Little Village Issue 341 - June 2025 by Little Village Magazine

Independent Iowa News, Culture & Events

We Make Us Safe

Trans leaders on fear, joy & seizing power back

The love story behind Des Moines’ Pride murals

Iowa’s queer-friendly Quakers & congregations

Hancher’s 2025–2026

Exceptional performances in a spectacular space!

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Take Care

Do cops belong at Pride?

Is it a party or a protest?

Local leaders discuss.

Churches

These Iowa religious groups practice what they preach. Namely, love.

Loud Mouthed

Pokey’s Fest 3 will be “in your face. I’m not trying to make music for jocks.”

Little Village (ISSN 2328-3351) is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City, published monthly by Little Village, LLC, 623 S Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community according to core values: environmental sustainability, affordability and access, economic and labor justice, racial justice, gender equity, quality healthcare, quality education and critical culture. Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome. We reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@ littlevillagemag.com. Subscriptions: lv@littlevillagemag.com. The US annual subscription price is $120. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@littlevillagemag. com. To browse back issues, visit us online at issuu.com/littlevillage.

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EDITORIAL

Publisher

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Editor-in-Chief

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

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Chuy Renteria chuy@littlevillagemag.com

News Director

Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Graphic Designer

Kellan Doolittle kellan@littlevillagemag.com

Calendar/Event Listings

Sean Haskins calendar@littlevillagemag.com

En Español Editor

Claudia Pozzobon Potratz

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

June Contributors

Achilles F. Seastrom, Anne Wilmoth, Benjamin Skeers, Broc Nelson, Elisabeth Oster, Emily Slattery Phillips, Hannah Wright, Jane Claspy Nesmith, John Busbee, Kellee Forkenbrock, Kembrew McLeod, Lauren Haldeman, Liz Rosa, Miguel Carpio, Rob Brezsny, Sam Locke Ward, Sam Ham, Sara Williams,

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Sarah Elgatian, Timothy Tindle, Tom Tomorrow

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Meet this month’s contributors!

Achilles Fergus Seastrom is a transgender writer and artist living in Ames. Find his nature and culture podcast Not All That Human on Spotify.

Anne Wilmoth is a children’s and collection services librarian at Iowa City Public Library. Her favorite local hiking trail is at F.W. Kent County Park.

Ben Skeers is a writer, cartoonist and social worker from West Des Moines. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence at the Correctional Release Center in Newton, Iowa.

Broc Nelson is a lifelong music fan, improviser, Quad Citizen and enthusiast of all things creative, tasty and weird.

Elisabeth Oster is a freelance writer and designer, and collector of dad rock.

Emily Slattery Phillips is a youth services librarian for the Des Moines Public Library after a career as an art educator in the public schools. An obsessive reader, books have always been a home for her, and a place to explore and learn.

Hannah Rosalie Wright is a photographer and filmmaker based in Des Moines.

Jane Claspy Nesmith enjoys walking in the woods to look for mushrooms and birds.

Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa.

Lauren Haldeman is a graphic novelist and poet. She has received an Iowa Arts Fellowship, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award and fellowships from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Liz Rosa is a journalism student at Drake University, juggling class, freelancing and work while still finding time for creativity.

Miguel Carpio publicó el poemario Jazzologías (2015, Editorial 3600), el libro de cuentos Dos botellas más cerca de la muerte (2021, Editorial 3600) y la novela Dejad que los niños vengan a mí (2024, Editorial 3600).

Miguel Carpio published the poetry collection Jazzologías (2015, Editorial 3600), the short stories collection Dos botellas más cerca de la muerte (2021, Editorial 3600) and the novel Dejad que los niños vengan a mí (2024, Editorial 3600).

Sam Locke Ward is a cartoonist and musician from Iowa City. He self publishes the comic zines Voyage Into Misery and ’93 Grind Out.

Sara Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who was raised in Bondurant, Iowa. She currently resides near Amana.

Issue 341

June 2025

Cover by Kellan Doolittle, Photos by Jo Allen and Kellan Doolittle

Is joy resistance? Should Pride be a riot? Iowans with skin in the game share their opinion. Plus: Hunting mushrooms, head-banging, falling in love with a friend & much more.

John Busbee produces The Culture Buzz, a weekly arts & culture radio show on kfmg.org, covering Iowa’s arts scene with an inclusive sweep of the cultural brush.

Kellee Forkenbrock is the awardwinning Public Services Librarian for North Liberty Library. She writes romance under the pseudonym Eliza David.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.

Timothy Tindle is a videographer and photographer who has worked with cameras ranging from professional digital camcorders to Super 8 film cameras.

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Interactions

LV encourages readers to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. Please include your name, city of residence and any relevant job titles or affiliations. Letters may be edited for accuracy and style. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.

Second lawsuit over Iowa Poll moves to federal court (April 30)

I mean, even if, by some stretch of the imagination, Ann had done this on purpose, what good did it do, what can be gained by a lawsuit except intimidation, and why would we still be arguing about it going on a year later except to assuage an authoritarian bully? —Jim P.

But of course, that’s the point. Trump and his crooked lawyers know that she didn’t screw up the poll on purpose. It’s just a nonstop slew of fascist garbage. You called it. It’s intimidation. —Randy K.

Inspired by this, I’ve decided to sue my bathroom scale. —Yale C.

Judge blocks arrest, deportation

of UI students; feds want students publicly identified (May 2)

2 notes. 1. The fact that the district judge deemed the case to have “demonstrated a likelihood of success” is hugely encouraging. 2. Where is the statement from the University of Iowa, demanding protection of its students? —Finch V.

‘We are not illegal humans’: Hundreds march in Iowa City in support of immigrants (May 2)

Making any kind of person illegal is ALWAYS the first step to executing those people. —Matthew H.

‘The arts are being systematically attacked’: Iowa arts orgs lose federal funding as Trump administration

HAVE AN OPINION?

terminates NEA grants (May 6)

I fucking hate it here. —Kyle G.

The NEA’s 2024 budget is nearly the same amount as what DHS wanted to spend this year on an ad campaign reminding people that illegal immigration is illegal. —Trevor J.

Federal forecaster layoffs may leave Iowans with less warning this storm season (May 7)

I’ve already had instances where storms are popping up and my weather apps don’t even know it’s happening. And people don’t understand that all the weather data comes from NOAA and they just had a bunch of layoffs. It spells disaster and is the reason this should be a public right. Encoded as such. —Z.C.M.

‘Nothing more than thought policing’: Winneshiek sheriff asks court to dismiss AG Bird’s lawsuit over his Facebook post (May 9)

NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE

Sheriff Dan Marx’s attorneys say he isn’t bound to swear to Brenna Bird’s loyalty oath. —Ed T.

Iowa Supreme Court rejects LULAC’s lawsuit over Englishonly voting materials (May 12)

So Iowa’s first language is English, huh? Keokuk. Keosauqua. Des Moines. Wapello. Tama. Muscatine. Oskaloosa. Ottumwa. Osceola. Dubuque. Poweshiek. Potawatomi. These are NOT English words. Not even a little bit. —Matthew H.

Rob Sand, the last remaining Democrat in statewide office, announces his run for governor (May 12)

Yes, yes, yes! I’ve never actually been excited for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Iowa before. Cannot wait to see this guy run! —Andy R.

“i love republicans and i want their votes so bad ill throw any of my other constituents under the bus.” —Matti B.

Bipartisanship doesn’t exist with

Like a certain iconic Canadian crooner, Celine Dion the husky mix puts the power in power ballad. She sings with her full body and soul, reminding you that love comes to those who believe it—all while rocking a smokey eye. A little over 1 year old, Celine would probably do best as your one and only dog. Do a meet-and-greet at the Iowa City Animal Center, and you’ll likely find your heart can’t go on without her. Visit icanimalcenter.org.

Hawkeye star Sydney Affolter has joined the staff of the Iowa women’s basketball team as a graduate student assistant for the 2025-26 season, after attending the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s So You Want To Be a Coach seminar at the 2025 Final Four tournament. Affolter was Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient this spring, following her fourth and final season in the #3 jersey.

A nonprofit in the western Iowa town of Jefferson (pop. 4,100) has won the 2025 Great American Main Street Award—one of three winners nationwide. Over the past 13 years, Jefferson Matters has organized the rehabilitation of 115 local buildings, including historic buildings, attracting 45 new businesses. The town has also installed sculptures, updated landscaping, commissioned rooftop murals and hosted events in its downtown. It is the 10th Iowa community to earn the Main Street Award; the latest recipients were Woodbine in Harrison County in 2014 and West Des Moines’ Valley Junction district in 2012.

This spring, the Iowa Capital Dispatch received the Mark Witherspoon First Amendment Award, a.k.a. the Spoon Award, from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University for its “dedication to covering government and politics and use of public records” in its reporting.

INTERACTIONS

Republicans.... when will Democrats realize this? —Kevin T.

Our liberties she pries: Eight years into a decade in office, Gov. Kim Reynolds has cemented her legacy (May 13)

She’ll be remembered as Covid Kimmy, the governor for whom body bags were renamed “Reynold’s Wraps” because she cared so much about her constituents that she let them die. —Steven P.

Judge cites lack of confidence in Homeland Security, issues injunction protecting four UI students in lawsuit (May 16)

People see all of this as Trump’s doing but we were slouching towards fascism under Cheney/Bush. Homeland Security is their legacy. It was obvious to some of us from the start that it would be weaponized against us. —Henry W.

Plain Spoken: The accidental poetry of Chuck Grassley’s Twitter (May 16)

This Nicholas Dolan essay ranks

In Case You Missed It

Catch up on LV’s top arts stories from May.

Review: The Beyond Fashion Fest made a dandy impression in downtown Iowa City, showcasing streetwear, grunge, indigenous and avant garde designs

By Malcolm MacDougall, May 6

Oh, the Met Gala was yesterday? We didn’t notice; we were still flipping through runway photos from the inaugural Beyond Fashion Fest, organized by the Wright House of Fashion.

Review: ‘The Laramie Project’ is a legitimately brave production from the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre By Isaac Hamlet, May 12

I think, at this time and in this place, Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre’s production of The Laramie Project deserves to be called “brave” more than any production I’ve yet seen.

Review: The Sam Ross Quartet and Michael Sarian channel Miles Davis and early electric jazz at the PS1 Close House

By Kent Williams, May 12

The Sam Ross quartet didn’t play any of their own original compositions at the Close House, instead putting a novel stamp on a musical era that shook up the jazz world.

INTERACTIONS

right up there with Kent Williams’ tribute to Joseph Dobrian. —Patrick M.

Book him at Prairie Lights Bookstore for a poetry reading. —Jim C.

Truly a masterpiece. Absolutely beautiful article! —Alta M.

Last-minute amendment to House budget bill targets healthcare for trans Americans; bill would take Medicaid from 86,000 Iowans (May 22)

I just do not understand why political representatives are so dang worried about peoples genitals. —Carol W.

It was never about genitals. It’s a cascade to criminalizing trans existence. We start under the guise of protecting children and women. It was homosexuality before that. —Lindsey E.

CEDAR RAPIDS, MAY 20

To the girl with bangs getting brunch with 3 white-haired friends at Brewhemia, I was catching up with my aunt. Thanks to you, I couldn’t pay attention to a word she was saying because I was trying to figure out how to give you my number. I wish I’d come back inside after she’d left. If you’re gay I’ll be a girl, if you’re not single I hope you have a lovely day. <3

Submissions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear in print or online. Think you’re the subject of one? Reach out: littlevillagemag.com/missed-connections

Fully Booked: Recommendations from Local Librarians

Read to Resist LGBTQ+ Erasure

Legislators in the state of Iowa are actively trying to erase the stories of LGBTQ+ people by removing books from public schools and denying access to important, life-saving stories for youth. People that try to ban books know that books are powerful and are a danger to their hegemonic systems and strict societal norms, which is why they want these texts removed. The message is clear: “Your story doesn’t matter. YOU don’t matter.” Now is the time to create a counter-narrative to this hateful message and support our LGBTQ+ youth.

Some LGBTQ+ books removed from Iowa schools that should be on your TBR list include Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazrmian, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. These outstanding novels share stories about the evolution of identity, the power of found family, the importance of queer joy and how to navigate love, friendship and heartbreak.

Teen graphic novels have caught the critical eye of people advocating for book bans. Challenged books in the genre include the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, Check, please! by Ngozi Ukazu, Homebody by Theo Parish and Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier.

Perhaps more than any other title, the 2019 graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe is used as an example of “pornography” by book banners in legislative testimony. In reality, it depicts the journey of a young adult navigating their sexuality and gender identity in a supportive, positive way that can help other young adults who feel lost.

Another title removed from some Iowa schools is Flamer by Mike Curato, in which the main character, like many LGBTQ+ youth, struggles with his queer identity and contemplates self-harm. The story is filled with hope for young people that they are not alone and will survive even the darkest times. There is no doubt that this book has and will save lives.

This June, remember that the first Pride was a protest, and one of the ways to combat the removal of LGBTQ+ books from Iowa schools is to read them as an act of resistance, and an act of love to LGBTQ+ youth.

—Emily Slattery Phillips, Des Moines Public Library

Books to Keep Kids Reading Over Break

School’s out! To keep kids reading over the summer—especially reluctant readers— grab these high-interest, page-turning titles for your middle-graders (3rd-6th) to encourage recreational reading and bust boredom all summer long.

Graphic novels are a great place to start. Those who love the format but are ready to move on to meatier stories should pick up Mexikid by Pedro Martin. This graphic memoir tells the moving and hilarious story of a family road trip to Mexico, in which Martin learns about his history from his legendary abuelito. In the Hooky series by Miriam Bonastre Tur, a pair of twins have missed the bus to magic school and need to find an alternative teacher before their parents find out. Manga-like illustrations accompany this magical adventure tale.

Also consider the nonfiction title This Book Will Make You an Artist by Ruth Millington, packed with fascinating bios of dozens of diverse artists, and instructions for creating your own artwork in their style. The projects are simple but significant, and the book is a brightly colored feast for the eyes. Outdoorsy kids may enjoy What a Rock Can Reveal by Maya Wei-Haas, a book that uncovers mysteries of the universe through clues hidden in rocks. This book, too, is awash in dazzling illustrations readers can pore over.

Sports lovers will devour Nic Stone’s Fast Pitch, a story that combines softball with a family secret protagonist Shenice must address before her team’s regional championships. If animals are more your thing, check out Katherine Applegate’s Dogtown, a sweet and funny story about a shelter dog searching for his forever home. (These popular titles are also available at ICPL in Read-Along format—a physical book with an audio player built into the front cover that narrates the book aloud.) For fantasy readers, try Geo’s Fortune by Amy B. Mucha, in which a kid runs a con selling fake fortunes. There are unforeseen consequences when her predictions start coming true.

There’s nothing better for summer reading than a juicy mystery, and The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln has the feel of a modern classic. A kooky family reunion provides the setting for a buried treasure and a murder. If an art heist is more your speed, check out The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, a true story and a quick read told in such a clever and engaging style, your mind will be blown.

If your middle-grade reader is reward-motivated (who isn’t?), sign up for the Summer Reading Program at ICPL so they can earn prizes by reading, plus beat the heat with hundreds of events all summer long. Happy reading!

—Anne Wilmoth, Iowa City Public Library

147 kilos

BY MIGUEL CARPIO, TRAnSLATED BY CLAUDIA POZZOBOn POTRATZ

Ma viene de viaje la semana siguiente. Vendrá por tres para celebrar la graduación de mi sobrino mayor. La única vez que Ma vino a este país fue hace veintidós años, para el nacimiento del mismo nieto que ahora se gradúa.

Cuando me avisa del viaje, me adelanto a pensar en la respuesta a la pregunta de rigor: ¿qué quisiera que me traiga? Pienso en todas las cosas que tuve que dejar por falta de espacio. La mayoría, sino todas las aerolíneas, ofrecen pasajes internacionales con dos maletas: una de 23 kilos y otra de 10. Treinta y tres kilos para condensar todo lo necesario por, en mi caso, dos años. Dos años en los que probablemente no podré volver a la casa de Ma y Pa para saciar mi capricho de tomar café boliviano.

Es el mismo día en que debo darle la lista de encargos, que Akemi y yo nos ponemos a vaciar las cajas que todavía tenemos en la sala para deshacernos de ellas. Evitamos la tarea durante semanas porque sabemos lo que las cajas contenían: ropa suya y libros míos. Aunque esto último no es cierto. Son libros, sí, pero no míos.

La primera vez que nos tocó irnos de Bolivia, cuando fuimos a vivir a Dublín, tratamos de organizarnos para distribuir nuestras cosas en los 33 kilos a los que las corporaciones intentan reducir toda una vida. De principio, cuando vi las cosas que Akemi planeaba llevar, asumí que tendría que cederle algo de mi espacio. Y, aunque una parte de mi quiso resistirse, me di cuenta

En promedio -al menos según Google- un libro de edición de bolsillo, como lo son casi todos los míos, pesa entre 283 y 454 gramos. La media de eso es 368.5. Si multiplico ese valor por los casi cuatrocientos libros que una vez conté que tenía -yo pensé que apenas llegarían a cien- son 147 kilos. Demasiado peso llevarlo a algún lugar, aunque sea el peso de una vida. Valía más la pena ceder espacio a ropa a la que Akemi le

Cada vez me resigno más a la idea de que no podré tener una biblioteca propia en un buen tiempo. Fue en Dublín donde me inscribí a una biblioteca por primera. Ahí, el límite era de siete libros por semana. Acá, en Iowa, la biblioteca de la universidad me deja tener cien por semestre. La tentación de acumularlos sin la responsabilidad de pagar por ellos ni preocuparme por dónde guardarlos -o la responsabilidad de siquiera leerlos- me vence fácilmente. Todavía no llego ni a cien kilos de libros prestados, pero tengo los suficientes para distraerme de los 147 que dejé en ese lugar que llamo hogar.

Cuando vuelvo a hablar con Ma, sólo le pido la cafetera V-60 que no pude traer y dos bolsas de medio kilo de café boliviano. Por lo demás, como el departamento que alquilo, me toca construir un hogar con cosas que no son mías.

Ma is coming to visit next week. She’ll stay for three, to celebrate my eldest nephew’s graduation. The only other time she came to this country was 22 years ago—for the birth of that same grandson who’s now graduating.

As soon as she tells me she’s coming, I start preparing for the inevitable question: What would you like me to bring? My mind drifts to all the things I had to leave behind for lack of space. Most airlines, if not all, allow just two pieces of luggage on international flights: one weighing 23 kilos, the other 10. Thirty-three kilos to pack a life into—in my case, for two years. Two years in which I likely won’t set foot in Ma and Pa’s house, won’t be able to quiet a craving for Bolivian coffee just because I feel like it. It’s the same day I’m supposed to send Ma my list of requests that Akemi and I finally decide to open the boxes we’ve left sitting in the living room. We’ve been avoiding them for weeks, knowing exactly what’s inside: her clothes, my books. Though that’s not entirely true. They’re books, yes—but they’re not mine.

The first time we had to leave Bolivia, when we moved to Dublin, we tried to be methodical—fitting a life into those 33 corporate-sanctioned kilos. From the beginning, I could tell from what Akemi planned to bring that I’d need to give up some of my space. And even though part of me resisted, I knew it was pointless to fight it.

On average, according to Google, a paperback book—most of mine are—typically weighs between 283 and 454 grams. The average is about 368.5. Multiply that by the nearly 400 books I once counted (I thought I had maybe a hundred), and you get 147 kilos. Far too much weight to carry anywhere, even if it’s the weight of a life. It made more sense to make room for clothes Akemi would actually make use of.

With time, I’ve begun to accept that I won’t have a library of my own anytime soon. It was in Dublin that I got my first library card. There, the borrowing limit was seven books a week. Here in Iowa, the university library lets me borrow up to a hundred per semester. The temptation to check out books—without worrying about paying for them, storing them or even reading them—often gets the better of me. I haven’t yet borrowed a hundred kilos’ worth of books, but I have enough to keep me company, to distract me from the 147 I left behind in that place I still call home.

When I talk to Ma again, all I ask for is the V-60 coffee dripper I couldn’t fit, and two half-kilo bags of Bolivian coffee. As for everything else, like the apartment I rent, I’ll have to go on building a home from things that aren’t mine.

Contact Buzz

Awesome/Rocketship

Whether recovering from a brain injury or discovering true love, these artists know something about progress.

BY JOHn BUSBEE

Artists Cat Rocketship and Dani Awesome have created some big, head-turning work together: massive rainbow murals in the East Village and Historic Valley Junction; human-sized Iowa wildlife painted along a bike trail in West Des Moines; pop-up art markets and a pair of Etsy shops with over 7,000 sales of original prints, stickers, jewelry and more.

Even when their work is small, it’s loud and clear. Cat’s whimsical illustrations, often made in collaboration with Dani, feature text like “No borders, no walls,” “Support your local smut peddler,” “Don’t let the cats out or the cops in” and “Have the courage to be disliked.”

Their rich creative partnership grew out of a friendship—one tested by a major trauma and a Dungeons and Dragons-induced personal awakening. Eventually, the pair discovered their chemistry extended beyond the art.

In 2009, Cat Rocketship was hit by a car while riding a moped.

“I had a helmet on (which probably saved my life), but I still ended up with a traumatic brain injury, several broken bones, and PTSD,” they shared. “For nearly 10 years afterward, my memory was severely affected.”

“Cat and I met in 2006 and were fast friends,” said Dani Ausen, a jewelry artist under the name Dani Awesome. “I remember well when Cat was injured. It was a very scary time, and we’re so lucky that Cat

pulled through it.”

Recovery was arduous, Cat said. “I’d often start a sentence and forget how it began before I could finish it. Reading, which had been a huge part of my life, became nearly impossible; I couldn’t get through a page. I also dealt with intense chronic pain and anxiety. I didn’t know if things would ever improve. In short: it sucked.”

Desperate for distraction, Cat explored meditation, YouTube yoga tutorials and, of course, art. They established Market Day, a pop-up opportunity for Des Moines-area artists to network and sell their work, and an alternative to Black Friday. In addition, Cat was running monthly figure-drawing nights, critiques and shows.

“I don’t think anyone knew how deeply messed up I was, but being part of a creative community gave me a reason to keep going,” they said. “And I had my own art to make. I believed so strongly in what I had to say in my work that it quite literally gave me something to live for.”

Dani stepped up to co-direct Market Day in 2010, handling the “fiddly bits” like scheduling and budgets while Cat executed the vision. To this day, Dani serves as a sort of art director for the Cat Rocketship brand. “I make sure that the art that Cat makes gets to the public,” she said.

However, “There was a frustrating period in which I didn’t always understand that Cat’s forgetfulness and difficulty to contact was due to memory loss.”

Partners Cat Rocketship and Dani Awesome sit on their Pride Corners mural at the intersection of East Fifth and Grand Avenue in Des Moines. Hannah Wright / Little Village

“I remember one day, many years down the road, Cat explained their memory loss to me in this way: They described a library, but the books were not on the shelves, rather laying on the floor or in boxes. They said that trying to find a memory was like digging through the boxes, but my help would often lead them to the correct box, enabling them to recall the memory.”

Very gradually, Cat got better.

“Brains are amazing,” Cat said. “Around year seven, I started noticing real changes: I felt sharper, more capable. When I finally got access to good insurance (and with it, physical therapy), the chronic pain eased. That helped my brain, too—it turns out pain is incredibly loud.

“I credit my recovery to a few things. I had some really supportive people in my life, including Dani, who was with me through it all (and made me milkshakes when my jaw was wired shut). We weren’t together at the time—we were both dating other people—but she showed up in big ways.”

In the 2010s, Cat managed to rock Dani’s world in a big way.

Dani and her husband hosted a Dungeons and Dragons group with their friends, including Cat. Dani played as a half-devil woman named Yara, Cat a barbarian called Malkin. Their characters began a romance in the game, and the pair exchanged love letters as part of the roleplay.

The relationship felt strangely real to Dani. She began to discover her queer identity, and in the process, amicably ended her marriage. Her friend and business partner Cat was there to support her, and sure enough, the two forged a love “every bit as beautiful and exciting today as it was in those first pages we wrote together,” Dani shared as part of an online storytelling series in 2020.

The two married in 2021, after five years of dating and 15 years of friendship. Dani said they’ve continued growing as creative partners, too. “I handle the fine points, Cat has the big ideas. We both put our unique creative stamp on all of our projects.”

Cat and Dani are behind the Pride Corners murals in the East Village, splashed around the intersection of

Cat Rocketship (left) and Dani

Awesome. Hannah Wright / Little Village

Valley Junction Pride

Sunday, June 29, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Historic Valley Junction

Northside Market 2025

Sunday, July 13, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Highland/Oak Park

catrocketship.com | @cat_rocketship @shopdaniawesome

East Fifth and Grand Avenue. The City of Des Moines invited them back this year to refurbish the pieces.

“Last year we painted the four corners for the first time, and this year, we’re repainting and redesigning those corners,” Dani said.

“It’s pretty exciting that we not only get to do it again,” added Cat, “but that the first pilot project in the city, which has been done in so many other cities, is one that welcomes people into the neighborhood but also puts the stamp on the East Village and Des Moines as a space for LGBTQ people.”

The businesses surrounding the murals—Raygun, Nightingale, Ernie’s Boondock and Reclaimed—are all supportive, as well as nearby gay bars Buddy’s Corral, The Garden and the historic Blazing Saddle.

Dani gave “the lion’s share of praise for making this happen” to Capital City Pride and executive director Wes Mullins, who tackled many of the logistics.

“This is a culmination of years of work of the businesses in the East Village and the Blazing Saddle and the community of LGBTQI+ people in Des Moines working towards this project. It’s such an honor that Cat and I are the ones that get to put it down. We were handed the torch at the very end with our favorite instruction: go be creative.”

Always seeking new ways to integrate with the public, Cat will debut their latest solo exhibition this August in the coveted coffee house gallery of Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure. Zanzibar’s owner Julie McGuire has featured a new local artist in her business each month for decades.

Cat also has some “cozy folk art inspired, but very 21st century inspired watercolor pieces” in the works.

“I’m returning to craft shows,” they said. “These feel like modest offerings. They’re little projects that I’m excited to be putting all my focus into this year. The last couple of years, we’ve been doing murals, all spring, all summer. Now I will be able to sit down and paint a little bit each day, and by the end of the summer, I’ll have a nice little crop of new work to show at the Northside Market in Oak Park, Valley Junction Pride and Little Book.”

Through Dani Awesome, founded in 2009, Dani sells “modern magical jewelry for the stylish witch on the go” via Etsy, at craft fairs and wholesale to clients. She’s a regular participant in the Northside Market. You can find her booth next to Cat’s.

IOWA’SDISCOVERYSTATION

Enjoy Your Stay

Arriving at camp wearing the wrong color pants.

BY BEnJAMIn SKEERS

What does it mean to be incarcerated in Iowa? This column describes the post-conviction experience of a nonviolent offender from eastern Iowa, in his own words. It focuses on the stark realities of life inside—realities few people care to imagine, but tens of thousands of Iowans have faced.

On the outside, prison is the last place anyone would want to go. But prison takes on a mythical quality when you are locked up in County or Oakdale. All your cellmates talk about how much better it is when you get to prison: better living conditions, more freedoms, visits with family and more food options.

When I was in Oakdale—the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville—lying in a six-man cell for 21 hours a day, I heard stories about different prisons (“camps” in prison talk) and hoped for minimum security. I was designated “low violence/low victimization” and sent to the Correctional Release Center in Newton (not to be confused with Newton Correctional Facility). I was told that CRC was “minimum of the minimums,” a “go home camp.” I was also told that CRC was a work camp and I would have to have a job. Mostly, I was excited that I would be so close to home. My family wouldn’t have to drive far to see me.

A small group of us were taken, shackled at the feet, waist and wrists, and put on a bus in the early morning. We were supposed to remain quiet, but there was a bustle of excitement. We were finally getting out of Oakdale. The drive between Coralville and Newton was the most any of us had seen in quite some time. There was a large hawk perched on a mile marker, and the whole bus exclaimed, “Did you see that bird?” like excited children on a field trip.

CRC did not look as I imagined. From the bus, we could see Newton Correctional Facility (NCS), better known as “up the hill,” appearing much like Oakdale: a harshly protected fortress. But CRC looked like an elementary school. It is small for a prison, holding only around 300 inmates. From the outside, it looks rather chill compared to the severity of other camps.

We underwent a strip search before getting our uniforms. State clothing for CRC includes a blue shirt, a gray sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. Now, I love jeans, so it should have been a relief after the

drab scrubs of Oaklade, but because of my recent hand surgery, I was unable to zip or button the super stiff new pair of jeans. The COs gave me a pair of bright red sweatpants to wear until I could buy a pair of regulation blue or gray. I didn’t think much of it until I got into the prison itself and found out that red sweatpants are what they give sex offenders when they are put in segregation up the hill. So I spent my first three weeks explaining to 300 other men that I had a bad hand, not a sex crime on my record.

Other than that little mishap, my transition to prison was fairly smooth. CRC does not have cells. Instead, there are five large dorms with about 50 bunks each. I live in the dorm with the dogs. Actual dogs. One-year-old puppies. The Puppy Jake Foundation employs CRC inmates to train service dogs for disabled vets.

Unlike my previous stays, we are free to move about the prison whenever we want, except for count time. There are pool tables, Xboxes, a library, a gym and vending machines. There’s even a place called the Snack Shack where you can buy pizza and ice cream. Overall, if you have to go to prison, CRC is probably the easiest place to do time. It is not a cakewalk, though. It is still prison. I miss my family, and the boredom is near-terminal, but I am acutely aware it could be much worse.

If there is one thing that CRC has over Oakdale and County, it is Commissary Cook-Offs. Next time we will talk about that all-important matter in prison: food.

Kellan Doolittle / Little Village

The Point of Pride

Three trans/genderfluid Iowans discuss hope, cynicism, cops at Pride, joy as resistance and the best ways to say “fuck you” to transphobes in power.

BY EMMA McCLATCHEY

Dr. Emma Denney (she/they) is the community resource navigator at the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library in Iowa City. She regularly tracks anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the state legislature, traveling to Des Moines to speak against them. She holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa and makes music under the name .em.

V Fixmer-Oraiz (they/them) was elected to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors in 2022, becoming the first trans, queer and biracial county supervisor in the state. They helped establish the county’s Trans Advisory Committee, often working with Denney on local issues. They hold a Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from UI.

S. Eliot Steuer (she/they) co-founded DBQ Pride last year and serves on its board. The nonprofit plans the Dubuque Pride Festival (taking place Saturday, June 7), know-your-rights workshops and other community events. Steuer, who is genderfluid, is also a freelance visual artist and writer.

Little Village: How do you view the role of Pride in 2025?

neighborhood] Boystown. It was insane. There were people wearing absolutely nothing. It felt really great and freeing. But I guess, knowing the LGBTQ+ history that I did, it felt incongruent for me. I think we deserve a wild party. But I have some weird feelings towards it.

I plan it here, and I want people to have a safe place. But I think it should be more than a party. I think it should be a recognition of a lot of hard work and, unfortunately, a lot of things that have been taken away that now we have to fight for. Like, how can we do that without making it a total drag?

Fixmer-Oraiz: I can deeply understand that, Eliot. I feel really old all of a sudden, because I realized I’ve been going to Pride since I was teenager, which was in the ’90s, [including] the Dyke March in San Francisco.

I was asked to give the keynote address for the Rainbow Graduation at the University of Iowa this afternoon, and in it, I plan to talk about how we stand on the shoulders, and I specifically cite Stonewall as a riot that now has turned into Pride. And I cite other things like the Compton’s Cafeteria riot [in San Francisco, 1966]. A lot of this comes out of not only trans women, but trans women of color standing up for themselves against violence, state violence, pushing back against police brutality and extortion and all of those things.

“this show saved my life.” … Yes, we do need celebration—and the Michelob Light parade float, I guess. But when it comes down to it, what are we doing in addition?

I also think there’s stock in joy being its own form of resistance, and that that is something that we can’t overlook or undersell.

Steuer: My first Pride was Chicago Pride in 2018, ’17. I got what I was expecting, quite honestly: a really crazy, free-for-all party. We were in [the historic queer

Q&A with Rep. Aime Wichtendahl

Because Iowa Republicans suddenly decided to end the 2025 Legislative Session with a 21-hour-long marathon, Rep. Wichtendahl—a Democrat from Hiawatha, and Iowa’s first trans elected official—had to miss the video call with Denney, Fixmer-Oraiz and Steuer on May 14. She caught up with LV over email a couple days later.

Pride Month arrives in the wake of a devastating legislative session for trans and gender nonconforming Iowans. What thoughts are front of mind for you right now? Persistence. Having been on the front lines of this session fighting to

It has gone commercial. I mean, that’s what you’re feeling. I lived in the South too, in North Carolina for over a decade, and that was all churches, which was wild to me. [But] having rural folks come—I was a drag performer as well—and people just being like,

protect the rights and dignity of trans and queer Iowans, persistence has been my calling. Because I know they’d like nothing more than for me to go away. I don’t intend to give them the pleasure. Keep showing up. Keep being loud. Tell the government that we will not be erased. That Iowa is our home and we will fight for it.

What role should Pride play in 2025—in political advocacy, mutual aid, as fun catharsis, etc.? All of the above. It is important we are clear that we are still fighting for rights and for our community. But we should also celebrate each other and be unafraid to live our lives.

How has the experience of growing up trans in small-town Iowa changed since your childhood? There is an option for community where there was none when I was a child. Granted it may mean

Denney: I worry about that “joy is a form of resistance” line. Of course, essentially, I agree that living our lives in the face of the horrors is a meaningful thing. But at the same time, resistance is resistance. Resistance is putting your body on the line. Resistance is doing hard work in your community. Resistance is building networks of care. Resistance is doing mutual aid and making sure people have places to sleep and have food. On a fundamental level, resistance is work.

traveling and depending on the town still may not be safe to be out in certain places.

What do you say to LGBTQ+, specifically trans, Iowans wondering if they should leave the state? You always have to do what you feel is best for you and your family. I think with the Trump administration it is possible that nowhere in America is safe. I’d also say the color of the state doesn’t always guarantee safety and acceptance. Discrimination can happen in any state. So can acceptance and community. Personally, it has been hard seeing so many in the community move elsewhere.

I’d be sad to see friends move out of my life because of

Left to right: V Fixmer-Oraiz Contributed Eliot Steuer Timothy Tindle / Little Village Dr. Emma Denney Contributed

what goes on in Des Moines. I’ve lost my home once in my life. I vowed never again. No one gets to take my home from me. So I choose to stay and fight for those who can’t leave.

What are the most important things allies can and should do for trans Iowans—during Pride Month, if no other time? Understand that their goal of every anti-trans bill is to erase and criminalize our existence. That is the end game. There is no LGB without the T. Trans rights and gay rights are part of the same coin and when they get done with us, they’ll get back to erasing the rest of our community. So stand in solidarity with the trans community—because together we are mighty.

Rep. Aime Wichtendahl

Kellan Doolittle / Little Village

Iowa’s Civil Rights Repealers

These state legislators voted for SF 418, removing gender identity as a protected group—the first time a U.S. state has rolled back their Civil Rights Act—effective July 1. All are Republicans. Information on how to contact members of the Iowa Legislature can be found at legis.iowa.gov/legislators

SEnATE

Kevin Alons, District 7

Mike Bousselot, District 37

Doug Campbell, District 30

Mark Costello, District 8

Dan Dawson, District 10

Rocky De Witt, District 1

Adrian Dickey, District 44

Dawn Driscoll, District 10

Lynn Evans, District 3

Julian B. Garrett, District 11

Jesse Green, District 24

Kerry Gruenhagen, District 41

Dennis Guth, District 28

Mike Klimesh, District 22

Carrie Koelker, District 33

Tim Kraayenbrink, District 4

Mark S. Lofgren, District 48

Charlie McClintock, District 42

Mike Pike, District 20

Jeff Reichman, District 50

David D. Rowley, District 5

Ken Rozenboom, District 19

Sandy Salmon, District 29

Jason Schultz, District 6

Tom Shipley, District 9

Dave Sires, District 38

Annette Sweeney, District 27

Jeff Taylor, District 2

Kara Warme, District 26

Scott Webster, District 47

Cherielynn Westrich, District 13

Jack Whitver, District 23

Dan Zumbach, District 34

HOUSE

Eddie Andrews, District 43

Brett Barker, District 51

Chad Behn, District 48

David L. Blom, District 52

Jane Bloomingdale, District 60

Brooke Boden, District 21

Jacob Bossman, District 14

Dr. Steven P. Bradley, District 66

Mark Cisneros, District 96

Taylor R. Collins, District 95

Tom Determann, District 69

Zack Dieken, District 5

Jon Dunwell, District 38

Samantha Fett, District 22

Dean Fisher, District 53

Jason Gearhart, District 64

Dan Gehlbach, District 46

Thomas Gerhold, District 84

Cindy Golding, District 83

Pat Grassley, District 57

Bill Gustoff, District 40

Helena Hayes, District 88

Bob Henderson, District 2

Christian A. Hermanson, District 59

Steven C. Holt, District 12

Heather Hora, District 92

Thomas M. Jeneary, District 3

Craig P. Johnson, District 67

Megan Jones, District 6

Bobby Kaufmann, District 82

Fixmer-Oraiz: I should also say that I’m a child of immigrants. My mom’s side of the family is Filipino, the other half of my family is Irish, and I really lean into remembering that there are those that came before me that have faced this, whether that is queer ancestors or ancestors of my own lineage. It gives me hope, because famine, war, all of these things have led to me being here in this moment. And so how do I be the best future ancestor I can be? I have to focus on that, because the noise is so loud, the 24-hour news cycle, the anti-existence legislation that is just pummeling our community. There are so few spaces where we can use the bathroom without fear, where we can travel, where we can get our education, where we can go to work, where we can buy our homes or rent houses. Our lives are so restricted that I have to kind of look

Barb Kniff McCulla, District 37

Shannon Latham, District 55

Judd Lawler, District 91

Shannon Lundgren, District 65

Joshua Meggers, District 54

Ann Meyer, District 8

Gary M. Mohr, District 93

Thomas Jay Moore, District 18

Carter F. nordman, District 47

Matthew Rinker, District 99

Michael V. Sexton, District 7

Jeff Shipley, District 87

Brent Siegrist, District 19

Travis M. Sitzmann, District 13

Jennifer J. Smith, District 72

Ray Sorensen, District 23

Henry Stone, District 9

Mark I. Thompson, District 56

Charley Thomson, District 58

Mike Vondran, District 94

Ryan Weldon, District 41

Sam Wengryn, District 24

Skyler Wheeler, District 4

Craig Steven Williams, District 11

John H. Wills, District 10

Hans C. Wilz, District 25

Matt W. Windschitl, District 15

Devon Wood, District 17

Derek Wulf, District 76

David E. Young, District 28

out into the past, present and future to see that there’s an arc of justice.

Emma, I feel you. I have PTSD from having to sit and hold young humans and their parents and grandparents as they couldn’t run track, or they couldn’t get their name changed, or they couldn’t get access to medical care, and you have adults in the room that are like, “Why can’t my kid have these things?” To hold that level of trauma, day in and day out for years now, I have to take a step back and remember who we are, that they cannot take away our joy.

Denney: One of the things I talk about with community members is that we do, in fact, deserve to be happy and fundamentally, that’s an OK thing to want, and something that you should get. What Pride has

become is a party and a place where, like, shit doesn’t matter for a weekend. And I think that that’s not the worst thing in the world, even if it is a little bit naive.

“The first Pride was a riot” is a thing that people say all the time. So why are we inviting cops now? Why is this how this runs? Pride is this big, like, hey, we are here. There are people like you in the world—come out! Or a big provocation: we are here, and we’re not going anywhere.

The cops are who I worry about at Pride. If some rando hassled me, the police getting involved is only going to make that situation worse and more dangerous. If we look at our historical frameworks for organizing, did the cops support STAR [Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson’s shelter for homeless LGBTQ+ youth in the 1970s]? No. Did the cops support the [Black] Panthers? No.

Steuer: Legally in Dubuque, and I’m sure everywhere, we have to have police. That’s obviously a sore spot, but it’s legally required.

Fixmer-Oraiz: Now that I’m in government, I realize how much of this we just make up. Who wrote the laws? It’s really good to compute that and to say, especially for our community, what makes you feel safe? What we experience in the Trans Advisory Committee is that you’re going to get a lot of different perspectives, because we’re not homogenous. I think that some people will feel safer with police, and some people won’t. But what I do want to emphasize is that we should still continually be asking ourselves that. The day that we stop asking, that is the day that we stop being vigilant around protecting ourselves and keeping each other safe.

What are some of the most important things people can do to support LGBTQ+ Iowans?

Steuer: Action is the only antidote to hate and to meeting the needs of the community. Saying you stand with trans and gender diverse people is not the same as giving money to mutual aid or, as sad as this statement makes me to say, being your trans friends’ bathroom buddy, accompanying them so that they aren’t hassled for using the correct restroom. You can attend protests and rallies, and you need to educate yourself.

Fixmer-Oraiz: I think about Dr. Denney, and the work that she’s doing at the statehouse, tracking all these bills—few people are doing that across the nation in the ways that she is, and it is necessary for us to continue doing that kind of work and creating community, like this call, and things that maybe feel small and minuscule.

Denney: You should give money to Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. On a national level, it’s a very special thing that we have in the state. There aren’t a lot of groups that do the kind of work at the scale that

ITMAF does. It is a model for how we resist this. It is giving funds directly to community members in need, without questioning their need. We can simply choose to do things differently. I think realizing just how easy it is to do this kind of work is pretty revolutionary.

It’s something like $72 for transportation to get someone across the border to Minnesota to get genderaffirming care if they’re under 18. It’s that small of an amount of money that can make that much of a difference. With my insurance, my hormones are, depending on what the month is, between $20 and $40. That’s what people need. It’s that little bit to make sure that people can just get through the month. It’s also doing things like starting a community garden project or partnering for things like the community fridge.

After the civil rights bill [SF 418] passed in February, Iowa Starting Line put out an article about, “so what can I do to help trans people,” and the first thing is, unionize. This type of organizing can lead to more meaningful power. There are all of these different things that, to be blunt, are saying, “Fuck the state of Iowa. We’ll take care of ourselves, whether you want us to or not.”

Fixmer-Oraiz: I see that [hope] now in our young people. I laugh at the fact that I’m a queer elder at 47 but, like, I didn’t think I was going to make it to 20, you know? I have young humans that are 6 years old saying, “Yeah, I use they/them today. Tomorrow, I’ll use she/her.” Thank you. Thank you for being so expansive. Thank you for breaking us free from these binary systems. And then we have college students that are protesting all across the board. I think we have generations coming up that are just like, “we’re not going to stand for it.”

And I think that’s why things like Pride or potlucks or drag shows, or whatever it is, like, we’re going to keep doing it. It doesn’t matter the law. The crackdowns are going to make us fearful, but we will push back. We will resist. I’m not going to pre-comply. I’m not going to lay down. They’re bringing the fight to us, and they always have, and we’ve always met it with our genius, creativity, with our heart, with our grit. That’s definitely what gives me hope, is the people in our community.

Steuer: Because I acknowledge that I have a level of privilege of “passing,” I have a responsibility to get the keys to the banquet hall, open the door and let everybody in. That is the least that I can do—just locally, keep fighting to unite what community we have here, which is very spread apart and disjointed; to try to unite that into a greater whole, with Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, the different queer communities there. There’s strength in numbers.

Once society is forced to no longer be able to deny the power of our queerness, they have to concede to our power. And we are powerful, or we wouldn’t be getting pushback, because our power scares them.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Higher Love

In an age of Christian extremism, Iowa’s LGBTQ+ affirming churches continue their tradition of extreme acceptance.

BY ACHILLES F. SEASTROM

Sunday service of the Ames Friends Meeting is held in the front room of a renovated residential home. I visited on a sunny spring morning. Beams of sunlight seemed to make the houseplants against the walls glow. Occasional birdsong seeped through a barely open window. Someone had arranged sturdy but simple wooden chairs, the kind often found in public meeting spaces, in a broad oval on the stain-resistant utilitarian carpet. Many of the chairs remained empty. The dozen congregation members present were sitting in peaceful silence.

The simplicity of the space and service was far removed from the religious services that I was accustomed to. I grew up Catholic, though I’ve since left the church. Our spaces were ostentatious. Our services were complex rituals. But I’d come here looking for something that was never on offer at my family’s church: queer acceptance.

The Ames Friends Meeting is a branch of the Religious Society of Friends, better known as Quakers. They self-describe as conservative, which members explained means they maintain traditional Quaker worship practices. It does not mean they adhere to conservative political values.

As part of a traditional Quaker service, we began Sunday morning with 45 minutes of silence. During this worship time, Quakers seek spiritual openness and remain alert to any clarity or truth that might come to them.

Members might feel prompted by the spirit to break the silence and vocalize a thought. However, speaking does not invite conversation. After a member speaks, the room falls back into silence.

I did not speak during the 45 minutes, though a few people did. About halfway through the silence, one member, Deb Fink, raised her voice. She spoke about injustice and our current political climate. She mused on agency and our roles as individuals or communities. Eventually, she asked the room, “What does it take to live out our belief in equality radically and counterculturally?”

It was a question I had visited the Ames Friends Meeting to answer.

For many LGBTQ+ Iowans, Christian religious spaces have been places of hurt and rejection. In Iowa, Christian rejection of LGBTQ+ identities hit a new low when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF 418. The bill removed “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights Act and leaves transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming Iowans vulnerable to discrimination.

I visited the Quaker congregation in Ames on a quest to find Christian spaces that offered solutions and

healing. Christian rejection of queer identities often makes life harder for already marginalized groups. However, even in conservative Iowa it is possible to find Christian communities that recognize the damage the faith can do when weaponized against the most vulnerable, that seek to repair injustices, and that stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ struggle for justice.

“WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO LIVE OUT OUR BELIEF In EQUALITY RADICALLY AnD COUnTERCULTURALLY?”

— DEB FINK, MEMBER OF THE AMES FRIENDS MEETING

in LGBTQ+ inclusion education programs. These programs support the growth and continued education of their congregants and help ensure that LGBTQ+ members are seen and their needs recognized.

Other churches offer their physical building as a meeting place for queer organizations and events. Faith UCC of Iowa City proudly hosts rehearsals for The Quire of Eastern Iowa, a chorus for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender singers.

At Faith United Church of Christ (Faith UCC) in Iowa City, Rev. Ryan Downing proudly showed me through their building. In the sanctuary, a simple pulpit stood front and center. A pulpit scarf displayed a quilted dove carrying an olive branch over a field of rainbow stripes, symbolizing the promises of God. On one wall, someone had taped construction paper with Matthew 24:50 handwritten in cursive.

“Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” it read.

On our way to his office, Rev. Downing stopped to point out the church’s Open and Affirming Covenant. Printed on simple printer paper with a rainbow background, it’s a promise to affirm LGBTQ+ identities and not discriminate against groups based on sexuality, gender, age, nationality or economic condition. The Covenant is dated May 31, 1992.

Despite the publicly displayed dedication to equity and inclusion, Rev. Downing recognizes the need for further work. “What we passed in 1992 was the opening of a door through which we will just keep going over and over again,” he said. “Because Open and Affirming is something that you live into.”

Good allyship must move beyond words in some way, and LGBTQ+ affirming churches have to figure out how that works for them. For many, like the Ames Friends Meeting and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City (UUSIC), one answer is participation in Pride events.

Some, such as St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Ames and UUSIC, find it necessary to invest

However, living out faith practices with equality in mind also requires direct political action. Pastors of Lutheran, Unitarian Universalist and Faith United Church of Christ churches joined with members of their congregations in the recent historic protests against SF 418. Rev. Paris White of Faith United Church of Christ in Muscatine held a vigil in rural Muscatine for the loss of civil rights for transgender people.

At Faith UCC of Iowa City, Rev. Downing introduced me to the church’s administrative assistant, Ulrike Carlson. Carlson is a self-described atheist. Rev. Downing referred to her fondly as a “friend of the church.”

Carlson isn’t an official member of the church or even a believer, but it is not strict adherence to religious dogma that drives Rev. Downing’s ministry. Rather, like many of the churches I visited, Faith UCC foregrounds community and inclusion above all else.

Carlson, who has two LGBTQ+ identifying children, was active at the protests against SF 418. Her family are also plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Iowa and Lambda Legal against SF 496, a “don’t say gay” and book banning bill passed in the 2022-23 Iowa legislative session.

Carlson said of her recent experiences, “It was necessary to become activists.”

On the subject of rallies and protests, Rev. Downing said, “It’s another way of doing church. It’s another way of being in community with people and sharing, in that moment, your rage or your joy.”

Ulrike added, “It’s a signal, not just of hope but of support [that says], ‘we are standing with you.’”

The Unitarian Universalist Society in Coralville. Achilles F. Seastrom / Little Village

The Unitarian Universalist Society’s driveway in Iowa City is flanked by solar panels. A Black Lives Matter flag and a Progressive Pride flag fly on either side of their entry sign. The outside is beautifully landscaped. When I arrived, volunteers were gardening in raised flower beds set in a rock garden. Eight tall metal art pieces are installed around the garden, each bearing one of the eight Unitarian Universalist principles. The first piece to catch my eye read “Worth and Dignity of All People” above a simplistic, silhouetted figure that seemed to leap for joy.

Rev. Diana Smith greeted me inside a foyer and introduced me to Bridget Laflin, a ministerial intern at UUSIC. Just beyond the entry, a sanctuary and a fellowship hall were positioned on either side of a room. Under a vaulted ceiling, their interior glass walls sparkled in the sunlight of windows that spanned the height of the building. Light spilled abundantly into the worship space.

Unitarian Universalism was formed from Christian roots, but today the church has no formal creed. Belief in God or some god or no god is left up to individuals. Unitarian Universalists are united by shared beliefs in justice and a dedication to centering love.

“It is my call, it is all of our call, to make this world a place where everyone can survive and thrive,” Rev. Smith said as we sat in her office. It was a small, cozy room decorated with fabrics and warm colors. “We keep going and we keep going, because this,” she referred to the church’s mission for equality, “is too important not to, and that’s part of what having love at the center means.”

Rev. Smith was not the first pastor to talk to me about centering love. But, as many LGBTQ+ folks know, many Christian denominations that attack queer identities also claim to be doing so out of compassion. As the saying goes, “There’s no hate like Christian love.”

“How do we parse the difference between that kind of love, and the kind of love you two are talking about?” I asked.

response. “When we talk about love, I think we need to notice where that love is calling us. Is it calling us to a place of more inclusion? More equity? Is it calling us to a place where—”

Rev. Smith paused and sighed. Many of us know what love is intuitively, but when asked to define it or address why sometimes people can do so much harm in its name, things get tricky.

“If you look at our [Unitarian Universalist] values, love is in the middle, and love, for us, is calling us to those values,” Rev. Laflin offered. “To justice, to equity, to transformation, to generosity. Love is at the center and that’s where we come from, but it has to lead to those values for it to be what we would consider love.”

Rev. Smith picked up where her colleague left off. “There’s a feeling of love, but there’s that question of where is love pointing us. What is the action here?”

Unitarian Universalism, like the Quakers, like Faith United Church of Christ, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (the umbrella St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church falls under), isn’t new to LGBTQ+ inclusion. These denominations have been affirming in some form since, at the latest, the ’90s. For some, histories of queer inclusion stretch back to the mid-1900s. Less regulated forms of inclusion are likely even older.

Many of these acts of inclusion were radical for their time. In the ’70s, the Gay People’s Union and the Lesbian Alliance hosted dances at the Unitarian Universalist Society’s building. When Iowa recognized the right of gay and lesbian people to marry, UUSIC helped organize the Love Bus, a series of chartered bus trips that brought gay and lesbian couples north from Missouri to marry legally in Iowa between 2009 and 2015. Faith UCC of Iowa City participated in performing the destination weddings.

Rev. Smith was slow and contemplative with her

Members of the Ames Friends Meeting told me that the Live Oak Friends Meeting in Houston, Texas performed a gay marriage in 1994, and Rev. Meredith Garmon of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines said Unitarian Universalists have been performing same-sex union ceremonies since the ’50s—long before any U.S. state legally recognized such unions.

In some ways, congregations like these have been answering the question Deb Fink posed in the Ames Friends Meeting for decades. How do congregations live out a belief in equality radically and counterculturally? First, they allow people to be themselves. And then, they do everything they can for people in their community. They do it out of love. They do it even when it’s hard or scary or hopeless.

“It’s about really doing the work and not being afraid,” said Rev. Smith. “Because love calls us to really big stuff.”

Rev. Diana Smith holds her ordination stoles. The one on the left shows the hands of her nieces, nephews and niblings. Rev. Smith’s mother added the Progress Pride colors to the stole on the right. Achilles F. Seastrom / Little Village

Can I Eat That?

An educational outing with mushroom experts and enthusiasts.

BY JAnE CLASPY nESMITH

Hunters waited at the Ryerson’s Woods trailhead in Iowa City on a beautiful late April Saturday morning. Older men with walking sticks wore blaze orange caps. University students in shorts and sneakers chatted among themselves. A handful of middle-aged women and a few retired folks rounded out the group. I joined them with my notebook and camera.

There wasn’t a gun in sight. These were mushroom hunters, ready to head off on a Prairie States Mushroom Club foray.

It was one of many offered by PSMC this season. Club president Sarah DeLong-Duhon is evangelical about Iowa’s fungal wonders, and the thrill of chasing them.

“Mushrooming can be like a treasure hunt,” she said. “We want to open people’s eyes to fungi, so they will love and appreciate mushrooms—and just be amazed!”

Guided by mycologists and mushroom experts

(the members in the bright orange caps), all of us in the group, from noobs to experienced mushroomers, hoped to spot some treasure. We’d heard that someone foraged an entire pickup-truckload of morels here last year. Paper bags were handed around for our finds, and we set off on our hunt.

The group headed out into the woods, quickly abandoning the trail. Walking slowly through the leaf litter, we pushed our way past spiny gooseberry plants, chokecherry saplings and flowering mayapples.

Mushroom forays led by the PSMC, like this one, have surged in popularity in the past year, with outings scheduled all over Iowa during the spring and summer months. (Upcoming forays, most of which are open to the public, are listed on the organization’s website, iowamushroom.org).

Since the beginning of her presidency, DeLongDuhon, who did independent research on fungi phylogenetics as an undergrad and again as a Master’s student at the University of Iowa, has been busy

finds from the Prairie States Mushroom Club foray at Ryerson’s Woods.

making the organization more visible and expanding its outreach. PSMC got a big boost last November when DeLong-Duhon gave a presentation at an Iowa Association of Naturalists Workshop.

“People from every corner of the state got to hear about the Prairie States Mushroom Club and what we did,” DeLong-Duhon said. “Since then, we’ve gotten many emails from different Iowa counties requesting forays.”

Membership in PSMC has jumped from around 20 people to over 100.

The Prairie States Mushroom Club has a history going back more than 40 years. Founded in 1983 with the goal of promoting scientific and educational activities related to fungi, it welcomes both professional biologists and hobbyists alike. Forays like the one I joined are the perfect way to get people excited about all things fungal.

“Where’s the best kind of place to look for mushrooms?” I asked as DeLong-Duhon and I made our way up a steep slope.

“The woods, mostly,” she replied. “That’s where you can find the environments they like.”

DeLong-Duhon explained that mushrooms grow in different places depending on what they use for food. Some fungi spawn on dead organic material like dead leaves or stumps. Others grow on living plants, either in a symbiotic or parasitic relationship.

Mushrooms themselves are just the fleshy fruit

Participants in a Prairie States Mushroom Club foray search the forest floor at Ryerson’s Woods for mushrooms.

Courtesy

of Sarah Dulong Duhon

Fungal

Jane Claspy Nesmith / Little Village

of a fungus, not the entire fungus. If you’ve turned over rotting leaves to find a fine web of white fibers and a mushroomy smell, you’ve seen the main body of a fungus. This is the mycelium that does the work of digesting organic material by injecting enzymes into it. The enzymes break down the material so that the fungus can absorb it as food.

Yes, those fungi are eating the dead leaves, the dead tree, the elm roots. And they’re contributing to the ecosystem as they do so, decomposing dead material and collaborating with many tree and plant species in a delicate, symbiotic dance.

As fruit, mushrooms are part of the fungi reproductive cycle. They come in a bizarre variety of shapes and colors, from the familiar spongy morels to bright golden oysters to phallic stinkhorns, branching coral mushrooms, and vomit-like slime mold. There are even some fungi that appear on violet leaves as bright yellow spots, or on cherry branches as black carbuncles.

Maybe it’s their weirdness that makes them so fascinating to us.

Ahead on the Ryerson’s Woods slope, we found a few of our group clustered around a dead tree. It was the first find of the day: a colony of inky cap mushrooms on the ground near a stump. These mushrooms had thin stems and deep brown caps that were turning black at the edges.

Everyone took turns coming up close for a look.

In another hiker’s palm was a slightly fluted mushroom: golden brown on top, creamy underneath with architectural-looking pores. It was a hexagonal pored polypore.

“Can you eat them?” someone asked.

Our experts tell us that the hexagonal-pored polypores can be eaten when young; otherwise, they’re too tough. With inky caps, you have to cook and eat them quickly before the mushrooms deliquesce into a pile of goo.

DeLong-Duhon points out that mushroom edibility runs on a spectrum. Some mushrooms are choice edibles; truffles, oyster mushrooms and morels are some of the more well-known ones. Others can be eaten, but aren’t tasty. And of course, there are the poisonous ones.

Everyone who hunts mushrooms for food wants to make sure they don’t get poisoned. Having experts to turn to in these matters is important. No one in the PSMC has died from eating wild mushrooms, although a few adventurous eaters, the ones willing to take a risk, have had some unpleasant digestive experiences.

DeLong-Duhon herself admitted to getting sick from eating mushrooms. She’d heard that greenspored parasols, white mushrooms with caps the size of dessert plates, could be eaten after 20 minutes of cooking at a specific temperature. They’re normally considered poisonous.

“Apparently I didn’t cook them enough,” she laughed. “It was a real fun time with GI distress. My body was trying to evacuate everything about every 10 minutes, for hours. But I knew I was going to be OK.”

Your voices uskeepreal.

We shouldn’t fear mushrooms, DeLong-Duhon said. On forays, PSMC experts can identify the safest varieties to eat as well as the ones that are poisonous. Anyone interested in eating wild mushrooms should send photos to identification@iowamushroom.org, and a PSMC expert will help you determine what it is and whether it’s edible.

“Plus, you don’t have to be afraid of mushrooms killing you if you don’t put them in your mouth,” she said. “Lots of members become obsessed with identifying them—because it’s fun.”

DeLong-Duhon has discovered a passion for photographing mushrooms, and especially enjoys taking pictures of teeny-tiny fungi, the ones most people might miss.

A shout resounded across the hillside. Someone found morels. We all tromped toward the sound.

We found ourselves in a grove of elm trees. Someone pointed to the leaf litter on the ground where a cluster of three morels spawned. We all came close for a look. The lucky finder gently picked the honeycomb-capped morsels and put them in a paper bag.

“Oh, there’s one! There’s another.” Everyone was focused on the ground. Each of us wanted to be the one to spot another morel. By the time we moved on, we’d collected about a dozen.

Or at least the people who’d actually spotted the morels did. The rest of us started to succumb to mushroom envy, which pressed us to search all the harder. Even without finds, looking for mushrooms in the woods is delightful. At this time of year, spring ephemerals are blooming.

“Did you know you can eat these?” asked one of the mushroom experts. She picked the white and pink candy-striped flowers off of a spring beauty and popped them in her mouth. The rest of us followed suit: the flowers were tender and slightly sweet.

Picking and eating something you’ve come across in the woods is an amazingly satisfying experience. This is probably one reason why people like foraging for mushrooms so much, even with storebought fungi easily accessible.

At the end of this foray, we met back at the picnic shelter. Some of us checked our smartwatches. We hadn’t walked very far in those two hours. We’d gone slowly, scanning the ground, stopping to take photos, chatting with one another about the birds we heard (house wren, northern parula), discussing ways to prepare our finds for dinner and admiring each other’s mushroom-themed clothing.

We laid the total score out on the table: a couple handfuls of morels, some sweet-smelling pheasant backs, hexagonal pored polypores, slowly deliquescing inky caps and some turkey tails.

Not a truckload, but maybe it was better: for those two hours, we paid attention to the natural world. We connected to one another, shared with one another, and learned the names of some of the weirdest living things on the planet.

Prairie Pop

Iowa City’s Burning

Pokey’s Fest is for the children, the punk elders and all the weirdos in between.

BY KEMBREW McLEOD

Punk isn’t dead. Sure, punk is old enough that it may be dad—or mom—but it’s still by and for the kids. For proof of life, one needn’t look any further than Pokey’s Fest 3, two all-ages nights of hardcore punk and other assorted music for freaks that will take place June 13 and 14 in Iowa City’s Public Space One.

Punk’s year zero was 1977, an epochal moment that saw the release of debut albums by the Clash, Sex Pistols, Damned, Dead Boys, Television and other first wave bands. Its out-with-the-old ideology was articulated in the Clash’s song “1977,” in which they declared, “No Elvis, Beatles, or The Rolling Stones in 1977!”

With punk inching closer to its 50th birthday and firmly middle-aged, there is a case to be made that this subculture has been fully co-opted by the corporate nostalgia machine. The Sex Pistols’ current tour with replacement frontman Frank Carter or Green Day’s recent headlining appearance at Coachella would

support such a claim.

However, all you have to do is dig a little bit deeper underground to realize that punk is alive and well here in the Midwest, and elsewhere. A new generation is keeping punk’s communal flames lit by embracing the DIY spirit of second wave bands like Minor Threat and their indie label Dischord Records.

“The first time I heard Minor Threat,” PSYOP vocalist Dolly Sperry said, “it completely changed my life and gave me a trajectory to follow. I listen to all sorts of music, but hardcore really became sort of a focal point. I first heard the Clash when I was probably 8 or 9, and then I heard the Sex Pistols pretty soon after. My mom’s shitty boyfriend had a big CD collection, and he was like, ‘Oh man, you’ve never heard this? I’m sure you’re gonna like this.’”

Middle school was a huge music discovery period for Sperry, which coincided with the tailend of the illegal file-sharing era and the beginning of streaming. Growing up in a small Iowa town of about 10,000,

there were no record stores, so the internet served that function.

“I was like, ‘Oh shit, I need to figure out what the hell is this all about! I need to know more.’ So I just started refining my taste based on looking at that whole landscape and being like, ‘I like these kinds of bands and what they’re doing, and not so much these kinds of bands.’ I got very voracious and started seeking out as much as I possibly could.”

Sperry moved to Iowa City straight outta high school in 2016 because she wanted to be an active part of a DIY punk scene. She was initially planning on moving to one of the coasts, genuinely unsure if such a thing really existed in Iowa, but that perception changed when Sperry played a couple shows in Iowa City.

Dolly Sperry at the first Pokey’s Fest in 2023. Sam Ham, courtesy of Dolly Sperry

IOWA CITY

“I sort of just immediately fell in love with the place,” Sperry said. “I started going to as many shows as I possibly could and then playing in as many bands as I possibly could, you know, hopping on my friend’s tours whenever I could. It was sort of the end of the last time the punk and hardcore scene in Iowa City had been popping off, particularly the era of Supersonic Piss, the Tanks and Nerv.”

Like any college town where the population is transient, Iowa City’s music scenes have ebbed and flowed over time. The years after Sperry moved there were certainly a quieter time for hardcore, especially when the pandemic closed everything down. 2020 was the first time since Sperry was 16 that she hadn’t played shows on a weekly basis, and by the middle of that year it was still unclear if live music was ever going to come back.

“I found myself searching for community and wanting to create something very specific,” she said. “I’m a multi-instrumentalist, so I taught myself how to record. I recorded a demo and then I was like, ‘OK, I wanna put this out and I’m gonna start a label because I also want to release multiple bands.’ Basically, I wanted to document the scene, to archive what was happening like Ian MacKaye’s Dischord label did for the Washington D.C. scene.”

“I love the history of punk and hardcore punk,” Sperry continued, “and how that has had such a tremendous effect on fashion, aesthetics, culture, politics and the working class. It’s just a very interesting intersectionality among many groups that you wouldn’t necessarily see being related in that way.”

Sperry ended up re-recording her PSYOP demo once she got band members together to play the songs, and as shows began coming back, it was high time to release a single. Her other band, BOOTCAMP, also released a seven-inch single through her newly founded Pokey’s Records imprint, opening the door to other bands.

“Shows had kind of popped off since 2021, just, like, way bigger attendance than we were used to, with a lot more kids coming out,” Sperry said. “So a festival just seemed like the next natural step to take. Our first fest was crazy. It had a way bigger turnout than I expected, and about 20 or 30 bands coming in

from throughout the Midwest.”

The first Pokey’s Fest was primarily staged at the James Theater, along with a few house-show venues. Public Space One also hosted one bill. For Sperry, being a first-time festival promoter was a baptism by fire—literally.

“The first time you do it, you really have no fucking idea what’s going to happen,” she said. “It was a huge success and was really fun, but also was super wacky and a nightmare, with bands dropping out the week before, and trying to put the calls out for replacements. At the PS1 show, some speakers caught on fire and someone was swinging from rafters and hurt himself and ended up having to get stitches. It was ridiculous. I mean, safety is important, but you know, I think a little bit of chaos is OK.”

The PA went up in flames because someone had messed with the settings in a way that ensured that the speaker would be, for lack of a better technical term, absolutely fucked. They got the speaker out of the venue well before it posed a hazard to life or limb, but it still filled the room with electric-scented smoke.

“Yeah, it was not great,” Sperry said. “I mean, it actually was fine. Nobody was in any real danger, but it did suck because that’s a piece of equipment that is very, very expensive. For a not-for-profit thing, when shit goes wrong, it’s not like we can say, ‘Oh, we’ll just ask the sponsor to cover it.’ Nope. But it was still awesome, and so the next year I was just like, ‘How do we make this even more insane and get this to the next level?’ People were so thrilled the first year of the fest, and there was this tangible sense of unity.”

As for Pokey’s Fest 3, Sperry is super stoked about how it is shaping up. A couple bands are traveling all the way from Philadelphia, though the event is still rooted primarily in the Midwest punk scene, with bands from Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis and St. Louis representing, plus local bands. “It’ll just be a lot of really good hardcore punk and some freaky electronic music for the weirdos,” as she summed it up. “So yeah, a good combination of things.”

Sperry thinks the appeal of hardcore for kids coming to these shows has everything to do with building a sense of community. It feels good to be around other likeminded outcasts, or those who are queer, or who come from different classes and social backgrounds. The local punk scene here is populated with people who are committed to political organizing and other forms of activism. For example, the drummer in Sperry’s band BOOTCAMP, Oliver Weilein, has spent the past decade in Iowa City advocating for housing as a human right, and was recently elected to the City Council.

“There’s certainly an appeal in finding that sort of

“I GEnUInELY WAnT TO CREATE ART BY AnD FOR WEIRDOS. WE’RE nOT TRYInG TO HAVE CAREERS OR MAKE LOTS OF MOnEY. WE ARE MAKInG ART BECAUSE WE WAnT TO BUILD COMMUnITY AROUnD THE LOVE AnD THE JOY OF CREATIOn. THAT’S WHAT IT’S ABOUT.” — DOLLY SPERRY

community through the punk scene,” Sperry said. “But fundamentally, for me, the appeal is the music. Fast music. I want it to be in your face. I’m not trying to make music for jocks. I genuinely want to create art by and for weirdos. We’re not trying to have careers or make lots of money. We are making art because we want to build community around the love and the joy of creation. That’s what it’s about.”

Kembrew McLeod would like to go loud, hard, fast— but he’s getting slower and duller with every year that passes.

June 13-14, various venues, Iowa City Single Day

August Ford drums for Thought Wrong at Pokey’s Fest 2, 2024. Courtesy of Sam Ham

Left: BOOTCAMP plays at Pokey’s Fest 2, 2024. Courtesy of Sam Ham

Right: The first Pokey’s Fest, 2023. Sam Ham, courtesy of Dolly Sperry

Pokey’s Fest 3

Pass: $45; Full Fest Pass: $75; Student Full Fest Pass: $60

Pokey’s Fest 2, 2024. Angelo Rossi, courtesy of Dolly Sperry

June A-LIST: FILM

DES MOINES

Saturday, June 7 at 1 p.m., Better Cities Film Festival with Q&A and Panel Discussion, Varsity Cinema

Saturday, June 8 at 1 p.m., national Theatre Live: Dr. Strangelove, Varsity Cinema

Sunday, June 15 at 7 p.m., Daddyfest: Mamma Mia! with Audience Interaction, Varsity Cinema

Tuesday, June 17 at 7 p.m., The Empire Strikes Back with Audience Interaction, Varsity Cinema

Thursday, June 26 at 10 p.m., Mausoleum – Presented with The Fright Zone Podcast, Varsity Cinema

Friday-Sunday, June 27-29, Interrobang Film Festival, Des Moines Public Library

Sunday, June 29 at 7 p.m., Faust – Silent Film with Live Metal Score, Varsity Cinema

IOWA CITY

Friday, June 6, The Phoenician Scheme, FilmScene

Saturday, June 7 at 8:45 p.m., FilmScene in the Park: Batman Forever

Sunday, June 8 at 7 p.m., Vino Vérité: Secret Mall Apartment with dir. Jeremy Workman, FilmScene “If teenage me found out that there was a secret Playstation clubhouse in my local mall, with an access panel hidden over a toilet, I would have gone through the looking glass in a heartbeat. This is a proposition that 2024 documentary Secret Mall Apartment presents, with Providence artist Michael Townsend as its white rabbit. … We all know that one guy, the industrious kook. In liberal cities there tends to be some kind of Michael Townsend—a visionary who is willing to do whatever it takes to see a project to the end, finances and hygiene be damned.” —Lee Keeler

Read the full film review

Sunday, June 15 at 8:45 p.m., Out of Sight, FilmScene Ped Mall Rooftop

Wednesday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m., Screening and Q&A: The Negro Artist, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts

Saturday, June 21 at 9:15 p.m., FilmScene in the Park: Clue, FilmScene

Saturday, June 21 & Sunday, June 22, Thursday, June 26 at 3:30 p.m., The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, FilmScene

Wednesday, June 25 at 7 p.m., The Maya Deren Project: Live Score Event

Sunday, June 29 at 8:45 p.m., Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, FilmScene Ped Mall Rooftop

QUAD CITIES

Thursday, June 5–Saturday, June 7 at 8:30 p.m., The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Picture House Rooftop

Thursday, June 12–Saturday, June 14 at 8:30 p.m., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Last Picture House Rooftop

Thursday, June 19–Satuday, June 21 at 8:30 p.m., Reservoir Dogs, The Last Picture House Rooftop

Thursday, June 26–Saturday, June 28 at 8:30 p.m., Tommy Boy, The Last Picture House Rooftop

LOCAL & NOTABLE

Little Village's monthly print calendar is a non-exhaustive, curated list of arts and cultural events across LV's reader areas. Want to see more?

Browse listings online at littlevillagemag.com/calendar.

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(Please include: event image, event name, date, time, venue name and address, admission price or price range and a brief description. No all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please.)

Pride Events

IOWA CITY AREA

Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m., Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers, FilmScene

Wednesday, June 4, 10 p.m., Late Shift at the Grindhouse: Seed of Chucky, FilmScene

Tuesday, June 10, 7 p.m., I Am My Own Woman, FilmScene

Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 p.m., Castration Movie Anthology I: Traps, FilmScene

Tuesday, June 24, 7 p.m., North By Current, FilmScene

Monday-Sunday, June 16-22, Pride Week, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana

Tuesday, June 17, 4 p.m., LGBTQ+ Meet & Greet, Press Coffee

Tuesday, June 17, 5 p.m., Big Gay Bar Crawl 2025, Studio 13

Wednesday, June 18, 5 p.m., Iowa City Pride Picnic & Pool Party, S.T. Morrison Park, Coralville

Saturday, June 21, 12 p.m., Iowa City Pride Parade & Festival, Downtown Iowa City

Thursday, June 26, 3 p.m., Pride Party, north Liberty Public Library

DES MOINES AREA

Friday-Sunday, June 6-8, Capital City PrideFest, Downtown Des Moines

Tuesday, June 10, 7 p.m., The Birdcage, Varsity Cinema

Opens Thursday, June 12, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Varsity Cinema

Friday & Saturday, June 13 & 14, 7:30 p.m., Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus presents: Proud ‘n Pink, Temple Theater

Saturday, June 14, 1 p.m., Common Love Clothing Pop-up, Park Fair Mall

Sunday, June 15, 12 p.m., Big Gay Rage Yoga, The Garden Restaurant and Show Lounge

Opens Thursday, June 19, But I’m a Cheerleader, Varsity Cinema

Friday, June 20, 6 p.m., 16th Annual One Iowa Gala, Vibrant Music Hall

Saturday, June 21, 4 p.m., Ankeny Pride Celebration, Southview Middle School, Ankeny

Sunday, June 22, 2 p.m., Pups With Pride, Paws and Pints Dog Park

Opens Sunday, June 22, Brokeback Mountain, Varsity Cinema

Friday, June 27, 5 p.m., iCubs Pride night & Tailgate, Principal Park

Sunday, June 29, 10 a.m., Pride Ride, SingleSpeed Brewing Co.

Sunday, June 29, 10 a.m., Valley Junction Pride, Historic Valley Junction

Saturday, July 26, 12 p.m., Pride in the Park 2025, West End Park, Marshalltown

CEDAR RAPIDS AREA

Tuesday, June 3, 6 p.m., Queer Magic, Illuminations Studio

Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m., Viewing of 1946, St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church

Friday, June 6, 12 p.m., Pride Button Making, Marion Public Library, Marion

Friday, June 6, 6 p.m., Pride at the Park, Guthridge Park

Saturday, June 7, 11 a.m., Pride Flash Event, Iron Lotus Tattoo & Piercing

Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m., Benton County Pride, Celebration Park, Vinton

Saturday, June 14, 3 p.m., Affirming Service, Cedar Rapids Public Library

Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m., Pride Month: Get Bendy with Your Beloved, Breathing Room Yoga

Monday, June 16, 6 p.m., Read with Pride: An LGBTQIA Book Club, Hiawatha Public Library, Hiawatha

Friday, June 27, 8 p.m., Pride night, Spare Time

Friday, July 6, 12 p.m., Pride Ride, newBo City Market

Saturday, July 12, 11 a.m., CR Pride Festival & Parade, newBo City Market

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Sunday, June 15, 2:30 p.m., Rainbow Pride Story Time!, Cedar Falls Public Library

Friday-Saturday, August 22-23, Cedar Valley Pride Fest, Downtown Waterloo

QUAD CITIES

Friday-Saturday, June 6-7, Quad Cities Pride Festival, Schwiebert Riverfront Park, Rock Island

Sunday, June 8, 10:30 a.m., Somatic Session at Schwiebert, Schwiebert Riverfront Park Bandshell, Rock Island

Thursday, June 12, 6:30 p.m., Pride night with the River Bandits, Modern Woodman Park, Davenport

Saturday, June 14, 9 a.m., Annual Pride Party, The Atlas Collective, Moline

Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m., QC Unity Pride Parade, Downtown Davenport Riverfront

Thursday, June 19, 5:30 p.m., Pride Book Club, The Atlas Collective, Moline

Thursday, June 24, 5:30 p.m., Pride Book Club, The Atlas Collective, Moline

Saturday, June 28, 8 a.m., Pride 5k: Walk, Run, & Roll, Bass Street Landing, Rock Island

Saturday, June 28,3 p.m., Pride Party, Bass Street Landing, Rock Island

DUBUQUE

Saturday, June 7, 12 p.m., Dubuque Pride Festival, Town Clock Plaza, Dubuque

FORT MADISON/ OTTUMWA/ BURLINGTON

Thursday, June 5, 6:30 p.m., Riverside Pride Support night, The Broom Closet and Healing Haven South, Fort Madison

Saturday, June 7, 4 p.m., 5th Annual Ottumwa Pride Block Party, The Beach Ottumwa

Friday, June 13, 4 p.m., Lee County Pride Festival, Central Park, Fort Madison

Saturday, June 28, 8 a.m., Pride on the Riverfront, Burlington

MUSIC

DES MOINES/AMES

Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m., Zenith Chamber Music Festival: Yang & Olivia, Willow on Grand

Wednesday, June 4 at 6 p.m., Scott H. Biram, Volk, Casey Joe and the Ghosts, Bleujack, Lefty’s Live Music

Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m., Zenith Chamber Music Festival: Iowa Guitars - Oleg & Dan, Mainframe Studios

Thursday, June 5 from 6–9 p.m., Summer Concert Series: The Stolen Winnebagos, Jasper Winery

Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m., Jazz on the House with Blake Shaw & Co., noce

Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m., Zenith Chamber Music Festival: Damani Phillips, The Simpson Barn

Friday, June 6 at 7 p.m., Zenith Chamber Music Festival: The Indianapolis Quartet, The Iowa Theater

Friday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m., Whiskey Myers, Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park

Friday, June 6 at 7 p.m., nOLA Jazz Band, noce

Friday, June 6 from 8–11 p.m., I Love The ’80s, Hoyt Sherman Place

Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m., Live Performance Friday Series, Lefty’s Live Music

Friday, June 6 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Carson Parker, noce

Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m., Acid Bath, Val Air Ballroom

Friday, June 6 from 7–9 p.m., Tanner Taylor Duo, The Cave DSM

Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m., Zenith Chamber Music Festival: The Indianapolis Quartet featuring Zenith Virtuosi, Sheslow Auditorium

Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m., Chelsey Green & the Green Project, Temple Theater

Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m., Blackberry Smoke: Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour with Sam Morrow, Val Air Ballroom

Saturday, June 7 at 9 p.m., Cozy Worldwide, Vibrant Music Hall

Sunday, June 8 from 2–4 p.m., CJC jazz jam session, The Cave DSM

Sunday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m., Coheed and Cambria, Mastodon, Vibrant Music Hall

Sundays, June 8-July 6 at 7 p.m., Music Under the Stars, Hoyt Sherman Place

Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m., Faster Pussycat, Supersuckers, The Rumours, The Lonely Ones, The Other Brothers, Lefty’s Live Music

Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m., Summer Concert Series: Decoy, Jasper Winery

Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m., Jazz on the House with Saxophonist Anthony Orji & Co., noce

Friday, June 13 from 7–9 p.m., Jack Curtis & The Travelers, The Cave DSM

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., The Domita Show feat. Travis ness, noce

Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m., honestav, Presented by First Fleet Concerts, Wooly’s

Friday, June 13 at 9 p.m., Space Monkey Mafia, BYO Brass, Lefty’s Live Music

Friday, June 13 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Carson Parker, noce

Saturday, June 14, Dead Posey, xBk Live

Saturday, June 14 from 3–10:30 p.m., Free Range Music and BBQ Festival, Jasper Winery

Saturday, June 14 at 5 p.m., Green Jellÿ,

From This Day Forward, Lefty’s Live Music

Saturday, June 14 at 6 p.m., Riff Raff with Jarren Benton, Wooly’s

Saturday, June 14 at 7 p.m., Jackson Churchill: An Album Release!, noce

Saturday, June 14 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Anthony Orji, noce

Monday, June 16 at 8 p.m., Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker ‘25 World Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place

Tuesday, June 17 at 5 p.m., The Darts, Bat Problem, Poly Mall Cops, Toon Smokes, Lefty’s Live Music There’s something very slumber party about Seattle-based allgirl garage band The Darts. Their songs, according to Rolling Stone, sound like “ghost trains on mushrooms and the manifestos of bad girls.” We want to go to this slumber party and we think you should go, too, because Poly Mall Cops and Toon Smokes are going to be there, and we heard there’s going to be vodka and dirty movies.

Tuesday, June 17 at 6 p.m., Merkules “The Survivor’s Guilt Tour,” Wooly’s

Wednesday, June 18 at 8 p.m., Key Glock, Vibrant Music Hall

Thursday, June 19 from 6–9 p.m., Summer Concert Series: Rhino, Jasper Winery

Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m., Jazz on the House with The Carson Parker Trio, noce

Friday, June 20 from 5:30–9 p.m., Grace For Addictions Summer Soirée featuring The Ladybirds & nOLA Jazz Band, Chandelier

Friday, June 20 at 6 p.m., Origami Angel, Wooly’s

Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m., Bojangles:

A-LIST: JUNE 2025

napoleon Douglas Sings The Music of Sammy Davis Jr. with His Jazz Orchestra, noce

Friday, June 20 from 7–9 p.m., John Krantz Trio, The Cave DSM

Friday, June 20 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Carson Parker, noce

Friday, June 20 at 6 p.m., The Soul Rebels, xBk Live

Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m., Torch Songs: Lauren Vilmain with Her Jazz Orchestra, noce

Saturday, June 21 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Anthony Orji, noce

Sunday, June 22 from 3–6 p.m., Brazilian jam session with Choro Moingona, The Cave DSM

Sunday, June 22 at 5 p.m., Fathom, Orphic Illusion, Brevity, Infernal Instinct, Goalie Fight, Lefty’s Live Music

Monday, June 23 at 6 p.m., The Cat Empire, Wooly’s

Monday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m., Modest Mouse, Val Air Ballroom

Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., The Soap Girls, Lefty’s Live Music

Wednesday, June 25. 7–9 p.m., Alayna Ringsby Trio, The Cave DSM

Thursday, June 26 from 6–9 p.m., Summer Concert Series: Damon Dotson Band, Jasper Winery

Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m., Jazz on the House with Trumpeter Scott Davis & Co., noce

Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m., Weird Al Yankovic & Puddles Pity Party, Des Moines Performing Arts

Friday, June 27 from 7–9 p.m., Scott Davis Trio, The Cave DSM

Saturday, June 28 at 7 p.m., 40 Oz To Freedom, Wooly’s

Saturday, June 28 at 9:30 p.m., After Hours with Anthony Orji, noce

A-LIST: JUNE 2025

MUSIC

Sunday, June 29 at 6 p.m., Tripping Daisy, Wooly’s

Sunday, June 29 at 6 p.m., TRHA, Saidan, Glass Ox, Lefty’s Live Music

Sunday, June 29 at 9 p.m., System Exclusive, The Mesmerists, Lefty’s Live Music

Monday, June 30 at 6 p.m., Sister Paul, The Ramone, nowns, Lefty’s Live Music

Thursday, July 3 from 6–9 p.m., Summer Concert Series: The nadas, Jasper Winery

IOWA CITY

Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m., Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, Wildwood

Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m., Mike V & The Rats, Gabe’s Mike Valleley, pro skater, Thrasher darling, Black Flag’s lead vocalist from 2013-2025, and yet somehow an actual Iowa resident plays Gabe’s with his original punk band Mike V & The Rats, the day this magazine hits stands in Iowa City—so you better go get in line. This show precedes their Bats, Cats and Rats tour with Aquabats and Koffin Kats, and it will rock.

Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m., Feed the Dog with Flash in a Pan, Wildwood

Friday, June 6 at 5 p.m., Bikein Beats, Bike Library

Friday, June 6 at 6 p.m., Kenny Feidler, Wildwood

Friday, June 6 at 7 p.m., naethan Apollo: Itty Bitty Tour Part 2, Gabe’s

Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m., Lipstick Homicide, Heavy Lag, TV Cop, Dreamthief, Trumpet Blossom Cafe

Saturday, June 7 at 6 p.m., Blank Hellscape, True Commando,

via Indecision Records

thisworldisnotkind, Grave Posture, Gabe’s

Saturday, June 7 at 6 p.m., Freegrass Trio, northside District

Monday, June 9 at 7 p.m., Hot Mulligan with Born For nothing, Bouquet & Stars Hollow, Gabe’s

Wednesday, June 11 at 6 p.m., Green Jelly with From This Day Forward, Wildwood

Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m., Music on the Move: Crystal City Trio, PinSeekers, Tiffin

Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m., The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts

Thursday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m., A.J. Croce Presents: Croce Plays Croce, Englert Theatre

Friday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m., Friday night Concert Series: Charlotte Blu, Brad & the Big Wave, Ped Mall

Saturday, June 14 at 4 p.m., Summer Jam 8 featuring nathan Lane & Grace Louessa and more, Wildwood

Saturday, June 14 at 6 p.m., northside Saturday nights: Fork in the Road, northside District

Saturday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m., Rhythms at Riverfront Crossing: The P.T.A. (Phillips, Towne and Adams) Organ Trio, Riverfront Crossings

Sunday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m., I’m With Her, Mason Via, Englert Theatre

Tuesday, June 17 at 8 p.m., Riff Raff with Jarren Benton, Wildwood

Tuesday, June 17 at 8 p.m., Larry Wish, Samuel Locke Ward, Justin K Comer, Trumpet Blossom Cafe

Wednesday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m., The Allman Betts Band, Greg Koch, Englert Theatre

Wednesday, June 18 at 8 p.m., Almost Dead, Gabe’s

Wednesday, June 18 at 6 p.m., Music on the Move: Dave Zollo, S.T. Morrison Park, Coralville

Friday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m., Friday night

Concert Series: Back to Our Roots Fashion Show AnD Leradee & the Positives, Ped Mall

Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m., Wyvern with Critical Mass, Braver Than I, Saving Sidon & Left For A Living, Gabe’s

Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m., Maggie Baugh: Entertainers Heart Tour, Wildwood

Saturday, June 21 at 6 p.m., northside Saturday nights: Two Boyfriends, northside District

Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m., Ruthless County, Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon

Helmer at Iowa City Farmer’s Market, Chauncey Swan Ramp

Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m., northside Saturday nights: Yogev Shetrit, northside District

Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m., TRHÄ with Saidan, ThisWorldIsnotKind & necrotic Theurgist, Gabe’s

Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m., The Del McCoury Band, The Feralings, Englert Theatre

via Chillona

Saturday, June 21 at 9:45 p.m., Iowa City Pride After Party: Chillona, Sun Centauri, Englert Theatre Turn it up at the Englert’s Iowa City Pride After Party with a bold, burlesque-inspired stage show of assertive reggaeton bangers and introspective electro ballads by Chicago’s “dark pop” Latin diva Chillona. Iowa City’s pensive, soulful R&B duo Sun Centauri (Alyx Rush and Jim Swim) will open the celebration at 9:45 sharp.

Sunday, June 22 at 8 p.m., Exhorder with Ill Omen, Gabe’s

Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m., Steve Earle, Englert Theatre

Wednesday, June 25 at 8:30 p.m., Music on the Move: Blake Shaw Trio, Mercer Park

Wednesday, June 25 at 7 p.m., Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, Wildwood

Friday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m., Friday night Concert Series: Diplomats of Solid Sound, Ped Mall

Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m., Shade Of Blue ft. Anthony Hendricks, Wildwood

Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m., Amarak, Post AD, nequient, Thunder Goat, Gabe’s

Saturday, June 28 at 9 a.m., Dave

Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m., nonGrata with Odds Of An Afterthought & Critical Mass, Gabe’s

Wednesday, July 2 at 6:30 p.m., Music on the Move: Kevin Burt, City Hall Plaza, north Liberty

CEDAR RAPIDS

Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m., RnB night JUnE, The Ideal Theatre & Bar

Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m., Alejandro Brittes Trio, CSPS Order a bottle of malbec and pretend you’re on vacation in Buenos Aires; award-winning Argentine accordionist Alejando Brittes, who has showcased traditional Chamamé music worldwide for over 30 years, will be performing with his trio twice in Iowa this month: first in Davenport at Common Chord, and then in Cedar Rapids at CSPS.

Friday, June 13 at 6 p.m., Allison Krauss & Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas, McGrath Amphitheatre

Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m., Carson Parker Trio, CSPS

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., The Wallflowers with The Wild Feathers, Paramount Theatre

Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m.,

via Alejandro Brittes

MUSIC

Gabriel Espinosa & Ashanti Latin Jazz, Ideal Theater & Bar

Thursday, June 19, Molly Miller Trio & nassor Cooper Project, Ideal Theater

Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m., Justin Moore and Joe nichols, McGrath Amphitheatre

Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m., Kobe Williams and The Fantasy & Anthony Worden, CSPS

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m., Octopus Songwriter’s Open Mic., Octopus, Cedar Falls

Thursday-Saturday, June 5-7, My Waterloo Days, Lincoln Park, Waterloo

Friday, June 13 at 7 pm., Halloween in June, The Loft Waterloo

Saturday, June 14 at 12 p.m., CHROMA63 Art & Music Festival, RiverLoop Amphitheatre & Expo Plaza, Cedar Falls

Friday, June 27–Sunday, June 29, Cedar Basin Music Festival: Day One, Sturgis Park

There’s a weekend in June when Cedar Falls really does it up by throwing two festivals at once, right next door to each other. Sturgis Falls (not to be mistaken with Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota) originated in 1976 at the CF’s Bicentennial. Cedar Basin Music Festival launched more recently, originally as a jazz festival, and has since expanded to include other genres. So this weekend in Cedar Falls is a smorgasbord: you’ll find food vendors, carnival rides, arts & crafts, car show stuff and, of course, three days’ worth of live jazz and Americana music.

QUAD CITIES

Thursday, June 5 at 6 p.m., Rattlesnake Milk with The Hallelujah Ward, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, June 7 at 5 p.m., Agony of Defeat with Hate Division, Wyvern, Fungal Mass, 12 Gauge Autopsy & Laso, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m., OUTLETProgramme Presents: nicholas Elert with Granular Breath and Floating Cave, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island

Monday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m., Alejandro Brittes Trio, Common Chord, Davenport

Wednesday, June 11 at 6 p.m., Caroline Rose, Raccoon Motel, Davenport You can expect everything from electric guitar solos to stand up comedy bits at a Caroline Rose show, but the centerpiece is always her signature folk-pop/psychobilly, satireinfused songwriting. “I’ve just been trying to make music diverse enough that AI can’t reproduce it,” the Long Islander said.

via Cedar Basin Music Festival

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., Ragged Records Presents: The Tubs with Subatlantic and Camp Regret, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., Samantha Crain with Quinn Christopherson, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, June 14 at 6 p.m., Planning for Burial with Stander, Everlasting Light and Archeress, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Sunday, June 15 at 6 p.m., The Darts, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Monday, June 16 at 6 p.m., Florry, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Tuesday, June 17 at 6 p.m., The Casper Fight Scene with Moosecreek Park and Dear Maryanne, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, June 18 at 6 p.m., The Thing with Feathers, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Sunday, June 22 at 6 p.m., Cloakroom, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., Crown Magnetar, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m., The Last Revel with Lena Marie Schiffer, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m., Another Michael with Kleenex Girl Wonder and Mocktag, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, June 28 at 7 p.m., Tomar & The FCs with The Imperial Sound and The Rachel Drew Band, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m., Amateur Selectors Series: Limbo Rock with BBJr, Rozz-tox, Rock Island

MUSIC

Sunday, June 29 at 6 p.m., The Wildmans with The Jenkins Twins, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m., Left Lane Cruiser, Riff Worm, The Lift, Dubuque

Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m., Maquoketa Summer Concert Series: Wonderful Smiths, The Green, Downtown Maquoketa

Thursday, June 12 at 8 p.m., Mama Said String Band, The Lift, Dubuque

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., Wolfskill & the Wild + CJ Parker!, Maquoketa Brewing

Saturday, June 14 at 9 p.m., Big Sloth, The Lift, Dubuque

Sunday, June 15 at 6 p.m., Watchhouse, Two Runner, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa

Thursday, June 19 at 6 p.m., The Jayhawks, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa

Thursday, June 19 at 6 p.m., Jake Owen: The Driftwood Ramble Tour, Back Waters Stage, Dubuque

Thursday, June 19 at 9 p.m., The Matchsellers, The Lift, Dubuque

Saturday, June 21 at 6 p.m., night Moves / Anthony Worden & The Illiterati / Shady Cove, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa

Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m., St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa

Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m., Maquoketa Summer Concert Series: Slapdash Bluegrass, The Green, Downtown Maquoketa

Friday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m., Hairball: The Silver Anniversary Tour, Back Waters Stage, Dubuque

Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m., Keller Williams Presents DeadPettyKellerGrass, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa

Sunday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m., Dubuque Symphony Orchestra: Summer Melodies, Alliant Amphitheater, Dubuque

Juneteenth Events

IOWA CITY AREA

Monday-Friday, June 16-20, Johnson County, Iowa Juneteenth Commemoration, event details TBD

Thursday, June 19, 8 p.m., Juneteenth Drag Show & Karaoke, Studio 13

Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 p.m., Juneteenth Feature Film: The Negro Artist, Washington Public Library, Washington

Friday, June 20, 6:30 p.m., Back to Our Roots Fashion Show, Ped Mall

Friday, June 20, 7 p.m., Juneteenth Concert - An Evening With Dartanyan Brown & Friends, Mills Seed Co. Building, Washington

Friday, June 20, 7:15 p.m., Leradee & the Positives, Ped Mall

DES MOINES AREA

Saturday, June 14, 9 a.m., Juneteenth Celebration Hike, Fort Des Moines Park

Saturday, June 14, 12:30 p.m., nAACP Ames Juneteenth Celebration, Bandshell Park, Ames

Thursday, June 19, 5 p.m., Juneteenth Jubilee, State Historical Building

Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m., Embrace the Race 5k, Gray’s Lake Park

Saturday, June 21, 12 p.m., neighbor’s Day Celebration, Western Gateway Park

Friday, June 27, 7 a.m., Juneteenth Charity Golf Outing, Willow Creek Golf Course

CEDAR RAPIDS

Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m., Juneteenth Festival, newBo City Market

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m., Pre-Juneteenth Freedom Brunch & Screening of Gaining Ground, 131 Tower Park Dr, Waterloo

Thursday, June 19, 12 p.m., Juneteenth Cookout & Product Expo, Gates Park, Waterloo

Thursday, June 19, 6 p.m., Men Engaged now Forum, Impact Church of Hope, Waterloo

Thursday, June 19, 6 p.m., Juneteenth Community Dinner & Service of Repentance, First Presbyterian Church, Cedar Falls

Friday, June 20, 6 p.m., Juneteenth Kickoff Showcase, East High School, Waterloo

Saturday-Sunday, June 21-22, Unity in the Community 30th Annual Juneteenth Celebration, Sullivan Park, Waterloo

QUAD CITIES AREA

Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m., Quad City Juneteenth Festival, LeClaire Park, Davenport

Thursday, June 19, 3:30 p.m., Wine Walk + Juneteenth Market, DeWitt Farmers Market, DeWitt

Thursday, June 19, 5 p.m., Juneteenth Celebration in Partnership with the Lincoln Resource Center, Figge Art Museum, Davenport

Saturday, June 21, 3 p.m., Stomp the Stage Dance Competition, Lincoln Resource Center, Davenport

DUBUQUE

Friday, June 13, 5 p.m., History Retold, Multicultural Family Center, Dubuque

Saturday, June 14,12 p.m., Picnic in the Park, Jackson Park, Dubuque

Sunday, June 15, 11 a.m., Prayer and Praise, Jackson Park, Dubuque

OTTUMWA/KEOKUK

Thursday, June 19, 12 p.m., Ottumwa Juneteenth Celebration, Central Park, Ottumwa

Saturday, June 21, 6:30 p.m., Juneteenth Festival Concert, Rand Park, Keokuk

Malcolm MacDougall / Little Village

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

DES MOINES/AMES

Tuesday, June 3–Wednesday, June 4 at 8 p.m., Iowa Nice, Temple Theater

Thursday, June 5–Saturday, June 14, Venardos Circus Far Beyond, Outlets of Des Moines

Friday, June 6–Saturday, June 7 at 10 a.m., Picnic & Puccini Family Opera Adventure: The Billy Goats Gruff, Blank Performing Arts Center, Indianola

Friday, June 6–Satuday, June 7, Squeamish, The Haunt Speakeasy

Friday-Sunday, June 6-15, Once Upon a Mattress: Youth Edition, CAP Theatre

Friday, June 6–Sunday, June 15, various times, Torch Song, Stoner Theater

Friday, June 6–Sunday, June 15, various times, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ankeny Community Theatre

Thursday, June 12 at 5 p.m., Ballet Des Moines Summer STEM Tour, Lauridsen Amphitheater

Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m., The Domita Show feat. Travis ness, noce

Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m., Wild ‘n Out Iowa Takeover, Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center

Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m., Jay & Silent Bob’s Aural Sects Tour, Val Air Ballroom

Saturday, June 21 & 28 at 6 p.m., Dinner Detective Des Moines, Embassy Suites by Hilton

Sunday, June 22 at 4 p.m., Des Moines Gamer Symphony Orchestra Summer Concert, Waukee northwest High School Auditorium

Sunday, June 22–Tuesday, June 24, YouthFest: national Youth Theatre Festival, Des Moines Community Playhouse

Wednesday, June 25–Saturday, June 28, AACTFest: national Community Theatre Festival, Hoyt Sherman Place The American Association of Community Theatre has hosted this fest in some capacity since the ’60s, expanding over the years to include adult and youth performers, workshops, keynotes, a silent auction, a monologue competition and plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with fellow thespians from around the nation. Des Moines has the distinction of hosting this year’s four-day fest.

Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m., The Flying Dutchman, Des Moines Metro Opera, Indianola

Saturday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m., The Cunning Little Vixen, Des Moines Metro Opera, Indianola

Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m., The Flying Dutchman, Des Moines Metro Opera, Indianola

Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m., Runaway Twain and Friends Improv, Des Moines Community Playhouse

IOWA CITY

Friday, June 13–Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m., Riverside Theatre’s Free Shakespeare in the Park: Romeo & Juliet, Lower City Park Predictability can be comforting. For example, Romeo & Juliet ends with a pair of star-crossed lovers taking their life, doth with their death burying their parents’ strife, and Riverside’s summer Shakespeare show in Lower City Park is free to attend. Behold the two hours’ traffic of their open-air, mini Globe Theatre stage at any or all of the 11 performances.

Friday, June 27–Sunday, June 29, various times, Disney & Pixar’s Finding Nemo, JR., Coralville Center for the Performing Arts

CEDAR RAPIDS

Thursday, May 29–Sunday, June 22, various times, Amadeus, Theatre Cedar Rapids Essentially Jesus Christ Superstar for history’s most famous classical composer, this Tony-winning play by Equus writer Peter Shaffer (who won an Oscar for the adapted screenplay for Amadeus, 1985’s Best Picture winner) depicts the rockstar-like rise and fall of Mozart from the POV of his rival (in the play, at least), Antonio Salieri.

Thursday, June 5–Sunday, June 8, various times, Revival Theatre Company presents: La Cage Aux Folles, CSPS Hall

Friday, June 20–Satuday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m., Revival Theatre Company presents: Eliot Ness in Cleveland, CSPS Hall

Friday, June 27–Sunday, July 27, Little Shop of Horrors, various times, Theatre Cedar Rapids

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Friday, June 13–Sunday, June 22 at 2 & 7 p.m., Hairspray, Cedar Falls Community Theatre at Oster Regent

Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m., Giggles for Good w/ headliner Jade Esteban Estrada, Octopus Jade Esteban Estrada began his career as a choreographer for Charo, scratch vocalist for the Backstreet Boys and a regular guest on Jerry Springer. These days, you can find him headlining Sapphire Comedy Hour in Vegas and performing at comedy clubs and Pride events the world over. The Prada Enchilada is serving up laughs alongside Mel Mackey, Megan Ellis, Matt Lamb and host David Olson to benefit Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.

via Jade Esteban Estrada

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m., The Roast of Alex Conyers, Octopus

Wednesday, June 18–Saturday, June 21

from 6:30–9 p.m., Waterloo Community Playhouse presents Shakespeare in the Gardens: Much Ado About Nothing, Cedar Valley Arboretum

Sunday, June 22 at 2 p.m., Waterloo Community Playhouse presents Shakespeare in the Gardens: Much Ado About Nothing, Cedar Valley Arboretum

QUAD CITIES

Friday, May 30–Saturday, June 14, Fun Home, The Black Box Theatre

Friday, June 6–Sunday, June 15, various times, Quad Cities Music Guild presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Prospect Park Auditorium, Moline

Saturday, June 7–Sunday, June 8 & Saturday, June 14–Sunday, June 15 from 7–9 p.m., Genius Guild presents: Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Lincoln Park, Rock Island

Friday, June 20–Sunday, June 29, various times, Miss Nelson is Missing!, Playcrafters Barn Theatre, Moline

Friday, June 20–Sunday, June 22, various times, Opera Quad Cities presents Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, Galvin Fine Arts Center, St. Ambrose University

Saturday, June 21–Sunday, June 22 & Saturday, June 28–Sunday, June 29 from 7–9 p.m., Shakespeare: Genius Guild presents: Much Ado About Nothing, Lincoln Park, Rock Island

Saturday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m., GIT Improv, The Black Box Theatre, Moline

DUBUQUE

Friday, June 13–Sunday, June 22, various times, Heathers The Musical: Teen Edition, Bell Tower Theater

ART & EXHIBITION

DES MOINES/AMES

Friday, June 6 at 5 p.m., First Friday: The nonprofits of Mainframe, Mainframe Studios

Saturday, June 7 at 1 p.m., “Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa” Exhibition Tour, Des Moines Art Center

June 12 at 5:30 p.m., Exhibition Opening Celebration: “Firelei Báez,” Des Moines Art Center

June 27-29, Des Moines Arts Festival, Western Gateway Park

IOWA CITY

Friday-Saturday, June 6-8, Iowa Arts Festival, Downtown Iowa City

Friday, June 6 at 5 p.m., Justin Scroggins’ A VERY SERIOUS ART SHOW opening reception, Public Space One

Friday, June 6 at 1 p.m., Quilt Fest—A quilt display on church pews, First United Methodist Church

Friday, June 6 at 5 p.m., June Gallery Walk, Downtown Iowa City

Friday, June 6 at 6 p.m., Art & Write night, Macbride Hall

Monday, June 16 & 23 at 8:30 a.m., Miniature Construction Camp, FilmScene

Saturday, June 28 at 1 p.m., “open source” all-day event featuring live music, video installations and PS1 summer residency exhibition, Public Space One Close House

CEDAR RAPIDS

Wednesday, June 4 at 12:15 p.m., Art Bites: All that Jazz: Photographs by Carl Van Vechten and George T. Henrywith, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Saturday, June 7, Grinding 2.0: A Skateboard Deck Art Show, The Cherry Building

Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m., Concentric, CSPS

Saturday, June 21 at 12 p.m., “Reflections” Open House, DKW Art Gallery, Marion

QUAD CITIES

Saturday, May 24–Sunday, August 24, Future now: Virtual Sneakers to CuttingEdge Kicks, Figge Art Museum

Friday, June 27–Friday, August 8, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sculptural fashion by Judy Bales & fiber wall pieces by Louise Pappageorge (opening reception Friday, June 27 at 6 p.m.), Rock Island Gallery

Opens June 28, The Golden Age: Featuring northern European Works from the Collection of the national Gallery of Art, Figge Art Museum D.C.’s National Gallery selected Figge as one of 10 museums across the country to receive loaned works from their collection; in this case, masterpieces by Northern Renaissance and Baroque artists such as Anthony Van Dyck, Frans Hals and Lucas Cranach the Elder—the kind of works usually reserved for museums in major cities. Complementary pieces from the Figge’s own collection round out the exhibition in the Katz Gallery, open through April 2027.

DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

Friday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m., Double Vision Opening Reception, Voices Studios, Dubuque

Wednesday, June 11, Dave Stetson Wood Carving Artist’s Reception, Maquoketa Art Experience, Maquoketa

“Keepsake” by Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlick via Voices Studios

LIT & COMMUNITY

DES MOINES/AMES

Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m., AVID Author Series: Kevin Wilson, Des Moines Public Library

Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Tim Johnston, Distant Sons, Beaverdale Books

Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Scott Reister, Baseball Spy, West Des Moines Library

Friday, June 6 at 2 p.m., Meet the Author: Barbara Boyle, Pinch Me, Beaverdale Books

Saturday, June 7 at 10 a.m., Heartland Bazaar XII Vintage Clothing Market, Rumors Vintage

Monday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Authors: Dave Hage & Josephine Marcotty, Sea of Grass, Franklin Avenue Library

Tuesday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m., Book Launch: Kaira Rouda, Jill is Not Happy, Beaverdale Books

Saturday, June 14 at 11 a.m., Filipino Fiesta, Living History Farms

Tuesday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Ann M. Morris, Kwame’s Big Day, Beaverdale Books

Wednesday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Garry Klein, What Happened on the Garden Street Bus, Beaverdale Books

Monday, June 23 at 7 p.m., AVID Author Series: nikki Erlick, Des Moines Public Library

Thursday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Judge CJ Williams, A Monster in Mount Pleasant, Beaverdale Books

Monday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Ann Schreiber, Emily’s Next Chapter, Beaverdale Books

IOWA CITY

Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m., Guy Delisle and Craig Thompson, Iowa City Public Library

Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m., Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty: Sea of Grass, Prairie Lights

Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m., Garry Klein in conversation with David Gould: What Happened on the Garden Street Bus, Prairie Lights

Saturday, June 14 at 6 p.m., Sunset Salsa, Ped Mall

Sunday, June 15–Sunday, July 27, Iowa Summer Writing Festival, University of Iowa

Monday, June 16 at 7 p.m., John Koethe and Julie Hanson, Prairie Lights

Tuesday, June 17 at 7 p.m., Kelly Dwyer: Ghost Mother, Prairie Lights

Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m., Hilary Plum in conversation with Sarah Minor: State Champ, Prairie Lights

Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m., Eric Goodman: Mother of Bourbon, Prairie Lights

Monday, June 23 at 7 p.m., Lee Cole: Fulfillment, Prairie Lights

Block Party, Downtown Iowa City CEDAR RAPIDS

Saturday, June 7 at 10 a.m., Summer Reading Kick Off Party with Farm Friends, Ladd Library Community Room

Saturday, June 7 at 11 a.m., Iowa Women’s Festival, newBo City Market

Thursday, June 12–Friday, June 13, EntreFEST 2025, newBoCo

Saturday, June 14 at 10 a.m., Cat Cafe, Downtown Library Beems Auditorium A/B, Whipple Auditorium

Monday, June 16 at 1 p.m., Czech ‘Em Out Book Club: Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler, national Czech & Slovak Museum and Library

Tuesday, June 17 at 6 p.m., Murder Mystery Club, Ladd Library Community Room

Saturday, June 21 at 4 p.m., not a Monolith: Road Trippin’, African American Museum of Iowa

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m., Arthur Geisert Book Signing and Reading, Waterloo Center for the Arts

Tuesday, June 17 from 2–3:30 p.m., Author Seedbed Series: Fantasy novel Workbuilding Workshop with Brooke Wonders, Waterloo Public Library

Saturday, June 21 at 3 p.m., Mangrich’s Bringing The Community Together, Lafayette Park, Waterloo

QUAD CITIES

Saturday, June 21 at 10 a.m., 3rd Annual Joy March, Vander Veer Park

Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., Meet the Author: Rahim Thawer, The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys, Beaverdale Books Clinical social worker, psychotherapist and lecturer on issues of mental health, addiction and stigma, especially within LGBTQ+ communities, Rahim Thawer will discuss his latest book at Beaverdale in time for Pride Month. Thawer is offering fellow queer guys the “skills to cope and thrive as your authentic self” from a cognitive behavioral therapy perspective.

Sunday, June 22 at 8 a.m., Iowa City Flea, PS1 Close House

Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m., Michelle Huneven: Bug Hollow, Prairie Lights

Wednesday, June 25 at 7 p.m., Madeline McDonnell in conversation with Stephen Lovely: Lonesome Ballroom, Prairie Lights

Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m., Heather Christle in conversation with Kaveh Akbar: In the Rhododendrons, Prairie Lights

Saturday, June 28 at 3 p.m., Downtown

Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., Anime Takeover, Davenport Public Library Meeting Room B

Thursday, June 26–Sunday, June 28, 20th Anniversary: David R. Collins’ Writers’ Conference, Augustana College, Rock Island

DUBUQUE

Sunday, June 29 from 3–4 p.m., 2025 Black History and Reading Challenge: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson, Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Dear Kiki,

How do you seduce men over 60 years old?

Recliner Robber

Dear RR,

You’ve got me on the ropes, here! So much potential for “any damn way you please!”-type humor. (And there you have it, folks: I’m clearly not above that.) But come on, RR. Over 60? That includes both Boomers and Silent Generation, with the eldest of Gen X poised to join them next year. That is a lot of variation to lump into a single assumption.

You’ve uncovered one area where your reliably shameless Kiki is (glances side to side and stage whispers) a bit of a prude: The term “seduce” isn’t exactly brimming with trust and honesty, RR. It suggests a rather inappropriate lack of agency for the other party. Seduction techniques don’t have to be duplicitous, but there’s an undercurrent of implied power differential that makes ol’ Kiki distinctly uncomfortable.

All that said, assuming the best intentions and the utmost sincerity on your part, the answer is still painfully simple, utterly dull and frankly universal beyond boundaries of age, sex or gender. Confidence.

Always and forever, the number-one way to convince someone else that you are fuckable is to know, in your heart of hearts, that you are hot shit— and behave accordingly. Don’t bluster, don’t bloviate, don’t “act confident.” Just have faith in your own inherent value when you strike up a conversation.

And don’t lead with, “The Beatles are overrated.” xoxo, Kiki

Flashback sequence! Recently, Kiki answered audience questions at Little Village’s inaugural Roast of Des Moines. The rapid-fire Q&A was a blast, but there was one question that deserved further ponderance. Kiki will address it for that steadfast follower here:

When Meat Loaf said he would do anything for love but not “that,” what was he referring to?

Much ado has been made over this song, which can easily be read as enigmatic and abstruse. But, dear readers, this is Jim Steinman we’re talking about here, not Thomas Pynchon. The song is actually pretty explicit about what it’s referencing— it’s just that no one wants to believe it because it’s so phenomenally stupid.

Meat Loaf’s greatest strength as a singer was his perceived earnestness, so it’s easy to see why his fans and even his detractors would try to parse some deeper meaning, some attempt at poetry—at least some self-effacing self-reflection. “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” is not a song that

benefits from an abundance of sincerity.

Here is the complete list of things that Meat Loaf will not do for love, as found in the lyrics:

“do it better than I do it with you”

“stop dreaming of you / every night of my life”

“forget everything … see that it’s time to move on”

“be screwing around”

To put it bluntly, Steinman Rickrolled us all. Meat Loaf is vowing never to give his lover up, let them down, run around or desert them. (Rick Astley’s hit was released six years prior.) But it’s honestly a bit worse than that. Because the reason we all get so confused by the song is the adamant insistence that he would not do those things for love. This leaves us two possible interpretations.

The first is that the Loaf truly believes that some sad sack might actually ask him to leave them because they feel unworthy of him. That is, he’ll never indulge his lover’s self-destructive attempts to sabotage the relationship by pushing him away. It’s certainly not hard to imagine him possessing that level of delusional arrogance.

But this is Jim Steinman we’re talking about here. When you look at the broader context of all the work he and Meat Loaf did together, it’s obvious that the character they were building was one that used sincerity as a tool. Everyone knows “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” is an epic troll about lying to get laid. No one takes the protagonist of “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth” at face value. Overall, the tongue-in-cheek playacting of it all reads better in 1977 on Bat Out of Hell than when Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell was released with this track in 1993. By the ‘90s, people really were singing about their feelings with actual utter sincerity. And even though this was Meat Loaf, and even though this was Jim Steinman, a lot of listeners overlooked the obvious truth:

He wouldn’t do those things for love. That is, when he eventually does those things, it won’t be for love at all. It will be because Steinman brought 1970s “sincerity” to a 1990s sincerity fight, which meant poor Meat Loaf’s overacting was no longer over-the-top enough to be interpreted with a wink. xoxo, Kiki

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS!

Submit questions anonymously at littlevillagemag.com/dearkiki or non-anonymously to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Jean-Paul Sartre was offered the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. But he rejected it. Why? He said that if he accepted it, he would be turned into an institution and authority figure, which would hinder his ability to critique politics and society. He was deeply committed to the belief that a writer has an obligation to be independent and accountable only to their conscience and audience, not to external accolades or validations. I think you are in a Sartre-like phase right now, dear Gemini. You have a sacred duty to be faithful to your highest calling, your deepest values, and your authentic identity. Every other consideration should be secondary.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are now highly attuned to subtle energies, subliminal signals and hidden agendas. No one in your sphere is even half as sensitive as you are to the intriguing mysteries that are unfolding beneath the visible surface. This may be a bit unsettling, but it’s a key asset. Your ability to sense what others are missing gives you a unique advantage. So trust your intuitive navigation system, Cancerian, even if the way forward isn’t obvious. Your ability to sense underlying currents will enable you to avoid obstacles and discern opportunities that even your allies might overlook.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Underground fungal networks are essential for the health of ecosystems. They connect plant roots and facilitate transfers of nutrients, water and communication signals between various species. They enhance the fertility of the soil, helping plants thrive. In accordance with astrological indicators, I invite you to celebrate your equivalent of the underground fungal network. What is the web of relationships that enables you to thrive? Not just the obvious bonds, but the subtle ones, too: the barista who has memorized your order, the neighbor who waters your plants when you’re away, the online ally who responds to your posts. Now is an excellent time to map and nurture these vital interconnections.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns about “the danger of a single story.” She tells us that authentic identity requires us to reject oversimplified narratives. As a Nigerian woman living in the U.S., she found that both Western and African audiences sought to reduce her to convenient categories. She has not only resisted that pressure, but also outwitted and outflanked it. Her diversity is intriguing. She mixes an appreciation for pop culture with serious cultural criticism. She addresses both academic and mainstream audiences. I offer her up as your role model, Virgo. In the coming weeks, may she inspire you to energetically express all your uncategorizable selves.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Where have you not yet traveled but would like to? What frontiers would your imagination love for you to visit, but you have refrained? Now is the time to consider dropping inhibitions, outmoded habits and irrelevant rules that have prevented you from wandering farther and wider. You have full permission from life, karma and your future self to take smart risks that will lead you out of your comfort zone. What exotic sanctuary do you wish you had the courage to explore? What adventurous pilgrimage might activate aspects of your potential that are still half-dormant?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Astrologers say that Scorpio is ruled by three creatures that correspond to three ascending levels of spiritual maturity. The regular Scorpio person is ruled by the scorpion. Scorpios who are well underway with their spiritual work are ruled by the eagle. The Scorpio who has consistently succeeded at the hard and rewarding work of metaphorical death and resurrection is ruled by the phoenix—the mythical bird that is reborn from the ashes of its own immolation. With this as our context, I am letting you know that no matter

how evolved you are, the coming weeks will bring you rich opportunities to come more into your own as a brilliant phoenix.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Seas off the coast of Singapore are heavily polluted. Some of the coral reefs there are showing resilience, though. They have developed symbiotic relationships with certain algae and bacteria that were formerly hostile. Their robustness lies in their adaptability and their power to forge unlikely alliances. That’s a good teaching for you right now. The strength you need isn’t about maintaining fixed positions or rigid boundaries, but about being flexible. So I hope you will be alert and ready to connect with unfamiliar resources and unexpected help. A willingness to adjust and compromise will be a superpower.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sometimes, disruptions are helpful prods that nudge us to pay closer attention. An apparent malfunction might be trying to tell us some truth that our existing frameworks can’t accommodate. I suspect this phenomenon might be occurring in your world. An area of your life that seems to be misfiring may in fact be highlighting a blind spot in your comprehension. Rather than fretting and purging the glitches, I will ask you to first consider what helpful information is being exposed. Suspend your judgment long enough to learn from apparent errors.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This isn’t the first time I’ve said that your ideas are ahead of their time. Now I’m telling you again, and adding that your intuitions, feelings and approaches are ahead of their time, too. As usual, your precociousness carries both potential benefits and problems. If people are flexible and smart enough to be open to your innovations, you will be rewarded. If others are rigid and oblivious, you may have to struggle to get the right things done. Here’s my advice: Focus on the joy of carrying out your innovations rather than getting caught up in fighting resistance.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Sunlight can’t penetrate deeper than 3,280 feet into the ocean’s depths. Even at 650 feet down, a murky twilight zone prevails. But nearly 75 percent of deepsea creatures can create their own light, thanks to a biochemical phenomenon called bioluminescence. Jellyfish, starfish and crustaceans are a few animals that glow. I propose we make them your symbols of power in the coming weeks, Pisces. I hope they incite you to be your own source of illumination as you summon all the resilience you need. If shadowy challenges arise, resolve to emit your steady brilliance. Inspire yourself and others with your subtle yet potent clarity.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The strongest, most enduring parts of China’s Great Wall were the 5,500 miles built during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. One secret to their success was sticky rice, an essential ingredient in the mortar. The resulting structures have been remarkably water resistant. They hold their shape well, resist weed growth and get stronger as time passes. I hope you will find metaphorical equivalents to sticky rice as you work on your foundations in the coming months, Aries. Proceed as if you are constructing basic supports that will last you for years.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The world’s most expensive spice is saffron. To gather one gram of it, workers must harvest 150 flowers by hand. Doesn’t that process resemble what you have been doing? I am awed by the stamina and delicacy you have been summoning to generate your small but potent treasure. What you’re producing may not be loud and showy, but its value will be concentrated and robust. Trust that those who appreciate quality will recognize the painstaking effort behind your creation. Like saffron’s distinctive essence that transforms ordinary dishes into extraordinary ones, your patient dedication is creating what can’t be rushed or replicated.

SUMMER PROGRAM READING

Intellectual Freedom

Our First Amendment Right protects our intellectual freedom, our ability to explore our world and to think critically about the information we nd there.

Parental Choice

We encourage parents, guardians and caregivers to participate in their child’s learning, to read and discuss ideas with their children as they encounter perspectives in the library and in the world.

Local Control

A locally appointed Board of Trustees in each community should determine how libraries use local tax dollars to provide the highest quality and most equitable service possible to their patrons.

Professionalism

Certi ed librarians diligently select and review materials to curate collections that best support the interests of their own diverse communities.

A STATEMENT FROM THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES ADOPTED APRIL 2025 VISIT ICPL.ORG

VISIT SUPPORTICPL.ORG

JOYTRIP leaving state

JOYTRIPBAND.COM

Leaving things never has a natural conclusion. Leaving things means unresolved relationships, passion projects and bucket lists. And maybe, just maybe, that place, or person, or thing left behind is incomplete now. Maybe, the feeling is mutual. And maybe indie folk band Joytrip is leaving state, like their album title suggests, or maybe they are in a metaphorical state of leaving matters of the soul and heart behind.

sudden quiet, that yelp of desperation ultimately unanswered. No matter, the narrator is happy to just be, at least, until the day’s over.

As the sun rises on a new day, the restlessness of the EP begins to seep in with “I Wanna Stay.” Beginning with the incessant ticking of a clock, gloomy guitar tones and a percussive thump throughout that rattles and shakes, there’s a sense of uneasiness. “I wanna stay, but I’ve been here so long,” according to the vocals. The inner conflict rings louder.

“Juniper Lane” continues to pull that thread of place, but with a sweeping genre shift to all-out ’90s retro country sounds, including crystal clear vocals, bathed in layered, honeyed guitar fingerpicking. “The road is calling me,” like many a troubadour of songs past, but to Wyoming and Yellowstone instead of West Virginia or Colorado. The call of the West is clearly strong for Joytrip; they’re rather partial to a mountainscape on the covers of their

“I nEED YOU / DO YOU nEED ME TOO?”

THE VOCALISTS CROOn. A WESTERnTInGED VOCAL HOWLInG HAnGS On THE EnD OF THE QUESTIOn, THICK In THE SOnG’S SUDDEn QUIET, THAT YELP OF DESPERATIOn ULTIMATELY UnAnSWERED.

Regardless of the four-piece Iowa City group’s motives, a feeling of restlessness and yearning cuts through their contemplative but sunny second EP. The beginning of each track feels like it’s bursting onto the scene, awakening and wiping the sleep out of the disrupted silence, elevating the listener to a sense of hyper-aware clarity.

This clarity of place starts immediately with “Days Like This,” offering the ambience of chirping birds and rustling leaves. Buttery, reverbed guitar takes over, oozing, melting and slathering onto the senses. There’s a sense of blissful contentedness, but that nagging yearning lingers in the outro. “I need you / Do you need me too?” the vocalists croon. A Westerntinged vocal howling hangs on the end of the question, thick in the song’s

GOOD CAL-EL

Buried Talents

GOODCALEL.BANDCAMP.COM

Spirituality in hip hop comes in many forms, far from the image of clean language and repackaged praise music the idea conjures in my brain. Killah Priest, Brother Ali, Lupe Fiasco, Yasiin Bey, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole have all spit religious bars over beats while balancing their messages of positivity and personal growth with the politics of the world at large and the immediacy of their surroundings. Hip-hop poet Saul Williams explores these connections in his book The Dead Emcee Scrolls, speaking to how the beat of hip hop makes you nod your head, creating a trance-like state to absorb the poetry.

Detroit rapper GooD Cal-El echoes the spirituality of these hip-hop greats on his demo tape, Buried Talents

a vessel that transcends space and time, delivering his message of goodwill while seeking his own independence. These themes are echoed on “Soldier Of Light,” in which he he tries to reconcile his spiritual awakening with a world full of violence, apathy and distraction at the hands of ops, the criminal justice system, the media and social media. Despite all these revelations, Good Cal-El maintains his street cred. Tracks like “Trappin’, Thuggin’” and “Big Baller” employ some traditional hiphop tropes as he seeks to hustle and shine through his spiritual awakening, creating a conflict that is later resolved on tracks like “Step Back” and “Apologize.”

[BURIED TALENTS IS] A nARRATIVE OF OVERCOMInG THE STRUGGLES OF POVERTY AnD STREET LIFE THROUGH A COSMIC

singles, with not an Iowa cornfield in sight.

There’s a finality of home in the EP’s last meandering auditory dilemma, with the closing track “Life’s Not Dire.” There are shouts to Iowa City: “it’s sketchy dives, Lake Macbride,” (I hope sketchy is used affectionately here, and I selfishly hope the dive in question is Foxhead.) There are calls to less grandiose moments spent in nature, of backyards and tents. And yet in its return to the present, questions still loom: “Are you ready to leave?” asks Joytrip. And just like the album began, the listener and the narrator don’t get an answer. leaving state captures the feeling of unresolved doubts in a fully realized four-track journey.

—Elisabeth Oster

The emcee spent a decade living in Fairfield, Iowa before returning to Detroit. Fairfield, famous as the home of the Maharishi International University, has a religiously diverse population compared to most of the state, and GooD Cal-El carries this universal approach to spirituality in his lyrics.

Opening track “I Don’t Do A Thing” spells out his position over a smooth beat that would be at home on a Royce Da 5’9” track. “I do not exist, I’m more or less a vehicle, a vessel for the infinite,” he raps, leaving the nature of this infinite force up to the listener. The chorus would fit in on a J. Cole track, and Cal-El switches his flow into triplets as the song builds. It is an impressive introduction that sets up most of the vibes on Buried Talents

The subsequent tracks “Breakthrough” and “Life Is A Game” (cleverly with an 8-bit beat) continue this positivity.

On “Spaceship,” he paints himself as

Buried Talents is a mixtape, so some themes are repeated, others left unresolved. GooD Cal-El’s beat choices, pop sensibility and storytelling abilities could transition all of these ideas into a cohesive concept album, a narrative of overcoming the struggles of poverty and street life through a cosmic enlightenment. He shows lots of promise and really could go in many directions, but for a demo, Buried Talents unearths all of the skills necessary to engage even non-believers like me.

—Broc Nelson

Pride is about taking care of yourself and each other. Know your status by getting tested—and manage your status with treatment and prevention to stop HIV in Iowa!

LADY REVEL

Slow Burn

LADYREVEL.COM

Lady Revel has matured but will never grow old. With their sophomore album Slow Burn, the selfproclaimed Midwestern indie rock band trades the open-hearted urgency of their 2023 debut for something wiser, softer and more emotionally nuanced. It’s the kind of record that doesn’t ask for attention but earns it, layer by layer. With 11 thoughtfully composed tracks, Slow Burn is a gentle triumph: sweet, snappy, sometimes heartbreaking, but always relatable.

THIS IS LADY REVEL AT THEIR MOST

VULnERABLE, STRIPPInG

EVERYTHInG

DOWn TO THE EMOTIOnAL CORE.

This isn’t an album that tries to outdo its predecessor—it stands beside it like an older sibling, offering quiet wisdom and steady warmth. While their debut leaned into the effervescent indie hooks and youthful immediacy, Slow Burn pulls back the curtain on the band’s emotional landscape. Lady Revel’s bio says it is “a place to be in love and to break up, to laugh and to cry about, to believe and to doubt, and above all, to belong.” That description rings true.

The album opens with “Dance Moves,” a melodic tune that blends heartfelt vocals with love-soaked lines. The title track “Slow Burn” is Lady Revel at its best. It is sweet and simple, with washy textures and twangy guitar. The lyrics “I couldn’t face it until I

faced myself” echo the personal-growth theme that weaves through the entire record. It’s introspective, but manages not to be too heavy, making the album easy listening.

“I’d Rather Die” is a standout track, with its infectious energy and love-sick lyrics. Despite the emotional weight of lines like, “I’d rather die than break your heart,” it’s hard not to dance to the upbeat instrumentation and catchy vocals. It’s classic Lady Revel: bright on the surface, aching underneath.

“Millennial Dirtbag” is an obvious, yet original, ode to Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag.” It’s moody—an aged-up homage to adolescent angst, delivered with tongue-in-cheek humor. The music video is worth the watch; the self-deprecating display of millennial stereotypes is the added bit of humor needed to lighten the album.

“Spilling My Guts” doesn’t hold back. With lines like, “You said ‘that’s just what it feels like to disappoint everyone,’” it’s raw and lyrically potent. This is Lady Revel at their most vulnerable, stripping everything down to the emotional core. “Freckle Girl” is best described as warm and breezy. It captures the feeling of summer infatuation in a dreamy, swaying arrangement.

“1998” closes the album with the perfect blend of nostalgia and movement. Its throaty vocals and infectious groove leave a lasting impression. “My love for you will never fade” feels like a fitting final lyric for an album about emotional resilience.

Slow Burn is for fans of smart, emotionally rich indie pop—listeners who appreciate songs that can soundtrack both heartbreak and the mundane. Whether you’re crying on a solo drive, dancing in your kitchen or just needing a sonic space to belong, Lady Revel has you covered.

It’s fun and poppy, bright but shoegaze-y, snappy yet sincere. Lady Revel knows who they are, and Slow Burn shows they’re only getting better.

—Liz Rosa

Lady Revel at Des Moines Arts Festival Sunday, June 29 at 3 p.m., Hy-Vee Main Stage, Downtown Des Moines

THE SHInInG REALM Talismandala

THESHININGREALM.BANDCAMP.COM

“Welcome to the Hallucination we call Home,” beckons a calm, steady voice in its echoes and layers of slithering percussion and Eastern-influenced stringed instrument tapestries. Where is home? Well, at least for these 40-odd minutes, that home is the Shining Realm—both an Iowa psychedelic supergroup and a state of being.

That welcome is where the band’s second album Talismandala begins. The first track “Auroroboros” supplies a hallucinatory dipped toe into a sea of psychedelia, calling to mind Donovan’s trippy narrative monologue in the 1969 track “Atlantis.”

Within Shining Realm’s narration, a cycle is presented—one of birth in what can be presumed to be Earth, where one will “live here, assume a character and then Die,” returning to the mythologized Shining Realm, waiting for a rebirth. In this soundscape of cosmic proportions, all seems cyclical. That local psych folk supergroup itself is an incarnation of storied Iowa City bands and members from Maul of America, Daisyglue, Commanders and the Boo-Hoos.

Previously mainstays of Chris Wiersema’s beloved Feed Me Weird Things, the full-circle nature of the musical narrative stretches further. The Shining Realm’s first performance happened to be a FMWT show back in 2019, opening for Chicago Kraut rock band Spiral Galaxy, whose band members—Sara Gossett and Steven Krakow—lovingly crafted Talismandala ’s cover artwork and band talisman. The cycle, and its poetic nature, remains unbroken. What doesn’t remain unbroken is the glass shattered for the raucous

outro of “Time Machine Blues,” accompanying blistering guitar chords. “Breaking glass” is listed playfully in the instrument credits of Joe Derderian, who also contributed percussion and “backwards talking.” It’s gutsy production choices like these, alongside rollicking hand drums and what’s credited as “cosmic whistling” (which I can only assume refers to Charles Pagan’s out-of-this-world lung capacity), that allow each of the album’s tracks to melt together into one breathtaking auditory mosaic.

Amid the explosive chaos are catchy melodies and sun-kissed psychedelic ‘60s sounds. On the title track “Talismandala,” the vocal harmonies are mystical, with vocal snarls and a steady, jangly guitar riff. The carefully crafted auditory time capsule swings open as the harmonies join and build off each other to a sustained, cathartic yell. The listener gets a classic, epic jam-band finale, manifested as “Memories of a Stone.” The nearly eight-minute odyssey begins ominously, with vocals low and slow, simmering to a boil and breaking open.

“Talismandala” is more than just a fun word to say—it’s a fusion of sensibilities central to Shining Realm’s ethos. There’s a feeling of meditation in the album’s song structures, its guitar riffs and its rebirth narrative. Like a mandala, it’s temporary; like a talisman, it’s timeless.

—Elisabeth Oster

Plain Clothes Hamburglar

Sean Moeller’s debut poetry collection Plain Clothes Hamburglar is a tightly compressed collection of vignettes that are laden with beat, location and nostalgia to create an anthemic volume of poems that, despite their playful dressing, ask to be taken seriously.

Divided into sections by ingredients in a hamburger (bun, pickles and onions, meat, bun) and titled for a McDonald’s marketing character, the poems are unsurprisingly interested in themes of pop culture, but the packaging—the casual, everydayness of it—is misleading. Moeller’s poems are not drive-thru poems. They want to wrap around the reader’s mind, they want to give the reader pause. The wordplay is sometimes subtle doubleentendres that only become clear when the poem is finished. Sometimes soundalikes are used to subvert expectations. Other times, words are used in an unconventional way, asking the reader to reassess their meaning. The sentences often feel almost collaged together, building upon each other with disparate but thematically similar elements. Sometimes narrative, the poems nearly always meander into sound and imagebased compositions, and vice versa.

Plainclothes Hamburglar, written by someone from my hometown, manages to accurately represent an urban Midwest melancholy without explicitly stating its geography. This has the effect of grounding a collection that often shows off its abstractness.

In the poem “WHERE WILL YOUR POOL BE,” Moeller transitions from a bridge shut down “for a jumper”—a bridge I recognized—into the line, “There are those who dig their swimming pools right next to the ocean…They want more than solace and residue. They need more than the midnight mass and fries by the pound.” This juxtaposition of ideas about what we take for granted was striking, and then faded in and out of other snapshots of gratitude, humanity and mortality.

There’s a soft darkness to the scenes we witness here that doesn’t quite, but almost, romanticize alcoholism, the culture of it, the pain that comes with returning to the places in which we come of age. This collection aggressively requested nostalgia from me, placing me in familiar sites of late nights and sadness—a fervent chant, a desperation for the life that comes with youth and often fades with the complacency of age. Interested in the mundane, these poems suggest that what is ordinary is more evocative.

Plainclothes Hamburglar straddles the lines between youth and middle age,

MOELLER’S POEMS ARE nOT DRIVE-THRU POEMS. THEY WAnT TO WRAP AROUnD

THE READER’S MInD, THEY WAnT TO GIVE THE READER PAUSE.

playfulness and seriousness, pessimism and hope. We can be all of these things. If the collection has a mission statement, it is delivered in the poem “I BET ON THE LONELYHEARTS AND DIRTY WORDS,” “I bet on the lonelyhearts and dirty words, for the way they land, for the distinct way they can deliver mouth-to-mouth in the middle of a blizzard. I bet on the stink and living decay of our neighbors… All I want to be in another month is a disturbance, not just colder.”

This collection might not always have faith in the world that made it, but it tries to. It trusts this place to hold it.

—Sarah Elgatian

HELEn MILLER I Don’t Swim WAVERLY AVENUE PRESS

It takes a fair amount of finesse to get my teenage daughter to accompany me to a book reading at Prairie Lights. And by finesse, I mean free coffee. She’s in one of those adolescent literary moments where reading YA romance sounds a lot more fun than a grownup book signing, especially with a politician. But as former state legislator Helen Miller began by talking about the parallels between her New Jersey upbringing and her current Iowa living, in particular as a Black woman, my daughter and I both locked in.

Miller shared the story behind her book’s declarative title. She was vacationing in Greece with her adult daughter and her daughter’s in-laws— the source of the cover photo. “I was asked, ‘Helene, why won’t you get in the water with your grandchildren?’ And my answer was simple: I don’t swim.”

Every Black person in the audience nodded with understanding. The relationship between Black people and water has been documented in many great reads. One of my favorites is Rivers Solomon’s The Deep, a novel based on the real-life history of Black women being tossed overboard during the transatlantic slave trade. Miller’s memoir also begins with a discussion of her ancestry, traced back to the late 18th century. This is a feat for anyone in the African diaspora; many records of African Americans before the slave trade have been lost (or destroyed) throughout history.

I Don’t Swim is an expression of

the historical and personal wisdom of Miller, an accomplished woman who shows how activism layered and enhanced her life’s work.

Growing up in a racially diverse New Jersey middle-class enclave that became a site for White Flight gave Miller a front-row seat to anti-racist activism in the early 1960s. No matter the shift, Miller never felt defeated. She writes: “As a lived experience in the early years of growing up, there were no limitations that I knew of in my freedom.”

The 1970s sees Miller as a young military mother, relocating to several states over the decade with her Air Force husband. Inspired by a slew of Black politicians gaining federal and national offices (“Black involvement in politics was definitely growing”), Miller decided to study law in San Diego, California. During the 1980s, Miller lived abroad for a spell, but eventually settled in the States. She connected with middle-class Black social organizations such as Jack & Jill and The Links. “They opened my eyes to the goings-on for Black Americans at the highest economic, educational, and occupational levels.”

In the 1990s, Miller moved to her current home of Fort Dodge and launched a nonprofit for creatives called Young At Art. “As a result of the endeavor, I became well known and ultimately was asked to run for an open seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in early 2002.” She served in the statehouse for 16 years, becoming the first minority on the House Agriculture Committee.

Miller’s husband was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008. Before he passed in 2010, Miller spent her time cherishing his final years and working on behalf of Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign.

To this day, Miller continues reexamining how Black people move in the world. With such a robust look at decades of a life well spent, I Don’t Swim shows that often going forward means looking back with grace, pride and humility.

—Kellee Forkenbrock

SEAn MOELLER

1. The India Gate, for one 5.

19. Wood sometimes cast?

21. “Looks like that’s the game, suckers!”

22. Star Wars pilot Dameron

23. “Do me a ___”

25. Get to

26. It.’s in there

27. Branded centerpiece that uses fruit in lieu of flowers

31. A modern one may be messy

32. AL West player, slangily

33. Barcalounger locale

34. Practice that enforces restraining orders, briefly?

36. Some alleged cow thieves: Abbr.

38. Australia’s Flame Queen, for one

42. Mid-sommar?

45. SUNY part: Abbr.

48. “It’s Not TV. It’s ___” (old, um ... not-TV slogan)

49. Root crop whose cultivar was developed in

Ontario

53. Hack (off)

54. Washington governor Inslee

55. Oregon Trail hunting target

56. Android counterpart

57. Tops, as a torte

59. Skateboarding category in the Olympics

62. Term for some outstanding people under 5’8” (and a hint to four

squares in this puzzle)

65. Flat displays with large volumes, perhaps?

66. Target of a 1950s vaccine that required more than 20 years of research

67. WWII byproduct

68. Sch. that plays in the Sun Bowl

69. Vodka ___ (hard seltzers, essentially)

70. Device that may track traffic

71. Dr. Bruce Banner (the Hulk) has seven of them

DOWN

1. Arthur who reigned over the court

2. Money that might be used to buy lap Khmer or amok

3. Trail mix sweeteners

4. Overly critical piece of journalism, slangily

5. Nada

6. Mine, in Martinique

7. Director snubbed at the 2024 Oscars

8. Wonderland entreaty on a bottle

9. Actor Lil ___ Howery in 11-Down

10. Hand-held allergy treatment

11. Film Forbes called a “modern American horror classic”

12. More sharp

14. Non-lethal cannon projectile

18. Acted as Aristotle did to Alexander the Great 20. Open to suggestions

24. Acronym before “to keep kids off drugs”

27. Retreat

28. Broadway

production that’s hardly boffo

29. Unalarmed, perhaps?

30. Roxy Music co-founder

35. Third-longest river in Asia

37. One might send a wine back

39. Setting for notable scenes in The Terminator, The Graduate, Superman, and ___ ___, among other films

40. The Godfather actor Vigoda

41. ___ Altos, California

43. Drinks invented by Sir Francis Drake (and then served to his crew)

44. Popular workplace messaging app

46. Quite formal confirmation

47. Wider than wide

49. “Over here, boys!”

50. Pitched an add-on to, say

51. Camp activity that may first involve tying

52. Shredded

53. Alters sibilants, in a way

58. “Dang!”

60. Scraped (by)

61. There are 768 in a gal.

63. Fjord cousin

64. Some classic sports cars

Little Village Issue 341 - June 2025

We Make Us Safe

Hancher’s 2025–2026

Take Care

Churches

Loud Mouthed

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Top Stories

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

Interactions

HAVE AN OPINION?

INTERACTIONS

In Case You Missed It

INTERACTIONS

CEDAR RAPIDS, MAY 20

Fully Booked: Recommendations from Local Librarians

Read to Resist LGBTQ+ Erasure

Books to Keep Kids Reading Over Break

147 kilos

Awesome/Rocketship

Enjoy Your Stay

Arriving at camp wearing the wrong color pants.

The Point of Pride

Q&A with Rep. Aime Wichtendahl

Iowa’s Civil Rights Repealers

SEnATE

HOUSE

Higher Love

Can I Eat That?

Your voices uskeepreal.

Iowa City’s Burning

IOWA CITY

June A-LIST: FILM

DES MOINES

IOWA CITY

QUAD CITIES

LOCAL & NOTABLE

Pride Events

IOWA CITY AREA

DES MOINES AREA

CEDAR RAPIDS AREA

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

QUAD CITIES

DUBUQUE

FORT MADISON/ OTTUMWA/ BURLINGTON

MUSIC

DES MOINES/AMES

A-LIST: JUNE 2025

A-LIST: JUNE 2025

MUSIC

IOWA CITY

CEDAR RAPIDS

MUSIC

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

QUAD CITIES

MUSIC

DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

Juneteenth Events

IOWA CITY AREA

DES MOINES AREA

CEDAR RAPIDS

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

QUAD CITIES AREA

DUBUQUE

OTTUMWA/KEOKUK

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

DES MOINES/AMES

IOWA CITY

CEDAR RAPIDS

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THEATER & PERFORMANCE

QUAD CITIES

DUBUQUE

ART & EXHIBITION

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DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

LIT & COMMUNITY