The first event of the 2014 Mission Creek festival saw poet Adam Fell and author Leslie Jamison reading at Prairie Lights Bookstore downtown. Fell read from his newest collection of poems, entitled “Dear Corporation”, a series of open letters to the increasingly corporate world we find ourselves in. Jamison read from her new book, The Empathy Exams, a study into one of the hardest, most intangible human emotions.

Fell’s reading was heartfelt, his voice full of emotion and meaning. He read poems on love, on feelings of helplessness in response to tragedy, and the heartlessness and insincerity of corporate emotion. His writing is characterized by building, twisting runs of words and phrases, sincere sentiments, and occasional splashes of irreverent humor. He uses quick switches of direction and words with double meanings to add depth and structure to his poems.

Jamison read an excerpt from an essay about Morgellons disease, a condition which causes suffers to believe that they are suffering from parasites when no parasites are present. The piece centered on sufferer’s struggle to get their condition recognized medically. and the lack of empathy on the part of the medical professionals they spoke to.

She also read a piece about voyeurism and schadenfreude, enjoyment and consumption of other’s misery. It describes a writer, James Agee, and his writing about unrequited desire and pain; and the how Jamison was profoundly affected by her reading of Agee’s achingly empathetic piece.

While Fell’s reading was spattered with laughter and reaction to his poetry, Jamison held the audience enraptured, no one spoke until she had finished. She varied the tone, speed, and volume of her voice masterfully, coaxing volumes of emotion from a reading only minutes long. Even the brief snippet of The Empathy Exams that she read drips with meaning and emotion. It makes you want to be a better, and a more empathetic person.

The event was an excellent kickoff for the literary portion of the Mission Creek festival. and I’m looking forward to the rest of the readings.

The post Mission Creek: Leslie Jamison/Adam Fell Reading, 4/1/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Mission Creek takes place the first week of April every year (the 1st-6th), and brings music, food, lit, and film fans from all over the country to Iowa. This year will be no exception, with indie headliners such as Warpaint, The Head and the Heart, !!!, and Kishi Bashi.

Here’s what you shouldn’t miss at Mission Creek 2014:

The Head and the Heart

The indie folk group’s show at the Englert Theatre Friday, April 4th is sold out, so if you’re lucky enough to come across someone with extra tickets, thank your lucky stars. The Head and the Heart have been on indie fast-track since their debut self-titled album was released in 2010. With the release of their new album, Let’s Be Still last year, THATH have grabbed some serious attention, booking not only Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but also Coachella, the Governor’s Ball, and world famous Milwaukee Summerfest.

Check out the official music video for their single off Let’s Be Still, “Shake”.

Kishi Bashi

Fresh off his set at SXSW in Austin and the Middle of the Map music festival  in Kansas City just before Mission Creek, Kishi Bashi’s show at The Mill on Friday, April 4th should be an excellent one. With praise like World Rock Magazine‘s stating, ““. . . if God had an iPod, he’d be listening to Kishi Bashi.”, one can only expect a beautiful set from the 38 year-old Seattle native, who is also a member of the group, Of Montreal, who also headlines Mission Creek, (Thursday, April 3rd at Blue Moose Tap house).

Check out the brand new official music video for “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!” of his upcoming album Lighght.

Hannibal Buress

The Mission Creek comedic headliner is a former writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, currently stars in the Adult Swim faux-talk show The Eric Andre Show, has a set at Bonnaroo, and is a returning cast member of the new Comedy Central series Broad City. Buress’ show Wednesday, April 2nd at the Englert Theatre will leave you with sore abs and  a smile on your face.

Check out his hilarious set about New Orleans on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last month.

Warpaint

The indie rock,  all female group will be playing the opening night of Mission Creek, Tuesday, April 1st at Gabe’s. Much like The Head and the Heart, Warpaint has booked an impressive amount of spring and summer festivals, Snowball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Boston Calling, Pickathon just to name a handful. The group has been together since 2004, and has three successful full length albums. Their newest album is self-titled, and was released in January.

Check out their live performance of “Elephant” from their debut 2009 album, “Exquisite Corpse”, at PitchFork music festival in Paris last December.

 Caroline Smith

While she’s not a headliner, Caroline Smith will be soon enough with her smooth and soulful voice. Smith will be on at 11pm just before !!! at Gabe’s on Friday, April 3rd. Her pure talent and flawless voice is something you cannot miss at Mission Creek this year. You can also catch Smith at the Middle of the Map festival in Kansas City.

Check out the music video for the song “Magazine” off of Caroline Smith’s 2013 album, Half About Being a Woman.

For a full Mission Creek 2014 calendar of events and ticket information go to Mission Creek’s website.

The post Mission Creek 2014: What KRUI Thinks You Shouldn’t Miss appeared first on KRUI Radio.