Read issue 316 ยป
Mission Creek Festival is coming in early April, and Little Village can’t help but get hyped. In this issue, LV’s new Arts Editor Isaac Hamlet interviews MCF up-and-comer mars hojilla while Sarah Elgatian looks over the literary lineup (dominated by queer women of color, including Crying in H Mart author Michelle Zauner), and Kembrew McLeod explores the local artists that make MCF an eclectic, oddball, community-building affair every spring.
Also in this issue: To legalize or not to legalize? For conservative lawmakers, the choice is whether to follow federal regulations and continue to condemn marijuana as a dangerous “gateway drug,” or open the doors to a new industry, the likes of which netted Illinois nearly half a billion dollars in tax revenue last year — admitting in the process that a century-old set of laws may be outdated. Well, it’s 2023, and cannabis reform continues to be a no-go in the Iowa Legislature. But it wasn’t always like this, and the leader of Iowa’s “free the weed” organizing efforts is determined to see a more pot-friendly Iowa again. Plus: A review of Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant in Coralville, part two of Summer Santos’ musings on machismo, an essay on the nuances of being called “strong,” and a brand-new humor column that’ll feel like a blast from the past for longtime IC/CR townies. And also! — Iowa-born and Nashville-based country darling Hailey Whitters can’t wait to get her hands on a pork tenderloin and the mic at Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon on March 30 before her career takes a giant leap forward.
