If you're looking to start a business, a sign removal company in DC might be lucrative in three years or so.

I was at a life-affirming high school orchestra and choir concert and have missed the lie-fest thus far. Can’t think of a better antidote than to see this wonderful, diverse group of talented young people express themselves, and can’t wait until they are in charge of everything.

I write each week about five things that caught my attention. This one might be the best, exploring intriguing music on “The Lowdown, “ looking for Joe Brainard, and reading Jack Gilbert and Brian Eno. Take five minutes on this Sunday for a peek. open.substack.com/pub/jpkenyon...

Highly recommended.

🧵 In 2025, book censorship in the United States is rampant and common. Never before in the life of any living American have so many books been systematically removed from school libraries across the country.

Can't wait to hear Lockwood talk about this at the Iowa City Book Festival on Oct. 11! www.iowacitybookfestival.org.

Does this mean we don't need to die just yet?

I listen to a LOT of solo guitar music, and I'll be damned if Cyrus Pireh's latest isn't blowing my mind a bit. He calls it "transcendental shred electric guitar music," and I can't think of a better description. youtu.be/2JXbVRELjPE

Happy to be hosting you on Oct. 11 at the Iowa City Book Festival!

Letter to the editor: The decision to close SHSI Iowa City should alarm anyone interested in Iowa and Midwest history littlevillagemag.com/letter-to-th...

I’ve been writing the Take Five feature on my Substack for a year, highlighting more than 250 songs, books, movies,poems, paintings, albums, artists and more. This week, a few favorites offered in celebration. Thanks for reading. Please continue… I will! jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

Love seeing the act of reading celebrated. Who knew we list-making book nerds were newsworthy. I’m at 2,430 and counting over the last 33 years, with a few decades (health willing) before I reach age 92 like Dan. More stories to experience, more worlds to explore. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/b...

Sometimes you need refined art, sometimes you need some Ozzy, and sometimes you need both and everything in between. It was a week full of art ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

Four years after the release of one of Bob Dylan's least spontaneous projects, "Shadow Kingdom," I watched again and found an interesting video that doesn't bear many repeat viewings, and a batch of songs that will continue to earn more spins. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/what-was-i...

Focusing on positives is difficult these days, but I spent time with paintings, and jazz, and ambient music, and protest songs and it helped to get me through.

In 2010, Richard Hell revisited his 1982 album, "Destiny Street." In 2025, I revisit my 2010 interview with Hell about the project, once again thinking about the question: "When is a work of art truly finished?" jpkenyon.substack.com/p/richard-he...

40 years ago today I was in the basement of our house in Des Moines watching Live Aid. With the help of YouTube, I spent the last week reliving some of the highlights and catching up with things I missed as I watched through the lens of a 15-year-old pop fan. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/40-years-l...

A succinct summary of our times from my morning reading. From Bill Knott's "I Am Flying Into Myself: Selected Poems, 1960-2014".

It's sad that Democrats are reduced to feats of endurance to protect millions of Americans from the Republicans, but here we are. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l-X...

I sometimes offer a review by saying, "I listened so you don't need to," but if you're at all a fan of Springsteen, you should read this and then listen, for while there obviously is some chaff among these 7 albums, there is a lot of goodness as well. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/a-perfect-...

Where else will you read about jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard, muralist Diego Rivera, and Mott the Hoople all in one place? Give me 5 minutes, and I’ll take you on a journey through my cultural week. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

People in wheelchairs are getting arrested right now in the Russell Senate Office Building in DC. They showed up to tell Congress not to cut their Medicaid, because they cant afford health care without it. If you look closely you can see the zip ties on their hands. #WeWontGetOverLosingMedicaid

I found solace this week in discovering a few things I had missed the first time around, and for a few moments, it took my mind off the raging dumpster fire that roils our country. Perhaps my recounting of this little journey can do the same for you. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

Maybe Joni was more prescient than we knew with that “We’re all going to die” comment.

My cultural consumption was all over the place this week, with a visit by the King, the reluctant folk-pop of Bill Fox, some Sylvia Plath by way of Joe Pernice, an unexpected jaunt with Neil Finn & Jimmy Barnes, and some wonderful fiction with Torrey Peters. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

I very much want a booster.

I spent a lot of time this week listening to music that meant a lot to me when I was younger, music that I better understand because I've been reading about it, and music I missed the first time and am glad to catch up. Relive all the excitement! jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

This administration continues to take harmful actions and then refer to reports of the resulting negative effects as a "hoax." That makes it more important than ever to continue to document, in this case, the thousands of books that have been banned across the country. pen.org/press-releas...

An eclectic read for this week's Take Five: Nick Cave prays, Shara Nova provokes, Jean-Michel Basquiat bebops, Natural Information Society drones, and Davy Graham strums as the last few days of my cultural journey opened plenty of new doors. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

After years of casual fandom, I became quite obsessed with the music of Nick Cave in the last year, and finally had the chance this week to see him in concert. It was a transformative experience, so of course I wrote about it. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/nick-cave-...

Parents. Students. Librarians. Authors. They're all taking a stand against censorship—from book bans in schools to canceled lectures at colleges. These stories matter. And so does the fight to protect the freedom to read. ilovelibraries.org/article/u-s-...

I haven't quite warmed to the remix yet, but it's easy to stand behind the sentiment of R.E.M.'s latest effort, a new EP with proceeds benefitting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_rs...

We’re doomed.

Wow, is that depressing.

Sigh, what we could have had.

Iowa City area friends, the City of Literature is producing a wonderful performance of the song cycle "Penelope" on April 26 at the James Theatre as part of its MusicIC festival. Watch this segment from this morning's "Everyday Iowa" show on KCRG for more info: www.kcrg.com/video/2025/0...

It was a jazzy week, with some devastating poetry and indie rock of the '80s throwback and modern 'tenderpunk' varieties to round things out. With Fady Joudah, Kenny Burrell, the Silos, Kenny Dorham, and Illuminati Hotties. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

Sitting at the eye doctor and “Losing My Religion” comes on the speakers. I know they intend this as soothing aural wallpaper, but it isn’t working. This music means too much, conjures too many feelings. Bryan Adams follows, and that just makes me feel old.

Revisiting a piece from 2022 about books of collected lyrics and their value for listeners, featuring Paul McCartney, Steve Wynn, Mark Lanegan, and of course, a brief appearance by Bob Dylan. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/i-go-back-...

Art is about creating a feeling, or giving you the chance to have a feeling without going through the experience to get there. That's why people who want to control what you think find art to be so dangerous. Deep thoughts and some great songs that made my week. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...

With no way to take notes, I figured I would allow last night's Dylan concert in Davenport to pass unremarked. Should have known better. Stray thoughts coalesced thanks to a timely book pulled off the shelf, and you now have access to my view of the experience. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/dylans-opt...

We are excited for the return of our MusicIC festival, celebrating intersections between music and literature. This year we feature a performance of "Penelope" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, with vocals by Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), on April 26 at the James Theater. Tickets at www.MusicIC.org.

It will be interesting to see how the LA Garage sessions stack up against the bounty of bootlegged material from that era. I expect a long addition to the paperback of @warrenzanes.bsky.social great “Nebraska” book. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/a...

I’m not sure I can stand so much winning!

Thank you, @booker.senate.gov

In 1972, Esquire asked 2 British writers and a famous photographer to respond to the work of Bob Dylan. This early literary criticism and visual art is worth it if only for the phrase "the industry soaks through... this like incontinent urine through pants." jpkenyon.substack.com/p/a-cornucop...

BREAKING: Trump admin says it mistakenly deported a Maryland father who had *withholding of removal* back to El Salvador on March 15. Govt told court Monday it won't bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back. "What.The.Fuck..." one govt attorney told me. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc... @theatlantic.com

Just in NIH grants, It looks like beautiful Iowa City, home of the U of Iowa, will lose $71m in funding. That's almost $1k per resident. And that's before all the other cuts to SSA, FDA, etc. Anyone in Iowa City that can offer more insight? scienceimpacts.org H/T to Prathima !

Looking for some new things to listen to this beautiful Friday? Here are a few suggestions, including Neil Young, new Tortoise (!), William Tyler and Yasmin Williams, and My Morning Jacket. jpkenyon.substack.com/p/take-five-...