Featuring Appearances by
Will Keeps
Will Keeps is a rapper and former gang member. After being beaten almost to death at age 15, Will moved to Des Moines where he began performing and mentoring youth. In a world where violence and hate are far too common, Will believes it takes an entire community to make positive change.
Jen Carruthers
Jen Carruthers, founder of Drag King DSM, is a hustler who enjoys anything that makes Des Moines cooler and more inclusive. Originally from Illinois, Jen has been in Des Moines for 16 years and considers herself an unpaid advocate for the city she's grown to love!
Li Zhao
Li Zhao lived in China for 25 years before moving to Holland, the U.K. and the U.S. With decades of international trade experience, Li is a top China expert in Iowa. She has received the Passport to Prosperity Award, the Governor’s Volunteer Award and was named to The Business Record’s Forty Under 40 list.
Brad Biren
Brad Biren is a senior associate at the Johnston Martineau law firm. He’s a New York City transplant from a family of Holocaust survivors and a proud Hawkeye. He lives and works in Des Moines with his Iowa-born husband, two dogs and a very fat monitor lizard.
Clemen Wilcox
Clemen Wilcox is the founder of Clemen Wilcox and Associates and Everything-Spanish. An entrepreneur, Clemen hopes to be a link between the Anglo and Hispanic cultures in Iowa. She is an active volunteer and board member of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens and the Latino Center of Iowa.
Agenda
June 7, 2018
Blended: Will Keeps - 'Learning to Listen'
William Holmes aka Will Keeps saw a friend murdered by a rival gang at the age of 15.
June 7, 2018
Blended: Jen Carruthers - 'Giving Gender The Middle Finger'
Jen Carruthers never looked like how she felt inside; until she discovered drag.
June 7, 2018
Blended: Li Zhao - 'Becoming “a little feminist”'
Li Zhao was born during China’s controversial one-child policy.
June 7, 2018
Blended: Brad Biren - 'Finding Home'
Growing up in a family of Holocaust survivors; Brad Biren was taught he’d always be a foreigner in a foreign land.
June 7, 2018
Blended: Clemen Wilcox - 'Becoming black'
When Clemen Wilcox’s husband got her a DNA test for Christmas, she never considered she’d be surprised by the results.