Last year, I prioritized reading books that were nominated for literary awards as a way to diversify my reading. I was pleased to see that LGBTQ+ authors and stories were well-represented, and encouraged by this, I committed to reading books from a variety of prize lists. Last year was an outstanding year for LGBTQ+ representation […]
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A friendship and a folk band, the Awful Purdies celebrates 20 years this summer with a ‘goulash’ of new songs
Awful Purdies are a group of five women who joined forces like an Americana Voltron. For the past 20 years, they have been rocking the region with their beautiful blend of folk, honky tonk, bluegrass and a little bit of soul. This synthesis is achieved through an amalgamation of instruments that range from cello, mandolin […]
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Comedian Brooks Wheelan on growing up in Iowa, road-tripping with Seth Meyers and the perils of Spider League: ‘This could lead to another suspension’
Brooks Wheelan has seen his share of spiders. That’s not his job, but it’s one of his calling cards. He’s also run circles around the Los Angeles comedy scene. Running is not his job, either. I mean, it kind of was, but not anymore. He’s a comedian. And since he was born in Cedar Rapids, grew up in Manchester and is an alum of the University of Iowa, he’s our comedian.
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Review: ‘Clumsy’ stepsisters, magical fairies and ballroom tableaus help give Ballet Des Moines a happy ending to the season
Ballet Des Moines brought Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella to the Des Moines Civic Center earlier this month, a timeless tale made for the big stage. This charming production drew audiences of all ages, thanks in great part to their community ticketing program, a partnership with Iowa libraries that has introduced ballet to hundreds of library patrons throughout their season.
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Fully Booked at DMPL: Dynamic dinosaur books
Lately, I’ve had dinos on the brain. Luckily, as a youth librarian, I’m not alone — after all, kids and dinosaurs go together like mac and cheese! I try to have some fun dino books ready for those eager kids looking to get a little closer to what our planet was like eons ago. I […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Mark Haugen — ‘Maybe Next Year’
Maybe Next Year by Mark Haugen “There are anchors and balloons, tell me which one are you?” This was the first lyric to spring from Mark Haugen’s latest album cycle. Releasing “Anchors and Balloons” as the lead single of Maybe Next Year was a thoughtful choice; the song’s lyrics tease the world of the full […]
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Review: ‘Natchez’ shows romanticized history, while sometimes comforting, is far creepier than the truth
When the trailer for the Best Documentary Feature winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, Natchez, first played at FilmScene, my initial, curious response was eclipsed by my partners’ who said, “I’ve been there. We had a family reunion there.” Even before watching the film, its themes of history and tourism were placed firmly on our lap, already haunting the theater. How far away was the past, really?
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘2008’ by Susan McCarty
It’s official, I’ve reached an age when books set in the past are set in my past. With Susan McCarty’s 2008 I found myself so deeply rooted in a former decade, I instinctively reached for the Fall Out Boy CD I played so many times it became unreadable. An uncanny experience, even if the book […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Jacob Lampman — ‘Jacob Lampman’s Ego Death’
Jacob Lampman's Ego Death by Jacob Lampman When singer-songwriter Jacob Lampman and his cohort take the stage and you spot the upright bass, flute, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitars, you may ask yourself, “What kind of music am I about to hear?” The instrumentation conjures up bluegrass or folk, but the sounds that emanate from […]
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Utilizing the Source’s basement of VHS tapes, Quad Cities creatives put a local spin on ‘Criterion Closet Picks’
The Video Home System, or VHS, format was introduced in the late ’70s, revolutionizing the way people consumed movies. DVD would usurp it at the turn of the century, of course, but you’re hard-pressed to find a Gen Xer or millenial without at least a little video cassette nostalgia. Gen Z has shown an appetite […]
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With ‘IOWA,’ experimental composer Lia Ouyang Rusli pays tribute to Chris Wiersema, the IC music scene
Lia Ouyang Rusli is a prolific film composer who has scored A24’s Sorry, Baby and Problemista, HBO’s Fantasmas and several other films. She also releases albums as OHYUNG, her ongoing solo experimental project that encompasses pummeling noise, euphoric pop and ambient drones. In March 2026, she released her second ambient album, IOWA, which was inspired […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: OHYUNG — ‘IOWA’
IOWA by OHYUNG My first recollection of meeting Lia Ouyang Rusli was at a Feed Me Weird Things show she performed at as OHYUNG. I had been asked to provide lights and haze. I didn’t completely know what to expect outside of a request for strobes. If you want strobe lights, you’re already after my […]
