Print Edition

The rapture didn’t arrive in September, as some TikTokers predicted. Nor did arrive in 1979, the year cult leader John Robert Stevens had promised his followers a great tribulation. Society would be reborn in his image, centered out of a compound in southeast Iowa called Shiloh. The prophecy failed, but Shiloh lasted another four decades […]

Add some local art to your autumn with this guide to upcoming festivals, concerts, exhibitions, theatrical productions and more in central and eastern Iowa. Inside: Why Iowa thespians are putting on increasingly provocative plays; Danielle Colby of American Pickers fame discusses her new museum of stripping arts in the Quad Cities; Lene Lovich plans an […]

For the 10th year running, Bread & Butter is back to pick your next meal — or your next year of meals — out in eastern and central Iowa. Browse reviews of more than 40 restaurants, from fresh new spots to well-greased staples, across Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, Dubuque, […]

In this issue, LV drills into a disturbing imbalance: 80% of Iowans rely on groundwater to drink, but households account for less than half of public well-water usage in the state. Big Ag sops up most of it, all while spilling nitrates into waterways. With a rural water crisis brewing, will Iowa make a plan […]

Is Pride a party or a protest? Are cops welcome? What does it mean to resist? Local leaders with skin in the game discuss what’s at stake as the state clamps down on LGBTQ+ rights. Also in this issue, trans writer Achilles F. Seastrom visits queer-friendly Iowa congregations that were practicing radical inclusivity long before […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds won’t seek reelection, giving her term an expiration date of Jan. 20, 2027. Iowa’s first woman governor has overseen more than 10,000 COVID deaths, rising cancer rates, declining public schools, unprecedented hunger, a near-total abortion ban and culture wars galore. But LV’s Paul Brennan — who has written upwards of 500 stories […]

Dreaming of summer? If you’re in Iowa City, hold your horseplay: City Park pool is getting a revamp, leaving townies without an outdoor pool for the first time since the Truman administration. In this issue, LV explores why access to public pools is a safety issue in any community, from IC to Des Moines’ North […]

Rain or shine, it’s prime time to enjoy a third place in your community. In this 2025 Spring Arts Issue, Little Village catches up with Rozz-Tox, the eclectic Q.C. cafe and performance space that recently succeeded in buying its building…

Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny these shellfish are fresh. In this issue, Little Village cracks into some of the best oysters served in Iowa restaurants. Plus: The state’s only romance-only bookstore, dorky date spots in Ames, a contagious love of poetry, a pleasure exercise and Kiki’s kinkiest question yet. Meet two local […]

Frozen branches, blooming mushrooms, outdoorsy kids, historic architecture, photogenic animals, bird’s-eye views, snow, sun, rust, romance, rainbows — flip through five-dozen photographs of Iowa and Iowans, taken by LV readers and curated by LV Graphic Designer Kate Doolittle. The images have not been cropped or significantly altered, appearing here as the photographer submitted them. The […]

For the third time, Little Village is capping off the year with Peak Iowa: stories of the strange, fascinating, disturbing and heartwarming, all with something to teach us about this state. Clip on a tie, lasso your hobby horse, crank up the Slipknot and get ready for a bumpy ride. Also in this issue: Hip-hop […]

As this godforsaken year nears its end, giving way to the comforts but mostly stresses of the holiday season, there’s no better time to turn your focus local — from gift-shopping to just plain giving. The Give Guide in this magazine will point you towards an Iowa-based nonprofit (or a dozen, or 100) combatting injustice […]