Like an indie horror film that unexpectedly smashes box office records, the One of Us horror book fest was destined for a sequel. Ran by Ames-based Filthy Loot Press and its founder Ira Rat, last year’s inaugural event celebrated horror fiction and independent writers at Public Space One’s Close House. With the groundwork laid from […]
Ames businesses
Pammel Grocery and Deli is a go-to spot for lunch and international ingredients in Ames
Ahmad Manci doesn’t believe in self-promotion or “propaganda,” as he calls it. So for almost 40 years, international students and Ames locals alike have found their way to Manci’s Pammel Grocery and Deli largely by word of mouth, be it a recommendation from a friend or the Iowa State University Reddit forums. Manci opened Pammel […]
Bumper Crops: Ames is for pinball lovers
Valentine’s Day is here, and when I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of love. When I think of love, I think of pinball. The two aren’t that different, really. Both require good timing and the right amount of physical interaction: play too gently and your chances of scoring go down; play too hard and […]
Essay: A Floridian encounters beauty, love, bad weather and discomforting deja vu in Iowa
I knew nothing about Iowa before I knew it was taking my partner away from me. The original plan was to break up at the end of the summer, before college; four years later, we’ve somehow made the long distance work. The first time I visited Billy in Iowa was fall 2019. Since then, I’ve […]




