$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 received a Sunday column Roundup. As our columnist ranks blossomed to over 70, we decided to split topics such as Food, Music, Books, Art, Poetry, Features, Religion, and “Strictly Personal” Essays into a midday edition and have politics, issues, and newsy commentary remain in the Sunday edition. Some topics will appear in both editions, and placement is the writer's choice.
We have two newcomers joining us this week. Please welcome Chip Albright, who has a bushel basket full of experiences to bring, but his Substack column will be focused on his late-blooming life as a musician. Also, Dan Henderson ponders one of the topics we don’t talk about yet dominates so much of life: Religion.
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 brokenMarianne 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, Chip Albright.
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 being 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 rewriting 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
Public Affairs
Robert Leonard
Snapshot: Bob Leonard recounts his experience at Urban Dreams' MLK Day of Service, capturing the spirit of the event.
Link: Urban Dreams
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 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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