Ack! No way to sum up this week in national, international and local news. Just read this.
...and, since life does go on, we'll throw in a feel-good sports story and a bit of poetry
Sunday Roundup/Roster/New Subscriber Memo/Calendar of Events (click to jump)
Iowa is not a simple, one-dimensional cliche. We are a sum of it all. In our complexity and differences, there is storytelling gold.
To share what works here, and what can be improved, we in the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative tell the stories of Iowa through the lens of—now 76—writers and songwriters, each with their perspective.
We also feature Letters From Iowans—occasional essays by those who have something to say that isn’t being said elsewhere. All stories matter.
Mary McBee of Tama reflects on her upbringing in rural Iowa and the lifelong challenge of thinking independently in a culture shaped by capitalism, religion, and a Eurocentric education. Her journey led her to question societal systems and explore alternative ways of understanding the world, ultimately embracing a more critical and expansive worldview.
Shining a Light on Iowa’s Untold Stories: New Voices Join the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Two powerful forces are reshaping Iowa’s future—the state’s growing Latino immigrant community and its thriving startup ecosystem. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce two new additions to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative whose work will bring fresh perspectives and elevate these essential conversations.
Lorena López Altamirano: Amplifying Iowa’s Immigrant Voices
Get ready for bold storytelling from Lorena López Altamirano via her column, “From Managua to Main Street: Stories of Iowa Immigrants.” As the founder of La Prensa, Iowa Spanish Newspaper, and a former national TV journalist in Nicaragua, Lorena brings unmatched experience and passion to her mission: highlighting the stories of immigrants who are integral to Iowa’s culture, economy, and communities.
In her debut column, Lorena advocates for comprehensive immigration reform, shining a light on the resilience and humanity of undocumented immigrants who contribute to America’s prosperity. With her deeply personal and incisive writing, she calls for justice, compassion, and pragmatic solutions—all while giving voice to those often left unheard.
Lorena’s work will expand and enrich the conversation about Iowa’s evolving identity, offering readers a window on the experiences that are shaping the state’s future.
Let’s Get Down to Business: Meet the Iowa Startup Collective
Entrepreneurs, innovators, and dreamers—this one’s for you. The Iowa Startup Collective, a new bimonthly series led by
, will tell the stories of the people building Iowa’s startup and tech scene from the ground up. This initiative, launched under the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, highlights the ideas, innovations, and movers shaping the state’s entrepreneurial landscape.Led by a team of writers and creatives, the Iowa Startup Collective will inspire and connect the startup community through storytelling:
Tej Dhawan dives into Central Iowa’s rich tech history, kicking things off with a profile on early tech pioneer Ken Kaplan.
Mikayla Mooney taps into the innovation happening at the Ag Startup Engine, focusing on venture capital and the future of Iowa’s agricultural industry.
Kaylee Williams offers practical advice on raising capital and scaling startups, drawing from her experience as an investment director.
Sree Nilakanta, veteran entrepreneur and Iowa State faculty member, explores the intersection of research and business, spotlighting university-driven innovation.
Diana Wright introduces her Startup Iowa Hot List and a new series called Mini Moonshot Experiments, inspired by the xPRIZE Foundation’s creative approach to solving big challenges.
The Iowa Startup Collective is more than a column—it’s a movement to connect, inspire, and celebrate Iowa’s ever-expanding community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
Your Sunday Roundup of Columns by Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Members
This collection offers something you won’t find anywhere else—a thoughtful, unfiltered view of life in Iowa and beyond from some of the state’s most insightful writers.
Laura Belin’s investigation into Iowa’s Attorney General shines a light on critical legal battles affecting vulnerable communities. Jane Burns’ sports feature brings to life the inspiring story of Iowa’s own “Machine Gun Molly” and her place in basketball history. Robert Leonard’s interview on the refugee experience in Iowa reveals stories of resilience and faith. And Art Cullen, as always, challenges us to think harder and see clearer, even when it feels easier to look away.
For those who crave a touch of the poetic, Michael Judge’s Valentine’s Day poem reminds us of the power of words to evoke emotion and connection.
Every story listed here is worth a look. You simply will not find this breadth of content anywhere else.
Iowa Politics
Laura Belin
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird kept quiet for months about the state's involvement in a lawsuit that could be catastrophic for Americans with disabilities. Laura Belin has the story.
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Dartanyan L. Brown
Dartanyan's first Iowa politics post: Skyler Wheeler. Has this Washington state transfer done enough to join the Iowa Republican Gang?
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Dave Price
Is there a "war on workers?" And should someone have done this sooner? Dave Price looks at what the Donald Trump/Elon Musk duo is doing with federal employees and the services that we all use.
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Laura Belin
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks cover Iowa's new DOGE task force, a Republican challenger for Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and lots of legislative news in the latest edition of "KHOI's Capitol Week."
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Ed Tibbetts
Iowa Republicans are spending millions of taxpayer dollars to reimburse a select few for their private education expenses.
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Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard interviews an Iowa State Senator and Lutheran clergy about the status of refugees in Iowa.
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Zachary Oren Smith
What did Governor Reynolds have to say about Lutheran Social Services being a laundering operation?
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National Politics
Cheryl Tevis
Cheryl Tevis muses about the possible demise of the penny and whether the careless cost-cutting of DOGE makes any cents.
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Barry Piatt
Barry Piatt writes that Donald Trump—the only convicted felon elected to the presidency—is on a new crime spree.
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Art Cullen
Art Cullen’s lament: We live in the stupidest of times. It makes you want to look away.
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Joan Zwagerman
Resistance is on Joan Zwagerman's mind these days.
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Dennis Goldford
Where are smart, honorable, and patriotic advisors when we need them? Someone needs to speak truth to power.
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Phoebe Wall Howard
My next door neighbor has a Canadian flag flying at his house. Everything feels different now.
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Phoebe Wall Howard
Pro tip: Buy ASAP if you need a car, fridge, or washer. Supply chain experts offer advice on avoiding price hikes.
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Nina Elkadi
A "Meat Institute" trade group pushes for rollbacks on environmental regulations and worker protections.
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Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger
In time for Valentine's Day, climate change is driving up the cost of chocolate.
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Chris Jones
A picture is worth a thousand turds.
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World Affairs
Arnold Garson
The release of a talented teacher after 3+ years in a Soviet prison prompts a review of Marc Fogel's career.
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Diversity in the Heartland
Jane Nguyen
Jane Nguyen's guest writer, Stacey Robles, shares her family's story from Mexico to Iowa.
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The Iowa Angle
Julie Gammack
Julie Gammack reveals how a sudden freeze on USAID programs threatens lives abroad and Iowa’s economy. She talks to Iowans in the know. Monday’s podcast guest is Tim Higgins, author of a book about Elon Musk.
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Around Iowa
Pat Kinney
The dean of Iowa TV news anchors, Ron Steele at KWWL in Waterloo, is leaving after almost 51 years.
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Pat Kinney
105-year-old Marjorie Witt Costigan of Elkader is one of four siblings who served in World War II.
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Strictly Personal
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha
Fern explores the joys of baby whispering.
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Media
Daniel P. Finney
Creeps stole Daniel Finney’s old Facebook Page. Now the trash they’re posting could get him in trouble.
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Dave Busiek
We should stop using the initials DEI and say the actual words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
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Trends
Kyle Munson
"Saturday Night Live" is celebrating 50 years, and The New Yorker its centennial.
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Dan Henderson
Culturally relevant Super Bowl rituals reveal Euro-American outrage worth examining.
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Humor
Maxwell Schaefer
Comedian Scott Long shares hilarious and heartfelt stories from his career, including an unexpected gig for an Amish audience.
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Letters from Iowans
Letters from Iowans
Mary McBee reflects on capitalism's inherently exploitative and destructive nature.
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Family
Rekha Basu
Rekha Basu's attention this week was on to her newborn grandson and his toddler brother.
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Health
Cheryl Tevis
In "911, What's Your Emergency?" Cheryl explains how emergency medical services (EMS) aren’t considered essential in Iowa.
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David Thoreson
Need a Mental Health Break? Chill out in nature to soothe the soul.
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Sports
Jane Burns
Molly (Bolin) Kazmer is a legend. The former Iowa Cornet known as Machine Gun Molly was named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
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John Naughton
John Naughton's first taste of real Nashville Hot Chicken was a mouth-burning experience of fiery fowl.
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Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
"Requiem for a Penny," a News Response poem.
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Michael Judge
A poem for Valentine’s Day.
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Kelsey Bigelow
There’s so much innocence and wisdom in a toddler’s ability to find excitement in the unknown. Kelsey shares her theory on glimmers and a poem to match.
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Did you catch the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup on Wednesday?
Here’s the Flipside:
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Member Location
Des Moines Area (Central Iowa)
Chip Albright: Chip Happens, Des Moines
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Kelsey Bigelow: There’s a Poem in That, Des Moines
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Christina Fernández-Morrow: Hola Iowa and Christina Fernández-Morrow, Des Moines
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Kali White VanBaale: Mind the Gap, Bondurant
Diana Wright: Startup Iowa’s Hot List, Des Moines
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
North-Central Iowa
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Chad Elliott: Iowa’s Renaissance Man, Jefferson
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Maxwell Schaeffer: Maxwell’s Voice, Ankeny
Eastern Iowa
Deidre Cox Baker: Baker’s Heartbeat, Eldridge
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Alison McGaughey: In the Fields, Davenport
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Carol Montag: Monday’s Music, Cedar Rapids
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Michael Judge: The First Person, Iowa City
Nina Elkadi: Corn Belt Confidential, Iowa City
Zachary Oren Smith: Cornhole Champions, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Northeast Iowa
John Crabtree: Though the Heavens Fall, Oelwein
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Hannah Breckbill: Humble Hands Harvest, Decorah
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Northwest Iowa
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Joan Zwagerman: Nuts and Bolts, Storm Lake
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Lorena Lopez: From Managua to Mainstreet, Denison
Southeastern Iowa
Daniel Henderson: Things We Don’t Talk About, Like Religion, Washington
South-Central Iowa
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land / Emerging Voices, Kalona
Southwestern Iowa
Sarah Scull: The Piecemaker, Creston
Kathryn Severing Fox: Creston
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Western Iowa
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Iowa Lakes Region
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Okoboji
David Thoreson: Northwest Passages, Okoboji
Iowa at Large
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Writers Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup / Sunday Roundup
Letters From Iowans: Iowa
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Outside Iowa
Romen Borsellino: Romen Borsellino, Hollywood, CA
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
Memo to New Subscribers
First, welcome to our community of writers who provide local, independent content to those who have an interest in the state of Iowa, and our role in the world at large.
In less than three years, we have grown from a group of seven, mostly former Des Moines Register columnists, along with Pulitzer-winner Art Cullen, to over 70 writers. Each have had some kind of professional writing experience prior to joining the Substack platform craze.
Our cumulative audience in the past 30 days reached 109,000 views, which is a 1000 more than last Wednesday. As we add new members, they bring in readers who follow them, and are then introduced to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative team.
What is our business model?
Now, there’s a good question.
Most of our writers do not require readers to pay to subscribe, but about 10% end up doing so because they appreciate what the writer is offering. We want everyone to have the information, whether they can afford to pay for it or not. Think of it as ‘tithing’ for local journalism.
Who are we?
We do not expect readers to read all 76 (!) writers regularly, but please do pick your favorites and subscribe to them, so those columns arrive in your inbox as soon as they are posted.
Are other states adopting this collaborative model?
Not yet.
Tough news Roundup going into another tough week. And so it goes... Remember to take care of yourselves during this stressful time. Take mental health breaks, get outside in some nature and take a few deep breaths. We need to be healthy and strong through this long fight.