Karina Longworth, the writer, film historian and voice behind the podcast You Must Remember This, will be stopping at Varsity Cinema in Des Moines and FilmScene in Iowa City in the days ahead to tour the latest season of the show, titled “The Bisexuals.” First launched in 2014, You Must Remember This features diligent research […]
Iowa City events
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Seeking a Dylan for the Trump era, Lucinda Williams decided to give it a shot herself: ‘Somebody had to do it’
When the current chapter of political chaos began swirling around us two years ago, famed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams knew something important was missing. The kind of music that had marked the political activism of her youth was not there. She decided that, as a songwriter, that was a thing she could do something about. Williams […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Iron Lung plays ‘an all-timer kind of show’ for hardcore fans at Deadwood
On most Tuesday nights, Iowa City’s beloved Deadwood Tavern is a calm, quiet space, filled with not much more than the sounds of light chatter and the collision of billiard balls. But on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 13, there would be no such peace, as the bar welcomed Seattle’s legendary powerviolence duo Iron Lung […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘What Feeds Below’ by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Tatiana Schlote-Bonne’s third novel, What Feeds Below (Boozhoo Books), is immediately engrossing. The narrator, Petra, is likable and big-hearted.
She and the city she lives in survive on tourism. Petra and her bestie Jade give tours of the Void, a miles-deep chasm at the edge of the city where an advanced ancient people lived. It is full of mysterious wonders and it is deadly beyond comprehension.
Eventually, a job goes wrong. Petra, who never wanted this life — she wants to be a doctor — now has to find a way to rescue her much braver, more experienced partner.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: A world premiere, ‘I, Will’ from Riverside Theatre gives Shakespeare a taste of his own medicine
1608. It’s miserable. The plague has rocked London to its core, and if it’s not that, the city is ruled by a bizarre and unpredictable regime that seems more interested in its own self-image than the well-being of its population. To make things worse, Shakespeare has lost both his audience and his touch. In short, everything sucks. This is where I, Will: A Late Romance, the kick-off production of Riverside Theatre’s 2026/27 season opens, and our story begins.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
David Huckfelt talks protest music, Minnesota pride and the joys of tricking Dave Moore ahead of his James Theater debut
Everything is crumbling, but David Huckfelt, a Midwestern folk musician and activist, is putting out a new album, just eight months after the last one — a scoop he shared with Little Village.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The One of Us horror book fair returns Saturday with a Pulitzer-winning guest
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 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Channeling Dolly, Sierra Ferrell entertained floral-adorned fans of all ages on the Hancher lawn
The smell of fresh-cut grass, the roar of generators powering food trucks, and a light dash of summer heat filled the air outside Hancher Auditorium on Friday night, as a massive crowd gathered to see alternative country star Sierra Ferrell perform at Hancher Auditorium’s Fall Welcome concert.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
New Mary Oliver documentary inspires Iowa City orgs to celebrate a poet often disregarded in elite circles
Film director (and former University of Iowa professor) Sasha Waters first recalls being struck by the work of Mary Oliver as a new parent, listening to A Prairie Home Companion in her Iowa City kitchen. Years later, PBS would ask her to make a documentary about the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet for the American Masters […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Painter Marcia Wegman’s final exhibition includes nods to Things & Things & Things, her beloved bygone Iowa City store
Marcia Wegman has been in the Iowa City zeitgeist since arriving here in 1957 to study printmaking with Mauricio Lasansky at the University of Iowa. Now at the age of 90, Marcia is presenting what she is calling her final show, one that also serves as an homage to her time running a beloved retail store in the heart […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Photos: Pokey’s Fest 4 had the longhairs and baldies head-banging in Iowa City
The fourth, expanded iteration of hardcore and punk festival Pokey’s Fest commanded three venues over three stormy nights in Iowa City, and saw the debut of a slick new band. There were last-minute revisions to the lineup and day-of venue changes thanks to uncooperative weather, but would it really be Pokey’s Fest if there weren’t […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: ‘Natchez’ shows romanticized history, while sometimes comforting, is far creepier than the truth
When the trailer for the Best Documentary Feature winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, Natchez, first played at FilmScene, my initial, curious response was eclipsed by my partners’ who said, “I’ve been there. We had a family reunion there.” Even before watching the film, its themes of history and tourism were placed firmly on our lap, already haunting the theater. How far away was the past, really?
