Meghan Klinkenborg

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

My review of Des Moines Symphony's season debut is available over at @littlevillage.bsky.social
#desmoinessymphony

CHATGPT: I understand where you're coming from. You worked really hard to get here, and now it's time to enjoy the fruit of your labors.

ISILDUR: So I should keep it? Elrond says I shouldn't

CHATGPT: The ring is precious. Sometimes friends don't have your best interests at heart.

ISILDUR: true

PSA:

If reading wasn’t political, they wouldn’t be banning books.

Yellow graphic with photos of books falling in the background. Text on the graphic reads: "Happy Banned Books Week! To celebrate, we’re going to: Read our favorite banned book, Defend freedom of speech in schools, Show appreciation for librarians and educators, Remind our community how books allow us to learn about new perspectives, experiences, and places, Get another banned book from our local library"

We have the right to read what we want, no matter what politicians or school officials say.

Let us know what your favorite banned book is below. 📚

Congress: Protect Our Free Press The Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act is our chance to rein in the FCC's out-of-control attacks on our free press. Congress must act now to pass this bill.

The Federal Communications Commission's decision to censor Jimmy Kimmel is a crucial reminder that we must defend our First Amendment rights.

Tell your representative: Support a free press and co-sponsor the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act.

My review of Ballet Des Moines's season debut is available over at @littlevillage.bsky.social
#balletdesmoines #ballet

Graphic promoting supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, with text "LGBTQ+ youth deserve spaces in and out of the class room to feel supported, loved, and cared," featuring a rainbow background and school symbols.

From Gender and Sexuality Alliances to trusted adults and local community organizations — support is here for LGBTQ+ youth.

Share our Community Care is Self-Care guide to help students in your community be better supported inside and outside of the classroom: hrc.im/CommunityCare

Pink background featuring the progress flag, the trans flag, and an open book. In large block text, “October is LGBT History Month” and in smaller, thinner text, “queer people have always been here and we always will be.” Bottom center is the QLL logo.

Pink background featuring the progress flag, the trans flag, and an open book. In large block text, “October is LGBT History Month” and in smaller, thinner text, “read queer stories and queer histories at queerliberationlibrary.org.” Bottom center is the QLL logo.

Happy LGBTQ History Month! It’s our time!

ON STANDS NOW: Little Village's October 2025 issue 🔥

📍 Find a copy: bit.ly/lvlocations
🌐 Read online: littlevillagemag.com/lv-october-2025
📬 Subscribe for home delivery: littlevillagemag.com/subscribe

Des Moines' new indie bookstores want to help Latino, LGBTQ readers 'see themselves on the shelf' - Little Village Like a book, an independent bookstore can be a spiritual oasis in a chaotic world. It probably says something about our world, then, that three indie bookstores sprouted up in […]

“I have always been an avid reader and lover of literature," said Luis Luján, owner of Nos Books. "What got me down this path was the book bannings and the culture wars spilling over from the first Trump presidency combined with COVID.”

On a yellow background with a rainbow gradient at the top of the graphic, navy blue text reads, “HRC Honors LGBTQ+ History Month.” The Human Rights Campaign logo and a Pride flag appear beneath the text.

It's LGBTQ+ History Month!

We’re reflecting on our community’s rich history and those that fought for our right to be out, proud, and loud — including #LGBTQHistoryMonth founder Rodney Wilson.

Stay tuned in Oct as we highlight changemakers over the course of our long fight for equality.

September Reading Wrap Up
#readingwrapup #booksky

The image displays a poster referencing the historical quote often attributed to Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor. It depicts a black and white image of a man in a military uniform putting the statue of liberty in handcuffs. The text "First they came for the immigrants and I did not speak out - because I was not an immigrant. Then they came for the LGBTQ+ community and I did not speak out - because I was not LGBTQ+. Then they came for the liberals and I did not speak out - because I was not a liberal. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

The time to speak up is now!

#fuckICE #humanrights #speakup

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BREAKING: Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts has been detained by ICE, the school district confirms. Here's what we know: https://t.ly/rT4Nu 

The image is a flyer announcing an emergency protest against ICE. The protest is scheduled for today, Friday, September 26, 2025, at 4 PM at the Neal Smith Federal Building located at 210 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA 50309. The flyer states that ICE detained Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts and calls for community support and demands for answers.

EMERGENCY PROTEST
4:00PM NEIL SMITH FEDERAL BUILDING
DES MOINES, IOWA

#bitchesgetstuffdone #musicfestival #resist

Iowa theater companies aren't afraid to unsettle as they hold a mirror up to our times - Little Village Let’s start this survey of Iowa’s local theater landscape with a bit of a dramatic flourish: The start of the COVID-19 pandemic was half a decade ago. Apologies if that […]

Learn more about the months ahead for some of Iowa's new and long-running professional theater companies:

A graphic poster with bold, white text on a rainbow background listing various forms of discrimination and oppression, including ICE, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, and fatphobia. The phrase "Free Palestine" is at the bottom. A logo for the Iowa Coalition and a QR code are also visible.

It's that simple

#equality #justice #humanrights #freepalestine #resist

i think we forget sometimes that the gothic genre is more than just girl vs creepy house. sometimes it can also be twink vs creepy house.

Writing with resistance, imagining a better future. October 4–5, 2025. Rainbow Space Magic. Logo: A fountain pen draws a circle around the letters RSM, ending in a little flying dragon and a ringed planet. Background: An expansive starry sky.

Writing with resistance, Imagining a better future

Join us October 4 & 5 for the 6th annual Rainbow Space Magic, a free, virtual con for writers & readers of queer speculative fiction.

Details on panels follow...

rainbowspacemagic.org

#LGBT #writing #ScienceFiction #fantasy

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It's never too early to get your costume ready and plan your trick-or-treat route. Here's a schedule of when you can go trick-or-treating in central Iowa: https://t.ly/fm6r9 

Tell Congress: No book bans in military schools Schools run by the Department of Defense on military bases have banned hundreds of books and altered curricula that the Trump administration doesn't agree with. Take action.

Schools on military bases worldwide have pulled almost 600 books off the shelves, canceled events, and altered lesson plans — all because the Trump administration has accused them of promoting “gender ideology” and “DEI."

Tell Congress to protect students' right to learn on military bases.

Happy Bi Visibility Day! To our bi+ community: You are seen, valid, and loved EVERY DAY.

No one can take away your shine, your feelings, and your authenticity.

KCCI voter guide: List of mayor, city council candidates in Polk, Dallas counties On Nov. 4, voters across the state will elect new city officers, school board members and vote on public measures in the 2025 city and school election.

KCCI voter guide: List of mayor, city council candidates in Polk, Dallas counties

Folks, you can't report the United States to its manager. There's no superhero coming to save us.

We don't need one giant act of heroism. We need millions of small acts of solidarity. Help one person in your community for nothing in return. Then, do it again. And again.

That's the revolution.

DISNEY: Wins 5 Emmys for ANDOR, a show about resisting fascism

ALSO DISNEY: Bends the knee to the federal government and suspends Jimmy Jimmy Kimmel for resisting fascism

Navy blue graphic reading "1st Amendment of the United States Constitution “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The Trump administration can’t threaten to punish media organizations like ABC and the New York Times because they don't like what they have to say.

The right to speak freely, protest peacefully, choose our own religious practice, and access a free press is foundational to our democracy.

Also - I can't believe we let the worst comedians on the planet spend *years* defining Freedom of Speech as a moral obligation to laugh at their bad jokes, and not as a protection against government censorship. You've been crying wolf for a while now gang, and a real wolf just got here! SPEAK UP!

A post on the importance of sending letters

A post with Disney's address

Do this to voice your outrage at Disney's unjust cancellation of Kimmel and other people's shows for simply practicing their free speech, ASAP.

In These Queernorm Sci-Fi Books, Homophobia Doesn't Exist These queernorm sci-fi books star queer main characters and are set in universes where transphobia and homophobia don't exist.

Queernorm Universes: Sci-Fi Books Where Homophobia and Transphobia Don’t Exist

#booksky

bookriot.com/queernorm-sc...