Body positivity, self-discovery through burlesque on stage in Moline at Striptease Academy Showcase

Nov 19, 2022 | Features, 2022, Arts, Eastern Iowa, Fetishes and Kinks, LGBTQ+, Men, News and Features, Northwest Illinois, Women

Burlesque as therapy, self-discovery, empowerment and exploring gender will all be part of tonight’s Striptease Academy 2022 Showcase at The Spotlight Theatre in Moline. It’s one of the year’s last big events for Mary Quite Contrary’s House of Burlesque. It’s one of the year’s final events for MQC’s, a Quad Cities burlesque troupe that’s been performing and providing burlesque and striptease education for six years.

Two-day Mic Check Poetry Fest features “rock-star Black women,” virtual attendance option

Nov 8, 2022 | Arts, 2022, BIPOC, Eastern Iowa, News and Features, Northwest Illinois, Women

Diversity is the key to this year’s Mic Check Poetry Fest, says organizer Caleb Rainey. In addition to headliners Patricia Smith and Ebony Stewart, the festival also features seven top Midwestern poets who are diverse “both racially and in terms of queer,” and activities that are suited to writers who are new or seasoned.