THE WEEKENDER
Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium
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The final weekend of February is packed with events for eastern Iowans. Locals have an array of performances to pick from including I Left My Dignity In My Other Purse at Mirror Box Theatre in Cedar Rapids as well as a Prairie Lights virtual event featuring New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Makkai. Pick of the week: On Friday evening, Prairie Lights is hosting a reading of On Becoming An American Writer: Essays & Nonfiction, the posthumous publication of James Alan McPherson, a longtime Iowa City resident and the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Readers for the event include Rachel McPherson and Writers’ Workshop director, Lan Samantha Chang.
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The Weekender is sponsored by:
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Big Grove Brewery
Mardi Gras Beer Dinner
Feb 23 – 5:00pm
Street parties, masked balls, and lavish dinners…sound familiar?
More info >>
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Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center
26th Annual Souper Bowl Fundraiser
Feb 23 – 5:30pm
The “Souper Bowl” was created by DVIP Executive Director, Kristie Fortmann-Doser, to challenge the myth that more violence occurs against women around the NFL Super Bowl.
More info >>
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The Englert Theatre
The Soft Stuff: A Spoken Word Event
Feb 23 – 6:30pm
Iowa poets, Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, Kelsey Bigelow, and Hannah/Charlie Hall will share their powerful & soft spoken word poetry with everyone.
More info >>
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University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art
Spriestersbach Lecture w/Oliver Lee Jackson
Feb 23 – 7:00pm
Over the span of five decades, Oliver Lee Jackson has developed a singular body of work, creating complex and layered paintings in which figural forms meld with abstract fields of vivid color.
More info >>
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Iowa City Public Library
Driving While Black: a Black History Month film
Feb 23 – 7:00pm
The film examines the history of African Americans on the road from the depths of the Depression to the height of the Civil Rights movement and beyond.
More info >>
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Iowa Theatre, IMU
A Year of War: Commemorating the Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Feb 24 – 5:15pm
The European Studies Group (ESG) will present a panel discussion that will engage leading experts from Midwestern universities in a conversation about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
More info >>
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Prairie Lights Books & Cafe
James Alan McPherson’s On Becoming An American Writer Group Reading
Feb 24 – 6:00pm
Please join us for a special reading in honor of the posthumous publication of James Alan McPherson’s On Becoming An American Writer: Essays & Nonfiction.
More info >>
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Joystick Comedy Bar & Arcade
My Best Friend is Black Comedy Showcase
Feb 24 – 9:30pm
Join us for My Best Friend is Black comedy showcase at Joystick.
More info >>
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NewBo City Market
Black-Owned Business Market at NewBo City Market
Feb 25 – 10:00am
Celebrate Black History Month at NewBo City Market by supporting black-owned businesses!
More info >>
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Cedar Rapids Public Library-Downtown
Poetry, Music, and the Environment with Iowa Poet Laureate Debra Marquart
Feb 25 – 10:30am
Join us for an entertaining morning of poetry, music, and storytelling with Iowa Poet Laureate Debra Marquart.
More info >>
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NewBo City Market
Nerdy People Cooking: Avatar – The Last Airbender
Feb 25 – 3:00pm
In this weeks episode of Nerdy People Cooking, we will earth bend our way into Avatar: The Last Airbender!
More info >>
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Wildwood BBQ & Saloon
GIDEON w/ For The Fallen Dreams, Orthodox, Guerilla Warfare, Phantom Threat & Atlas Take Charge
Feb 25 – 7:00pm
GIDEON w/ For The Fallen Dreams, Orthodox, Guerilla Warfare, Phantom Threat & Atlas Take Charge
More info >>
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The ArtiFactory
"the fog comes on little cat feet"
Feb 25 – 7:30pm
World Premiere! Overnight in the waiting room of a veterinary emergency room. The TV volume is f*cked, the vending machine is out of Diet Coke, and tonight’s a new moon.
More info >>
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The Englert Theatre
Englert Local Showcase Series
Feb 25 – 7:30pm
Sean Tyler, The Wilted, and 24thankyou perform at the Englert!
More info >>
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Paramount Theatre Cedar Rapids
The Pork Tornadoes
Feb 25 – 8:00pm
The Pork Tornadoes are one of the most popular cover bands in the Midwest, known for putting a unique spin on all of your favorite songs, spanning 5 decades and 4 different genres.
More info >>
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Mirrorbox Theatre
I Left My Dignity in My Other Purse
Feb 26 – 2:30pm
Ah, retirement! The time we all look forward to – until it goes to hell in a handcart.
More info >>
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University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art
Write at the Stanley w/DK Nnuro
Feb 26 – 3:00pm
More info >>
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Paramount Theatre Cedar Rapids
The Simon & Garfunkel Story
Feb 26 – 3:00pm
The internationally-acclaimed hit theater show The Simon & Garfunkel Story will stop by the Paramount Theatre on Sunday, February 26, 2023 during the coast-to-coast U.S. tour.
More info >>
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PS1—Close House
iHearIC: Mars Hojilla, dropbear, Rachel Saint, Robyn Groth
Feb 26 – 7:30pm
The free local concert series is back! Dancehall (upstairs) at Close House – FREE ADMISSION (please donate if able)
More info >>
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FilmScene—Chauncey
Black is… Black Ain’t
Feb 27 – 7:00pm
Marlon Riggs’ final documentary explores the wide spectrum of Black experience.
More info >>
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