Around Des Moines

Sunday, May 11th, is Mother’s Day. You can celebrate with a brunch at the Botanical Center (909 Robert D. Ray Drive). Cost is $21.95 for adults and $10.95 for children 10 and younger. There will be seatings at 10:00 a.m. and at 1:00 p.m. with reservations required (515-323-6289). If your mother enjoys the Botanical Center but does not care for brunch, she can enjoy the scenery for free when accompanied by a child. Regular adult admission is $4.

If your mother is the type of person who thinks the best way to celebrate is to have fun with the young children, Second Saturday events will be held at the Art Center. Each month on the second Saturday, the Art Center (near 45th and Grand) offers activities for children accompanied by an adult from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Sessions are free but limited space means reservations are required (515-271-0328). The May 10th program will be on spring flowers for children ages 5-10.

If your mother is elderly or otherwise prefers driving around in a car than doing outside activities, lilacs are blooming around town. It should be a good weekend to visit Ewing Park’s lilac arboretum on the city’s southeast side. Over 300 varieties of crab apples are blooming in the Arie den Boer Arboretum on the eastern side of Water Works Park.

For children who like to cook (and clean up the mess), makings of a meal might be found at the first farmers’ market on Saturday along Court Avenue in downtown Des Moines. Thursday, May 8th, is the second week for the Valley Junction market.

Louis Sachar’s Holes is playing at the Des Moines Playhouse (831 42nd Street) on Friday (7:00 p.m.), Saturday (1:00 p.m.), and Sunday (1:00 and 4:00 p.m.). Adult tickets are $15. It’s good entertainment for both young and old. The Viking Theatre’s (2811 East 14th Street, at Grandview College) performance of The Sunshine Boys ends on May 11th. Show times are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm. and Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available through IowaTix.

On Thursday, May 8, 2008, the Drake Trombone Choir will give a free concert at 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Hall of the Harmon Fine Arts Center (25th and Carpenter). David Vining, a professor of trombone at Northern Arizona University is the featured guest.

Friday, May 9th, is the final night in the spring series of astronomy nights at the Drake Municipal Observatory. The topic this week is the future of stars. The event is free and begins at 8:00 p.m. at the observatory in Waveland Park.

On Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the State Historical Society Building (600 East Locust) is a celebration of Tet. This event in honor of the Vietnamese New Year will feature dancing dragons, food demonstrations, and more. It is free and family-oriented.

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com.

The Thoreau Center (35th Street and Kingman Boulevard) was a good choice for “Walk in Closet,” a display of artwork by Angela Warren and by Rebecca Gehm. The young artists’ bodies of work reflect experimentation in subject matter and in mediums. The layout of the center, formerly a house, allowed the different styles to be kept mostly separate, thereby focusing concentration on each piece during a reception held on May 2, 2008.

The title of the show is intriguing. It could mean a walk-in closet where special items are kept, easily accessible but not on public display. It could refer to the act of walking into or staying within a closet in terms of things a person wants to keep secret. It could also suggest a large space to hide all the detritus that allows a house, or section of a city, to be picture perfect.

In her artist statement, Warren said she wants to “show the time passing in layers, so that there is a sense of travel through every arrival and departure.” She achieves that goal superbly in her oils. “Opt for a Visit?” is a triptych, its scene a row of portable toilets in a muddy field. From the way lined up waiting their turn rest their hands on hips and lean in towards each other it is clear this is the end of a long day. Ghostly figures and a body seemingly trampled into the mud suggest all the people who have been there before. The mud holds the history of each footstep that helped transform the land. The texture of the oil adds a dimension that makes the scene seem more real than a smoother medium could.

Warren’s two-dimensional lithograph, “Overhang,” seems bland in comparison. Yet, there is feeling of suspense as a sole figure stands beneath an arch that could be a cave’s dome or a ledge on a cliff. Is the person safe, protected by the overhang, or in danger of being crushed by falling rocks?

Gehm’s artist statement reveals that she majored in drawing and many of her pieces seem to have been class assignments to showcase different styles of lines and shading. In her series on “The Woman and the Hand,” she uses charcol and gesso as a sculptor might use a rough red clay. The object is more the suggestion of a shape than a delicate recreation of a moment and proportions are not exact. In contrast, “Eye Tube,” in colored pencil and charcol, included many precise circles and proportionate lines. Nevertheless, the drawing still left interpretation to the viewer. The sketch reminded me of olives with pimentos placed as though they were grapes on a stalk, but also of the Martian eyes in War of the Worlds. There was a single figure, suggestive of a female, rising from a pool of water, which turned my thoughts to alien eyes watching humans rise from the oceans. Gehm describes the drawing as “a reaction to the realities of the Internet generation.”

M.R. Field writes reviews for AroundDesMoines.com.

The Des Moines Playhouse ends its 2007-2008 children’s season with the upbeat and fun Holes. Most of the story takes place at Camp Green Lake and campy is one of the descriptions for the play. Another theme is the adventure of discovering the story behind a local legend. For those people old enough to remember The Wonderful World of Disney, imagine one of those stories written with an extra touch of intentional humor.

The second show of Sunday, May 4, 2008, started out tentatively. The pace was fast, in keeping with the rest of the production, but without advanced knowledge of that context and without consistently strong performances by all the cast, the opening left the audience uncertain of the play. That quickly changed when Todd Buchacker, as Mr. Sir, strutted out on stage. A few of the adult audience members laughed loudly and the actors responded to the acknowledgment.

For shows at the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre, adults and youth are given different program books. The children’s books are geared towards helping them learn about theatrical performances by connecting with the actors. The adults’ books include information on all parts of the production. In Kathy Pingel’s director’s notes in the adult book there is a slight spoiler but I recommend reading it before the play anyway. As I left the theatre I felt as though the story was not fully explained through the action and the words of the play. A day later, as I write this review, I realize the components were all there. Think of the way Ellery Queen solved mysteries, with knowledge of words and memory of what people said. Much of what is said in the play is ordinary, yet a few of those words hold special significance in understanding the final course of events. Adults also receive an insert on how Carol J. Taylor, the retired education director at the playhouse, was challenged to create yellow-spotted lizard puppets. Read that item before the play, too.

Louis Sachar’s story looks at how family curses can offer opportunities for redemption. Stanley Yelnats picks up a pair of sneakers that fall at his feet. He is whisked off to court and sentenced to Camp Green Lake. The warden at the camp requires the boys in her charge to dig a hole a day. When Stanley first arrives, he is a stranger to be taunted. Common work and interactions build comradery and loyalty.

Karen Schaeffer (Warden), Mark Maddy (Mr. Pendanski), and Paula Krull (Kate Barlow) are the adult actors who deserve mention for their performances. They looked as though they were having fun but they also made their characters believable.

High school sophomore Abi LeBlanc, as Stanley, proves that an actor does not have to be a male to play a boy. The other boys were played by Caleb Fisher (Zero), Matt Pierick (X-Ray), Aaron Primrose (Armpit), Davon Lee (Zig-Zag), and Grant Goss (Magnet). They all worked well as an ensemble.

Angela Lampe’s costume design also merits praise.

M.R. Field writes reviews for AroundDesMoines.com.

Over the past few weeks I’ve realized that while the weather may not change every five minutes, the weather forecasts certainly do. Whether the weekend turns out to be sunny and dry or rainy and chilly there are a variety of activities around Des Moines to entertain you.

Most dependent on the weather is the Pella Tulip Time. Pella is just under 40 miles east of Des Moines on state highway 163. The town has a Dutch heritage and has built a tourism base on that theme. The festival runs all day every day from Thursday, May 1st, through Saturday, May 3rd. Besides delicious pastries for sale, there will be tours of historic houses, musical entertainment, parades, and, of course, tulips.

Weather will also matter for the running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, but that will be in Louisville, Kentucky. Des Moines’ local track is Prairie Meadows in Altoona (I-80 Exit 142, northeast of Des Moines). The racetrack/casino has three restaurants and lots of economic controversy. Prairie Meadows gets mentioned in national horse racing news due to its experience with slots and because Maggi Moss, a native Iowan and local trial lawyer, was nominated for the Eclipse Award as horse owner of the year.

If you want conversations on science, television, publishing, art, food, clothes, and an assortment of games, DemiCon will run from Friday afternoon through mid-afternoon on Sunday, May 4th. This is the 19th year of the science fiction and fantasy convention hosted by the Des Moines Science Fiction Society. Cost for all three days is $50 for adults; less for one-day attendance. It is to be held at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in downtown Des Moines.

The 2008 ICAN convention will be on Saturday, May 3, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Jim Hightower is scheduled as the keynote speaker. Join the Iowa Citizen Action Network for workshops on promoting progressive politics, including one about on-line organizing. The convention is being held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston, a few miles to the northwest of Des Moines.

Theatrical choices this week include The Sunshine Boys at Grandview College’s Viking Theatre. Tickets cost $10 and the theatre is located at 2811 East 14th Street in Des Moines (on the #4 bus route). Show dates are May 1-4 and May 8-11. Times are 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For children, Holes, based on Louis Sachar’s award-winning book, opens at the Des Moines Playhouse. Show dates and times are: May 2-18; Fridays at 7:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 1:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults.

On Friday, the 2nd, there will be a reception for “Walk in Closet,” a display of artwork by Angela Warren and Rebecca Gehm, at The Thoreau Center (3500 Kingman Boulevard from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. The Hentschel Art Gallery (835 42nd Street) is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The current exhibit is “The Blues,” paintings by Davenport native Nancy Purrington. She looks at the unique features of the Mississippi River at Davenport.

Scrub Days for Des Moines residents start on May 3rd. The MWA Transfer Station at 4198 Delaware Avenue and the Compost Center at 1601 Harlett will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Guidelines on what can be dropped off by whom can be found on the city’s website. Throughout the next few months there will be scrub days scattered across the city.

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com. 

Sin sold out the Fourth Street Theatre when the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance presented seven 15-minute plays from April 24-27, 2008. At the April 27th matinee performance about 75 people were in the audience. The room was crowded and talk around the place was that at least the Saturday night show also was well-attended.

The seven plays were selected by competition, as were the directors. Then the directors chose their casts. As with short stories, the best short plays make exquisite use of each word. Not all of the seven sins achieved that level of intensity. In addition, while the performances were to highlight the scriptwriters, some of the plays were memorable primarily due to the acting.

Most of the plays were very traditional in their casting and dialogue but contemporary in their humorous references. That also made most of them very forgettable.

The show started off with the fast-paced Nursemaid by Erich Goldstein. Slim Tim Shafton, the Fitness King, was on a gluttony strike to protest the mayor’s nursemaid-style governance, such as banning trans fats in restaurants. The characters were given multiple dimensions, complex reasons, and life histories merely through the power of dialogue.

Ethelyn Boddy’s The Ugly Identical Twin took on envy with a story that moved through time. It offered Lyra E. Halsten, as the protagonist and the antagonist, opportunities for a variety of emotions. However, the frequent pauses needed to indicate a different time and place disrupted the flow of the play. I’ve seen one-person shows that handle the transitions much better.

The use of sexual attraction in advertising and sexual harassment were common themes in Lust for Men by Lindsay Tornquist. The presence of Warren Westlund, who acted in three of the seven plays, saved this one with his over-the-top performance. There were several good jokes in the play but there was nothing that seemed original.

In Wealthy Mr. Dezille, Sean Gannon’s play on avarice, the power of the soliloquy was demonstrated. The premise of the play was that Mr. Dezille only cared about making money and that cost him his business empire and his sanity. James Meade gave a quality performance as Dezille but there were too many details in the play inconsistent with reality for any actor to save it. I could believe that Dezille was in a mental institution, I just could not accept why he was there or how the nurse behaved.

David D. DeBord’s choice of a local government’s community council to represent sloth in The Municipal Tree was a delight. This is the type of play that doesn’t strike an audience member right away but builds upon a theme to create a memorable impression. I also have to give credit to Patrick Gouran, the director, because this play also demanded good timing to convey the humor properly. While I enjoyed the play because of all the years I’ve spent dealing with non-profit and governmental organizations, the play did not have enough universal themes to make it a mass media hit.

Closing Time, in which the sexiest and most beautiful movie star walks into a bar to escape the media attention while on location, needed to be a longer play. William S.E. Coleman’s story progressed smoothly enough from the first encounter to the futon in the break room. However, this was the type of story that needed pauses to build up the tension and to make the characters more than one-dimensional.

Chuck Hughes’ The Passengers poked fun at wrath and at the scriptwriters’ sinful production. Essentially the playwright was saying anger can be countered with laughter.

M.R. Field reviews local arts for AroundDesMoines.com. 

In the past week enough flowers have been in bloom and enough leaves have unfurled to make it seem like Spring is finally here to stay. Alas, spiders and other crawling things also have been spotted with increasing frequency. It won’t be long before the summer events season begins. Indeed, the list of activities for next weekend, the first in May, is growing long. This weekend, though, is relatively quiet.

If you find yourself in downtown Des Moines, take a walk around the historic Polk County Courthouse. It is located between Cherry and Mulberry with the original entrance facing Fifth Street at Court. The special election to decide a referendum on building a new court building and renovating the current structure will be held on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Java Joe’s, at 214 Fourth Street, offers several incentives to go downtown this weekend. On Thursday, April 24th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. there will be a family game night and an ice cream social. The ice cream comes from KaleidoScoops in Ankeney and costs $2.50 per scoop. (If politics is your game, Drinking Liberally meets a few doors up Fourth Street at the Lift every Thursday at 8:00 p.m.) Ankeny Free Church Pastor John Colyer will lead an open forum on “The Bible” from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27th. Musicians appearing this weekend include Leslie Wells, Nick LaPointe, and Sound Rabbit. In addition, the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance presents Seven Deadly Sins as seven short plays. Performances are on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Cost is $10, or, as the ISA website notes, only $1.43 per sin.

If you’re looking for a musical, The Pajama Game is playing at the Des Moines Playhouse (831 42nd Street) through May 4th. Show times are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Adult tickets are $34.

Starting on Monday, April 28th, and running through Saturday, May 3rd, a block party will be held by Ingersoll merchants and businesses between 35th and 42nd Streets. Specials can be found on food and merchandise. Personally, I’m going to try Bauder’s $0.99 root beer float. The pharmacy/soda fountain’s ice cream is quite good and the staff provides a friendly service that is only found in small, local establishments.

Wednesday, April 30th, is the last day to purchase discounted pool passes from Des Moines Parks & Recreation. The mayor’s ride to the trails was last week and this would be a good weekend to do your own bike riding. Take the 4-mile Creek trail up to Sargent’s Park on the city’s northeast side and check out the prairie flowers. There is not yet a trail to Ewing Park down by Easter Lake on the southeast side of Des Moines but the lilac arboretum in the park should be relatively accessible by bicycle. (It’s a pain to be reached by foot, but it is possible.)

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com. 

The Pajama Game is a musical comedy based on the book, 7-1/2 Cents, by Dubuque native Richard Bissell. It was performed at the Des Moines Playhouse in 1967 and returns in its current production after winning the 2006 Tony Award for best Broadway revival. This is not a show with a complex plot or challenging characters. Instead, it is the type of show to attend if you want to hum some of the score while waiting in the bathroom during intermission.

A few people sitting behind me at the Saturday, April 12, 2008, performance snickered several times during the first act. While I did not appreciate the distraction, I agreed with their reaction. There are numerous similarities between a 1950’s factory as presented in the musical and modern day work places. However, there are also many significant changes, not least being the power of unions. An updated version of the play would be more likely to hold the attention of audience members younger than 40. One song in particular, “Steam Heat,” offers a good example of changes time has brought. While I have lived in numerous places warmed with steam heat and know what it is like to have radiators, years of central air heating reduced my emotional reaction to the song.

The premise of The Pajama Game is simple. There is a new male superintendent at the Sleep Tite pajama factory in Cedar Rapids. He has an encounter with the female head of the union’s grievance committee. Sparks fly, conflict erupts, all turns out perfectly. Boy gets girl and gets the union a 7-1/2 cents raise that lets the workers live like royalty, or so they dream.

Alison Shafer’s choreography was the first thing that I admired about this production of the musical. It offered an energetic coordination of moving bodies and objects in “Racing With the Clock” and a playful pas de deux in “Her Is.” After I stopped trying to think of the show in terms of a story and started looking at it only as a series of musical entertainment, I began to enjoy the singing, too. Susan M. Grozier (Gladys), Craig Peterson (Sid Sorokin), and Jim Benda (Hines) had choice roles and all deserved them. Andrea Markowsi (Babe Williams) gave a decent performance but she seemed to be trying too hard to get the chorus correct in “There Once Was a Man (I Love You More).” Yet she got the shouting in “I’m Not At All in Love” just right. She also had the misfortune of a small microphone problem at the start of another song. Lenny Houts (Prez) deserves mention for his acting and for the puppy dog steps in “Her Is.”

The entire cast earned the plentiful applause. The scenic design and most of the costumes complemented the story well. The lighting could have been much better. The musical was directed by John W. Viars. Viars is executive director of the Playhouse and was a member of the 1967 cast of The Pajama Game.

M.R. Field reviews arts for AroundDesMonies.com. 

One way to wake up after spending time in a stuffy airplane cabin is to step out into a chilly Iowa night with icy pellets hitting exposed skin. Such was my experience late yesterday. Then this morning I woke up to snow on the ground in Des Moines!

When I left New York in early afternoon there were a few sprinkles of rain and a nippy breeze. But there were also magnolias blooming along with daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths. When I went outside in Des Moines this morning I noticed a few more inches of growth on plants, some new shoots above ground, and still only a few buds on trees. Some people may choose the size of Des Moines over that of New York, but for me there are many other factors to consider, such as when flowers bloom.

It was for a new but traditional revenue-generating endeavor that I was in New York for the past several days. With daytime hours unavailable for sightseeing, I found I was unable to visit most museums and was too tired to attend literary readings in the evenings.

I was able to step into the George Gustave Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian. This is in the old Customs Building near the southern tip of Manhattan. The current installations are James Luna’s “Emendatio” and a group show, “Listening to Our Ancestors: The Art of Native Life Along the North Pacific Coast.” Perhaps because I had been expecting more historical education and not modern artistic interpretation, I was disappointed in the exhibitions. One of my new colleagues said he thinks the New York portion of the NMAI is geared more towards school children than adults.

The taste of water is a delight in New York and I enjoyed every sip. There was no musty taste of decayed leaves nor was there need to filter out excess ntirogen and other farm runoffs.

The number of people gathered on the train from the airport and at Penn Station was a shock at first. It took me only a couple days to forget about the crowds, though. They do not exist everywhere in the city nor at all times. Even the lack of large trees alongside most streets was not missed as I became reacquainted with the numerous parks and other places to enjoy nature. There’s not really any place in Iowa to use as a comparison for the New York crowds. The Iowa state fair may have sufficient people in one space at one time, but I don’t recall the moments of privacy that can be found in a city park nor the congestion of bodies at subway stops.

The flight attendant on the trip back to Des Moines had a two-day layover here. This is her first visit to the city and she was looking forward to doing some shopping. I wish her a fun stay in Iowa.

M.R. Field writes for AroundDesMoines.com. 

There are plenty of activities for this weekend so put off doing your taxes until Monday night. Or, reward yourself with a new piece of art, an ice cream cone, or a night under the stars for finishing the pesky paperwork early.

As part of the Des Moines Public Library’s AVID series, George Guidall will talk about his experiences narrating and recording audio books. The event is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 10th, at the Central Library.

Valley Junction’s spring Gallery Night is on Friday, the 11th., from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eleven galleries, plus other shops and restaurants, will be open.

This is the last weekend for Sarah, Plan and Tall at the Des Moines Playhouse. Friday at 7:00 p.m., Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday at 1:00 and at 4:00 p.m. Adult tickets are $15.00. The Pajama Game opens at the Playhouse on Friday, April 11th.

For stargazers, Drake University’s spring series at the Drake Municipal Observatory (Observatory Lane off of Polk Boulevard in Des Moines) is on Friday, the 11th, at 8:00 p.m. This week’s topic is Stars That Are Not Stable. On Saturday, the 12th, the Des Moines Astronomical Society will offer tips on stargazing at 8:00 p.m. at the Ashton Observatory (Hwy. F-17, off of Hwy. 330, west of Baxter).

Ritual Cafe (13th between Grand and Locust) has performers scheduled Thursday through Saturday: Julie Loyd at 7:00 p.m. on the 10th, Nikki Lunden at 8:00 on the 11th, and Big John Burns at 8:00 p.m. on the 12th.

Java Joe’s CoffeeHouse (4th Street between Walnut and Court) offers a family game night and ice cream social on Thursday the 10th. The ice cream costs $2.50 per scoop and is provided by KaleidoScoops Ice Cream & More of Ankeny. On Sunday, the 13th, Pastor John Colyer will host an open forum on “The Bible,” from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

A recommendation for QWIKSAND comes from a reader. The group will play at the House of Bricks (525 East Grand) on April 10th at 7:00 p.m. Because of the locale, this performance is age restricted (21 or older). There is a $5 charge. According to a February 28th press release, the band was in Los Angeles filming the pilot for a reality TV show.

Conversations with a group of people last week made it very clear that this is the season for new puppies and kittens. If you want to help make sure they have good and healthy lives, consider volunteering with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. ARL has a volunteer orientation the second Saturday of every month. One is scheduled for April 12th. These events are held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at 5452 NE 22nd Street in Des Moines. Volunteers are important for providing services to animals, including making sure dogs are walked. No pre-registration is required for the orientation.

If you do nothing else, take a walk, look at the flowers, imagine a canopy of leaves overhead, and wave to your neighbors.

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com. 

In 1996 the Academy of American Poets declared April to be National Poetry Month. Five years earlier the Des Moines National Poetry Festival began. While the former is gaining attention, the latter has reduced its reach.

Poetry is life. It can swoop in with the speed of haiku, linger with the rhymes of a limerick, or inspire through the structure of of a sonnet. It can target the mind, the soul, or the heart. It can heal and it can cut; it is emotions.

For 2008, the Des Moines National Poetry Festival features a presentation by Li-Young Lee in Drake University’s Writers and Critics Series at Sheslow Auditorium (2507 University) at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30th. Another event in the series will be held on Tuesday, April 8th at 7:30 p.m. in the university’s Cowles Library Reading Room (2725 University). Erica Anzalone, who teaches fiction and poetry workshops, and novelist Fred Arroyo, an assistant professor in English, will read and discuss their work. Both events are free.

The Des Moines National Poetry Festival used to stage a three-day event. The festival has not been held since 2006, a major loss for Des Moines. I was able to attend only one event and that was a panel discussion during the 2005 program. The panel included then-U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, former laureate Billy Collins, Native American poet Joy Harjo, and Swan Scythe Press founder Sandra McPherson.

The panel discussion was informative. I discovered that Collins liked structure in his poems, while a turn of phrase attracted McPherson. Kooser, a native of Ames, unintentionally demonstrated how poetry differs from prose. He made reference to an old, brown suitcase and the audience let out a soft sigh, each with its own memory. Then Kooser started to describe the suitcase, and the audience grunted. The cracked leather and musty smell suddenly came from somebody else’s life, not from each person’s own dreams and experiences. Harjo was my personal favorite because of her topics and the flow of her words.

Charles Simic is the current poet laureate of the United States. His eighteenth book of poetry, That Little Something, was published earlier this year by Harcourt Trade Publishers. A description of the Simic and his work was found on the publisher’s website: “…the superb poet of the vaguely ominous sound and the disturbing, potentially significant image, moves closer to the dark heart of history and human behavior.”

More poetry books can be found in the Spring titles from the University of Iowa Press. I have been a fan of university presses for quite some time and came across the interesting titles of the University of Iowa Press while editing Leading Voices: Iowa. Poetry books in the press’s 2008 list include, G. Matthew Jenkins’ Poetic Obligation: Ethics in Experimental American Poetry after 1945, James E. von der Heydt’s At the Brink of Infinity: Poetic Humility in Boundless American Space, and Women Poets on Mentorship Efforts and Affections, edited by Arielle Greenberg and Rachel Zucker.

M.R. Field designs notecards and other communication pieces based on haikus.