The July/August dsm magazine was unveiled Thursday at Warners’ Stellian in Ankeny.

You can read the full issue here.

Here are three of our favorite articles:

Taking the Cake: “If a picture can paint a thousand words, recipes can tell a thousand stories,” says Kay Fenton Smith. It’s a truth she endearingly illustrates throughout her new book, “Baking Blue Ribbons: Stories and Recipes from the Iowa State Fair Food Competitions.” A few years ago, Smith, a passionate cook and avid State Fair enthusiast with a professional background in marketing, was surprised that while there are many great books about the Iowa State Fair and cookbooks with State Fair recipes, no one had ever told the history of the fair’s food department and competitions. “Here we were, the No. 1 state fair food competition in the nation,” Smith says. “Why wasn’t there a book about it?” So she decided to write one.

Veggie Thumper Keeps Growing: Since 2019, Lyssa Wade has run Veggie Thumper, a vegan food brand, out of a tricked-out, dressed-up school bus that’s open from early spring to late fall. Her goal? To get more plant-based eaters on board with a lifestyle she swears by herself. Wade dreams of someday hosting “fancy pop-ups and seated themed dinners” to coax even more locals into craving fresh-from-the-garden cuisine. For now, you can find her slinging walnut “meat” tacos, barbecue “chick’n” nachos and more at her bus that parks in and around Beaverdale (find the complete schedule at veggiethumper.com).

Art as Activism: Art in all its forms—music, film, literature, theater, photography, painting and more—can provide entertainment, give comfort and inspire joy. But works of art also can challenge perceptions and incite change. Activist artists seek to use their talents and creativity to shine a light on issues they care about, blurring the line between who they are as a creator and as a citizen.