Beatles, fences, politics, restaurant picks...
...and a lot more today!
The Sunday Roundup features columns related to Iowa Politics, Sports, Friends and Family, Around Iowa, Agriculture, and Dining Out, concluding with some poetry by Suzanna de Baca.
Politics
Senator John Fetterman was in town Saturday night for an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser, and Douglas Burns interviewed him for his column: What’s Fetterman Thinking?
There will be an election on Tuesday, and Ed Tibbetts has something to say. Who will vote?
Steph Copley writes about her decision, where she tapped into an inward ‘knowing’ she calls upon when making a major decision.
Dave Price’s column asks: Are you willing to understand? looking at the story of a newsman who seeks out an Iowan heading to prison for his role in the insurrection on January 6. It is an attempt to bridge a divide felt so deeply. What happened?
Dave Busiek longs for a more serious debate about real issues. The world has changed since the last debate.
Cheryl Tevis shines a light on an issue that impacts everyone, but most don’t realize it is reaching a crisis point. Local pharmacies are at risk, explains Cheryl.
Joni Ernst did the right thing last week, writes our D.C. columnist Barry Piatt. She and a small group of Senators are fighting a GOP colleague who is single-handedly blocking career military advancement and promotions.
Kali White VanBaale tackles mental health issues in Iowa in #Families Like Ours. Look for her to focus on this crucial yet under-reported issue.
VanBaale was a guest on Julie Gammack’s podcast this week.
Data shows which Iowa counties have (or don’t have) representative juries, and Laura Belin has the story.
Robert Leonard interviewed American Sniper Chris Kyle and Steve Bannon in June of 2011. The political playbook to manipulate low-information voters was just beginning.
Around Iowa
Arnold Garson is a retired newspaper executive is currently steeped in family history projects, both his own and those of clients. This week’s column is packed with little-known facts about the iconic Queen on Lake Okoboji.
Where have all the fences gone? Asks Larry Stone. This piece might also fit well in the ‘Meditation’ category.
Macey Spensley married, and her name is now Macey Shofroth. In this week’s column, she highlights the words of a poet, Akwi Nji, who moved her to new action.
The Inquisitive Quad Citian, Alison McGaughey, introduces readers to fascinating people living in her eastern Iowa community. This week, she wrote about a Reiki healing practitioner whose business is transforming a part of downtown Davenport.
Darcy Maulsby chronicles Iowa’s culinary history, thanks to one of her readers.
Beth Hoffman visited Dubuque and offered readers ideas on why they would want to, too.
A Meditation
Deb Engle was in Maine, leading a spiritual retreat, just days after a mass shooting took place in the state. Read her soulful column and her simple meditation.
Dining Out and Entertainment
There’s a new Beatles song, and Kyle Munson is all in for this bright side of the use of artificial intelligence that made it possible to weave the sounds together. He raises red flags about what lies ahead with AI, too, but Kyle’s appreciation of this musical milestone is contagious.
Wini Moranville has been a professional reviewer for much of her career. She comes from a long background in the food service industry before critiquing it. So, when Wini says Lucca’s Got it Figured Out, you’ll want to read why.
On October 23, Wini wrote the five things she appreciates about Cooper’s Hawk; however, it was dropped in the final editing version of last week’s Roundup. Sorry!
John Naughton, on the other hand, spent his career covering sports. In this incarnation of column writing, he shares much about the food discoveries he’s making around the state and country. Last week, he dined at Ruth’s Chris and asked: Is it worth the pricey splurge for premium beef?
Sports
Iowa college football on TV: The Early Years, a column by Jeff Morrison.
Catch Rob Gray’s podcast analysis of Iowa State’s 30-8 win at Baylor.
Family and Friends
Art Cullen spends time with family and declares ‘you really should write all that down.’ His poignant column is an evergreen reminder: if we don’t write down our stories, who will?
The Sea Will Never Be at Rest, writes our own Mary Swander, as she explores her Irish roots, and the haunting beauty therein.
Julie Gammack and her husband, Richard Gilbert, have a 14-week-old puppy. She created a separate column just for those who might be entertained by reading about the adventures of J. Dudley Gilbert.
Nicole Baart is loving her new column-writing experience. This week, the prolific novelist tried writing a ‘flash fiction’ piece titled First Snow.
Kurt Meyer has a special friend he dedicates his column to from last week. Check out A Pint of Cream. And this week, he writes about another friend living in Marshall, Minnesota, where he plays rolle bolle. Rolle Bolle?
Aurora Hernandez Vasquest turns 100 on November 5: century of making a difference. Check out this Hola Iowa story by Stephen Elliott.
Poetry, in conclusion
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Columnists
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
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup
Steph Copley: 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
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters from Iowans, Iowa
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
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
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
The Iowa Writers Collaborative is also proud to ally with Iowa Capital Dispatch.
SAVE THE DATE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7; PAID SUBSCRIBERS ARE INVITED TO A HOLIDAY PARTY AT THE WITMER HOUSE, 2900 GRAND (former governor’s mansion). Let us know if you would like to attend: