As an annoyingly inquisitive child with parents who encouraged critical thinking, I struggled to believe in God. We still went to church on Church holidays, though — not out of a sense of obligation, but out of an appreciation of ritual. The multisensory stimulations of Catholic mass enchanted and mystified me, with the silk and […]
Op-Ed
Posted inCommunity/News
The Black Angel and Ana Mendieta
“I have been carrying on a dialogue between the landscape and the female body (based on my own silhouette). I believe this has been a direct result of my having been torn from my homeland (Cuba) during my adolescence. I am overwhelmed by the feeling of having been cast from the womb (nature). My art […]
Posted inLetters
Op-ed: As Banned Books Week turns 40, it’s time to unequivocally condemn censorship
By Mickey Huff, Project Censored In her best-selling novel Speak, young adult author Laurie Halse Anderson wrote, “Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.” Since the American Library Association (ALA) and Association of American Publishers helped launch Banned Books Week 40 years ago, that dysfunctional family of censorship has unfortunately grown […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Song of Myself’: An essay on running
The feeling of health, the full-noon trill, the song of me rising from bed and meeting the sun. We let technology guide us in many facets of our lives. We wake up to our smartphone alarms and go to bed staring at them, scrolling, usually knowing we are wasting precious time. Sometimes, possibly more than […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Dana James: Unemployment in Iowa has never been a ‘hammock’
I lost my job when the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008 and unemployment soared, pushing homeowners into foreclosure and the nation into crisis. For the first time in my life, I filed for unemployment benefits, which would keep me afloat for nine long months. A bachelor’s degree didn’t insulate me from financial distress nor […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Dana James: Black hairstyles have consequences
“His hair is disgusting.” “He shouldn’t be allowed to work here with that hair.” “It’s not professional.” As I sat working at my desk, I could hear snatches of my coworkers’ conversation about the new Black employee’s locs. If my former coworkers had worked in human resources, it’s doubtful he’d have ever been hired — […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Op-ed: Why The Lord of the Rings movies matter 20 years later
A disembodied melody punctured by sharp whispers; the resounding voice of Lady Galadriel demands your attention to the darkened screen. The commencement of arguably the best adapted fantasy series ever has begun — that is, 20 years ago. Sunday, Dec. 19 marks the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the […]
Posted inLetters
‘Cowboy Justice’: A first-hand account of the deadly 1991 UI campus shooting, 30 years later
It’s Nov. 1, 1991, an ordinary Friday afternoon, the day after Halloween. I’m sitting alone in a big office on the fifth floor of Van Allen Hall, where the Physics Department at the University of Iowa is housed, when I hear a loud noise on a floor below: Pop pop pop. That sounds like gunshots, […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Tiffany O’Donnell has surface style and troubling substance
By Chad Cooper, Cedar Rapids When Tiffany O’Donnell announced her candidacy for mayor of Cedar Rapids in late March, one couldn’t escape the notion that her campaign was being built on that bedrock of political popularity: name recognition. Press releases and media reports overflowed with mentions of O’Donnell’s years as a news anchor and highlighted […]
Posted inCommunity/News
From the archive: An eye for an eye as the blind lead the blind (Sept. 14, 2001)
Originally published in Little Village issue 6, October 2001. “If you’re not going to quote Jesus about turning the other cheek or about loving your enemies, then you have no business quoting the Bible at all. So shut up.” -Kirk Anderson Sept. 14, 2001 Minneapolis The events of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 are likely to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The miraculous hard work of blooming where planted: Tending the garden of Iowa music
Tonight, it feels like New York in Elray’s. Maybe it’s the absence of live music for so long? Or maybe it’s the unexpected blend of looping pedal, expansive jazz bass lines and heartfelt covers converging into what is Blake Shaw’s new pandemic-constructed solo show? Certainly, there is something magical about the great sound system and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Revolution and Beatitudes of Black Liberation: A video essay by Stacey Walker
Produced by Little Village in partnership with Witching Hour and Englert Wavelength Below is an excerpt from Walker’s essay, published in Little Village’s February 2021 issue. What is Black Liberation? What does it mean to be free? Black people have been fighting for liberation since we arrived on the shores of what would come to […]
