Wake up, sleepy head! It’s back-to-school season whether we like it or not. It definitely means something different for everyone — new schedules, more traffic, maybe even believing more firmly that children are the future.
In this special “back to school” edition of Play List, we share ideas for infusing your days with school spirit, a theater nerd’s guide to IndyFringe, tips from independent bookstore peeps, deets on Chreece and so much more.
WHAT’S NEW IN ARTS & CULTURE
Even if you’re not a kid, you still have a right to buy yourself new shoes and call it a “back to school” purchase. You can also use our August Play List to get around the city with a learning mindset.
Ever wonder what pen writers use or how they celebrate when they find out people really like their books? We talked to four Indiana Authors Awards nominees, and we gotta say we’re intrigued…
Breanna Cooper dug through the 70 plays being staged for the 2024 IndyFringe Festival (Aug. 15-25) to bring you some highlights. New this year: Some plays are offering a pay-what-you-can option.
In case you missed something, see all arts and culture coverage here.
WHAT WE’RE DOING
- “The Tomorrow team is excited to be celebrating love during this year’s Bookstore Romance Day on Aug. 17! Speaking of love, we absolutely love Feast of Lanterns and can’t wait to attend and sponsor this year’s edition on Aug. 24.” — Jake Budler, Tomorrow Bookstore
- “I am enjoying the shortlist of Indiana Authors Awards from Indiana Humanities! And, waiting to see the winners of this award that recognizes and supports our Indiana authors.” — Shirley Mullin, Kids Ink
- “It’s August, which means it’s also Women in Translation month. At Golden Hour, we’re celebrating translated writers from 15+ countries. At home, I’m reading Claudia Piñeiro’s new release, ‘Time of the Flies,’ and anxiously awaiting Olga Tokarczuk’s ‘Empusium,’ out Sept. 24.” — Sara Gelston Somers, Golden Hour Books
- “‘Paradais’ by Fernanda Melchor is an excellent book to read for August or Women in Translation Month. It is a fast paced book about Mexican class dynamics, violence against women, the power of gang culture and interpersonal strife. Incredibly written. I would frequently forget to breathe whilst reading.” — Lena Burt, The Whispering Shelf
- “We recommend ‘Unfadeable’ because it is that time of year that school is back in full effect. This young adult read is not only written by a well known Indiana native (Maurice Broaddus) but the setting is right here in the community we serve.” — Staff of Ujamaa Community Bookstore
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
CITY CHATTER
What’s good, friends!
If you’re an astrology girlie like me, you’ve been paying attention to the celestial stage and are fully aware that we are in a Mercury Retrograde period. This is a time when the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards as it orbits around the sun. The reality is that the Earth and Mercury are just moving at different speeds, with us Earthlings moving at a snail’s pace… relatively speaking.
So, what does all this mean? Depending on who you ask, everything and nothing. (Sidebar: For those that care, the Spell Sisters have a great rundown for the month on Indy Maven)
For me, I take all these external happenings as an internal opportunity to slow down and appreciate what’s around me in a super intentional way.
For example, while I spend a lot of time OUTSIDE at different events like the BLQ+ Pride Fest — mixing, mingling and enjoying the occasional turn up, this week I am looking forward to moving slower and enjoying things like a walk through Riverside Park.
Looking at the historical placards along the Promenade reminds me of who makes this city truly great and the sacrifices made so that we can all be proud of where we come from.
—Ebony Chappel, Free Press Indiana market director
For a deep cut of your Play List friends, come see me (Jennifer) and Ari at the “Too Many Cooks” zine launch at Dream Palace tomorrow, 5-7 p.m..
MUSIC NEWS
The Chreece hip-hop festival is back in Fountain Square on Aug. 24.
We asked event organizer Jay Brookens to help us navigate a full day of 70+ hip-hop, R&B and rap acts performing at seven venues. Check out his guide to get the scoop on sets you won’t want to miss, what’s up with rap battles and the inaugural DJ Battle Royale honoring the late DJ Indiana Jones.
Click here for your guide to Chreece 2024!
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
TIME MACHINE
Remember when the legendary Bad Brains frontman, H.R., performed at Healer in 2022? Two years ago, I was lucky enough to meet H.R. and hear some of my favorite fast-paced punk songs to a reggae tune.
Bad Brains was one of the first Black punk bands, originating in the late 1970s. The band is now aging, and H.R. still manages to perform amid many health issues.
After a few nervous laps around Healer, I managed to ask him for a picture. I wanted to tell him so many things, b
What cool memories do you have? Send them to me with a photo at ariana.beedie@mirrorindy.org.
— Ariana Beedie, community journalism director
CULTURE JOURNAL
Taylor Lewandowski, the owner of Dream Palace Books & Coffee and a Herron High School teacher, wrote this week’s Culture Journal. As you can imagine, his week is packed with books, teacher gossip and conversations with friends that rival Sally Rooney’s.
Here’s an excerpt:
Day One
4 p.m. A woman meets me at the store to drop off used books. They are mostly art books and a couple philosophy books. We were supposed to meet a few days ago, but her son fell down the stairs and had to go to the hospital. She says he’s fine, but apparently back at the hospital because he’s having brain issues. She tells me she was impressed at my rapid-response emails. I tell her I hate seeing a red notification on my phone. She laughs. I do too, but nervously.
CLASSIFIEDS
- Crystals, chakras, advanced Voodoo and numerology are all things you can learn in just a few weeks at The Magick Candle.
- Do you know your aura colors? The Pyramid of Enlightenment offers aura photography so you can see what you radiate.
- Practice self care with ear candles, herbs, pendulums and massage wands from All My Relations.
- Accessories for a groovy time at Get Wavy Mona in Fountain Square.
Send us your creative service ad to hello@mirrorindy.org and write “Classifieds” in the subject line.
Thanks for reading.
You can reach me at jennifer.delgadillo@mirrorindy.org. I’d love to hear from you!
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This newsletter was written by Jennifer Delgadillo and edited by Mirror Indy’s web producer, Gwen Ragno.
Play List’s illustrations are by Rebekah Nolan.
The audio version of this newsletter was recorded and edited with Joseph Kilbourn.
The music in the audio version of this newsletter is “Treasure Everywhere” by Forestero.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
