Based on true experiences, seriously, You Can't Make This $#!+ Up! is just as laugh-out-loud fun as it is undeniably heartwarming.

The Second Long March: Memoir from a Witness to China’s Transformation, chronicles life lived on the cusp of economic change, and the stunning contrasts experienced by the author's Chinese friends and their city once that transformation was well underway.

Collect bookmarks & cookies from all four Des Moines Independent bookstores the Friday before the DSM Book Festival.

If you love baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals, Browns, and/or Stars, or just the beautiful and complicated city that these major professional teams have called their home, then you need The St. Louis Baseball Mosaic, which combines stories from the game's colorful past with a rich local history and pointed social commentary.

The Des Moines Area Community College's Celebration of Literary Arts will host a program featuring several Creative Writing students beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by writer and poet Traci Brimhall at 7:00 p.m.  

Lily knows the life of a refugee. Of a transplant who has lost family members, best friends, and her home. An American citizen since 2014, Lily watches the way organizations send support overseas to help others.

Interested students and community members from all backgrounds will gather for learning, story sharing and constructive action around environmental justice in Iowa. Appetizers & finger food & beverages will be offered to keep you nourished as you share, learn and play.

Poetry Palooza! kicks off with the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam Finals featuring Akwi Nji.

Poetry Palooza! fills Mainframe Studios with poets, music, and more during its monthly First Friday celebration.

Poetry Palooza! offers free poetry workshops. Registration recommended.

Legacy is a common topic these days, but usually later in life. Jann Freed advocates instead that we think of legacy as the impact we have as a result of daily small actions—breadcrumbs.

From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire.