You may have read one of Don McLeese’s previous three books, or perhaps you’ve stumbled upon one of the many pieces he’s contributed to publications like Rolling Stone, Chicago Sun-Times or No Depression. In his newest release, Slippery Steps: Rolling and Tumbling Toward Sobriety (Ice Cube Press), the University of Iowa faculty member confronts the […]
Lily DeTaeye
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Oblivion’ by Robin Hemley
What to say about Robin Hemley’s Oblivion? The University of Iowa Writers Workshop alum’s 16th book was released this year on Gold Wake Press. And although it’s short in pages, the novel is not short on big ideas. Oblivion follows a nameless writer who dies and passes into The Cafe of Minor Authors in the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Love and Potato Salad’ by Jason Thomas Smith
I won’t lie to you. I wasn’t going to read Love and Potato Salad until I read the press quotes on the back of the book. Riddled with jokes but also, quite possibly, real exclamations from shocked readers (“‘Your novel is extremely offensive. Any further attempts to contact any members of our staff for any […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival announces 2023 lineup, including Cat Power, Kevin Morby
Iowa City’s premiere music and literature festival, Mission Creek Festival, just announced its 2023 lineup. The festival will be taking place on April 6-8 and if you’re a loyal festival goer, you might recognize a few names. Among the Iowa locals hitting the Mission Creek music stage this year are Karen Meat, Extravision, Greg Wheeler […]
Posted inCommunity/News
What makes Ames’ tap water hooray-worthy?
Your drinking water has to be pretty top notch in order to get mentioned in a song like “Hooray! For Ames Water” by Smiling Stone Soup. But lucky for Ames, it’s just that good. Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Lyle Hammes says that good drinking water starts with a good water source. “We’re sitting on a […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
With polkas, live reindeer and lots of Krampi, Christkindlmarket Des Moines brings Old World holiday charm to Principal Park
The sixth annual Christkindlmarket Des Moines kicked off at Principle Park on Thursday night. The Christmas market, inspired by by the centuries-old European tradition of holiday markets is a celebration of German and Austrian heritage infused with seasonal charm. So if you can’t make it to Munich, or even Chicago, the Christkindlmarket in Des Moines. […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
As temperatures drop, DART is offering free rides to Polk County warming centers through Thursday
DART will provide free bus rides to warming centers and overnight shelters in Polk County through Thursday, Dec. 1, as central Iowa experiences severe cold temperatures and wind chills. “Riders should tell bus drivers when they board that they want to go to the warming center or shelter,” the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with Jinnouchi Power songwriter Patrick MacCready ahead of the band’s long-awaited album release party
After working on their newest album, Kaleidocoi, for close to eight years, Des Moines supergroup Jinnouchi Power is hosting an album release event at xBk on Dec. 9 to celebrate its release. The 11-track record will be streamable on all platforms on the same day. Little Village caught up with JP’s lead songwriter, Patrick MacCready, […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
All-weather snow sports hill coming to Des Moines in 2023
If you can’t get enough snowy activities, you’ll want to plan a visit to Sleepy Hollow Sports Park in 2023. Polk County Conservation announced Thursday morning that it will be installing an “all-season turf surface” on the tubing hill at Sleepy Hollow that will allow for winter sports such as tubing, snowboarding, and skiing to […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Stone Park in Des Moines is slated for updates, and residents are invited to submit their input
Stone Park on SE 5th Street in Des Moines is getting a much-deserved face lift, and the City of Des Moines wants resident input on the project. The now 15.5-acre park was acquired by the city in 1925, when the park was only eight acres. It remained largely unchanged until 1949 when Des Moines resident […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Protesters disrupt carbon capture conference in Des Moines, face close call with SUV
About 100 people marched from Cowles Commons through the streets of Des Moines to the Iowa Events Center on Wednesday to protest the National Carbon Capture Conference and Expo. The expo featured speakers from Summit Carbon Solutions, Wolf Carbon Solutions, and Navigator CO2: the three companies who have submitted proposals and/or applied for permits to […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Happy bonobos make great research subjects at Des Moines’ world-renowned Ape Initiative
Des Moines is known for a few things: the Traveler’s Insurance sign, Slipknot and, I suppose, the Iowa state government. But in zoologist circles globally, Des Moines is famously the home of the only facility dedicated to the research and conservation of bonobos. Ape Initiative is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited nonprofit […]
