Editors’ Pick When playwright August Wilson died in 2005, he left behind more than just a powerful and unparalleled body of work examining the consciousness of Black America. Wilson, who started his writing career as a poet, also gifted the world a selection of unpublished love poems. Pieces of My Heart sets them as a […]
Central Iowa
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ballet Des Moines announces six-show free summer tour for ‘Of Gravity and Light’
Ballet Des Moines has announced a six-stop trip across Iowa for Of Gravity and Light, a deeply immersive, science-packed show that received a standing ovation at its one-night only show on April 22. Gravity on Tour will include a mobile planetarium, Iowa State University’s FLEx Virtual Reality lab and more STEM experiences, as well as […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Oh Say, Can You Sing? Competition is open for submissions
Audition slots are open for the Oh Say, Can You Sing? Competition hosted by the Yankee Doodle Pops. Every year, singers from across the state enter to sing the National Anthem with the Des Moines Symphony during the concert. This year’s Pops concert will be on Friday, July 1 at 8:30 p.m. on the West […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines opens second concession stand at Gray’s Lake Park due to high attendance
Seeing increased park attendance, Des Moines’ Gray’s Lake is reopening its second, beachside concession stand after a decade of vacancy on the northside of the lake. Jennifer Fletcher, spokesperson for the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department, tells Axios Des Moines that the department has seen a spike in park-goers since the beginning of the […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon is out to prove ‘the prairie’s got something to say’
“One thing that people maybe don’t know about Canada is that the places above and below the border are similar to each other,” said Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian MC who performs as Cadence Weapon. “I live in Toronto now, and we definitely get kind of Detroit vibes over here, whereas Alberta, where I’m originally from, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Song of Myself’: An essay on running
The feeling of health, the full-noon trill, the song of me rising from bed and meeting the sun. We let technology guide us in many facets of our lives. We wake up to our smartphone alarms and go to bed staring at them, scrolling, usually knowing we are wasting precious time. Sometimes, possibly more than […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Community/News
Your Village: Does Iowa have a state sport?
There seems to be a new push to make the “Field of Dreams” some kind of big baseball location, which made me wonder if Iowa has an official state sport or if they’re going to make baseball the state sport? —RB, Iowa City Iowa doesn’t have an official state sport. Only 17 states do and […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Iowa runners on running
Since the pandemic began, more people are running than ever. It is one of the most popular, and for many, accessible forms of exercise there is. Little Village asked a range of runners from Des Moines, the CRANDIC and the Quad Cities areas to comment on their experiences: advice for beginners, motivations to move, injury […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Mr. Softheart (formerly Hex Girls) — “Caravaggio”/“Flower of Tomorrow”
“I suppose the new direction is another pandemic story,” Nick Fisher offers as the impetus for the recent pivot of the band formerly known as Hex Girls. “I had begun writing lyrics to songs that seemed to lend themselves to a new project: The themes were darker, perhaps more complex. Personal grief, as well as […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: MEKTOUB — ‘Elizabeth’
In 2019, frequenters of Goosetown Café mingled with friends of John Rapson to delight in the new band he had assembled: MEKTOUB. It was a trio, initially — Rapson on the keys, Ryan Smith on woodwinds and Nielo Gaglione on vocals and mandole. Together, the three produced a distinct style of improvisational music they describe […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Ingersoll Live will return for an 18th year of bringing neighbors together this summer
Starting in just a parking lot 18 years ago, Ingersoll Live is now an annual block party bringing Des Moines’ Ingersoll Avenue neighbors together to relish in a district of fine dining, businesses, bars and family fun. The Avenues, a nonprofit on Ingersoll and Grand, will present Ingersoll Live again on Aug. 27, and is […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Little Village Central Iowa Issue 003
Read issue 003 » Find a comfortable stump and flip through Little Village’s 2022 recreation guide (or just use it for kindling). In this issue, nearly two dozen Iowa runners of various ages, backgrounds and personal reasons for running discuss their style: where they go, what they wear, how they protect against injury and self-doubt, […]
