Mindy Mejia was only at the University of Iowa for one year of undergrad, but she still remembers the storm. “During one trip back [to UI] to visit friends, I actually got caught in an ice storm, so very similar to the setting of the book,” the Minnesota-based author recalled. “Everything was shut down, only […]
Fall Arts Preview 2023
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Improvising with her trombone, FEaST performer Kalia Vandever creates ‘music that is reflecting on itself’
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and FEaST is a sonic smorgasbord best consumed with ears wide open. The off-kilter brainchild of Iowa City-based experimental music maker and promotor Chris Wiersema, this annual festival builds on his aptly named Feed Me Weird Things live performance series — which pushes the boundaries of convention in […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Abe Goldstien’s Waukee jazz series showcases international talent on an ‘acoustically perfect’ stage
“Hey, if you’re passionate about it, figure out a way to do it yourself,” said Abe Goldstien, explaining the philosophy that has made his local concert series, Jazz at the Caspe Terrace, a magnet for international jazz talent for 15 years. After all, Goldstien has had a passion for jazz since his boyhood in Rochester, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A moment of blues ‘magic’ brought the Avey Grouws Band together in the Quad Cities
Having twice climbed into the top 10 of Billboard’s Blues Charts, the Avey Grouws Band is hitting the road for its first West Coast tour. “Musicians support other musicians in the Quad Cities,” said Jeni Grouws, thanking fans and fellow musicians for helping create a space where her band can flourish. The QC-based roots rock […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review and Q&A: ‘The Overnight Guest’ by Heather Gudenkauf
I grew up in a small town — population 600 on a good day. Rural Iowans are familiar with the one gas station, one bar kind of town, but it takes a special writer to encapsulate small-town life without turning it trite. Heather Gudenkauf, a New York Times bestselling author based out of Iowa, does […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story’ by Grant Faulkner
Readers may know Grant Faulkner for his work as director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) — a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging aspiring writers to pen a whole novel in 30 days — but his newest book, The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story, focuses on a different kind of literary challenge: […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘I love collaboration, I eat it up’: Lex Leto to help launch Englert’s new Track Zero series with Emily Wells on Wednesday
If multi-instrumentalist and composer Lex Letourneau (Leto) isn’t on Iowa City music fans’ radars just yet, they’re bound to make a few blips by the end of autumn. A Georgia native, Leto started grad school at the University of Iowa in 2019 to study with flute professor Nicole Esposito. Experimental, contemporary music, specifically “weird flute […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Have a story from Harlan’s Barbershop? Jill Wells wants to make it a part of her new Des Moines art piece
Barbershops have long served as social and cultural hubs for Black Americans, and Harlan’s Barbershop, open for half a century in Des Moines’ Woodland Heights neighborhood, was no exception. Harlan’s opened in 1968; that same year, construction finished on I-235, which had displaced thriving Black businesses, churches and communities in the Center Street district, not […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert hosting 50 Years of Hip Hop celebration on Friday
From hip hop’s roots in DJ Kool Herc’s Sedgwick apartment in the Bronx, to its countless iterations across coasts, countries and decades, the Englert Theatre plans to celebrate “50 Years of Hip Hop” on Sept. 15. The event will feature fun visuals and displays that highlight and honor the core elements of MCing, DJing, beat […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ahzia Hester is still rendering
It is hard to say where someone will find Iowa City-based artist Ahzia Hester on any given day. Maybe he’s opening for GZA at the Englert Theatre, or Cautious Clay at the Iowa Memorial Union. He might be at Gabe’s, performing his own songs and DJing the artists that influenced them, all over the same […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Iowa Underground Railroad Bike Ride will lead cyclists through 136 miles of history
A portion of Iowa’s rich abolitionist history will be revealed for some, and refreshed for others, during the new Iowa Underground Railroad Bike Ride. Presented by Iowa’s National Association of Social Workers, the Des Moines branch of Black Girls Do Bike and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, the two-and-a-half-day ride combines learning, endurance and community in […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
For Blake Shaw, no gig is more rewarding than teaching — but two teaching gigs won’t keep him from the stage
Several weeks ago, Iowa City-area musician Blake Shaw shared some exciting news with folks who follow him on Instagram, @theeblakebass. “Starting this fall,” he posted, “along with my work at Cornell College, I’ll also be taking over the Kirkwood Community College jazz department! My main responsibilities will be directing the big band and one other […]
