Little Village issue 346 — November 2025 by Little Village Magazine

2025 GIVE GUIDE

A pond by the Coralville Reservoir about to be tested for nitrate levels. Emma McClatchey / Little Village INDEPENDENT IOWA

43 Testing the Waters

48 mucho Talento

Browse some 200 nonprofits working to make Iowa more livable.

It's free and easy to contribute data to Nitrate Watch, but the test results may unsettle.

Iowan Diego Raya recalls turning the details of his life into songs—on Mexican TV.

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.

& accessible.

@littlevillagemag

EDITORIAL

Publisher

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Editor-in-Chief

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

Arts Editor

Chuy Renteria chuy@littlevillagemag.com

News Director

Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Graphic Designer

Kellan Doolittle kellan@littlevillagemag.com

Calendar/Event Listings

Grace Merritt calendar@littlevillagemag.com

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

November Contributors

Broc Nelson, Elisabeth Oster, Emily Slattery Phillips, Gabi Vanek, Hannah Olson-Wright, Jessica Cline, Jessie Kraemer, John Busbee, K. Twaddle, Katie Roche, Kellee Forkenbrock, Kembrew McLeod, Lauren Haldeman, Ramona Muse Lambert, Rob Brezsny, Rodney Arthur, Sahithi Shankaiahgari, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Sara Williams, Sevana Dominguez, Tom Tomorrow, Victoria Fernandez

Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

LITTLE VILLAGE CREATIVE SERVICES

Website design, E-commerce, Publication design creative@littlevillagemag.com

Digital Director Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Account Manager

Jason Burkhardt jason@littlevillagemag.com

Advertising ads@littlevillagemag.com

CIRCULATION

Distribution Manager Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

Distribution

Oliver Booth, Heber Martinez, Joe Olson, Joseph Servey, Matt Benson, Ryan Nuss distro@littlevillagemag.com

OFFICES

Little Village HQ, LV Creative Services 623 S Dubuque St Iowa City, IA 52240 319-855-1474

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @LittleVillageMag

Instagram @LittleVillageMag Bluesky @littlevillage.bsky.social

Issue 346 November 2025

Cover photo by Sahithi Shankaiahgari

Comical bad guys have dominated 2025, but it's easier than ever to be a hero: just care about something. In this issue: Nonprofits, shops, artists and events worth your time and $$.

meet this month’s contributors!

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 currently works as 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.

Gabi Vanek hates music. At least that's what she tells herself.

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

Jessica Cline is a Leadership and Character Scholar at Wake Forest University where she studies American politics and religion.

Jessie Kraemer (@jkraem) is a writer and artist living in Iowa City

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

K. Twaddle is an Iowa transplant and a lifelong book enthusiast. She lives in rural Iowa with her partner and three cats.

Katie Roche lives in Iowa City and spends her time making music, writing and fighting for public libraries.

Kellee Forkenbrock is the award winning Public Services Librarian for North Liberty Library.

She writes romance under the pseudonym Eliza David.

Kembrew McLeod plans to take it to the next level in November.

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

Ramona Muse Lambert makes art and music. Sometimes she's in charge of dinner, too. Buy her art at ramonamuselambert.com

Sahithi Shankaiahgari is a freelance photographer and a lover of good coffee, travel, and her dog, Jasmine.

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

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

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

Sevana Dominguez is a freelance photographer for Vana Lea Photography. She loves learning about ancient occultism, making jewelry and listening to history podcasts. Her dog Miko is her best friend. She has two little girls, Belly and Zinnia Moon.

Victoria Fernandez is the Teen Services Librarian at the Iowa City Public Library.

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

This issue of Little Village is supported by:

Great Plains Action Society (9)

Grinnell College Museum of Art (62)

Hancher Auditorium (39, 42)

Hermetic Electric (49)

Historic Valley Junction (14)

Honeybee Hair Parlor & Hive Collective (15)

Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing (72)

Indigo River & Co (27)

Iowa CIty Bike Library (79)

Iowa City Communications Department (47)

Iowa City Downtown District (17)

Iowa City Downtown

Neighborhood Co-op (64)

— Release Body Modification

— Mailboxes of Iowa City

— The Green House

— Yotopia

— Record Collector

— Revival

— Beadology

— The Wedge Pizzeria

— Iowa City Functional Nutrition

— Get Fresh

Iowa City Northside Marketplace

Neighborhood Co-op (68)

— Pagliai’s Pizza

— George’s

— The Haunted Bookshop

— R.S.V.P.

— Willow & Stock

— Dodge St. Tire

— Artifacts

Iowa City Public Library (49)

Iowa Department of Public Health (35)

Iowa Public Radio (15)

James Ochs Artworks (65)

John's Grocery (30)

KCCK Jazz 88.3 (62)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (18)

Maharishi School (49)

Mainframe Studios (56)

Martin Construction (72)

Mic Check Poetry Fest (4)

Musician's Pro Shop (30)

MYEP (70)

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (52)

New Pioneer Food Co-op (74)

Next Page Books (47)

Nodo (8)

Northside Family Dental (15)

Orchestra Iowa (55)

Performing Arts at Iowa (61)

Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (7)

Polk County Conservation (52)

Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe (16)

Public Space One (66)

Raccoon Motel (56)

Revival (63, 64)

Riverside Theatre (54)

RSFIC (66)

Shakespeare's Pub & Grill (17)

Summer of the Arts (80)

Tapestry Healing Arts (63)

Theatre Cedar Rapids (58)

The Avenues of Ingersoll & Grand (27)

The Club Car (18)

The Daisy (47)

The Dandy Lion (29)

The Englert Theatre (51)

The Iowa Children's Museum (65)

Tim Conroy, REALTOR (17)

Wig & Pen Pizza Pub (8)

xBk (54)

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.

At a cult compound in rural Iowa, death prayers and doomsday prep gave way to ‘natural’ health grifts and costly tests of faith (Sept. 30)

Sounds like the USA today. —Jim P.P.

They sure did have some cool firework shows back in the day tho. —Travis H.

Great series. I went to a July 4 pageant at Shiloh in the ‘90s and knew folks connected to the cult, but never knew much about its history and beliefs. —Lin L.

Wow!! Had no idea all of this was happening just south of us. —Mary S.

That Marilyn Farms trigger wow. —Arlivia F.

Ok now I need to know if the band Shiloh Church was named after this!?!?!? —Nichole

‘We’re on a knife’s edge’: Art Cullen chides Reynolds’ meanness, Big Ag’s death grip on Iowa land and livelihoods (Oct. 6)

Art Cullen, an Iowa treasure! —Mike S.

Listened to his interview on Iowa Public Radio. What a special Iowan. Keep fighting and writing, Art!!!!! —Kim O.

This is great writing by Paul Brennan. —Lisa P.

I like the way he put that, “Shitting in our own nest.” —Zach J.

A compelling description of industrial agriculture's assault on the quality of Iowa lives. —Jim L.

HAVE AN OPINION?

Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum ends 2nd Congressional District campaign after 25 days (Oct. 14)

He means “I can get rich being a Trump toady.” —Brian B.

He just had to run away one last time. —William R.N.

I wonder if this means republicans are giving up on this seat. —Jason A.

Unfortunately, no. They’re favored to hold this seat in spite of everything. —Randy K.

Iowans across the state will rally on Saturday as No Kings Day returns (Oct. 14)

I should go just for that sweet sweet Soros money. —Katie S.

It’s not just across the U S. Other countries are also seeing the American dilemma. —Laurie P.M.

Born and raised Republican. I voted for Ronald Reagan. Huh....I am going to the NO KINGS rally. —Lance S.

Really wish they had this energy when the Biden administration was committing/ supporting genocide in Palestine. —Brian H.

What is the point of this? What exactly is being protested? What change is being fought for? —Cody R.C.

I will be protesting the disrespect this administration is showing to human beings in our country. Sending armed, masked agents with little or no training to humiliate and abuse, acting as though humans living in the United States have no rights. I will also protest this administration's unwillingness to honor our laws and constitution, as well as the ways they are turning us against one another with lies and encouraging verbal and physical violence. —Dede D.

Usually I'm a big advocate and very outspoken that showing up to protest something without directing it at a specific person or group with a demand of what you directly want changed serves no purpose. I feel differently in this case. The administration is slowly seizing control of the media and everything coming out of the White House implies that they have the support of the majority of Americans. Gatherings like this make it known there is a large resistance and let people know they are not alone. They are not going to change anything at this protest, this is true, the administration doesn't

care, but it is important for people to know how many people are absolutely against what is happening. —Alex R.

‘When hell freezes over’: Republicans Miller-Meeks and Nunn continue to dodge town halls, including one planned by Raygun (Oct. 17)

Shall we hold a burning of

Raygun t-shirts? —Steve B.

As a doctor, she should be ashamed of what she and the rest of the Republicans did. What a hypocrite!! —Jeffrey A.M.

“By the way, I’m not capable of shame. Obviously.” Of course this is the main superpower of modern Republicans. —Henry W.

In Case You Missed It

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

review: Alto and bass flutes converse at a masterful recital by rose bishop and Heather Neuenschwander

By Kent Williams,

Oct. 2

review: Des moines Symphony’s debut concert featuring viet Cuong was a goosebump-inducing start to an ambitious season

By Meghan Klinkenborg,

Oct. 6

hundreds of gam meetups and events e friendly & casual vibe comfy chairs & big ta

review: Lost Woods music Festival reached new heights in 2025, offering the ultimate escape in a Cedar Falls forest

By Glenn Houlihan,

Oct. 14

Nolan Sean diversionsic com 119 2nd St, Coralville IA

You got rid of our Medicaid, you worthless POS. And support a pedophile. —Kathy V.P.

She thinks rural Iowans are idiots who only vote on culture war issues, no matter how much she screws them. Guess we’ll find out in November 2026. —Mike M.

PERSONALS

After record-setting rallies across the country, Trump and Joni Ernst dismiss No Kings Day protesters as paid and ‘whacked out’ (Oct. 21)

Totoro is a good neighbor, but he tires of sharing a room with four noisy guinea pigs at the Iowa City Animal Center. A little over 1 year old, he's a handsome white rabbit with a nose and ears that look like they've been nuzzled by soot gremlins. Totoro's more than ready to stretch his legs, test his keen intelligence and rest comfortably in a home of his own. Want to invite him into your 'hood? Take a bus down to 3910 Napoleon Ln.

I just don’t understand how anyone can believe the idiotic things coming out of these Republicans’ mouths. I never see a MAGA comment that makes any sense or stands up to fact, whatsoever. —Charity N.

Judge rules in favor of Iowa teacher facing dismissal for Charlie Kirk-related posts (Oct. 22)

hate to further divide us. Quoting his own words somehow became a crime amongst the cancel culture Republicans. Violence is wrong, violence over who you are or what you believe is more wrong. But it isn't against the law or a disqualification from work to say the world is better with one less man filled with hate. —Janelle R.

What happened to all that talk about free speech Brenna Bird? —Don O.

That's the thing about lawsuits: discovery. —Sam H.

He was a despicable man that used his

Just a temporary delay before she's fired. If the school district has a social media policy like my job does and if she has the school as her employer her posts online are a reflection of her employer. She said what she said, then tried to take it back. —Gary P.M.

This page should be called Little Village Vag. —Kevin A.

In Case You Missed It

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

review: oogie boogie, Nosferatu, a sword-swallowing jester and other creatures of the night entice for Kitty and red’s burlesque revue

Kai Parker,

Oct. 17

review: Iowa Stage Theatre Company makes deft use of long monologues and long silences with Sam Shepard’s ‘buried Child’ By Isaac Hamlet, Oct. 20

review: ‘videoheaven,’ a genre-defying film essay at refocus, stirred and challenged Iowans’ rental store nostalgia

Ariana

Martinez, Oct. 22

’TIS THE SEASON

IN DOWNTOWN IOWA CITY

Come experience the magic of the holidays and enjoy that nostalgic, warm feeling that only this season brings—sparkling lights, joyful traditions, and festive fun for all ages. From finding the perfect gift to sharing special moments with loved ones, Downtown Iowa City is the place to celebrate.

Downtown Holiday Kid’s Market Nov. 4–26

’Tis the Season Kickoff Nov. 21, 5–8 PM

Small Business Saturday Nov. 29

Holiday Pop-Up Market Nov. 28–Dec. 24, 11 AM–7 PM

Downtown Hunt for the Elves Nov. 29–Dec 31

Downtown Teddy Bear Room Nov. 29–Dec 31

Retail Open House Dec. 6, 10 AM–5 PM

Santa Saturdays Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13, & 20, 11:30 AM–2:30 PM

Tractor Wagon Rides Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13, & 20, 10 AM–4:00 PM

ACCOLADES

Cedar Rapids-based performer, choreographer and social justice-minded artist Lovar Davis Kidd was one of 10 artists nationwide to receive a Tanne Foundation Award this fall. The awards, given since 1998, recognize individuals “who have demonstrated exceptional talent and creativity but have limited financial resources or have difficulty obtaining funding.” The monetary prizes are unconditional, undisclosed and catered to the artist. Kidd has performed in everything from a national tour of In The Heights to more abstract, experimental dance companies in D.C. (EDGEWORKS Dance Theater) and L.A. (Word In Motion, Urban Poets).

For his research into cystic fibrosis (CF), Dr. m ichael J. Welsh —a professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa—has been awarded the 2025 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, often referred to as “America’s Nobels.” Shared with two other researchers, Welsh is being recognized for his role in developing a novel CF treatment involving a three-drug combination. Such therapies can be used to treat 90 percent of CF cases, and can add many decades to a CF patient’s life expectancy.

DES moINES, oCT. 12

You wrote "It's not over! (then it is)" at the Art Center quilt exhibit. That meant everything to me.

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

Books to Read When You Need Feel Something Timeless Gifts for Teen Readers

Reading is a daily ritual for me. I’m a mood reader, gravitating towards genre fiction when I need an escape from reality, but my favorite books tend to be emotionally devastating literary fiction. I love to be moved to tears. To be left gasping at the beauty and heartbreak that humans create with words, reflecting our shared existence on this planet. The following books made me feel deeply, and although the characters in these stories endure trauma and pain, each of them carry hope, beauty and connection in a world that strives to tear people apart.

Based on the author’s experiences, The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong examines life as a fast-food worker and the communities that form among society’s most vulnerable people. He writes about found family in unlikely places, and the friendship between the main character and the elderly woman who saves his life made me laugh and sob in turns.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy explores a future devastated by the climate crisis. Dominic Salt and his children work as caretakers of the world’s only remaining seed bank. When a woman washes up on the shore of their remote island, and the oceans continue to rise, their lives entangle as they try to protect each other and the last remains of plant life on earth.

Set in the Dutch countryside in 1961, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is a story of the lasting impact of war. Isabel, self-isolating and cantankerous, is living in her late mother’s house. Past secrets and hidden desires surface to change her life forever as a mysterious houseguest arrives.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is the best fictional account I have read on generational trauma and the imprint that slavery has on our nation. The story begins in 18th century Ghana, with two half sisters, one who is enslaved and one who marries a wealthy Englishman. It follows the sisters and their progeny through eight generations, each trying to survive in a world intent on breaking them.

Alternating between memoir and fiction, Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq is one of the most devastatingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. This book is a testament to holding onto love as a guiding force while experiencing trauma. I recommend finding the audiobook, as the author, an Inuit throat singer, performs her music intermittently throughout her narration of the book.

—Emily Slattery Phillips, Des Moines Public Library

Agreat book gifted by someone special in your life, especially during your formative years, can become a keepsake. I regularly purge décor, art, clothes and, yes, books, but my permanent reading collection is a part of my identity. This list of books for youth in middle and high school runs the gamut of genre and style—some are classics and some brand new, but hopefully a few will end up on your favorite readers’ forever bookshelves.

The Hunger Games series has resonated consistently with YA readers since it debuted 17 years ago. Maybe it’s the enduring conflicts of class, power, greed and inequity, contrasted with stories of love, rebellion and sacrifice, that keeps audiences compelled. At any rate, it comes as no surprise that the new prequel Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins was greeted as another stellar entry in an already powerful set.

Ibi Zoboi’s groundbreaking contemporary novel-in-verse fantasy (S)kin is a rollercoaster of a read, and perfect for reluctant readers. It’s rich in Caribbean folklore, specifically the myth of soucouyants: skin-shedding shapeshifter women who suck the souls of their victims.

The queer romantic thriller The Corruption of Hollis Brown centers on the titular Brown, a blue-collar boy stuck in a town with no way out, and his intriguing bond with Walt, a spirit with unfinished business and demons to exorcise. K. Ancrum writes in very short, easily digestible one-page sections.

I see the lingering effects the pandemic has had on our youth, but hadn’t read a piece on the topic that resonated with me until A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe by Mahogany L. Browne, interconnecting prose and poems tackling grief, loss, resilience and hope in New York City during COVID-19. I suspect this title will help many young people come to terms with some of their own feelings around 2020.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton transformed YA literature by smashing norms of what such stories could look like. The 1967 coming-ofage novel about rival street gangs—turned 1983 movie, turned 2024 Tony Award-winning musical—is a timeless classic.

Another great classic for lovers of action and adventure is The Call of the Wild by Jack London, told entirely from the perspective of a dog named Buck who was kidnapped and forced to work as a sled dog during the Klondike gold rush. It’s a hard read, but opens an opportunity for constructive dialogue about difficult topics.

—Victoria Fernandez, Iowa City Public Library

Little Village 2025 retail Give Guide

The

holidays have arrived and despite it all, we carry on. Spread cheer, give gifts and Little Village insists shop local.

Rather than emptying your pockets for faceless corporate box stores and online monoliths, LV invites you to direct this year's holiday spending toward the communities you inhabit. These Iowa retailers have selected a few of their favorite products for the 2025 holidays. Availabilty is finite, so plan your shopping accordingly!

Missed the boat as an advertiser this year? Reach out to reserve your product spots in 2026: ads@littlevillagemag.com

Little Village

littlevillagemag.com/shop, 623 S Dubuque St, Iowa City

LV Tote Bag: $20

Demure. Sophisticated. Little Village. A large LV logo is cut from a block of text on this 15 x 15" cotton canvas tote with ample handles. Even you won’t have too much baggage for this baby!

AllSpice Culinarium allspiceonline.com; East Village, 400 E Locust St, Des Moines; Iowa River Landing, 901 E 2nd Ave, Suite 105, Coralville

1. Barnyard Gift Box: $26

From farm to table, this AllSpice favorite covers all the bases. Six bold blends for beef, pork, and poultry that bring great flavor to every meal.

3. Flame Broiled Burger Gift Box: $30

Ready for a burger that’s bun in a million? This box includes three bold blends and a bottle of premium Col. Pabst Worcestershire Sauce for juicy, flame-broiled perfection.

2. Mama’s Homestyle Gift Box: $24

No one cooks like Mama … but this box will get you close. Six perfect blends for chili, tacos, meatloaf, and all the weeknight classics you grew up loving.

Blick Art Materials

dickblick.com/stores/iowa/iowa-city, 201 S Clinton St, Iowa City

Custom Framing and Fine Art Printing

Bring this ad in to receive 50% off entire order with custom frame. Offer valid through January 1, 2026. Code: LTVG25 Let our experienced team assist you with crafting the perfect frame, fine art and photo printing, or creating a custom stretched canvas tailored to your unique specifications.

4. Popcorn Gift Box: $40

Movie night just got better. Four craveworthy seasonings and a bag of Iowagrown Farmer’s Best Popcorn make every bowl a blockbuster.

CIELO

Cielogoods.com, 125 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, 319-440-4220

Recess Apparel: $95

Elevate your Iowa game day look with our heavyweight unisex 100% woven cotton knit sweater. Designed with an oversized fit, this sweater exudes both comfort and style. Order true to size for the perfect oversized look.

Om Gifts For Body & Soul omgiftsiowacity.com, 105 S Linn St, Iowa City, 319-358-1282

The Original Handwarmer Mug

$25.99 Handwarmer Mugs are the ultimate in completely custom stoneware, designed with an ergonomic pocket so you can wrap your fingers in comforting warmth while you enjoy your favorite beverage.

Beadology Iowa beadologyiowa.com, 355 S Clinton St, Iowa City, 319-338-1566

Leaf Earrings: $70

The two-tone nature of these beads creates a great Escher effect in this dimensional leaf pattern. Check the website to see all six color options. Designed and made by Karen Kubby.

Indigo River & Co.

indigoriverandco.com; 1501 C St. SW Cedar Rapids; 319-200-4259

Holiday Cheer Bar Soap: $8

This cold process bar soap has been made in-house by shop owner Rachel Rupert for nearly a decade. The Holiday Cheer bar is a seasonal staple!

Prairie Kitchen Store prairiekitchenstore.com, 160 N Linn St, Iowa City, 319-519-6414

1. Table Chic Steak Knives – Olive Wood Handle by Opinel: $149/set of 4 Elegant French craftsmanship meets natural beauty— these olive wood steak knives deliver precise cutting and timeless sophistication to every table setting.

2. The Curator Coffee Pour Over Stand by The Coffee Registry: $189

A striking blend of brass and walnut, this handcrafted pour-over stand, utilizing the Hario V60 glass pour-over vessel, elevates your brewing ritual with timeless design and precision.

4. Wild Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Cranberry Spice Aged Balsamic Vinegar by Olivelle: $13-$19/100ml bottle

3. ¡El Meteoro! Sauces by The Meteor: $12/bottle

Small-batch Mexican sauces with bold regional flavors that add authentic heat and depth to any dish. Made in Austin, TX.

Get cozy with this perfect fall and winter pairing. A festive balance of aromatic and earthy flavors with tart cranberry and warm spices. Perfect for roasted vegetables or glazes—and making cocktails!

Moss

74 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, mossplantshop.com, 319-200-1082

LINNEA Forest Fir Candle: $42

The most natural scented fir candle and a customer favorite since 2017.

Goldfinch Cyclery

goldfinchcyclery.com, 208 C 12th Ave SE Cedar Rapids, 319-775-0203

Wilde Rambler all-road bike and accessories A versatile all-road bike suited for light-touring, gravel jammin', or the daily commute. Throw a cool frame bag in the mix and take the long way home. You're worth it!

Little Village 2025 retail Give Guide

SOKO Outfitters

sokooutfitters.com, 41 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids

1. Patagonia Nano

Puff Vest: $189

Lightweight yet impressively warm, this recycled-poly vest features PrimaLoft Gold

Eco insulation, a wind-resistant shell with DWR finish and zippered pockets—essential layering for on-the-go warmth.

2. Hoka Bondi 9: $170

Ultimate plush comfort meets performance—this ultra-cushioned running shoe features a super-critical EVA midsole, smooth MetaRocker geometry, structured knit upper and 5mm drop for long-haul ease.

Cedar Ridge Distillery cedarridgedistillery.com, 1441 Marak Rd NW, Swisher

1. The QuintEssential Solera Edition, American Single Malt Whiskey: $59.99

Handcrafted in Iowa, The QuintEssential is one of the highest awarded American Single Malt Whiskeys. Perfectly rich and complex, it’s a great gift for any single malt fan!

2. Cedar Ridge V Dessert Wine: $39.99

Handcrafted in Iowa, Cedar Ridge

V is a dessert wine inspired by the Madeira wines of Portugal. It’s the perfect unique holiday wine to share with friends and family!

Mosiac Iowa City

109 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, 319-519-2104

3. Cotopaxi Allpa 35L: $225

Carry-on ready and adventure-built, this 35L travel pack opens suitcase-style, features a padded laptop sleeve, water-bottle pocket, and 100% recycled durable fabric for smart, organized journeys.

1. Cat Eyeglass Holder Stand: $28.99 Hand-carved, recyclable, fair trade and plastic-free, embodying our commitment at Mosaic Iowa City to ethical living and sustainable practices. Each purchase supports artisans in marginalized communities

2. Cardinal Couple Card: $12.99

3. Fine Art Earrings: $14.99

Sustainably made and handcrafted by fair trade artisans in Guatemala using recycled eucalyptus, white polyurethane and surgical steel ear wires.

Select from Seurat, Manet, Chagall, DaVinci, Renoir, Chagall, Utamaro, Degas, Lautrec, Mondrian, Cezanne, Monet, Raphael, Munch, Modigliani, Klimt and Hokusai.

Two cardinals perch upon a snowy pine branch in an elegant, handmade greeting card made using the quilling (paper coiling) method. Handcrafted and ethically made in Vietnam.

4. Llamacorn: $48.99

Ever wonder what the baby of a llama and a unicorn looks like?

Say hello to your emotional support Llamacorn!

Handcrafted from recycled alpaca fur by a fairly paid Peruvian artisan couple in safe working conditions. Available in many colors, safe and durable for toddlers.

Revival revivaliowacity. com, 117 E College St, on the Ped Mall

1. Onsen Sarun Bath Soak: $16

Heal your body and calm your mind with this soothing blend of sea salts and magnesium flakes. The scent of Japanese Matsu pine and cedarwood create a ritual bath that will leave you feeling renewed.

Sweet Mercantile sweetmercantilecr.com, 98 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids

Nostalgic Candies

Rediscover childhood favorites at Sweet Mercantile! Our nostalgic candies make the perfect gift for any occasion. Sweet, timeless, and sure to spark a smile!

2. Le Bon Shoppe

Amélie Alpaca Cardigan in Chocolate: $155

The Amélie Alpaca Cardigan is a fresh take on the classic cardigan, crafted from a soft alpaca-wool blend for a cozy yet refined feel. Delicately soft and itch-free, it's the perfect layering piece for everyday wear.

Des Moines Art Center Museum Shop desmoinesartcentershop.org, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines

1. Rifo outerwear: $48 and up Super soft and sustainable, recycled cashmere from Milan, Italy.

Catherine's catherinesic.com, 7 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, 319-338-2210; 4925 Utica Ridge Rd, Davenport, 563-484-6267

1. Karine Sultan Wavy Line Ring: $34

Pewter alloy base plated with 24-karat gold or sterling silver. Slightly adjustable to fit most and a perfect accessory for any outfit.

2. Bonne Maison Foamy

Merino Plaid Sock: $39 French brand Bonne Maison manufactures high-quality socks made from Italian merino wool with a double elastane yarn.

3. Baggu Pleated Baggu, Red Snapdragon: $30

A special, pleated version of the classic Baggu shape that can be worn as a dressier, fashion forward catch-all bag.

2. Jellycat plushies: $20 and up Are you team Jellycat Bunny or Bartholomew Bear?

3. Retro Brand Inside Out New Herky "I" Sliced Short Sleeve Sweatshirt: $94

Step back into a time machine with Retro Brand's full-length, inside-out "I" Sliced Sweatshirt. Extensively washed to look and feel like a vintage 20-year old tee, but constructed so well it will last another 2 decades. Made exclusively for Catherine's by Retro Brand.

“2025 NONPROFIT GIVE GUIDE

When Americans think of freedom, we usually imagine a contest between a lone individual and a powerful government,” writes Timothy Snyder in his treatise On Tyranny—an Antifa 101 reading assignment, if there ever was one.

“This is all well and good. But one element of freedom is the choice of associates, and one defense of freedom is the activity of groups to sustain their members.”

Thus, number 15 in Snyder’s list of “20 Lessons from the 20th Century” is, “Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life.”

Tens of thousands of Iowans got active on Oct. 18 for No Kings Day rallies in more than 40 cities. Smaller numbers activate every day to defend immigrants from ICE capture; collect food for pantries and shelters that are more strained now than during the worst days of the pandemic; adopt or foster animals from overburdened shelters; contribute their skills to a free clinic; and plan cultural events and educational opportunities in their community, creating those essential third spaces to gather, express and relax outside of work and school. Simply checking out a library book, hiking with a group, strolling through an arts festival and cheering at a drag show are net positives in the fight against fascism.

It’s no secret that the arts, like activism, can be a powerful tool to express our collective discontent. Which is why this administration's hostility towards the arts is unsurprising. You’d be hard-pressed to find an arts presenter that hasn't been affected by that hostility, whether it's the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program losing federal funding while the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and Iowa Youth Writing Project are axed outright, or Iowa’s nonprofit cinemas, museums and libraries missing out on mission-critical endowments allocated by Congress.

From food banks to music camps for kids, Iowa’s orgs must compete for smaller and smaller pools of funding as demand on their services surges amid economic downturn, spiking energy costs, DOGE-d federal assistance and international humanitarian crises.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Like an inflatable frog standing before a gaggle of masked agents, nonprofits are navigating this new landscape with subversive creativity and “fuck you, make me” panache. There’s never been a better time to throw your support behind the teams tackling the state’s key crises and preserving our natural resources, multicultural history and quality of life.

The guide below, compiled by Little Village editors, is by no means an exhaustive list of all central and eastern Iowa nonprofits, but it’s a great place to start if you want to exercise your First Amendment right to free association this holiday season. Contribute some money, sign up for a newsletter, attend an event and consider giving some of your own time to the cause.

Don’t see your favorite org represented? Let LV know at editor@littlevillagemag.com.

I want my dollars to improve…

HEALTHCARE ACCESS

Iowa Abortion Access Fund

iowaabortionaccessfund.org, 312-663-0338

Financial assistance (in partnership with Chicago Abortion Fund) and help accessing abortion services for people in Iowa

Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund

iowatransmutualaidfund.org

Helps trans, nonbinary and gender diverse Iowans pay for gender-affirming care

Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition

Central Iowa: 515-207-5202; NE Iowa: 563-845-3091; SE Iowa: 319-214-0540

Naloxone distro, social justice advocacy and more to support people affected by drug addiction and enforcement

Monsoon Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity

4944 Franklin Ave, Ste B, Des Moines

1700 S 1st Ave, Ste 18 Iowa City 1789 Elm St, Dubuque monsooniowa.org, Helpline: 1-866-881-4641

Free, confidential, multilingual support for victim-survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking in Iowa’s AAPI communities

Nisaa African Family Services

4944 Franklin Ave, Ste P, Des Moines

1700 S 1st Ave, Ste A & B, Iowa City nisaa-afs.org, 24-hour helpline: 1-844-269-6203

Direct services for victim-survivors in Iowa’s African immigrant and refugee communities, including court, immigration, medical, housing, employment and child care aid

University of Iowa Mobile Clinic iowamobileclinic.org, 319-535-2684

Interdisciplinary student org providing free health screenings and basic care throughout Iowa

Access 2 Independence

1556 S 1st Ave Ste B, Iowa City

601 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids access2independence.org, 319-338-3870

Removes barriers and provides support for individuals with disabilities in eastern Iowa

Autonomy Iowa City

autonomyiowacity.org, icjane@proton.me

Assists access to free emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, abortion pills and out-of-state abortion care. Formerly the Iowa Jane Collective

BIPOC Healing Collective

Iowa City, bipochc.com

Culturally responsive mental health services for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, undocumented and other minority clients

The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County

8 Lime Kiln Ln NE, Iowa City thebirdhousejc.org, 319-499-1882

End-of-life care and comfort in a residence surrounded by nature

When in doubt, inquire about…

● Your city or county’s food pantry

● Your local public library’s foundation (“Friends of the…”)

● Your county’s housing trust fund

● Your city or region’s bail fund

● Your local Pride organization

● Your favorite river, lake or stream’s clean-up group

● Your local animal shelter’s foundation

● Your local faith community’s food or clothing bank

● Your county’s chapter of: Habitat for Humanity, the Ronald McDonald House, United Way, Meals on Wheels, The Arc, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Toys for Tots, Big Brothers Big Sisters, PFLAG, Izaak Walton League, etc.

CommUnity Crisis Services

1121 S Gilbert Ct, Iowa City, builtbycommunity.org

Helpline: 988; request a Mobile Crisis Response: 1-855-581-8111

Mental health resources in Johnson and Iowa counties

Community Health Free Clinic

947 14th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, communityhfc.org, 319-363-0416

Free walk-in care, eye exams and prescription services on weekdays. Non-emergency

Emma Goldman Clinic

227 N Dubuque St, Iowa City emmagoldman.com, 800-848-7684

The first outpatient abortion clinic in Iowa. Provides reproductive healthcare and advocacy

Healing Prairie Farm Johnson County builtbycommunity.org/hpf, 319-255-7006

Crisis stabilization and long-term shelter for youth in a calm rural setting

Iowa City Sober Living iowacitysoberliving.com

A recovery home for women

Iowa City Free Medical and Dental Clinic

2440 Towncrest Dr, Iowa City freemedicalclinic.org, 319-337-4459

Free medical care, specialty care, basic dental care and prescription assistance. Non-emergency

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Johnson County

1531 S Gilbert St, Iowa City namijc.org, 319-337-5400

Mobile crisis line: 1-800-332-4224

Free mental health care services and education for all ages in partnership with CommUnity, Iowa Crisis Chat and the Iowa Department of Public Health. Peer-to-peer and family-to-family counseling

Systems Unlimited

2533 Scott Blvd SE, Iowa City sui.org, 319-338-9212

Clinical health services and opportunities for work, volunteering, socializing, art and more for people with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities, as well as aging, behavioral and mental health needs

Tanager Place

Cedar Rapids: 2309 C St SW & 1030 5th Ave SE; Coralville: 250 12th Ave Ste 150, tanagerplace.org

In- and outpatient psychiatric treatment, music and art therapy, in-school and inhouse services, infant and early childhood enrichment and summer camps. Operates LGBTQ+ Center inside the Estle Center

Above + Beyond Cancer

1305 50th St, West Des Moines aboveandbeyondcancer.org

Free, evidence-based fitness, meditation, nutrition, education and outdoor adventure programs for cancer patients, caregivers and locals

American Brawn

106 14the Ave, Grinnell americanbrawn.us, 641-821-5134

Supports suicide prevention efforts for veterans, active military and first responders

Community Support Advocates

1516 Valley W Dr, West Des Moines teamcsa.org, 515-883-1776

24/7 (non-crisis) line for mental health and disability resources: 515-288-0818

Outpatient mental health therapy, med management and assessments through Integrated Behavioral Health Clinic. Provides other services for Polk County youth and adults with mental health conditions or disabilities, including Momentum Arts Program

Family Planning Council of Iowa

2900 Westown Pkwy, Ste 240, West Des Moines fpcouncil.org, 515-288-9028

Education and access to contraceptives, reproductive healthcare providers, STI testing and resources for pregnancy and domestic abuse, regardless of identity or ability to pay

Primary Health Care

Locations in Ames, Des Moines (four + three school-based clinics), Marshalltown and Urbandale, phciowa.org Medical and dental care, regardless of insurance, immigration status or ability to pay. Operates Homeless Support Services in Polk County

Planned Parenthood

Ames Health Center

2530 Chamberlain St, Ames plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa 877-849-0763

The last PP clinic to offer abortion services in Iowa; one of two remaining abortion providers in the state (with EGC in Iowa City)

Puppy Jake Foundation

3101 104th St #2, Urbandale puppyjakefoundation.org, 515-777-2837

Pairs veterans with professionally trained service dogs

Young Women’s Resource Center

818 5th Ave, Des Moines ywrc.org, 515-244-4901

After-school programs, counseling and a Young Moms program for girls and women aged 10-24 (trans and nonbinary inclusive). Free, confidential, voluntary

THE HOUSING CRISIS

Project Iowa projectiowa.org

In-person and online career training courses and job placement assistance

Community Housing Initiatives

210 2nd St SE, Cedar Rapids, chihousing.com, 319-362-1020

Oversees affordable housing developments in more than 30 Iowa communities. Helps residents meet basic needs

Crowded Closet

851 Hwy 6 E, #101, Iowa City crowdedcloset.org

Nonprofit thrift shop supporting global and local relief efforts by the Mennonite Central Committee

Volunteers ladle soup at the Domestic Violence Intervention Program's Souper Bowl. Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

Domestic Violence Intervention Program & Rape Victim Advocacy Program

dvipiowa.org, DVIP 24-hour hotline: 800-373-1043, RVAP: 800-228-1625

Free and confidential resources for victimsurvivors across eight Iowa counties. Operates three emergency shelters and a pet kennel. Offers adult and child counseling, criminal justice and court advocacy. Sponsors Johnson County Human Trafficking Coalition

Lorna Campbell / Little Village

Four Oaks

5400 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids, fouroaks.org, 319-364-0259

Works with Affordable Housing Network, Inc. to provide safe, sustainable housing, therapy services, foster care support and more to prevent child trauma

Houses into Homes

401 6th Ave, Coralville, housesintohomes. org, 319-435-1075

Free gently used beds, furniture and household items for people in Johnson County leaving homelessness, domestic violence and other crisis situations

InsideOut Reentry

804 S Capitol St, Iowa City, insideoutreentry.com

Works with individuals incarcerated throughout the state to help them develop re-entry plans, regardless of where they plan to live after release. Offers Life Skills classes, Housing and Employment Readiness programs

Iowa City Mutual Aid

icmutualaid.org

Anti-capitalist and abolitionist mutual aid collective. Provides material support to houseless neighbors in Iowa City and material, emotional and court support to queer incarcerated Iowans

Matthew 25

201 3rd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, matthew-25.org, 319-362-2214

Conducts home repairs and builds sustainable, low-income houses. Offers a Tool Library

Shelter House

429 Southgate Ave, Iowa City, shelterhouseiowa.org, 319-351-0326

Operates a 70-bed emergency shelter, four homes, 60 supportive units, employment assistance and mental health recovery

T.R.A.I.L. of Johnson County

28 S Linn St, Room 301, Iowa City, trailofjohnsoncounty.org, 319-800-9003

Tools and Resources for Active Independent Living: Membership-based program for seniors in Johnson County supporting affordable housing communities, including transportation, home services, healthcare navigation and social opportunities

Anawim Housing

1750 48th St Suite 100B, Des Moines, anawimhousing.org, 515-244-8308

Largest provider of permanent supportive housing in Iowa. Develops and manages affordable housing and homeless support services in Polk County

The Beacon

Des Moines, thebeacondm.org

Housing, counseling and community for unhoused and otherwise vulnerable adults who identify as women. Also offers free food, rent assistance and career training

Creative

Visions

Human Development Institute

1343 13th St, Des Moines cvonline.us, 515-244-4003

Works to break cycles of poverty and violence through education and job assistance, a food pantry, family arts programs, community forums and the Crime Victim’s Advocacy Program

Des Moines Mutual Aid

iowamutualaid.org/des-moines-mutual-aid Abolitionist mutual aid collective. Partners with like-minded local groups on a rent relief fund, bail fund, weekly free grocery distro, and support for houseless neighbors, material and court

Des Moines Black Liberation Movement

dsmblm.org

Collective action to fight systems of white supremacy. DSM Rent Relief Fund (with Des Moines Mutual Aid; assists with bills, emergency housing, etc.), Black Children’s Memorial, an annual Juneteenth Celebration

Dress for Success Des Moines

7025 Hickman Road, Ste 3, Urbandale desmoines.dressforsuccess.org, 515-288-0130

Free professional development and attire for unemployed and underemployed women. Partners with The Beacon

HOME, Inc.

1618 6th Ave, Des Moines, homeincdsm.org, 515-243-1277

HUD-certified Housing Counseling Agency and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). Obtains and maintains affordable housing and support in Des Moines

Joppa

2326 Euclid Ave, Des Moines, joppa.org, 515-288-5699

Weekly outreach to hundreds of unhoused and newly housed locals, providing food, essentials and resources for employment, mental health and socialization. Collects donated clothing and items via Thriftmart

Renewed Hope Home Furnishings

306 Park St, Grinnell renewedhope.grinnellfriends.org, 641-236-6412

Free home furnishings, including delivery, for locals in a 15-mile radius

Second Mile Thrift Shop

515 3rd Ave, Grinnell secondmilegrinnell.org, 641-236-7892

Low-cost clothing, household and furniture items

YSS (Youth & Shelter Services,

Iowa Homeless Youth Centers) yss.org, 515-232-4YSS

Emergency shelter, addiction treatment, crisis stabilization, rent assistance, mental health and food support, after-school and summer programs, education and career resources, and more across 11 locations throughout central Iowa

FOOD ACCESS

Cakes From The Heart

Marion, facebook.com/cakesfromtheheartiowa Partners with community organizations to provide personalized cakes or cupcakes to Linn, Jackson and Johnson County locals with financial barriers on special occasions

The IHYC opportunity center at 612 Locust St, Des Moines. Tyler Erickson / Little Village

Artist Lloyd Offutt standing in front of his artwork at the opening reception for "Art from the Inside."

Abbie Bouska / Courtesy of InsideOut Reentry

CommUnity Food Bank

1045 Highway 6 East, Iowa City, builtbycommunity.org, 319-351-0128

Free and confidential groceries, hygiene products, baby supplies and more

Convivium Urban Farmstead

2811 Jackson St, Dubuque convivium-dbq.com, 563-557-2900

A dense urban farm with a community garden, free casserole program and food education classes, supported by a restaurant onsite Read LV’s story

Coralville Community Food Pantry

804 13th Ave, Coralville, coralvillefoodpantry.org, 319-337-3663

Weekly food assistance for Coralville, Tiffin and Oxford residents

Food Pantry at Iowa

IMU Room G200 basicneeds.uiowa.edu/food-pantry 319-335-1162

Serves University of Iowa students and community members

Field to Family

1051 US-6, Iowa City fieldtofamily.org, 319-855-2649

Procures local food for school lunch menus, supports school gardens, provides education on food systems, connects local growers with local consumers

Grow: Johnson County

4811 Melrose Ave, Iowa City, growjohnsoncounty.org, 319-622-3264

A six-acre farm growing fresh fruit and vegetables for Johnson County food pantries. Offers seasonal apprenticeships and youth programming

IC Compassion

1035 Wade St, Iowa City iccompassion.org, 319-330-9883

Hosts 100+ garden plots at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm for families to grow a diverse range of crops. Operates a food pantry on Wednesdays and Jabez Cafe. Also provides low-cost legal immigration services, mental health counseling for refugees and ESL tutoring

Iowa City Free Lunch Program

1105 Gilbert Ct, Ste 100, Iowa City iowacityfreelunch.org, 319-337-6283

Filling, healthy free lunches served noquestions-asked, Mon-Sat, 12-1 p.m.

Matthew 25

201 3rd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, matthew-25.org, 319-362-2214

Tends an urban farm with community gardens and gathering space. Operates Iowa’s first payit-forward cafe (Groundswell Cafe, 201 3rd Ave NW, CR), and sells affordable produce in a former food desert (Cultivate Hope Corner Store, 604 Ellis Blvd NW). Offers discounted CSA, youth food camps and more Cont. on pg. 28

CommUnity Food Bank. Jason Smith / Little Village

TROLLEY

North Liberty Community Food Pantry

350 W Penn St, North Liberty, nlcpantry.org, 319-626-2711

Free groceries and clothing for North Liberty and rural Johnson County residents. Opened new building in summer 2025

Northeast Iowa Food Bank

1605 Lafayette St, Waterloo, neifb.org, 319-235-0507

Operates Cedar Valley Food Pantry, a mobile food pantry and 13 Kids Cafes. Distributes food to 130+ other food assistance orgs

River Bend Food Bank

4010 Kimmel Dr, Davenport 3145 Cedar Crest Ridge, Dubuque 876 W Main St, Ste B, Galesburg, Illinois riverbendfoodbank.org

Rescues, stores and distributes nutritious food through more than 400 partners in 23 counties. Outreach to students, seniors, SNAP beneficiaries and food deserts

Table to Table

Pepperwood Plaza, 1049 US-6 E, Iowa City, table2table.org, 319-337-3400

Recovers and redistributes food that would’ve gone to waste, supporting eastern Iowa food pantries and other partner orgs

The Bridge Home

225 S Kellogg Ave, Ames, thebridgehome.org, 515-232-8075

Shelter, food and support services for unhoused individuals and families

Eat Greater Des Moines

501 SW 7th St, Ste G, Des Moines, eatgreaterdesmoines.org, 515-207-8908

Operates dozens of community fridges throughout Polk, Dallas and Warren counties. Rescues food everywhere from farm fields to grocery stores. Operates Eat Greater Des Moines Food Rescue app

Food Bank of Iowa

2220 E 17th St, Des Moines, 705 W Main St, Ottumwa, foodbankiowa.org

Supports food pantries throughout central and southeast Iowa, including 150 school pantries in 43 counties. Runs the BackPack Program, providing foodinsecure kids with meals over weekends

Forest Ave Outreach

334 Forest Ave, Des Moines, forestaveoutreach.org

Community orchard and garden serving a food desert. Youth outreach in outdoor classroom

The Iowa Kitchen theiowakitchen.org

Food distribution and education geared toward young adults in the Grinnell community. Free meals served once a week. Supported by the restaurant Relish

Johnston Partnership for a Healthy Community

5870 Merle Hay Rd, Ste C, Johnston, johnstonpartnership.org, 515-528-2379

Free food assistance, personal care items and clothing (must show ID). Customizes meals by family size and dietary needs. Weekend food support for Johnston School District students

Meals from the Heartland

357 Lincoln St, West Des Moines, mealsfromtheheartland.org, 515-473-9530

Faith-based org fighting child hunger in Iowa and globally. Packages and distributes protein-dense food in Iowa, utilizing large network of distributors

Mid-Iowa Community Action

1001 S 18th Ave, Marshalltown, micaonline.org, 641-752-7162

Community action fighting poverty in central Iowa through almost 30 programs focused on distinct needs, including food, water, heat, health and disaster assistance.

The Pet Project

4944 Franklin Ave, Ste N, Des Moines, thepetprojectmidwest.org, 515-727-4738

Food and supplies for struggling pet owners; supports statewide network to reunite lost and found animals

St. Vincent de Paul Society of Des Moines

1426 6th Ave and 500 Army Post Rd, Des Moines, svdpdsm.org

Free food and clothing at both locations. Also offers career training, job search and reentry services

Supply Hive

Des Moines, thesupplyhivedsm.org

Flexible mutual aid org supporting marginalized locals. Partners with Eat Greater Des Moines to rescue food from local grocers to supply community fridges. Raises funds and holds drives to help individuals retain housing, childcare and essential supplies

Urban Bicycle Food Ministry of Des Moines

Capitol Hill Lutheran Church, 511 Des Moines St, Des Moines, ubfmdsm.com

Weekly distribution of burritos, sandwiches and supplies directly to unhoused locals, via bicycle or vehicle delivery. Community-based and non-denominational Read LV’s story

Urbandale Food Pantry

7611 Douglas Ave, Stes 34-35, Urbandale, urbandalefoodpantry.org, 515-251-6688

Free food and personal care items in the Des Moines metro (must show ID). Customizes meals by family size and dietary needs. Rescues food from local grocers

UBFM volunteers embark on a route. Avery Staker / Little Village

Valley Community Center — Project Impact

4444 Fuller Rd, West Des Moines, valleycommunity.center/projectimpact

Food assistance for at-risk individuals and families in the Des Moines metro, including weekend meals for students. Also distributes school supplies, winter clothing and diapers

Women Food & Ag Network

Ames, wfan.org

Member-based group of women and nonbinary farmers, land stewards, urban gardeners, environmental advocates, etc. providing mentorship, language access and storytelling events from an anti-racist, ecofeminist, trans-inclusive perspective

THE ENVIRONMENT

Iowa Audubon iowaaudubon.org

Education and advocacy for Iowa birds. Identifies and protects important bird habitats around the state, e.g. tallgrass prairie Read LV’s story

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI)

2001 Forest Ave, Des Moines, iowacci.org, 515-255-0800

Organizes campaigns against factory farms and CO2 pipelines; operates a Nitrate Watch program. Advocates on behalf of renters, mobile homeowners, immigrants, victims of racial profiling and the uninsured

Iowa Environmental Council

505 Fifth Ave #850, Des Moines, iaenvironment.org, 515-244-1194

A nonpartisan coalition advocating for environmental protections in public policy

The American Goldfinch, Iowa's state bird. Norbert Sarsfield / Little Village

provides a local family with the groceries to cooka holiday meal $30

Scan here to sponsor a meal this holiday season or visit builtbycommunity.org/ project-holiday

Iowa Interfaith Power & Light

505 5th Ave, Des Moines iowaipl.org, 515-689-1112

Gathers farmers, students, rural faith leaders and others to discuss and advocate for climate action

Iowa Chapter of The Nature Conservancy nature.org/iowa, 515-244-5044

Education and promotion of science-driven sustainable agricultural practices to protect water and land

Read LV’s story on TNC’s Trailblazers Academy for prescribed fire specialists

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

505 Fifth Ave, Ste 444, Des Moines inhf.org, 515-288-1846

Protects and maintains nearly 200,000 acres of Iowa prairie, woodland and waterways. Creates multi-use trails in natural areas

Iowa Rivers Revival

iowarivers.org, 515-635-5586

Statewide, nonpartisan org working to protect and restore rivers and streams

Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club

3839 Merle Hay Rd #280, Des Moines, sierraclub.org/iowa, 515-277-8868

Part of the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental org. Advocacy and lobbying focused solely in Iowa

Iowa Water Project

iowawaterproject.org

Strategically places natural dams and aquatic plants to improve streams and wetlands statewide

Iowa Wildlife Federation

301 Grand Ave, Des Moines, iawildlife.org, 515-419-1839

Statewide, membership-based org. Helps locals create Certified Wildlife Habitats of unmowed, protected green space. Supports the University of Iowa’s School of the Wild, an accredited environmental education program for youth

A burn crew member lights a prescribed fire using a drip torch. Bethany Kaylor / Little Village

Bur Oak Land Trust

5 Sturgis Corner Dr, Ste 1250, Iowa City, buroaklandtrust.org, 319-338-7030

Maintains roughly a dozen biodiverse land reserves, many open to the public year-round

Cedar Valley Humane Society

7411 Mt Vernon Rd SE, Cedar Rapids, cvhumane.org, 319-362-6288

Shelters animals as long as it takes to get them adopted. Low adoption fees. Operates a pet food pantry; supplies pet food for five pantries around the region

Indian Creek Nature Center

5300 Otis Rd SE, Cedar Rapids, indiancreeknaturecenter.org, 319-362-0664

A sustainable, solar-powered facility on 500 acres of preserved wetlands, prairies, woodlands and trails

Iowa Farm Sanctuary

1696 250th St NW, Oxford, iowafarmsanctuary.org, 319-329-0205

Vegan-run safe haven for rescued farm animals. Funds major veterinary procedures for its residents. Responds to emergency calls involving farm animals, e.g. semi accidents and natural disasters

Read LV’s story

Iowa Humane Alliance

6540 6th St SW, Cedar Rapids, iowahumanealliance.org, 319-363-1225

Affordable, accessible spay-neuter services in eastern Iowa

IowaProjectAWARE

iowaprojectaware.org

Marion-based org that hosts a massive, weeklong river cleanup each summer, integrated with education around environmental science, geology, Iowa history and more. Recycles more than 80 percent of trash pulled from water

The R.A.R.E. Group

3305 Hwy 1 SW Ste 29a, Iowa City, theraregroup.org, 319-248-9770

Raptor rehabilitation and education. Completely volunteer-run clinic provides rescue, triage and long-term medical treatment

Trees Forever

80 W 8th Ave, Marion, treesforever. org, 800-369-1269

Organizes tree-planting projects to protect waterways and roadsides. Part of ReLeaf Cedar Rapids plan to restore tree canopy lost to 2020 derecho, and the Iowa Urban Tree Council. Education on treekeeping, invasive species, agroforestry and more

Wildthunder Wildlife & Animal Rehabilitation & Sanctuary

2584 Henley Ave, Independence, wildthunderwars.org, 319-961-3352

Licensed wildlife rehabilitation center and animal shelter with volunteer caretakers. Treats injured wildlife and homeless pets, including raptors, reptiles, mammals and exotic animals

Read LV’s story

100Grannies

100grannies.org

Iowa City-based member org of senior women demonstrating against factory farms, CO2 pipelines and unsustainable practices in Iowa

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa

5452 NE 22nd St, Des Moines, arl-iowa.org Pet helpline: 515-473-9122

Behavior helpline: 515-262-9503

Iowa’s largest nonprofit animal shelter. Offers short-term crisis care for families with pets. Animal Welfare and Response Team investigates abuse and cruelty statewide. Operates a cat trap-neuter-return program in Des Moines and a twice-monthly pet food pantry, among other initiatives

Bailing Out Benji

2521 University Blvd, Ste 123, Ames, bailingoutbenji.com

Investigates and researches commercial breeders, puppy mills, pet stores and online sellers. Advocates for responsible pet adoption. Provides a national database of puppy mills. Operates the Central Iowa Pet Food Pantry

Iowa Bird Rehabilitation

3108 49th St, Des Moines, 515-207-5008

Volunteer-based wildlife rehab center for sick, injured or orphaned wild birds

Kiya Koda Humane Society

1206 N Jefferson Way, Indianola, kiyakoda.com, 515-961-7080

No-kill animal shelter taking in, and adopting out, stray dogs and cats

Practical Farmers of Iowa

1615 Golden Aspen Dr, Ste 101, Ames, practicalfarmers.org, 515-232-5661

Programs to incentivize and support farming practices that reduce nitrogen, improve soil and conserve wildlife habitats. Helps farms transition from old to new generations of farmers/owners. Farmer-led research. Spanish-language resources

EDUCATION & JUSTICE

ACLU of Iowa

505 5th Ave, Des Moines aclu-ia.org, 515-243-3576

Files lawsuits and amicus briefs challenging violations of civil liberties in Iowa by the government. Know-your-rights resources in English and Spanish. Legislative advocacy on a range of progressive issues

Great Plains Action Society greatplainsaction.org

Indigenous-run org fighting the effects of colonial-capitalism in the Midwest, including pipelines, unsustainable ag practices, antiCRT and anti-reproductive choice laws, and the prevalence of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Founded and directed by Iowa-based Sikowis Nobiss

HOPE Foundation Iowa hopefoundpal.org instagram.com/hopefoundationia

Works with Iowans for Palestine, Iowa City Action for Palestine and other groups to raise local awareness and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza

Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice iowammj.org, 515-255-9809

Statewide, membership-based immigrant and refugee advocacy and legal services organization

Iowa Safe Schools iowasafeschools.org, 515-381-0588

Anti-bullying and discrimination support for LGBTQ students. Operates the GSA Network, providing resources for GSA clubs in schools across Iowa (plus parents and educators). Advocates for legislation banning conversion therapy and trans/gay panic defenses

Turkeys Henry and Flynn at Iowa Farm Sanctuary. Dawn Frary / Little Village

One Iowa

oneiowa.org, 515-288-4019

Training for healthcare providers, businesses and others on issues facing LGBTQ Iowans. Mentorship and resources. Works to shape local and state policies affecting LGBTQ Iowans via One Iowa Action, a 501(c) (4). Statewide, Des Moines-based

Catherine McAuley Center

1220 5th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, cmc-cr.org, 319-363-4993

ESL, U.S. Citizenship exam, High School Equivalency Test and basic skills tutoring for adults, in person or online. Services for refugees and migrants, including employment, healthcare, housing (in particular for women), childcare and legal. Food pantry (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and a community garden

Corridor Community Action Network

corridorcan.com

Organizes locals in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty and Iowa City for service projects, letter-writing campaigns and community events

Read LV’s story

IC Compassion

1035 Wade St, Iowa City

iccompassion.org, 319-330-9883

DOJ-authorized, low-cost immigration legal services. Operates Refugee Counseling Center Center, a Wednesday food pantry (12-5 p.m.) and Jabez Cafe, employing special needs young adults from immigrant families. Global Food Project connects new Johnson County residents with community garden plots

The

James Gang

450 Hwy 1 W #126, Iowa City, jamesgangic.com

Entrepreneurial org working to initiate and grow community projects in the areas of creativity and service

Prairielands Freedom Fund

prairielandsfreedomfund.org, 319-535-2209

Formerly Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project. Pays immigration bond, protester bail and pretrial bail for young advocates

Refugee and Immigrant Association

refugeeimmigrant.org, 319-491-3486

Academic and social support for refugee youth in Johnson and Linn counties. Organizes school transportation program, Refugee Women Empowerment Program and a multilingual newspaper, Refugee and Immigrant News

United Action for Youth

1700 S 1st Ave #14, Iowa City 355 Iowa Ave, Iowa City unitedactionforyouth.org, 319-338-7518

Runaway and homeless youth services, trauma-informed crisis intervention/mediation, transitional living assistance, counseling, art events and social opportunities for young people and families in Johnson County

1619 Freedom School

325 E Park Ave, Ste 204, Waterloo, 1619freedomschool.org, 319-427-0314

Free, community-based, after-school literacy program for students to improve reading skills while learning Black American history

DSM Queer Youth Resource Center instagram.com/qyrcenter

Inclusive events for LGBTQ2SIA+ youth. Hosts Safe Space Prom, an All Ages Variety Show, the skating festival Pride in Motion, queer movie nights, drag shows and art shows

Everybody Wins! Iowa

Walnut Street School #315, 901 Walnut St, Des Moines everybodywinsiowa.org, 515-277-7590

One-on-one reading and mentoring with schoolkids and volunteers

Iowa Asian Alliance

6919 Vista Dr, Des Moines, iowaasianalliance.com

Unites diverse Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with the purpose of fostering economic growth and broader community development within the state of Iowa

Latino Resources

4217 University Ave Ste 1, Des Moines, latinoheritagefestival.org

Serves as the umbrella to the Des Moines Latino Heritage Festival, which has the distinction of not only being the largest Latino Festival in the state, but the largest cultural event in the state of Iowa

Read 2 Lead of Poweshiek County

read2lead.info

Free books and evidence-based programs to promote early literacy. Partners include Books for MICA and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Skate DSM skatedsm.org

Gives away hundreds of free skateboards and helmets in central Iowa through Get On Board Project. Offers scholarships for their skateboard lessons and camps

Queen Sisterz Organization

Urbandale, facebook.com/venticawoods 515-735-1141

Scholarships, networking and empowerment programs for local youth, especially Black youth

I want my dollars to support nonprofit…

MUSIC, THEATER AND DANCE

Cedar Falls Community Theatre

103 Main St, Cedar Falls mycfct.org, 319-277-5283

Local theater productions at the historic Oster Regent Theatre

City Circle Theater Company

1301 5th St, Coralville, coralvillearts.org

Musical and play productions for local teens and adults. Performs at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts

Class Act Productions (CAP Theatre)

201 1st Ave S, Altoona captheatre.org, 515-967-7950

Theatrical productions by and for children and young adults, including plays, musicals, improv, summer camps and monthly theater workshops

CSPS

1103 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids cspshall.org, 319-364-1580

Presents live performers and art exhibitions at the historic CSPS Hall, with an emphasis on new and diverse voices.

Dreamwell Theatre

dreamwell.com, 319-423-9820

Community theater organization in Iowa City. Cohosts the annual QueertopIA variety show benefiting Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund

Read LV’s review of Dreamwell Theatre's Design for a Living

When in doubt, inquire about…

● Organization(s) supporting your favorite community venue

● Historical societies in your area

● Local cultural and historical centers

● Your local senior center

● Arts programs offered by your local school district, college or university

Eastern Iowa Arts Academy

2630 B Ave NE, Cedar Rapids easterniowaartsacademy.org, 319-350-1805

Afterschool arts programming in eastern Iowa with a focus on equity and accessibility. Currently fundraising to transform the former Arthur Elementary School to offer studio spaces for kids and adults, band rooms for their Rock Academy program, instrument and equipment rental, a community room with a food pantry and clothing closet, a sensory room for students with autism and special needs, and more.

The

Englert Theatre

221 E Washington St, Iowa City englert.org, 319-688-2653

Arts presenter in a historic downtown theater with programs to attract a diverse range of performers to Iowa City, platform local artists and prompt community discussions

Iowa City Community Theatre iowacitycommunitytheatre.org 319-338-0443

Community theater organization producing plays and musicals. Invites prospective directors to submit ideas for the upcoming season

Midwest Old Threshers

405 E Thresher Rd, Mt. Pleasant oldthreshers.org, 319-385-8937

Entertainment and education designed to celebrate agricultural heritage. Hosts the annual Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in September; maintains Mt. Pleasant’s Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana

Open Heartland

3 E Benton St, Iowa City openheartland.org

Resources and advocacy for immigrants via community events. Hosts a Children’s Folklorico dance troupe, weekly Loteria at Big Grove and more

Orchestra Iowa

119 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids artsiowa.com/orchestra-iowa, 319-366-8203

Century-old symphony orchestra committed to accessibility

Prairie Music Association

401 76th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids prairiemusic.com

Music booster club serving the College Community School District in Linn and Johnson County

Quad City Music Guild

1584 34th Ave, Moline, Illinois qcmusicguild.com, 309-762-6610

Community musical theater productions and QCMC Youth Chorus performances in the historic Prospect Park pavilion. Opens their Costume Shoppe to the public the first Saturday of each month

Revival Theatre Company

329 10th Ave SE Ste 005, Cedar Rapids revivaltheatrecompany.com

Professional musical theater company producing classical and contemporary pieces

Raekwon performs to fans at the Englert during Mission Creek 2025. Dawn Frary / Little Village

Riverside Theatre

119 E College St, Iowa City riversidetheatre.org, 319-887-1360

Professional theater company that hosts production talkbacks, a conversation series, a Playmaker Project for 3rd6th grade playwrights and more

Summer of the Arts

319 E 1st St, Iowa City summerofthearts.org, 319-337-7944

Hosts a range of free, family-friendly events in Iowa City, including the Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Friday Night Concert Series and the Holiday Thieves Market (Dec. 6-7 in Coralville)

Theatre Cedar Rapids

102 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids theatrecr.org, 319-366-8591

Century-old professional theater company producing musicals and plays. Offers TCR Summer Camps. In the home stretch of a capital campaign to renovate and modernize five levels of its historic home, the Iowa Theatre Building

Waterloo Community Playhouse/

Black Hawk Children’s Theatre

224 Commercial St, Waterloo wcpbhct.org, 319-235-0367

Theater education and entertainment opportunities for Cedar Valley locals since 1916

Willow Creek Theatre Company

327 S Gilbert St, Iowa City willowcreektheatre.org

Professional improv troupe hosting plays, musicals, stand up and live music. Now presents the Floodwater Comedy Festival (Nov. 14 and 15)

Young Footliters Youth Theatre coralvillearts.org

Plays and musicals for kid casts, crews and audiences. Hosts a Traveling Playhouse of theater camps across Iowa

Ankeny Community Theatre

1932 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny ankenycommunitytheatre.com, 515-244-2771

Live entertainment and participation opportunities for the local community

Des Moines Arts Festival desmoinesartsfestival.org

Presents the annual, free Des Moines Arts Festival as well as the Interrobang Film Festival and local arts awards

Des Moines Community Playhouse

831 42nd St, Des Moines dmplayhouse.com, 515-277-6261

Century-old community theater staging plays and musicals, with classes, ensembles and programs aimed at local students, seniors, preschoolers and more

Des Moines Performing Arts

desmoinesperformingarts.org, 515-246-2300

Presents a range of professional entertainment and local theater productions across four venues: Des Moines Civic Center, the black box Stoner Theater, Cowles Commons and Temple Theater

Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre

4801 Franklin Ave, Ste 1163, Des Moines dmyat.org

Play and musical productions by and for local students and families. Offers design apprenticeships

George Daily Community Auditorium

1800 N 3rd St, Oskaloosa, georgedaily.org, 641-672-0799

Mahaska County arts presenter and venue with in-house regional theater company. Supported by Friends of the Auditorium

Girls Rock! Des Moines girlsrockdsm.org

Music camps, after-school programs, lessons, jam sessions, concerts and recording opportunities for girls, women and nonbinary folks. LGBTQ+ friendly. Offers free Instrument Library and Iowa City area programming

Iowa Stage Theatre Company

221 Walnut St, Des Moines iowastage.org, 515-309-0251

Theater company of local, resident artists committed to anti-racist productions. Shows at Stoner Theater

Newton Community Theatre

1701 S 8th Ave E, Newton newtontheatre.com, 641-792-1230

Theatrical opportunities for locals of all ages and backgrounds, cast and crew

Story Theater Company

1609 Golden Aspen Dr #105, Ames storytheatercompany.org

Theater workshops, camps and productions for area children, ages 5-18. Shows at Ames City Auditorium

Tallgrass Theatre Company

2019 Grand Ave Ste 100, West Des Moines tallgrasstheatre.org, 515-518-0658

Community theater presenter and venue. Offers theater workshops and summer camps for young locals through its Seedlings Children’s Theatre

LITERATURE AND FILM

Antelope Lending Library

450 Hwy 1 W #126, Iowa City antelopelendinglibrary.org, 319-343-6872

Independent, no-fee mobile book library. Collaborates on events to promote literacy, climate action and more. Offers adult ELL classes on Thursday evenings (childcare provided) in partnership with Open Heartland. Member of The James Gang

Brink Literary

450 Hwy 1 W #126, Iowa City brinkliterary.com

Literary journal platforming cross-genre creatives from a diverse range of backgrounds

Cinema Fairfield

200 N Main St, Fairfield facebook.com/cinema.fairfield, 641-472-2000

Screens new and classic films, including local work

Iowa City Poetry

450 Hwy 1 W #126, Iowa City iowacitypoetry.com

Workshops, readings, open mics and more. Includes the IC Speaks spoken word program. Hosts the Mic Check Poetry Fest (Nov. 13-15). Offers Poetry Lending Library inside the PS1 Close House

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature iowacityofliterature.org

Manages Iowa City’s UN Creative Cities Network membership. Hosts the annual Iowa City Book Festival, Lit Walk, One Book Two Book Festival, Music IC series and other lit-centric events and resources

Porchlight Literary Arts Center porchlightliterary.org

Hosts and promotes readings, community salons, free writing workshops and more in eastern Iowa. Offers Iowa Writer’s Residency and DIY Retreats

The cast of Riverside Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet perform in Lower City Park in June 2025.

M.T. Bostic / Little Village

PromptPress

promptpress.org

Iowa City-based publisher and producer of collaborative arts projects, including an annual artist book stemming from a social justice prompt, a gallery series, performances and a teen book project. Member of The James Gang

FilmScene

404 E College St Ste 100 & 118 E College St, Iowa City, icfilmscene.org, 319-358-2555

Independent cinema with two locations hosting new, classic, foreign, historic and early release films. Hosts filmmaker and expert dialogues, free outdoor screenings, low-cost special series (family films, films with LGBTQ+ and disability representation, etc.), summer camps and the Refocus Film Festival

Annie’s Foundation

5619 NW 86th St, Ste 700, Johnston anniesfoundation.com

Parent-run org working in opposition to book censorship and discrimination in central Iowa school districts. Holds events to increase access to diverse, challenged books

The Iowa Theater

121 N John Wayne Dr, Winterset the-iowa.com, 515-462-2979

Restored turn-of-the-century cinema and performance space screening new releases, classics, foreign films and local work

The Varsity Cinema

1207 25th St, Des Moines varsitydesmoines.com, 515-259-0167

A historic cinema operated by the nonprofit Des Moines Film showing new, classic and special film screenings. Hosts dialogues, an Open Screen Night for local filmmakers, summer camps and more

ARTIST COLLECTIVES

Arts IC/ArtiFactory

120 N Dubuque St, Iowa City artifactory.artsiowacity.org

Arts education, exhibition and collaboration opportunities in Iowa City

Public Space One

538 S Gilbert St, Iowa City publicspaceone.com, 319-855-1985

Artist-led, community-driven contemporary art center with three public locations in Iowa City. Provides space for exhibitions, artist residencies, a Media Arts Co-op, the Center for Afrofuturist Studies and the Iowa LGBTQ Archives and Library

Wright

House of Fashion

910 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, wrighthousefashion.com, 319-541-9790

Humanize My Hoodie designer Andre Wright’s community space for underrepresented creatives, sustainable fashion, workshops, talks and a community fridge

Maquoketa Art Experience

124 S Main St, Maquoketa maquoketa-art.org, 563-652-9925

Hosts regular performances, workshops, art and history discussions, readings, craft shows, artist receptions and more in downtown Maquoketa

237 Collective

329 10th Ave SE Gallery 217, Cedar Rapids instagram.com/237collective

Community art workshops, fashion shows, exhibitions, clothing swaps and more

ArtForce Iowa artforceiowa.org, 515-777-3182

Runs Pathways arts programs for court-involved youth; Heroes trauma-informed programs for refugee, immigrant and first-generation locals; sensorybased art exhibitions; public art projects and more

City Voices Des Moines

4001 Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines cityvoicesdesmoines.org, 515-681-6234

Free, individualized music instruction for underserved students in Des Moines Public Schools

Mainframe Studios

900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines mainframestudios.org, 515-216-4253

Claims title of largest nonprofit building for creative workspaces in the U.S. Hosts art workshops. First Friday events each month are free and open to the public

Momentum Artist Collective

Mainframe Studios 109 & 103 (900 Keosauqua Way), Des Moines momentumartistcollective.org, 515-669-4821 Free studio space and mentorship for artists with disabilities and mental health conditions

Museums

African American Museum of Iowa 55 12th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids blackiowa.org, 319-862-2101

Permanent and rotating exhibitions on the Underground Railroad, the civil rights movement, Black Iowa trailblazers and more. Gathers and preserves artifacts and oral histories. Hosts Juneteenth and other community events

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

410 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids crma.org, 319-366-7503

Long-running art museum hosting art history talks. Maintains the historic Grant Wood Studio

Dubuque Museum of Art

1000 Jackson St, Dubuque dbqart.org, 563-557-1851

Claims title of Iowa’s first cultural institution, established in 1874 by the Dubuque Art Association.

Figge Art Museum

225 W 2nd St, Davenport figgeartmuseum.org, 563-326-7804

Mississippi River-adjacent building designed by architect David Chipperfield. Hosts art classes and camps

Mother Mosque of America Museum

1335 9th St NW, Cedar Rapids

The longest-standing purpose-built mosque in the U.S. An active mosque and Muslim-American history center. Visits open to anyone, by appointment only

Muscatine Art Center

1314 Mulberry Ave, Muscatine muscatineartcenter.org, 563-263-8282 Museum and art gallery located in the historic Musser Mansion

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids ncsml.org, 319-362-8500

Smithsonian affiliate hosting permanent and rotating exhibitions, concerts, an Old World Christmas Market (Dec. 6 and 7) and much more in the historic Czech Village/New Bohemia district

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

350 E 3rd St, Dubuque rivermuseum.org, 563-557-9545

Series of buildings, historical sites and a walkway, operated by the Dubuque County Historical Society. Promotes conservation. Provides rescue and rehab to wild reptiles and amphibians

National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center

117 W 2nd St, Muscatine muscatinehistory.org, 563-263-1052

Exhibits artifacts from Muscatine’s time as the “pearl button capital of the world” in the early 20th century. Offers free admission

Putnam Museum and Science Center

1717 W 12th St, Davenport putnam.org, 563-324-1933

Smithsonian-affiliated; first established in 1867. Shows films. Expects to be first Iowa museum to display a complete dinosaur skeleton in 2027 (a triceratops)

Waterloo Center for the Arts

225 Commercial St, Waterloo waterloocenterforthearts.org, 319-291-4490

Collects Midwest art, American decorative arts, Mexican folk art and the world’s largest public collection of Haitian art, among other permanent and rotating exhibitions. Hosts art classes and dialogues

Des Moines Art Center

4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines desmoinesartcenter.org, 515-277-4405

Art museum that includes Papajohn Sculpture Park and studios for art classes

Iowa Quilt Museum

68 E Court Ave, Winterset iowaquiltmuseum.org, 515-462-5988

American quilt history and exhibitions. Hosts the Iowa Quilt Festival (June 3-6, 2026): a threeday retreat culminating in a show throughout Winterset and on the Bridges of Madison County

Science Center of Iowa

401 W Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy, Des Moines sciowa.org, 515-274-6868

Hands-on educational exhibits. Screens special films in their planetarium dome. Hosts statewide outreach programs and the SCI Preschool

Sioux City Art Center

225 Nebraska St, Sioux City siouxcityartcenter.org, 712-279-6272

Collections of local and Midwest artists. Free admission. Hosts art classes and community events

Surf Ballroom and Museum

460 N Shore Dr, Clear Lake surfballroom.com, 641-357-6151

Historic landmark and active entertainment venue with exhibitions celebrating the golden age of rock and roll

Beyond Fashion Fest 2025. Malcolm MacDougall / Little Village

Pulp

Friction

How a particular Trump tariff is affecting small business owners— and Iowans’ access to nerdy gifts this holiday season.

bY JESSICA CLINE

You might recall the Stamp Act from 5th grade social studies. Passed on March 22, 1765, it was the mechanism used by the British to fund the standing troops lingering in the American colonies after the Seven Years’ War. In practice, the Stamp Act required that colonists pay a tax on all paper products, ranging from newspapers, legal documents and almanacs to playing cards.

This “taxation without representation” prompted protests, boycotts and a meeting of the Continental Congress. British merchants and manufacturers raged over lost profits. Parliament repealed the act, but went on to levy a series of other taxes, precipitating the Revolutionary War.

Trust the Trump administration to make historically bad policy relevant again. It so happens that the mechanics of the Stamp Act are not all that disconnected from Trump’s current set of tariffs on paper and pulp products. Basically, when paper-based products are imported into the country, an additional tax (usually of at least 10 percent, but this is dependent on the country the paper has come from) has to be paid before deliveries can be made to the business intending to process and sell those products.

The cold reality is that these tariffs force businesses to either absorb the cost of the tax themselves and lose profits, or to raise their prices to cover the difference.

Even in the age of the internet, there are still plenty of popular products made possible by paper,

from comic books to trading cards. With this in mind, Little Village took a look at how two local businesses who trade in paper products are handling a second Stamp Act.

Power Pulp is a collective of independent selfpublishing comics creators headquartered in Des Moines. Its mission is to create better opportunities for artists and writers to find their audience, according to one of its four founders, John Coats. The business has no salaried employees, but utilizes members’ shared expertise in graphic design, public relations, the mechanics of working with different retailers and more. You can think of Power Pulp as a comics distributor as opposed to a traditional publisher, passing all of the profits from sales of books directly back to the creatives behind them.

They’re still new to the comics scene, but after just a few months Power Pulp has “sold over a thousand books,” Coats reports. “We’ve got 15 stores on board already, and new ones sort of jumping [in] every couple weeks.”

Unfortunately, paper tariffs are limiting Power Pulp’s options when it comes to printing new books in their catalog.

Most of Power Pulp’s authors were already printing state-side prior to the Trump tariffs because foreign printers, like those in China, typically won’t do runs of less than 10,000 copies. Now, overseas print orders come with additional and often unpredictable costs at port—something self-publishers are not able to absorb easily without warning.

Even if they haven’t personally paid a paper tariff, Power Pulp authors must still contend with a strained industry. Coats said he’s contacted various American printers to get quotes, but since material prices are so volatile, they weren’t even able to offer a ballpark estimate of the total cost of a run of books.

But it’s not all bad news. Power Pulp has the ability to band together multiple authors at once in talks with printers.

Power Pulp Comics PowerPulpComics.com

A collection of creator-owned comics sold through Power Pulp. The collective currently distributes over 100 titles.

Sahithi Shankaiahgari / Little Village

Brothers and Power Pulp Comics co-founders James (left) and John Coats pose for a portrait at Power Pulp's distribution location in West Des Moines. Emerald Emu by John Coats and Brian McCray is a Power Pulp exclusive. Sahithi Shankaiahgari / Little Village

“If we have like 20-plus creators, and everyone is looking to print their own stuff, even like 1,000 copies of something, then that gives us the power to negotiate some deals with printers,” Coats explained. “And we’ve been able to get a couple who are on board to give us at least a little discount as members. And with the margins we’re working with, even if you get 15 cents off per copy you print, that’s a win.”

Still, Power Pulp knows that the future of printing prices remains unknown. To prepare for the possibilities ahead, they are hoping to build an audience that appreciates the higher quality of their products.

“There’s still this stigma around [comics] as cheap throwaway material … But that’s just not really what they are anymore,” Coats said. Power Pulp is hoping that they will be able to continue to price their books in a way that allows them to absorb fluctuations in

Diversions Tabletop Game Lounge co-owners Sean Finn (left) and Nolan Petersen pose for a portrait at their location in Coralville. Kellan Doolittle / Little Village

the cost of printing, but are asking readers to adjust their expectations around what comics typically cost.

Paper tariffs are also affecting board game sellers like Diversions Tabletop Game Lounge, which opened its brick and mortar location in Coralville this spring. Co-owner Sean Finn told Little Village that they “have seen prices go up on several board games and some small publishers have closed as a result” of tariffs, especially on China, where most games are produced.

As a result, Diversions is “focusing our energy as much as possible on supporting local board game designers and working with local artists to promote and sell their work.”

But like Power Pulp, Diversions is at the mercy of the larger industry’s tariff-based fluctuations. For Finn, the solution lies in “doubling down on connecting the local community” and pivoting to stocking “small-box games” (games that have fewer material pieces) and

Right: Diversions boasts over 400 games for visitors to play. The online catalogue lets board gamers filter by qualities like play time, complexity and rating. Below: Nolan Petersen prepares to open the lounge. Diversions' front counter is full of small goods made by local artists. Kellan Doolittle / Little Village

games that can be manufactured domestically or in low-tariff (at least for now) countries like Canada.

While there is no doubt that Iowans are also feeling the squeeze of the Trump administration’s economic policies on their own pocketbooks, it is a good time to support local businesses like Power Pulp and Diversions, as locals are able.

Power Pulp wants to encourage you to head over to their website and give one of their titles a try. Perhaps even better, you could pay a visit to your local comics shop and ask if they have Power Pulp titles available. Even if they don’t, it could open the door to more independent titles finding a home on their shelves.

For Diversions, heading out with your friends and family to play some games at the shop and then “shop[ing] locally as we approach the holiday season,” Finn said, could make all the difference in how they weather this storm.

with THOMAS SØNDERGÅRD, music director and BENJAMIN BEILMAN, violin

Saturday, November 15 / 7:30 p.m.

Rekindling UI’s deep relationship with an outstanding orchestra that began in 1909.

$ 10 STUDENT & YOUTH TICKETS

the JOFFREY BALLET

Saturday, March 7 / 7:30 p.m.

Witness the daring and enduring spirit that defines The Joffrey’s maverick legacy.

IOWA

Odyssey

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS

Grab yourself a Twin Bing and some Jolly Time Popcorn and get ready for the trek ahead!

Setup

1. Find a pair of standard six-sided dice OR two hexagonal pencils. If using pencils, mark the sides with the numbers 1-6.

2. Lay the board game flat.

3. Select pawns. Each player should find a distinct small item (such as a coin, bead or small bauble) to serve as their pawn.

4. Place all player pawns on the start space, "YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS"

5. Play begins with the youngest player and proceeds clockwise.

Gameplay: Standard Rules (The Long Trek) MOVEMENT

On your turn, roll ONE die or marked pencil. Move your pawn forward that number of spaces.

Pencil Rolling Rules:The pencil must be rolled off an open palm and dropped from a height of approximately one pencil length.The pencil must roll. If the pencil falls straight down and comes to rest without any noticeable rotation, it is considered an invalid roll and a re-roll is necessary.

ACTION SPACES

If you land on an action space, immediately follow the instructions on that space, which may require you to roll again. If that action causes you to move to a new action space, take that new action immediately. Continue chaining actions until you land on a non-action space or an action ends your turn.

The "Lose a Turn" penalty also ends your current turn; A "STOP!" space ends your turn immediately, even if your movement roll would normally take you past.

WINNING THE GAME

Cullen's Art A Pulitzer winner edits your editorials. Roll to make deadline.

1-3 = +2 spaces

4-6 = +4 spaces

Pink Quartzite Ridge You feel the power of the pink prisms! Roll for launch boost.

1-3 = No effect

4-5 = +1 space

6 = +2 spaces

Sgt. Floyd Obelisk You are inspired by tantalizing tales of expedition! Roll for navigation.

1-3 = +2 spaces

4-6 = +4 spaces

The first player to land on the final space: "YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!" (i.e. Davenport) by exact count wins the Iowa Odyssey! If you overshoot the space, you must move back the remaining number of spaces. You must land exactly on Davenport to win… and relax…

Alternate Gameplay: Speed Run Rules

For a faster game, use the following modifications:

Movement Roll: RollTWO marked pencils for your base movement and sum the result (2 to 12 spaces).

Express Route: All "STOP!" spaces become non-action spaces.

Read the stories behind the spaces at LittleVillageMag.com/Odyssey

Game design by Rodney Arthur; Visual design by Kellan Doolittle; Play-tested by Nolan Petersen and Sean Finn of Diversions Tabletop Game Lounge, additional play-testing by Little Village.

Squirrel Cage Jail You cross a local official and get rotated into the clink. Roll for bail.

1-5 = -1 space

Move forward number of

Hog Wild Swept up in a drove of escaped pigs! Roll slip away.

1-4 = -1 space

5-6 = +3 spaces

The Legend Coaster Beams creak and timbers splinter! Roll for adrenaline rush.

Move forward that number of spaces

47 Bronze Bells They toll for thee— from 168 feet up. Roll to stop the ringing.

1-5 = End turn

6 = +6 spaces

Medical Emergency You take an ill-advised bite from the World's Largest Popcorn Ball. -3 on next roll

Donna Reed's Denison A star can be born ANYWHERE! Roll for inspiration.

1-3 = +1 spaces 4-6 = +3 spaces

the

High steaks interlude! Roll for energy boost.

1-3 = +2 spaces

Antique Bowling at Hotel Pattee

7-10 split! Only will save you Roll to bowl.

1-5 = -3 spaces, 6 = +6 spaces

A blinding looms the

6 = End turn STOP! Train

4-5 = +4 spaces

6 = +8 spaces

Derailed Tracks torn up by hoodlums!

Miller Makes Music

The sound of a big band puts you in the mood! Roll to advance.

1-5 = +3 spaces

6 = +1 space

The Cardiff It's not a hoax! drawn into debate to prove Lose

Grotto Redemption You pause. Reflect. Exhale. You are to proceed. Roll

Albert

Bull

Grotto of Redemption

World's Biggest Bullhead

That catfish is a 12-footer, but you've got a long rod. Roll to cast.

1-3 = +1 space

4-6 = End turn

Reflect. Inhale. are now ready Roll for vigor.

forward that of spaces

Cardiff Giant hoax! You get into an extended prove it's LEGIT.

Lose a turn

The Most Erotic Statue in the Nation

You stand at the State Capitol, transfixed by "Iowa" and her... affections.

End turn

Funnel Clouds

Sucked up into a cyclone! Roll to escape.

Antique the Pattee

Only luck now.

bowl.

spaces, end turn spaces

1-3 = -7 spaces

4-5 = +2 spaces

6 = End turn

STOP!

The Surf Show's cancelled on account of a plane crash. Hope the band's OK!

The Fatalist Senator Your Norman Rockwell moment at the town hall gets a ghoulish response.

+1 space, lose a turn

Electroinsomnia

Noisy data centers make it impossible to sleep. Lose a turn

Van Meter Visitor

blinding light. A winged monstrosity

looms overhead! Roll quickly, before the stench overtakes you...

1 = -2 spaces, end turn

2-5 = -2 spaces

6 = End turn

Lyric Theatre

Limestone Tunnel

Bore your own path through Iowa's only highway tunnel.

Take the shortcut

The star of the show has COVID. Roll for delay.

1-2 = End turn

3-4 = -1 space

5-6 = Lose a turn < < < < < <

The Scavenged Art Garden

You're hypnotized by the rogue art and junk statues.

-4 spaces, end turn

UNI-Dome-flation

Bad weather bursts the Panthers' bubble.

Roll for game delay.

1 = -3 spaces

2-5 = No effect

6 = -4 spaces

A Blacksmith's Time Capsule

You take a whack at forging a sword, but it looks more like a rake. Lose a turn

Sullivan's Jewel Box

All banks should look like Shiz University. Roll to make a withdrawl.

Move forward that number of spaces

Tiptoe Through the Tulips Parade blockade!

Stuck waiting for clog dancers. Roll for rhythm.

1-3 = End turn

4-6 = -1 space

Video Game Capitol of the World!

Got any tokens left?

+2 spaces

The Hart-Parr Tractor Engine America's best farm machines run on kerosene. Roll for a pull.

Multiply your roll by two and move forward that number of spaces

Tankman

Brought to you by propane and propane accessories. Roll three times for a boost.

Add your rolls together and move forward that number of spaces

Decorah Ice Cave

You enter at your own risk, and emerge reinvigorated.

+2 on your next roll

A Town Called Motor

The troll under the old Motor Mill Bridge stops your kayak. Roll to pay the toll.

1-3 = End turn

Volga City Opera House

On show night, this tiny town doubles in size.

+5 spaces

Fenelon Place Elevator

Field of Dreams

If you rebuild it, corporate sponsorships will come. Roll to pitch. Move forward that number of spaces

Coggon Campground

Get some R&R au naturel at the queer-friendly, clothing-optional oasis.

+4 spaces

Mt. Trashmore

You climb the massive, landfilled hill, but are blown away in a derecho! Roll to land.

1-5 = Take the path backward 6 = End turn

Bypass citywide traffic jams as everyone scrambles to the Illinois dispensaries. +1 space

4-6 = -1 space

Maquoketa Caves Attacked by bat babies! Roll to fend them off.

1-5 = End turn

6 = +1 space

YOU'RE OUTTA HERE! Hit a homer straight into Ol' Miss from Modern Woodmen Park.

Belle Plaine's Old Faithful Jumbo erupts (again)! Flow out of town on artesian waters.

+6 spaces

Snake Alley Fire Horse Test

Tower of Invincibility*

Join the collective consciousness in Fairfield. *Invincibilitynotguaranteed. Resultsmayvary.

Roll2dice/pencilsnextturn

Them crooked bricks are slick!

Roll for good footing.

1 = -4 spaces

2-5 = No effect

6 = +4 spaces

Black Angel Cursed! You must repent. Lose a turn

Lake Darling Compromise Diarrhetic debacle: E.Coli-infused algae bloom wreaks havoc! Roll to recover.

Thursday, January 29 / 7:30

Wednesday, March

Seize the Means of Water Testing!

INothing wakes you up to the reality of Iowa’s nitrate pollution problem more than a tiny pink square.

bY EmmA mcCLATCHEY AND PAUL brENNAN

wasn’t great at science in high school. Following a set of basic lab protocols was somehow harder for me than memorizing the entirety of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. I scored even worse on the science portion of the ACT than the math portion, which is saying something.

That said, I love science. I love rocks, trees and critters. I’m just not a science doer. Or so I thought.

Through their Nitrate Watch program, Izaak Walton League of Iowa and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) have teamed up to deliver free nitrate test kits to people who request them, with a few reasonable conditions: Try to use all 25 test strips; waste not. Test Iowa streams, rivers, wells and tap water. Then upload the results online on cleanwaterhub.org/nitratewatch.

assured, any tests you’re able to complete and record are useful to the people who know how to use this data for the greater good.

Why it matters

Nitrate pollution in waterways isn’t unique to Iowa, but it is uniquely bad here. The authors of Currents of Change, the 232-page scientific analysis of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers published earlier this year, examined federal water quality data on nitrate pollution and found “the highest nitrate values nationwide are predominantly found in Iowa.”

"THE HIGHEST NITrATE vALUES NATIoNWIDE ArE PrEDomINANTLY FoUND IN IoWA." —CURRENTS OF CHANGE

The actual test is the simplest part of this process. You dip one of the tiny white strips into a water source for one second, hold it level, wait exactly 30 seconds, then compare the color of the top pad to the nitrate color guide on the bottle to get your measurement. So simple, an English major like me managed not to screw it up!

That said, it’s not an exact science. Judging the color requires some interpretation—be sure to take off your tinted shades to get a good look. Rest

There’s no question as to the culprit: agricultural runoff. Iowa ag is dominated by farms prioritizing maximum yields of corn and soybeans, resulting in an overapplication of fertilizer containing nitrogen—both chemical fertilizers and animal manure—and other practices, like planting to the edge of fields and not using cover crops, making runoff inevitable.

High concentrations of nitrates in waterways lead to the algae blooms that deplete oxygen and are often dangerous to humans and animals, causing everything from beach closures in Iowa to the annual dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. High nitrates also require water utilities to implement expensive filtration measures to meet Safe Water Drinking

A used test strip shows a nitrate level of 2-5 ppm in the Iowa River near the Coralville spillway. Emma McClatchey / Little Village

Act standards, which has resulted in higher utility costs, lawn watering bans and boil water advisories. Nitrate levels in drinking water should not exceed 10 mg per liter (or 10 ppm), according to federal standards set in 1962. At the time, excess nitrites were a major cause of “blue baby syndrome,” which drops blood oxygen levels to dangerous lows. But as the

Ralston Creek in Iowa City's Riverfront Crossings Park. Emma McClatchey / Little Village

Iowa Environmental Council points out on its site, “blue baby syndrome is now rare, [and] an increasing number of scientific studies are making connections between long-term, low-level nitrate concentrations in drinking water and other health issues, including birth defects, cancers, and thyroid disease.”

Some researchers believe that a 5 mg per liter standard would be a more reasonable cap. If that standard was adopted, it’s likely every waterway in Iowa would be considered “impaired.”

The Reynolds administration and the Iowa Legislature have decided to respond to the state’s water crisis by cutting back on data collection. In 2023, funding for the Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS) was diverted, making it likely the monitoring program run by the University of Iowa would shut down in 2026. In October, the Polk County Board of Supervisors allocated $200,000 to help fund IWQIS, and Johnson and Linn County are expected to do the same. The Iowa chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America has launched a grassroots effort to keep IWQIS going. The league has set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $500,000 for IWQIS.

Test for yourself

1. Sign up to recieve the test kit at iwla.org/nitrate-watch 4. Upload results at cleanwaterhub.org

Day in the Sun

This Quad Cities native boasts a long list of IMDb credits and a talent for telling Iowa stories. bY JoHN bUSbEE

Des Moines-based storyteller Kristian Day has made a name for himself in the world of media production. His bonafides include creating The Last American Gay Bar, a 2024 docuseries for OUTtv covering The Blazing Saddle in Des Moines, and hosting the show Iowa Basement Tapes on KFMG radio, which aims to preserve local DIY music of all stripes. He also produced two true crime documentary projects that premiered last year: the Amazon Prime film Chiefsaholic about a bank-robbing Kansas City Chiefs superfan (nominated for a Sports Emmy) and the HBO Max miniseries Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? covering one of eastern Iowa’s most haunting cold cases.

Whether it’s directing, producing or contributing soundscapes to the local noise scene, Day pursues it with curiosity. His appealing mix of skills makes him a go-to for national production companies in need of a producer, locations manager, composer, cinematographer or some other production role.

How do you identify yourself when asked what you do as an artist?

That’s a hard one. By trade, I’m a filmmaker, but I write a monthly column for a magazine in Des Moines and freelance for other publications, including documentary magazines and trade journals. I do other creative writing projects, such as for NBC,

some children’s content. [Chuckles] My demographic was for 11-year-old girls. Who knew? I have nieces, and I like writing for kids.

My film work has evolved from purely creative to now being deeply involved in the film industry, both the business and the creative sides. I feel that the film industry is not just about creating—I wish it was—but I spend more time on the phone and hustling, probably up to 90 percent, with 10 percent actually moviemaking. It’s a hard industry to be an artist in.

"EvEN WHEN THE TAX INCENTIvES WENT AWAY, I CHoSE To STAY IN IoWA. THE mAJorITY oF THE WorK I Do IS oUTSIDE THE STATE. I WANT To bE SomEWHErE I'm ComForTAbLE, AND I'm ComForTAbLE HErE." — KRISTIAN DAY

What kept you in Iowa?

I’m from the Quad Cities, moved to Cedar Rapids where I graduated from high school, then went to college in Colorado. I was freelancing in film by that

time. I returned here, when the tax incentive made Iowa a production destination. I realized that I don’t need to be in L.A. Even when the tax incentives went away, I chose to stay in Iowa. The majority of the work I do is outside the state. I want to be somewhere I’m comfortable, and I’m comfortable here. They say that one of the greatest motivators is to be uncomfortable, but I don’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life. [Laughs]

Share a couple of your defining projects.

There’s a handful of people in the industry that know me for documentary, like Chiefsaholic, Taken Together and Queen of Meth [2021, filmed in Ottumwa]. Some know me for showrunning, such as Last America Gay Bar. There’s not a lot of crossover; you’re either a filmworker or a creator. I’ve been able to work in both worlds.

When Variety ran a piece on Chiefsaholic, people I’ve worked with before saw my name and asked, “How does a crew guy do both of those things?” I don’t ever want to be stagnant. This last year was crazy because I had three major projects come out: Taken Together was about the two girls from Evansdale, Iowa, that were taken; The Last American Gay Bar premiered; and Chiefsaholic. That will likely never happen again. It was both exciting and oh, boy, what do I do?

What fuels your creative fire?

I obviously enjoy telling stories. There are people who have inspired me to pursue my writing more. I love telling stories about things I am absolutely interested in. I’ve had this career that is 100 percent in everything I love, whether it be film, writing or music. My company, Daylight Pictures, has evolved. I feel that this last year and a half has been a great turning point where my business partners and I are shifting into larger projects. We are very selfcontained, so we can eliminate a lot of the red tape when working with outside influences. I’ll always continue to support [outside] projects that are coming through, and continue to support and nurture the next group of up-and-comers in this industry. I have a love of subculture and counterculture. That’s apparent with the columns I write, the radio program I produce and even the stories I want to tell. The Last American Gay Bar interested me the most because there was this secret history of Des Moines that I didn’t know about, in a very punk-rock fashion. When we started that project, some of my cast were, “Please do not paint us as victims,” and we didn’t. It was 100 percent. … That’s the stuff that interests me the most.

Kristian Day poses for a portrait at his studio at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines.

Hannah Olson-Wright / Little Village

Free To Be

Iowa’s Black history museum doesn’t need permission from the anti-DEI crowd to tell it like it is.

bY KELLEE ForKENbroCK

When I moved to Iowa City 25 years ago, one of the first things I did to familiarize myself with my new surroundings was visit the African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) in Cedar Rapids. I only had two pieces of Black Iowa history under my belt: Lametta Wynn was the first Black mayor of a city in Iowa, and T-Boz of the pop trio TLC was born in Des Moines. By the time I left AAMI, I was a lot more cultured.

Since its opening in 1993, AAMI has served as one of the few institutions commemorating and celebrating Black life in Iowa. They present a Juneteenth Festival every summer, a History Makers Gala every fall, and programs throughout the year to complement their permanent and rotating exhibitions on the Underground Railroad, the civil rights movement, Black businesses, contemporary protest art and more.

In recent years, AAMI has undergone some significant shifts in leadership and funding. I had an opportunity to speak with its current executive director Jacqueline Hunter about that and more, including her own background.

“My museum journey started at the library,” the Florida native said, warming my librarian-writer heart.

Hunter’s father was a librarian for three decades, which instilled in her the importance of archiving stories from an early age.

During her undergraduate years at BethuneCookman University (a historically Black college/ university, or HBCU), she came across the book she says changed her life: We Are Not Afraid by Phillip Dray, detailing the abduction and murders of three civil rights activists during the Freedom Summer of 1964.

Learning about one of the most gruesome chapters of racial division in American history gave Hunter clarity on her life’s mission after college.

Education was Hunter’s first professional stop. She began as a recreation director for the City of Kissimmee in Florida, launching a college prep program for firstgen students. In 2018, Hunter landed in Iowa when she was hired as the director of the Multicultural Family Center in Dubuque. Her six years of dedicated work in that position led to her current role as AAMI’s executive director, which she assumed in August 2024.

Hunter arrived prepared for the responsibility of leading Iowa’s lone mecca of African American history. “The State of Iowa realizes what it would look like if AAMI wasn’t here,” she contends. But, “We can’t rely on corporate dollars anymore.”

Cuts to federal programs ordered by the Trump administration have left many GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) with slashed budgets and closed doors. National parks, museums and websites have been scrubbed of history the administration doesn’t like, including history made by non-white war heroes and transgender activists; atrocities against Native Americans and enslaved people; and murals painted to commemorate Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ Pride.

Hunter holds faith that the eastern Iowa community will keep AAMI thriving.

“Black institutions historically have done a lot with very little,” she said. “We are revisiting expectations of our board—our main cheerleaders.”

AAMI keeps the community engaged with timely,

T. Spann, a museum visitor from Louisiana, sits at the permanent Katz Drug Co. exhibit. Des Moines civil rights activist Edna Griffin led protests against Katz after she was refused service in 1948 because she was Black.

Sevana Dominguez / Little Village

African American Museum of Iowa Executive Director Jacqueline Hunter poses for a portrait in front of The Jesup Agricultural Wagon, part of the museum's current exhibit, Rooted: Labor, Land, & Legacy Sevana Dominguez / Little Village

"WE CAN'T rELY oN CorPorATE DoLLArS ANYmorE. bLACK INSTITUTIoNS HISTorICALLY HAvE DoNE A LoT WITH vErY LITTLE."

—JACQUELINE HUNTER, AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF IOWA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

thought-provoking exhibitions such as the recent “Racist Things,” which examines racist branding in once-common household items—“Even to this day, many Americans don’t perceive the imagery of lawn jockeys or Aunt Jemima as racist,” Hunter said with a shrug—and “Cultural Impacts,” highlighting depictions of African Americans in advertising.

Another just opened on Oct. 17 and runs through August 2026; “Labor, Land, and Legacy” looks at agriculture as a means of self-determination for Black Iowans. The description reads, “Visitors will learn how Black farmers, nationwide and in Iowa, are turning to agriculture as a way to reclaim land, promote sustainability, and address environmental and economic inequalities.”

As it runs, Hunter and the rest of the AAMI staff plan to keep busy developing outreach efforts, new exhibitions, film screenings and community partnerships, along with their regular flow of tour groups, field trips and events.

“We are the state museum of African American history,” Hunter said. “And we’ll continue to make our community proud.”

The Door of No Return, modeled after the doors of the Goree Island slave fort, leads to a slave ship display.

Sevana Dominguez / Little Village

Avoid tickets & towing during a snow emergency

1 Know when a snow emergency is declared

Follow the City @CityofIowaCity on social Check for a homepage alert at icgov.org or by calling City Hall.

2 Make room for snow plows

With street parking limited, move your vehicle to a ramp, or park for free overnight at Mercer, Lower City, and Happy Hollow parks.

3 Park on the correct side of the street

During a snow emergency, non-metered parking will be limited to one side of the street.

On odd dates: park on side of street with odd addresses. On even dates: park on side of street with even addresses

Su Herencia

After turning his life around, musician and Moline High grad Diego Raya wrote his way to TV fame in Mexico. bY KEmbrEW mcLEoD

Music has been the driving force in Diego Raya’s life for as long as the 35-yearold hip hop emcee can remember.

After his family moved from Mexico to Moline when he was about 12, he started writing poetry. At Moline High School, he began making music—just as his favorite rapper, El Díablo, stopped.

“I was getting mad because he wasn't making any new music,” Raya said, “so I started writing songs, imagining what his new album was going to sound like. One of the guys that I went to school with, he was making music, and he's like, ‘You want to try recording something?’ I said, ‘Yeah!’ People liked that first song, so I kept making more and more.”

Adopting the stage name Blue Malboro, he began mining his memories for lyrical material. One of his more popular songs, “Cuando Niño,” tells the story of being a kid in Salvatierra, Guanajuato and dreaming of being a soccer star.

“There were no cell phones. The television didn’t have a lot of channels like nowadays, and obviously there were no computers or video games. I used to play in streets that were muddy, playing in the rain with my friends, and I wrote about that. The rain had a really particular smell, a really good smell.”

“I also remembered eating as a family,” he continued, “and how my grandma would make homemade beans and hot sauce and chocolate. From my house, I was able to see this big mountain that was kind of blue, and it blended in with the sky. So, ‘Cuando Niño’ was about how I viewed the world back in the day, and how it was different from now.

A lot of people loved that song because they said it took them back in time to their childhood, and they identified with it.”

"I USED To PLAY IN STrEETS THAT WErE mUDDY, PLAYING IN THE rAIN WITH mY FrIENDS, AND I WroTE

AboUT THAT ... mY GrANDmA WoULD mAKE HomEmADE bEANS AND HoT SAUCE AND CHoCoLATE. So, 'CUANDo NIÑo' WAS AboUT HoW I vIEWED THE WorLD bACK IN THE DAY. A LoT oF PEoPLE LovED THAT SoNG bECAUSE THEY SAID IT TooK THEm bACK IN TImE To THEIr CHILDHooD."

— DIEGO RAYA

Raya kept making music while holding down assorted jobs gardening and on the railroad. In 2021, his brother encouraged him to audition for a West Coast TV talent show that opened new doors for the aspiring rapper.

“When I was on Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento, I competed with one song that was about my mom, ‘Para Ti Mama.’ I had never been in competitions or anything, so I thought I was just gonna make it to the first round, and then I made it to the quarter finals. I needed a new song for that round, and one day I woke up at 4 or 5 in the morning and randomly remembered how I had a German Shepherd when I was a kid. One day, he just left and never came back.”

Once again, Raya transformed those lived experiences into a personal-but-universal song that advanced him further in the contest. He won the final round by writing and performing the first verse of a new song that he had just written, “Mi Herencia,” a kind of aural letter to his kids. It assured them that even after he dies, he will go on living inside their skin—every time they look in the mirror, they will also be looking at their father. He has since completed the second verse to the song, which will be included in an upcoming EP that will be out in the next few months. It’s yet another example of how Raya turns his life into art.

In the fall of 2025, the dual citizen appeared as a finalist on México Canta, representing both his hometown of Salvatierra and the Latino community of the Quad Cities. Bolstered by his experiences on Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento, Raya submitted a song that made the first big cut: 369 artists were selected out of 15,000 entries. The talent pool was then whittled down to 48 for México Canta’s televised semifinals, with 24 contestants from the United States and 24 from Mexico. More than 9 million people had tuned

Prairie Pop

into the competition on public television in Mexico, according to The New York Times. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum commended Raya during her daily morning conference after a song that he wrote for the competition was among the nine selected for the finals.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “They sent me to Mexico City to record the semifinals, and it was the biggest stage I've ever seen. The production was a lot better than the first show I was on because the government was putting some good money into it. But when it came time for the final, we kind of had some issues because I just couldn’t take that much time off from my job to do it. My song competed, the one I did with my producer and best friend Juan Vasquez, but someone else performed it onstage for the finals.”

México Canta was designed as a competition for rising artists who eschew violence and promote positive messages, something that Raya can relate to.

“My early lyrics used to reflect who I used to hang out with, you know, guys who did bad things. But all that negative music just brought negative things back into my life. Soon after I changed up my lyrics to have more positivity, I started doing the TV shows, and that definitely changed my life. Also, by doing music, it’s a way that I can change somebody else's life, too.”

“I used to hang out with gangs and did drugs and I’d get into trouble,” he elaborated. “Like, one time, some people tried to burn down our house, and that’s when my mom felt like she needed to do something about it. So, she told me that my grandpa was dying and we took a flight down to Mexico and then she put me in a rehab center. Oh yeah, that was the real turning point.”

While in rehab, Raya listened to other people tell their own stories during therapy sessions about committing murder, or being sexually abused, or growing up homeless. While sitting there, he had an epiphany and thought to himself, “What am I doing here?” His single mom had been busy working all the time to provide for him and his brother, but because he was a young man with no responsibilities, he took it all for granted. During that grueling month away from his family, Raya couldn’t find one good reason to be doing what he had been doing.

“My mom worked hard for me, and she gave me a good life,” he said. “The whole time I was in rehab, I was thinking about all the bad stuff I did to my mom and all the stuff she did for me. But I had never really told her that, so I was really scared when I was there because I couldn't talk to her for a whole month. I just wanted to hear her voice and tell her, ‘I'm sorry.’ Because of her, I finally had the opportunity to be a different person, and I took it.”

Thinking about Raya’s other autobiographical songs, like “Mi Herencia,” I asked if he had ever considered delivering that message to his mother through music. After a thoughtful pause, Raya exclaimed, “You know what? You just gave me a really good idea!”

for

after 12/31/25. Have questions? Get in touch.

Still from Blue Malboro's "Esta Navidad" music video. Courtesy of the artist

November A-LIST: FILM

CEDAR RAPIDS

Wed, Nov. 12, mid-Week Film Club, CSPS Hall

Wed, Nov. 26, mid-Week Film Club, CSPS Hall

DES MOINES

Wed, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Life After Presented w/ the Harkin Institute and Des moines Art Center, varsity Cinema

Tue, Nov. 11, 7 p.m., The Room w/ Audience Interaction, varsity Cinema

Wed, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., The Kneeling Goddess Presented w/ the Des moines Art Center, varsity Cinema

Thu, Nov. 13, 10 p.m., The Room, varsity Cinema

Sun, Nov. 16, 3 p.m., Truck Guy Movie w/ Filmmaker Q&A, varsity Cinema

Sun, Nov. 23, 6 p.m., Wicked: For Good Pre-screening Singalong, varsity Cinema

Tue, Nov. 25, 7 p.m., Planes, Trains and Automobiles, varsity Cinema

IOWA CITY

mon, Nov. 3, 9 p.m., Twin Peaks Season 1 Pilot & Episode 1, FilmScene

Tue, Nov. 4, 7 p.m., Educational Activism: Blackside Inc. on 16mm, FilmScene

Wed, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Mildred Pierce, FilmScene

Wed, Nov. 5, 10 p.m., Late Shift at the Grindhouse: The Puppet Masters, FilmScene

Thu, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., Iowa’s Dirty Secret: The True Cost of Burning Coal, FilmScene

Sat, Nov. 8, 4 p.m., In a Lonely Place, FilmScene

Sat, Nov. 8, 10 p.m., Somewhere, FilmScene

mon, Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m., In a Lonely Place, FilmScene

mon, Nov. 10, 9 p.m., Twin Peaks Season 1 Episode 2 & 3, FilmScene

Tue, Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m., Earth’s Greatest Enemy, FilmScene

Wed, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m., All The President’s Men, FilmScene

Thu, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., The Strike, FilmScene

Sat, Nov. 15, 4:30 p.m., Sunset Boulevard, FilmScene

Sat, Nov. 15, 10 p.m., The Player, FilmScene

mon, Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m., Sunset Boulevard, FilmScene

mon, Nov. 17, 9 p.m., Twin Peaks Season 1 Episode 4 & 5, FilmScene

Tue, Nov. 18, 7 p.m., Who Killed Teddy Bear?, FilmScene

Wed, Nov.19, 7 p.m., No One Cares About Crazy People, FilmScene

Sat, Nov. 22, 12 p.m., Mrs. Warren’s Profession, FilmScene

Sun, Nov. 23, 12:30 p.m., Stories of Community 2025 roundup, FilmScene

A-LIST: NOVEMBER 2025

Sun, Nov. 23, 4:15 p.m., Night and the City, FilmScene

mon, Nov. 24, 9 p.m., Twin Peaks Season 1 Episode 6 & 7, FilmScene

Tue, Nov. 25, 7 p.m., Night and the City, FilmScene

mon, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m., My Life is Wind (A Letter), FilmScene

mon, Dec. 1, 8 p.m., The Tower (Work in Progress Cut), FilmScene

Tue, Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Killer of Sheep, FilmScene

Wed, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., La Haine, FilmScene

QUAD CITIES

opens Nov. 7, Train Dreams, The Last Picture House

Fri, Nov. 14, Time Travelers vHS Cinema: Amy Holden Jones Double Feature, rock Island, rozz-Tox

Sat & Sun, Nov. 15 & 16, various times, The Wizard of Oz, The Last Picture House

Thu, Nov. 20, 6 p.m., Found Footage Festival vol. 11, The Last Picture House

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.

Are you planning an event? Add it to our online calendar: littlevillagemag. com/calendar.

(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.)

MUSIC

DES MOINES/AMES

Sun, Nov. 2, ANCIIENTS, Heir of Sorrow, Infernal Instinct, Godbluff, Lefty's Live music

mon, Nov. 3, organ Fairchild, xbk Live

Tues, Nov. 4, violent vira w/ vri and brayton, xbk Live

Tues, Nov. 4, Smallpools, Kevin Kraemer, The romance Wooly's

Wed, Nov. 5, Smile Empty Soul, Primer 55, Lefty's Live music

Wed, Nov. 5, Keb’ mo’, Hoyt Sherman Place

Thu, Nov. 6, Porch Light, xbk Live

Thu, Nov. 6, Hippie Sabotage, Kembe X, val Air ballroom

Thu, Nov. 6, Jeni Grouws: Songs from the bottom Shelf, xbk Annex

Fri, Nov. 7, Astro brat EP release party w/ mr. rood and Halfloves, xbk Live

Fri, Nov. 7, mike Conrad w/ The Iowa Jazz Composers orchestra, Noce

Fri, Nov. 7, randall King, Wooly's

Sat, Nov. 8, Anthony Gomes, xbk Live

Sat, Nov. 8, Aviana Gedler w/ her band, Noce

Sat, Nov. 8, The Fall brawl, Lefty's Live music

Sat, Nov. 8, The midland band, ErF, Locals

Sat, Nov. 8, b. Well, Wooly's

Sat, Nov. 8, one Night w/ Splashy G, Lefty's Live music

Sun, Nov. 9, Josh ritter and the royal City band, Hoyt Sherman Place

Sun, Nov. 9, Halfway to the Hall of Fame ft an All-Star IbHoF band, xbk Live

Sun, Nov. 9, xSeraphx, Empty Shell, Casing, before I Depart, Exiled IA, angelwithoutwings, Lefty's Live music

mon, Nov. 10, Jake minch w/ Daryl rahn, xbk Live

mon, Nov. 10, Fake Emo Fight Night, Lefty's Live music

Tue, Nov. 11, Foggy memory boys w/ Jared mcGovern Trio, xbk Live

Tue, Nov. 11, Queensrÿche, val Air ballroom

Wed, Nov. 12, Careful Gaze, Palecurse, Look @ me, Lefty's Live music

Wed, Nov. 12, Warsaw Poland bros “rude boy recall” Tour w/ The Uncollectables, LAmP, Lefty's Live music

Wed, Nov. 12, Zakk Sabbath, bonfire & Dark Chapel, val Air ballroom

Thu, Nov. 13, Austin brown Trio, xbk Annex

Old World Christmas Market is inspired by traditional European markets, but with our own Midwest magic. Shop local handcrafted items and enjoy delicious treats and lively entertainment with holiday fun for the whole family. Free admission all weekend!

Thu, Nov. 13, The Toxhards w/ Fishbait, xbk Live

Thu, Nov. 13, Deep Dark Lake, Locals

Fri, Nov. 14, Aseethe, Creatures, Sungrave, Quade, Lefty's Live music

Fri, Nov. 14, The High bidders, Locals

Fri, Nov. 14, voix De ville: A Noce Folly from max Wellman, Noce

Fri, Nov. 14, Florry w/ special guests Dari bay, xbk Live

Sat, Nov. 15, modeling, Sarah Tonin, Dirty blonde, Locals

Sat, Nov. 15, Priscilla block, val Air ballroom

Sat, Nov. 15, Saxophonist Adam Larson, Noce

Sat, Nov. 15, Hayes Carll, Wooly's

Sun, Nov. 16, Weary ramblers Driftwood album release w/ Kelley Smith, xbk Live

Sun, Nov. 16, A motown Christmas, Hoyt Sherman Place

mon, Nov. 17, Gasoline Lollipops w/ Luke Fox, xbk Live

Tue, Nov. 18, ENTHEoS, FALLUJAH, The Zenith Passage, Tracheotomy, The Curse of Hail, Lefty's Live music

Tue, Nov. 18, Strange Lot, Toon Smokes, Locals

Tues, Nov. 18, Goldpine and The burney Sisters, xbk Live

Tue, Nov. 18, An Evening with Trey Anastasio band, val Air ballroom

Wed, Nov. 19, Toubab Krewe, xbk Live

Thu, Nov. 20, Katy Guillen & The Drive and Lily DeTaeye, xbk Live

Fri, Nov. 21, Henhouse Prowlers w/ buffalo Galaxy, xbk Live

Fri, Nov. 21, The Nineteen Eighties, Dirty rotten Scoundrels, Wooly's

Fri, Nov. 21, The Pork Tornadoes, val Air ballroom

Fri, Nov. 21, Greet Death, Lefty's Live music

Fri, Nov. 21, Traffic Death, razorblade, Neglect, Skinned Alive, Locals

Sat, Nov. 22, The South Dallas County Crew Cut Cowboy band w/ bob Pace, xbk Live

Sat, Nov. 22, Wave Cage, Atlantis Quartet, Locals

Sat, Nov. 22, The Lacs, Wooly's

Sun, Nov. 23, musical Feast: PreThanksgiving Sunday Funday, xbk Live

Mark Lage / via Weary Ramblers

MUSIC

Wed, Nov. 26, Wolfskill & The Wild, xbk Annex

Wed, Nov. 26, Whitechapel, bodysnatcher, Angelmaker, Disembodied Tyrant, Wooly's

Fri, Nov. 28, black Friday w/ ErF, Locals

Fri, Nov. 28, Naethan Apollo, xbk Live

Fri, Nov. 28, The Domita Show ft Travis Ness, Noce

Fri, Nov. 28, better Lovers, Wooly's

Fri, Nov. 28, Nikolai and the Dirty Guys, Andy Fleming & barry rutter, Lefty's Live music

Sat, Nov. 29, 10 Watt robot, Dipsos, other brothers, Soulcage, xbk Live

Sat, Nov. 29, music of the mambo Kings: The Nate Sparks big band ft Ed East, Noce

Sat, Nov. 29, Shut Up and rap vol. 2, Lefty's Live music

Sun, Nov. 30,Wishbone Ash, xbk Live

Sun, Nov. 30, Sevendust, val Air ballroom

mon, Dec. 1, Under the Mistletoe w/ Lauren vilmain, Noce

mon, Dec. 1, Hot mulligan, Drug Church, Arm’s Length & Anxious, val Air ballroom

IOWA CITY

Thu, Nov. 6, PATTYo w/ ChiSongWriter, Double ontendre, vSA Chxcky 333, mC bob, NickWit2ks, Gabe’s

Fri, Nov. 7, Harrison Gordon Saves the World Tour, Gabe’s

Fri, Nov. 7, mariachi Herencia de mexico, The Englert

Sat, Nov. 8, Teen mortgage Devil Ultrasonic Tour, Gabe’s

Sat, Nov. 8, Free Show Series: redemption, Wildwood

Sun, Nov. 9, Family Folk machine, The Englert

Sun, Nov. 9, Union blues ft Homebrewed & Dave Zollo, Wildwood

mon, Nov. 10, Frank basile-Jeb Patton Duo, The James Theater

Tues, Nov. 11, rIITZ Night owl Tour, Wildwood

Wed, Nov. 12, Track Zero: Nuovo Testamento w/ Nuxx, Jeff in Leather and The mall, The James Theater

Wed, Nov. 12, The Wood brothers w/ DUG, The Englert

via PATTYO

A-LIST: NOVEMBER 2025

MUSIC

Fri, Nov. 14, Cory Waller & The Wicked Things, Duke, oursler, Xolex, Wildwood

Fri, Nov. 14, From the top of the Hill: beaker Street Live! w/ big mo, The Englert

Fri, Nov. 14, FEaST PrESENTS Jon mueller + Tom Lecky: All Colors Present with Stnic + PGC, Trumpet blossom Cafe

Sat, Nov. 15, minnesota orchestra, Hancher Auditorium

Sat, Nov. 15, Truthsgiving featuring Audiopharmacy, The Englert

Sat, Nov. 15, Iowa Country Showcase: Ladies & Gents w/ Sierra Griggs, Jordan beem, monica Austin, Wildwood

Sat, Nov. 15, manic Focus + The Widdler, Gabe’s

Sun, Nov. 16, molly Tuttle w/ Joshua ray Walker & Cecilia Castleman, The Englert

Tue, Nov. 18, Gio & The Hired Guns x Austin meade, Wildwood

Tue, Nov. 18, Attacca Quartet, Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Wed, Nov. 19, rodney Crowell w/ William Elliott Whitmore, The Englert

Thu, Nov. 20, Gabriel Kahane and Attacca Quartet, Hancher Auditorium

Thu, Nov. 20, Great American Ghost Tragedy of the Commons Tour, Wildwood

Fri, Nov. 21, Heet Deth, Daisy Glue, mopium & Cultural You, Gabe’s

Fri, Nov. 21, Justin Clyde Williams w/ Jordan Lee King, Wildwood

Fri, Nov. 21, mission Creek Presents: brìghde Chaimbeul with special guests TbA, Trumpet blossom Cafe

Sat, Nov. 22, Krisiun Conquerors of Armageddon 25th Anniversary, Wildwood

Sun, Nov. 23, Lily DeTaeye, Wildwood

Fri, Nov. 28, Sweetie & The Toothaches ft Chase Garrett, Wildwood

CEDAR RAPIDS

Thu, Nov. 6, Adam Ezra Group, CSPS

Fri, Nov. 7, Hiroya Tsukamoto, CSPS

Sat, Nov. 8, orchestra Iowa presents: master Works III, Paramount Theatre

Sun, Nov. 9, KC & The Sunshine band, Paramount Theatre

mon, Nov. 17, Liz Hogg w/ Jake Stack, CSPS

Thu, Nov. 20, Christ Young It must be Christmas Acoustic, Paramount Theatre

Fri, Nov. 21, Cameron Sullenberger overture Series ft. Alcia monee & Shawndell Young, CSPS

Sat, Nov. 22, Henhouse Prowlers, CSPS

Sat, Nov. 22, matthew West Don’t Stop Praying Tour, Paramount Theatre

Sat, Nov. 29, A Carol Christmas, CSPS

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Fri, Nov. 21, The Fabulous Trutones record release party, octopus

Fri, Nov. 21, oNI INC. w/ vITAmJN, The Loft, Waterloo

QUAD CITIES

mon, Nov. 3, bartees Strange w/ Tanner Dane, raccoon motel, Davenport

Wed, Nov. 5, Ada Lea w/ Lena rich, raccoon motel, Davenport

Thu, Nov. 6, Neva Dinova w/ ryan Davis and the roadhouse band, raccoon motel, Davenport

Fri, Nov. 7, rev. Peyton’s big Damn band, Common Chord, Davenport

Fri, Nov. 7, Worst Impressions, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 8, Second Saturday Flea market: Careful Gaze w/ Palecurse, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sun, Nov. 9, Assets w/ Sungrave & Creatures, raccoon motel, Davenport

mon, Nov. 10, John Paycheck and the Calvary band, raccoon motel, Davenport

Tue, Nov. 11, ben Chapman, raccoon motel, Davenport

Wed, Nov. 12, Etymon w/ Necromoon, blist Her & If I Could Just Get Some Sleep, raccoon motel, Davenport

Thu, Nov. 13, Earth, raccoon motel, Davenport

Fri, Nov. 14, Caylee Hammack, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 15, brett Dennen, Common Chord, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 15, Justin Clyde Williams & Jordan Lee King, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 15, Panic river band w/ Subatlantic, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 15, Amateur Selectors Series: Lowtide w/ Liv Carrow, rock Island, rozz-Tox

Sun, Nov. 16, Accessory XL, rock Island, rozz-Tox

Sun, Nov. 16, Cory branan w/ Chris Crofton, raccoon motel, Davenport

mon, Nov. 17, Haha Laughing, raccoon motel, Davenport

Tue, Nov. 18, Delaney bailey w/ This House is Creaking & Lainey Jean, raccoon motel, Davenport

Wed, Nov. 19, oUTLETProgramme PrESENTS: El Khat w/ Nick YeckStauffer, rock Island, rozz-Tox

Wes, Nov. 19, Decide Today w/ True Commando, raccoon motel, Davenport

Thu, Nov. 20, Henhouse Prowlers, Common Chord, Davenport

Thu, Nov. 20, bird & byron, raccoon motel, Davenport

Fri, Nov. 21, Amateur Selectors Series: In the Kitchen w/ James, rock Island, rozz-Tox

Fri, Nov. 21, ragged records: bonnie Trash w/ bleached Cross, raccoon motel, Davenport

Fri, Nov. 21, metal mayhem: Thanksgiving of Terror, Common Chord, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 22, Life is beautiful: Nami benefit, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sun, Nov. 23, Goldpine w/ The burney Sisters, raccoon motel, Davenport

mon, Nov. 24, motel bingo, raccoon motel, Davenport

Tues, Nov. 25, Wishbone Ash, Common Chord, Davenport

Tue, Nov. 25, The retrograde, raccoon motel, Davenport

Wed, Nov. 26, Late Night Drive Home, raccoon motel, Davenport

Sat, Nov. 29, oliver Twists w/ Tambourine & Feldpup Five, raccoon motel, Davenport

DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

Sat, Nov. 8, Enemies of Confusion, Smokestack

Sat, Nov. 8, Stacked Saturdays presented by Driftmore & Allegro Audio, Smokestack

Sun, Nov. 9, Stillhouse Junkies, maquoketa brewing

Fri, Nov. 14, monarch Sessions: Dave moore, maquoketa brewing

Sat, Nov. 15, Skinny & the Shakes/ marzipan mailbox, Smokestack

Sun, Nov. 16, modeling, The Lift, Dubuque

Thu, Nov. 20, moonCats Animal Style album release, The Lift, Dubuque

Fri, Nov. 28, big mojo, Smokestack

Kris

Orlowski / via Goldpine

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

DES MOINES/AMES

mon, Nov. 3, 7 p.m., body Traffic, Des moines Civic Center

Nov. 7-16, various times, Willy Wonka Jr., Stoner Theater

Nov. 7-29, various times, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!, Des moines Playhouse

Sat, Nov. 8, 11 a.m., Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure, Des moines Civic Center

Nov. 12-16, various times, Les Misérables, Des moines Civic Center

Thu, Nov. 13, 6 p.m., Pride Storytellers: Queer Diaries, Temple Theater

Fri, Nov. 14, 9:30 & 10:45 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., Adventure Clubhouse: Stone Soup, Des moines Playhouse

Sat, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Naughty Nerds Cabaret Presents: Hex Appeal, xbk Live

Tue, Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m., National Geographic Live: Earth After Dark, Des moines Civic Center

Nov. 18-Dec. 7, Triple Espresso, Temple Theater

Sun, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., runaway Twain and Friends Improv, Des moines Playhouse

Tue, Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m., A Drag Queen Christmas, Des moines Civic Center

IOWA CITY

Through Nov. 7, various times, Trisha brown’s “Floor of the Forest”, visual Arts building

Through Nov. 9, Eureka Day, riverside Theatre

Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., Lady Franklyn Improv Show, Willow Creek Theatre Company

Tues, Nov. 4, 6 p.m., Trisha brown Dance Company: In Plain Site, Hancher Auditoriuim

Wed, Nov. 5, 6 p.m., Trisha brown Dance Company: In Plain Site, visual Arts building

Fri, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Trisha brown Dance Company: Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage, Hancher Auditorium

Nov. 7-9, various times, Lost Girl, The James Theater

Tues, Nov. 11, 6 p.m., A Night of Improv, The James Theater

Fri, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Chimera’s Fight Night, The James Theater

Fri & Sat, Nov. 14 & 15, 5 p.m., Floodwater Comedy Festival, Will Creek Theatre Company

Fri, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Dr. Germington Saves the Day, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts

Nov. 20-23, various times, Into the Woods Jr., The James Theater

Nov. 28-Dec. 14, The Mousetrap, riverside Theatre

CEDAR RAPIDS

mondays, 7 p.m., monday Unscripted, CSPS Hall

Wed, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., Swan Lake by International ballet Stars, Paramount Theatre

Fri & Sat, Nov. 14 & 15, 8 p.m., SPT Theatre: Tales from the Writers’ room, CSPS Hall

Sun, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., Cirque musica: Holiday Wonderland, Paramount Theatre

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Sat, Nov. 15, 8 p.m., Tom Garland Stand-Up Comedy, Cedar Falls Community Theatre

opens Nov. 21, The Sound of Music, Waterloo Community Playhouse

QUAD CITIES

Through Nov 2, Blithe Spirit, Playcrafters barn Theatre, moline

Nov. 5-Dec. 28, White Christmas The Musical, Circa ‘21, rock Island

Sat, Nov. 8, G.I.T. Improv, The blackbox Theatre, rock Island

opens Nov. 21, The Lion in Winter, The blackbox Theatre, rock Island

Nov. 25-Dec. 21, Santa Claus The Musical, Circa ‘21, rock Island

DUBUQUE

Fri, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Trivia Night Fundraiser for bell Tower Theater , Denny’s Lux Club

Sat, Nov. 22, 10 p.m., Cirque Du buque Presents…, Smokestack

Manuel Álvarez Bravo (Mexican, 1902–2002). Autoretrato (Self-portrait), 1980. Gelatin silver print. 8 x 10 inches. Colección Archivo Manuel Álvarez Bravo

OCTOBER 25, 2025 – JANUARY 18, 2026

In the history of Mexican photography, Manuel Álvarez Bravo is a towering figure, without equal. Working with artists such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, André Breton, Luis Buñuel, Gabriel Figueroa, Octavio Paz, Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Collaborations, is a survey of the photographer’s career and projects he created with others.

FREE GUIDED TOUR

Saturday, November 15 | 1 – 2 pm | Free; No registration required.

OPEN BOOK WITH CultureALL

Saturday, November 15 | 2 pm | Free; Registration required.

GALLERY TALK

Sunday, December 14 | 1:30 pm | Free; No registration required.

SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY

THE HARRIET S. AND J. LOCKE MACOMBER ART CENTER FUND

JACQUELINE AND MYRON BLANK EXHIBITION FUND

RICHARD L. DEMING, M.D.

FREE ADMISSION DESMOINESARTCENTER.ORG

LIT & COMMUNITY

DES MOINES/AMES

Tue, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Larry baker, beaverdale books

Thu, Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Nicole baart, beaverdale books

Sat, Nov. 8, 4 p.m., meet the Author: Heather Gudenkauf, beaverdale books

Sun, Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m., Poetry on the Prairie, Perry Public Library

mon, Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Glen Dickinson, beaverdale books

Wed, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Stephen brayton, beaverdale books

Fri, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Karen bermann, beaverdale books

Wed, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Tim Diebel, beaverdale books

Fri, Nov. 21, 7:00 p.m., open mic Poetry Night, beaverdale books

mon, Nov. 24, 6:30 p.m., meet the Author: Sam Coleman, beaverdale books

IOWA CITY

Thursdays, 6 p.m., Weekly Gentle Yoga, PS1 Close House Dance Hall

Sun, Nov. 2, 2 p.m., Larry baker, Prairie Lights

Tues, Nov. 4, 7 p.m., Anesa Kajtazovic, Prairie Lights

Wed, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., book matters event: melissa Febos and Donika Kelly, Prairie Lights

Thu, Nov. 6, 5:30 p.m., roy r. behren, Design ranch

Thu, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., Emily Wilson, Prairie Lights

Fri, Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Sara Gilmore and Alicia Wright, Prairie Lights

Sat, Nov. 8, 10:30 a.m., PorchLight’s Poetry Exchange, Porchlight Literary Arts Center

Sat, Nov. 8, 1 p.m., Queer Writers’ Check In, Porchlight Literary Arts Center

mon, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Delaney Nolan in conv w/ Jamel brinkley, Prairie Lights

Tues, Nov. 11, 7 p.m., John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, Prairie Lights

Thu, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m., mic Check Poetry Fest Panel w/ Tracie morries, Caleb rainey and Warren Longmire, Prairie Lights

Thu, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m., reanimator reading Series vol. 5: opening tone by Gabi vanek with readings by rodney E. Daily II, Emma Winson Wood and Kelsi vanada, Wild Culture

Thu, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., Good Things: An Evening with Samin Nosrat, Hancher Auditorium

Fri, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., David Driesen w/ ICFrC, old Capitol Senate Chambers

Fri, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m., mic Check Poetry Fest: Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, Hancher Auditorium

Sat, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., mic Check Poetry Fest: Poetry in motion, James Theater

Sat, Nov. 15, 8:30 p.m., mic Check Poetry Fest: Poetry Slam, ICoN, Iowa Conservatory

mon, Nov. 17, 10:30 a.m., Write Now: Community Supported Writing Group, Porchlight Literary Arts Center

mon, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., Jen Percy in conv w/ Kerry Howley, Prairie Lights

Fri, Nov. 21, 7 p.m., renee Zukin, Prairie Lights

CEDAR RAPIDS

Sundays, 12 p.m., Sunday bingo, Newbo City market

Wednesdays, 6 p.m., Wednesday Trivia Night, Newbo City market

Thursdays, 6 p.m., Thursday Yoga, Newbo City market

Fridays, 6 p.m., Friday bingo, Newbo City market

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO

Tue, Nov. 18, 2 p.m., Fall Author Seedbed Series: Writing Honest Fiction w/ Jeremy Schraffenberger, Waterloo Public Library

Fri, Nov. 21, 3 p.m., Death Cafe w/ melinda Heinz, Waterloo Public Library

QUAD CITIES

Sat, Nov. 8, 9 a.m., Stephanie Soebbing Author Pop-up, The Atlas Collective, moline

Sat, Nov. 8, 9 a.m., Quad Cities Queer Coffee, The Atlas Collective, moline

Tues, Nov. 11, 5:30 p.m., Examen @ Atlas book Club, The Atlas Collective, moline

Sat, Nov. 15, 12 p.m., Holiday Hop, The Atlas Collective, moline

Sat, Nov. 29, 8 p.m., FvNTvNv records

x roaring rhetoric Present: A vinyl and Poetry Night, rozz-Tox, rock Island

A-LIST: NOVEMBER 2025

DUBUQUE

Wed, Nov. 5, 12 p.m., The Evolution of Thanksgiving, Convivium Urban Farmstead

Sun, Nov. 9, 9 a.m., Disco brunch, Convivium Urban Farmstead

Wed, Nov. 19, 12 p.m., Lunch & Learn: Potted Exotics, Convivium Urban Farmstead

Tue, Dec. 2, 6 p.m., mead brewing Class, Convivium Urban Farmstead

ART & EXHIBITION

DES MOINES/AMES

Nov. 1-Dec. 6, b. robert moore In Living Color, moberg Gallery

Through Nov 13, Larry Campbell Paintings 1964-2025, Polk County Heritage Gallery

Sun, Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m., Gallery Talk: “robert rauschenberg: Currents, 1970”, Des moines Art Center

Nov. 20-Dec. 31, To Name one’s Heart, photographs by Stephanie brunia, Polk County Heritage Gallery

Thurs, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m., 2025 Print Club Annual meeting, Des moines Art Center

Sat, Nov. 15, 1 p.m., “manuel Álvarez bravo: Collaborations” Exhibition Tour, Des moines Art Center

Wed, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., 2026 Preview Party, Des moines Art Center

Wed, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., To Name one’s Heart opening reception, Polk County Heritage Gallery

IOWA CITY

Thu, Nov. 6, 6 p.m., restaging Trisha brown & merce Cunningham in collaboration w/ robert rauschenberg, Stanley museum of Art

Nov. 7-9, “SQ FT”, PS1 Close House

Sat, Nov. 8, 4 p.m., T4T Print Exchange exhibition reception and zine-making, PS1 Northside

Fri, Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m., “Seeing out, Seeing Through” opening reception, PS1 Close House

Nov. 14-22, “Seeing out, Seeing Through” exhibition, PS1 Close House

Sat, Nov. 15, 24 Hour Comics Day!, PS1 Close House

CEDAR RAPIDS

Through Dec., Cedar river Artisans Exhibition, The Cherry building

Through Nov., Kevin Cox exhibition, DKW Art Gallery, marion

Sat, Nov. 22, 12 p.m.., Kevin Cox meet & greet, DKW Art Gallery, marion

Through Jan. 4, “Powerful: The Art of Kathe Kollwitz”, Cedar rapids museum of Art

oct. 4-Jan. 18, “men and Women at Work: Images of Labor from the Collection”, Cedar rapids museum of Art

QUAD CITIES

Through Nov. 30, Day of the Dead exhibition, Figge Art museum

Thurs, Nov. 20, 6 p.m., Women of Fire Event, Figge Art museum

Sun, Nov. 30, 12 p.m., Winter Art market, Figge Art museum

DUBUQUE/ MAQUOKETA

Fri, Nov. 7, Dubuque First Fridays Art Exhibits: “The Shape of Spirit” opening, voices Studios, Dubuque

Through Jan. 30, Skate Deck Art Show Exhibit, Smokestack

RECENT ACQUISITIONS TO THE MUSEUM’S ART COLLECTION

October 9 – December 14, 2025

of Kathleen and Gregg R. Narber ’68 (2023.164)

John Buck (American, b. 1946), East-West, 1988. Woodblock print on 2 sheets of Suzuki paper, 74 x 73 1/2 in. Gift

Dearest Readers: Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the Roast of Iowa City last month! It's always a blast to answer questions in real time, not to mention the joy of seeing your beautiful faces. Every year results in a question or two that's worth deeper examination than the levity and brevity of the event allows. Here are some more considered answers for the Kiki faithful!

Dear Kiki,

My married friend is getting separated and he's already ready to get back out there. I haven't been out there since before he got married. This makes me feel ashamed, but not enough to do anything about it. What WOULD make me feel ashamed enough?

Dear Ashamed Enough,

OK, first things first: Shame and love do not mix. In fact, barring specific kinks, shame and sex don’t mix, either. So please don’t let shame be a driving factor in getting “back out there.” A relationship begun in shame will more than likely end the same way, which will set your efforts at finding a satisfying connection back even farther.

Now, you don’t specify in your query, so be sure you’re asking yourself this question: Ready for what? You and your friend may have very different ideas about what putting yourself out there means. If he's looking for a good time and you're looking for a long time, it makes perfect sense that you wouldn’t be “ready” on the same timetable. He may be as gunshy as you are about making a new commitment, but more willing to explore his options along the way.

Lastly, even if your friend is getting out there, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s “ready” to do so. Different people process experiences in different ways. For some—like your ol’ pal Kiki, in fact—spontaneity is the only antidote to calcification. We know that if we wait until we’re “ready,” our brains will lure us into circles of pseudo-logic and self doubt, leaving us unable to act at all. “Ready” ceases to be a productive marker. But for plenty of other folks, preparation is key to security, and pushing forward without being ready leads just as surely to failure.

In short, Ashamed Enough, don’t worry about anyone's readiness but your own. And if your reticence

is leading to loneliness, take time instead to deepen friendships and familial relationships. Those efforts are always time well spent.

xoxo, Kiki

Dear Kiki,

How would you approach a new couple about swinging?

Dear Seeking Swingers,

The first and most important answer to your question is: together! Don’t succumb to the temptation to divide and conquer. Get to know them individually, sure, but no floating the issue to one or the other of them separately to “feel them out” or similar.

The reason is, doing that could put them in an uncomfortable position in their own relationship. It might hinder open communication or trigger a power differential that you want no part of. Curiosity could be misread as intent if you leave it to one party to bring it up to the other. It’s unfair.

Broach the subject at a time when all of you are together and, ideally, when all of you are relatively sober. That way, all meanings and responses are clear. Then leave it alone. Don’t expect an immediate answer, and be wary of signs of uneven interest or potential coercion. Unless they respond with shared, relieved laughter and a comment along the lines of, “We were wondering the same thing!” then you'll want to give them a chance to talk about it together, out of earshot. Also important is talking with your partner each and every time about what to do in case of rejection. If you’re close friends with the other couple, will you want to remain so? How will you compromise if one of you wants to maintain the friendship but the other can no longer look them in the eye? What are your plans if there are sparks between one pairing but not the other? Are you open to polyamory instead of swinging, if the other couple is as well?

I say to be sure to discuss this every time, because every potential play couple is different. Maybe you plan to approach strangers in the bar, but realize that even though you never met, you see one of them at the gym every Tuesday. Or you’re all friends, but your partner places more value on the friendship than you knew.

Communication, as always, is key!

––xoxo, Kiki

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.

GIVE CURIOSITY A PLACE TO

GROW

This holiday season, give them moments that matter. Memberships and gift cards available at theicm.org

319.625.6255 | theicm.org 1451 Coral Ridge Ave, Coralville, IA 52241

ASTROLOGY

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the late 18th century, Balloonomania came to Paris. Large crowds gathered to watch inventors and impresarios send hot air balloons into the sky. Spectators were astonished, fearful and filled with wonder. Some wept, and some fainted. I suspect you’re due for your own exhilarating lift-off, Scorpio—a surge of inspiration that may bewilder a few witnesses but will delight those with open minds. Halloween costume prop: wings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t be too shocked by my unusual list of raw materials that might soon turn out to be valuable: grime, muck, scuzz, scum, slop, bilge, slime and glop. Amazingly, this stuff may conceal treasures or could be converted into unexpected building materials. So I dare you to dive in and explore the disguised bounty. Proceed on the assumption that you will find things you can use when you distrust first impressions and probe beneath surfaces. Halloween costume suggestions: sacred janitor, recycling wizard, garbage genius.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the tidepools of America’s Pacific Northwest lives the ochre starfish, a keystone species that keeps mussel populations in check. Remove the starfish, and the ecosystem collapses into imbalance. Let’s make this creature your power symbol, Capricorn. The visible effect of your presence may not be flashy or vivid, but you will hold a stabilizing role in a group, project or relationship. Your quiet influence can keep things harmonious. Your gift is not to dominate the scene, but to keep the whole system alive and diverse.

More info at tinyurl.com/OchreStarfish

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): For hundreds of years, the Blackfoot people of North America built buffalo jumps. These were steep cliffs where herds of bison could be guided and driven over the edge during a hunt. It required elaborate cooperation. Scouts tracked the herd, decoys lured them toward the drop, and prep teams waited below to process the meat, hides, and bones for the whole community’s sustenance. I hope you will engage in smaller versions of this project. Now is an excellent time to initiate, inspire and foster shared efforts. Make it a high priority to work with allies you trust.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the ancient Greek world, oracles spoke in riddles. This was not because they were coy, but because they understood that truth must often arrive obliquely. Directness is overrated when the soul is in motion. Mythic modes of perception don’t obey the laws of logic. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to make riddles and ambiguities be your allies. A dream, an overheard conversation or a misheard lyric may contain an enigmatic but pithy code. You should be alert for messages that arrive sideways and upside down. Tilt your head. Read between the flames. You will understand when your heart recognizes what your mind can’t name.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): On the outskirts of a village in Ghana, a healer gathers plants only when the moon says yes. She speaks the names of each leaf aloud, as if to ask permission, and never picks more than needed. She trusts that each herb has its own wisdom that she can learn from. I invite you to emulate her approach, Aries. Now is a good time to search for resources you need to heal and thrive. The best approach is to be receptive to what life brings you, and approach with reverence and gratitude.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A well-cut ship’s sail is not a flat sheet. It has a gentle curve that the sailmaker crafts stitch

by stitch so the wind will catch and convert invisible pressure into forward motion. Too taut, and the cloth flaps, wasting energy; too loose, and power dissipates. The miracle lies in geometry tuned to an unseen current. I invite you to be inspired by this approach, Taurus. Build curvature into your plans so that optimism isn’t an afterthought but a structural feature. Calibrate your approaches to natural processes so movement arises from alignment rather than brute effort. Make sure your progress is fueled by what you love and trust.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): All of us can benefit from regular phases of purification: periods when we dedicate ourselves to cleansing, shedding and simplifying. During these intense times of self-healing, we might check our integrity levels to see if they remain high. We can atone for mistakes, scrub away messy karma and dismantle wasteful habits. Here’s another essential practice: disconnecting ourselves from influences that lower our energy and demean our soul. The coming weeks will be a perfect time to engage in these therapeutic pleasures, Gemini.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Deep in the Pacific Ocean, male humpback whales sing the longest, slowest, most intricate love songs ever. Their bass tones are loud and strong, sometimes traveling for miles before reaching their intended recipients. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to compose and unleash your own ultimate love songs, Cancerian. Your emotional intelligence is peaking, and your passionate intensity is extra refined and attractive. Meditate on the specific nature of the gifts you want to offer and receive in return.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Between 1680 and 1725, Italy's Antonio Stradivari and his family made legendary violins that are highly valued today. They selected alpine spruce trees and Balkan maple, seasoned the wood for years, and laid varnish in painstaking layers that produced sublime resonance. Their genius craftsmanship can be summed up as the cumulative magic of meticulousness over time. I recommend their approach to you, Leo. Be in service to the long game. Commune with people, tools and commitments that age well. Act on the theory that a beautiful tone is perfected in layers.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Trained women dancers in Rajasthan, India perform the ancient art of bhavai. As folk music plays, they balance on the dull edge of a sword and hold up to 20 clay pots on their head. They sway with elegance and artistry, demonstrating an ultimate embodiment of “grace under pressure.” I don’t foresee challenges as demanding as that for you, Virgo. But I suspect you will have the poise and focus to accomplish the metaphorical equivalents of such a feat.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1968, researchers at Stanford conducted the “marshmallow test." Children were offered a single sweet treat immediately. But if they didn't quickly gobble down the marshmallow, thus postponing their gratification, they were awarded with two candies later. The kids who held out for the double reward didn’t do so by sheer willpower alone. Rather, they found clever ways to distract themselves to make the wait more bearable: making up games, focusing their attention elsewhere and adjusting their surroundings. I advise you to learn from their approach, Libra. Cultivate forbearance and poise without dimming your passion. Harness small triumphs of willpower into generating big, long-term gains. Diligent, focused effort invested now will almost certainly lead to satisfying outcomes. So please prioritize incremental, systematic grunt work over stunts and adrenaline.

NOVEMBER 1, 5 NOVEMBER 8, 10

NOVEMBER 15, 17 NOVEMBER 23, 25

Whenever Iowa City hardcore punk outfit Bootcamp sets off for the divey bars and dimmed basement venues of a tour, vocalist Juliette Enloe sets a phone lockscreen to a map of the U.S., with the state of Iowa circled in blazing red. The reason? Non-Midwest audiences never seem to know where Iowa is. Listening to the band speak to iHearIC host (and fellow musician) Justin Comer this past August, a week before the band’s newest release Time’s Up hit airwaves, one thing rings clear— Bootcamp might be just the ticket to put Iowa City on the map, at least in the tightknit world of hardcore.

Time’s Up sees Bootcamp on the precipice of something bigger, freshly signed to Denver-based DIY underground label Convulse Records, alongside an ambitious 10-date tour across Japan and Korea this past summer. The album, in its own way, feels physically imposing, given the range of subject matter it harnesses and confronts.

Raucous bite-sized manifestos on healthcare hierarchy, exhaust pollution, border patrol, housing decampments and corporate cogs ooze with equal parts venomous contempt and unbridled empathy, yearning for better, but marked with unmistakable dejectness. Its lyrics, penned by guitarist Dolly Sperry, are meaty and dense with dressing-downs of “clowns of congress,” bosses (“I’ll jerk off with my left hand / With my right deny your PTO”), and the systems we’re trapped in (“The border is fake / Open the gates”). And yet, Time’s Up clocks in at a punchy 14 minutes.

Runtime is limited, but stunningly maximized here—fitting for an album all about how time is running out. Bootcamp’s style of frenetic D-beatdriven fem punk is a significant

booTCAmP ASTUTELY

IDENTIFIES PATTErNS

THAT ArE ALrEADY IN moTIoN—bArrELING ToWArDS DISASTEr AND AbSENT AN EmErGENCY brAKE.

contributor to the urgency of each and every tackled topic. Between Oliver Weilen’s brisk drumbeats, Molly Enochson’s gravelly basslines, Sperry’s blistering guitar distortions, and Enloe’s ragged, piercing vocals, each song feels as if it’s exploded out of mouth and amps, unable to be contained anymore, desperately scrawled out before the world’s end.

The time urgency and the topics racing against it are, of course, painfully and increasingly relevant to growing political, social and environmental climates. It’s almost frightening how Bootcamp astutely identifies patterns that are already in motion—barreling towards disaster and absent an emergency brake.

Because of this, lyrics put to paper and yelled vocals put to tape on blustery winter days back in January bite back even harder. Case in point: “CEO,” an acidic ballad of health insurance failings for a man’s “wife and unborn kid,” was penned before the United Healthcare CEO met his fate. “Kiss your wife / Tuck in your kids / Sit by your pool / Crack a beer / The shot that blows your head apart / You won’t even hear.” The echoes ring against pounding drums and noisy feedback, and carry across the tracklist. Vitriolic stances grounded in the “now” culminate in heart-ripping dread of the “future” and its next generation.

The lyrics “Don’t wanna give her a world that’s on fire / Don’t want to bring her into this hell” scorch through in the final seconds of Time’s Up. Instead of blazing it out in final guttural gasps or a decided bang of a drum, those two lines repeat while fading out, as if circling a drain, or perhaps reaching the final grains of sand in an hourglass. Time’s up.

—Elisabeth Oster

CAmP rEGrET

Camp Regret CAMPREGRET.BANDCAMP.COM

Emerging from the dormant memories of basement shows, DIY venues, crashing on couches and floors on tour and the nostalgia for a more active local music scene comes another supergroup of Quad Cities musicians in the form of Camp Regret. Featuring members of past acts such as Meth & Goats, Ice Hockey and Lazer Mountain, Camp Regret may not be young pups, but they are out to prove that you can teach old dogs new tricks with their debut, self-titled album.

I grew up watching those aforementioned bands, and like the QC’s other punk “supergroup” Running Man, Camp Regret play a brand of punk rock that feels like it could be from any of the past five decades: more mature sounding, but fitting for middle-aged punk and hardcore kids like myself. That isn’t to say that younger listeners won’t find Camp Regret’s blend of punk and posthardcore infectious. Lead single and opening track “Smoke Screen” sets the album’s revved-up tone, featuring gang vocals and a refrain of “GO GO DON’T GO!” that captures a punk classicism.

of noise rock work their way into the mix, in particular on the heavy nostalgia track “Summer Venues,” which recalls The Jesus Lizard and Melvins. Occasionally, Scottie Feller’s guitar licks echo the skramz of his former band, Ice Hockey, giving a chord progression the occasional emo flourish. Notably, Jon Burns’ synthesizer adds a unique flair to their sound, eschewing new wave pastiche and instead serving as either an alternate lead instrument or as a means of adding texture to the tracks. Tracks like “Most of It” and “New Zack City” feature more synth lead riffs, but retain their punk roots with ease. “I See You” threatens to go new wave, but veers into the kind of alt-rock anthem that late-era Hϋsker Dϋ would appreciate.

THroUGH A DIvErSE AND rEmArKAbLY FUN CoLLECTIoN oF SoNGS, CAmP rEGrET HAS EArNED A PLACE AS oNE oF mY FAvorITE QUAD CITIES bANDS. IF YoU HAvE THE oPPorTUNITY To SEE CAmP rEGrET LIvE, Do NoT mISS IT.

bootcamp Canada & Pacific Northwest Tour Wed, Nov. 12-Sat,

The band’s maturity comes through in their lyrics. Songs like “Go Getter” and “Agoraphobic Friend/Remain Humane” grapple with aging and surviving in late-stage capitalist hellscapes. The narrator sings to himself as much as someone else. “I wrote a short story, it is an allegory for the poor / It struck certain chords and won a few rewards, they wanted more / but you cannot sustain reproducing pain just to sustain / watch me now/ the characters were raw, they had to break the law to remain humane,” vocalist Jon Burns sings on the latter track.

Camp Regret imbues their music with a mixture of influences. Moments

Through a diverse and remarkably fun collection of songs, Camp Regret has earned a place as one of my favorite Quad Cities bands. The quartet plays tight, catchy and infectious songs that recall the memories of several lifetimes of shows while also sounding fresh and new. Their live sets at the Alternating Currents festival this year were electrifying as well; despite the oppressive heat, they played with stalwart energy and charisma. If you have the opportunity to see Camp Regret live, do not miss it. While waiting for that opportunity, definitely give their record a spin. It is well worth every moment.

—Broc Nelson

NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE

SImoN CroPP

Paperback Dream SIMONCROPP.BANDCAMP.COM

Simon Cropp doesn’t just write songs—he crafts worlds out of the ordinary. On his debut album Paperback Dream, the 28-year-old songwriter invites listeners into his universe of small-town stories, worn highways and quiet revelations. With a voice both gentle and resolute, Cropp illuminates the beauty and heartbreak tucked inside daily life.

Raised between Lanesboro, Minnesota and Decorah, Iowa—two communities known for their vibrant arts scenes—Cropp’s musical roots run deep. His parents worked in the arts, and public school music programs let him experiment with nearly every instrument.

“The first band I joined in high school was called the Bread and Butter Stringband,” he recalled. “I was immediately obsessed with playing in bands—tinkering with PA systems, hustling for gigs, dreaming about booking a tour.”

That early curiosity evolved into a way of life. Cropp now spends more than 200 days a year on the road, performing solo, with Slapdash Bluegrass, and as a side musician on pedal steel—a recent obsession. His van doubles as both a tour bus and home.

“It’s good for my sleep to be in a consistent environment each night,” he told me with a laugh.

Cropp’s songwriting has drawn comparisons to his biggest inspiration, John Prine, which he considers both “lofty” and deeply meaningful: “I’m really into writers who can set everyday stories to melodies that are easy to sing along to.” Like Prine, he balances humor and heartbreak, crafting songs that feel lived-in and generous.

That sensibility shines in “Mrs.

"I HoPE mY SoNGS

ENCoUrAGE PEoPLE

To

LooK For bEAUTY IN THE mUNDANE."

— SIMON CROPP

Jansson and Mr. Kaplan,” a small-town love story between “a Mennonite mama and a hippy-dippy dad.” With the lyric, “Saturday mornings at the old farm stand, selling all the fruits of their labor and the land, keeping every secret of the love they had,” Cropp captures the humor and tenderness of everyday romance—a snapshot of the Midwest that feels as familiar as a neighbor’s wave on a dirt road.

Among the album’s standouts is “Turkey River Turnaround,” rooted in the community that’s become one of Cropp’s musical home bases. The Turkey River valley near Elkader has nurtured a thriving network of musicians who’ve embraced his work.

“The song is a collection of stories about the river and the people who live on it,” Cropp explained. “My friend, songwriter Forrest McCurren, says that looking at a body of water is one of the best things a person can do to disrupt troubled thought patterns—and I wrote this song to remind myself of that.”

Paperback Dream was recorded over 10 months with producer Tim Evenson and collaborators including Vinnie Donatelle of The Last Revel. Others include Lauren Anderson and Adam East who feature on “Resignation Letter,” which confronts the tension between creative ambition and personal connection. With Anderson’s aching harmonies and East’s searing guitar, it’s a meditation on the sacrifices inherent in a musician’s life.

“I hope my songs encourage people to look for beauty in the mundane,” Cropp said. “I like to sing about things that people have in common—rivers, work, highways.”

Cropp’s sincerity is his signature. Whether performing in a small Iowa cabin or a packed Minneapolis club, he approaches his craft with humility and heart. “We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” he said, quoting Joan Didion. In Paperback Dream, Simon Cropp tells his stories with a clarity that invites us to live inside them, too.

—Katie Roche

DIEZELEATEr

Couthless Aggression

DIEZELEATER.BANDCAMP.COM

With a band name styled in ALL CAPS and “kvlt and tru” spelling, you know you’re going to have some sort of preconceived notion of the Des Moines-based metallers DIEZELEATER (Should it technically be DIEZELDRINKER?) and I won’t tell you mine. The album cover of Couthless Aggression, made by graphic designer mysteriousfour, features an oversaturated hand clenching a bloody machete, and is a nice riff on 1980s horror movie posters. The vibe piqued my interest, so consider me engaged (I was before, promise).

Scrolling through Bandcamp, their first tag “crossover” fits them quite well. There are three clear influences, and perhaps surprisingly, given the timbre of the vocals and occasional slammy-ness, I found “hardcore” to be quite present. Outside of that, as the tags confirm, they clearly live in the parallel worlds of death and thrash.

In the first track, “Flames Ov Fury,” the guitars take the lead. If you’re looking for something close to an Obituary-esque tone, it’s definitely right up there. I was pleased to hear elements of stereo panning, and the understated dynamics are an aural delight. The lyrics “I poured the gas, I struck the match, your bedchambers fill with vapors, vision blurries, start to worry, walk down to flames of fucking fury” are perhaps on the nose, but they certainly create a visual.

I’m glad to say that the reappearance of the “kvlt and tru” spelling (realistically, probably not in earnest) definitely did not prejudice my listening experience, and the first track defied my expectations. Good thing first impressions are often wrong. Consistently throughout the album,

I really welcomed the variety in tone presented by the guitars. From the gritty to the melodic, they are both well executed. The guitar solos, often quite intricate, act as a brief reprieve amidst the overall crunch. The solo in “80 Grit” is a perfect example, as it makes its way through, but never overshadows, the heavier world below. In an interview with radio host and fellow reviewer Mason Fall, the band members, who all knew each other from high school, disclosed that they asked themselves: “Man, what if we just started like a big-riff metal band?” The band performs it to a T: Couthless Aggression is riffy and the compositions fit together seamlessly. The album is mixed very well, and one can appreciate that while each instrument has its own unique voice, they very much come together as a unified whole.

COUTHLESS AGGRESSION IS rIFFY AND THE ComPoSITIoNS FIT ToGETHEr SEAmLESSLY.

There are some smaller moments that create a true sense of subtle musicality (see the guitar harmonies in the final track, “No Couth”). Obviously there is a certain irony to this, given the not so subtle name of the band.

—Gabi Vanek

Solshade with support from DIEZELEATEr

p.m., Lefty's Live Music, Des Moines

Twin Lakes Grocery and Grill | Twin Lakes, Iowa

rACHEL CorbETT

The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling

W.W. NORTON & COMPANY

All through college, and for several years after, I was a self-professed true crime girlie. I suspect my interest sprung from watching CSI with my parents growing, nestled up in the secure monotony of Midwest farmland while learning about decomposition and blood splatter. In my mid-20s, several provoking pieces about survivorhood and a handful of podcasters who shamelessly utilized flawed research methods made me turn my back on the genre, suddenly squeamish at my own voyeurism.

Rachel Corbett’s nonfiction masterclass The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling plays directly into the sensibilities of the widespread true crime genre, but with exceptional self-awareness driven by closeness. Corbett and her family have experienced shocking violence, making her nonfiction work visceral as she seeks answers about her survival. She explores the melding of psychology and criminology as a way of understanding her own childhood, making the work equal parts investigation and reminiscence. Corbett travels through history, reviewing some of the most famous criminal cases and the people who orbited them. Her chapters focus on Arthur Conan Doyle’s obsession with Jack the Ripper, Henry Murray and his “profiling” of Adolf Hitler, the

relationship between psychologist Dorothy Lewis and serial killer Ted Bundy, the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and the utilization of an intelligence-led policing program in Florida. Written conversationally but exactingly, Corbett’s writing flows like narration, never straying too far into technicalities. She informs the reader without ever coming across as if she is “speaking down” to anyone, resulting in a nonfiction book that feels novelesque. Her organization and attention to detail are impeccable. It feels both like a cohesive work and a collection of essays.

Corbett teases at her thesis for long enough that the final chapters serve as an earned conclusion. She explores the fascination people have long since held with how psychology and crime intersect, acknowledging the doubleedged sword of this relationship. Efforts to conduct psychological research were often as likely to cause harm as they were to help—and yet this investigation grants access to a new realm of understanding and advocacy. By spending her final chapter focused on the Jones family of Pasco County, and the way law enforcement used profiling to target and harass them, Corbett quietly offers a warning to the crime junkies of the world: criminal profiling, while fascinating, is an imprecise science with vast consequences if used improperly.

The book begins with a guttural reliving of Corbett’s father’s attempts to kidnap her mother, and the story of how her mother’s ex-boyfriend killed a woman and himself. In the epilogue, Corbett chooses to focus on her memories of the men, reminding the reader and herself that they were both human. She removes the instinct to create distance by rooting the reader in her life, giving tactile insights into her lived experiences. It’s fair to be interested in criminal profiling, she communicates, but consumers must also remember that real people exist in those spaces.

The Monsters We Make is as artful as it is factual, simultaneously concise and musing. Corbett encapsulates fascination, fear and guilt without ever passing judgement.

—K. Twaddle

This past May, I had the pleasure of attending Beyond Fashion Fest in Iowa City. Launched by Iowa native Andre Wright, it was a weekend of fashion, comedy and fun. As a Black woman, witnessing a brother move in his own creative lane was inspirational. I walked away from the festivities thinking, “How did he make this happen in, of all places, Iowa?”

Luckily, Wright answered that question and more with his debut memoir Fashion Activist: My Life as a Designer, Dreamer, and Disrupter The entrepreneur documents his life’s journey, stretching from the eastside of Waterloo to the streets of Hong Kong. Part memoir, part business manual, Fashion Activist introduces its readers to the life and times of a man with a mission to bring culture, consciousness and style to Hawkeye Country.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Wright about some of the main themes of his memoir: fashion activism, entrepreneurship and what resistance on the runway looks like. Wright’s journey began in 1980s Waterloo, where his parents nurtured his natural penchant for style and activism.

“I credit my parents, they were very influential,” Wright said of Connie Mae and Freddy Wright. “We always had a sense of Black pride. My dad always had a camera, taking pictures of me and my brother Rashawn. A lot of the youth in our neighborhood … we were

all fashionable.”

It’s these familial experiences that helped Wright explore his creativity. Still, to be a young Black boy growing up in the middle of Iowa, challenges presented themselves.

In chapter three—aptly titled “Meet Me At The Crossroads”—we see Wright facing a turning point. As a young adult, the author began selling drugs, which led to a potential 14-month sentence in jail.

“That’s a vulnerable moment for me, even now,” Wright said of the ordeal. “I looked at it as a survival tactic. I just didn’t want to be poor.”

Since this was his first offense, Wright’s judgement was deferred in favor of probation. This was the moment that changed Wright’s life and fueled his foray into fashion.

Wright has honed the lessons learned during his dealing days. “I still carry a lot of those skills throughout my businesses: customer service, profit margins, partnerships.”

Meeting future mentor Jeff Milton introduced Wright to international travel. He visited over 30 countries including Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. “Traveling is the greatest growth,” Wright said, telling me his travels shaped his business acumen and approach to fashion.

He launched Humanize My Hoodie to honor the memory of Trayvon Martin. The brand, sold in nearly 300 stores nationwide, symbolized the key purpose of Wright’s fashion activism: to ignite a global conversation about racial brutality, especially for young Black children.

“When the youth wear it, they wear it as a hedge of protection,” Wright said. From there, Wright’s fashion activism builds, culminating in the Beyond Fashion Fest, but it’s far from the end of his journey or message. “Initially, I just wanted to tell my story,” he said. “But I organically started to put together a guide on how to create a fashion activist brand.”

Let’s hope other likeminded creatives pick up Fashion Activist and carry on Wright’s mission of resistance on the runway.

—Kellee Forkenbrock

ANDrE WrIGHT Fashion Activist: My Life as a Designer, Dreamer, and Disrupter

KENDALL HUNT PUBLISHING

vArIoUS AUTHorS

Malleable and True: A Hybrid Craft Anthology from BRINK Literary Journal BRINK BOOKS

I have read many craft books, taken gobs of writing classes and read all manner of literature. In my personal time, I tend toward writing that challenges me as a reader and inspires me to try new things. I love hybrid work, which is disinterested in being placed solidly within a single genre. As such, I am already a good audience for the literary journal BRINK. Now, BRINK Books is publishing full-length works of hybrid literature. The first book they published is Malleable and True: A Hybrid Craft Anthology from BRINK Literary Journal—an anthology of mixed-genre writing, a craft book and a workbook. I have nothing to compare it to except a few really niche craft books like A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders or Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison.

Malleable and True collects 21 pieces of writing from 21 different, established authors in the hybrid genre. Each of these pieces was originally published in an issue of BRINK Sections of the book titled “ENGAGE” ask each of the authors to explain their

process—how the specific piece was written, what they were thinking when they were writing it and how they approach a non-traditional form.

This alone is pretty novel; there aren't any craft anthologies that I can think of that go this in-depth with the subject, and there are certainly no hybrid craft anthologies that I can think of at all.

But it’s the next step, the “GENERATE” section, which makes this book particularly compelling (especially given that hybrid work is often not something that will lend itself well to print). Each contributor to the anthology gives the reader an assignment. The assignment relates to the writer's own piece and their own process in developing that particular piece of writing. The "assignment" is not necessarily tied to the medium that each writer used, suiting readers who want to stick closer to their comfort zone.

Malleable and True is not meant to be read in a single sitting. To give both yourself and the book proper attention, I'd recommend taking your time with a piece per day or per week. As much as I want to quote my favorite pieces and summarize their “GENERATE” sections’ takeaways, that wouldn’t express the true value of this collection, which comes from the whole package. (It would also take more than half a page in this magazine). Hybrid writing is consistently sidelined in the literary world, but BRINK encourages writers to create whatever, and however, they’re moved to create.

In the foreword from editor Alisha Jeddeloh, she notes (better than I can) why this book is important: “By publishing hybrid writing, we empower voices previously kept silent because their stories were too messy and too complicated for print … These diverse voices and methods of storytelling make not only our art but our communities stronger.”

—Sarah Elgatian

bILL r. DoUGLAS

The People are Kind: A Religious History of Iowa RESOURCE PUBLICATIONS

As a student of history, political activist and an award-winning freelance historian, Bill R. Douglas brings his diverse, rich background to bear on a question that tugged at his soul: Why hasn’t anyone written a comprehensive history of Iowa’s religions? He decided to answer it himself with The People Are Kind: A Religious History of Iowa, which Douglas infuses with a rare energy and appeal for his subject.

The audience for this book isn’t solely those who want to know more about Iowa’s religious history, but anyone with a curiosity about the forces that shaped the state’s 180plus year history.

Douglas’ personal religious journey includes membership in Presbyterian, UCC, Methodist and Disciples congregations in Iowa. He regularly attended Friends and Mennonites. His fascination with the interwoven nature of Iowa’s religious tapestry compelled him to create this richly researched tome.

He starts with the spiritual beliefs of the land’s original Indigenous inhabitants before white Europeans settled what would become Iowa.

Henry A. Wallace, Iowa native and vice president to Franklin D. Roosevelt, is quoted here: “There is a great need of some of the fundamental spirituality of the old Indian religions being introduced into our modern American attitude.”

Douglas also examines the at times tenuous relationship between anthropologists and groups like the Meskwaki, relaying a quote from Fred McTaggart: “Meskwaki’s have been known to pull the legs of anthropologists about their beliefs, jokes that got into academic circulation without having been got.”

Through meticulously footnoted research, Douglas introduces cultural adventurers to past leaders in religious thinking like Wallace, showing that the state had several prominent voices tying issues of the day into theological movements. His coverage of the early 20th century Christian socialist movement and their debates about the basic question “who is my neighbor?” are fascinating.

Douglas’ historical recounting sheds light on the evolution of Iowa’s religions, which parallels economic and cultural change. As Iowa’s religious identity shifted from small footprint congregations and church groups to contemporary, everexpanding megachurches, so, too, did Iowa’s agricultural and educational networks change. Agriculture expanded to large farm operations, squeezing out the small family-run operations. Schools merged similarly, as efficiencies in melding adjoining communities became a necessity.

“Nostalgia was a powerful argument for holding on to the old ways,” Douglas writes, “but it did not pay the pastor’s salary or keep the lights on.”

For anyone desiring to fully understand the state of Iowa, reading Douglas’ The People Are Kind is an essential part of that quest. The curious mind will be rewarded by taking the journey he offers.

—John Busbee

23. Uncountable amount (... flick; 2016 biographical drama; 1993 erotic ...)

25. The White Lotus channel

27. ___ Culturistas (podcast featuring Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang)

28. ___ Buendia (lead vocalist of Eraserheads)

29. Rapper with the 2012 track “Bad Girls”

30. Reward for a good doggie

32. “Well, butter my biscuit!”

34. Attack, as with snowballs

35. Benign skin blemish (... thriller; 2015 Best Picture ...)

39. Call for calm and tit for tat, say

42. Gunk

44. Child’s instructions?

45. “I don’t think you need to knock”

46. Bonus rounds?

48. Peak

49. Dish for a softboiled breakfast

51. Tab of LSD, e.g.

52. Done for the day

53. Drizzle (... winner; 1989 Best Picture ...)

55. Chip in

57. Over thataway

58. Hot tub tester

59. Actress Yifei who starred in 2020’s Mulan

60. Cartoon frame

63. Sunblock smidge

65. One trained in 46-Down

67. Like—fun fact—all of Georgia’s lakes (... winner; 1998 family ...)

69. Computer scientist Turing

71. Discontinues

75. What might help a dog roll over?

76. One rudely cutting into the queue (... film; 2008 action film—phew!)

78. Treats that might be served with clotted cream

79. “Fire away!”

80. Colleague

81. Nutrient-rich greens

82. “Challenge accepted”

83. Syllables of disappointment

84. Nest egg accounts, for short DOWN

1. In a sensible manner

2. Appalachian ___

3. Vaguely defined period sometimes romanticized

4. Samosa tidbit

5. Ceviche citruses

6. Award for Hamilton in 2015

7. Setting for Minari or Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. The Jerry Springer Show, notably

9. Knee part commonly evaluated by a sports doc

10. Clive Owen’s character in Children of Men

11. Whimsical item “puffed” by a child

12. Open features of some fancy hotels

13. Parts of an udder

14. ___ B. DeMille Award (honorary Golden Globe)

17. Groggy state

19. Part of an ear

21. Grab quickly

24. ___! (novel which was adapted into the film

There Will Be Blood)

26. Felicia to be voiced by Zendaya, e.g.

30. Guest of a guest

31. Capitol Hill staffers

33. Much-needed vacation

34. Outerwear that can be made from a garbage bag in a pinch (I was NOT prepared for Bonnaroo 2008)

36. Ambulances’

destinations, for short

37. Disc golf tournament format

38. The average U.S. adult sends one 75 times in a day

39. Neutrogena dandruff shampoo

40. Practitioner mentioned in the Rigveda

41. Containers for small fortunes

43. Medium for The War of the Worlds in 1938

46. Skill for a 65-Across

47. The underworld and the sea, in Greek mythology

50. ___ Reader (alternative magazine)

52. One might be expected to crash and burn

54. Take a whack at

56. Candyman director DaCosta

60. Where Anora won top prize in 2024

61. Beats by a thin margin

62. It’s more, per an idiom

63. Word meaning “ocean” in a religious title

64. Hollywood “royalty”

66. Highest-grossing film franchise of all time, for short

68. Smackeroos

70. Animated character who is present for only about 20 minutes of his own sequel film

72. Animals in a 10 (!) film sci-fi franchise

73. Be “it”

74. Bobbles the ball, say

77. Inside with ___ Psaki (talk show)

78. Bit of equipment for Mikaela Shiffrin

Reader Survey

Thank you for reading Little Village! Filling out this survey will help us provide a better experience for our readers and advertising partners. We appreciate the time and effort you put into it! All sections are optional and all responses are confidential.

Fill out your survey today, then cut it out and mail it in (or drop it off):

LV HQ, 623 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Where do you pick up the print edition of Little Village?

Iowa City area

Cedar Rapids area

Des Moines area

Ames area

Quad Cities area

Waterloo/Cedar Falls area

Dubuque/Maquoketa area

Another area

This was a mailed copy

Is there a Little Village pickup location that you frequently visit?

How often do you read the print edition of Little Village?

Every month

Sometimes

Rarely

Has a Little Village advertisement influenced your purchasing decisions in the last year?

Yep Nope

What other magazines do you read regularly?

What are your primary news sources?

Which LV print content do you read?

Arts

Astrology

Sports

Comics

News

Crossword

Dear Kiki

En Español

Calendar

Food & Drink

Interactions

Letter to the Editor

Album & Book Reviews

How often do you vote in local (city, county, school board) elections?

Regularly Occasionally Never

How often do you participate in primary elections? Regularly Occasionally Never

How often do you check the events calendar on littlevillagemag.com? Regularly Occasionally Never

Which types of events do you regularly attend?

Visual arts

Cinema

Community/political

Educational/lecture

Family stuff

Food & drink

Live music

Literature

Sports/recreation

Theatre, dance and comedy

Wellness/spiritual

How often do you visit your nearest metro downtown district (other than for work)?

Less than once per week

1-3x per week

3-5x per week

5+x per week

How often do you volunteer your time in your community?

Rarely/never

Sporadically

Monthly

Weekly or more

What is your highest level of education

Some high school High school diploma

Some college

Associate's degree Bachelor's degree

Master's degree Doctoral degree

What is your personal annual income?

Less than $20,000

$20,000–$39,999

$40,000–$59,999

$60,000–$79,000

$80,000–$99,999

$100,000+

What is your zip code?

How many years have you lived in your current metro area?

What is your current housing status?

Own

Rent Supported Transient

What is your current employment status? Unemployed

Employed part-time

Employed full-time

Business owner

Self-employed/contractor

Retired

Rather take it online?

Visit LittleVillageMag.com/survey (before Dec. 20, please!)

Do you have children under 18? Yes No

What year were you born?

What is your gender identity

What is your first language?

What should LV do more of in 2026?

Why is LV important to you?

Interested in getting your news and culture by email?

Add your email here to receive LV Daily and LV Weekender newsletters.

Thank you for completing the reader Survey! Would you like us to mail you a sticker? If so, please leave your first and last name and complete mailing address below and indicate your preference between Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

Little Village issue 346 — November 2025

2025 GIVE GUIDE

43 Testing the Waters

48 mucho Talento

Top Stories

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

Interactions

HAVE AN OPINION?

In Case You Missed It

PERSONALS

In Case You Missed It

’TIS THE SEASON

IN DOWNTOWN IOWA CITY

ACCOLADES

DES moINES, oCT. 12

Fully Booked: Recommendations from Local Librarians

Books to Read When You Need Feel Something Timeless Gifts for Teen Readers

Little Village 2025 retail Give Guide

The

Little Village 2025 retail Give Guide

“2025 NONPROFIT GIVE GUIDE

HEALTHCARE ACCESS

The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County

When in doubt, inquire about…

CommUnity Crisis Services

Tanager Place

Above + Beyond Cancer

American Brawn

Community Support Advocates

Family Planning Council of Iowa

Primary Health Care

THE HOUSING CRISIS

InsideOut Reentry

T.R.A.I.L. of Johnson County

Anawim Housing

The Beacon

Creative

Human Development Institute

HOME, Inc.

Joppa

Renewed Hope Home Furnishings

Second Mile Thrift Shop

YSS (Youth & Shelter Services,

FOOD ACCESS

Cakes From The Heart

CommUnity Food Bank

Coralville Community Food Pantry

Field to Family

Grow: Johnson County

IC Compassion

Iowa City Free Lunch Program

Meals from the Heartland

The Pet Project

Supply Hive

Urban Bicycle Food Ministry of Des Moines

Urbandale Food Pantry

THE ENVIRONMENT

The R.A.R.E. Group

Wildthunder Wildlife & Animal Rehabilitation & Sanctuary

Bailing Out Benji

EDUCATION & JUSTICE

The

United Action for Youth

1619 Freedom School

Everybody Wins! Iowa

MUSIC, THEATER AND DANCE

The

Open Heartland

LITERATURE AND FILM

ARTIST COLLECTIVES

Wright

Museums

Pulp

Friction

the JOFFREY BALLET

IOWA

Odyssey

Seize the Means of Water Testing!

Why it matters

Test for yourself