hot Spot Tattoo and Piercing
- Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe
- Micky’s Irish Pub
- Yotopia
- Mailboxes of Iowa City
- The Green House
- Revival Independent Highland Park / Oak Park Neighborhood (42-43)
- The Slow Down
- Des Moines Mercantile
- The Collective Independent Northside Marketplace (74-75)
- George’s
- Oasis Falafel
- Willow & Stock
- Dodge St. Tire
- Artifacts
- R.S.V.P.
- John’s Grocery
- Pagliai’s Pizza
- The Haunted Bookshop
Gallagher Bluedorn (78)
Indian Creek Nature Center (68)
Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors (60)
Iowa City Communications (64)
Iowa City Community Theatre (71)
Iowa City Downtown District (34)
Iowa City Free Lunch Program (28)
Iowa City Public Library (84)
Iowa Department of Public Health (10, 33)
Iowa PBS (31)
Iowa Public Radio (16, 60)
Iowa Shares (71)
Jethro’s BBQ (35)
KCCK Jazz 88.3 (15)
KRUI 89.7 FM (56)
Kim Schillig, REALTOR (68)
MYEP (33)
Martin Construction (41)
Musician’s Pro Shop (64)
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (80)
New Pioneer Food Co-op (4)
Nodo (84)
Orchestra Iowa (72)
Orchestrate Hospitality (80)
Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (11)
Polk County Conservation (15)
Public Space One (37)
Pure Luxe (69)
Putnam Museum & Science Center (44)
RSFIC (18)
Randy’s Flooring (47)
Raygun (17)
Riverside Theatre (27)
Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (55)
Splash Seafood Bar & Grill (45)
Summer of the Arts (88)
The Club Car (18)
The Englert Theatre (63)
The Iowa Children’s Museum (15)
The James (51)
The Wedge Pizzeria (33)
Tim Conroy, REALTOR (47)
University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (28)
Val Air Holiday Fair (18)
Vino Vérité (65)
Wig & Pen (18)
Wildwood (66)
xBk (84)
We can stop HIV, Iowa— and with HIV self-testing, we can do it on our own terms.
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If you need an HIV self test, you can order one through Together TakeMeHome a free HIV self-testing program.
Scan the code to learn more & order your free HIV at-home test now!
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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.
SUPPorT QUAD CITIeS venue Rozz Tox as they seek to purchase their building and secure their future.
One of the most brilliant, singular venues in all the world is in Rock Island, Illinois. If you don’t believe me, ask any of the thousands of artists, musicians, writers, comedians, etc. who have performed on the Rozz-Tox stage and they will let you know. If you live here and you aren’t familiar, now’s a great time to get acquainted—terrific shows, the kind one would expect to see in NYC or in LA or in London. Visionary artists from around the world go out of their way to come, specifically for the space that Ben & co. have cultivated with their own creativity, resources and hard work.
The good people who make Rozz-Tox so mighty and welcoming and forward-thinking and generous are looking to secure their future, and if there’s one irreplaceable cultural space in the QC—if there’s ever been one—it’s Rozz-Tox. Please support
this wholly/holy unique landmark and preserve this space for leading-edge art and ideas in our community. —Ryan Collins, Rock Island
I LIve IN NorTH CeDAr and hated your Lost Woods Festival. We are retired and never had a choice in whether we wanted your noise or not. Forced to listen all day and night!!!!!! Please please please never come back!!!!!!!
—Terri
Papenheim, Cedar Falls
KUDoS To Jordan Sellergren for perfectly replicating the cover of the late, great “Weekly World News” (sorry, kids — a pre-internet cultural reference). The Paul Brennan piece on Dick Nixon was excellent, but I was disappointed that you didn’t bring WWN columnist “Ed Anger” back from his imaginary grave. He was a mythical Alex Jones before there was Alex Jones, except that everyone knew his batshit-crazy rants were (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) all for fun.
—Jim
Zeller, Des Moines
80/35’s future ‘is not currently determined’ as the Des Moines Music Coalition shuts down (Oct. 22)
Water Works Park is just not a good venue. The 2 hour 20 minute wait just to get out of Knotfest proved that.
—Ben C.
Brenna Bird joins other Republican AGs to threaten the American Academy of Pediatrics over its support for transgender young people (Sept. 26)
Oh great, another grandstanding, pointless, ignorant waste of time for our awful attorney general.
—Mico J.
What’s the best approximation of how you sign off on a professional email?
Yours, Regards,
Part time Brenna and her office don’t have the time or resources to go after businesses that defraud and exploit Iowans, but there’s plenty of time and money for this grandstanding nonsense.
—Jack S.
The only thing that would surprise me is if the AG did something, anything to actually help the people of Iowa.
Dear Brenna. Please list the pediatricians in Iowa that are doing this and if it even affects Iowans. Lemming. PLEASE bring back Tom. We need your intelligence.
—Knit
To the surprise of no one, the same people saying ‘no lockdown needed’ and ‘no vaccine needed’ are going to tell even
Arctic Monkeys
Bella Moss Spoon Pieta Brown Modest Mouse
Phantogram Hozier Shovels & Rope Alvvays
Jimmy Eat World Father John Misty Bright Eyes
Leon Bridges Best Coast Weary Ramblers
Jason Isbell The Smiths Death Cab for Cutie
Jack White St. Vincent Brother Trucker
Two Clinton County 4-H kids were selected as Best in Show for Crop Growth in the annual, global Plant the Moon Challenge. NASA scientists evaluated the project submitted by Johann (4th grade) and Henry (5th grade), who planted lettuce and radishes in lunar-simulation soils to test the efficacy of various fertilizers.
Goth Babe Elvis Costello Dr. Dog Maggie Rose
Radiohead Elliott Smith New Order Blondsh
The Killers Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Vampire Weekend Beck Karen Meat Avett Bro
House of Large Sizes Bad Religion Mt. Joy
Living up to the classic “Hooray! For Ames” tap water promo video from 2014 once again, the Ames Water and Pollution Control Department won Best Tasting Water and a People’s Choice Award at the annual American Water Works Association conference in Coralville on Oct. 29. Ames has won the competition five times since 2001.
The Black Keys Dickie Pixies Young The Giant
Cage The Elephant B. Well The Replacements
Cold War Kids Allegra Hernandez Beastie Boys
The Smashing Pumpkins Echo & The Bunnymen
The Police Talking Heads Frank Turner
Jill Kolesar, new dean of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, has secured a $10 million research grant from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health “to revolutionize the treatment for late-stage and metastatic ovarian cancer by using personalized nanoparticles to boost a woman’s immune system,” according to a White House press release.
Interpol The Cure Briston Maroney Devo King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Flaming Lips
The Clash Surf Zombies Black Pumas Weezer
Iowa Safe Schools honored Simpson College last month with its Partner in Progress Award. “From campus security to faculty and students, from college athletics to college leadership — every stakeholder made it a priority to learn how to better support LGBTQ students,” according to the nonprofit.
Iowa State quarterback rocco becht has earned a spot in the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024, putting him in the running for the National Quarterback Award. For the first seven games of ISU’s 7-0 season, the sophomore Wesley Chapel, Florida native has thrown for 1,712 yards and 11 touchdowns with 61.3 percent pass completion.
oCT 11, oLD CAPITAL rAmP, IoWA CITY LeveL 2, 10:15 Pm
You in green ski mask, writing on the dusty back windows of cars. Keep on young hooligan.
Submit to Missed Connections, LV’s community initiative fostering connection between readers. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear in print or online. littlevillagemag.com/missed-connections
more medical professionals and scientists how they’re wrong. Fuck this anti-intellect, anti-education, anti-science, anti-progress, neo-luddite world of abject fucking morons.
—Rufus C.
Maybe she should focus on the backlog of testing rape kits.
—S.R.
“A new peer-reviewed study published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday examined the impact of banning gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors in the 19 states that had enacted such bans by 2022. Researchers found suicide attempts by transgender and gender-nonconforming teens increased by as much as 72 percent in the years following the bans. (Data from Iowa is not included in the study because SF 538 became law in 2023.)” Fuck Republican fascists.
—F.C.
This 4-year-old tabby is a simple man. He likes to roll on the floor. He likes belly rubs. His name may be Beast, but he’s no burden: a survivor of a hoarding situation, Beast is just happy to have a safe, comfy space to call his own, whether he’s sharing it with siblings or not. Think you can handle his ferocious cuddles? Inquire about adoption with the Iowa City Animal Center, icanimalcenter.org, and support buddies like Beast by donating to the Friends of the Iowa City Animal Center Foundation, facf.org.
Send your personals for consideration to editor@littlevillagemag.com with subject line “Personals.”
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, Dubuque and the Quad Cities. Scan here to find which one of Lv’s 800 distribution locations is nearest to you >>
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help us brighten up the CRANDIC, one street corner at a time!
Pumpkin spice is in the air, and Hallmark started running holiday movies weeks ago. While I love all things tenderhearted, I’m happiest when I find those romantic comedies for the rest of us— queer, non-mainstream, heartbroken, anxious or bonkers. Here’s a few of my recent faves.
Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball kicks off my alternative holiday rom-com list. Our protagonist, Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, daughter of a well-connected rabbi, loves Christmas and secretly writes holiday romance novels. Her writing contract comes under threat after her publisher asks for a Hanukkah novel, and—GASP—she doesn’t think she can pull it off. Enter Jacob Greenberg, her tween summer camp arch-nemesis, who is planning the Matzah Ball, the most exclusive Hanukkah party in the area. Rachel volunteers for the ball in hopes of finding inspiration for her new book, and the pair fight through their misunderstandings and build a connection that overcomes past hurt.
I loved how funny and thoughtful this book was. I sympathized with Rachel over her experiences with chronic fatigue syndrome and enjoyed the family dynamics on display at a Shabbat meal. Being a landlocked and former Catholic Midwesterner, I like books that take me through concrete jungles and underground subway tunnels, giving me a multicultural experience I can’t see from my backyard. Spice level = mild.
Next up is Alison Cochrun’s Kiss Her Once for Me, which won the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Romance & Erotica. To solve her money woes, our protagonist agrees to a fake engagement with her employer’s landlord, who just happens to be the brother of the woman who broke her heart a year earlier. And there’s even a cozy Christmas cabin surrounded by atmosphere and cheer. (If there’s a romantic comedy taking place in a cabin in the woods, I’m in.)
contact:
The f-bomb is lobbed in the first few pages of a book, so I know I’m going to like this one. I’m looking forward to the uncensored banter. Spice level = medium.
Lastly, the Christmas Notch series by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is crazy fun. Starting with A Merry Little Meet-Cute, the series asks what happens when the adult film industry meets the squeakyclean morality of the Hope Channel, a fictionalized Hallmark. Our female lead is a bodaciously curvy internet porn performer on an OnlyFans-type site, and her biggest fan is the former boy band celeb who will co-star with her in this made-for-TV movie about how Mr. and Mrs. Santa fell in love. Sex positive, body positive and oh-so funny, this book will put a smile on your face and a flutter in your heart. Spice level = hot.
There is not enough room in this column to talk about all the great holiday romances we have here at the library. Want us to recommend more? Let us know what your interests are at icpl.org/just-for-you. We’ll be happy to give you ideas.
—Melody Dworak
There’s nothing like a presidential election to remind voters in a minor, non-swinging member of the Electoral College like Iowa how little power an individual has over broken systems.
Iowans are hungry, housing insecure and live under a near-total abortion ban. High nitrate levels in our waterways, caused by reckless Big Ag practices, endanger vital wildlife ecosystems and the safety of drinking water, here and downriver. Public schools are underfunded, undersupported and struggling to abide by vague laws restricting library books, social studies lessons and acceptance of LGBTQ identities. Gun violence is a constant threat.
Rural communities are increasingly isolated, lacking nearby grocery stores, hospitals, OBGYNs and other essential needs. Wages remain stagnant despite a higher cost of living. Many local restaurants and arts institutions did not recover from the pandemic. Professionals and young people are leaving the state in droves. Meanwhile, the governor has made a habit of boasting about state budget surpluses, anti-trans laws, border stunts involving the Iowa National Guard and the Department of Public Safety, and her rejection of federal funds meant for pandemic recovery and feeding children.
Your vote may feel inconsequential in a presidential election, but any donation to an organization on the list below will not. The nonprofits in this guide provide direct services to make life more livable for Iowans, especially vulnerable Iowans, while advocating for long-term solutions. Whatever systemic injustice is tearing at your heart the most, you can help soothe the symptoms by funding its adversaries in your neighborhood.
This guide was compiled by Little Village editors and contains no sponsored or ad content. It is by no means an exhaustive list of all central and eastern Iowa nonprofits. Don’t see your favorite org represented? Let LV know at editor@littlevillagemag.com, and it may be added to the online version.
I want my dollars to improve...
CommUnity Crisis Services
1121 S Gilbert Ct, Iowa City builtbycommunity.org
Helpline: 988; request a Mobile Crisis Response: 1-855-581-8111
Mental health resources in Johnson and Iowa counties
Healing Prairie Farm
Johnson County builtbycommunity.org/hpf 319-255-7006
Crisis stabilization and long-term shelter for youth in a calm rural setting
Iowa City Sober Living iowacitysoberliving.com
A recovery home for women
When in doubt, inquire about:
● Your city or county’s food pantry
● Your local library’s foundation (“Friends of the...”)
● Your county’s housing trust fund
● Your favorite river, lake or stream’s clean-up group
● Your local animal shelter’s foundation
● Your local faith community’s food or clothing bank
● Your county’s chapter of: Habitat for Humanity, the ronald mcDonald House, United Way, meals on Wheels, Toys for Tots, big brothers big Sisters, PFLAG
Nonprofits throughout Central and Eastern Iowa
Community Health Free Clinic
947 14th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids communityhfc.org, 319-363-0416
Free walk-in care, eye exams and prescription services on weekdays. Non-emergency
Tanager Place
Cedar Rapids: 2309 C St SW & 1030 5th Ave SE; Coralville: 250 12th Ave Ste 150 tanagerplace.org
In- and outpatient psychiatric treatment, music and art therapy, in-school and inhouse services, infant and early childhood enrichment and summer camps. Operates LGBTQ+ Center inside the Estle Center
Young Women’s Resource Center
818 5th Ave, Des Moines ywrc.org, 515-244-4901
After-school programs, counseling and a Young Moms program for girls and women aged 10-24 (trans and nonbinary inclusive). Free, confidential, voluntary
University of Iowa Mobile Clinic
iowamobileclinic.org, 319-535-2684
Interdisciplinary student org providing free health screenings and basic care throughout Iowa
Iowa City Free Medical and Dental Clinic
2440 Towncrest Dr, Iowa City freemedicalclinic.org, 319-337-4459
Free medical care, specialty care, basic dental care and prescription assistance. Non-emergency
Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund
iowatransmutualaidfund.org iowatransmutualaidfund@gmail.com
Helps trans, nonbinary and gender diverse Iowans pay for gender-affirming care
Central Iowa: 515-207-5202; NE Iowa: 563-845-3091; SE Iowa: 319-214-0540
Naloxone distro, social justice advocacy and more to support people affected by drug addiction and enforcement
8 Lime Kiln Ln NE, Iowa City thebirdhousejc.org, 319-499-1882
End-of-life care and comfort in a residence surrounded by nature
1556 S 1st Ave Ste B, Iowa City 601 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids access2independence.org, 319-338-3870
Removes barriers and provides support for individuals with disabilities in eastern Iowa
Locations in Ames, Des Moines (four + three school-based clinics), Marshalltown and Urbandale, phciowa.org Medical and dental care, regardless of insurance, immigration status or ability to pay. Operates Homeless Support Services in Polk County
1516 Valley W Dr, West Des Moines teamcsa.org, 515-883-1776
24/7 (non-crisis) line for mental health and disability resources: 515-288-0818
Outpatient mental health therapy, med management and assessments through Integrated Behavioral Health Clinic. Provides other services for Polk County youth and adults with mental health conditions or disabilities, including Momentum Arts Program
2533 Scott Blvd SE, Iowa City sui.org, 319-338-9212
Clinical health services and opportunities for work, volunteering, socializing, art and more for people with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities, as well as aging, behavioral and mental health needs
1305 50th St, West Des Moines aboveandbeyondcancer.org
Free, evidence-based fitness, meditation, nutrition, education and outdoor adventure programs for cancer patients, caregivers and locals
American Brawn
106 14the Ave, Grinnell americanbrawn.us, 319-231-2383
Supports suicide prevention efforts for veterans, active military and first responders
Puppy Jake Foundation
3101 104th St #2, Urbandale puppyjakefoundation.org, 515-777-2837
Pairs veterans with professionally trained service dogs
Emma Goldman Clinic
227 N Dubuque St, Iowa City emmagoldman.com, 800-848-7684
The first outpatient abortion clinic in Iowa. Provides reproductive healthcare and advocacy
Planned Parenthood Ames Health Center
2530 Chamberlain St, Ames plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa 877-849-0763
The last PP clinic to offer abortion services in Iowa; one of two remaining abortion providers in the state (with EGC in Iowa City)
Autonomy Iowa City autonomyiowacity.org
icjane@proton.me, 515-782-2416
Assists access to free emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, abortion pills and out-of-state abortion care. Formerly the Iowa Jane Collective
Iowa Abortion Access Fund iowaabortionaccessfund.org 312-663-0338
Financial assistance (in partnership with Chicago Abortion Fund) and help accessing abortion services for people in Iowa
Family Planning Council of Iowa
2900 Westown Pkwy, Ste 240, West Des Moines fpcouncil.org, 515-288-9028
Education and access to contraceptives, reproductive healthcare providers, STI testing and resources for pregnancy and domestic abuse, regardless of identity or ability to pay
Shelter House
429 Southgate Ave, Iowa City shelterhouseiowa.org, 319-351-0326
Operates a 70-bed emergency shelter, four homes, 60 supportive units, employment assistance and mental health recovery
2326 Euclid Ave, Des Moines, joppa.org, 515-288-5699
Weekly outreach to hundreds of unhoused and newly housed locals, providing food, essentials and resources for employment, mental health and socialization. Collects donated clothing and items via Thriftmart
1750 48th St Suite 100B, Des Moines anawimhousing.org, 515-244-8308
Largest provider of permanent supportive housing in Iowa. Develops and manages affordable housing and homeless support services in Polk County
Community Housing Initiatives
210 2nd St SE, Cedar Rapids chihousing.com, 319-362-1020
Oversees affordable housing developments in more than 30 Iowa communities. Helps residents meet basic needs
1618 6th Ave, Des Moines homeincdsm.org, 515-243-1277
HUD-certified Housing Counseling Agency and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). Obtains and maintains affordable housing and support in Des Moines
YSS (Youth & Shelter Services, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers) yss.org, 515-232-4YSS
Emergency shelter, addiction treatment, crisis stabilization, rent assistance, mental health and food support, after-school and summer programs, education and career resources, and more across 11 locations throughout central Iowa
Domestic Violence Intervention Program & Rape Victim Advocacy Program
dvipiowa.org
DVIP 24-hour hotline: 800-373-1043
RVAP: 800-228-1625
Free and confidential resources for victimsurvivors across eight Iowa counties. Operates three emergency shelters and a pet kennel. Offers adult and child counseling, criminal justice and court advocacy. Sponsors Johnson County Human Trafficking Coalition
Four Oaks
5400 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids fouroaks.org, 319-364-0259
Works with Affordable Housing Network, Inc. to provide safe, sustainable housing, therapy services, foster care support and more to prevent child trauma
Des Moines Mutual Aid iowamutualaid.org/desmoines-mutual-aid
Abolitionist mutual aid collective.
Partners with like-minded local groups on a rent relief fund, bail fund, weekly free grocery distro, and support for houseless neighbors, material and court.
Des Moines Black Liberation Movement
dsmblm.org
Collective action to fight systems of white supremacy. DSM Rent Relief Fund (with Des Moines Mutual Aid; assists with bills, emergency housing, etc.), Black Children’s Memorial, an annual Juneteenth Celebration
The Beacon
Des Moines, thebeacondm.org
Housing, counseling and community for unhoused and otherwise vulnerable adults who identify as women. Also offers free food, rent assistance and career training
Monsoon Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity
4944 Franklin Ave, Ste B, Des Moines 1700 S 1st Ave, Ste 18 Iowa City 1789 Elm St, Dubuque monsooniowa.org, Helpline: 1-866-881-4641
Free, confidential, multilingual support for victim-survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking in Iowa’s AAPI communities
Nisaa African Family Services
4944 Franklin Ave, Ste P, Des Moines 1700 S 1st Ave, Ste A & B, Iowa City nisaa-afs.org
24-hour helpline: 1-844-269-6203
Direct services for victim-survivors in Iowa’s African immigrant and refugee communities, including court, immigration, medical, housing, employment and child care aid
Project Iowa projectiowa.org
In-person and online career training courses and job placement assistance
Houses into Homes
401 6th Ave, Coralville housesintohomes.org, 319-435-1075
Free gently used beds, furniture and household items for people in Johnson County leaving homelessness, domestic violence and other crisis situations
Dress for Success Des Moines
7025 Hickman Road, Ste 3, Urbandale desmoines.dressforsuccess. org, 515-288-0130
Free professional development and attire for unemployed and underemployed women. Partners with The Beacon
Renewed Hope Home Furnishings
306 Park St, Grinnell renewedhope.grinnellfriends.org 641-236-6412
Free home furnishings, including delivery, for locals in a 15-mile radius
Second Mile Thrift Shop
515 3rd Ave, Grinnell secondmilegrinnell.org, 641-236-7892
Low-cost clothing, household and furniture items
Des Moines’ Iowa Food Co-op will keep you in the green into winter.
For some, the scariest part of October isn’t Halloween, but the last day of the farmers market. Des Moines area residents, however, need only pay a visit to www.iowafood. coop to buy fresh, local produce all year long.
“We’re focused on small, local, independent producers,” Karen Davis, general manager of the Iowa Food Cooperative, told Little Village “Our goal is to have 99 percent of what we sell be produced, raised, grown in the state of Iowa by small independent producers.”
The Iowa Food Co-op is different from most people’s idea of a “co-op.” It is member-owned, but doesn’t model itself after a standard grocery store. Instead, the co-op lists available items for its producers on its website, and members assemble their orders over a two-week period, which closes at 11:59 p.m. on the second Sunday of a cycle. The orders then go out to the producers. They’re delivered to the co-op’s storefront headquarters a few days later.
“We go from being pretty much completely empty to, over the course of 48 hours, being completely full,” Davis said. “Then three days later we’re completely empty again.”
“All day Thursday, we’re doing home delivery. Then all day Friday and Saturday we are distributing from our physical location, next to the Franklin Avenue Library.”
Then the empty-full-empty cycle starts over.
Most members come to the storefront at 4944 Franklin Ave, but there are pop-up distribution sites around Polk County (“Usually in church or library parking lots”).
Members don’t pay until they
pick up their orders, because occasionally an item doesn’t show up.
“Things happen sometimes when you’re working with very small producers,” Davis explained. “A truck could break down. Slugs could take over the kale.”
Slugs can happen when an organic farm really is organic. According to Davis, the co-op works with an average of 80 producers from around Iowa each two-week period. They carefully assess who those producers are. For example, Iowa Food Co-op only sells meat from producers who own and raise their animals for at least two-thirds of the animal’s life leading up to processing.
“That way we can feel very confident when we convey what practices were used in the raising of those animals,” Davis said.
Aside from the quality and freshness of the food, what really attracted Davis to the co-op is how its two-week ordering cycle keeps waste to a minimum. She spent 30 years managing restaurants before coming to the co-op, and was already troubled by the amount of food that wound up being tossed.
The USDA estimates that restaurants and grocery stores end up throwing out more than 30 percent of the food they buy, on average.
“We produce maybe four bags of garbage a month, because we only bring in what’s been ordered,” Davis said. ”I know our two-week ordering cycle is very different from how people typically shop, but I think if more people understood how this model is so low-waste, they might be willing to adapt their shopping habits.”
—Paul Brennan
851 Hwy 6 E, #101, Iowa City crowdedcloset.org
Nonprofit thrift shop supporting global and local relief efforts by the Mennonite Central Committee
InsideOut Reentry
804 S Capitol St, Iowa City
insideoutreentry.com
Works with individuals incarcerated throughout the state to help them develop re-entry plans, regardless of where they plan to live after release. Offers Life Skills classes, Housing and Employment Readiness programs
CommUnity Food Bank 1045 Highway 6 East, Iowa City
builtbycommunity.org, 319-351-0128
Free and confidential groceries, hygiene products, baby supplies and more
Coralville Community Food Pantry
804 13th Ave, Coralville coralvillefoodpantry.org, 319-337-3663
Weekly food assistance for Coralville, Tiffin and Oxford residents
North Liberty Community Food Pantry
89 N Jones Blvd, North Liberty nlcpantry.org, 319-626-2711
Free groceries and clothing for North Liberty and rural Johnson County residents
Food Pantry at Iowa
IMU Room G200
basicneeds.uiowa.edu/food-pantry 319-335-1162
Serves University of Iowa students and community members
Northeast Iowa Food Bank 1605 Lafayette St, Waterloo neifb.org, 319-235-0507
Operates Cedar Valley Food Pantry, a mobile food pantry and 13 Kids Cafes. Distributes food to 130+ other food assistance orgs. Helps Iowans utilize SNAP benefits
Eat Greater Des Moines
501 SW 7th St, Ste G, Des Moines
eatgreaterdesmoines.org, 515-207-8908
Operates dozens of community fridges throughout Polk, Dallas and Warren counties. Rescues food everywhere from farm fields to grocery stores. Operates Eat Greater Des Moines Food Rescue app
St. Vincent de Paul
Society of Des Moines
1426 6th Ave and 500 Army Post Rd, Des Moines, svdpdsm.org
Free food and clothing at both locations. Also offers career training, job search and reentry services
Table to Table
Pepperwood Plaza, 1049 US-6 E, Iowa City table2table.org, 319-337-3400
Recovers and redistributes food that would’ve gone to waste, supporting eastern Iowa food pantries and other partner orgs
Johnson County
4811 Melrose Ave, Iowa City growjohnsoncounty.org, 319-622-3264
A six-acre farm growing fresh fruit and vegetables for Johnson County food pantries
1035 Wade St, Iowa City iccompassion.org, 319-330-9883
Hosts 100+ garden plots at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm for families to grow a diverse range of crops. Operates a food pantry on Wednesdays and Jabez Cafe. Also provides low-cost legal immigration services, mental health counseling for refugees and ESL tutoring.
1105 Gilbert Ct, Ste 100, Iowa City, 319337-6283, iowacityfreelunch.org
Filling, healthy free lunches served noquestions-asked, Mon-Sat, 12-1 p.m.
Supply Hive, Des Moines
thesupplyhivedsm.org
Flexible mutual aid org supporting marginalized locals. Partners with Eat Greater Des Moines to rescue food from local grocers to supply community fridges. Raises funds and holds drives to help individuals retain housing, childcare and essential supplies
River Bend Food Bank
4010 Kimmel Dr, Davenport
3145 Cedar Crest Ridge, Dubuque
876 W Main St, Ste B, Galesburg, Illinois riverbendfoodbank.org
Rescues, stores and distributes nutritious food through more than 400 partners in 23 counties. Outreach to students, seniors, SNAP beneficiaries and food deserts
Iowa
2220 E 17th St, Des Moines
705 W Main St, Ottumwa, foodbankiowa.org
Supports food pantries throughout central and southeast Iowa, including 150 school pantries in 43 counties. Runs the BackPack Program, providing food-insecure kids with meals over weekends
357 Lincoln St, West Des Moines
mealsfromtheheartland.org, 515-473-9530
Faith-based org fighting child hunger in Iowa and globally. Packagesand distributes protein-dense food in Iowa, utilizing large network of distributors
Mid-Iowa Community Action
1001 S 18th Ave, Marshalltown micaonline.org, 641-752-7162
Community action fighting poverty in central Iowa through almost 30 programs focused on distinct needs, including food, water, heat, health and disaster assistance.
Urbandale Food Pantry
7611 Douglas Ave, Stes 34-35, Urbandale urbandalefoodpantry.org, 515-251-6688
Free food and personal care items in the Des Moines metro (must show ID). Customizes meals by family size and dietary needs. Rescues food from local grocers
Johnston Partnership for a Healthy Community 5870 Merle Hay Rd, Ste C, Johnston johnstonpartnership.org, 515-528-2379
Free food assistance, personal care items and clothing (must show ID). Customizes meals by family size and dietary needs. Weekend food support for Johnston School District students
The Iowa Kitchen
theiowakitchen.org
Food distribution and education geared toward young adults in the Grinnell community. Free meals served once a week. Supported by the restaurant Relish Valley Community Center — Project Impact
4444 Fuller Rd, West Des Moines valleycommunity.center/projectimpact
Food assistance for at-risk individuals and
Matthew 25
201 3rd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids matthew-25.org, 319-362-2214
Tends an urban farm with community gardens and gathering space. Operates Iowa’s first payit-forward cafe (Groundswell Cafe, 201 3rd Ave NW, CR), and sells affordable produce in a former food desert (Cultivate Hope Corner Store, 604 Ellis Blvd NW). Conducts home repairs and builds sustainable, low-income houses. Offers Tool Library, discounted CSA Comment end , youth food camps and more.
families in the Des Moines metro, including weekend meals for students. Also distributes school supplies, winter clothing and diapers
Field to Family
1051 US-6, Iowa City fieldtofamily.org, 319-855-2649
Procures local food for school lunch menus, supports school gardens, provides education on food systems, connects local growers with local consumers
Convivium Urban Farmstead
2811 Jackson St, Dubuque convivium-dbq.com, 563-557-2900
A dense urban farm with a community garden, free casserole program and food education classes, supported by a restaurant onsite
Forest Ave Outreach
334 Forest Ave, Des Moines forestaveoutreach.org
Community orchard and garden serving a food desert. Youth outreach in outdoor classroom
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI)
2001 Forest Ave, Des Moines iowacci.org, 515-255-0800
Organizes campaigns against factory farms and CO2 pipelines; operates a Nitrate Watch program. Advocates on behalf of renters, mobile homeowners, immigrants, victims of racial profiling and the uninsured
iowaprojectaware.org
Marion-based org that hosts a massive, weeklong river cleanup each summer, integrated with education around environmental science, geology, Iowa history and more. Recycles more than 80% of trash pulled from water
Iowa Water Project iowawaterproject.org
Strategically places natural dams and aquatic plants to improve streams and wetlands statewide
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
505 Fifth Ave, Ste 444, Des Moines inhf.org, 515-288-1846
Protects and maintains nearly 200,000 acres of Iowa prairie, woodland and waterways. Creates multi-use trails in natural areas
Trees Forever
80 W 8th Ave, Marion treesforever.org, 800-369-1269
Organizes tree-planting projects to protect waterways and roadsides. Part of ReLeaf Cedar Rapids plan to restore tree canopy lost to 2020 derecho, and the Iowa Urban Tree Council. Education on treekeeping, invasive species, agroforestry and more
3305 Hwy 1 SW Ste 29a, Iowa City theraregroup.org, 319-248-9770
Raptor rehabilitation and education. Completely volunteer-run clinic provides rescue, triage and long-term medical treatment
Wildthunder Wildlife & Animal Rehabilitation & Sanctuary
2584 Henley Ave, Independence wildthunderwars.org, 319-961-3352
Licensed wildlife rehabilitation center and animal shelter with volunteer caretakers. Treats injured wildlife and homeless pets, including raptors, reptiles, mammals and exotic animals
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation
3108 49th St, Des Moines, 515-207-5008
Volunteer-based wildlife rehab center for sick, injured or orphaned wild birds
Iowa Farm Sanctuary
1696 250th St NW, Oxford iowafarmsanctuary.org, 319-329-0205
Vegan-run safe haven for rescued farm animals. Funds major veterinary procedures for its residents. Responds to emergency calls involving farm animals, e.g. semi accidents and natural disasters
2521 University Blvd, Ste 123, Ames bailingoutbenji.com
Investigates and researches commercial breeders, puppy mills, pet stores and online sellers. Advocates for responsible pet adoption. Provides a national database of puppy mills. Operates the Central Iowa Pet Food Pantry
Cont. >> on pg. 34
Practical Farmers of Iowa
1615 Golden Aspen Dr, Ste 101, Ames practicalfarmers.org, 515-232-5661
Programs to incentivize and support farming practices that reduce nitrogen, improve soil and conserve wildlife habitats. Helps farms transition from old to new generations of farmers/owners. Farmer-led research. Spanish-language resources
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa
5452 NE 22nd St, Des Moines, arl-iowa.org Pet helpline: 515-473-9122
Behavior helpline: 515-262-9503
Iowa’s largest nonprofit animal shelter. Offers short-term crisis care for families with pets. Animal Welfare and Response Team investigates abuse and cruelty statewide. Operates a cat trapneuter-return program in Des Moines and a twicemonthly pet food pantry, among other initiatives
Kiya Koda Humane Society
1206 N Jefferson Way, Indianola kiyakoda.com, 515-961-7080
No-kill animal shelter taking in, and adopting out, stray dogs and cats
Cedar Valley Humane Society 7411 Mt Vernon Rd SE, Cedar Rapids cvhumane.org, 319-362-6288
Shelters animals as long as it takes to get them adopted. Low adoption fees. Operates a pet food pantry; supplies pet food for five pantries around the region
Iowa Humane Alliance
6540 6th St SW, Cedar Rapids iowahumanealliance.org, 319-363-1225 Affordable, accessible spay-neuter services in eastern Iowa
Bur Oak Land Trust
5 Sturgis Corner Dr, Ste 1250, Iowa City buroaklandtrust.org, 319-338-7030
Maintains roughly a dozen biodiverse land reserves, many open to the public year-round
Indian Creek Nature Center
5300 Otis Rd SE, Cedar Rapids indiancreeknaturecenter.org, 319-362-0664
A sustainable, solar-powered facility on 500 acres of preserved wetlands, prairies, woodlands and trails
Iowa Audubon iowaaudubon.org
Education and advocacy for Iowa birds. Identifies and protects important bird habitats around the state, e.g. tallgrass prairie
100grannies.org
Iowa City-based member org of senior women demonstrating against factory farms, CO2 pipelines and unsustainable practices in Iowa
Iowa Wildlife Federation
301 Grand Ave, Des Moines iawildlife.org, 515-419-1839
Statewide, membership-based org. Helps locals create Certified Wildlife Habitats of unmowed, protected green space. Supports the University of Iowa’s School of the Wild, an accredited environmental education program for youth
505 5th Ave, Des Moines 515-689-1112, iowaipl.org
Gathers farmers, students, rural faith leaders and others to discuss and advocate for climate action
Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Rd #280, Des Moines 515-277-8868, sierraclub.org/iowa
Part of the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental org. Advocacy and lobbying focused solely in Iowa
Iowa Rivers Revival
515-635-5586, iowarivers.org
Statewide, nonpartisan org working to protect and restore rivers and streams
One Iowa
oneiowa.org, 515-288-4019
Training for healthcare providers, businesses and others on issues facing LGBTQ Iowans. Mentorship and resources. Works to shape local and state policies affecting LGBTQ Iowans via One Iowa Action, a 501(c) (4). Statewide, Des Moines-based
Iowa Safe Schools
iowasafeschools.org, 515-381-0588
Anti-bullying and discrimination support for LGBTQ students. Operates the GSA Network, providing resources for GSA clubs in schools across Iowa (plus parents and educators). Advocates for legislation banning conversion therapy and trans/gay panic defenses
Great Plains Action Society
greatplainsaction.org
Indigenous-run org fighting the effects of colonialcapitalism in the Midwest, including pipelines, unsustainable ag practices, anti-CRT and antireproductive choice laws, and the prevalence of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Founded
and directed by Iowa-based Sikowis Nobiss. (The River Rights Caravan takes place Nov. 10-17, starting in Sioux City and ending in Davenport.)
ACLU of Iowa
505 5th Ave, Des Moines aclu-ia.org, 515-243-3576
Files lawsuits and amicus briefs challenging violations of civil liberties in Iowa by the government. Know-your-rights resources in English and Spanish. Legislative advocacy on a range of progressive issues
Refugee and Immigrant Association
refugeeimmigrant.org, 319-491-3486
Academic and social support for refugee youth in Johnson and Linn counties. Organizes school transportation program, Refugee Women
Empowerment Program and a multilingual newspaper, Refugee and Immigrant News
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
2001 Forest Ave, Des Moines iowacci.org, 515-255-0800
Dues-paying org advocating on behalf of the environment, racial justice, housing, public schools and universal healthcare in Iowa
Annie’s Foundation
5619 NW 86th St, Ste 700, Johnston anniesfoundation.com
Parent-run org working in opposition to book censorship and discrimination in central Iowa school districts. Holds events to increase access to diverse, challenged books
Walnut Street School #315, 901 Walnut St, Des Moines everybodywinsiowa.org, 515-277-7590
One-on-one reading and mentoring with schoolkids and volunteers
1035 Wade St, Iowa City iccompassion.org, 319-330-9883
DOJ-authorized, low-cost immigration legal services. Operates Refugee Counseling Center Center, a Wednesday food pantry (12-5 p.m.) and Jabez Cafe, employing special needs young adults from immigrant families. Global Food Project connects new Johnson County residents with community garden plots
Prairielands Freedom Fund prairielandsfreedomfund.org, 319-535-2209
Formerly Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project. Pays immigration bond, protester bail and pretrial bail for young advocates
Justice of Eastern Iowa
1556 S 1st Ave # C, Iowa City cwjiowa.org, 319-594-7593
Grassroots advocacy to fight wage theft, discrimination, unsafe work conditions, predatory housing practices and other issues facing low-wage workers and tenants. Promotes solidarity across race, ethnicity and immigration status
325 E Park Ave, Ste 204, Waterloo 1619freedomschool.org, 319-427-0314
Free, community-based, after-school literacy program for students to improve reading skills while learning Black American history
1700 S 1st Ave #14, Iowa City 355 Iowa Ave, Iowa City unitedactionforyouth.org, 319-338-7518
Runaway and homeless youth services, trauma-informed crisis intervention/mediation, transitional living assistance, counseling, art events and social opportunities for young people and families in Johnson County
910 S Gilbert St, Iowa City wrighthousefashion.com, 319-541-9790
Humanize My Hoodie designer Andre Wright’s community space for underrepresented creatives, sustainable fashion, workshops, talks and a community fridge
450 HWY 1 W #126, Iowa City jamesgangic.com
Entrepreneurial org working to initiate and grow community projects in the areas of creativity and service
6919 Vista Drive, Des Moines iowaasianalliance.com
Unites diverse Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with the purpose of fostering economic growth and broader community development within the state of Iowa.
4217 University Ave Suite #1, Des Moines latinoheritagefestival.org
Serves as the umbrella to the Des Moines Latino Heritage Festival, which has the distinction of not only being the largest Latino Festival in the state, but the largest cultural event in the state of Iowa.
Corridor Community Action Network corridorcan.com
Organizes locals in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty and Iowa City for service projects, letter-writing campaigns and community events
Queen Sisterz Organization Urbandale facebook.com/venticawoods, 515-735-1141
Scholarships, networking and empowerment programs for local youth, especially Black youth
Read 2 Lead of Poweshiek County read2lead.info
Free books and evidence-based programs to promote early literacy. Partners include Books for MICA and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
DSM Queer Youth Resource Center instagram.com/qyrcenter
Inclusive events for LGBTQ2SIA+ youth. Hosts Safe Space Prom, an All Ages Variety Show, the skating festival Pride in Motion, queer movie nights, drag shows and art shows
Girls Rock! Des Moines girlsrockdsm.org
Music camps, after-school programs, lessons, jam sessions, concerts and recording opportunities for girls, women and nonbinary folks. LGBTQ+ friendly. Offers free Instrument Library and Iowa City area programming
Skate DSM skatedsm.org
Gives away hundreds of free skateboards and helmets in central Iowa through Get On Board Project. Offers scholarships for their skateboard lessons and camps
HOPE Foundation Iowa hopefoundpal.org instagram.com/hopefoundationia
Works with Iowans for Palestine, Iowa City Action for Palestine and other groups to raise local awareness and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
It’s an especially difficult time to be unhoused in the state capital. As city ordinances criminalize homelessness, on-the-ground aid groups are going all-out.
bY KALI WHITe vANbAALe
On Sept. 16, the Des Moines City Council passed a pair of ordinances designed to prevent unsheltered citizens from sleeping or living on public property. The first ordinance will make sleeping in public places like sidewalks, streets, doorways, pedestrian and vehicular entrances punishable by a $15 fine, and bans camping under bridges, in parks, and on benches, sidewalks and streets.
The second ordinance lowers the number of days before the city can clear an encampment from the previous 10 days to three days, and the city must post a 24-hour notice before removing a campsite and store the items in a yetunidentified location for no less than 30 days. Then within that 24 hours, the city must inform a local service agency of the campsite removal.
City officials said the new measures are intended to urge unhoused residents to use services such as shelters, but opponents of the plan, like the ACLU of Iowa, argue fines and removal of possessions is “inhumane.” Although the ordinances were passed in September, they’ve yet to take full effect, and won’t until the city finishes a set of necessary preliminary steps, and the Des Moines Police Department has been trained on how to enforce and carry out the ordinances.
In this interim, advocate groups have been scrambling to prepare, including Iowa Homeless Youth Centers (IHYC) and its Ames-based parent nonprofit YSS, which serves approximately 800 clients ages 18 to 24 from Mason City
WHILe THe CoUNCIL’S STATeD GoAL For THe orDINANCeS IS To DrIve more UNHoUSeD reSIDeNTS To UTILIZe SHeLTer ServICeS, THe bIGGer ProbLem, NeAL SAYS, IS THAT THere AreN’T eNoUGH SHeLTerS AND AvAILAbLe beDS.
to downtown Des Moines. Austin Neal, a lead youth advocate with IHYC, said they weren’t involved in early discussions of the ordinance proposals, and now must hustle to keep ahead of their effects, alongside other outreach orgs.
Before the announcement of the ordinances, Neal’s organization saw on average 12 to 20 clients a day. Since, they’re seeing 40 to 50 clients a day.
While the council’s stated goal for the ordinances is to drive more unhoused residents to utilize shelter services, the bigger problem, Neal says, is that there aren’t enough shelters and available beds. Beds have long waitlists, and organizations are chronically underfunded and understaffed.
“I’m just always in pain and it feels like they don’t care about us. It feels like the rules are changing before we have time to adapt,” said Mrs. Golightly, a 71-year-old homeless woman unable to get a room in the Central Iowa Shelter in downtown Des Moines. Those around her affectionately call her “grandma.” Tyler Erickson / Little Village
“The new laws didn’t come with new solutions. The reality is there are people out here having everything they own being bulldozed. You can imagine how devastating that would be.” —JOPPA
VOLUNTEER
Lack of affordable, available housing alone is really just one piece of a much larger, complicated puzzle of chronic homelessness, and none of the pieces are being meaningfully addressed.
The demographic of clients at YSS is young people who have aged out of the foster care system, have no meaningful family support, deal with substance abuse, mental health issues or past trauma, and/or have experienced a recent job loss and can’t make ends meet. Ordinances like the ones just passed, from Neal’s experience, create more problems than solutions for both individuals and organizations trying to help them.
When campsites are forcibly removed or demolished, birth certificates and Social Security cards are often tossed with other items deemed to be “trash”—vital records and documents that are required for housing and job applications.
Joe Stevens, CEO and co-founder of Joppa, another longtime Des Moines nonprofit agency that serves unhoused citizens and connects them with critical resources, echoed much of what Neal said. Joppa operates with a small paid staff, and primarily relies on dedicated volunteers and donations. Like YSS, it is already experiencing more visitors to its Homeless Resource Center on Euclid Avenue in Des Moines, and are bracing for the full effects of the ordinances.
Joppa also operates a unique “feet on the street” outreach program where volunteers make in-person contact with unhoused citizens every single week and document locations and
Iowa Homeless
● Sleeping bags
● Cleaning supplies
● Unused men’s & women’s underwear
● Unused bras
● Full-size body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant
● Belts
● Backpacks/suitcases
● Handwarmers
● Chapstick
● Totes for clients that live here to store things
Apart from those items, IHYC always encourages folks to volunteer. Come serve or prepare a meal, talk with clients or play board games.
other useful demographic information through a dynamic mobile app Joppa developed. After the implementation of the ordinances, Stevens anticipates it will become even more difficult to locate unhoused individuals who were forced to move, and Joppa staff will have to develop new strategies to find them.
Neal said YSS employs an outreach person who goes out into the community to alert unhoused citizens about the new ordinances, and help bring belongings into storage at YSS if needed. YSS also offers transportation services to individuals whose belongings were put into storage by the city at locations inaccessible by public transit, and it works closely with the Des Moines Police Department on behalf of its clients.
In October, YSS held a “Know Your Rights” class to help prepare clients for interactions with police and others in authority. YSS will continue to offer drop-in services, including assistance obtaining lost vital records and documents,
in-house therapy and twice-a-day meal service.
Joppa continues its weekly outreach program, its free mail and vital records storage, as well as its Homeless Nutrition Program both at their center and in the field. It also has “move teams” to assist individuals who need to quickly gather their belongings in order to check into a shelter.
Joppa operates with three basic questions, Stevens said: Why are people homeless? Why does it pay to care? And what can I do?
Right now, he said, there are no real incentives for business organizations or individuals to build affordable or low-income housing, so it continues to fall to nonprofits and faith-based groups operating on severely limited budgets to try to fill that gap.
Neal said YSS starts with its own pair of questions: Are we here to equip, or enable? And what can we do to equip?
Those answers, he said, aren’t with city ordinances.
A sign at Water Works Park in Des Moines warns residents that their belongings will be removed in accordance with city code. Tyler Erickson / Little Village
November 23, 2024 | 7:30pm
Ideal Theatre & Bar
Amid a reproductive care crisis in Iowa, fake clinics are thriving. What’s a CPC, and why is Iowa’s state government funding them?
Chances are, you’ve seen a crisis pregnancy center—also known as a CPC, anti-abortion center, pregnancy resource center or fake clinic—without realizing it. They market themselves as healthcare clinics for women facing unintended pregnancies while targeting women who are considering having an abortion. They make it seem as though they will walk you through your options and
support you as you make your decision about what to do next by offering free services like pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling. Once you walk inside the door, however, it becomes clear their mission is to persuade you to continue your pregnancy no matter what.
Despite appearances, these religiously based institutions are rarely staffed by licensed
medical professionals or accredited by legitimate regulatory bodies, and therefore are not bound by HIPAA confidentiality laws or clinical regulations. This allows them to employ predatory practices based in fear, deception and shame to influence what women decide to do with their bodies. Many of their websites also include disinformation on
The researchers behind the online Crisis Pregnancy Center Map identify 42 CPCs in Iowa, which they define as “nonprofit organizations with a primary aim of keeping women from having an abortion.” They include:
● Agape Pregnancy Center
● Alpha Women’s Center
● Alternatives Pregnancy Center
● Birthright
● Her Health Women’s Center
● Informed Choices Medical Clinics
● InnerVisions HealthCare
● Lc Clinic
● The Pregnancy Center
● Cradle of Hope Pregnancy Resource Center
Other CPCs around the state:
● Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center (Cedar Rapids)
● Caring Pregnancy Center (Mason City)
● Clarity Clinic (Dubuque)
● Cornerstone for Life (Storm Lake)
● Gabriel’s Corner (Council Bluffs)
● The Growing Place (Oskaloosa)
● Heartland Pregnancy Center (Ottumwa)
● Hope for Life Pregnancy Center (Charles City)
● Hope Pregnancy Center (Centerville)
● Obria Medical Clinic (Ames)
● The Lighthouse Center of Hope (Iowa Falls)
● Mary’s Choice (Sioux City)
● Pathways of Pella
● Pregnancy Resources (Davenport)
● Women’s Choice Center of the Quad Cities (Bettendorf)
● Her Health Women’s Center (Le Mars)
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contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted infections and other healthcare topics. For example, some claim abortion causes lasting consequences such as cancer and infertility, which is not backed by science.
One of the most common services advertised by CPCs is a free ultrasound, which appeals to many who think they may be pregnant. However, the majority of ultrasounds are performed by volunteers who are not medical professionals and can, unintentionally or maliciously, provide women with incorrect information.
There have been documented cases of CPC volunteers inaccurately estimating how far along a pregnancy, causing a woman to believe she has plenty of time to decide if she wants an abortion when she is in fact fast approaching the legal deadline, or alternatively informing her she is too far along to get an abortion when she still has time.
In Iowa, abortion is banned when embryonic cardiac activity can be detected. This typically happens at around six weeks, before most women even know they are pregnant. This is why early and accurate medical care is essential to guaranteeing that a woman has access to all possible options. Incorrect ultrasound readings and time wasted in fake clinics could impact a woman’s ability to access care here in Iowa, which could determine if she receives care at all.
The lack of medical training also increases the risk of missing ectopic pregnancies via ultrasound.
Ectopic pregnancies are never viable and will endanger the life of the mother if left untreated, so early and accurate detection is essential.
A 2023 documentary, Preconceived , offers a behind-the-scenes look into the world of crisis pregnancy centers through interviews with antiabortion organizations, CPC employees and individuals who oppose their practices. At the heart of the film, directed by Sabrine Keane and Kate Dumke, are the stories of women who have had firsthand experiences with CPCs.
One woman, Maleeha, was seeking abortion care in Texas when she unknowingly visited a CPC. She was told that the abortion pill was so dangerous that it was banned in Texas—a blatant lie as her visit took place before the fall of Roe Maleeha was able to get an abortion, but the fear generated from the lie compelled her to seek care outside of Texas. Maleeha was fortunate enough to be able to travel to receive the care she needed, but many women aren’t that lucky.
For a long time, CPCs have existed as entities of the anti-abortion movement without state support or backing. Recently, legislators have been attempting to award them taxpayer dollars under the guise of supporting maternal health and pregnancies.
In 2022, Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature inserted a provision into the funding bill for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) creating the More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program. As part of that program, $2 million of taxpayer dollars was allocated to fund organizations dedicated to deterring abortion by promoting pregnancy over termination. Organizations receiving that funding are prohibited from counseling women on pregnancy termination, but are not required to have medical professionals on staff.
Pamphlet from Informed Choices in Iowa City. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the term “heartbeat” at this early stage of development is misleading. “Until the chambers of the heart have been developed, it is not accurate to characterize the embryo or fetus’s cardiac development as a heartbeat.” Jordan Sellergren / Little Village
The section of the bill creating the MOMS program didn’t include any consequences if participating organizations violate patient privacy or provide false information. But it did include a requirement intended to reassure people that tax dollars were being spent responsibly. HHS was required to hire a third party to manage the program. It had to be a nonprofit located in Iowa with “systems and processes in place that have been used for at least three years to successfully manage a statewide network of subcontractors providing pregnancy support services.”
MOMS was scheduled to start awarding money to CPCs on July 1, 2022, but that didn’t happen, because HHS couldn’t find a nonprofit that qualified. The agency continued its search until April 2024, when Republicans in the legislature passed a bill eliminating the requirement for thirdparty oversight and allowing HHS to directly administer MOMS. The agency was already doing that. HHS started the process of distributing money to CPCs four months before the bill was passed. Not only does state funding support the growth
and survival of these organizations, it also gives them legitimacy. Calls for increased regulations and transparency requirements were ignored, and CPCs can now apply for taxpayer money.
Conversely, when you walk into a Title X-funded family planning clinic, you can expect to receive the highest standard of sexual and reproductive healthcare. Established by the federal government in 1970, the Title X (as in, 10) family planning program awards grants to organizations in all 50 states to fund sexual and reproductive healthcare at legitimate medical clinics for those who would not be able to afford it otherwise.
UI Obermann Center Symposium: “Locating Reproductive Justice: Global and Regional Perspectives” Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Iowa City, Thursday-Friday, March 27-28, 2025
protects the dignity of the individual; and ensures equitable and quality service delivery consistent with nationally recognized standards of care.” In layman’s terms, this means services are delivered respectfully, accurately and honestly, in line with evidence-based practices.
As someone who has worked within the Title X program for a little over a year, I’ve come to appreciate and depend on those guidelines. Expectations and standards transform positive intentions into positive actions while protecting individuals in the communities served. These standards are especially important in the midst of the changing landscape of reproductive and sexual healthcare. Without them, we see the proliferation of predatory organizations like CPCs.
CPCs are popping up like weeds across the country, and gradually seeking more legitimacy as they grow. In 2010, there were 80 publicly funded clinics that received money from the federal Title
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All Title X funded institutions are bound by HIPAA, and the grant comes with strict ethical and legal guidelines all Title X recipients are expected to uphold to provide the highest quality care. Grant requirements state, “services are provided in a manner that is client-centered, culturally and linguistically appropriate, inclusive, and trauma-informed;
X family planning grant in Iowa. Today, there are only 30. In contrast, there are over 65 crisis pregnancy centers in Iowa.
These predatory institutions are not going anywhere anytime soon, and the best way to lessen their impact is to educate yourself and
your community. Reproductive Freedom For All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice, conducted a yearlong undercover investigation into CPCs and published extensive accounts of the manipulative tactics and blatant lies the investigators encountered. The Alliance, an organization of state advocates for women’s rights and gender equality, published “Designed to Deceive: A Study of the Crisis Pregnancy Center Industry in Nine States,” a comprehensive dive into the deceptive practices of CPCs.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association have both issued briefs detailing the dangers CPCs pose to public health. The documentary Preconceived combines expert opinions, testimonies from former CPC clients and statements from leaders in the anti-choice movement to show how deeply connected CPCs are to the nationwide anti-abortion movement. CPCs thrive on lack of awareness, so it is essential to spread the word and ensure your community is aware of their presence and familiar with their strategies.
Too often the conversation about CPCs devolves into a moral argument about abortion. While a woman’s right to decide when and if she has a child is paramount, it should not minimize the underlying issues CPCs create: stigma, shame and disinformation. This is not a debate over the morality of abortion. This is a fight to protect women from predatory institutions that base their “care” in lies and deception.
These organizations have taken root in our communities, and they are increasingly supported by our tax dollars. There are many legitimate healthcare alternatives and solutions we can and should be supporting to improve the lives of Iowans. Comprehensive sex education has been shown to decrease risky sexual behaviors. Access to affordable birth control allows individuals to plan their reproductive futures and start their families if and when they are ready. Legitimate healthcare centers like Title X clinics offer clientcentered, unbiased care and provide people with factual information to empower them to make the best choice for themselves.
Controlling people by limiting their access to truthful information is not a solution. It is just another problem.
Amy Zine works as the Outreach & Program Specialist for the Family Planning Council of Iowa, a Des Moines-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting sexual and reproductive healthcare for all. Since graduating from the University of Iowa with degrees in biology and medical anthropology, she has worked to increase knowledge of and access to sexual healthcare by providing information and supplies to schools, clinics and community organizations across Iowa.
Des Moines’ Sensi’il Studios is making its cinematic debut with a brand-new kind of comic book movie.
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Sensi’il Studios, the brainchild of Des Moines artist Basi Affia, is the only Black comic book publisher in the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Pyramid Theatre Company, meanwhile, is Iowa’s first Black theater company.
Before he founded Sensi’il Studios in 2022, Affia was a critically acclaimed performer in two of Pyramid’s stellar early productions, A Soldier’s Story (2015) and Hooded: Being Black for Dummies (2016), undoubtedly a source of inspiration for his own trailblazing. Since then, he has built on his vision with an unflagging passion and dedication.
Affia’s latest milestone will be the redcarpet theatrical debut of his motion comic, Gethsemane, on Nov. 15 at the Fleur Cinema & Café in Des Moines. He was recently awarded this year’s Microgrant Dinner grant, coordinated by ARTSwork, a statewide connecting initiative that includes a free database for artists and buyers, the Iowa Artist Directory. This grant will help underwrite the premiere of Gethsemane
“Gethsemane is a motion comic named after the Garden of Gethsemane and the biblical story where Jesus goes and he’s sweating blood because he knows he’s about to be crucified,” Affia explained. “The concept I pulled from that is that there’s this team on this desert moon that has an oasis there. Pressure is being applied [on them] and they feel like they’re about to die.”
Affia sets his story on the fictional moon of Gethsemane, drawing sci-fi fans into an experience of blended arts disciplines—writing, graphic design, audio and motion comics.
“A motion comic is still images that have some animation added to it, voice actors, background music, sound effects—it’s basically one step before full animation. It’s like an animatic,” Affia said. “We had a lot of local talent come in to record the audio tracks through GenieMixedIt, a local sound studio that mixed it. Gabriel Claussen knows how to create the Dolby Atmos mixing, so he’s going to get it set up for the theater. I also have talent from across the country.”
This talent includes Freddie Fulton, who also performed with Des Moines’ Pyramid Theatre Company; St. Louis actress Ieshah Edwards from Amazon Prime’s The Company You Keep; and South African N’Kone Mametja from Netflix’s A Soweto Love Story
How did he get these pros on board? Affia chuckled. “It’s God. I don’t know. I just reach out. I reached out to dozens of people. I talked with Danny Sapani [of Paramount’s Halo series as Jacob Keyes], we talked back and forth and he said that he liked the script, but he just didn’t have the time. It’s really just about going out, whether physically or digitally, and interacting—that’s how relationships are built. After people are tracking you a little bit, then they think, ‘Alright, let me see what this guy’s talking about.’ It’s really just about laying those stepping stones and sometimes you
get blessed like I did. People will just say yes.”
The growth of Sensi’il Studios is all part of a flexible strategic plan. With a very active folder on his laptop—he calls it his “world domination plan”—Affia plots new avenues of distribution, plans appearances at comic cons and comic shops, and participates in media interviews. Many shops he visits add his books to their inventory, creating another brick to the growing Sensi’il brand.
“That’s how I do it. I don’t see anyone else doing it. That’s my secret sauce. I have a map of the Midwest with arrows pointing to this state, that state, and although I’ve definitely deviated from that original plan, it is basically going the way I had originally planned. The framework is still there.”
The red-carpet premiere of his first motion comic at the Fleur will provide another entry point for new
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fans. Ticket options include a VIP experience for those wanting full immersion. Affia promises some mind-bending surprises.
“Without giving anything away, one of the unique elements of Gethsemane is that when the team gets into space, they discover that many of the aliens resemble animals back on Earth. There’s a canon reason for this, but I can’t reveal that.”
His cryptic smile promises a rewarding journey for those who enter his realm.
John Busbee produces a weekly arts & culture radio show, The Culture Buzz, broadcast and streaming Wednesdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT at kfmg.org. His insightful interviews can be found in The Culture Buzz Podcast Library, www.TheCultureBuzz.com.
Gethsemane theatrical debut Fleur Cinema & Café, Des Moines Friday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.
A-List: eastern Iowa
The late Colleen Ernst first came to Iowa City as a student, then an art teacher, then an artist. In the months before her death, she got to see her work in a museum.
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Colleen Ernst did not blend in, even in 1980s Iowa City. She was imposingly tall, with brightly dyed red hair, multicolored plastic glasses and homemade earrings. I met her because my sons were in a home daycare with her son Max, named for the surrealist artist Max Ernst. She’s best known now for striking up a correspondence with Keith Haring, and hosting Haring’s visits to her art class at Horn Elementary in Iowa City.
She died this summer, during the Stanley Museum of Art’s show of Haring’s work, “To My Friends at Horn,” which featured a mural Haring painted in the school. Ernst had been retired for some time due to health problems, but was able to visit the exhibit, which included one of her self-portraits. It was just one episode in a life dedicated to teaching and art.
Ernst was born and attended public schools in Burlington, Iowa. She went to Northwestern University, originally studying music as an organ performance major.
“She really lost interest almost immediately,” her husband Bill Radl told me. “It was the early 1970s, people were having fun, it was a good time. Then she discovered art history. She took studio art classes, but that wasn’t really a primary motivation for her.”
She was fascinated by art, but also the history of how art was made and the artists that made it. Ernst stayed in Chicago after graduation, but needed to find a career to support herself, and decided she could teach art.
She came back to Iowa and got her teaching certificate at the University of Iowa. She then got a job teaching art, primarily at the local Ernest Horn Elementary School.
“She spent her entire career at Horn,” Radl said. “She also worked at other schools, because that’s how they dealt with art teachers.”
“She took Studio Art at Northwestern, so she had that experience. She got her teaching certificate, but she didn’t have a lot of preconceived notions of how to teach kids … she hadn’t made much art herself at that point,” Ernst’s husband explained. “She just went at it, teaching from her own interests. She always made
teaching the history of art a part of her classes.”
Ernst’s teaching practice was also a form of performance. By wearing a white lab coat (“borrowed” from the UI medical school, where her husband worked) and calling herself “Dr. Art,” she took her place among the handful of local self-proclaimed doctors, including “Dr. Alphabet” poet David Morice and “Dr. Science” comedian Dan Coffey. She enjoyed her students, but was less enthusiastic about having to travel between multiple schools for classes. Where most teachers have prep time built into their schedules, the art teachers in Iowa City had (and still have) drive time instead.
As she donned the lab coat and taught students about Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, Ernst began to make her own work. She had painted a bit before college, but her real growth as an artist came during her teaching career. Many of her works have a child’s inspired messiness, as though her daily high-contact engagement with students gave her better access to her own “child’s mind.”
Though this child-like approach led to abstract paintings, most of her work had specific meaning, reflecting her life as a mother and teacher. Hung prominently in her living room is a painting that incorporates a straw broom and other household items, glued to a board and then painted with aggressive strokes of deep reds and blues. A comment on the household drudgery of a traditional wife, or the wild imagining of someone doing mundane chores?
A hot glue gun was as much a tool to Ernst as brushes and paints. My wife Melisssa owns an Ernst
Opposite: An acrylic painting by Colleen Ernst. Above: A multimedia piece, Window On the World, gifted to the author’s family. both courtesy of Kent Williams; Top, right: “To All My Friends at Horn,” the Keith Haring exhibit at the Stanley Museum of Art. Right: Ernst’s husband Bill Radl holds up an epitaph on the back of her work. Danforth Johnson / Little Village
work, Window On The World: a creche with a plastic baby in it, filled with shredded money from the U.S. Mint, surrounded by coins and plastic fruit, all painted black. On the back, she wrote in fat brushstrokes, “Which way is the world going? It seems like we are going down the wrong path, greed, violence. I hope someone is watching over us. I Am 40. Colleen K
Ernst Iowa City IA Nov 21, 1991.”
Later in life she focused on more traditional painting, with small 8x10” works on canvas board with acrylics. These paintings reflect her abiding love for deep, saturated colors, contrasted with pastels, like peach, sky blue and mauve. She shared with Keith Haring a love for strong lines, often outlining things
in broad black for emphasis. She’d produced many hot glue artworks that blurred the boundary between painting and sculpture. Even in retirement, her works seem to be made in a hurry. Broad brushstrokes convey an urgency to capture the thing in her mind before it runs away.
Colleen Ernst lived a life of service, teaching her pupils and raising her own kids. She attacked her
art with purpose and a vivid, unruly imagination. The art world in the global sense always honors a few extraordinary artists, whose work becomes ridiculously expensive. The work of someone local, someone engaged with the community, isn’t as acclaimed but is every bit as vital.
To the extent people know her, it’s for her part in Haring’s story, but Ernst herself lived a life worthy of fame. She shared Haring’s conviction that art is for everyone. Her teaching and painting realized that conviction.
Will this work become a small footnote in her beloved art history books? That matters less than the art she leaves behind and the lives of children she taught.
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What does it look like when a social media feed jumps onto the walls of an art gallery? Visitors to the Fitch Building in Des Moines from Nov. 8-30 will find out during “Faces in the Crowd,” showcasing the work of 14 artists you’ve probably never heard of (but probably should).
The exhibition was curated by Adam Oestreich, an art teacher, art collector, father and artist on hiatus hailing from the Quad Cities. For more than five years, he’s run an art-centric Instagram account, @folkartwork, that has accumulated more than 110,000 followers and expanded into a newsletter, blog, YouTube, TikTok, online shop and art collective.
“I never really saw myself as a curator, just as someone who wanted to share their love of a particular art,” said Oestreich, who has a particular passion for the work of William Hawkins, an artist he first encountered at the Dubuque Museum of Art in 2018.
“The one philosophy I have always had is whether I like this artwork, and if the answer is yes, then I think it is worth sharing.”
“Faces in the Crowd” will be the first live, inperson version of Oestreich’s project. The show will feature 14 “nonconformer artists”—a term coined by Lisa Slominski in her 2022 book Nonconformers: A New History of Self-Taught Artists, and one that Oestreich prefers to the more common “outsider.”
“The term ‘outsider art’ is what is used by the art establishment, because it is easier than saying, ‘this artist is self-taught,’ or ‘this artist is a visionary artist,’ or ‘this artist is an artist with intellectual or developmental disabilities,’ or ‘this artist hails from
Left: Wooden dog sculpture created by Canadian self-taught artist Gabrielle K Brown titled, “What If Dog Was One Of Us;” above: Backside of acrylic on canvas work created by Canadian folk artist Jackie Bradshaw; opposite: Acrylic on canvas works by Canadian folk artist Jackie Bradshaw. Avery Staker / Little Village
this specific culture creating a particular type of folk art,’” Oestreich said.
Today, outsider art, or being an outsider artist, isn’t necessarily stigmatizing. Many galleries specialize in it, and outsider art fairs can help artists to find audiences and buyers for their work, even if the term still carries baggage.
There are no set definitions and certainly no stylistic standards applying to all nonconformer art— something Oestreich embraces. On FolkArtwork.art, he provides artist bios, shares images and sells works from a diverse range of self-taught artists, including John Ash, who reflects his experiences with addiction; Kathy Edwards Hayslett, a museum curator; Lindsay Carraway, who confronts trauma; Reneesha McCoy, capturing motherhood; Christopher Bame, non-verbal communication; Jackie Bradshaw, neurodivergence; and Lorena Eliason, the mundanity of day jobs.
This is not an exhaustive list, and you will not find a “type” of nonconformer artist represented in “Faces in the Crowd.”
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“The relationship starts with a connection to the artist and the artist’s background. … I care way more about [the] story of the artist, or the piece, or how it came to be in my possession than on the ‘beauty’ or ‘aesthetic’ of the work.”
In the early days of the FolkArtwork Instagram page, Oestreich shared images of pieces he liked with little information, describing it as “a nice escape for people who just wanted to see and look.” Curation, though, also means to care. The blog, newsletter and new FolkArtwork Collective allow Oestreich to showcase his research on individual artists, artistic environments and museum and gallery collections, creating a connected hub of resources for nonconformer artists and their fans.
“It’s nice to have numerous outlets for people with different interests or attention spans to seek out as much or as little information as they’d like,” he said.
The most traditional mode of curation, art displayed in a gallery, is arguably the most effective way to create connections. The relationship one can develop with an artwork is more focused and intimate in person. The FolkArtwork website contains a wealth of information, but the physical experience of “Faces in the Crowd” provides a more direct window into Oestreich’s curating logic.
“I want attendees who come to my exhibit to learn
look at it for five minutes straight and try to connect with it. … It will help them build a better appreciation for the art, the artists and how it all came to be.”
about these artists and why they create the works they create,” he said. “Every day, we are visually stimulated by our phones, television, driving to and from work and whatever else is happening, that makes it hard to slow down and look beyond a piece of art.”
“I tell my art students to … find a piece of artwork,
To look beyond, to truly see an artwork, begins with a direct engagement with the object. From there, a visual relationship builds into an emotional relationship and empathy is the most satisfying and intimate art experience to have as a viewer, Oestreich explained.
“I hope at the end of the day, whether people want to collect … or not, they’ll at least leave the show feeling a new appreciation toward humanity, how challenging life is for some people, and maybe stop saying, ‘It looks like my 6-year-old could make that.’”
Prairie Pop
This columnist’s humble origins in Virginia Beach include selling records to local kid Pharrell Williams and working for the Teen Tycoon, an 18-year-old convicted fraudster.
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After entering my 25th year in Iowa City— longer than anywhere I’ve ever resided, including my hometown—I’ve been thinking about how places can shape our lives. Those thoughts came into sharper focus while watching a compelling new documentary about musician Pharrell Williams, who grew up down the street from me.
“I’m from Virginia Beach,” he said at the start of Piece By Piece, an offbeat doc that is animated like a Lego movie. “The beach was less than a mile from Atlantis, a housing project where I grew up.”
When my parents divorced at the end of the 1970s, my dad moved into an apartment around the corner from Pharrell, who was a slender, quirky kid a couple years younger than me. Atlantis was a sprawling complex of two-story residential buildings that was known for drug dealing and the occasional shooting, though I don’t recall those things being a pronounced part of daily life when I was a kid. It was just another neighborhood that my mom and dad drifted through.
“The suburbs thought this was the hood,” Pharrell said, “but really this place was magical. You just witnessed music bouncing off the walls.”
His mom was a teacher, his dad worked as a handyman, and together they raised three Black children in a lilywhite Southern city where brazen racism was commonplace. Pharrell also didn’t fit into the Virginia Beach zeitgeist because he was a nerdy boy who loved science fiction, astronomy and comic books—all of which made one a target for ridicule back then, as I can personally attest.
“I wasn’t the best student, so I was in seventh grade twice,” Pharrell said. “I was detached and more in dreamland all the time because, oftentimes, all I had was my imagination. I wanted to escape.”
As for myself, I was a poor white latchkey kid whose alcoholic parents ran a chaotic household, so I also daydreamed my way through school and ended up having to repeat a grade. Back then, Virginia Beach public schools placed students in three starkly named tracks—Remedial, Average and Superior—so you can imagine how the racial and class hierarchies were sorted within this system.
Pharrell used music as a getaway vehicle, and after he entered a gifted program with other musically inclined outsiders, he realized that being different was not only OK, it was something one could aspire to. By this point, his parents had moved on up into the predominantly white suburb of Windsor Woods, where new worlds opened for him.
The stars began aligning when Pharrell attended a summer music camp at age 12, where he befriended a talented keyboardist and DJ named Chad Hugo. This lowkey Filipino kid landed in Virginia Beach because his father was in the military, and before long the dynamic duo began jamming every day after school.
Chad and Pharrell also hung out with Pusha T and his brother Malice when the aspiring rappers went to Salem High School, where Timbaland also
was a classmate. “We all basically lived in the same neighborhood,” Pusha T recalled, “and we were kids, so it was like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna ride our bikes to Mount Trashmore.”
The skateboard ramp at Trashmore’s recreational
from Coney Island Parlor, a sad little ice cream shop that was on its last legs. Cap’n Ben’s was originally owned by an eccentric English gentleman named Benjamin Smith, who wore a big-buttoned overcoat and a sailing cap with a brass anchor (picture the Sea Captain from The Simpsons, with a dash of Comic Book Guy).
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park was a haven for punks and other outcasts from the inland suburbs, and Pharrell found a second home there. I was a rail-thin theater dork who couldn’t skateboard or surf and therefore did not fit Virginia Beach’s platonic ideal, but at least I had a cool job slinging records and tapes during the second half of the 1980s. That’s how I started running into Pharrell again, at the seaside record shop where I worked, and we’d nerd out about music when he browsed the cassettes.
Cap’n Ben’s Records & Tapes was the only place on the Oceanfront that stocked the kind of left-of-thedial music that was beloved by weirdo teens, which made it a misfit magnet. Our hometown didn’t have a college radio station or any other kind of alternative media outlet, so to fill the cultural vacuum I used the store’s inventory to make a multi-volume, genrehopping cassette mixtape series, “Psycho Sessions,” that I handed out to friends like candy.
The shop was situated around the corner from a bar-filled strip on Atlantic Avenue that reeked of spilled beer, salty air and despair—a stone’s throw
Work life grew more surreal after the shop was purchased by an 18-year-old minor media celebrity known as “The Teen Tycoon,” a fast-talking Yuppie type whose net worth was estimated to be $12.4 million by People magazine. After Coney Island Parlor went out of business in the summer of 1987, he moved our store into the defunct ice cream shop and rebranded it The Sound Company: a slick business name tailormade for the shiny happy compact disc age. The world’s weirdest vanilla-scented record store exuded a loopy Clockwork Orange vibe with its brightly lit white ceiling, white counters and white walls.
Folks like Pharrell were lured in by the siren call of our Bose AM5 speaker system, which made bones rattle when we blasted LL Cool J’s Bigger and Deffer or New Order’s Substance. The Sound Company employed a motley assortment of teenaged punks, skaters and hip-hop heads, and I somehow became the manager of this absurd operation.
The owner was largely absentee, so I was left in charge while he was entangled in a variety of 1980s-style financial improprieties, such as a real estate scam that was aided and abetted by a blackclad savings and loan officer who cultivated a witchy woman look. In the end, the goth banker betrayed the teen tycoon by turning state’s evidence, and in 1992 the former was sentenced to a year in federal prison for investor and tax fraud.
All of this might seem a bit hard to believe—and even I wonder if it was all just a fever dream—but I still have my old Sound Company business card to remind me that truth is stranger than fiction. (Speaking of which, after he left prison, the former tycoon reinvented himself as a bestselling author of spy novels and conspiracy thrillers.)
Pharrell remained a semi-regular customer until the store was seized and padlocked by the feds at the end of 1989, by which point I was off to college. He and Chad named themselves the Neptunes around this time, an homage to a city that was known for its annual Neptune festival and a gigantic statue of King Neptune that loomed over the ocean.
Virginia Beach is an illuminating case study that demonstrates how hip hop circulated in the margins of the 1980s monoculture, often via word of mouth and traded tapes that were imported by Navy brats like Chad Hugo. I had friends in the Dam Neck Navy base who were from Philadelphia and New York, and
they brought dubbed cassettes of rap radio shows to Virginia Beach that were played while we popped, locked and spun on refrigerator-sized cardboard mats.
wasn’t the only one.
“Remember, this is Virginia Beach, Virginia,” Pharrell said. “It was very Normal, USA. There’s no music industry there, at all. I couldn’t relate to it, and I thought, ‘Well, damn, how am I gonna make it out?’ And then out of nowhere, the biggest producer in the world at this time comes to Virginia Beach. I was looking at the future.”
“WHAT’S THe CHANCeS oF THe HoTTeST ProDUCer movING WITHIN WALKING DISTANCe From YoUr HIGH SCHooL? I WAS IN DISbeLIeF.”
With all pieces in place by the early 1990s, the key players in my hometown’s hip-hop scene formed like Voltron. After Pharrell and Chad befriended Timbaland, the high schoolers started a short-lived group named Surrounded by Idiots before everyone moved on to bigger things.
“We had Timbaland, who was known as DJ Timmy Tim,” Pharrell recalled. “We all kind of knew each other from school. That’s how I met Missy [Elliott], from Tim. At the time, we weren’t thinking, ‘We are going to be artists.’ We just loved doing music.”
As an alienated teenager living in a conservative Southern town, it would have been unfathomable for me to imagine that this Atlantis kid and a bunch of his friends from nearby high schools would go on to reshape the sound of popular music. And I
He was referring to Future Recording Studios, which Teddy Riley opened in 1990 when he was making Michael Jackson’s Dangerous album and cranking out a steady stream of hit songs. “What’s the chances,” Pharrell remarked, “of the hottest producer moving within walking distance from your high school? I was in disbelief.” After Riley caught the Neptunes’ act at a talent show, he invited them into the studio to work on WreckxN-Effect’s “Rump Shaker,” which earned Pharrell his first co-write on a Top 10 single.
Timbaland began collaborating with Missy Elliott during this period, which paved the way for her game-changing 1997 debut, and the Neptunes went on to produce hundreds of hits for music’s biggest stars. The Virginia Beach friends kept raising each other up, such as on one fateful evening in Chad’s attic studio when Pusha T jumped on a Neptunes track and took his first step towards becoming rap royalty.
Near the end of Piece By Piece, Pharrell reflected on his Atlantis origin story and wondered, “Why me? I grew up with kids that could do anything, but no one saw the propensity in them. All I saw was talent, beauty. Everybody has that.”
I count myself lucky, too. After navigating a rocky childhood, I left Virginia Beach to become a first-generation college student, and now I’m department chair of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa with a fancy-ass named professorship.
No, I didn’t become a multimillionaire artist like my former neighbor, but I feel privileged to make a living writing books, making documentaries and teaching classes about music and culture— powerful forces that can alter destinies, as I have learned firsthand.
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.
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., Swing Night w/ The Des Moines Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m., City and Colour Fall 2024 Tour, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m., Pert Near Sandstone w/ Buffalo Galaxy, xBK, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Pianist Nick Rueckert & Co, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m., Blake Proehl, Haven Madison, Kaibrienne, KAYKO, xBK, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Pianist Ethan Iverson with his Trio, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Queens of the Night: The Whitney Houston Experience, xBK, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Conner Smith, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show: Gina Gedler Sings Bette Midler, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Ekoh w/ Ryan Oakes, xBK, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m., Town Mountain w/ special guest John R Miller, xBK, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., The Plot in You: North American Tour 2024, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Sarah Tonin, Kensett, Dirty Blonde, xBK, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Exodus with Special Guests Havok, Candy and Dead Heat, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines
A two-day celebration of spoken word poetry headlined by spoken word juggernauts Rudy Francisco and Outspoken Bean at Hancher Auditorium. The fest also has a strong community component, with workshops, poetry slams, open mics and more ways for attendees to engage.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m., Anthony Gomes, xBK, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Uncle Lucius, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Drummer Christopher Jensen, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Naughty Nerdversary, xBK, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., The Black Jacket Symphony, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Nowhere w/ Love: The Max Wellman Big Band plays Harry Connick Jr., Noce, Des Moines
Iowa City Performance
Billed as a night of powerful truth about Truthsgiving and colonization. This year will mark the 8th anniversary of the Great Plains Action Society hosted event. The celebration will be on stage at The Englert this year with guest performers like the Bay Area hip-hip ensemble Audiopharmacy and Morningstar Native Dance, among others.
Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m., Field Guide, xBK, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., Ace Frehley, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30
p.m., Jim Brickman: Comfort & Joy, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., Ax & The Hatchetmen, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Gabriel Espinosa: A Brazilian Night Music of Jobim & More, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 16, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., Landon Conrath, xBK, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., Toni Moiti, Wooly’s, Des Moines
monday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m., MNL Plays the Music of John Hiatt, xBK, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6 p.m., Johnny Delaware w/ Chip Albright, xBK, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6 p.m., Christian Lopez, xBK, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m., Say Anything, Angel Du$t & Social Animals, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Daisy Dukes & Cowboy Boots Tour Feat. TVBOO, Daisy Dukes & Cowboy Boots Tour Feat. TVBOO, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m., Ballyhoo!, xBK, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., Old Crow Medicine Show, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m., The Motet, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., Druids, Traffic Death, Electric Assault, War, Plague, xBK, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m., Babytron & BLP Kosher, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., Dusty Slay: The Night Shift Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m., Shrek Rave, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., Classic Ladies of Country w/ Joyann Parker, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m., The Halloween Episode, Wave Cage, Mr. Softheart, xBK, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., Masterworks 3: Parker Plays Gershwin, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 23-24, various Times, Irish Christmas in America: The Show, Temple Theater, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m., Liverpool Legends, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m., Nate Smith: Through the Smoke Tour, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m., The Joyann Parker Band, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 23, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m., Here Come the Mummies, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m., Masterworks 3: Parker Plays Gershwin, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m., 38 Special, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
monday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m., Luke Stutzman and the Heavies w/ Triple Elvis, xBK, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m., Michael W. Smith: Every Christmas, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7:50 p.m., Underoath: They’re Only Chasing Safety 20th Anniversary Tour, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m., Southbound: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band, xBK, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 29, 9 p.m., La Energía Norteña, La Fe Norteña, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines
Des Moines Theatre Last Stop on Market Street, Nov. 8-24, Des moines Playhouse, Studio Theatre, Des moines
Last Stop on Market Street is the first show in the Des Moines Playhouse’s newly renovated Studio Theatre. The stage adaptation of the modern classic children’s book by Matt de la Peña is a collaboration between Pyramid Theatre Company (Iowa’s only Black theater) and City Voices of Des Moines.
Friday, Nov. 29, 9 p.m., Latin Night w/ Son Peruchos, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m., Other Brothers, Dipsos, 10 Watt Robot, xBK, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Joe Bonamassa, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m., Alice Unchained: The Ultimate Alice in Chains Tribute Band, Wooly’s, Des Moines
A panel of experts explore the cancer/agriculture connection and finding access to local, environmentally-friendly food
DR. CHRIS JONES
Author, The Swine Republic
Retired Research Engineer
MARY JO FORBORD Registered Dietician Organic Farmer F A C T O R Y F A R M S , Y O U R H E A L T H
AUDRY TRAN LAM Environmental Health Director Univ. of Northern Iowa CEEE
Wednesday, November 13 @ 7:00 PM
Iowa City Public Library - 123 S. Linn Street More info at bit.ly/4dGLFkR
ORGANIZED BY IOWA ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURE CO-SPONSORED BY LITTLE VILLAGE
MICHELLE KENYON Executive Director Field to Family
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m., The Nate Sparks Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 30, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Dr. Linda Eckert, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Forrest Lonefight, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Mary Freeman Boardman, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m., Meet the Author: Jeremy Griffin, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 p.m., Poetry on the Prairie, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
monday & Tuesday, Nov. 11 & 12, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Kevin Koch, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: T. Patrick Graves, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Tina Cho, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Jeff Knight, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Carol Roh Spaulding, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Pat Henneberry, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 25, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: B. John Burns, Beaverdale BooksDes Moines
Nov. 8-24, various Times, Last Stop on Market Street, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Nate Jackson: Super Funny World Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Gary Gulman: Misfit Stand Up Tour, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 9 & 10, 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Nikki Glaser: Alive and Unwell Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., A Motown Christmas, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., The Queen’s Cartoonists, Temple Theater, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m., Adventure Clubhouse Goldie Rocks, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m., Hip Hop Nutcracker, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Election (Restored Celebration), Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., The Fall with Joseph Giunta Introduction, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m., Gladiator II, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., Gladiator II, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m., Scott Charles Ross Opening Reception, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines
Through Nov., Scott Charles Ross Exhibit, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines
Through Nov., 10 a.m., The Octagon 2nd Annual Winter Market, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m., Contemporary with Thomas, Ballet Des Moines, Des Moines
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 5:30 p.m., Adult Intermediate/Advanced ballet with Savannah, Ballet Des Moines, Des Moines
Friday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m., Record Store Day, Ames Vinyl Cafe, Ames
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Straight No Chaser, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m., The Steel Woods w/ Linc & The Drifter, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 8, 8:30 p.m., Lou Sherry, Rafter Bat, Dizzy Bridges, Trumpet Blossom, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., Freddie Old Soul, Wright House of Fashion, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Letdown. w/ Jager Henry, Alyeksa & Five AM, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Ablaze, Jagged, Psyop, Bored Housewives, Public Space One, Iowa City
The Waterloo Center for the Arts Holiday Arts Festival has been happening annually for over 50 years. The indoor arts festival features original works by more than 40 of the finest Midwest artists spanning multiple mediums and forms.
Des Moines Performance
Nov. 15, The Naughty Nerds Cabaret, xbK, Des moines
The Des Moines-based Naughty Nerds Cabaret celebrates five years of off-kilter burlesque performances. Performers Melody Mischief, Dame Denne Desire, Johnny Bravado and others in the troupe promise a night of sexy, geeky fun.
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., Tray Wellington Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30, 8:30 p.m., Bach & Beatles, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m., Reverend Horton Heat w/ Jason D. Williams, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30, 8:30 p.m., Bach & Beatles, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m., Sunsquabi w/ Late Night Radio, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Nov 15, 7:30 p.m., Nduduzo Makhathini Trio, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m., John McCutcheon, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 15 & 16, 7:30 p.m., The 39 Steps, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 15, 9 p.m., Leisha and Pete Howl at the Moon, Trumpet Blossom, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., Slacker, Feller & Fishbait, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., La Doña, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., The Beaker Brothers Band, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 8:30 p.m., The Right Here, Lipstick Homicide, Sam Locke Ward and Grace Lohr Locke Ward Duo, Trumpet Blossom, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., Tornavalanche, Upright Forms & Cougars, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., Sierra Hull, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 p.m., The 39 Steps, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., NEST (ex Pig Destroyer) w/ Post AD & Laughing Soul, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
THURS, NOV 7
FRI, NOV 8
Live screening and Q&A with actors from the film
A Night of Powerful Truth about Truthsgiving & Colonization
SAT, NOV 9
THURS, NOV 14
FRI, NOV 15
Healer and emcee embodying nostalgic renaissance and inspiring creativity through words of affirmation.
Panel Series: Music at The Englert
Learn how to build a life in the music industry at The Englert
SAT, NOV 16
SUN, NOV 17
WED, NOV 20
SAT, NOV 30
master instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author
Paying homage to the music of Santana
Sierra Hull at The Englert
Two-time Grammy Nominated artist and songwriter
John McCutcheon at The Englert at The Englert at The Englert at The Englert at Wright House of Fashion
One of the most prolific rock bands ever
David Huckfelt With Annie Humphrey at The James
Fire in the village tour will bring music, stories, community, and an all-inclusive spirit of celebration
Know when a snow emergency is declared
Sign up for text or email alerts at icgov.org/Subscribe Follow the City @CityofIowaCity on social Check for a homepage alert at icgov.org or by calling City Hall.
With street parking limited, move your vehicle to a ramp, or park for free overnight at Mercer, Lower City, and Happy Hollow parks.
During a snow emergency, non-metered parking will be limited to one side of the street.
On odd dates: park on side of street with odd addresses. On even dates: park on side of street with even addresses.
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., The Dolphins Quartet, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m., Los Lobos, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m., Smith Studio Jazz: The Big Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m., The Secret Garden, FilmScene, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., PUBLIQuartet and Jessie Montgomery, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m., DIZGO w/ Daisy Glue, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 22, 6 p.m., Cloakroom w/ Dose, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., Old Crow Medicine Show, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m., Felix Martin & Ando San, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8:30 p.m., Wombat with Dan Padley & Christine Burke, Trumpet Blossom, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m., Secret Formula w/ Spirit Awake & Tree Cloud, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 24, 5 p.m., Stella Standingbear, Def-I, Tall Paul, Stuart James, Jim Swim, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m., Burlington Street Buegrass Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Riding With Killers, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., David Huckfelt with Annie Humphrey, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m., Paul Renfro in conv. with Mariola Espinosa, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 3, 4 p.m., IWP
Sunday Afternoon Reading Series, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Jeff Biggers: Disturbing the Bones, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Samantha Barbas: Actual Malice, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 10, 4 p.m., IWP
Sunday Afternoon Reading Series, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., John Elizabeth Stinzi in conv. with Mason Andrew Hamberlin, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Shane Book & Mark Levine, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Bessie Flores Zaldivar: Libertad, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m., Lyell Henry: Trekking Across America, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m., Rudy Francisco, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 8 & 9, 7:30 p.m., The 39 Steps, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., Gary Gulman, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m., The 39 Steps, The James Theatre, Iowa City
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 15 & 16, 7:30 p.m., Così fan tutte, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 p.m., Così fan tutte, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville
Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m., Irish Night: Steam Quartet & Sorcha, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 22-24, Various Times, Nolte Academy’s Annie Jr., The James Theatre, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m., A Romantic Fantasy, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 29 & 30, 7:30 p.m., It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m., It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Napoleon Dynamite Live! 20th Anniversary Celebration, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 p.m., Bijou After Hours: Almost Famous, FilmScene, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Where Olive Trees Weep, FilmScene, Iowa City
Saturday & Sunday Nov. 16 & 17, various times, The Secret Garden, FilmScene, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 10 p.m., Bijou After Hours: The Harder They Come, FilmScene, Iowa City
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., Your Fat Friend, FilmScene, Iowa City
Iowa City Performance Così fan tutte, Nov. 15-17, Iowa School of music, Coralville
The University of Iowa School of Music kicks off their opera season with this modern adaptation of Mozart’s romantic comedy classic. Led by Abbigail Coté, the program’s Director of Opera and conducted by Director of Orchestral Studies Kenny Lee, the adaptation puts a 20th century twist on the production that explores the perils of modern dating.
Through Nov., And Gladly Teach: The Museum as a Classroom, Grinnell College Museum of Art, Grinnell
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m., Game Night Series, The Green House, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Truthsgiving, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m., Second Saturday All Ages Art: Nature Printing, Public Space One, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 10, 5 p.m., Second Sunday Sessions, Press Coffee, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m., Night at the Museum, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m., Panel Series: Music, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m., Intro to Linocut Printing, Public Space One, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m., Gaymers Gathering, Press Coffee, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 p.m., Drawing Salon with Robert Caputo, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 p.m., Macrame Class with Cork N Canvas Iowa, The Green House, Iowa City
Friday, Nov. 22, 2 p.m., School’s Out at the Stanley: Mosaic Tiles, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m., Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
monday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m., Eating Disorder Awareness, Press Coffee, Iowa City
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m., Death Café, The Green House, Iowa City
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2 p.m., School’s Out at the Stanley: Zany Trees, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
Sunday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m., Cold Capitol Coin Club’s coin show, Riverside Casino and Resort, Riverside
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Sunday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m., 7 p.m., Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Sunday, Nov. 10, 3 p.m., Iowa Chamber Music Collective Concert, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16, 8 p.m., Dead Stop, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Friday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., JEEJ w/ Guest Jake Stack and The Cat Eyes, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m., 8 p.m., Almost Taylor, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Reggae Rapids, Yesternite, Electric Kool Aid, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m., Adam Ezra Group, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., CROpera presents: Moonlit Cabaret, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m., Susan Werner, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Friday, Nov. 29, 9 p.m., 2nd Annual Thankful Dead: A Thanksgiving Celebration, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Bird Child, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Nov. weekends, various times, Murder on Air: A Giving Tree Theater Murder Mystery, Giving Tree Theater, Marion
Nov. 1-10, various Times, A Few Good Men, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m., Murder Mystery Dinner & Show, Giving Tree Theater, Marion
Thursday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m., Girls Night Out: The Show LIVE, The Ideal Theater and Bar, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 16, 5:30 p.m., Murder Mystery Dinner & Show, Giving Tree Theater, Marion
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., The Nutcracker, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 23 & 24, 2 p.m., The Nutcracker, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Saturday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m., The Circle: Community Dance Project, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m., Conscious Cash: Family Financial Literacy, African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids
Sunday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m., The Circle: Community Dance Project, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
monday, Nov. 18, 1 p.m., Czech’em Out Book Club, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
Thursday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m., Embroiderers’ Guild Demonstrations, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m., Off Contact w/ Mocktag & Frozen Fructose Laundromat, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m., Gangstagrass, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m., Hotel Mira w/ Father Sunn, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Friday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m., India Ramey w/ Anna Ash, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., Donny Townsend Live Album Taping, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
monday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m., Hackensaw Boys w/ Duke Oursler, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
SEPTEMBER 26 — DECEMBER 15, 2024
For updated information about events visit Grinnell.edu/museum
Cedar Rapids Performance
Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., Ideal Theater & bar, Cedar rapids
The Moonlit Cabaret returns to the Ideal Theater & Bar. The showcase of local talent soldout its first evening performance in April. After the success, Cedar Rapids Opera doubledowned on the production, bringing an eclectic repertoire of music that’s sure to delight.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., Marsden Hartley & Fellow American Modernists, Figge Art Museum, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Running Man Record Release Listening Party, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Elijah Johnston w/ Jack and Jealous, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 16, 5 p.m., Hunter Root, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Sunday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m., Eli Howard & The Greater Good, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6 p.m., Ken Pomeroy w/ Lucky Kilmartin, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m., The Thing with Feathers w/ Parrotfish, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., OUTLETProgramme Presents: great area, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., Terra Lightfoot w/ Cal in Red, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in concert, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 23, 5 p.m., Havix Bash, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m., P.O.S. w/ Dwynell Roland, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Friday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m., Joe Bonamassa, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m., Liverpool Legends, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m., Color Green & Glyders, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 7, 4 p.m., SAU Night at the Figge, Figge Art Museum, Davenport
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Free Film at the Figge: Great Freedom, Figge Art Museum, Davenport
Saturday & Sunday Nov. 9 & 10, 9 a.m., Holiday Arts Festival, Waterloo Center for the Arts, Waterloo
Performance
The holiday season has its fill of Nutcracker performances, but look to the Des Moines Civic Center for this hip-hop re-imagining of the Tchaikovsky mainstay. The production features a cast of dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and opening set by hip-hop icon and O.G. MC Kurtis Blow.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Matewan Screening, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Friday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., Amateur Selectors Series: If Dub is the Roots w/ Treepunk, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m., Artwork Screening: Cosmic Bloom, Figge Art Museum, Davenport
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m., Amateur Selectors Series: Smooth Operator w/ David Otten, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m., Philosophy Pub w/ Deke Gould PhD, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 22-24, Various times, Beauty and the Beast, Waterloo Community Playhouse: Hope Martin Stage, Waterloo
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 5:30 p.m., A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 6:30 p.m., The Hip Hop Nutcracker, The Adler Theatre, Davenport
Through Nov., I Have Told You 50 Times: Collages by Hieyler Pimpton, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque
Friday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m., Friday Lights Poetry Night Reading, River Lights Bookstore, Dubuque
Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 a.m., Architecture Tour: Des Moines, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque
Sunday, Nov. 17, 1 p.m., Jade C. Angelica Book Release & Reading, River Lights Bookstore, Dubuque
November 16, 2024
November 17, 2024 7:30PM 2:00PM
Paramount Theatre
Featuring Ballet Quad Cities
December 7, 2024 7:30PM 2:00PM &
Paramount Theatre
December 20, 2024 7:30PM
December 21, 2024 7:30PM
December 22, 2024
Paramount Theatre 2:00PM
Last month, LV was proud to present the annual Roast of Iowa City, once again included as part of the Iowa City Book Festival. (Magazines are literature, comedy is literature: It all makes sense, just trust us.) The community showed up in force and the comedians pulled no punches as they skewered our fair city.
For the second year, yours truly held a Dear Kiki Live! advice sesh to close out the event. We had a blast answering anonymous audience questions from the fishbowl of fate, ranging from coy to crass. If you missed out, you’ll want to pencil it in early for next fall. Here are a few of the highlights!
My boyfriend wants to have sex without kissing and foreplay. Help!
Well, that’s just great for him! We all need to satisfy specific urges once in a while; that’s why the gods in their wisdom blessed us each with two good hands. It’s not even outside the realm of civility to level self-serving requests at a partner— on occasion. But if that’s the norm, then he needs a wake-up call. Assuming you’re communicating your needs and desires to him, there is no excuse for him to consistently ignore them. Try offering a trade-off: For every quick and dirty, rough and ready tumble, he owes you a luxurious experience of kissing and foreplay without the sex the next time. It shouldn’t take long before he cracks and realizes it’s beneficial to you both to pair the two together rather than ending an evening hot, bothered and unfulfilled.
Where is the craziest place you’ve had sex at, and how’d you end up there?
The answer to the second part of the question is, of course: road trips! Spend enough time traversing this great nation and you rack up a fair number of cramped back seats, fast food bathrooms and state parks. Nothing really stands out as the absolute craziest, but hey—Kiki’s got time yet, and so do you!
What bar in Iowa City hosts the most swinger parties? Just curious :)
Friends, if there are bars in Iowa City hosting swinger parties, they have yet to let ol’ Kiki in on the secret. You’ll probably have better luck trawling the online lifestyle forums and digging around for private events. A quick Reddit dive unearthed mention of “Swing Village” in Iowa City: Organization? Secret location? No clue. But it’s a thread here you can tug on. And if you’re willing to travel, there’s good scuttlebutt about Club G in Des Moines.
Can Oasis Hummus be used as a lubricant? If so, how much and what flavor?
Creativity can be fun in the bedroom, but remember to use caution any time food enters through your exits. The general rule of thumb is to only use foods that can be removed completely intact—so, spreads and dips just aren’t a great choice. And the tasty array of spices we all love in Oasis hummus also put sensitive membranes at risk of irritation. If you’re stuck raiding your cabinets, remember the fewer ingredients, the better (so if you just can’t quell your curiosity, at least stick with the original flavor).
xoxo, Kiki
Submit questions anonymously at littlevillagemag. com/dearkiki or non-anonymously to dearkiki@ littlevillagemag.com. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio painter Pablo Picasso has been described as a “masterfully erratic pioneer.” He influenced every art movement of the 20th century. His painting Guernica is a renowned anti-war statement. Though he was a Communist, he amassed great wealth and owned five homes. Today, his collected work is valued at over $800 million. By the way, he was the most prolific artist who ever lived, producing almost 150,000 pieces. I nominate him to be your professional model in the coming weeks. You are due for a Season of Successful Excess.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian Keith Richards, guitar player for the Rolling Stones since 1962, is a gritty, rugged man notorious for his rowdy carousing. Lots of observers predicted he would die at a young age because of his boisterous lifestyle, yet today he is 81 years old and still partying. But here’s his confession: “I never sleep alone. If there is no one to sleep next to, I’ll sleep next to a stuffed animal. It makes me feel secure and safe. It’s a little embarrassing to admit it. It’s important to me, though.” I bring this up, Sagittarius, because I feel that no matter how wild and free you are, you will be wise to ensure that you feel extra secure and supported for a while.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Traditional astrologers may tell you that the Capricorn tribe isn’t renowned for instigating big, bold transformations of groups and institutions. But I have a different view. I know that many visionary rebels and innovative leaders have been born under your sign. They include early American political philosopher Benjamin Franklin, suffragette and abolitionist Lucretia Mott, muckraker I. F. Stone, and civil rights champion Martin Luther King. Jr. I invite you to be inspired by these role models in the coming weeks. I believe you have a responsibility to rearrange shared environments so they work better for everyone involved.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Paganism and astrology have key affinities. For instance, they both understand that our personal rhythms are connected with the Earth’s cycles. I bring this to your attention because we are in the season that pagans call Samhain, halfway between the equinox and solstice. For Aquarians, this festival marks a time when you are wise to honor and nurture your highest ambitions. You can generate fun and good fortune by focusing on lofty goals that express your finest talents and offer your most unique gifts. How might you boost your passion and capacity to make your mark on the world?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I like how you are opening, widening and heightening! Keep up the good work, Pisces! I am cheering you on as you amplify, stretch, augment and burgeon. Here’s a small alert, though: You may be expanding so fast and so far that it’s a challenge for less expansive people to keep up—even your allies. To allay their worries, be generous in sharing the fruits of your thriving spaciousness. Let them know you don’t require them to match your rate of growth. You could also show them this horoscope.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Many people believe in the existence of ghosts. If you’re not yet one of them, you may be soon. The spirit world is more open than usual to your curiosity and explorations. Keep in mind, though, that the contacts you
make might not be with ghosts in the usual sense of that term. They might be deceased ancestors coming to deliver clues and blessings. They could be angels, guardian spirits or shapeshifting messengers. Don’t be afraid. Some may be weird, but they’re not dangerous. Learn what you can from them, but don’t assume they’re omniscient and infallible.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When you attended kindergarten, did you ever share your delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich with friends who didn’t like the broccoli and carrots in their lunch boxes? If so, you may be well-primed to capitalize on the opportunities now in your vicinity. Your generous actions will be potent catalysts for good luck. Your eagerness to bestow blessings and share your resources will bring you rewards. Your skill at enhancing other people’s fortunes may attract unexpected favors.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For you, dear Gemini, the coming weeks could be the least superstitious time ever. There will be no such thing as bad luck, good luck, or weird luck. Fears rooted in old misunderstandings will be irrelevant. Irrational worries about unlikely outcomes will be disproven. You will discover reasons to shed paranoid thoughts and nervous fantasies. Speaking on behalf of your higher self, I authorize you to put your supple trust in logical thinking, objective research, and rational analysis.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Which sign of the zodiac is sexiest? Smoldering Scorpios, who are so inherently seductive they don’t even have to try to be? Radiant Leos, whose charisma and commanding presence may feel irresistible? Electrifying Aries, who grab our attention with their power to excite and inspire us? In accordance with current astrological omens, I name you Cancerians as the sexiest sign for the next three weeks. Your emotional potency and nurturing intelligence will tempt us to dive into the depths with you and explore the lyrical mysteries of intimate linkage.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In ancient Egypt, onions were precious because they symbolized the many-layered nature of life. Just as some modern people swear oaths while placing a hand on a Bible, an Egyptian might have pledged a crucial vow while holding an onion. Would you consider adopting your own personal version of their practice in the coming weeks, Leo? It is the oath-taking season for you—a time when you will be wise to consider deep commitments and sacred resolutions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Two of the world’s most famous paintings are the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Both were made by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of the world’s most famous painters. Yet the brilliant artist left us with only 24 paintings in total, many of which were unfinished. Why? Here are two of several reasons: He worked slowly and procrastinated constantly. In the coming months, Virgo, I feel you will have resemblances to the version of da Vinci who created The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. Some of your best, most enduring work will bloom. You will be at the peak of your unique powers.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “When you are faced with a choice between two paths, it’s always better to take the most difficult one.” What!? No! That’s not true! A shamanic psychotherapist gave me that bad advice when I was young, and I am glad I did not heed it. My life has been so much better because I learn from joy and pleasure as much as from hardship. Yes, sometimes it’s right to choose the most challenging option, but on many occasions, we are wise to opt for what brings fun adventures and free-flowing opportunities for creative expression. That’s what I wish for you right now.
7 Hills Brewing
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FAIRFIELD
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Best of Iowa
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SLATER
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WASHINGTON
Cafe Dodici
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WAUKEE
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WEST DES MOINES
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In print at least monthly since July 2001, Little Village is among the longest-running free alternative publications in the Midwest.
We distribute an average of 20,000 free copies each month at about 800 Iowa locations.
Known to support and participate in the local, brickand-mortar community at above average rates, nearly all LV readers picked up the mag while visiting their favorite food, retail, performance or other cultural venue.
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Share the gift of memorable entertainment with tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime performance at Gallagher Bluedorn!
DRUMLINE LIVE FEBRUARY 16
MARCH 8-9
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YAMATO: THE DRUMMERS OF JAPAN MARCH 2
APRIL 4-5
Headful of Hiss
DICKIEMUSIC.COM
In April 2023, Dick Prall brought a string quartet to CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids. Billed as Dickie and the Cask Strength Quartet, the evening was a setlist of stringed versions of songs from Prall’s career to that point. Towards the end of the evening, he announced that he wanted to try out some new songs. One of them was “Shakes You.”
“Shakes You” is the opening track on Dickie’s new EP Headful of Hiss , out Nov. 29. The lush, sparkling strings lift an admiring tribute to someone who seems
stylistically, they show a progressive refining of Prall’s keen sense of vocal harmonies and melody. Prall continues his considerable pop songwriting flex with Headful of Hiss . Taken in whole, the collection of five songs shows a singular approach, with each song sharing his signature vision of composition with hooks that go forever.
Prall delivers some of his best vocals on this release. His rock falsetto is to die for, giving Justin Vernon a run for his money. The opening of “February Filled” is a great example of this. “Speed into something/I know I want to/ Speed into something/I know I want to cry out loud.” It’s classic, sadly beautiful Dickie. The song wraps up with a “Bittersweet Symphony”style bloom of strings on the way out, with deceptively brightly sung “doo doo doo doo doos” belying biting sarcasm.
FTHe LUSH, SPArKLING STrINGS
LIFT AN ADmIrING TrIbUTe To SomeoNe WHo SeemS HAPPILY UNCoNCerNeD AND oUT-oF-STeP WITH THoSe AroUND THem. IN LIeU oF A CHorUS, THe SoNG ProPS UP THe rePeATeD reFrAIN “No oNe ever SHAKeS YoU.”
happily unconcerned and out-ofstep with those around them. In lieu of a chorus, the song props up the repeated refrain “No one ever shakes you.” At the halfway mark Prall sings, “It seems that you’re the only one/To ever get what they have due,” and the song switches dramatically from sweetly plucked and sung to an anthemic, building 4/4 march with electric slide guitar and drums.
Dick Prall’s career spans eight releases and a few singles going back to 1998. While they vary
In 2021, Dickie released one of my favorite singles, “Stack It” which makes its appearance here, albeit a very different version. This Spoon-influenced song takes a swing at a politician who has been known to throw fits around unfair treatment. The version which wraps up Headful of Hiss has had all the edges sanded and polished to a fine pop sheen. Delivered in a Latin time with honestto-goodness string swells and plucks, and grand piano befitting Ferrante and Teicher, it does fit better on the EP than the original would have and manages to deliver a subtle but more biting commentary.
At the CSPS show, Prall prefaced “Shakes You” by asking if the crowd would like to sing along with the “No one ever shakes you” refrain. Everyone joined in. Great songs have the power to bring people together, and that night the world and its concerns outside of the venue slipped away, if only for a few minutes.
—Mike Roeder
or those unfamiliar, Curtis Taylor is an award-winning trumpeter and recording artist. He is also Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa School of Music. The fact that a talent like this resides in our community is worth celebrating.
Taylor’s resume is impressive, from work with Grammy winner Gregory Porter to performing in some of the finest halls in the country, including the Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club.
aren’t just exercises to get to a place where the soloist can show off his chops. These are tunes that have incredible depth and world-class playing.
The style of the album is very reminiscent of the Blue Note catalog of the early ’60s, albeit with some modern twists. (In fact, the album cover reminds me greatly of the Eric Dolphy classic Out to Lunch!.) Like a lot of great jazz, these compositions ride the fine line of pushing boundaries while still creating comfortable lyrical atmospheres.
“After the Rain” has a fun, playful nature, a freeing sensibility not unlike the effects of negative ions
THIS IS AN ALbUm THAT reFUSeS To LeAve mY TUrNTAbLe. IT DemANDS ATTeNTIoN THAT IS WILLINGLY GIveN. IF YoU Are ALreADY SomeoNe WHo IS A JAZZ AFICIoNADo, YoU Are GoING To FIND WorK Here THAT boTH CHALLeNGeS YoUr eAr AND FULFILLS YoUr NeeDS IN NeW mUSIC.
This pedigree was apparent the moment my needle hit Taylor Made, the latest LP from the artist. I felt something special at first spin. There was a love present in the grooves— not a passing lustful emotion but a nurturing, sheltering type of love. It felt like every note and phrase had meaning, depth and purpose.
Upon doing research on Taylor, I found that the album opener “Kham’s Dilemma” was dedicated to his son Khamari. This is exactly how fatherly love should feel: caring, protective and open. In every piece on this album, he is saying something worth being heard.
Often, the complaint from jazz newcomers is that the genre is too esoteric or inaccessible, that the meaning or tune is lost in the freedom of the solos. Though the compositions and solo stylings on display are incredibly lyrical, these
after a great rainstorm.
Countering this is the incredible frenzy of “Heightened Awareness,” which feels as though you are taking in more frames per second than is natural. Like in a superhero movie where, in the depths of chaos, the hero has a moment of clarity. Breathe in. Breathe out. Play it again.
This is an album that refuses to leave my turntable. It demands attention that is willingly given. If you are already someone who is a jazz aficionado, you are going to find work here that both challenges your ear and fulfills your needs in new music. If you are new to jazz and find all the verbiage describing the myriad styles of the last 100 years of culture daunting, this is a great place to dip your toes. Try out something new and tailor-made to give you a rewarding experience.
—Kylie Buddin
GreG WHeeLer
AND THe PoLY mALL CoPS
Live at the Lift POLYMALLCOPS.BANDCAMP.COM
Equal parts sweat and excitement hang thick in the air after a full day of performances at the 80/35 music fest. It’s July 8, 2023, and it’s Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops’ festival afterparty at The LiFt in Des Moines. Even without attending this particular show, the scene is lucid and the energy is palpable—encased in glass and commemorated through the band’s electrifying live album release Live At The Lift
Often, live albums are big hits or misses in the music industry. On rare occasions, a live recording might help form a band’s legacy, à la Cheap Trick’s At Bukadon and Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. But more often than not, they’re blips in a discography for die-hard fans only.
like I usually do.” Quips like these contribute atmosphere and rawness to the tracklist—although the truth is, the music trio is in peak form here, with no indication of previous performances of the day. Wheeler screams with abandon, synchronizing with drum beats and stoking crowd cheers the higher and longer the yells are.
The Des Moines-based Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops— the playful moniker of singer and guitarist Wheeler, bassist Jill McLain Meister and drummer Hutch—are well-loved for their live hijinx across Mission Creek Festival, Pokey’s Fest and countless venues around and outside Iowa.
When you’re known for rowdy punk garage rock best experienced head banging right up against the show speakers, your band might have the best case for delivering that live experience to fans’ headphones and car stereos.
DTHoUGH IT’S oFTeN DIFFICULT
To ArGUe For THe NeCeSSITY oF A LIve ALbUm, oNCe IN A WHILe, oNe CAN STAND ALoNe From ITS PoLISHeD STUDIo CoUNTerPArTS. LIVE AT THE LIFT IS oNe oF THem.
Performing primarily from their 2023 album Manic Fever, the live versions are faster and looser with an unrelenting frenzied energy that doesn’t let up for its entire 27-minute runtime. The guitar shredding solo in “Waste Away” is more satisfyingly manic. The deep growls of Wheeler’s vocals on “Itch” feature more crackling reverb, unraveling into an unearthly scream that would fit right at home on a haunted house sound effect track. The hypnotic rhymes of the track “Nothing” are more punctuated here, as each word is spit directly into a microphone.
enver-born and Des Moinesbased emcee Teller Bank$ brandishes a bit of verbal gunplay at the tail end of The Pride & Glory, the latest collaborative album with producer Ed Glorious, that reminded me of the movie John Wick. Not because of any overt references to the Keanu Reeves-led franchise, though Bank$ liberally peppers his raps with other crime movie references, (Pulp Fiction and The Godfather, to name a couple). No, it was a rare instance of the actual wordplay itself reminding me of another media.
flow and delivery, Bank$ brandishes a fervent energy that never lets up across this LP’s 18 tracks. The result reminded me, oddly, of an early Acid-Rap-era Chance the Rapper. Though the contents of their rhymes are nothing alike they both possess a frenetic energy that radiates through their verses.
You can actually hear the strain through which Bank$ pushes his vocals over the course of opening track “VVVVV.” I’d bet good money that he did a version of getting in the booth and letting his verses fly like the rip of a pull-cord. Dude is rapping his ass off. Full stop. Check the track “9 to 5” for another example of this. By its end, Bank$ exhausts his verbal onslaught and has to literally catch his breath before ending with “Y’all n— done pissed me off, boy.”
There is a rawness here that is juxtaposed with the beautifully lush production at the hands of collaborator
I’D beT GooD moNeY THAT He DID A verSIoN oF GeTTING IN THe booTH AND LeTTING HIS verSeS FLY LIKe THe rIP oF A PULL-CorD. DUDe IS rAPPING HIS ASS oFF. FULL SToP.
The line in question: “I know you n— really not / spank a n— like it’s pops / pop-pop-pop-pop, got 11 shots left, who the next to get knocked?”
Though it’s often difficult to argue for the necessity of a live album, once in a while, one can stand alone from its polished studio counterparts Live At The Lift is one of them.
On the second-to-last song of the album, Greg Wheeler announces, “We played a set earlier at 80/35. I don’t know if y’all can tell, but my voice is fried. I can’t scream
Another way to make a worthy live album? Release live versions of new songs before they’re recorded, as is the case for “Bile Blaster” and “Exoteric” on Live At The Lift. Both new additions are explosive, with catchy hooks and well-placed sections of wailing, both vocally and instrumentally. You’ll feel teleported to that fateful Saturday night a little over a year ago.
—Elisabeth Oster
With his “pops” onomatopoeia, Bank$ references the exact number of rounds in a typical 9MM handgun. The first Wick movie fastidiously stuck to realistic bullet counts; you can follow when the protagonist has to reload in real time. Believe me, I rewound and counted along with the movie, which is the very same thing I did with “Van Goh,” the track on The Pride & Glory that got me down this gun-fu rabbit hole.
This is all to say that Teller Bank$ is that rare breed of rapper that slangs dope and gun rhymes with heady intricacy usually reserved for backpack rappers. The closest emcee comparison, content-wise (and just a smidge on vocal similarities), is a hungry Lil Wayne in his heyday. On
Ed Glorious. The soulful loops and sample chops Glorious delivers on this project could fit among the best examples of post-aughts, post-boombap maximalist production work. I’m talking early Kanye or, to be even more brazen in my comparison, the best of 9th Wonder’s work with Murs or Little Brother. It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite beat, but look to “Shoulda Been Signed Twice” or “Black and Whites” for a pair of tracks that got me bobbing my head on every re-listen.
The story goes that the Bank$ and Glorious collaboration was supposed to be a one-off, but their creative synergy led them to release a trio of albums. The Pride & Glory is the album after those three projects which, hopefully, indicates that the two will continue to drop projects that push the boundaries of what rap has to offer in our region, and beyond.
—Chuy Renteria
vArIoUS AUTHorS
(Re)present: Racism and Resistance in Iowa
PAST PRESENT FUTURE PUBLISHING
Important books exist. They are written and published every day. There are people dedicated to creating and publishing work that changes and educates people. Sometimes, they put out important work that is accessible and educational and aimed at helping the youth in Iowa understand their home and their histories. (Re)Present: Racism & Resistance in Iowa(Past Present Future Publishing, 2024) was compiled by “A Collective of Iowa Activists, Educators, Historians and Community Leaders” with this in mind.
The book is written for young adults (though I didn’t feel like it was “too young for me” and I think a middle grade audience would be receptive) and motivated by the recent legal restrictions placed on educators in Iowa. It is divided into sections including: Why This Book? Common Myths about Iowa and What Next? It is one of those rare books that wants to be a textbook but is too friendly and too beautiful. It is what a textbook should be.
The opening text of the book is inviting and open-ended, “Every story about the past has more than one possible beginning with no clear ending. When we dive into history, where we decide to start and stop, what we choose to pay attention to—all of these choices shape how we come to understand the past. And
because our lives are woven together with everyone who has come before us and everyone who will come after, this matters for our present and future, too.” It leads into a snapshot of the state of affairs in Iowa and the catalyzing events that led to the book, but never stops being in conversation with the reader. This is what makes this book so accessible.
While it is important that the book is authored by a collective of people who had a shared mission but had to work out disagreements and priorities together—thus making the book more holistic and reflective of the community it aims to serve—it is more important that it never antagonizes its readers. There are notes to the reader that, from whatever background or experience the reader has, the histories and myths exposed here may be incredibly difficult to absorb, and the book asks the reader to both take breaks and to either interrogate their reaction or to tend to their emotions.
(Re)Present: Racism & Resistance in Iowa is already working to educate readers on pieces of history that are left out of classroom curriculum and because so many voices participated in creating this book, it is inherently more inclusive than a book authored by fewer people or people from singular backgrounds. When it interrogates myths, it takes into account how the myths came to be (“Iowa Nice prevents racism” is one. Another is “Following the rules protects people from racism.”) and why they are pervasive, before dismantling them.
This tactic, and the careful execution of it, is everything. As recently as mid-October, a major Iowa publication published an oped promoting tribalism and raceessentialism (the overtly racist idea that different races—something invented by humans based on skin color—have inherent characteristics) and defending and denying that racism is a problem in our state.
Bigotry of all manner perseveres when we deny it, when we defend it, when we don’t interrogate it. This book looks into the marginalized groups that have been specifically targeted by our state and gently provides
information (and cites sources) while leading the reader to come to their own conclusions. This text is a gift we have needed for a long time. Our communities deserve this.
—Sarah Elgatian
mArIo DUArTe
My Father Called Us Monkeys
ICE CUBE PRESS
When my friend Mario Duarte asked me to read his latest book, a series of connected short stories about a Mexican-American boy growing up in western Illinois called My Father Called Us Monkeys published by Ice Cube Press, I was both excited and a tad apprehensive. I was excited at the opportunity to read about another childhood with parallels to mine; both Duarte and I are Mexican-American kids who grew up in small towns in the Midwest, and both of us took on the challenge of writing about it. The apprehension came in the fact that I had a friendship with the author before reading the first page. I’ve been on the other side of that ask and I can tell you it can be nerve-wracking. I’m reminded of the social anxiety nightmare of sharing a favorite song or funny video with your friends, only to get silence in response.
Fortunately, my worries were all for not, as the stories of main character surrogate Marco have stayed with me long after I put down Duarte’s book. Which might seem like a case of appreciating newfound
representation, of simply being in awe at finally getting to read of a boy that looks like me and grew up in similar landscapes. But where this collection gets interesting is in its specificity. As I read I appreciated the skill with which Duarte realized Marco’s world (one that mirrors a lot of Duarte’s own upbringing and does not mirror mine).
The stories follow Marco’s coming of age in the late ’60s in a western Illinois town. His family, like many other Latino-American families, can be traced back for more than a century on this country’s soil. The stories of this family can be sweet, like convincing their father to adopt a new kitten, which he names Pulgas (“fleas” in Spanish).
Other times the stories explore the interconnected cast of smalltown characters and their humorous misadventures. All the while, there are forces looming beyond: the Vietnam War, civil rights, economic struggle. Duarte is not afraid to hint at these topics, but always filtered through the limited worldview of childhood—a fact that imbues the stories with a sort of melancholy and, at times, mysteriousness.
One story in particular, “An Afternoon with Taylor,” exemplifies this approach. Marco comes across a lonely man and his parrot, Taylor. Within their interaction the man refers to his wife in past tense. When Marco, as children are experts at doing, pulls at a string too personal and fraught, the man replies that, “You’ll learn about such things, soon enough.” We are never struck over the head with exposition; instead, Duarte displays an admirable restraint, conveying a charged and childlike appreciation of the now.
Yes, ultimately Marco may learn about the full, sad scope of life, but that can wait until after he’s done admiring the talking bird and stone the man gives him. My mind continues to conjure up questions about this scene and countless others in the collection, but one answer I do have is that Duarte has a deft skill in creating vastness within his stories.
—Chuy Renteria
Friday, Nov. 22, 1 - 2 PM, Meeting Room A Journey back in time with Curt Strutz in his presentation offering a fascinating glimpse into the lives of dinosaurs,
Thursday, Nov. 21, 6 - 7 PM, We have a Cricut Maker 3 and some white vinyl, join us and make your own decal! Registration is required, scan the QR code above to register.
Please drop off arts and crafts at the Library Help Desk on the first floor through Friday, Dec. 6. Scan the QR code above to learn more.
the first to hit 1 billion views on YouTube
23. Deal breakers, for short?
25. Stick (out)
26. The Situation Room airer
29. Absorbed, as a cost
30. Winter hazard
32. Tinge
33. Part of TNT
36. Beer originally made for transport overseas
37. Reveal impulsively, with “out”
39. Sure-footed creatures ... and a way to describe this puzzle’s shaded figures
42. Sate, as thirst
43. Indian cheese?
45. City with a cathedral known as “the ship of the Fens”
46. Lifted some weights, say 50. Wrath
51. Veganism, e.g.
53. Chop finely
54. Producer of public radio’s Radiolab
55. Matter
58. Happens to 61. Sarcastic label for someone acting like a macho jerk
65. One undergoing onboarding
66. Some targeted
gym sessions
67. Charlotte’s creation
68. Doofus
69. “Ciao!”
70. Roll-call vote
DOWN
1. Rear of an army address
2. “A long time ___ in a galaxy far, far away....”
3. Were on the same wavelength
4. Computer key that in most contexts does nothing on its own
5. In the gold medal position, for now
6. Brittany city with the Les Transmusicales festival
7. Garfunkel, or a painting of Garfunkel
8. Raggedy doll
9. Escort to the door
10. German actor Buchholz of The Magnificent Seven
11. No ifs, ___, or buts
12. Arrive after a dive?
13. Question that might be answered with a screenshot of a trip route
14. Hair gel brand popular in the ’80s
21. Give one star to, perhaps
22. Some financial measures
24. Shawkat of Blink Twice
25. “My name is ___ Valjean” (line in Les Mis)
27. Place for plants or babies
28. Pickleball
court feature
31. Prefix with genetic
34. Cricket unit
35. How much music of the ’90s was released
37. Wrestling match
38. Spot for a cuddly cat
40. Sewing items
41. Trees, bushes, etc.
42. End of a math proof
44. Brief unit of time rarely taken literally
47. Spicy beef additions?
48. Word after army or bullet
49. Thing often seen in a museum exhibit on ancient Egypt
52. Fusion chef Ming ___
54. Fuse together, usually while wearing a mask
56. Forearm bone
57. Made it
58. “Oh, before I forget ...,” in a text
59. Before, in flowery poetry
60. The ___ Four
62. Star Wars Day month, aptly
63. “Yes, captain”
64. Org. that operates on the DL
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