Founded in 1979, the Midwest Writing Center (MWC) was created to provide a “permanent home” for writers in the Quad Cities. MWC, the only literary arts nonprofit in the Quad Cities, boasts a long tradition of uplifting local writers through resources, including space for book signings, events and most recently, the addition of its very […]
Lily DeTaeye
City of Clive accepting submissions for Art Along the Trail 2023
The Greenbelt Trail is Clive’s crown jewel: a wooded bike trail that connects neighborhoods, playgrounds and natural spaces throughout the city. And while the Greenbelt Trail is beautiful in its own right, the City of Clive also wants to use it to showcase visual art through the Art Along the Trail program. 2023 will be […]
Where to go in Polk County to cast a ballot in the final weekend of early voting
It’s the final weekend to vote early in the Nov. 8 general election. The Polk County Auditor’s Election Office (120 2nd Ave, Suite A, in Des Moines) will be open on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., to accommodate people wanting to cast their ballots. The office will be open for in-person voting Friday […]
Three Des Moines bakeries to patronize on National Donut Day this Saturday
Americans love donuts so much that two days of the year have been dedicated as National Donut Days; one in June and one on Nov. 5. So if celebrating National Donut Day again this year is something you didn’t know you needed, here are three Des Moines bakeries that will help you do it right. […]
Hinterland Music Festival announces three-day 2023 lineup featuring Bon Iver, Zach Bryan, Maggie Rogers
On Tuesday morning, Hinterland Music Festival announced the lineup for its eighth festival to take place during the first weekend in August 2023. The 2023 festival will span across three days instead of the four-day lineup organizers tried in 2022. HELLO from 2023.Head over to https://t.co/HfzQnRQrMU for all that good presale info. pic.twitter.com/KRp0f038xs — Hinterland […]
Miriam Alarcón Avila brings luchador art, ofrenda to Des Moines Art Center this Dia de los Muertos
On Sunday, Oct. 30, the Art Center will once again host its Día de los Muertos celebration after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year, the celebration will be focused around luchadores. Multimedia artist Miriam Alarcón Avila has created work on luchadores for several years, including her Little Luchadores project and Immigrant Luchadores […]
Adults can earn pizza for reading every day of November through the Des Moines Public Library
Even if you’re an enthusiastic reader, reading for prizes is always more fun. And while the Scholastic Book Fair has yet to update itself for the enjoyment of adults, the Des Moines Public Library is bringing back the joy of pizza parties as a reward for independent reading. In collaboration with Gusto Pizza Bar, the […]
The world’s largest dinosaurs can be found at the Science Center of Iowa now through April
“You say the word ‘dinosaur’ and everybody flocks,” says Amy Hock, director of marketing and public relations for the Science Center of Iowa. She is standing underneath an 11-foot-tall, 60-foot-long statue of Mamenchisaurus that is currently visiting the Science Center as part of The World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit. Mamenchisaurus is not the largest sauropod the […]
Des Moines Playhouse aims to fund new addition with Tomorrow Begins Today campaign
The Des Moines Playhouse is about halfway to their goal of raising $3,500,000 to create a new facility for the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre. The “Tomorrow Begins Today” capital campaign is accepting donations that will be used to upgrade theater technology, equip the theater with more comfortable and accessible seating, and expand dressing rooms to […]
Thriftmart, Joppa’s nonprofit thrift store, to open in Des Moines on Thursday
There’s almost nothing more satisfying to a shopper than when money from your purchases goes towards supporting a cause — especially when that cause is hyper-local, benefitting folks that live right in your community. Luckily for Des Moines residents, a new thrift store is opening on Euclid Avenue that offers just such an opportunity. Thriftmart […]
The City of Des Moines wants to know what places residents value as they update Historic Preservation Plan
Although Des Moines was incorporated as a city in 1851, the very first Historic Preservation Plan was created for Des Moines in 1995. Implementation of the 1995 plan included the maintenance of several brick streets, new zoning rules for infill development in historic neighborhoods, the nomination of several districts into the National Register of Historic […]
Book Review: ‘Team Photograph’ by Lauren Haldeman
Little Village comic contributor Lauren Haldeman’s fourth book, Team Photograph (out Nov. 8 from Sarabande Books) is a poignant exploration of how we’re shaped by the places where we grow up. This graphic novel combines Haldeman’s iconic wolf-headed style with erasure poetry to rehash her youth on soccer fields 800 feet away from the battlefields […]

