Little Village magazine issue 302: Jan. 2022

ISSUE 302 January 2022

2022 ReaderSubmitted Photo Issue

A L W A Y S

F R E E

Photos by: Matthew Murphy/Evan Zimmerman/MurphyMade, Denise Truscello

Love Lift US Up JANUARY 19

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SPRING 2022 SEASON An Officer and a Gentleman – January 19 Roomful of Teeth – February 16 Mark Morris Dance Group, Pepperland – February 18 Castalian String Quartet – February 20 The Philadelphia Orchestra – March 9 Damien Sneed A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul – March 10 Danish String Quartet – April 1 The Band’s Visit – April 6–7 Steve Kroft – April 13 KIDS CLUB HANCHER

Jazz at Lincoln Center Quintet, Let Freedom Swing – April 23 Kronos Quartet At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You – April 30 Las Cafeteras – May 7 MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP PEPPERLAND

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Iowa City auto repair for Subaru, BMW, Mini, Porsche, Audi, VW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Saab, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Acura and more

JOC O

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Check out the ICPL’s new catalog to find materials, place holds, and manage your Library account at search.icpl.org

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Monday, Jan. 24 7:00 pm Scan or go to icpl.org/ bookmobile for our Spring 2022 schedule!

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NEWS & CULTURE FROM IOWA CITY Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

2022 Reader-Submitted Photo Issue 14 - Top Stories 16 - Advertising Partners 18 - Letters & Interactions 24 - Brock About Town 31 - Cortado 37 - Reader Photos 52 - Events Calendar 63 - Dear Kiki 65 - Astrology 67 - Album Reviews 69 - Book Reviews 71 - Crossword

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NEWS & CULTURE FROM IOWA CITY Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Publisher

Web Developer

Issue 302, Volume 31

Arts Editor

Adith Rai

January 2022

Genevieve Trainor

adith@littlevillagemag.com Cover by Jonathan Hansen

genevieve@littlevillagemag.com Digital Director Managing Editor

Drew Bulman

Aren’t we all a juvenile vulture trying

Emma McClatchey

drewb@littlevillagemag.com

to digest the decomposing guts of

emma@littlevillagemag.com

the past so we can set our sights Videographer

on the future? Little Village’s 2022

News Director

Jason Smith

Arts Issue features reader-submitted

Paul Brennan

jason@littlevillagemag.com

photos that help contextualize our

paul@littlevillagemag.com

present and offer hope for the year Marketing Analytics

Art Director

Coordinator

Jordan Sellergren

Malcolm MacDougall

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President, Little Village, LLC

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Advertising

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Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

ahead. Happy feasting!

Meet this month’s guest contributors:

T

hanks to all of the artists who submitted to our photo issue!

You can find the contributors’ work on the pages below.

Jack Bassett (pg. 43) Jersey Bilyeu (pg. 49) Johnny Brian (pgs. 38, 41, 48) Julia Brough (pg. 47) Tricia Brown (pg. 44) Jeffrey Carl (pgs. 44, 45) Annie Chapman Brewer (pg. 48) Emma Descourouez (pg. 44) Jav Ducker (pgs. 42, 45) Tyler Erickson (pgs. 13, 39, 40, 41) Pete Flynn (pg. 43) Monique Galpin (pg. 48) Jonathan Hansen (pgs. cover, 37, 46) Pete Hendley (pgs. 38, 39, 41) Elly Hofmaier (pg. 47)

Brian Johannesen (pg. 42) Cameron Johnson (pgs. 38, 39, 49) Jane Kirsch (pg. 43) Jarrett Leake (pg. 40) Rachel Loberg (pg. 39) Sara McGuirk (pg. 49) Kelso Messerschmitt (pg. 46) John R. Moyers (pg. 47) Mary Palmberg (pgs. 45, 46) Ben Partridge (pg. 38) Amir Prellberg (pg. 40) Luc Puis (pg. 40) Chad Rhym (pg. 40) Kristel Saxton (pg. 45) Owen VanderLinden (pg. 46)

January Contributors Audrey Brock, W. Alex Cho-

Distribution

quemamani, Rob Cline, Sarah

Terrance Banks,

Elgatian, John Martinek, Tom

Charlie Cacciatore

Tomorrow, Sam Locke Ward,

distro@littlevillagemag.com

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LittleVillageMag.com

Top Stories Daily news updates, events, restaurant reviews and videos at LittleVillageMag.com.

COVID-19: Iowa adds 13,000 new cases; Gov. Reynolds celebrates legal

Dumpling Darling in downtown Iowa City is closing

win; Johnson County passes new mandate

By Paul Brennan, Dec. 13

By Paul Brennan, Dec. 8

Dumpling Darling, a farmers-market favorite turned downtown Iowa City

In its update on Wednesday, IDPH disclosed another 105 deaths from

eatery, is closing the doors of its Iowa Avenue space for good on Dec. 19.

COVID-19, bringing the state’s official death toll to 7,550. The update came

“This decision wasn’t an easy one but we know deep down it is the right

one day after Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a written statement celebrating a

thing,” owners posted on social media. “Operating under these current

federal judge in Georgia blocking the Biden administration’s requirement

circumstances isn’t serving our staff, our customers, or ourselves.”

that employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19.

‘We are under spiritual attack’: How Iowa’s anti-mask parents became a

Paris, Milan, New York … Iowa City? Designer Andre’

GOP force — and why they’re leveraging their power to ban books

Wright works to establish Fashion Activism Institute in

By Emma McClatchey, Dec. 22

downtown IC

Whether Republican lawmakers are cynically exploiting or genuinely

By Adria Carpenter, Dec. 27

share some parents’ fears about “pornography” and “woke grooming”

Andre’ Wright, Humanize My Hoodie co-founder and

in schools, this rightwing movement to give parents more control over

creator of Iowa City’s Black Liberation Space, wants

district policy is gaining steam in Iowa, and like mask and vaccine

to teach skills in graphic design and financial literacy

mandates this past year, is likely to dominate Republican discourse in

to students young and old. At the end of the program,

2022.

the students will hold a fashion event where they will present their projects.

WATCH BLS: Black Liberation Space (2021)

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THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS This issue of Little Village is supported by: Adamantine Spine Moving (23) Arnott & Kirk (56) Artifacts (70) Brides by Jessa (57) Cedar Rapids New Bohemia Czech Village Co-op (62) - Next Page Books - Goldfinch Cyclery - NewBoCo - The Daisy - Parlor City Pub & Eatery Chomp (10) City of Iowa City (32) CIVIC (21) The Club Car (23) CommUnity (61) Coralville Public Library (68) Corridor Entertainment Group (15) CSPS (20) The Dandy Lion (29) Dodge St. Tire (35) FilmScene (66) Firmstone Real Estate (72)

Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (20) Hancher Auditorium (2-3) Honeybee Hair Parlor (51) The Iowa Children’s Museum (53) ImOn (60) Iowa City Downtown Co-op (27) - Yotopia - Beadology - Release Body Modification - Record Collector - Critical Hit - The Konnexion Iowa City Northside Marketplace (64) - Artifacts - George’s - John’s Grocery - R.S.V.P. - Hamburg Inn No. 2 - Pagliai’s Pizza - The Haunted Bookshop - Marco’s Grilled Cheese - High Ground Iowa City Public Library (9)

Iowa City Downtown District (51) Iowa Department of Public Health (34) Iowa Public Radio (20) Johnson County Health Path Clinic (8) KCCK Jazz 88.3 (35) Kim Schillig, Realtor (21) KRUI 89.7 FM (35) Leash on Life (55) Mailboxes of Iowa City (55) Martin Construction (7) Merge (20) Micky’s Irish Pub (51) Mission Creek Festival (36) Multicultural Development Center of Iowa (21) Muscatine Art Center (26) Musiciain’s Pro Shop (21) MYEP (55) National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (59) New Pioneer Food Co-op (12) Nodo (31)

Oasis Falafel (29) Obermann Center (32) Perez Fmaily Tacos (35) Phoebe Martin, Realtor (6) Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe (50) Press Coffee (31) Public Space One (63) RAYGUN (18) Red Vespa (53) Revival (55) Ricardo Rangel, Jr., Realtor (55) Russ’s Northside Service (50) Riverside Theatre (23) Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (23) Think Iowa City (5) Whitedog (4) White Rabbit (29) Wig & Pen (28) Willow & Stock (33) World of Bikes (57)

Little Village magazine print readership 25,000—40,000 per issue LittleVillageMag.com readership 200,000 monthly article views 74,000 unique monthly visitors

RECENT READER SURVEY DATA MEDIAN AGE: 37 25—34: 26% 35—44: 22% 45—54: 17% 55—64: 14% 65+: 10% 18—24: 9%

AVERAGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN 1.85

MEDIAN PERSONAL INCOME: $55k 26%: $40k—60k 18%: $60k—80k 17%: $100k+ 17%: $20k—40k 12%: <$20k 11%: $80k—$100k

GENDER

EDUCATION Masters: 34% Bachelors: 31% Ph.D: 18% Some college: 9% Associates: 7%

AVERAGE NUMBER OF YEARS LIVING IN EASTERN IOWA

Female: 63% Male: 34% Nonbinary/other: 3%

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Letters & Interactions LV encourages community members, including candidates for office, to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.

Letter to the Editor:

WHY I, RAYGUN’S MIKE DRAPER, SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE DSM

Why I’m helping launch Little Village Des Moines: Seeing an arts-culture-and-news alternative magazine in Des Moines has been on my mind for years. I think the kind of connection these

18 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

publications gave the community hasn’t been replicated by the internet. So this might be the perfect era to see if a print publication would work.

Coming out of a global pandemic that triggered stress and heightened financial insecurity like nothing I’d yet experienced, I said to myself, “Mike, this would be the PERFECT TIME to put time, money and effort into this high-risk passion project!! Who needs a new roof on the house?!”

(Apologies to my family.)

Actually, the timing was more about the dream team that fell into place this past summer. Our friends at Little Village Magazine in IC/CR had the same idea; I talked to them, and we combined forces with Phil K. James in DSM who agreed to handle the initial local ad push.

F U T I L E W R A T H

S A M LO C K E WA R D

HAVE AN OPINION? Better write about it!

Send letters to: Editor@LittleVillageMag.com

Beyond passion, I think the need is real and, thus, the market for this product is real. There is more to advertising than click rates and optimization. There is something about your company or organization showing your support for quality journalism that takes community connection seriously.

Selling ads for an imaginary publication that won’t be physically real for months is no easy task (to say the least!), but some people have really stepped up and already committed their support as founding advertisers—Jeff Bruning and Full Court Press were enthusiastic supporters, Tobi Parks at xBk, Kathryn Dickel at MidwesTix, Broadlawns Medical Center, Sam Summers with Wooly’s and FIRST FLEET CONCERTS, L.L.C. and more.

To get this off the ground, we will need a few more supporters, and I will be hitting some people up personally (if you’ve needed a favor from me or RAYGUN over the last few years, BE WARNED: you’re on my list!).

NEWS: WHAT EVEN IS IT? Find out by subscribing to the Little Village Daily Digest LittleVillageMag.com/Subscribe LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 19

L E T T E R

UPCOMING JANUARY SHOWS IMPROV FIRST THURSDAYS Thurs, Jan 6th

ALICIA DILL: Author Reading Beyond Sacrifice Thurs, Jan 13th

HEATHER GUDENKAUF: Author Reading The Overnight Guest Thurs, Jan 27

GALLERY HOURS: Thurs - Sun 12 - 6 1 1 0 3 3 r d S t S E C e da r R a pi ds (319)364-1580 www. c s ps ha l l . or g

If you want to skip the hard sell, please email Phil for ad rates: phil.james@gmail.com Building community is constant work. I didn’t want to coast on what was already done. So I’m re-upping my commitment to put some badass creative into my home city.

So get on board the retro-train: We’re bringing printed-alternative-papers back to Central Iowa!

—Mike Draper, RAYGUNshirts

I N T E R AC T I O N S Iowa City musician Brian Johannesen named Englert Theatre’s new Senior Programming Manager (Dec. 2) An amazing musician and curator, but way more important: a deeply empathetic human who loves artists, people and the possibilities of a better community …

Englert is about to go to the next level!!

Congratulations Brian! —Andre Perry, outgoing Englert executive director Beadology, a fixture on E Washington Street for 15 years, has moved (Dec. 3) I know it’s a pain to move but this sounds like a good plan! So glad Beadology is still going to be around. Iowa City needs Karen Kubby! —Astrid H.B. I stop at bead shops when I travel, and none of them are as cool and complete, or have such great staff as Beadology. Great creative space! —Allison Y. The new space looks awesome!

—Janelle P.

NEWS YOU CAN TRUST.

90.9

FM

NEWS | STUDIO ONE

20

910

AM

NEWS

Stream online: IowaPublicRadio.org January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 or the IPR app.

Professional Printers for 65 Years 408 Highland Ct. • (319) 338-9471 bob@goodfellowprinting.com

I’m not a beader and rarely buy jewelry.

However, Beadology is one of my favorite shops downtown. Karen or her staff have helped me a number of times with special projects, including building out a 3-chain ankle bracelet over several years. Best wishes for the new location! —Melanie M. All these greedy people making spaces more expensive is why so many places and apartments sit empty. If we were smart we would be welcoming small businesses instead of turning them off with unreasonable prices. So much greed.

—Lisa D.B. Rob Sand is running for a second term as state auditor, squashing speculation he’d seek higher office (Dec. 7) I’m not sure Iowa can afford to lose Rob Sand as auditor. He has to be among the best state auditors in the country.

—Nick S.

NEW YEAR! NEW HOME! MAKE YOUR MOVE IN 2022!

Call Me; Let's get started on your home search!

‘We serve people lunch, and it’s important, and it’s not super complicated’: Free Lunch Program approaches 40 years of service (Dec. 10) Really nice article. Congrats to Free Lunch on forty years of service. I’m glad to read about the hybrid model of getting some back in the dining room outta the cold!

—Becci J.R. These kind, generous and hard working people that give to all and make a lot of people’s lives better are what life is about!

Thank you to each and everyone of you!

—Judy H.W.

Kim will help you find

your way HOME!

Not a typo Licensed to sell real estate in the State of Iowa.

Improve Diversity in STEM

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BECOME A LITTLE VILLAGE MEMBER Perks of membership:

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I N T E R A C T I O N S Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Eastern Iowa’s LGBTQ softball league puts the werk in teamwork (Dec. 7)

Can’t believe they let me quote Spongebob in the headline.

—Adria Carpenter, article author

Eastern Iowa, this softball team [LSA of Eastern Iowa] is awesome and amazing!

They give it their all and make us proud every time they’re on the field. BTW, the player pictured is my fiancé Colton and he’s so cute in his uniform.

—Bruce Teague, Iowa City mayor

Dumpling Darling in downtown Iowa City is closing (Dec. 13)

CR’s Willie Fairley is heading to Kentucky to feed tornado victims (Dec. 13) Saint Willie of food. So much respect for this man!

—Stephanie W. Sounds like a lotta hoopla to make over a library app, right? Wrong! (Dec. 13) I have been using Hoopla with my ICPL account for movies for a while now, but I didn’t know it went beyond that!

—Elinor L. Cedar Rapids has this and we absolutely love it.

—Katherine L.

This makes me want to cry.

Best wishes to everybody at the Dumpling Darling. I have had some fantastic meals at the shop! —Kristin H. That building housed “Hair Quarters” for many many years (decades?). Then the property owner jacked up the rent and Hair Quarters closed.

I have lost count of how many businesses have been in that space since. Did Dumpling Darling make it the longest?

—Kirsty C. I can’t lie—I’m going to miss DD. I tried to eat local as much as possible. Say what you want about ownership, but real, local people worked there, and they gotta find new jobs, and that sucks and I hope they’re okay. I will miss the fried sprouts, kimchi mandu dumplings and pierogies.

—A Darryl M.

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Join today: littlevillagemag.com/support THANKS TO LAST MONTH’S NEW SUPPORTERS: Hannah Bott

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STRESS FRACTURES

I N T E R AC T I O N S

JOHN MARTINEK

Didn’t a bunch of local people go on a social media tirade about this owner & place a few months back? Way to go, you cancelled her. —Sarah C.D. Frankly, I don’t care and I’d do it again. Maybe people shouldn’t gaslight women of color about an issue that directly affects their community and not expect pushback. Lmao also, their closure had literally nothing to do with what was said on social media according to their post about closing so... Trust me, no white liberals in Iowa City will ever get cancelled, that’s not how this city works. —Erin N.B. Dr. Caitlin Pedati, who oversaw Iowa’s COVID-19 response, gets a new job (Dec. 14) 45% pay raise to $265,000 and gave out false data. Soooo bad. —Terry K.P.

B R O C K

A B O U T

T O W N

I’ve mentioned before that I simply don’t approve of the whole “New Year’s resolution” concept. In my opinion, it’s unnecessarily cruel. It’s freezing cold; we get, like, 45 minutes of sun exposure per day; I just blew all my money on the month-long bacchanalia American culture tries to pass off as a religious holiday, and now you want me to give up drinking for a month?

The effrontery.

Besides, it doesn’t even work. Only 8 percent of Americans report being successful in their New Year’s resolutions. The pull-out method works better than that (and trust me, it doesn’t work very well). Chances are, when 2022 ends, you’ll be making exactly as much money as you are now, and you won’t be any thinner, happier or more likely to find a record label willing to produce your shoegaze album. (Sorry, Ricky. I didn’t know how else to tell you. It’s just not good.)

That said, I know some of you are going to go ahead and try it anyway, because your heart isn’t a shriveled-up piece of coal and you can still experience the sensation of hope. How adorable. And since I love you guys, and I don’t want to see you get hurt, might I suggest a few … more achievable ideas?

• Get rid of your gym membership. Seriously, when was the last time you took your fat ass to Planet Fitness on any day that they were not serving pizza? Just get rid of it and find 24 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

AUDREY BROCK

something else to spend your 10 bucks a month on. Remember to set aside at least a month for this task, because they make you perform the 12 trials of Hercules before they let you out of your contract. Then, after you’ve safely delivered them the head of Medusa, find a less soul-sucking way of getting exercise. I just bought myself a pair of roller skates.

• Lower your literary standards. You haven’t finished a book since your sophomore year of college. What makes you think you’re going to read *Anna Karenina* by next month’s book club meeting? Take a baby step and read a trashy romance novel instead; something really, really filthy, with a picture of Fabio dressed as a pirate on the cover. If you’re honest with yourself, the only reason you wanted to read great literature in the first place was to get laid.

• Start showing up to work on time. Forget about your master plan to impress your boss with the best damn quarterly presentation he’s ever seen. That’s way above your pay grade.

Punctuality will go farther than anything else to show your dedication to— On second thought, never mind. You’re never going to do that.

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W O R T H

R E P E AT I N G

“We’re a very simple organization with a very simple mission: We serve people lunch, and it’s important, and it’s not super complicated.”

—Kai Kiser, director of the Iowa City Free Lunch Program, est.

1983

to evaluate her work as the state’s chief executive and for citizens to better understand the challenges our state faces.” —ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen, announcing a lawsuit against the Reynolds administration for alleged violations of Iowa’s Open Record Act

“I’ve had multiple abortions. I’ve had three, actually.

And I’m proud to say that I have had “In my opinion the right to choose the inductive loop them. The last one that the theater ter / was pretty scary. just installed [is] Adria Carpen Little Villagestate of the art in terms We didn’t know if we could find funding for the of listening assistance.” abortion, but my partner and —Catherine Johnson of I also knew that we couldn’t Disability Rights Iowa, afford a child. And that is a praising Theatre Cedar terrifying thing to have to Rapids’ new T-coil hearing go through … No one loop system, designed should have to be in to enhance the a situation where soundscape for they’re scouring patrons with hearing the internet to aids find pills. We need to keep abortion “Fear is what safe, tries to erase our affordable LGBTQ students and by banning books. legal.” — Fear tries to erase tad Via Lori Lovs Mica Doolan, the experience of speaking on the UI our students of color by Pentacrest during a Dec. 4 banning divisive concepts. abortion rights rally Fear screams and threatens public officials to try and “This has been stop them from what they one of the most know is right. Fear tries consequential to recreate the past, time periods of but true freedom Iowa history, but is being unafraid the governor of the future.” and her staff —Lori Lovstad, have deprived Ankeny school the citizens board member, of Iowa of addressing efforts documents to ban books from and school libraries information conservative they are parents deem entitled “pornographic” or to receive “woke” ACLU of Iowa

26 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

I N T E R AC T I O N S

IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN

Pedati was an embarrassment. I would say the state hasn’t had anybody legitimately in that role since whoever preceded her with that title or similar.

Reynolds remains truly awful.

—Kirsty C. Letter from Joe Bolkcom: Are rural Iowa communities better off today than they were five years ago? (Dec. 17) Republicans get elected by manipulating people’s pain and anxiety from problems they seem to make worse on purpose. It’s a grim cycle. —Randy K.

millions of live & active cultures

that’s a lot of culture, even by iowa city standards

Get 10% off when you mention Little Village

Always buying & selling quality vinyl records, CDs & turntables.

Op-ed: Why the Lord of the Rings movies matter 20 years later (Dec. 17) Absolutely loved that film! It sucked you right in...even though it was three hours long, I didn’t want it to end.

—Ariane P. 116 S Linn St (319) 337-5029

Omicron detected in more Iowa counties, indicating community spread of the COVID variant (Dec. 21)

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Get your booster shot, the OG vaccine shots are not that good at preventing Omicron at this point since immunity wanes over time. —Audrey K. Iowa City high school students rally to support abortion rights as the U.S. Supreme Court considers overturning Roe (Dec. 21) Actually, I heard from high school students and junior high students, that junior high students outnumbered high school students! —Katie R. The beginning of the end for the building that was The Mill started on Tuesday, as the city received an application for a demolition permit.

A placard announcing a permit for “complete building demolition” has been requested was posted on the building, which is described in the application as a “non-historic property.” The Mill, an Iowa City institution for almost 60 years, had

Magic the Gathering. Video Games.

Warhammer. Warmachine. RPGs. Board Games. X-Wing. Dice. LotR. HeroClix. Miniatures. GoT. Blood Bowl.

L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. Kidrobot Vinyl. Retro toys. Pop vinyl & plushies.

Gaming & collectible supplies.

Huge Magic singles inventory plus we buy/trade MtG cards. Weekly drafts, FNM, league play, and frequent tourneys.

Now buying/selling/trading video games & toys! Bring in your Nintendo Gameboy, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Sega, WiiU, Xbox 360, PS1-2-3, & other used games, consoles, action figures, and toys for cash or trade credit!

Fun atmosphere and great customer service!

115 S. Linn Street (by the Public Library), Iowa City Tel: 319-333-1260; Email: chg@criticalhitgames.net www.criticalhitgames.net @criticalhitgamesiowacity

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 27

Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

I N T E R A C T I O N S

been at its 120 E Burlington St location for 48 years, before closing down in June 2020.

(Dec. 22) The ghost of Keith Dempster will always haunt that ground, decibel meter clutched in his hand, muttering something about not drawing flies.

—Dan B. Yeah, it’s very shameful that IC so willingly erases itself.

Sad to say, it will never be economically viable to have a privately held establishment serve ALL of Iowa City’s many and varied communities the way The Mill had. It was one of those uncopyable phenomenons. Thank you Keith Dempster and Marty Christensen for carving out that piece of history. It was never easy for them. In my book, this is the new “most disappointing” thing to see happen to IC. Should have been an opportunity for IC to actually SAVE something great. But I guess the newcomers will never know what they’ve missed and at least one person will make bank by ripping that old shit down and probably somehow get some of my property tax money to do it with as I understand those deals to work. I don’t consider that 28 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

“vision.” IC is still a great place for sure. But too bad for the newcomers. —John S. Thank you to everyone associated with the Mill for all those decades. Our band HomeBrewed played many a fun benefit concert there with their community support!

—Peter D. Any idea what they are going to do with the bricks? Maybe auction to support the arts?

My wife and I would love to have one to commemorate a favorite spot of ours. —Max F. It’s hard to describe what Iowa City was like when I lived there, but “accessible“ is a word that comes to mind.

For example, it was possible to find a great variety of businesses downtown. As a kid, I could go anywhere, and I spent time in the Chemistry Building investigating what grad students were doing, as well as visiting the natural history museum in Macbride Hall. Although Iowa City was a relatively small city, the presence of the university provided many opportunities found only in bigger places.

My biggest beef with what has transpired is the building of high rises with no thought about how they affect the character of the city. When I

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I N T E R A C T I O N S

/LittleVillage READER POLL: How do you use/ understand the phrase “morning constitutional”?

Taking a walk 42.6%

Drinking a beer 6.4%

Taking a shit 51.1%

Sex 0%

lived there, I thought the zoning board was too eager to grant variances. —David N.C. I officially CURSE whatever they build there. —Mickey C. It was Bell & Shore’s home gig for years.

This saddens me—and this is happening everywhere, unfortunately. Fayetteville, Arkansas is going through the same kind of corporate destruction of historic buildings and green space. A tragedy.

—Susan S. Ah, the music we heard there. The friends with whom we gathered. The pizzas and all-you-can-eat spaghetti and egg special sandwiches we snarfed. —Winston B. Sadness. My Dad loved The Mill and when he and Mom first started dating (1966 or ’67 maybe) he took me down to the original Mill. Mom was at work that night.

We went in past the pool tables and sat in a booth with the wall jukeboxes, the

/LittleVillage READER POLL: How often do you shovel during a snowfall?

When the snow stops 48% A few times throughout 30.4%

Leave it to the landlord 21.7%

Print is personal.

Little Village readers hold this magazine close to their hearts—and it’s not just because that’s where it’s easiest to read.

To get up close and personal with your community, contact Little Village today: Ads@LittleVillageMag.com (319) 855-1474

SINCE 2001—ALWAYS FREE

30 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

Community

LittleVillageMag.com

Cortado Waubeek: blues y poesía POR W. ALEX CHOQUEMAMANI Though he never made much money when he passed around the jar He could really play the blues.

Shemekia Copeland

S

on las once de la noche de un martes del 2017. Dentro del local hay apenas dos personas, el dueño del bar y un granjero. Este último viste overalls, polera blanca y una gorra que difícilmente se puede leer las letras.

Los saludo a ambos y me dirijo a la barra. Pido una cerveza, Tim Kula, el dueño del bar, me la entrega. Luego de esto ellos continúan su conversación como si fueran dos viejos amigos que se están poniendo al día en sus quehaceres. ¿Do you want another beer?, me pregunta esta vez no Tim, sino Terry Smith, amigo de aquel. Le digo que sí sin pensarlo mucho, y le doy las gracias. Luego quienes charlan esta noche ya no son dos, sino tres personas.

Lo que llama la atención es su escenario pequeño que está al costado de la puerta de ingreso, sus posters autografiados por músicos de blues, sus cuadros con recortes de periódicos de fechas pasadas.

El bar se llama FB&Co., y está en Waubeek, un pueblo pequeño que está ubicado en el Valle de Wapsi, cerca de Cedar Rapids. Y a sus alrededores solo hay campos de maíz y soya, pocas casas y un río, el Wapsipinicon.

Cuenta la leyenda que Wapsi y Pinicon eran dos indios americanos, la hija y el hijo de jefes de dos tribus enemigas. Ambos estaban profundamente enamorados el uno del otro. Pero un día fueron descubiertos, y también perdonados a condición que no volvieran a verse jamás. Ante semejante medida ellos decidieron quitarse la vida en este río. Es por ello que este río se llama Wapsipinicon.

Lo que capta la atención del forastero que visita por primera vez FB&Co., no es tanto la cabeza de un venado disecado que está colgado en una de sus paredes, y cuyos cuernos tienen la forma de ramas de árbol. Ni los billetes de dólares firmados y adheridos en el techo del bar -al parecer- por un grupo de clientes de ánimo festivo y voluntad de desprendimiento. Menos su mesa de billar; por cierto, un entretenimiento común en los bares de Iowa.

Lo que llama la atención es su escenario pequeño que está al costado de la puerta de ingreso, sus posters autografiados por músicos de blues, sus cuadros con recortes de periódicos de fechas pasadas que dan cuenta de un acontecimiento musical ocurrido aquí en FB&Co. Así un póster corresponde al músico de blues Johnny Clyde Copeland (1937-1997), en el que se lee unas líneas suyas dedicadas a FB&Co.: “Happy times are here again.” En otro cuadro hay un recorte de periódico, y es una entrevista a John Paul Hammond (1942), quien también estuvo en el escenario de este bar. “The Midwest compares very favorably (to New York) and Cedar Rapids seems to be a blues stronghold,” son algunas palabras de este músico dedicadas a esta parte de los Estados Unidos.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 31

2022 MLK Jr.

Celebration of Human Rights In partnership with community organizations, the City of Iowa City invites all to participate in this year's celebration of Dr. King's life and legacy.

I N T E R AC T I O N S ones you could flip through the song selections. Believe I had my first ever vegetable cheeseburger. —Chris B. As someone who has performed there several times, and seen many, many other performances there, this is devastating. I can’t believe that Iowa City is letting this happen. —Jeffrey A.M. Some of the best music came here, blues from Chicago, bluegrass from all over, met some incredible musicians here. Hangout for the Raw Sewage and Pure Stodge…

—Julianne V.M.

Free events are scheduled throughout January and are open to the public. Details at:

2/2

obermann conversations

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE Moderated by UI professors Lina-Maria Murillo & Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz

Lastascia Nicole Coleman Novak Nurse-midwife, UIHC

Meagan Thompson

Research faculty, Nurse-midwife, UIHC UI College of Public Health

Feb. 2, 7–8 pm, ZOOM Free & open to all Register: bit.ly/RJ-convo 32 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Erin Hackathorn in advance at 319-335-4034.

The former Unitarian church at Gilbert and Iowa Ave would be a good venue to reconstitute The Mill. That structure has been designated a historic landmark so if the current owner (Jesse Allen) made it affordable for a new tenant then it would never need to move again. —Adam I. A landmark. Met my husband there— we both worked there—nearly 40 years ago.

—Claire B.H. Marc Moen, they keep building expensive sterile looking bs with stores underneath that sit empty because renting the space or the apartments are too expensive. Not happy how the city caters to them when we have an affordable housing crisis. Pure greed, he is the worst thing to happen to Iowa City.

—Lisa D.B. The family-owned Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa was reportedly acquired by a global chain in a sale finalized Tuesday. The state’s largest amusement park was valued at roughly $21 million, and includes roller coasters, water rides, a hotel and a campground. The sale price has not been disclosed. (Dec. 22) It’s now owned by Waystar Royco and is run by Greg Hirsch. —Dave M. I hope it will be even better, once the virus is under control. I can hardly wait

Where is your Little Village?

Copies of Little Village are available at more than 400 locations in Eastern Iowa. Check out the live map of all our locations to find your neighborhood rack:

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LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 33

I N T E R AC T I O N S for that and the new park. Exciting news. —Lisa D.B. ‘We are under spiritual attack’: How Iowa’s anti-mask parents became a GOP force — and why they’re leveraging their power to ban books (Dec. 22) Worth the read. We need to understand what we’re dealing with.

—Janice Weiner, Iowa Senate candidate I think a lot of this craziness is because people haven’t yet absorbed the difference between actual traditional journalism and halfwits ranting on the internet. Journalism, for the most part, used to be edited, fact checked, and peer reviewed (if you spouted nonsense other media would call you out). Now any self-important dope with a web page and an ISP can masquerade as a “news” source. It’s a paradigm shift in journalism and information dissimulation, and we haven’t figured out how to separate news from lies yet. —Edward K. Paris, Milan, New York … Iowa City?

Designer Andre’ Wright works to establish Fashion Activism Institute in downtown IC (Dec. 27) This is a great program! Hope they get the space downtown! It’s the right place for it!! Go Andre’! And thanks for your hard work with the youth in our community! —Tamara R. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work beside Andre’ Wright. Andre’ is an amazing artist/ activist and Iowa City is a better place for the community he’s fostering. Rest assured, we’re all going to continue to bring it in 2022.

—Great Plains Action Society

34 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 35

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Welcome to Little Village’s

2022 Reader-Submitted Photo Issue The next 13 pages are packed with photos submitted by our readers (as well as two staff members). Little Village has taken care not to crop, edit or change the images in any way. Submitted captions have been edited for style, length and clarity.

“Recently I have become fascinated with the vultures that gather in the summer months at the Coralville reservoir. Though associated with death, these birds are clearly intelligent, with unique markings and personalities that make them easy to distinguish from one another, if you’re looking—not unlike human beings.”

—Jonathan Hansen

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 37

Clockwise from top left: Johnny Brian, UP4014 conductor, Mason City; Ben Partridge, untitled; Cameron Johnson, BLM protest 2020; Rachel Loberg, Midwest barn; Pete Hendley, Amish buggy in a snowy field; Tyler Erickson, Reframing memories from my youth, Southwest Iowa; Cameron Johnson, Iran protest 2020; Pete Hendley, Two Amish women and horse

38 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 39

Clockwise from top left: Jarrett Leake, Windmill on the corner of Taft and 560th, Lone Tree; Tyler Erickson, Reframing memories from my youth, Southwest Iowa; Pete Hendley, BLM protest 2020; Tyler Erickson (top to bottom right), Reframing memories from my youth, Southwest Iowa; Johnny Brian, A Boy and His Dog; Amir Prellberg, Sean Tyler; Luc Puis, Lake MacBride during the deep-freeze winter of January 2020; Chad Rhym, To the man on the bike in my favorite neighborhood

40 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 41

42 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

Clockwise from top left: Jav Ducker, An industrial winter dusk, February 2021, Quaker Oats; Jane Kirsch, Calvin Hall hideaway; Jack Bassett, Bus terminal skywalk in downtown Cedar Rapids; Pete Flynn, Wet floor, caution; Jason Smith, Cobravette in transit on Gilbert Street Brian Johannesen, Winter view in Big Grove Preserve

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 43

44 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

Clockwise from top left: Emma Descourouez, Hidden rabbit; Jeffrey Carl, I-74 bridges, Rock Island; Kristel Saxton, Woven in the light; Mary Palmberg, Math confusion; Jav Ducker, White moth and dark leaves, September 2021, Palisades; Tricia Brown, Late September gravel; Jeffrey Carl, Centennial Bridge, Rock Island

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 45

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Hansen, Vulture portrait; Owen VanderLinden, The bee’s knees: a bumblebee on a Hyssop plant; John R. Moyers, The hummingbird and the bee, Manville Heights; Elly Hofmaier, Dan Padley and Jarrett Purdy; Julia Brough, Sophistication; Kelso Messerschmitt, I’m not a cat; Mary Palmberg, Sunset swish: tail in the late-day sun

46 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 47

This page, clockwise from top left: Adria Carpenter, light installation; Monique Galpin, Grandma and Grandpa Green visit Baby Ellis for his first birthday; Johnny Brian, Day 206; Annie Chapman Brewer, Autumnal equinox silhouette

48 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

This page, clockwise from top left: Sara McGuirk, A boy surveys the scene from atop a man’s shoulders; Jersey Bilyeu, A lone golfer; Cameron Johnson, BLM protest 2020

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 49

EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

EVENTS: January January 2022

Planning an event? Submit event info to calendar@littlevillagemag. com. Include event name, date, time, venue, street address, admission price and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). To find more events, visit littlevillagemag.com/calendar. Please check venue listing in case details have changed.

Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 at 2 p.m. To

Hell & Back: A Poetic Journey Workshop, Iowa City Poetry, Online, Saturdays, $100

Former Iowan Becca Klaver joins Iowa City Poetry students virtually from her new home in Chicago to lead this epic quest of a writing seminar designed to have one foot in the craft of poetry and the other in the mystic space that drives our desire to tell our own mythology. Participants will explore writers like Rita Dove, Sandra Lim, Adrienne Rich and others (as well as, I’d hope, Klaver herself) as guides to diving into their own wrecks to salvage wisdom and beauty.

Tuition assistance available.

via Iowa City Poetry

Literary Luxuries Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Alicia

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. Mark

Dill, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, Free

Prins w/Margot Livesey, Prairie Lights, Online, Free

Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.

Antoine Wilson w/ Elizabeth

Friday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Ana

McCracken, Prairie Lights, Online,

Merino: Illustrating Spain in the US

Free

Book Launch, Prairie Lights, Online, Free

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.

Heather Gudenkauf, CSPS Hall,

Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. Heather

Free

Gudenkauf w/ Hannah Mary McKinnon, Prairie Lights, Online, Free

50 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

ly. see back. fees may app

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 51

AROUND THE CRANDIC

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM

Theatrical Thrills Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.

Improv First Thursdays, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, Free-$5 Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.

The Magic of Jackson Green, Stillwater Coffee Company, Hiawatha, Free Sunday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m.

National Theatre Live: War Horse, FilmScene—Chauncey, Iowa City, $13.05-18

via Cedar Rapids Opera

Monday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. Cedar Rapids Opera Presents: Goldie B. Locks & the Three Singing Bears, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Free Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. An Officer and a

Friday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 23 at 2

p.m., Cosi

fan tutte, Paramount Theatre, Cedar

Rapids, $19-69 Cedar Rapids Opera is offering a new spin on this beloved third collaboration

between composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, framing the fiancé-swapping comedy in a most-fitting locale: the set of a 1980s soap opera. Cosi fan tutte, which translates roughly to “so do they all” or, colloquially, “women are like that,” was often considered too risqué for 19th and early 20th century performances, but became an operatic staple following its 1922 U.S. premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. For this production, Iowa City’s own Jessica Faselt is returning to the state from her own time at the Met to perform the role of Fiordiligi. The performance features stage direction by Benjamin Robinson with Orchestra Iowa musicians conducted by CROpera Artistic Director Daniel Kleinknecht.

Masks are required for all attendees.

Gentleman: A New Musical, Hancher, Iowa City, $37-95 Sundays, Jan. 23-Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. Level 1 Improv Class with Luke Brooks, Willow Creek Theatre Company, $100/class Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2930 Tom Lehrer: A Revue, Iowa City Community Theatre, Online, Free

THE WEEKENDER YOUR WEEKLY EDITOR-CURATED ARTS COMPENDIUM, A.K.A.

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52 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

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EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

AROUND THE CRANDIC

Saturday, Jan.

29 at 3 p.m., Irish

Winterfest,

Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, $15-20 Champagne Academy of

Megan Glass

Irish Dance is celebrating 15 years in 2022, and in conjunction with that exciting anniversary, the Eastern Iowa Irish music community is gathering for a grand event highlighting the sights and sounds of Irish traditions. Performers include Blame Not the Bard, Coppers & Brass, Dan Vaughn and piper Jeremy Kingsbury. Of course the Irish dancers will be performing as well, as they do at so many Irish music shows, for both local and traveling acts, in this region.

The event falls just days ahead of Imbolc, a major Irish festival halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Christianized as the Feast of St. Brigid, Imbolc traditionally celebrates the onset of spring: sowing and cleaning and welcoming new lambs. Prepare to find yourself awash in conviviality and raucous joy.

Musical Marvels Friday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m.

Marbin w/ Brad & the Big Wave,

Charles Wesley Godwin w/Jordan

Watkins Family Hour with Courtney

Tedeschi Trucks Band w/ Raye

Gabe’s, Iowa City, $10

Sellergren, Wildwood Saloon,

Hartman, Englert, $20-32

Zaragoza, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $49.50-84.50

$12-15 Saturday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m.

Slim Chance w/Hayden Allan,

Saturday, Jan. 15 at 9 p.m.

Nelly w/ Blanco Brown,

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City, $15

Own Da Stage: Hip Hop Showcase,

Powerhouse Arena, Cedar Rapids,

Kaki King, Englert, $15-25

Gabe’s, $20

$36.50-122

Lucinda Williams and Her Band,

Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m.

Avey Grouws Band, Wildwood

Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $20-53

Orchestra Iowa Presents Three’s

Mungion, Gabe’s, $15

Saloon, $15

Friday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan.14 at 7:30 p.m.

a Crowd: Musical Trios, Coralville Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14 and

Center for the Performing Arts,

Sunday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m.

15 at 7:30 p.m.

$10-25

Patty Griffin with Parker Millsap,

Stormy Chromer w/ In The Attic,

Englert, $20-40

Gabe’s, $10

Orchestra Iowa Presents Three’s a Crowd: Musical Trios, Opus Concert

Wednesday and Friday, Jan. 19

Cafe, Cedar Rapids, $10-25

and 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m.

The Dead South with Rainbow

Maul w/ Swing Low & More, Gabe’s,

Girls, Englert, $33-59

$10

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Yesterday and Today: The

Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.

Interactive Beatles Experience,

Aaron Watson, Wildwood Saloon,

Theatre Cedar Rapids, $37-50

$29.50-35

54 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

AROUND THE CRANDIC

Saturday, Jan. 29, 12 & 3

p.m., Puzzle

Palooza, NewBo City

Market, Cedar Have you got a puzzle penchant?

Do you separate the edge pieces and build the frame first or group pieces by color for easier reference? Brush off your skills and get ready to spend National Puzzle Day in competition! Put together a team of family for the 12 p.m.

500-piece competition ($30, must include one player under 15) or gather your adult friends to tackle a 750-piece challenge at 3 p.m. ($40). Entry fees include the puzzle to keep and four drink tickets to NewBo Beer & Wine. Winners in each competition will take home a NewBo Market gift certificate ($50 and $75, respectively). All participants will receive the same puzzle design per category (designs will not be announced prior to the event). Winner is whichever team finishes first or whichever has the fewest remaining unplaced pieces at the end of two hours.

Little Village

Rapids, $30-40

Community Connections Saturday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. Joy

Friday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. 2022

Sunday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. Beat the

March, Public Space One, Iowa City,

Downtown Hot Cocoa Crawl,

Bitter: Fire & Ice Free Family Day,

Free

Downtown Iowa City, $15

Penn Meadows Park, North Liberty,

Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. Beat

Hawkeye Area Grand Gaelic Isles

the Bitter: KICK Winter in the

Sunday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. Iowa City

Society (H.A.G.G.I.S.) Presents:

SnowBALL, Penn Meadows Park,

Area Chinese Association Lunar

Burns Dinner 2022, St. Wenceslaus

North Liberty, $100/team (specta-

New Year Gala, Coralville Center for

Church, Cedar Rapids, Free-$20

tors free)

the Performing Arts, $10-14

Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. A lec-

Saturday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. Beat the

ture on Slovak headdresses with

Coralville BrrrFest 2022, Hyatt

Bitter: Fireworks, Penn Meadows

Helene Cincebeaux, National Czech

Regency Coralville, $40-55

Park, North Liberty, Free

Free

and Slovak Museum and Library, Online, Free

Saturday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. Beat the Bitter: 5K-ish Glow Run, Liberty Pond, North Liberty, $15-25

OUR SERVICES, WITH DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS AND UI EMPLOYEES:

454 FIRST AVENUE, CORALVILLE, IA 52241 319-338-1815

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56 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

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LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 57

EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

DES MOINES

Sunday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m.,

Iowa Reptile Show, Hilton Garden Inn, West Des Moines,Free-$29

via Iowa Reptile Show

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who you couldn’t pay to get within 50 miles of this event, and those who you couldn’t keep away if you tried! If you fall into the former camp, this is your fair warning to steer clear of this spot. For all you ophiophilists and amateur herpetologists, though, your time is now! Area breeders will be in attendance with their reptiles, amphibians, feeders, invertebrates and more, along with supply vendors with everything you need to buy and outfit cages and tanks.

Family entry (two adults and up to four children, age 5-10) is $29; individual adult and child tickets are $10 and $5, respectively, and children age 4 and under are free. This event is bound to be sssssuper awesssssome!

Dynamic DSM Saturdays in January and

Friday, Jan. 14 at 9 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

February, 10 a.m.

Overnight Video Game Lock-in,

Mungion, Lefty’s Live Music, $15

Meet the Author: Julie Stone, He’s

Brown’s Woods Woodland

The Lobby Game Lounge, Des

Restoration, Stewards of Brown’s

Moines, $35

With the Band, Beaverdale Books, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22 at

Des Moines, Free

6 p.m.

Woods, West Des Moines, Free Saturday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m.

Indulge—A Wine, Cheese and

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8 at 5 p.m

Naughty Nerds Cabaret Presents

Chocolate Affair, West End

Reaping Asmodeia w/ Terraform,

Ashland w/ Joey Fleming, Lefty’s

Naughtier & Nerdier, xBk Live,

Architectural Salvage, Des Moines,

In Search of Solace, Lefty’s Live

Live Music, Des Moines, $10

$25-35

$50

Music, $12

Sundays, Jan. 9, 16, 23 & 30 at 7

Saturday, Jan. 15 at 9 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

p.m.

IOWATECHNO TAKEOVER w/

Poundgame Addison, xBk Live,

World of Whiskey Tasting

Dan Tedesco January Residency,

MINXX, DJN & MOREIT, Platform,

$10-13

Experience, The Tea Room, Des

xBk Live, Des Moines, $15-45

Des Moines, $10-20

Moines, $110-160 Tuesday, Jan. 25-Sunday, Jan. 30,

Friday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

times vary

Friday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.

Zap Tura w/ Skyscraper, xBk Live,

Tedeschi Trucks Band w/ Raye

That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet

Storyhouse Book Pub Presents:

$10-13

Zaragoza, Des Moines Civic Center,

Parody, Temple Theater, Des

Author Afterparty w/ Tracey

$29.50-74.50

Moines, $32-45

Garvis-Graves + Prairie Rose Desserts, RAYGUNshirts Mezzanine, Des Moines, $6

58 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 59

EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

QUAD CITIES

Quintessential QC Saturday, Jan. 1 at 3 p.m. Harlem Globetrotters, TaxSlayer Center, Moline, IL $20-300 Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Family History for Future Generations: Genealogy with Dan Foley, Davenport via Quad Cities DSA

Public Library, Virtual, Free

Saturday, Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. Bald Eagle Days, QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island, IL, $1-6 Sunday, Jan. 9 at 9 a.m. Roller Derby Bootcamp with

Saturday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., Mutual

Aid

Fundraiser, Village Theater, Davenport, $10 The Quad Cities DSA is hosting a fundraiser to help combat food scarcity and build community solidarity. They have started construction on community food pantry boxes (think: Little Free Library) and plan to distribute them across the Quad Cities in as many neighborhoods as possible, especially those which are more likely to experience food insecurity. The fundraiser will include live music and entertainment, raffles for various prizes and mystery boxes. All ages 18+ are welcome. COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place (masks required).

QC Rollers, Eldridge Community Center Roller Rink, $75 annual fee Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6:15 p.m. Radical Readings: We Do This ’Til We Free Us, Quad Cities DSA, Virtual, Free Friday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Special Needs Night, Family Museum, Bettendorf, Free Sunday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Artist Talk with Jeanne O’Melia, The Artsy Bookworm, Rock Island, Free —Sarah Elgatian

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EDITORS’ PICKS: January 2022

CEDAR FALLS / WATERLOO

Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., Final

Thursday Reading Series: Kamyar Enshayan, kicks off their monthly reading series for 2022 with Kamyar Enshayan, author of My Citizenship Papers (2020). In the essay collection, University of Northern Iowa professor Enshayan explores the ways in which he has come to think of Iowa as home, and the people, places and experiences that made that transition not just possible, but inevitable. Enshayan is the director of the UNI Center of Energy & Environmental Education and consults with communities on ways to strengthen their local economies, as well as having served on the boards of FoodRoutes Network, the Iowa Association for Energy Efficiency, and the National Farm to School Network. Proceeds from the sale of his essay collection benefit the Waterloo nonprofit Youth Art Team.

Wildest W’loo + more!

Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. TOM Film Premiere,

Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. Red Herring Theatre

Saturday, Jan. 15 at 8:30 p.m. The Beaker

Marcus Cinemas, Waterloo, $10

Presents: Native Gardens, Hearst Center for the

Brothers, Screaming Eagle American Bar and

Arts, Cedar Falls

Grill, Waterloo, Free

DJ Mase, Hive Mind, Octopus College Hill, Cedar

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14-15 at 7:30 p.m.

Fridays-Sundays, Jan. 21-30 Frozen Jr.,

Falls, $5

Cedar Valley Youth Theatre Presents: The Gospel

Waterloo Community Playhouse, $10-15

Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. Deep Dive: Obeygrey,

According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy, Cedar Falls Women’s Club and Online, $5

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via Kamyar Enshayan

Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, Free Final Thursday Press

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DEAR KIKI

JANUARY 3-21

in the PS1 GALLERY Lydia Diemer Betsy Hunt Lindsey Schmitt

a show about boredom, fashion, death, and time 229 N. Gilbert publicspaceone.com fuzzydaydream.com

D

ear Kiki, I’m a teenage girl who is living with her single mom. My parents went through a rough divorce a few years ago and my dad refuses to pay for anything and basically has nothing to do with me. In a nutshell, he’s a deadbeat. My mom and I are actually pretty close; we do a lot of stuff together, more like close friends than mother and daughter at times. But lately my mom seems to be kind of manic-depressive. If we watch a really good TV show or if we go out for lunch or shopping, she’s super cheerful and fun to be around, but at home, she has become extra-irritable, and it happens so fast. She seems to be in a terrible mood more often than not, and I’m never sure if it’s something I’ve done or not. For example, if she has to drop me off at school one morning, she’s in a terrible mood and gets really mad and yells at me because I can’t get my frozen car door open. The other night, I was in the bathroom brushing my hair and she walked by and gave me a total side-eye glare. Like the kind you get from a mean girl in high school.

I asked her why she did it, and long story short, she screamed at me about how she’s had a really long day and she does not need to be accused of doing something she didn’t do from a brat like me.

We did not speak for days. It seems to turn on and off at really strange times, and she’s become kind of unpredictable: I’m always wary of what her mood is going to be when I get home from school, and I’m always afraid that I’ve done something wrong or that her mood is my fault. She gets mad whenever I try to explain my feelings, and tells me that I’m accusing and blaming her unfairly. What can I do to end this? It’s exhausting and killing my mental health. Thank you so much.

—Daughter Dearest

D

ear Dearest, There are any number of things that could be happening here, honestly, and it will be hard to hear and harder to accept, but very, very few of the possibilities have to do with you (think: anything from menopause to a failed romantic relationship she didn’t feel comfortable telling you about to problems at work that she doesn’t want to burden you with to simply the overwhelming stress that many people are feeling in pandemic year two).

Does that make your relationship and communication easier? Heck no! It makes both infinitely harder, and I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing this situation. I bet life would be peachy if I could just tell you, “Hey, you’re doing X, Y, Z wrong,” and then you could fix it and get back to “normal,” hunh? Hard times are that much harder to endure when all you can offer someone you care about is

LittleVillageMag.com/DearKiki

patience.

But I hope my answer can be a balm, too.

Because when two people live alone together (you don’t mention any siblings or roommates), one of the hardest things to bear is the weight of being everything to one another. The closer your relationship, the trickier it is to allow yourself to let go of that expectation. But you must, for the sake of your relationship with each other and both of your relationships with others in the future. You’re not your mother’s sole source of joy or support, no matter how valuable you are to her—and you aren’t at fault when she’s not joyful or she’s feeling unsupported, either.

One thing you can do to move forward in this situation, Dearest, is to request that you see a family therapist together and/or you each start seeing someone individually. I know that isn’t always an option in all circumstances, whether due to money or time, but a lot of youth support orgs (like UAY in Iowa City, AbbeHealth Services in Cedar Rapids, Scott County Kids in the Quad Cities and Children & Families of Iowa across the central part of the state) offer such services at reduced or sliding rates. Bringing in a third party can serve as a buffer for your frustrations and help you give each other grace again.

Regardless if that is a possibility or not, challenge yourself to be as patient with yourself as you are with her. The parent-child dynamic can complicate things, but at the end of the day you’re both just people. You don’t need to be perfect in order to make things easier for her.

Just cherish the good times, apologize sincerely when you’re wrong and make sure you practice the precept of “show, don’t tell” when it comes to love. I hope your rough patch will be brief. xoxo, Kiki

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS! Questions about love and sex in the Iowa City—Cedar Rapids area can be submitted to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com, or anonymously at littlevillagemag.com/ dearkiki. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 63

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64 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

AST R O LO GY

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Microbiologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. It was later described as “the single greatest victory ever achieved over disease”—an antidote to dangerous infections caused by bacteria. But there’s more to the story. Fleming’s strain of penicillin could only be produced in tiny amounts—not nearly enough to become a widespread medicine. It wasn’t until 1943 that a different strain of penicillin was found—one that could be mass-produced. The genius who made this possible was Mary Hunt, a humble researcher without a college degree. By 1944, the new drug was saving thousands of lives. I mention Hunt because she’s a good role model for you in 2022. I believe you’ll have chances to improve on the work of others, generating excellent results. You may also improve on work you’ve done in the past.

THE IOWA CITY POLICE LOG A coffee table book

ON SALE NOW LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/POLICE—LOG

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Catherine Pugh wrote a series of children’s books collectively known as Healthy Holly. Later, when she became mayor of the city of Baltimore, she carried out a scheme to sell 100,000 copies to hospitals and schools that did business with the city. Uh-oh. Corruption! She was forced to resign from her office and was arrested. I’d love for you to be aggressive and imaginative in promoting yourself in 2022, but only if you can find ethical ways to do so. I’d love for you to make money from doing what you do best, but always with high integrity and impeccability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean Vaslav Nijinsky is regarded by many as the 20th century’s most brilliant dancer. He had a robust relationship with beauty, and I want you to know about it. Hopefully, this will inspire you to enjoy prolonged periods of Beauty Worship in 2022. To do so will be good for your health.

Memorize this passage from Nijinsky: “Beauty is God. God is beauty with feeling. Beauty is in feeling. I love beauty because I feel it and therefore understand it. I flaunt my beauty. I feel love for beauty.”

By Rob Brezsny

porcelain urinal. Marcel Duchamp, the artist who presented it, was a critic of the art market and loved mocking conventional thought. Years later, however, evidence emerged suggesting that Fountain may not have been Duchamp’s idea—that in fact he “borrowed” it from Cancerian artist and poet Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. There’s still disagreement among art scholars about what the facts are. But if definitive proof ever arrives that von Freytag-Loringhoven was the originator, it will be in 2022. This will be the year many Cancerians finally get the credit they deserve.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Carson McCullers wrote the novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. Early in the story, the character named Mick Kelly has a crisis of yearning. McCullers describes it: “The feeling was a whole lot worse than being hungry for any dinner, yet it was like that. I want—I want—I want—was all that she could think about—but just what this real want was she did not know.” If you have ever had experiences resembling Mick’s, Leo, 2022 will be your year to fix that glitch in your passion. You will receive substantial assistance from life whenever you work on the intention to clarify and define the specific longings that are most essential to you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): After careful research, I have concluded that one of your important missions in 2022 will be to embody a perspective articulated by poet Rand Howells: “If I could have but one wish granted, it would be to live in a universe like this one at a time like the present with friends like the ones I have now and be myself.” In other words, Virgo, I’m encouraging you to do whatever’s necessary to love your life exactly as it is—without comparing it unfavorably to anyone else’s life or to some imaginary life you don’t actually have.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Historians disagree about the legacy of Jimmie Carter, who was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Was he effective or not? Opinions differ. But there’s no ambiguity about a project he pursued after his presidency. He led a global effort to eliminate a pernicious disease caused by the guinea worm parasite. When Carter began his work, 3.5 million people per year suffered from the parasite’s debilitating effects. Today, there are close to zero victims. Will 2022 bring an equivalent boon to your life, Aries? The banishment of an old bugaboo? A monumental healing? I suspect so.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If your quest for spiritual enlightenment doesn’t enhance your ability to witness and heal the suffering of others, then it’s fake enlightenment. If your quest for enlightenment encourages you to imagine that expressing personal freedom exempts you from caring for the well-being of your fellow humans, it’s fake. If your quest for enlightenment allows you to ignore racism, bigotry, plutocracy, misogyny and LGBTQIA-phobia, it’s fake. Everything I just said about enlightenment is equally true about your quest for personal success. If it doesn’t involve serving others, it’s meaningless. In this spirit, Libra, and in accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to make 2022 the year you take your compassion and empathy to the highest level ever.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 2022, I hope you will express more praise than ever before. I hope you’ll be a beacon of support and inspiration for the people you care for. The astrological omens suggest this could be a record-breaking year for the blessings you bestow. Don’t underestimate your power to heal and instigate beneficial transformations. Yes, of course, it’s a kind and generous strategy for you to carry out. But it will also lead to unforeseen rewards that will support and inspire and heal you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Two mating rabbits could theoretically engender 11 million relatives within a year’s time.

Although I suspect that in 2022 you will be as metaphorically fertile as those two hypothetical rabbits, I’m hoping you’ll aim more for quality than quantity. To get started, identify two projects you could pursue in the coming months that will elicit your most liberated creativity. Write a vow in which you state your intention to be intensely focused as you express your fecundity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you search Google, you’ll be told that the longest biography ever written is the 24-volume set about British political leader Winston Churchill. But my research shows there’s an even more extensive biography: about Japan’s Emperor Hirohito, who lived from 1901 to 1989. His story consists of 61 volumes. In the spirit of these expansive tales, and in accordance with 2022’s astrological aspects, I encourage you to create an abundance of noteworthy events that will deserve inclusion in your biography. Make this the year that warrants the longest and most interesting chapter in that masterpiece.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A blogger named Soracities writes, “The more I read, the more I feel that a good mark of an intelligent book is simply that the author is having fun with it.” Sagittarian author George Saunders adds that at its best, “Literature is a form of fondness-for-life. It is love for life taking a verbal form.” I will expand these analyses to evaluate everything that humans make and do. In my opinion, the supreme sign of intelligence and value is whether the creators had fun and felt love in doing it. My proposal to you, Sagittarius, is to evaluate your experiences in that spirit. If you are doing things with meager amounts of fun and love, what can you do in 2022 to raise the fun and love quotient?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): One of the 20th century’s most famous works of art was Fountain. It was scandalous when it appeared in 1917, since it consisted entirely of a white

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 65

66 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

LO C A L A L B U M S

Submit albums for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque St., IC, IA 52240

with conviction by Tutson—they express love in a powerfully evocative way.

Tutson’s old school vocals on “I Still Believe” (another quasi-religious idea employed in service of a love song) call to mind Smokey Robinson, and his ringing guitar tone manages to both ground the song and give it an ethereal feel.

James Tutson Still JAMESTUTSON.COM

J

ames Tutson did not get any chairs to turn with his blind audition performance on The Voice in March of this year. But those who have heard the Iowa City musician—live or on record—know that his sometimes sweet and sometimes raw vocal tone and thoughtfully creative lyrics have the ability to turn a music fan’s head.

Tutson and Tyler Carrington, a member of James Tutson and the Rollback, recorded a new EP titled Still in their individual homes during the pandemic. Carrington played drums and keys (including piano, organ and Wurlitzer) while Tutson handled all the other instruments, including guitar and bass.

Given the circumstances of its recording, Still has impressively high production values, and Tutson’s voice shines through.

Tutson employs religious imagery and the musical textures and tropes from church music to create a secular EP with decidedly spiritual underpinnings. On the EP’s first track, “I’ll Be Around,” an organ adds a gospel feel to a song about steadfast love—the kind of love God might promise his followers, in this case presented as a man offering that love to someone dear to him.

The next track, “Holy,” is an extended religious metaphor in which the singer’s beloved is described as, among much else, “my chapel pew,” “my hymnal book” and “my testimony.” Read on the page, those metaphors might seem hokey, but in the context of the song—and sung

TUTSON’S OLD SCHOOL VOCALS ON “I STILL BELIEVE” CALL TO MIND SMOKEY ROBINSON, AND HIS RINGING GUITAR TONE MANAGES TO BOTH GROUND THE SONG AND GIVE IT AN ETHEREAL FEEL. The EP’s fourth track, “Shine on Me,” offers up some interesting stop-and-go rhythms in the verses and a clever set of chorus lyrics built around the idea that the moon needs the sun in order to shine—“I need your shine on me” is the driving phrase. By this point in the recording, it is nearly impossible not to hear the lyric as religion-adjacent even as the Tutson continues to sing love songs.

For the final track, “Still Love,” Tutson slows things way down, bringing both the special timbre of his voice and his carefully crafted lyrics to the fore.

You follow these tricksters cuz it’s nice to be tricked.

You drink their elixirs cuz it’s nice to feel fixed.

The song reminds us that “somethings don’t change,” and I would argue that one of those unchanging things is the high level of Tutson’s work as both a singer and a songwriter. He and Carrington have created something special with Still.

—Rob Cline

Justin K Comer & the Unblessed Rest of Us (self-titled EP) OXCARTNEWMUSIC.BANDCAMP.COM

W

hen Gabi Vanek announced on Facebook that the catch-all Ox Cart project would be formalized into a new Iowa City experimental music label, the skies opened and angels sang.

Well, not technically. But I might have squeeeed. Ghost Actions, Vanek’s 2020 project with Will Yager and the label’s technical first release, was a lovely early pandemic piece, literalizing the doubt and frustration of that time.

The label’s newest release, a self-titled EP from Justin K Comer & the Unblessed Rest of Us (out on tape Jan. 15), shows just what this community has to offer. With the Rest—Vanek on electronics, Jake Jones on drums and Yager on bass—guitarist Comer (also on radio and Zoom G2.1U effects pedal) offers dense novellas of sound, all spontaneous compositions credited to the entire group. These tracks are proof positive that collaborative composition is conversation. The back and forth between the group members is organic and familiar, speaking to a deep level of trust as well as individual skill.

Opener “Pray For Us Sinners” deftly employs vocal samples, both clear and emphatic (as with a segment from a speech on uprisings against police violence) and modified and twisted, as the dial spins to less defensible topics. It runs the gamut of human expression, ceding the foreground to the drums for a while partway through, which echo and emulate the mix of signal to

noise going on around them. Things feel dire toward the end.

Track two, which is untitled, enters with a bit more brightness, if not exactly hope. This is my favorite of the four; although it is even more meandering than the others, it also feels more purposeful, a quiet journey, a rhythmic traveling clacking and sometimes padding. It’s that moment at a party at 3 a.m., after an intense and heady conversation, when someone says, “Hey, let’s all go for a walk!” There’s subdued movement and soft side chatter and some inevitable playground swings that spark levity tinged with sadness: joy recollected from a distance.

“Catholic Independence” returns to clips of conversations on public safety and more, but it’s less tolerant of them. An almost traditional musical breakdown mid-track wants to cloud the fury with beauty, but the background buzz cannot be drowned. The drum riffs are familiar, frustrated, clipped and confrontational, before the track closes out on an ethereal ball of fuzz and tone and the repeated distinguishable snippet “activate independence.”

On “I Don’t Trust the Government,” the closing track, Jones’ drums are again front and center, telling the story with a frenetic urgency. Comer’s guitar is desperate to get a word in, joining like that one friend who sits back largely listening for hours then coughs up something profound. Everyone is in their element on this track, which dances between components and instruments with elegance, confidence and intent. The deep, droning close followed by echoing faint slams is an apt finale.

The titles feel appended after the fact, like names given to abstract paintings: both inspired by the content and part of it. Together, they frame and clarify the Joycean storytelling throughout. The fun of listening to this album is eclipsed only by the tease of how engaging it would be to see this group perform in person. There is so much more here than can be captured on an EP. —Genevieve Trainor

LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302 January 2022 67

LOCAL LIBRARIES LISTEN, INITIATE, TALK

www.CoralvillePublicLibrary.org Current Hours:

Mon-Th: 10 am - 7 pm Fri: 10 am - 6 pm Sat: 10 am - 4 pm Sun: 12 - 4 pm

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reference@coralville.org 68 January 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV302

It’s a Mystery Book Group JAN. 12 WEDNESDAY 10:00 AM ROOM A

Novel Conversations JAN. 21 THURSDAY 7:00 PM ONLINE

LO C A L B O O KS

John Darnielle Devil House MCD X FSG

A

merica loves a good murder.

Maybe we’ve always been this way, but sometime in the past few years, true crime evolved from guilty pleasure to passionate obsession. People discuss “blood spatter” and “Munchausen by proxy” with the same amateur enthusiasm once used to dissect Tarantino dialogue or the Cubs’ dubious playoff hopes.

Once the lurid domain of sleazy tabloids, true crime has become gleefully, gruesomely bingeable entertainment, from Netflix docuseries to murderino podcasts to New York Times best-sellers describing mayhem both historical and contemporary.

John Darnielle’s upcoming novel, Devil House, invites the reader to reconsider this fascination. Protagonist Gage Chandler is a true crime author who finds his next grisly subject in a news clipping about a 15-year-old murder in Milpitas, California: “The few choice bits were tantalizing enough—dead bodies atop a pyre of pornography, cryptograms in graffiti, the spectre of teenage Satanic rites jolting a sleepy town awake.”

When he learns the house where the murders took place is for sale, Chandler buys it and moves in, the better to absorb and understand the horror he struggles to relate: “I moved into this house to tell a story,” he narrates. “... to inhabit the carapace of the crime scene, to retrace the steps of the killer in order to better know his path.”

The teenagers caught up in the horrific murder Chandler is

Submit books for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque St., IC, IA 52240

attempting to retell would find themselves at home on the 2002 Mountain Goats album All Hail West Texas. Darnielle’s ability to evoke characters who are both flawed and sympathetic—characters to root for even though we understand they are doomed—is clear whether he’s writing lyrics or prose.

Devil House’s Jesse and Gene in many ways embody a worst-case scenario version of Cyrus and Jeff from the song “Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton.”

As Chandler digs into the truth of the crime that brought him to the Devil House, the conflict between the complex reality of the human experience and the reductive caricature of a true crime narrative becomes a sort of torture. Is it possible to write about the worst moment in a person’s life without reducing that life and the multitudes it contained to a single-dimensional identity: victim or murderer; monster or prey?

Darnielle’s genius maneuver is to both enable and challenge America’s murderphilia. Chandler’s obsessive research allows him to reconstruct visceral details, like a killer “sawing through cartilage, breathing through flared nostrils oblivious to the stench,” indulging our bloodlust, only to complicate that understanding by conjuring complicated, vulnerable individuals as they were before a single moment transformed them.

When Darnielle announced the launch of Devil House, he called it “a novel about stories and who gets to tell them.” What Chandler, and the reader, must ultimately confront is that when we talk True Crime, it is never the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And often as not, any truth those stories tell is more about the teller than the story.

Devil House will be released on Jan. 25. Please remember to support independent booksellers when adding it to your library.

—Adam Witte

Various Authors, Ed. Becca Klaver Midwinter Constellation BLACK LAWRENCE PRESS

M

idwinter Constellation is the collaborative effort of 32 poets paying homage to Midwinter Day,

by Bernadette Mayer, on the 40th anniversary of its creation. It is the brainchild of editor Becca Klaver who states in the afterword that she created this virtual space to be transparent and collaborative, following the “six-part structure of Bernadette Mayer’s epic of dailiness.” Constellation’s sections are divided into dreams, morning, noontime, afternoon, evening, night.

Before reading Midwinter Constellation I had to read Midwinter Day. And before reading Midwinter Day, I wanted to understand its significance to contemporary American poetry—everyone I knew in literature spent this past December preparing to celebrate the epic poem, designing a fundraiser for its creator.

The impact that Mayer releases in 119 pages is a subtle and slow burn, the story of a day resonating far beyond 1978, causing generations of poets and readers like me to acknowledge that there is meaning in the domestic, a spark of life in the things we take for granted. As with Mayer’s shifting format and language (sometimes rambling, sometimes concise and biting), the 32 women who pay tribute in Constellation match pitch, passion and tone as each section nods to its inspiration.

There is a magic to the original, and Klaver and Co. (as credited on the spine), with their deep connection to it, manage to capture that same lightning in this new bottle. “The wisdom of Mayer choosing the winter

solstice as the day for her project is revealed throughout our homage: it’s not only the shortest day of the year, but also one with an appealing mix of ordinariness and specialness,” Klaver notes, again in her afterword. “Is this the daily or a holiday? I find myself wondering as I reread our book. The answer is that here, again, is the epic everyday.”

I want to say that Constellation breathes new life into Midwinter Day, but that isn’t quite right. Learning the original text earlier this month, I was surprised to find how little it had aged since its conception. More accurately, what Constellation does renew its source material. In 2018, with all the technology and all the obligations of the world only having increased, we see more clearly that the issues Mayer discussed (shopping malls, parenting, wilderness) are ongoing—but we see them from more perspectives, which here coalesce.

There is no clear delineation between writers, the flow is seamless as it mirrors Mayer’s verse, as with this stanza from the Morning section, which likely resonates more universally upon the release of the publication than it may have when it was written: “Being far away from everyone you love / starts as personal novelty / ends as cultural condition.”

Beyond paying homage to Midwinter Day and Bernadette Mayer specifically (Klaver notes that the name “Bernadette” is used 25 times throughout the text, often appearing as a character), the contributing poets are also revering the written word itself, to the creative process. “Driving and listening to music is writing / just as for Bernadette / tape-recording and taking / pictures and making / spaghetti and dancing / to the Talking Heads / was writing.”

Klaver sums up the ambitious project simply: “It took thirty-two of us to prove again what Mayer already showed: if you heed one day closely enough, you will transcend the illusion that somehow our individual lives are ours alone.”

—Sarah Elgatian

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puzzle by Paolo Pasco and Banksy, art by Ricky Cruz

The American Values Club Crossword is edited by Ben Tausig.

A note from Paolo: Banksy and I tried to collaborate on this puzzle, but he hasn’t been helpful at all. After writing some terrible clues, he proceeded to tag the middle three rows of the grid in red and black, obscuring those squares. Anyway I’m fuming, and I need to do something about Banksy.

Hey, now he’s pouring brown oil in the shape of the ExxonMobil logo on my beautiful green lawn! I’m afraid he won’t leave until I can find a pithy name to describe his little pranks...

—P ACROSS 1. Drink you always order, with “the” 6. Between dry and drenched 10. Residue of a bonfire (or the name of a piece where I burned D*sney merchandise at the stake —B) 15. Helper who might need to be CPR-certified 16. Falco of the upcoming Impeachment: American Crime Story 17. Bell tower sound

18. The Good Place moral philosophy professor 19. Dessert whose name means “cooked cream” 21. Style for Selena and Shakira 23. Mountain 24. Preceding, in poetry 25. :, in analogies 27. Phrase on a gift tag 31. “You hate to see it” elicitor (also how I react to the state of today’s culture —B) 34. Perils for some soldiers?

36. Rita who’s the subject of the Who? Weekly segment “What’s Rita Up To?” 37. Nickname that’s “-art”-less?

38. Littles’ counterparts in sororities (don’t overthink this) 39. Stuff that could clean up the center of this grid, as well as the answers to the six bolded clues 43. “Now!” 45. JFMAMJJASOND makeup, for short 46. ___ Night in Miami 47. Flatbread snack bit 50. Everything remaining 54. God in the Egyptian pantheon 55. Feng ___ 57. Glide around in the winter 58. Hardly a positive impression?

60. Battle that led to the Emancipation Proclamation 63. With everything in its place 67. Item in a buffet stack 68. Strut your stuff 69. Tiny, tiny bit 70. Fall flower (ahh, but do people even know flowers anymore? Or do they only know ... phones —B) 71. She played Angelica to Philippa’s Eliza 72. Good at being bad 73. Documents at the center of some murder mysteries DOWN 1. Some family reunion parties 2. Desert home to rock art 3. Part of USA (surprised the answer to this isn’t “corporate greed” —B) 4. “___ quote ...”

5. “Why the F*ck You ___” (Vine song) 6. See out of a seat?

7. Gain opposable thumbs, maybe 8. Pachinko author ___ Jin Lee 9. They’re often chained to bank counters (that just gave me a great art piece idea —B) 10. Not turn away 11. Shampooer’s suds?

12. Resonate 13. “House” party?

14. Home for a salt, or word that can precede “salt” 20. Mountains and mountains 22. One whose city has a towering reputation?

26. “Frick!” and “Crud!”

28. Grooming brand that anagrams to a country 29. Low fig. for a gas guzzler 30. Start of something?

32. Formal dress code requirement, for some 33. “34+35” artist, to fans 35. Rapa ___ 37. Subway map nodes 39. Fancy spread in a fancy spread 40. Likely reaction to hearing about the art piece where they simulated birth with a live greased hog (it was actually very deep and good —B)

41. Totally shut down, as the other baseball team’s lineup 42. 22.5 deg.

43. “Undress to your level of comfort” place 44. Robinson of I Think You Should Leave 48. Be expressive, perhaps 49. “___ of the Southern Isles” (Frozen: The Musical song) 50. You can dig it!

51. Will concern 52. Glided around in the winter 53. Chess tournament devices 56. Country that is home to Sans-Souci Palace 59. Like “frick” or “crud,” swear-wise 61. “Tablet” that isn’t medicinal (but some people depend on it like medicine ... that they’re addicted to —B) 62. “Failing that ...”

63. Negative conjunction 64. Female sheep (but maybe the real sheep is ... the office drone —B) 65. “Parks and Rec” character who eventually moves to ___ Arbor 66. Perspective, for short

LV301 ANSWERS N A P A

O V A L

R A F T

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O P R A H

I T S M E

C A N O N

B A G G A G E C A R O L

S T O O P D O U L A R E L O

E AQ A R MU R E F F E T OME A RM N HOO F B S L E T H E Y WA X L O T F G E A R B L OW I T E N S E F S D L T H E A S EG G K EG

U A NG C T

I M P A S S E S

S H OOD AWA F RCR AME O I L U E U A A R S L MU T DO MUM R I T I R S A R T N SWE E NGA F F R A L O T EM I B R A R E S NOU S A T ON S I S ME T A

S T Y L E S A Y T O Y E L L

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