Abbey Paxton opened Storyhouse Bookpub in 2021. Swing by for Indie Bookstore Day to grab some merch and a new novel. (Photo: Duane Tinkey) This Saturday, April 27, is Independent Bookstore Day, and our local sellers are celebrating accordingly. Eight book stores scattered through Ames, Ankeny, Des Moines and Indianola have teamed up to create a weekend passport challenge for readers and shoppers, with various deals, activities and goodies to mark the day. Collect a passport stamp at all eight locations and be entered into a drawing to win a $100 shopping spree. Here’s what’s in store ..read more

Ballet Des Moines company dancer Chiyo Nishida plays Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” April 26-28. (Photo: Jami Milne) This weekend Ballet Des Moines presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It’s a hilarious twist on the Shakespeare classic, in which mischievous fairies, jesters and a love-inducing flower wreak havoc on everyone’s romantic plans. The company’s artistic director, Tom Mattingly, has coached dancers from across the metro area through the choreography by Peter Anastos, who is known for his humor-infused style. The score by Felix Mendelssohn sets the perfect tone, including the f ..read more

Chef Sydney Henricks has cooked up a delicious new menu at Ankeny’s Trailside Tap. (Photo: Trailside Tap) By Karla Walsh In March, chef Mike Holman forged a new path, shifting from uptown Ankeny’s Trailside Tap to downtown Des Moines’ Mulberry Street Tavern. In the process, he left some big shoes to fill. (See our write-up from 2021. Warning: It’ll make you hungry.) Fortunately, during a recent visit to the Trailside Tap, at 710 S.W. Third St., right next to the High Trestle Trail, I was thrilled to learn the bistro is still in very capable hands. As soon as I asked the bartender who the new e ..read more

By Steve Dinnen Housing has gotten more expensive, by a lot. In just the past four years, calculations by Bankrate.com show that it takes 39.9% more money to afford a median priced home in Iowa. As of January, you’d need an annual salary of $65,314 to afford that home, compared to just $46,678 four years earlier. Bankrate pegged the median sale price of an Iowa home at $223,500. That’s relatively good news, since its review of all 50 states showed that an Iowa home is cheaper than nearly any other place in the nation. All neighboring states post higher sale prices than Iowa, and all require ..read more

Fashion designer Miller McCoy returns to Iowa this weekend. (Photo: themillermccoy.com) By Hailey Evans Los Angeles-based fashion designer Miller McCoy will return to Des Moines this weekend to participate in the 2024 Bubble Ball, the annual ChildServe fundraiser set for April 20 at the Iowa Events Center. The designer plans to show off a new garment (pictured) inspired by the 2001 movie “Spy Kids,” and he’s eager to support both his hometown and a charity that’s close to his heart. As a child, McCoy spent some time at Blank Children’s Hospital, in treatment for chronic pain. “I’ve been in th ..read more

Gladys Knight (Photo: Cineflix) Get ready to welcome the legendary Gladys Knight back to town Sunday for a concert at the new Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee. The Empress of Soul has been captivating audiences with her powerhouse voice ever since she won a TV singing contest at the tender age of 8. Sixty years and 10 Grammys later, she’s still wowing audiences with hits like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” This weekend’s concert marks Knight’s first return to Central Iowa since 2020, following a global tour, a whirlwind of TV and film appearances and a Kennedy ..read more

Cosi Cucina’s creamy potato ravioli is a time-tested favorite, either at the restaurant or to go, like the dish pictured here. (Photo: Seeta Lee) By Seeta Lee It’s 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night at Cosi Cucina, and there’s a wait. Tuesday is typically a slow night for most restaurants, but not here. In a nondescript brick building at 1975 N.W. 86th St. in Clive, Cosi is somehow both easy to miss and impossible to pass up. It’s been open for more than 30 years, and there’s almost always a wait. However, whenever I mention Cosi to others, they tell me, “I’ve still never been there,” and “Oh! I forgot ..read more

Caleb Rainey will emcee a Poetry Palooza! program on April 20, featuring poets Traci Brimhall, Paul Brooke, Camille Dungy, Jennifer L. Knox and Debra Marquart. A pride of lions. A parliament of owls. An eloquence of poets? We’re not sure what the best word is, but there’s a good chance the poets themselves could figure it out during this year’s Poetry Palooza! set for April 19 and 20 at Grand View University. The second annual festival, smack dab in the middle of National Poetry Month, is a celebration of the written, re-written, re-re-written, spoken, shouted and whispered word. This year’s p ..read more

The Latino Film Festival features several genres from Latino producers, directors and students April 16-19 at the Fleur Cinema and Cafe. (Photo: Latino Center of Iowa) How does a 40-year-old woman find meaning in life after a career as a hitman? That’s the question at the heart of “PLACEADA,” a documentary by Mexican filmmaker Alejandra Sanchez Orozco. It’s just one of the films that will be screened during the Des Moines Latino Film Festival, set for April 16-19 at Fleur Cinema and Cafe. During the free four-day celebration, untold stories from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the United St ..read more

The chicken shawarma from Karam’s Grill Food Truck comes in a wrap or a bowl. Both versions are loaded with grilled chicken and veggies, plus hummus, tzatziki sauce, feta and optional Sriracha or harissa sauces. (Photo: Karam’s Grill Food Truck) By Mathany Ahmed The past month of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month, has been a time of reflection, devotion and fasting for many Muslims around the world and here in Central Iowa. Now that the crescent moon has graced the night sky, Eid al-Fitr dawned today, marking the end of Ramadan and the beginning of three days of festivities. For practicing Muslim ..read more