When I moved to Iowa City 25 years ago, one of the first things I did to familiarize myself with my new surroundings was visit the African American Museum of […]
Kellee Forkenbrock
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Fashion Activist: My Life as a Designer, Dreamer, and Disrupter’ by Andre Wright
This past May, I had the pleasure of attending Beyond Fashion Fest in Iowa City. Launched by Iowa native Andre Wright, it was a weekend of fashion, comedy and fun. […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Every Day, I’m Brave’ by Renee Zukin
I had been at a crossroads in my life the first time I met Renee Zukin. She was working as a brilliant educator in Coralville while my decade-long career as a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Peek inside the Ecdysiast Arts Museum, Danielle Colby’s dazzling Davenport destination
It was hard to find time to chat with television personality Danielle Colby, and that’s expected. While most of us know her as an American Pickers cast member, Colby’s added […]
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Lizzie No knows folk, drawing inspiration from ‘the Lilith Fair girls’ and social justice movements
Lizzie No’s discography is an eclectic mix of everything from country ballads to folksy foot-tappers to alt-rock imbued with righteous anger — the kind of music that perfectly soundtracks a […]
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The Black Rose in West Branch aims to be a cozy, boozy and bookish hangout ‘for anyone who feels othered’
When Ashley Kofoed first arrived in West Branch with her fiancé, it was to meet her future in-laws for dinner at the local Brick Arch Winery. Dining with her family […]
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Book Review: ‘I Don’t Swim’ by Helen Miller
It takes a fair amount of finesse to get my teenage daughter to accompany me to a book reading at Prairie Lights. And by finesse, I mean free coffee. She’s […]
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Review: Angels from the Alvin Ailey dance company brought rhythm, reverence and revelations to the Hancher stage
Movement, in all of its forms, is powerful. The fusion of the physical, political, and spiritual forms came together during the Iowa City stop of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2025 national tour.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Hot Dreams’ by Rachelle Chase
Seasoned authors know that the best way to get readers invested in their characters is to make them as relatable as possible. Highlighting the flaws of central figures is essential […]
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Marion’s Happily Ever After Book Boutique is a one-woman matchmaking operation
I’ve been to my fair share of bookstores, and all have left me with something to remember: a dazzling window display, a cozy nook, a roaming cat. My latest store […]
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‘The audience will not be spectators — they will be witnesses’: Helmed by two Black women, UI’s ‘for colored girls…’ is a rare, timely production
Choreopoem. That’s the word author and playwright Ntozake Shange invented to describe her seminal masterpiece, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf. The collection of twenty poems about seven African American women characters first came to life in 1974 at The Bacchanel, a lesbian bar near Berkeley, California.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Is it hot in here? A local erotica writer reviews Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha’s sexy burlesque circus
No animals were harmed by Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha, Iowa’s premier burlesque ensemble, in the presentation of their circus-themed variety shows last month. But you could still hear plenty of hooting and hollering from the wild animals in the audience of the adults-only Cirque Sensuale — including Yours Truly.
