The Englert Theatre’s inaugural Iowa City Songwriters Festival began September 4th with a beautiful intimate set at The Black Angel, featuring local artists Aaron Longoria (of Early Girl), Sophie Mitchell, and Penny Peach. Aaron Longoria started the festival off with their sweet and melodic song “3 Months,” the first song they ever wrote. In between songs, they all briefly paused to highlight the recent project Always Here: A Compilation of Sounds from Iowa, arranged by Aaron Longoria. The compilation features songs, sounds, and poetry from trans and nonbinary artists across Iowa, with proceeds benefitting the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. This was the perfect start and introduction to what the Iowa City Songwriters Festival is about, highlighting artists songwriting as a process of collaboration within our local community.