Held in conjunction with the October 4 through 10 Banned Books Week – a celebration of our collective freedom to read – the Midwest Writing Center's and Rock Island Public Library's annual Banned Books Read-In will take place on October 5, with more than a dozen participants gathering at the library's Watts-Midtown Branch to read from frequently challenged works and unite in the fight against censorship.
With the event starting with a screening of the short film FREADOM on Trial: Rights and Responsibilities in Island Trees Board of Education v. Pico, the Bettendorf Public Library hosts the Freedom to Read Celebration with Steven Pico on October 5, library director Jillian Aschliman and her panelists answering all your questions about censorship, challenge, and the right to read.
Known as the “King of Crowd Work” for his improvised sets that have redefined how comedians interact with audiences in the digital age, standup sensation Nate Jackson returns to the University of Dubuque for an October 6 show, his Homecoming Week performance part of the university's 14th annual Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series.
Widely considered the most popular and influential ballet of all time, composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's legendary Swan Lake comes to Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 8, its presentation the latest touring production by the nationally acclaimed World Ballet Company.
On October 8, the Davenport Public Library and Midwest Writing Center will host the third-annual Pride Storytelling Night at the library's Eastern Avenue branch, inviting the community to hear community members, all local to the Quad Cities, sharing personal stories about their lives and identities as members of the Queer community.
Last month, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told WGN Political Editor Tahman Bradley during an interview, “I’m going to apologize for making her feel uncomfortable.”
More than a year ago, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was projecting a $3.2 billion deficit for what is now the current fiscal year.
My associate Isabel Miller and I told subscribers earlier this month that Democrats for the Illinois House had been suddenly cut off from the Democratic Party of Illinois’ lucrative postage-discount program, which can save as much as one-third to half of campaign postage costs.
You may know that embattled Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey has agreed to resign his post by the end of September. But this sorry saga shouldn’t end there. The Legislative Ethics Commission should immediately launch an investigation into why so many women over the years have said they were mistreated, belittled, and dismissed by McCuskey. They could also ask McCuskey’s replacement to revisit the cases.
Take, for example, corn. You probably didn’t expect that. But however you might measure intelligence, it is probably only valid if corn’s is higher than ours. In the fauna realm, if a Martian landed in my community and reported back to their spaceship on who is in charge down here, they would almost certainly have to say “pigs.”
Mischa: The subtlety and quietness do mean that the tone is low-key throughout, possibly too low-key overall. Especially in certain scenes, I would have liked more overt tension and some louder raised voices.
Kitty: I actually thought the low-key quality was more of a strength than a drawback.
An eagerly awaited revival of the venue's first musical presentation in 2018, the stage version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame returns to Moline's Spotlight Theatre October 9 through 18, this lauded stage adaptation of Disney's Oscar-nominated hit again starring Adam Sanders in his memorable role as Quasimodo.
With Variety magazine calling the musical "smartly conceived" and boasting "catchy tunes and witty lyrics," the tune-filled romantic comedy I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change makes its debut at Moline's Black Box Theatre October 9 through 24, Gannett Newspapers raving that the original production was "hilarious ... the most entertaining show on or off Broadway."
Rock of Ages was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. “Wait – what?” I said when I read of these accomplishments after seeing the show. I eventually unearthed why.
Recipients of prizes including the International Bluegrass Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year (for 2011's Help My Brother), the Gibson Brothers of Eric and Leigh bring their latest tour to Davenport's Redstone Room on October 6, heir individual vocals, No Depression saying that "their individual vocals, their intricate harmonies, and their guitar licks demonstrate why this duo has earned a place on the bigger bluegrass stage.”
Touring the support of their most recent release Emergency Leisure, the psychedelic rockers of The Bright Light Social Hour headline an October 6 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, The Cosmic Clash raving, "From start to finish, Emergency Leisure delivers an experience greater than the sum of its parts. Gorgeously arranged and produced, it’s a journey worth taking again and again."
With their 2025 debut Can You Keep a Secret? hailed by New Noise Magazine as "full of high-quality production and catchy choruses," the pop/rock/punk outfit Diva Bleach headlines an October 7 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, New Noise adding that the outfit's first LP is a "fully realized creative vision" that "effectively modernizes pop-rock while still maintaining its fun, colorful elements."
The October 8 event made possible through partnership between the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities and the Rock Island Public Library, a pair of iconic folk singer/songwriters will be saluted when the library's Watts-Midtown Branch hosts When Dylan Met Guthrie, an exuberant two-man show created by award-winning Wisconsin Artists Lil Rev and Will Branch.
Delivering everything from period-accurate equipment and costumes to spot-on characterizations and musical performances, the vocal and instrumental artists of Rumours bring The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show to Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on October 8, sharing memorable takes on “Big Love,” “Don't Stop,” “Go Your Own Way,” and other pop classics of their era.
On October 5, staffers at Davenport venue The Last Picture House are proud to present a special, one-night-only screening of the new documentary This Is Buzz, this exploration of the celebrated cult magazine series also featuring a Q&A session with the film's writer/director Mark Pellington, famed for Hollywood thrillers including Arlington Road with Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins and The Mothman Prophecies with Richard Gere and Laura Linney.
In director Michael Showalter's adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Verity, the title figure is a fabulously wealthy celebrity who appears willing to go to psychotic extremes to get a little peace and quiet. Having now appeared in five films over the past six months, and with a new baby on the way, it's no wonder Anne Hathaway is so good in the role. She must relate to Verity Crawford like crazy.
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too. Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again
Thursday, October 1: Discussion of Primetime, Heart of the Beast, and Forgotten Island, and previews of Verity, Digger, Rolling Loud: The Movie, and something borderline-unpronounceable with a really big snake. Isn't it just pronounced "Anacomda"?
With Robert Pattinson supplying a demented stare, wicked grin, and one of his signature affected accents, this big-screen Chris Hansen is magisterially icky: sweaty, scary, pathetic, and wholly deserving of the downfall you know is coming.
Now playing at area theaters.
On October 8, the Figge Art Museum will host a special Artist Talk with Amanda Burnham, who is creating a site-specific installation of her work in the Davenport venue this fall. Burnham uses acrylic on paper, and an exaggerated, often frantic comic visual language, making three-dimensional drawing installations that both allude to and frustrate traditional pictorial space.
With the acclaimed artist creating a site-specific installment for the Davenport venue, Amanda Burnham: Everything to Everyone will be on display in the Figge Art Museum's Gildehaus Gallery from October 10 through February 14, the Baltimore-based artist a draftsman who uses drawing as the foundation for large-scale pieces that transform her observations into immersive environments.
With each piece chosen by the institutions’ art professors to showcase campus talent and creativity, the Figge Art Museum's latest installment of the College Invitational will be on display in the Davenport venue from october 10 through January 17, the artwork from gifted students attending nine area colleges and universities on view in the museum's Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery.
With the artists encouraging their audience to pause and find hidden details in their work., two Midwestern talents are showcasing pieces at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery through November 2, the Bowden & Shultz-Hetrick exhibit hosting abstract paintings by Peotone, Illinois' James Bowden and fused-glass art by Cedar Rapids' Barbara Shultz-Hetrick.
Presenting a fascinating display of sumi-e art, the traditional Japanese form of ink-was painting that uses black ink, water, and minimalist brush strokes to capture the inner spirit of natural subjects, Karen Kurka Jensen's Coming Home will be on display in Black Hawk College's ArtSpace Gallery through November 6, a closing reception and artist talk scheduled at the Moline gallery on November 5.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?)
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