$21 Feast, Bye-Bye Maid-Rite, Music . . .
. . . and things we don't talk about, like religion
Welcome to the Flipside edition of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup!
Regular Iowa Writers’ Collaborative readers have enjoyed a Sunday column Roundup for over two years. We introduced a new format at the beginning of 2025 as our columnist ranks have blossomed to over 60 contributors. Topics such as Food, Music, Books, Art, Poetry, Features, Religion, and “Strictly Personal” Essays will now appear in this midweek edition. At the same time, politics, issues, and newsy commentary will remain in the Sunday edition. Depending on the writer's choice, some topics may appear in both editions.
You might notice a couple of stray political columns in this edition, but the division will become more consistent over time.
This week, we’re excited to welcome two newcomers! Please join us in greeting:
- brings a wealth of life experiences and will focus his Substack column on his late-blooming journey as a musician.
- dives into one of life’s most pervasive yet rarely discussed topics: Religion.
Please check out our other new members,
, , , and the impish . The collective talent of our growing roster is mind-blowing.We’d love your thoughts on the new format and overall direction. While we don’t expect you to read every post, we aim to reflect Iowa’s complexity and diversity by showcasing our talented storytellers who produce commentary with an “Iowa angle” on national and international events.
This community is growing because our readers tell their friends. The monthly cumulative audience is over 80,000, an impressive accomplishment in just over two years.
Thank you.
Around Iowa
Darcy Maulsby
Snapshot: Drawing inspiration from the Japanese art of kintsugi, Darcy Maulsby explores how to incorporate beauty, resilience, and joy into daily life as New Year's resolutions fade.
Link: Finding beauty in the broken
Marianne Fons
Snapshot: A charming glimpse into the practical challenges of maintaining a historic town, featuring tall ladders in Winterset’s Quiltropolis.
Link: The tallest ladder in town
Alison McGaughey
Snapshot: Oh, Alison has a few things to say about what’s going on in the
world today. Read her report from Out Here in the Fields.Link: Read Here
Books, Art
Phoebe Wall Howard
Snapshot: Black workers headed north to chase the American dream. PBS premieres a four-hour docuseries about how the Great Migration changed our nation.
Link: Read Here
Food & Dining
Jeff Morrison
Snapshot: Cedar Rapids' Westside Maid-Rite, which started in 1928 and has been in the same location since 1935, closed on Jan. 15.
Link: Read Here
Wini Moranville
Snapshot: Quite Possibly the best $21 you’ll spend at a Des Moines restaurant. And it feeds two, according to Wini.
Link: Read Here
Humor
Vicki Minor
Snapshot: Sweet Solutions: A Candy Bar Adventure Through Stress
Link: Read Here
Music
Kathryn Severing-Fox
Snapshot: Are you afraid of the dark?
Link: Read HereChad Elliott
Snapshot: The Rock and Roll Renaissance Man
Link: Read Here
Please welcome one of our newest members,
. In one of his first columns, posted in October, he wrote:For a long time, I kept most of these musings private as I worked to raise a family and provide in a more traditional manner. But the combination of being on the wrong side of a corporate at-will employment job elimination move in early 2024, continued positive feedback from others, and the altruistic idea that songs can help us, people compelled me to lock in on the unique ability of song to enlighten and heal through words, rhythm, feel, aesthetic, encouragement, support, empathy and so much more. To put myself out there. To be vulnerable. To share. To believe in something that I had always been afraid to embrace fully.
Chip Albright
Snapshot: Happiness is a Warm Pun
Link: Read Here
Maxwell Schaefer
Snapshot: Former Iowan and national entertainment writer Neil Pond recounts his journey from Nashville to Iowa, sharing all-access stories of country legends like Willie Nelson and Shania Twain.
Link: Read Here
Strictly Personal
Macey Shofroth
Snapshot: Macey Shofroth considers what it means to write through oblivion in the first iteration of her revamped column.
Link: Read HereChristina Fernández-Morrow
Snapshot: Are you tired of the "New Year, New Me" pressure? This refreshing take challenges the annual reinvention ritual, advocating instead for embracing continuous growth.
Link: Read Here
Media
Dave Busiek
Snapshot: According to Dave Busiek on Media, the lead story isn’t as important as it used to be.
Link: Read HereJoan Zwagerman
Snapshot: Joan Zwagerman discusses a compelling series derived from an equally compelling book about the Troubles.
Link: Read Here
Public Affairs
Robert Leonard
Snapshot: Bob Leonard spent Monday at Urban Dreams at their MLK Day of Service and has a story to tell.
Link: Read Here
Religion
New columnist this week
With a 40-year career in education,
has the grounding of a lifelong Midwesterner. He has a passion for history and historic sites.This background has given Daniel an empathy and passion for studying Black American history and set him on a journey to become an Antiracist. The book The Spiritual Journey to Antiracism: A Travel Guide for White People results from that life journey and learning. It is a compassionate but no-holds-barred conversation about the invisible script of white supremacy that infects every white person in the United States. It also provides a pathway to finding your way out of the script and writing a new one.
Today, Daniel lives in Washington, Iowa, and is the Director of “Washington for Justice,” a grassroots advocacy group. He lives there with his wife, June, and has two children and three grandchildren.
Dan Henderson
Snapshot: Most people are still baffled by the overwhelming support by evangelicals for Donald Trump.
Link: Read Here
World Affairs
Pat Kinney
Snapshot: Stephen Rapp of Waterloo was the victim of a horrific carjacking as a college intern in Washington, D.C. 50 years ago. He's spent most of his life since then supporting other crime victims—first as a U.S. district attorney in Iowa and for the past 24 years as an international investigator and prosecutor of war crimes and other atrocities.Link: Read Here
Agriculture
Mary Swander (Emerging Voices)
Snapshot: Through poetry, Mary Swander responds to the magnificent Beverly Pepper sculpture Janus Agri Altar in the Agronomy Courtyard at Iowa State University.
Link: Read Here
The Iowa Angle
Sarah Scull
Snapshot: California native and wildfire survivor Sarah Scull finds unexpected warmth in cross-cultural connections at her children's "TikTok refugee camp." She reflects on resilience, community, and the need for understanding amid grief and political hostility.
Link: Who knew a Chinese app could deliver?
Weather and Environment
Larry Stone
Snapshot: Larry Stone reflects on Iowans' stoic responses to the harshness of winter with humor and wisdom.
Link: Cold enough for you?
Strictly Personal
Jane Burns
Snapshot: Jane Burns shares her joy in watching eagles in downtown Des Moines, marveling at their beauty and the miracle of their recovery from near extinction.
Link: The eagles have landed
Health
Fern Kupher and Joe Geha
Snapshot: Fern Kupfer reflects with gratitude on health, life, and personal growth.
Link: Fern reflects
Sports
Daniel Finney
Snapshot: When Babe Ruth came to Iowa in 1922, he was baseball's biggest star but not yet a legend. Daniel P. Finney discusses the overlooked barnstorming tour with Iowa author Timothy Glover.
Link: Read more
Iowa Politics
Daniel Finney
Snapshot: Newsman turned teacher Daniel Finney writes that Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Legislature should make special education and children’s mental health a priority in the Paragraph Stacker.
Link: Read more
Political Comedy
Romen Borsellino
Snapshot: The White House, Halloween, and Romen Borsellino . . . what does Deez Nuts have in common with those three topics?
Link: Read more
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The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roster
In case you missed the Sunday Roundup:
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roster
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