New York Times best selling author Ayana Mathis will be reading from her debut novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Knopf, 2012), at the Englert Theater on Feb. 25. The reading will be presented by Prairie Lights Books. Mathis is currently a visiting professor at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she graduated with an MFA in Fiction. Her novel has received wide recognition, first as the winner of the 2012 Michener Copernicus Fellowship and then as the second book selection by Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. Critic Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times called the novel “astonishingly powerful,” and echoed Oprah’s comparison of Mathis’s work to that of Toni Morrison.
Englert Theatre
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: February 21-23
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekender. Starting with Thursday, Iowa City’s Home Ec. Workshop is putting on its fourth annual Craft Crawl this weekend. Attendees have four days (Thursday – Sunday) to purchase discounted items from 6 different local businesses, and participate in activities they have arranged…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Oscars: Where will you be watching?
The Oscars are set to air on ABC at 7:30 p.m. this Sunday, and Iowa City film aficionados have a couple of opportunities to make a night of it.
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Prairie Pop
On The Beat: What shows are in store for the winter migration
Iowa City has been pretty quiet over the past few weeks. That tends to be the case when a big chunk of the population migrates to Chicagoland (or wherever), and another chunk goes into hibernation. We all must accept the fact that less people in town means fewer shows. That is not to say that […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Arts Review: To Lead One Beyond All Paintings
Heidi Van Wieren’s paintings on view at the Englert’s second floor gallery space are magnificent objects. They are everything one wants an abstract painting to be: thick paint slides and wrinkles down the surface of the panel with fiendishly slow intensity. Materials congeal to create mesmerizing visual patterns. Compositions are engaging and surprising. They are […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: December 13-15
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekender. This weekend we get to watch one of our favorite downtown establishments turn 50 years old, raise some money/awareness for some our community’s non-profits and spread some Christmas cheer, all with a backdrop of super Iowa music. As another semester comes to a close, I hope […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: December 6-8
Welcome to another edition of the Weekender. I’m finding myself a little under the weather as I write this one. I don’t often like to cut corners, I might rely on other peoples’ words over mine this week, as my head feels like it might pop at any moment. We’ll call it “block quote crutches.” […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Iowa City Song Project
Iowa City Song Project maximumamesrecords.com As a teenager hungry for a scene larger than the veritable cultural island of Bellevue, IA, at night I would arrange and rearrange my radio antenna to try to capture KUNI to get a glimpse of the world of music around me, which included bands from Iowa City. It […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Talking Movies: Landlocked Film Festival: Oct 25-28
Since its inception in 2007, Landlocked, Iowa City’s film festival, has taken place in late August. This year it runs from Oct. 25-28th. Hopefully, it will lure more students, who ought to appreciate not only the admission fee (it’s free!) but also the crazy variety of films: animation, docs, features, music videos, shorts and spirited […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Marilynne Robinson interview – Reading 10/24 at Englert Theatre
I sat down on behalf of Little Village to catch up with Marilynne Robinson in her office at the Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, in advance of her upcoming talk at the Englert Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The acclaimed novelist, essayist and professor has received more awards, fellowships and prestigious visiting lectureships than can be tallied here, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On the Beat: Iowa City Song Project
I try to collect as much Iowa City music as I possibly can. When I can’t buy a record at a show, I scour Bandcamp pages for the ones I don’t have yet. I spend hours creating and editing mixes of my favorite songs for my friends and family—people who aren’t familiar with the Iowa City […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: October 18-21
Welcome to another edition of the Weekender. It’s looking a little cold and wet out there at the moment, but we’re Iowans; we’re proud of our ability to tolerate anything the sky throws at us, right? Let’s take a look at what else the wind blows our way this weekend. THURSDAY Balmorhea w. Haunter, Kill […]
