Dear Reader,
Time is a precious thing to have, and as a senior in these past four years I have learned, engaged and worked on a lot of projects through the Digital Media Department. This magazine showcases the elements I have learned not only through my professors, but also my peers.
I would also like to note that although I made an interactive website for this magazine. I would still like my readers to check out the pdf version in which you can find in the table of contents.
I would love to give special thanks to Daniel Hernandez, Lanie Weber, Dr. Anelia Dimitrova and the entire staff of the Northern Iowan. Their ideas, critiques and support pushed this magazine to its limits.
Please enjoy the magazine and I hope you spend the next hour enjoying the artistry, features and short stories. This magazine is a self-initiated passion project and I am very proud to say the vision has been achieved.
Make this hour count.
Nixson Benitez
Hour Editor-In-Chief
The Hour magazine got first place in the Editing and Design class at the University of Northern Iowa. The first place winner gets $100 written to them.
THIS IS ONLY THE INTRO
Everything you see here was designed by me.
I learned this mostly on my own and got help from close friends, colleagues and mentors.
To fully appreciate the art I would recommend viewing this on a desktop.
Please enjoy the art.
A Fishing Legacy: Bringing a family tradition forward
Fishing is a reflection of childhood for Ice Fishermen Ben Frostestad. While others are in the house making hot cocoa, Frostestad is packing up his gear and getting ready to fish in the cold winter. After returning from one of his fishing trips recently, he asked me if I have ever gone ice fishing.
I told him I never had.
What he didn’t know was that I have a great fear of fish. He offered to show me and I said, “Let’s do it.”
A year and a half later, we would keep small updates with each other about a potential opportunity for an ice fishing trip. He also made it his mission to help me overcome this fear of fish.
We continued our communication, Frostestad mentioned that there haven’t been any great opportunities as this year’s winter has been warmer than usual.
I reached out to my network to see if anybody would know of a lake. In a matter of an hour, a professor mentioned to me they had a private lake on their farm.
The trip was on, and we arrived at the Moonfire Ridge on a cold Friday afternoon. This farm was so quiet my ears popped and there was no change in elevation. Frostestad and I started to get to work.
Frostestad drilled a hole to get a good sense of the lake. He scooped out the ice shavings with a kitchen spoon to allow for his technology to go in the cold water and get a good scan of the lake.
The ice was 12 inches thick, thick enough for a fire to be lit on top of it. Frostestad saw in the first hole that the lake was 8 feet deep on the west side.
There were fish swimming
and he knew this as the heat of the fish would be seen on the ice fishing detector.
We drilled about seven more holes in the ice and with his technology, we found the deepest part of the lake, about 10 feet deep on the north side.
Frostestad was first introduced to fishing by his grandfather, Virgil Ewoldt, when he was 3 years old. His grandfather showed him the worms, the string and the patience.
His grandpa passed away last year, but Frostestad continues his legacy in the icy plains in silence.
He keeps the ice fishing tradition alive as a reminder of the great moments he shared
with his grandfather and the exhilarating joy they both felt catching a fish.
He showed me what his grandpa had taught him.
On this fishing trip he caught a great sunset, but no fish.
Frostestad enjoys bonding and sharing stories in the journey of catching a great fish.
It is not about how long for him, but what’s next.
As luck would have it, I was actually the one who caught the fish and I will say I still have a great fear of fish.
The ice was 12 inches thick, thick enough for a fire to be lit on top of it. Frostestad saw in the first hole that the lake was 8 feet deep on the west side.
There were fish swimming
and he knew this as the heat of the fish would be seen on the ice fishing detector.
We drilled about seven more holes in the ice and with his technology, we found the deepest part of the lake, about 10 feet deep on the north side.
“Sometimes when the ice is thin the fish can see you, but this ice is thick enough where they can only hear us.”
Ben Frostestad
Ice Fisher
Ice Fisher
Frostestad was first introduced to fishing by his grandfather, Virgil Ewoldt, when he was 3 years old. His grandfather showed him the worms, the string and the patience.
His grandpa passed away last year, but Frostestad continues his legacy in the icy plains in silence.
He keeps the ice fishing tradition alive as a reminder of the great moments he shared
with his grandfather and the exhilarating joy they both felt catching a fish.
He showed me what his grandpa had taught him.
On this fishing trip he caught a great sunset, but no fish.
Frostestad enjoys bonding and sharing stories in the journey of catching a great fish.
It is not about how long for him, but what’s next.
As luck would have it, I was actually the one who caught the fish and I will say I still have a great fear of fish.
MEET DESSY X AND HER ARTISTRY
Dessy White is putting her superpowers and talents in the Des Moines metro area.
Known on stage as Dessy X, she is one of many artists who are helping transform the local musical scene.
“The music scene in my opinion has never been like this,” White said. “We have shows going on almost every other week. Artists are getting better and new artists are coming out. People are working and banding together to actually try to put Des Moines on the map, and to show people we have talent here.”
White is one of the many artists in Iowa that are currently thriving in what appears to be a blooming music scene in Iowa.
Her beginnings
Before she dedicated herself to music three years ago, Dessy X wrote short stories and poetry. In one story, “Selene Academy” on Wattpad, where she blended Harry Potter and her old life, her protagonist uses his superpowers to touch anything and feel its emotions, including the ability to read the future.
“I was around a bunch of artists and creatives at the time and just watching them make music, whether it was beats or writing to a song. It made me want to be a part of it,” she said.
She later published her first poetry book, “The Unraveling,” shortly after she had left the foster care system.
With her focus mainly on writing, she also was composing music, but it wasn’t as big of a priority for her at the time.
She one day wished upon herself to be an artist like those whom she was with.
She took her wish and cashed it into an action. She then released her first single, called “Payday,” on Soundcloud.
Once she got over the learning curve, with her next album, “Broken Hearts Association,'' she incorporated more singing in comparison to her rapping style of music.
She likes to recognize each stage of life, specifically in the emotional toll that carries its unique sense of connection.
One of these emotions, she mentioned, is the feeling of being alone. She acknowledges that this internal problem, whether that be grief, or loss of support, is universal.
She one day wished upon herself to be an artist like those whom she was with.
She took her wish and cashed it into an action. She then released her first single, called “Payday,” on Soundcloud.
Once she got over the learning curve, with her next album, “Broken Hearts Association,'' she incorporated more singing in comparison to her rapping style of music.
“I write music about anything I am going through at the current time, whether it's heartbreak or anything that I'm going through with my family,”
Dessy White
Artist
Artist
She likes to recognize each stage of life, specifically in the emotional toll that carries its unique sense of connection.
One of these emotions, she mentioned, is the feeling of being alone. She acknowledges that this internal problem, whether that be grief, or loss of support, is universal.
Months before her first live performance she had just moved to Des Moines from Davenport. She attended her first local artists show and when it was over, she made the wish to do a show of her own. Months later she got a message from Aaron Taylor, a promoter, asking if she wanted to be featured on a show. This connection with Taylor sparked her into being more involved in the music industry and has taken every opportunity ever since.
White’s first live performance was last summer at the Astronauts tour stop at Lefty’s Live Music. The venue is a special place for her, as she is not only a regular performer there, but it is also the location where she met her soulmate, Antonio Hernandez.
He attended White’s show,
“(I couldn’t believe) how beautiful her voice was for real… just hearing it up close and live,” he said. “It was definitely something else.”
Her commitment to music
After Dessy X’s first live performance, one of her closest friends and artist who goes by the name Crealot, gave her advice and the two options many artists and musicians take in this industry.
“There are two different types of artists: there are artists that are more relaxed and just go with the flow...then there are the polished and refined people, who could totally spend hours, and hours of time perfecting one song,” Crealot said.
Crealot then was asked which one she wanted to be. At that moment, she found herself in the middle. Later, she decided to take the path of being more polished and refined.
“Since then, I’ve been rocking with ‘Blackshoeinc,’ they’re a collective group that puts on shows. They have dope artists, dope everything to be honest,” White said.
Releases and future projects
When starting out a project she listens to at least 50 beats online to keep the vibe consistent in her music. The process of narrowing her selection took her about five days.
However, writing a song takes one to two weeks or even up to a month.
“I go line by line,” she said. “Sometimes I'm in like a writing week, where it comes to me very easily. But I’m getting into this new sense of trying to make my lyrics deeper.”
White is currently in the writing process and is incorporating the relationship between her mother and her. She mentioned that she has felt like an orphan her entire life, but has a mother in which she is disconnected with.
“We just don’t have that relationship that I wish that we could have.” She said, “So, with this project that is why I’m digging deeper into things like my personal experiences with my mom and the foster care system.”
Her commitment has led her to producing a variety of music one of them being the album ”Five Realms of Grief.”
The album deals with working through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, with each emotion being the respective song’s title.
A couple of months later she released a single called “My Time” which was released on March 16, 2023. She has another single and an album in the works.
In the music scene of Des Moines where she is constantly taking the stage she gave herself the superpowers in which she once wrote in “Selene Academy.”
White is becoming the protagonist in her own story. The story in which she has the ability to create her future on the stage and touch many of the audience members' emotions with her voice.
Connected or disconnected, she amplifies that there is a community in both and that no one has to truly be alone with these emotions.
“It's been very interesting and very fun to focus on my dreams. It’s stressful, but it also provides a sense of relief because I’m doing something that makes me happy.” White said
His collection also extends to hats, shirts and other clothing items. On its face, this treasure trove of fashion price tags between $80,000 to $100,000, and that is without taking into account the value of rarity and demand. Since the very beginning, Robert only bought one pair of shoes above retail.
It was the Dr. Feelgood Nike SB Dunk, he thought the resale was the normal price. Otherwise he would have never paid the asking price.
Retail in the sneaker culture is bought at the store of the supplier.
But once on the street, its value can skyrocket depending on the limited supply and high demand in the market. So the market value of his entire collection can even be higher.
Robert’s beginnings in the sneaker game
Robert’s dad, a Chicago native raised in Peoria, Illinois had a huge influence on Robert as he is a die-hard Chicago fan. Robert, who grew up with the Chicago teams in his house, saw it all from the start.
“So, I’m 10 years old when Jordan wins his first championship and 5 years old when Jordan dunks his free throw line dunk. So, I was a very impressionable kid…. and the coolest guy in sports just happened to be on your favorite team,” he said. “My parents not because we were poor, but just because they wanted to instill good values. Never allow me to get Jordans.”
Robert’s first pair of Jordans when he was young was the original Jordan Chicago 1 High, given to him as a hand-me-downs by a neighbor.
They were way too big on him, but he wore them anyway. He tied the laces around the ankle, and wore them out until one day his mother decided to throw away the shoes because he looked “ridiculous." He didn’t blame her at the time.
“Even when I was in the crunchiest of crunchy phases, I still had to be fresh compared to all other crunchy people,”
Jason Robert
Sneaker Collector
Sneaker Collector
He started to collect more seriously between ‘08 and ‘09. His collection would range from Supreme, Nike, Asics, Lifted Research Group also known as LRG, New Balances and more.
Sneakers are a conversation and support system
Fashion is an art and a community to Robert.
He mentioned that it influences people to want to spark a conversation about the uniqueness and rarity to each clothing piece. He has connections from Europe to New York in which they would always help each other out in getting the shoes they needed. In the face of adversity, they looked out for each other like a family.
“We had a sneaker homie whose dad passed away and his wife had cancer at the same time,” he said. “We put together a package of all these streetwear, money and gifts just to send it to him as a surprise.”
This community even goes beyond him as one of his other friend’s apartment building caught on fire and he lost a bunch of his sneakers. Without hesitation, Robert and his friends raised a bunch of money and sneakers for him.
What drove him to do all this was because of the culture it used to be. “The thing was limited shoes, it wasn’t about affording them, it was about knowing someone who had access to them,” he said.
He had dreams of opening up a sneaker boutique which is where DropDSM came from. He was hoping this business would be up-to-date with all of the releases and would sell clothing items, shoes and other fashion lines. Robert mentioned that if he broke even every year, meaning he wouldn’t make a profit, he would still be happy because he would be able to still be a realtor through his computer and talk about fashion and sneakers with people all day.
“I’m not religious, but the closest thing to religion is to make a stranger smile everyday. That’s how I approach life,”
Jason Robert
Sneaker Collector
Sneaker Collector
He then lost interest due to many resellers turning over the culture into a business. His interest sparked back up during Valentine’s Day where his wife gifted him the Jordan 6 Black Varsity Red.
During the time of the gift his inspiration sparked. During this time he started having more money and this was the time when Ronnie Fieg, founder of “Kith,” was with New York-based franchise David Z. In the 1990s David Z was the most influential block in the country for street culture. There was a pair of Ronnie Fieg x Asics Gel-Lyte Cove he was going for and it was one of the first super hype pairs released online as Robert mentioned.
“I remember one time I think it was the Ronnie Fieg Rose Gold GT-II. My internet stopped working like 15 minutes before the release, and in my underwear and a hood, I got in my car and drove to Caribou to use their wifi in their parking lot. I had no shoes or pants on,” He said.
He didn’t get the shoes.
DropDSM, which once was an idea for a business, is now an instagram page in which he displays many of his sneakers.
Robert will find every opportunity to incorporate his shoes in any special event.
Take his wedding, for instance.
He called “Nike ID,” now known as “Nike By You,” a custom shoe service provided by Nike.
Robert had a special request to the company and it was to put the date on when he will be getting married on the shoes.
The staff member put him on speaker and congratulated him on the special occasion. His order was later confirmed and the date September 13, 2008 was sewn on the shoe.
There is no doubt that Robert left a shoe print in many sneakerheads' hearts. It is not about the money for him, but about the countless connections he’s made with his shoes.
“There's been lots of people that I now consider like good friends that we just met because of sneakers,” he said.
We started our food search at the hotel. Everything was closed, but 7/11. Our team ordered the pizza and we munched on what appeared to be the craziest episode for our trip.
During our time in San Francisco we learned a lot through the workshops and we experienced for a brief moment what it was like to be in a city of opportunities.
“The San Francisco trip was such an amazing experience,” said Diamond Roundtree, campus life editor. “making connections, viewing the vast skyscrapers, Starbucks everyday. It was truly beautiful! My favorite part was the Black Journalist round table!”
An important point I took away from the ACP conference was to never be afraid to push the envelope. The envelope, meaning breaking the expectation and boundary in how one can communicate information. This feedback goes across the board in social media, news designing or even creating a poster. Pushing the envelope in school was something the presenter encourage to do. College is the place to fail and the place to push unique ideas in which other professionals may hesitate doing in the real world. Be bold and push ideas that feel crazy, because one day someone will acknowledge the passion.
“It was great to be able to share not only our struggles and triumphs as a newsroom with other colleges, but to also discuss important topics in the journalism world right now,”Mallory Schmitz, News Editor said. “I attended one session about libel law that referenced court cases and another session about reporting on the transgender community.”
Our Spanish Editor, Karina Ortiz, appreciated the LatinX roundtable discussion at the conference as well, “It was comforting to know that we are individuals who may face the same challenges regardless of gender or age,”she said, ”I carry that memory with me like a positive pendant to remind myself that loneliness is a myth because maybe we all face similar experiences, but rarely get the chance to voice it.”
On our trip we experienced the city, visited the golden gate bridge and saw Alcatraz. Our editing team bonded, and we truly spent time getting to know more about our goals, names and fun facts. It was a very rewarding trip. It was reaffirming and I reconnected with some friends in which I am glad to hear they are doing well. If you are reading this, know I am thinking of you and hope you are doing great.
When the trip was done we packed our bags, said goodbye to some great friends and won 7th place for best website for the Northern Iowan at the national stage. This was the only submission we did this year, but next year, be on the lookout for our name.