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Eminent domain (!), lots of food recommendations, politics, and one of us bought a tombstone

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Eminent domain (!), lots of food recommendations, politics, and one of us bought a tombstone

...all this and more

Aug 27, 2023
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Eminent domain (!), lots of food recommendations, politics, and one of us bought a tombstone

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A roundup of columns written by individual members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative appears on Sunday mornings. Each writer has his or her independent column using the Substack platform. The collaborative association is an informal referral to one another, providing readers with trusted recommendations by professional Iowa writers. We give you a sampling of columns in this space and hope you choose to not only read further but subscribe to those you like and want to follow and support.

Don’t miss the well-reported post written by Cheryl Tevis, who brings home the reality of what Iowas are facing with the threat of their land being forced from them through eminent domain usurpation. And subscribe to her column while you’re at it. This writer who spent years with Successful Farming magazine, articulates issues not covered elsewhere to the degree she does. And they matter.

IOWA LIFE

Mary Swander bought her tombstone, and the ensuing story is fascinating.

What’s more ‘Iowa’ than Chuck Offenburger and an Iowa State Fair cinnamon roll judging contest? Not much. Read his fun story. As for food, Iowa Writers’ Collaborative member and dining critic Wini Moranville has a guest column by Fern and Joe, who take us on a delightful tour of Ames restaurant haunts. Fern and Joe write a popular column as part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, too. Moranville will be a Monday Zoom lunch guest for Julie Gammack’s Potluck subscribers tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. central. Join in! And Outdoors columnist Larry Stone shares the bounty of food grown on the land he listens to.

More foodstuff from John Naughton, who will cause some to point the car toward Cerro Gordo County to try the walleye at a restaurant in Ventura (and more).

Hola Iowa features a story by Juan Fourneau about a fitness expert in Muscatine with over 200,000 social media followers.

Our newest columnist in the Quad Cities discovered a read-in that turned into a protest of banned books in a local library. Alison McGaughey was there.

SPORTS

In our Sports category, Kurt Meyer hits the proverbial ball out of the park. It’s not a column about Iowa baseball, but our man from St. Ansgar takes you on a road trip of sorts, savoring America’s pastime.

POLITICS

Politics. Can’t avoid it. In fact, Iowa plays a critical role in the selection of the GOP candidate for president. Laura Belin writes about how she sees Nikki Haley as playing a ‘long game,’ and has an analysis of The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, conducted by J. Ann Selzer.

Art Cullen is hot under the collar and everywhere else. Only he ties it together in his way, always a must-read.

Ed Tibbetts has an interesting take on the GOP debate held this week. as well as a perspective on the Iowa Poll results.

Veteran television political news reporter Dave Price, writes about this significant week in U.S. history.

Our political observer in Washington D.C. Barry Piatt, had a gallery seat to political sausage-making through his years as a Capitol Hill press secretary. Today, he opines about another mass shooting and the predicted response from Iowa’s congressional delegation.

Robert Leonard teases us a bit with snippets of a column of his that ran in the Kansas City Star this week. Read it for the content, of course, and a chuckle about not getting the word ‘dumbassary’ past an editor.

Macey Spensley likes to read and has some recommendations.

And Pat Kinney catches us up with what former congressman Dave Nagle, D-Waterloo is thinking these days about Iowa politics.

Here is Jeff Morrison’s excellent report on a Tama bridge project. This story about a historic part of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway is a thought-provoking look at how local competing interests collide. Stories and commentary such as Morrisons, drive home the importance of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative mission.

DEI - What is it and why is it important? Doug Burns has an answer.

THE IOWA ANGLE

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative subscriber Kathi Zimpleman offers her second dispatch from Hawaii with insights into how the islands are reeling from devasting wildfires. Find it in Julie Gammack’s Potluck.

POETRY

Ah, it’s back to school time with our poet, Suzanna de Baca.

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Iowa Writers Collaborative is a reader-supported publication. To receive the weekly roundup, subscribe:


We hope you read all of our columnists who posted this week. And, if you are new to this post, please explore all of the 36 collaborative members listed below.

We are grateful for your support of our work. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to individual columnists. They put great effort into providing content you won’t find elsewhere. If it is not possible, consider sharing this roundup with those you think might be interested in joining our subscriber base.

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Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists

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
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, Lovilla
Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
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
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 Spensley: The Midwest Creative, Iowa
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.
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Eminent domain (!), lots of food recommendations, politics, and one of us bought a tombstone

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