Alito, Free Tickets, an Iowa Myth Busted, and Poppies
...Kim Reynolds, Okoboji and more
New Collaborative member reports from "Quiltropolis" (Winterset 50273). She hit the ground running with three installments in one week, the most recent post, "Unrattled Mom," about shooting a timber rattler in Madison County in 1987, how The Register covered it, and the quilt she made about it.
Memorial Day
In Letters from Iowans, edited by , we republish a column by and recommend his column, The First Person with Michael Judge. He is a poet, freelance journalist, and former deputy editorial page editor at the Wall Street Journal. This Memorial Day weekend, he will gather with his family in Elma, Iowa, named for his great-grandmother, to honor those who died in service to this country.
We welcome your submissions.
In honor of Memorial Day, posts a poem by Catrice Greer, a poet, speaker, writer, and artist living in Baltimore. "Catrice's writing is always transcendent," Debra says, "and this poem is no exception. Check out Deb’s Whole New World.
Politics
A state that trusts its citizens and gives them the freedom to flourish shouldn't try to limit their travel. at Along the Mississippi writes about the controversy over high school students in eastern Iowa traveling to China and the complaints that followed.
writes that Donald Trump keeps his sordid theatre on replay, and we keep buying the peanuts. We could write an ending where the good guy wins.
Bob Leonard has two columns this week. First, he believes that Biden is the best president of his lifetime and that Democratic leadership is making a mistake, running from Biden's record. Republicans tell everyone Biden is terrible, and Democratic silence is complicit. Second, did you value the job of local weather reporters during recent storms using the data provided by the National Weather Service? If Donald Trump is elected, he promises to dismantle and privatize the NWS. What possibly could go wrong?
: The lewd cult of nitrogen and Iowa's stream pollution are examined.
Governor Kim Reynolds used her veto power only once this year. For , that poorly worded bill on open meetings illustrated broader problems with how Iowa's GOP-controlled legislature does business.
Spencer Dirks joined Laura for the first time to discuss Iowa politics on "KHOI's Capitol Week":
Alito
draws a contrast between the ethical standards he abided by during his long career as a journalist and the ethical tin ear of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. “Justices and their spouses should act and carry themselves in ways that are above reproach,” Evans writes.
on Media is sick of a Supreme Court justice abusing our trust and blaming everyone but himself.
writes that Chuck Grassley, Iowa’s senior US Senator, is constructing a “troublesome” legacy as his career in the US Senate winds down. “It’s the recent rot history will remember.’”
Around Iowa
toured Greenfield in the aftermath of the horrific tornado that ripped through the town last week. His reflections and first-person account offer an important take on the tragedy.
busts a long-held myth. How the Iowa Great Lakes came to be, how they were named, how they compare, and destroying a legend.
Future Shock? or Back to the Future? takes a look at Iowa in 2007, the year that the 17-year cicadas hatched and then burrowed underground until 2024. She wants your predictions for Iowa's future when the cicadas return in 2041.
Macey Shofroth had a lot on her mind this week and sent out an article about her recent musings around art and creativity.
Alison McGaughey, the Inquisitive Quad Citizen, asked about the story behind the name of a new indie bookstore in the Quad Cities. Learn how the young proprietors have created a third space for people to gather — and to drink coffee brewed by a "Caffeine Overlord." Plus, how did they do on the Official Quad Citizen Quiz?
‘s column, Showing Up, pays tribute to an Iowa native — originally from Allamakee County — who has spent decades helping students in the Pacific Northwest overcome learning disabilities. Interesting woman; interesting column!
Golden Rules, Algebra, & Cottleson Pie: In which long-time Iowa publisher Steve Semken,
, finds inspiration in the 'Hundred Acre Woods' and discovers his old high school algebra class may still have something to teach both authors and publishers.In Brecht's Beat this week,
struggles with two issues most professional writers have tangled with a time or two.More than seasonal road construction’s slowing traffic in Cedar Falls. Read about a king-sized tribute to building trade workers by renowned artist Gary Kelley in : “View From the Cedar Valley” column.
announces the guests she has lined up for her Iowa Potluck Podcast program. She posted a video podcast of her most recent discussion about disinformation with Dean Michael Dahlstrom of the Greenlee School of Journalism at ISU. All subscribers are free to join in the Monday Zoom calls.
Jay Howe, a long-time resident of Greenfield, wrote a guest piece in Julie Gammack’s Potluck column about the devastation of his hometown.
Paragraph Stacker salutes comic book writer Jim Starlin, visiting Des Moines Con this week.
And, takes us on a walk in his Cedar Creek Nature Notes, where he observes magnificent mushrooms, crows, and turkeys talking.
Sports
With The Crossover this week, Jane Burns tells us about track and field's goofiest event - the steeplechase - and some Iowa-connected runners who are pretty good at it.
Dining and Entertainment
Wini Moranville is hosting a drawing for four free tickets tickets to Winefest's "Sips in the City" tasting, which will be held July 14. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe (free or paid).
Megaselling author James Patterson visited Des Moines in April to deliver a lecture. He mentioned a man in a white suit. Was he talking about who attended the speech? Could be.
Humor
Spring is here... it's time to play ball, says This link includes an embedded audio for your listening pleasure.
is a 10-month-old pup who writes a column. He skirts by the rules for being a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative because his humans are members. He sings, chews, and has many opinions.
Travel Reflections
finds herself searching for her Irish relatives at a bingo game. Read about it in her latest Buggy Land Substack post.
Fern Kupfer unlocks the secret of the vault, nodding to Joe Biden’s attack on hidden fees.
Poetry
remembers Peach Trees.
shares that her poem "Waxing Crescent Moon" was published in Blue Heron Review's Spring 2024 edition, which focused on the theme of “Transformation and Change.”
What is the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative?
There are now over 50 members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative from around the state, and one is reporting from Washington, D.C. Each is an independent columnist who shares two things in common: they have made a living as writers, and they are interested in the state of Iowa. We also have a Letters From Iowans section to highlight commentary by others.
Some digital news and information sites are nonprofit organizations funded by donors and grants. Others accept advertising, but this funding source can vanish, leaving writers and readers adrift.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative is an unusual and forward-thinking business model that seems to be working, based on two years of proving the concept. Readers are not required to pay to read our work, but those who do - about 10% on average - fund the mission.
Paid subscribers to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup support group efforts, such as paying for gatherings to learn best practices, an annual holiday party for paid subscribers, and other means of supporting our members. Thanks to your support, we are taking a one-year training course with an expert in Substack tools. The goal is to help us serve you better.
If you want to help beyond the paid subscription service, you can donate with this link:
IOWA WRITERS’ COLLABORATIVE
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Live, Des Moines
: 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
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
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
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: Chris’s Substack, 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, Quad Cities
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
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
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
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
If you know of a professional journalist, columnist, photographer, or cartoonist who lives in Iowa and might have an interest in joining the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, have them reach out: