I’m a sucker for an anthology. Short work requires a certain balance of delicacy and force that long-form writing can work around, and the curation process of selecting, collecting and presenting those pieces is its own truly under-discussed art form. It’s something that I love to do, and I especially enjoy experiencing thoughtful examples of […]
Book reviews
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘A New History of Iowa’ by Jeff Bremer
“History doesn’t repeat itself,” the saying goes, “Historians repeat each other.” There’s some truth in that, but the bigger truth is that most people just repeat whatever version of history they learn in school, seldom venturing far beyond what they learned in a general survey course. (Many LV readers may be exceptions to that rule, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fully Booked: Chinese children’s stories for a new year
One of the top picks for the weekly Chinese Bilingual Storytime at the Iowa City Public Library (Fridays at 10:30 a.m.) is The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan Long Shang. While singing along to the sweet family-themed picture book, kids and parents can enjoy a big feast of Chinese […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Book Review: ‘For a Second, In the Dark’ by Alec Hershman
For a Second, In the Dark is a distinct collection of poems in which Alec Hershman takes us on a daunting yet humorous journey through reality. Released in October 2023 by MWC Press, For a Second, in the Dark marks Hershman’s third publication. It was published as the 2021 Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series Editor’s Choice Selection […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘The War Begins in Paris’ by Theodore Wheeler
As a reader, I have largely ignored the historical fiction genre. The War Begins in Paris (2023), by Theodore Wheeler, shows me that I have been remiss. Through it, I’ve learned that at its best, the genre turns a mirror toward the reader and subtly pushes us to see history repeating itself. And it can […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Sundog’ by Melissa Conway
“At the end of January 2018 I sat in a coffee shop sipping a tea I couldn’t afford and reflected on the last month I barely survived. This exercise became a monthly meditation on time passing, what it’s like to live in a body, as a self, something holy, a wrong turn.” This introduction to […]
Posted inStatewide
Fully Booked: The gift of a good YA novel
Can’t decide what to read next? Librarians at the Iowa City Public Library have some ideas. Browse the ICPL’s collection of print books and audiobooks online. Teens are notoriously difficult to buy for, and with the holiday season just around the corner, don’t overlook a book! There should be at least one title below that […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Other Minds and Other Stories’ by Bennett Sims
Within Bennett Sims’ Other Minds and Other Stories (Two Dollar Radio) you’ll find several stories about a variety of psychologically interesting narrators. The one thing that brings them together: they’re all quite bizarre. Sims’ writing is at its strongest when a story’s movement and narration flow hand-in-hand seamlessly. A story that embodies this well is […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors’ edited by Alyssa Cokinis
The phrase “representation is important” has become ubiquitous, so commonplace that it’s easy to lose sight of its meaning. On Twitter, or “X,” the phrase is used memetically to accompany pictures of cute, lazy animals, representing a user’s mental state or level of comfort. What does a joke about the importance of reputation obscure? In […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: Carol Roh Spaulding — ‘Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories’
Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories by Drake University professor Carol Roh Spaulding is well-deserving of winning the 2022 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, utilizing a masterful short story cycle structure spanning four generations of a Korean American family. Add this to your fall TBR list. I believe you, too, will read the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘The Demon, the Hero, and the City of Seven’ by A.E. Kincaid
Imagine going to your middle school Scholastic Book Fair, picking up an intriguing fantasy title and thumbing through to find “fuck” sprinkled throughout. If that prospect delights your inner (or outer) 6th-grade persona, then A.E. Kincaid’s The Demon, the Hero, and the City of Seven (2021, Phantom House Press) is for you. This debut novel […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Inmani: Nova Mundo Blues’ by Cullen McHael
Never before have I come across a book that so thoroughly encapsulates the experience of enjoying a piece of Juicy Fruit gum. Cullen McHael’s debut Inmani: Nova Mundo Blues does just that; the novel provides a world and characters that are satisfying to chew on, but in some ways leaves the reader wanting. Inmani follows […]
