For several years, University of Iowa literature professor Anna Barker has produced a steady blizzard of commentary on classic French literature: Hugo, Stendahl, Dumas, Balzac. In her debut book, 13 Notes from Napoleon, Iowa: Musings of the Edge of the French Empire (Ice Cube Press), Barker follows the trail of arguably the most important individual […]
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
With the help of some household objects, ‘Coop’ captures the dark, true story of an Amish conscientious objector from Iowa during WWII
Iowa City playwright Mary Swander’s most recent play began with a chance find at a local store. “Years ago, I took a walk down the road one day from my place, an old Amish one-room schoolhouse, to the country store,” Swander recounts on her Substack. “There, they have a rack of literature … My eyes […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Funny page mainstay The Family Circus made its very first appearance in the Des Moines Register — under a different name
Almost everything on the Monday, Feb. 29, 1960 front page of the Des Moines Register made for grim reading: Southern senators plotting to kill a civil rights bill. An armed robbery on School Street. Iowans weary of winter cold. But sandwiched between stories about a brewing Middle East border war and President Eisenhower’s state visit […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Film critic and UI grad Jason England explains why he found this Oscar frontrunner ‘extremely goofy’
In his discerning review for Defector, England argues that One Battle After Another lacks the heart and soul required of texts seemingly devoted to political revolt, a spectacle synonymous with many left-leaning signposts that rely on performances of politics, rather than action. His piece received substantial attention, most disputing England’s argument, but it was not the discourse that spurred my conversation with England. At the tail end of his review, England surprisingly mentions Iowa City…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Little Village’s 2026 Comics Issue
The comics below were created by local artists, who were asked by Little Village to share their thoughts on and predictions for the year ahead. All were published in LV’s January 2026 issue.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
This weekend in Iowa: Ideal Idol in Cedar Rapids, Heather Matarazzo in Des Moines and more
Established 2001 | Always free! The first full week of 2026 comes to a close with a mix of events throughout our reader regions. The Loft in Waterloo celebrates a re-opening under new ownership this Saturday. A who’s who of punk and metal acts hits up xBk Live for a benefit show for Des Moines […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Calmer Feeling — ‘Pianos in the Fields of Color’
This is one of the few times I can compare a song to the music you might hear in a swanky therapist’s office and mean it as a compliment. “Waiting Room” off Pianos in the Fields of Color transports you into a world of familiar serenity.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Awe Stuck” by Dianne Alita Rosales Siasoco: Winner of the DMPL + Little Village short story contest
This fall, the Des Moines Public Library and Little Village partnered on a short story competition titled “This Time Next Year.” Writers were invited to submit a story under 2,000 words encompassing predictions about the year ahead. The contest’s judges included LV Art Director Chuy Renteria and fellow authors and editors Sophia Hanson, Carol Hunter and Carol […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Astro Brat — ‘Astro Brat’
Like a lot of people, undergrad was a formative time for my musical tastes. If I were to let you scroll the wheel of my iPod in the mid-aughts, chances are you’d find something that could qualify as “dance-punk.” I’m talking about groups like Bloc Party, Le Tigre, The Rapture, !!!, Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem. There’s a special place in my heart for bands that lean into grooves while still maintaining an edge.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Little Big Screen: ‘Winter Kills’ and other streaming films that are and aren’t about Jeffrey Epstein
There’s only one hit for “Iowa” in Epstein’s newly available inbox of any interest. I figured Jeffrey Epstein’s 1988 trip to Fairfield, Iowa, would have something to do with the subject line that read, in accordance with email marketing best practices for word count and intrigue, “I beat Bush.” That email from Feb. 3, 2016, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Born to draw Batman, Iowa City kid Norm Breyfogle sketched his way into pop culture history
From the shadows, Iowa City has played a quiet role in the mythology of the Batman, all thanks to the co-creations of Norm Breyfogle. When we saw Ratcatcher save the day in James Gunn’s version of The Suicide Squad? That character came from an IC kid. Any time Jeremiah Arkham showed up in a show, […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘The Black Superwoman & Mental Health: Power & Pain’
Toni Morrison once said, “For me the history of the place of Black people in this country is so varied, complex and beautiful.” I read the influence of Mother Morrison’s quote among the stories, essays and poems shared in the anthology The Black Superwoman & Mental Health (Peter Lang). This collection, edited by Drs. Venise […]
