Elephant in The Room, Road Trippin',
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative is a bold experiment—linking writers with readers who crave sharp, professional commentary on life in and around our state. Twice a week, subscribers receive a roundup of fresh posts from our members. Share it with a friend. That’s how we grow.
This week’s Roundup takes us far and wide. From the canals of Venice to the rugged Irish coastline, our writers transport you overseas with stories of rowing regattas, ancient dynasties, and meals so good they’re still being savored in memory.
Closer to home, we savor the flavors that make Iowa (and Sioux Falls!) worth the trip. Whether it’s James Beard-nominated dining or the nostalgic crunch of a Bing Bar, food and travel remind us they’re inseparable companions.
And then there are the reflections that remind us why we read: for the personal stories that resonate. Sarah Scull turns a geometry puzzle into a meditation on art and memory. Christie Vilsack introduces us to a “positive pot-stirrer.” Randy Evans lures readers in, then delivers a twist.
You’ll also find an exclusive, unflinching look at child sex abuse within the family of a prominent businessman—a piece that underscores the power of journalism to confront what others might rather leave hidden.
Wherever you are, settle in and enjoy the ride.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup
Food & Dining
Wini Moranville — Is Sioux Falls worth the trip from DSM? Wini Moranville offers insights, including the low-down on two James Beard-nominated restaurants and those famed falls that give the city its name.
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Connie Taylor — "Bada–Bing! Bing Bars, That Is… Did you know you can make your own version of this cherry/chocolate candy bar that was originally created in 1923? Connie shares the recipe along with the history of this candy that is still hand made in Sioux City, Iowa."
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Sports
John Naughton — Former Iowa men's basketball coach George Raveling was a compassionate and complicated individual. John Naughton reflects on his legacy.
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Rick Morain — Most college football fans stick with their first favored team for life. Why is that?
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Jane Burns — Lots of places are selling women’s sports merchandise these days but among the first to see it pay off was Raygun in Des Moines. Founder and owner Mike Draper talks about how the company recognized a niche early and was ready to go when Iowa women’s basketball and other women's sports took off.
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Tory Brecht — For the second year in a row, Iowa State made key plays in the fourth quarter and the Iowa Hawkeyes couldn't stop them. It was another Cy-Hawk setback that has Hawk fans frustrated.
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Spiritual
Debra Engle — The world offers us plenty to look at, but it’s up to us how we choose to see.
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Human Interest
Randy Evans — During a time of societal chaos, we all can benefit from the message a little-known, small-town philosopher preached 50 years ago.
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Phoebe Wall Howard — Exclusive: Former US Ambassador to Canada Jim Blanchard urges Americans to fight for democracy: "Do not obey in advance."
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Lisa Grouette — Lisa Grouette sits down with Iowa comedian Day Peace to talk the logistics, race factors, and drive behind his comedy.
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Christie Vilsack — Never underestimate the power of one person, or two, to change their world.
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Music
Kathryn Severing Fox — At the Iowa City Songwriters Festival, Kathryn Severing Fox discovered that sometimes the deepest connections in music—and life—come from the simplest songs. Read more
Lea Donovan — Simon Estes returned to Centerville, Iowa for the premiere of a documentary about his life.
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Chip Albright — Hope is the antidote to hurt in this story of a missing furry friend.
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Crime
Phoebe Wall Howard — When a Child is a Key Witness: How sexual assault cases unfold. This is the latest in a must-read, three-part series: Read more
Poetry
Vicki Minor — Under the Friday Night Lights.
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Kurtis Meyer — An Asian exhibit, entitled "Asian Fusion," prompted Kurt Meyer to launch into perhaps the most well-known form of poetry from that region: haiku. (He promises it won't happen again.)
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Kelsey Bigelow — Do you have a regular place to exist that isn’t home or work? The value of a third space is unmatched. Poet Kelsey Bigelow shares her Ode to Smokey Row and encourages you to find a space like hers.
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Books, Art
Nik Heftman — Filmmaker and journalist Nik Heftman shares a powerful meditation on art, journalism, and resistance in San Francisco's Mission District.
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Diversity in the Heartland
Jane Nguyen — Jane Nguyen shares how the influence of Ana Maceda's late father shaped her future as a Latina entrepreneur.
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Around Iowa (features about places and things)
Pat Kinney — Aging Vietnam veterans and supporters held a 45-hour vigil in downtown Waterloo last weekend for the 45 Black Hawk County residents killed or missing in the Vietnam War.
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Jeff Morrison — Jeff Morrison kicked off the 2025-26 school year with a roundup of previous research into changes at Iowa school districts and announced a search for the oldest active varsity gymnasium.
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Travel
Chuck Offenburger — They’re visiting in Italy, and Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger and his wife Mary Riche take us along in words and photos. From a colorful rowing regatta on the canals of Venice to one of the oldest universities in Europe, dining at the finest restaurant Chuck says he’s ever been in, and a chat with Iowa’s best rep in Venice, artist and scholar Amy Worthen.
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Maxwell Schaefer — A journey through Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way blends theatre, ancestry, folklore, and breathtaking landscapes, as Maxwell traces both his wife’s play onstage in Donegal and his own surprising link to the Ui Neill dynasty. What began as a vacation became a story, a song, and a deeper connection to a land that feels both ancient and alive.
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Diedre Cox Baker — A recent trip to Chicago reveals a city where politics argue over safety, but the real story is found in boat rides, train trips, and chance encounters that showcase its true spirit. Read more
Strictly Personal
Sarah Scull — This week, Sarah Scull follows a Platonic quote about geometry into a spiral of memory about life as a struggling student and artist. She discovers that art made her good at math, and math, in turn, taught her to think beyond what she could see.
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More
Joan Zwagerman — This is a scary time for libraries, archives, and museums. The Smithsonian is the latest target of the current regime, and the indignities continue to mount.
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Joan Zwagerman — When you wake up one morning with the Preamble to the Constitution in mind, this is what may emerge: a preamble tinged with anger, sadness, and strength drawn from "we the people."
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Humor
Daniel P. Finney — FINNEY’S 5: Doctors whose health advice I would trust before RFK Jr.
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