The Englert Theatre’s Local Showcase Series returns in 2024 with three nights of performances featuring exclusively local artists. The goal of this series, spanning January and early February, is to group musically inclined newcomers with experienced veterans on the same night. It is also an opportunity to connect area musicians. The first showcase on Saturday, […]
Kristen Holder
Posted inCommunity/News
Brandon’s thousand-pound pan (and thousand-person breakfasts)
Along I-380 between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, a sign beckons drivers to a town boasting the largest frying pan in the state. Anyone willing to spend a few minutes on a detour will not be disappointed. Heading into Brandon, Iowa, the promised frying pan cannot be missed. According to a sign explaining its existence, the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The nonprofit Annie’s Foundation, founded by Johnston parents to fight book bans, is giving away books at pop-ups all month
The aim of Senate File 496 is not to clearly define what is considered problematic. Rather, the law is meant to scare educators into over-censoring the books in their care. Teachers and librarians will be facing harsh penalties after Jan. 1, 2024 if any “questionable” materials are available and under their control. Some zealous school […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Meet Iowa’s 2023 Student Poet Ambassador, Lola Nakashima-Brooke
In a (historically) bookish state like Iowa, the title of Student Poet Ambassador is perhaps the biggest award to which a young writer can aspire. This year, the recipient was Lola Nakashima-Brooke. The Davenport Central High student is the third to hold the ISPA honor — after Iowa City West High’s Shreya Khullar in 2021 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Twelfth Night'(s): Two Iowa companies stage Shakespeare’s gender-bending rom-com as First Folio turns 400
It’s been 400 years since William Shakespeare’s First Folio was published. Released in 1623, the First Folio collected 36 of Shakespeare’s plays under the title Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies. Because of this collection, upward of a dozen plays that may have been lost to history were able to live on, including Twelfth […]
