Greetings, Cultural Adventurers:
7/1/2026
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, Iowa comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning indie radio station,
KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content.
Quote of the Week –
“[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”
― John Adams, The Letters of John and Abigail Adams
Newsletter content:
I. Iowa Flash Buzz – Iowa/Greater Des Moines cultural news of the week;
II. Guests on this week’s show;
III. Performance Arts (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
IV. Visual Arts (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
V. Auditions and other engagement opportunities (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
VI. Planning ahead;
VII. Author events (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
I. Iowa Flash Buzz –
Weary Ramblers open this year’s Yankee Doodle Pops Concert
Add a dash of America’s milestone 250th year, and this year promises to be a most memorable experience. Fri Jul 3 on the west side of the Iowa State Capitol.
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https://dmsymphony.org/concerts-events/yankee-doodle-pops/
Des Moines Metro Opera season beckons
The 2026 Summer Festival started this past week, and continues with Toscaon Fri Jul 3, King Roger on Sat Jul 4, and Of Mice and Men on Sun Jul 5.
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https://desmoinesmetroopera.org/events/2026/July
Des Moines Community Playhouse. Legally Blonde: The Musical. Jul 10-26. https://dmplayhouse.com/events/legally-blonde/
Shakespeare on the Lawn. Measure for Measure. Jul 15-19.
https://shakespeareonthelawn.com/
II. This week’s guests on The Culture Buzz –
11:00 AM – Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is a poet, writer, and transformative language artist who continues to share her powerfully engaging writing in her new book, The Magic Eye: A Story of Saving a Life and a Place in an Age of Anxiety. Listen as Caryn shares glimpses into the beck story of this beautifully written story.
“Caryn is a former poet laureate of Kansas who has published a couple of dozen books, both fiction and poetry, but “Magic Eye” is unlike anything she’s written before — memoir, yes, but also a kind of found poem in the dust bin of the universe.”
~ Max McCoy, from “In a Forthcoming Memoir, a Kansas Writer Sees the Land and Herself Anew” in the Kansas Reflector
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https://www.carynmirriamgoldberg.com/
11:19 AM – Susan Werner shares “(She’ll Kill You in) Scrabble” from her latest album, Eight MORE Unnecessary Songs.
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https://susanwerner.com/release/eight-more-unneccessary-songs/
11:22 AM – The Weary Ramblers have captivated an ever-growing legion of fans as they continue their ascension as one of America’s top Americana/Folk duos. Winners of the 2025 Josie Music Awards “Americana Song of the Year (Duo/Group/Collab),” winners of the 2025 Iowa Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category, winners of 21st annual International Acoustic Music Awards in “Best Group/Duo” category – their deserved recognition continues to grow. Listen for an insightful chat with this gracious pair of Iowa musicians.
“Chad Elliott and Kathryn Severing Fox, now and forever forged together as Weary Ramblers, form a musical bond that keeps producing melodic magic. Their debut self-titled album was followed by “Driftwood,” another treasure trove of musical gems. Latch onto this dynamic duo as they joyfully fill your life with irresistibly evocative storytelling music.”
– The Culture Buzz
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https://www.wearyramblers.com/
11:40 AM – In Frontier Comrades: From the Fur Trade to the Ford Car, writer, historian and exceptional researcher Jim Wilke tells the stories of six lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lives on the frontier of the American West. Each account interprets this history through experiences that take place in different parts of the West, moving chronologically from the fur trade era to the dawn of the automobile age. Absolutely fascinating.
“Jim Wilke’s vividly drawn histories evoke sexual and cultural borderlands. . . . Readers will encounter here a West that is both familiar from countless frontier narratives and yet unfamiliar in its well-documented accounts of LGBTQ stories. Together these portraits reinstate complexity and humanity to storied times and places—gay, lesbian, and transgender lives that were there all along.”
—Josh Garrett-Davis, H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western American History at the Huntington
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https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/bison-books/9781496242228/frontier-comrades/
11:57 AM – Susan Werner shares “Mister Cologne” from her latest album, Eight MORE Unnecessary Songs.
12:00 PM – John Krantz is passionate about jazz. He performs it, he mentors through it, and he celebrates the best annual event for this special art form: Jazz in July. Listen as John describes the feast of musicians during the show lineup each Tuesday in July, 7, 14, 21, 28.
12:12 PM – William Bernhardt blends meticulous research and eye-popping facts with his fair for exceptional writing to give readers a comprehensive understanding about an American icon: Superman. In The Superman Wars: A Battle for Truth, Justice, and an American Icon, William traces the origin and ownership travails of creator Jerry Siegel in a captivating tale.
In The Superman Wars, Bernhardt pulls back the curtain on the legal, cultural, and ethical conflicts that shaped the Man of Steel and forever changed the comics industry.
“Most people think they know the backstory of Superman. They don’t,” says Bernhardt.
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12:27 PM – Salvatore Marici reads “Relations” from his collection, Swish, Swirl & Sniff.
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https://icecubepress.com/2014/02/06/swish-swirl-sniff-3/
12:28 PM – The incomparable thriller duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child returns with their latest. Badlands brings their keen storytelling skills to razor sharp execution in another unputdownable Nora Kelly novel. These two share fascinating glimpses into this story’s creation.
“Preston and Child’s fifth adventure featuring Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson (following Dead Mountain) tackles a terrific story while highlighting the continued growth of two stellar characters…Preston and Child were brilliant to team up Kelly and Swanson in their own series, bringing the legends and geography of the New Mexico badlands to life. This installment would be a great launching point for readers who haven’t read one of their books.”
―Library Journal (starred review)
![Hardcover Badlands [Large Print] Book](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ehlr!,w_217,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0e8635b-9416-4a52-a115-e8a7674add15_217x327.jpeg "Hardcover Badlands [Large Print] Book") |
12:42 PM – Another gem from Susan Werner’s new album, Eight MORE Unnecessary Songs, “You’re So Poor, All You Got Is Money.”
12:45 PM – Opening soon. Legally Blonde takes center stage Jul 10-26 as the summer blockbuster musical from the Des Moines Playhouse. Listen as insights into this fantastic musical from cast members Melina Murrane (as Elle) and Will C. Johnson (as Emmett) are delivered.
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https://dmplayhouse.com/events/legally-blonde/
III. Performance Arts
1. Des Moines Metro Opera. Summer Festival season now through Jul 19. https://desmoinesmetroopera.org/events/2026/July
2. Des Moines Community Playhouse. Legally Blonde! Jul 10-26.
3. Shakespeare on the Lawn. Measure for Measure. Jul 15-19.
4. CAP Classic Theatre in Altoona. Twelfth Night. Jul 23-26.
5. Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre. Rent: School Edition. Jul 24-Aug 2.
6. Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre. Rent: School Edition. Jul 24-Aug 2.
7. Runaway Twain. At Des Moines Playhouse Blackbox Theatre. Jul 26.
IV. Visual Arts – Exhibitions
Exhibitions –
· Des Moines Art Center. Christine Rebet, “Sound of Time” thru Aug 23. https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/christine-rebet/
· Des Moines Art Center. Artists Around a Table, “Artmaking and Merrymaking, 1927-1952” Thru Aug 30. https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/artists-around-a-table/
· Polk County Heritage Gallery. 2026 Iowa Exhibited thru early/mid Jul. https://www.polkcountyheritagegallery.org/up-next#iowa-exhibited-2026
1. Des Moines Art Center. 2 Re-connect with old favorites on exhibit from their permanent collection. Explore the constantly changing exhibits, from staff-curated to international, always ready to stimulate the imagination and senses. Always open (except holidays), always free.
https://desmoinesartcenter.org/
2. Brunnier Art Museum. Ames. 2 This is the flagship for the University Museums, a treasure trove of visual arts immersion on the Iowa State University campus, which includes the Christian Petersen Art Museum, The Farm House Museum, the Anderson Sculpture Garden and the Art on Campus Collection. https://www.museums.iastate.edu/visit/brunnier-art-museum
3. The Grinnell College Museum of Art. Grinnell. 2https://www.grinnell.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/museum
4. 2AU. West Des Moines. 1,2
5. Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Des Moines 2 I added this destination for its unique value as a “living gallery,” where the constantly changing floral exhibitions entice and delight.
https://www.dmbotanicalgarden.com/
6. Heritage Art Gallery. 2 Des Moines. http://www.polkcountyheritagegallery.org/
7. Hoyt Sherman Place Art Gallery. 2 Des Moines. https://hoytsherman.org/gallery/
8. IN Tandem Arts & Authors. 1,2 Des Moines. https://www.facebook.com/INTandemArtsAndAuthors/
9. Kavanaugh Art Gallery. West Des Moines. 1,2
10. Kunzler Studios. West Des Moines. 1,2 kunzlerstudios.com
11. Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design. Des Moines.
12. Moberg Gallery. Des Moines. 2
13. Olson-Larsen Galleries. West Des Moines.1,2
14. Polk County Heritage Gallery. Des Moines. 2
http://www.polkcountyheritagegallery.org/
15. Slow Down Coffee Shop. Des Moines. 2
https://www.theslowdowndsm.com/
16. Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure. Des Moines. 2 https://www.facebook.com/ZanzibarsCoffeeAdventure/
1Visit these galleries open during semi-annual Historic Valley Junction Gallery Nights.
2Check website for current exhibitions.
V. Auditions, Volunteer, and other Enhancement Opportunities –
“The Arts is a Contact Sport” (A Culture Buzz creed)
· AUDITIONS. Tallgrass Theatre Company, She Kills Monsters, Young Adventurers Edition Mon Jul 6, Tue Jul 7 at 6 PM. https://tallgrasstheatre.org/audition/
· AUDITIONS. Iowa Stage Theatre Company. Register to receive first notice of upcoming auditions. https://www.iowastage.org/upcoming-audition
· Additional volunteer opportunities abound – now is a great time to explore how to find other ways to engage with Central Iowa theatre companies. Assistance is always welcome, from costume and set building, to ushering, to back stage crew, find a short-term commitment that will be immensely gratifying.
Check out these theatre companies to consider a wide range of engagement opportunities.
1. About Time Theatre Company. https://abouttimetheatre.com/shows/
2. Ankeny Community Theatre. https://www.ankenycommunitytheatre.com/audition.html
3. Carousel Theatre of Indianola. https://carouseltheatre.org/?page_id=344
4. Class Act Productions (CAP). http://www.captheatre.org/main/expect/
5. Des Moines Community Playhouse. https://www.dmplayhouse.com/audition-2/
6. Des Moines Performing Arts. https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/
7. Des Moines Young Artists Theatre.
8. Iowa Stage Theatre Company. https://www.iowastage.org/audition
9. Once in a While Productions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/6717224708342610/
10. Pyramid Theatre Company. http://pyramidtheatre.org/
11. Tallgrass Theatre Company. https://tallgrasstheatre.org/audition/
12. The Ingersoll. https://www.theingersoll.com/
13. Theatre Midwest. https://www.theatremidwest.org/
14. Urbandale Community Theatre. https://urbandaletheatre.com/get-involved/
VI. Planning ahead
Roarin’ 20’s at Beaverdale Books
Celebrate the store’s expansion and 20-year anniversary with a 20% discount on most items.
Beaverdale Books has been in business for 20 years, and central Iowans are invited to a party! Stop by on Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to join in the fun and enjoy some birthday cake, champagne, and lemonade! Check out the great buys, including a 20% discount (except consignment books), Buy One, Get One offers on select hardcovers, plus FREE advance reader copies.
Cemetery Tours
https://www.dsm.city/news_detail_T21_R216.php
Civil War History Tour by Jeff Kluever
Woodland Cemetery – 2019 Woodland Ave.
- Saturday, July 11, 2026, 10:00-12:00 PM
- Saturday, August 15, 2026, 10:00-12:00 PM
Glendale Cemetery Historical Tour by Ganesh Ganpat
Glendale Cemetery – 4909 University Ave.
- Saturday, October 3, 2026, 10:00-12:00 PM
- Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00-12:00 PM
Notable Women of Early Des Moines by Lorna Truck & Kat Rinken
Woodland Cemetery – 2019 Woodland Ave.
- Saturday, September 19, 2026, 1:00-3:00 PM
Woodland Cemetery Historical Tour by Archie Cook
Woodland Cemetery – 2019 Woodland Ave.
- Saturday, July 18, 2026, 9:00-11:30 AM Golf Cart-Assisted Tour
- Saturday, August 8, 2026, 9:00-11:30 AM Golf Cart-Assisted Tour
- Saturday, September 12, 2026, 1:00-3:30 PM Golf Cart-Assisted Tour
- Saturday, October 10, 2026, 1:00-3:30 PM
Uplifting Theatre Company – unforgettable puppetry
We’d also love to talk about some of our other summer projects, including plans for a giant dragon puppet experience in Des Moines’ Drake Neighborhood as part of Magic of the Night 3 on July 10th.
Thank you for supporting arts and culture across Iowa. Hope to create something magical together this summer.
Best,
Brant Bollman
Uplifting Puppet Co.
William Penn Theatre Department
upliftingpuppetco@gmail.com
Free Summer Family Fun. Des Moines Performing Arts presents a series of free events throughout the summer. At various metro locations, check links for details.
Domino Effect by Ingrid Ingrid
- Aug 29 – Sep 30
Storytime Under the Green Umbrella
- Wednesdays: Jul 8 & 22, Aug 5 & 19: 10:30 a.m., Cowles Commons (Des Moines)
Dance Fitness with Tony Zika
- Sundays: Jun 28, Jul 26 & Aug 23: 9 a.m., Cowles Commons (Des Moines)
Be “In the Loop” with Hurley & Dancers on Friday, Aug. 21, 6-8 pm at Des Moines DanzArts, 2150 Delavan Drive, #8, in WDM. Drop in to peruse a gallery of dance, both live and captured, enjoy tapas and drinks, and make your own dances on the spot! $5-10 suggested donation price. For more information, email hurley.kathleen@gmail.com
VII. Between the covers – author/book events worth noting:
1. Beaverdale Books. Meet the Writers. Forum: Okoboji Writers & Songwriters Retreat. Julie Gammack. Tue Jul 7, 6:30 PM.
2. Beaverdale Books. Emceed by Kelsey Bigelow. Open Mic Poetry Night. Fri Jul 10, 7 PM.
3. Beaverdale Books. David P. Donovan, Rose M. Donovan. The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland. Fri Jul 17, 6:30 PM.
4. Beaverdale Books. Kelly Crull. The Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit. Mon Jul 20, 6:30 PM.
5. Beaverdale Books. Meet a songwriter and a poet. Chip Albright. Twenty-Five. David Wolf. Seven. Tue Jul 21, 6:30 PM.
6. Beaverdale Books. Ellen Cutler. From the Depths: Dyslexia, Bipolar Disorder, and the Triumph of Art. Wed Jul 22, 6:30 PM.
*Highlighted author names indicate interviews are in The Culture Buzz Archive Library.
Please visit: https://archive.org/details/@the_culture_buzz
Greater Des Moines/Central Iowa Independent Book Stores:
The Culture Buzz encourages you to visit your local independent book store regularly. Check these sites, as their calendars are always filled with enticing activities and news.
1. Beaverdale Books, Des Moines.
http://www.beaverdalebooks.com/
2. Storyhouse Bookpub, Des Moines Historic East Village.
https://storyhousebookpub.com/
3. The Little Book, Des Moines (Highland Park District).
https://www.thelittlebookdsm.com/
4. Shelf Love DSM, Des Moines (Drake Neighborhood).
5. Nos Books, Des Moines (Drake Neighborhood). https://www.nosbookstore.com/
6. Reading in Public Bookstore + Café, Historic Valley Junction.
7. Indie Authors Book Expo, https://iabe515.wordpress.com/
8. Pageturners Bookstore, Indianola.
http://www.pageturnersbookstore.com/
9. Dog-eared Books, Ames.
https://dogearedbooksames.com/
10. Read a Book Nook, Marshalltown.
https://read-a-book-nook.business.site/
11. Book Vault, Oskaloosa.
https://bookvault.indielite.org/
12. Pella Books, Pella.
13. Prairie Lights Books & Cafe, Iowa City.
https://www.prairielights.com/
Thank you for your cultural adventurism,
John Busbee for The Culture Buzz
