Heartland angst - a new administration, Ernst cast a deciding vote, Letters, and a mystery around an "on-duty" relationship
...unpardonable pardons and long-sought clemency might surprise you
Welcome to your Sunday Read
New! Introducing calendar listings featuring public events where our members are appearing:
We welcome sailor, author, photographer, and climate advocate
from Okoboji, in northwest Iowa where he grew up learning about the importance of water, wind, and nature. His column offers a captivating glimpse into the delicate balance between humanity and the environment, drawing from his firsthand experiences as an Arctic explorer and photographer. His insights shed light on pressing climate challenges and inspire a deeper connection to the natural world.
This week's collection of columns spans the spectrum of thought-provoking topics—from national politics to poetic reflections, Iowa’s local stories to national headlines, and everything in between. Our writers delve into the complexities of public policy, the raw edges of cultural shifts, and the unexpected beauty in everyday life. Each voice offers a unique perspective, a new angle, and perhaps a challenge to your own views.
From
’s sharp examination of federal healthcare nominees to ’s riveting historical narrative on Leonard Peltier, these columns challenge us to question, reflect, and engage with the world around us. Read as he takes us through the heartland, where local stories mirror national debates, or immerse yourself in 's evocative poetry, which captures the pulse of our times.Among the columnists are
, , and . Rev. Kathy Moore, in her ”Letters from Iowans” submission, discusses the Episcopal priest who was viewed as challenging the president this week.Whether you're in the mood to reflect on the latest political maneuvers, explore the intersections of culture and environment, or savor the art of storytelling, take a moment to dive in and discover the richness of these narratives. Each column is just a "Read More" away.
National Politics
Cheryl Tevis
In her column this week, Cheryl Tevis examines the Federal nominees for public health and health care and asks if there's a doctor in the house. STAT!
Link: Read More
Julie Gammack
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, long a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual assault in the military, cast the pivotal vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense despite his history of abuse allegations and public skepticism about his qualifications. Her decision cleared the way for Vice President JD Vance to break the tie, installing a nominee whose past behavior contrasts Ernst’s stated values on dignity and accountability in military leadership.
Link: Read More
Dennis Goldford
The current, highly charged issue of birthright citizenship is the latest manifestation of an older issue that continues to bedevil our law and politics: What became independent of Great Britain in 1776—one nation or thirteen?
Link: Read More
Barry Piatt
Barry Piatt writes from Washington, DC, that Donald Trump is starting his second term with a burst of dangerous “presidential vandalism.”
Link: Read More
Dave Busiek
Dave Busiek on Media points out who REALLY is emptying prisons to put dangerous people on the streets.
Link: Read More
Joan Zwagerman
Bishop Marian Budde is a rockstar, even to people who generally have no tolerance for religion. Guess who else has no tolerance? Read Joan Zwagerman's thoughts on the subject.
Letters from Iowans
In Letters From Iowans, retired pastor Kathleen Moore praises Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's words at the inaugural prayer service: We must call out the discrepancies between Christ's words and public policies.
Link: Read More
Iowa Politics
Randy Evans
The Mahaska County Sheriff and the Iowa Public Information Board owe it to people to provide needed transparency about a deputy sheriff and what is called his on-duty “personal relationship.”
Link: Read More
Letters from Iowans
In Letters from Iowans, Gordie Felger looks at former Riceville teacher Jane Elliott's famous exercise in discrimination and says Iowa legislators could learn something from it.
Link: Read More
Ed Tibbetts
From traffic safety to private school vouchers, Ed Tibbetts at Along the Mississippi takes on the Iowa GOP's mixed-up priorities. Plus, Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley duck for cover in the face of unpardonable pardons, while a bishop inspires us with her plea for mercy.
Link: Read More
Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard shares a detailed perspective on how Republican policies negatively impact our public schools in "Mike Zimmer—Educator and Candidate for Iowa Senate District 35; and what every American should know about the punishing impacts of Republican efforts to dismantle our public school system."
Link: Read More
Laura Belin
Former State Representative Brad Sherman is gearing up to run for governor. Laura Belin considers the four groups the conservative Republican would need to beat Governor Kim Reynolds in the 2026 primary.
Link: Read More
Laura Belin
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks share their favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes and discuss a busy week in Iowa politics, including Governor Kim Reynolds' wish list for the legislature and news about the Iowans in Congress.
Link: Read More
Dave Price
"Pardon me," Dave Price writes following the dizzying number of presidential pardons we have seen this month. Dave looks at what that could mean plus he is also looking at how the people have spoken on several other matters.
Link: Read More
Public Affairs
Arnold Garson
Clemency for Leonard Peltier! A prosecutor admits he was wrong in a story that spans three centuries of Indian history in the U.S.
Link: Read More
Kali White VanBaale
Kali White VanBaale's re-named column "Minding the Gaps" launched this week with a new article discussing major contributing factors to our broken mental healthcare system and legislative updates.
Link: Read More
Rekha Basu
Trump's first day in office was characterized by a bunch of self-serving pardons while making war on "otherness"—underscoring who his agenda will benefit and hurt.
Link: Read More
Around Iowa
Chuck Offenburger
Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger says it's not just the executives of troubled Landus Cooperative who have imaginations about what their ag company should be doing. Check a couple of big ideas Offenburger has fed them over the years. (O.K., so they didn't work.)
Link: Read More
Art Cullen
Art Cullen notes a chill wafting through the supermarket produce section on Inauguration Day, one that did not necessarily feel like freedom as immigrants braced for raids.
Link: Read More
Business
Art Cullen
Big meat companies write checks over price fixing claims and employ children for night clean-up. Cullen observes that they ask a lot from places like Storm Lake.
Link: Read More
Car Culture
Phoebe Wall Howard
People like going to car shows all over the world. But does anyone go out and buy what they see? In Detroit, shoppers fell in love with everything from a $35,000 Chevy to a $575,000 Ferrari.
Link: Read More
Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger
A riveting podcast with
David Thoreson
Thoreson introduces himself to a new audience, the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative readers. He’s an explorer, climate advocate, adventurer, and sailor. Link: Read More
Chris Jones
“The Swine Republic" exposes the dangerous collusion between Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources and Big Agribusiness, illustrating how polluted waterways and compromised public health are the price of prioritizing industry profits over people. Link: Read More
Music
John Naughton
Most music fans think of Ringo Starr as a Beatle, but he released a country album this year. For more on Starr’s musical direction, John Naughton shares his up-close view.
Link: Read More
Kurtis Meyer
Last week's DC Prayer Service has been written and discussed to death. Ah, but Kurtis Meyer takes a completely different angle—while wondering why he wasn't consulted!
Link: Read More
Daniel P. Finney
The movie "Phantom of the Opera" seems natural for an epic score, but the classic horror pic was released in 1925, before the age of "talkies." Here's what the Simpson College music faculty is doing about it.
Link: Read More
Black Iowa News
Dana James
There’s nothing special about January 20th? Inauguration Day is a chance to reflect, resist, and reaffirm our commitment to justice, truth, and protecting the rights of all people in the face of an uncertain future. Read More
Religion
Dan Henderson
If you had heard the portion of Bishop Marianne Budde's sermon where she spoke truth to power in front of Donald Trump, you would have probably been satisfied with her courage and honesty. But wait, what if she was speaking to all of us?
Link: Read More
Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash Books, Art
Steve Semken
Publisher Steve Semken insists on color in "Amidst A Tomato Sunset."
Link: Read More
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
Suzanna de Baca shares a News Response Poem called "What Has Value Now."
Link: Read More
Are you a paid subscriber to our members or this Roundup column? Join us for our monthly Office Lounge Chat for exclusive insights and discussions with fellow readers and writers.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Zoom Call, The Office Lounge, for paid Subscribers
Hosted by
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Time: noon Central time
Cost: Paid subscription to any of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members
URL for Zoom Call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87111036189
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roster
If you can, pick five to support by becoming a paid subscriber.
Chip Albright: Chip Happens, Des Moines
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Romen Borsellino: Romen Borsellino, Hollywood, CA
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Rachelle Chase: Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Nina Elkadi, Corn Belt Confidential, Iowa City
CHAD ELLIOTT, Iowa’s Renaissance Man, Jefferson
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Christina Fernández-Morrow, Hola Iowa and Christina Fernández-Morrow, Des Moines
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Kathryn Severing Fox: Creston
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Daniel Henderson, Things We Don’t Talk About, Like Religion, Washington
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters From Iowans
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Alison McGaughey The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Davenport
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Maxwell Schaeffer, Maxwell’s Voice, Ankeny
Sarah Scull: The Piecemaker, Creston
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Zachary Oren Smith: Cornhole Champions, Iowa City
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
: Northwest Passage, Okoboji
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale: 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
Joan Zwagerman, Nuts and Bolts, Storm Lake
Events featuring members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative through February
The Buxton Story - Eulenspiegel Puppet Theater
Writer Name:
Date: Sunday, January 26, 2025
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville, IA
Cost: Likely free/low cost/sliding scale
Description: A performance showcasing Des Moines High student musicians as part of a series exploring Dartanyan L. Brown's teaching journey.
URL for More Information: Dartanyan's Substack
Meet the Authors: Daniel Henderson, Dave Markward, Steven Berry
Writer Name:
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Ottumwa Public Library, Ottumwa, IA
Cost: Free
Description: A discussion about evangelical support for Donald Trump and the influence of religion on Iowa's culture and politics.
URL for More Information:
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Zoom Call, The Office Lounge, for paid Subscribers
Hosted by
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Time: noon Central time
Cost: Paid subscription to any of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members
URL for Zoom Call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87111036189
Music Under the Water Tower
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM–9:00 PM
Location: American Legion, Donnellson, IA
Cost: Not listed
Description: A live performance by the Weary Ramblers in Donnellson.
URL for More Information: View Event
Turkey River Cabin Concerts Series
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM–10:00 PM
Location: Elkader Opera House, Elkader, IA
Cost: Ticketed
Description: A special performance by the Weary Ramblers with Simon Cropp.
URL for Tickets: Buy Tickets
Field Day Brewing Co. Performance
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM–6:00 PM
Location: Field Day Brewing Co., North Liberty, IA
Cost: Not listed
Description: A relaxed afternoon performance by the Weary Ramblers.
URL for More Information: View Event
Solera Performance
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM–8:30 PM
Location: Solera, Grinnell, IA
Cost: Not listed
Description: A cozy evening performance at Solera.
URL for More Information: View Event
Songwriters' Showcase
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Thursday, February 20, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM–9:00 PM
Location: Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL
Cost: Not listed
Description: A performance by the Weary Ramblers as part of the Songwriters' Showcase.
URL for More Information: Event Details
CSPS Performance
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Friday, February 21, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM–10:00 PM
Location: CSPS, Cedar Rapids, IA
Cost: Ticketed
Description: A special evening performance by the Weary Ramblers.
URL for Tickets: Buy Tickets
Washington Performing Arts Series
Writer Name: The Weary Ramblers,
andDate: Sunday, February 23, 2025
Time: 3:30 PM–5:30 PM
Location: Washington Area Performing Arts and Events Center, Washington, IA
Cost: Ticketed
Description: A headlining performance by the Weary Ramblers.
URL for Tickets: Buy Tickets
Tough Conversations: Healing Our Racial Divide
Writer Name: Dan Henderson
Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City, IA
Cost: Free
Description: A discussion on healing racial divides with three Iowa authors.
URL for More Information: