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Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium is here! Puppets for grown-ups, cookie dough for kids, writing workshops and more activities for the whole family this weekend.
If you know of an upcoming virtual, outdoor or otherwise safely distanced event that you’d like to see in the Weekender, reply to this email to tell us about it.
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Online
‘Stages’ by David Lee Nelson
Mar 5 – Mar 21 – All day
Riverside Theatre presents a hero’s journey through the medical wilderness. An inspirational, funny, unflinching, and true story from writer/performer David Lee Nelson.
More info >>
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Online
Osmotic Radiance: the PS1 Art Auction
Mar 6 – Mar 13 – 12:00pm
The annual PS1 art auction features diverse work by over 50 artists and is a fundraiser to support PS1’s year-round programming and resources!
More info >>
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Online
‘The Enchanted Forest’
Mar 11 – 7:00pm (CST)
Cedar Rapids Opera presents Anna Young’s ‘The Enchanted Forest’ w/ members of the Opera’s Young Artists Program, dramatized by puppets in their likenesses by Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company.
More info >>
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Online
Mark Morris in conversation with Nico Muhly, composer
Mar 11 – 7:30pm
Journalist Paula Zahn will moderate a live conversation with acclaimed choreographer Mark Morris and composer Nico Muhly.
More info >>
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Online
Puppets and Pastries for Adults!
Mar 12 – 7:00pm
Lovers of puppet theatre will have the opportunity to see cutting edge puppetry directed towards adults and enjoy music, poetry and storytelling.
More info >>
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Online
Storytelling, a Pandemic Play
Mar 12 – 7:00pm (CST)
Kept apart by the pandemic, Chloe and her grandfather communicate only by Zoom, learning a little bit more about each other and the value of stories when we’re living in separate worlds.
More info >>
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Online
Loren Glass in conversation with Ann Powers
Mar 12 – 7:00pm
Join Prairie Lights to celebrate the release of “Tapestry” with author and University of Iowa professor Loren Glass, in conversation with NPR Music Critic and Correspondent, Ann Powers.
More info >>
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Online
Out the Box: ‘Bezos ‘N Me’
Mar 12 – 8:00pm
Mirrorbox Theatre presents Patrick Vermillion’s ‘Bezos ‘N Me,’ directed by Cavan Hallman. Free; registration required. Donations welcome!
More info >>
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Online
Storytellers: Megan Gogerty
Mar 13 – 10:00am
In this gentle and fun crash course, comedian and playwright Megan Gogerty will lead the class through the basics of standup comedy—how to write, edit and deliver jokes based on your real life.
More info >>
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Online
Iron Pen Virtual Awards Reading
Mar 13 – 2:00pm
Join the Midwest Writing Center to hear the writers of 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place and Honorable Mention winners of the Iron Pen Contest.
More info >>
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Little Village is free. Making it isn’t.
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Online
Storytelling, a Pandemic Play
Mar 13 – 7:00pm (CST)
Kept apart by the pandemic, Chloe and her grandfather communicate only by Zoom, learning a little bit more about each other and the value of stories when we’re living in separate worlds.
More info >>
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Hawkeye Downs Speedway
46th Annual SaPaDaPaSo Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
Mar 13 – 2:00pm
The intrepid SaPaDaPaSo folks have created a drive-through parade that you can enjoy from the safety of your vehicle. Parade entries will be lined up along the racetrack for parade-goers enjoyment.
More info >>
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Online
Bublanina: Famous Czech-Baked Dessert
Mar 13 – 2:30pm (CST)
Our popular virtual cooking classes are back!
This famous Czech dessert is simple to prepare and is irresistible.
More info >>
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Online
Taj Mahal and Phantom Blues Band with special guest Jon Cleary
Mar 13 – 8:00pm
The legendary Taj Mahal performs with British-born New Orleans funk savant Jon Cleary. Part of the Taj Mahal livestream series from the UC Theatre.
More info >>
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Online
Second Sunday Garden Forum: Iowa Gardens of the Past with Beth Cody
Mar 14 – 2:00pm (CDT)
Iowa City gardener and author Beth Cody will give a presentation of the history of ornamental gardening in Iowa.
More info >>
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Online
Storytelling, a Pandemic Play
Mar 14 – 2:00pm (CDT)
Kept apart by the pandemic, Chloe and her grandfather communicate only by Zoom, learning a little bit more about each other and the value of stories when we’re living in separate worlds.
More info >>
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Online
Homemade Dog Treats
Mar 14 – 3:30pm
Becky’s Mindful Kitchen’s dog treat recipes allow for endless substitutions—just be sure to look up any new ingredients to make sure they are safe for dogs!
More info >>
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Online
St. Patrick’s Day Special with Blame Not the Bard
Mar 14 – 7:00pm
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a few days early with songs and stories online from Iowa’s own Blame Not the Bard!
More info >>
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Online
Spring Break Kids: Make Cookie Dough Bites with Becky’s Mindful Kitchen
Mar 15 – 3:30pm (CDT)
Kick off spring break with a fun and easy cooking class with Becky Schmooke from Becky’s Mindful Kitchen! She’ll teach you how to make completely customizable edible cookie dough bites.
More info >>
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Online
Poetry as Active Voice
Mar 15 – 6:00pm
In this 4-part series, Steven Willis brings techniques from theater and playwriting to help poets craft vivid stories and scenes held together by distinct first-person voices!
More info >>
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Online
Journaling for Mental Health, presented by NAMI and the Midwest Writing Center
Mar 15 – 6:30pm (CDT)
NAMI and the Midwest Writing Center have partnered to present a free (suggested donation $10) virtual workshop on using writing to help manage mental health.
More info >>
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Online
Kevin Brockmeier in conversation with Anjali Sachdeva
Mar 15 – 7:00pm
Join Prairie Lights to celebrate the release of Kevin Brockmeier’s new collection of stories, “The Ghost Variations” with a reading and conversation with Anjali Sachdeva.
More info >>
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IOWA RAISED, IRELAND ROOTED
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Blame Not the Bard takes its St. Patrick’s Day show online this year with a performance on Facebook this Sunday evening. They took some time to put together a playlist of Irish tunes for you to enjoy until then, from both traditional artists and local contemporaries. “All three of us grew up in Iowa, but we have felt a strong connection to the humanity that Irish songs highlight,” Nikki Philbrick wrote in an email. “In them, we have found love, war, laughter, sorrow and joy. We may have been raised in Iowa, but have felt rooted to these songs that are sometimes centuries old because they’re just so—human.” Click here to open the playlist on Spotify!
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LATEST IN ARTS & DINING
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The Takeaway: Mosley’s is for barbecue lovers, from the ribs to the sides
Tiffani Green
I was raised by a father whose love of barbecue was such that he’d bring home ribs from a different restaurant almost every Friday as part of a long-running project to determine which ones were the best. I only vaguely remember the criteria: tenderness, something about the quantity and flavor of the sauce …
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Book Review: ‘Death of the Demon Machine: A Pop Anthology’
Genevieve Trainor
The backstory begins like this: Imagine Other Worlds with Authors (I.O.W.A.), a yearly multi-genre book signing event that began in the mid-2010s to uplift and highlight regional writers, was once plagued by the presence of a soda machine stuck in a musical loop. Throughout their entire event, the thing repeated and repeated and repeated. So, like all creative professionals faced with an attack to their sanity, they decided to turn madness into creative energy. They wrote about it …
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Book Review: ‘Thinking Inside the Box’ by Adrienne Raphel
Sarah Elgatian
EVENT: Adrienne Raphel in conversation with Micah Bateman
Online—Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m., Prairie Lights
I love to tell people that I want to learn everything. When I was asked to read a book about the history of crossword puzzles I thought, “well, that’s not a topic I would have picked,” and agreed …
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Album Review: Logan Springer — ‘Coyote- “kī-yōte”’
Avery Gregurich
Coyotes tend to howl to locate each other and establish their territory, not only for the sake of those around, but also for themselves. It seems prudent then that Iowa alt-country singer-songwriter Logan Springer titled his full-length debut, Coyote- “kī-yōte”…
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Album Review: Elizabeth Zimmerman — ‘Roots of Rhythm’
Kent Williams
The first song on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Roots Of Rhythm, “The Journey,” is just her voice and piano. It brings Judee Sill immediately to mind. It combines pleasant, subtly modulated vocal style with an intricately worked melody and introspective lyrics. She presents to the listener as an inviting, fascinating mystery …
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Elizabeth Moen drops single ‘Red State Handshake’ to raise funds for abortion access groups
Emma McClatchey
Elizabeth Moen shared her first “blatantly political” song in a video posted to Facebook in the weeks following the Aug. 10, 2020 derecho. More than six months later, that demo has evolved into a fully realized single, incorporating the talents of two other Iowa artists.
Little Village caught back up with Moen ahead of the track’s March 5 Bandcamp Friday release, which serves as a fundraiser for reproductive rights groups Iowa Abortion Access Fund and Midwest Action Coalition …
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‘Blackness is many things’: Meka Jean breaks down the ‘partitions of identity’ in new visual LP
Genevieve Trainor
There’s a setting used in some of the ambient noise interstitial scenes between videos in Meka Jean’s “visual long play,” Still (a) Life, released at the end of January. It first appears between tracks two and three, “Distortion” and “Too Good for You.” It’s within the abandoned frame of a building, likely in Alabama, where most of those short scenes were filmed. There is a foundation, but no roof. The sun shines hot on Meka Jean as she exercises to the cues of an off-camera personal trainer (who makes a couple of appearances later in the piece) …
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