When musicians perform, audience members only see the final portion of their work. That show, concert, or gig is only the end of a larger process that takes hours, days, and even years of investment and preparation. The compensation for these performances rarely...
Every year, I dive through the music industry’s “best of” lists, looking for albums and artists that made a splash or flew under my radar. This January, scrolling through lists from NPR, Pitchfork, the Guardian, and other tastemakers, one pattern became extremely...
A village in Kenya serves as the colorful backdrop for the drama that unfolds in the film “Rafiki” meaning ‘friend’ or ‘companion’ in Swahili. “Rafiki” is adapted from a short story by Monica Arac de Nyeko called “Jambula Tree.” For a short story adaptation, the...
Caleb Rainey Iowa’s spoken word community is a snowball rolling down a hill, picking up participants and supporters at a self-propelling pace. From major poetry slams in Des Moines, Iowa City, Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, and Ames, to other spoken word showcases...
Lisa Skriver provides a review of Cassandro, The Exotico!, a documentary about Lucha Libre pro wrestling pioneer Saúl Armendáriz.
