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Finding religion at a Taylor Swift concert?

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Finding religion at a Taylor Swift concert?

... also, the expected and unexpected mix of politics, prose and Iowa Life

Jul 16, 2023
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Finding religion at a Taylor Swift concert?

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This week, we lead with the dramatic change in Iowa Law regarding abortion. Columnists Laura Belin, Julie Gammack, Barry Piatt, Fern and Joe opine about the milestone. And the presidential race is heating up here. This week, read Dave Busiek, Dave Price, Doug Burns, and Bob Leonard’s take.
Ed Tibbetts begins an in-depth series on poverty in Iowa. It’s important information. This veteran newsman is an example of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative mission, and he deserves your support if you can become a paid subscriber. We need this kind of reporting. Investigations of this nature take time. Tibbetts is a classic example of one of the best in the business being laid off by traditional media while in their mid-career.
Steph Copley gave us celebrity clickbait by reporting on her transformational experience attending a Taylor Swift concert (thanks, Steph), and who doesn’t like an old-fashioned ‘scotcheroo’? Columnist Darcy Maulsby takes us there.
Our Iowa Boy dreams up a college fight song with some help, and Art Cullen ponders why Iowans are afraid of ideas.
We have a report by Rob Gray on ISU football, and Wini Moranville is serving solid news we can use about area eateries. Iowa history buff Pat Kinney has a post, and Suzanna de Baca links to her currently published poetry.
All politics is local; check out Cheryl Tevis this week.
Beth Hoffman and Mary Swander tell us about life in rural parts of Iowa this week. Both have compelling styles and bring us into their worlds.
What’s more Iowa these days than bicycle trails and the people riding them? Kyle Munson has a report.
Overall, kick back and enjoy this thoughtful, fun, insightful (incite full?) copy. We also have a Letter from Iowan Diane Sickles in our new Letters from Iowan’s column.
And please understand these writers are doing this as a public service. Buying them a beer (equivalent) by becoming a paid subscriber helps morale and keeps them going.

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THE ABORTION BAN WAS PASSED AND SIGNED

LAURA BELIN

Iowa politics with Laura Belin
All about the Iowa legislature's special session on abortion
Dennis Hart and I were live on KHOI Radio Wednesday at noon in the time slot when the station usually rebroadcasts Monday night’s “Capitol Week.” Even though we spent the entire 30 minutes on the Iowa legislature’s special session, there were angles we didn’t manage t…
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3 months ago · 7 likes · 11 comments · Laura Belin

JULIE GAMMACK

focus photo of gray and black canoe on body of water under green leaf tree
Photo by Blocks Fletcher on Unsplash
Julie Gammack's Iowa Potluck
A canoe trip
Save the date: As a thank you to our paid subscribers, we will host an event at the former Governor’s mansion, 2900 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, on December 7. You are supporting scholarships for emerging writers attending the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. Thank you…
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3 months ago · 10 likes · 11 comments · Julie Gammack

FERN AND JOE

Fern and Joe
No Sex Please, We’re Iowans
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds just signed one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country. She is supported by those who believe that the loss of a six-week-old fetus is the same as the death of a six-year-old child. The anti-abortion movement in this country is aided and abetted by a right-wing, Christian nationalist agenda of repression and fear…
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2 months ago · 12 likes · 2 comments · Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha

BARRY PIATT

Barry Piatt on Politics: - Behind the Curtains
Governor Reynolds, Republicans Need to Answer New Questions
The six-week abortion ban enacted last week by Iowa’s Republican legislature, signed by Iowa’s Republican Governor, and cheered by Iowa’s Republicans in Congress is an example of fascism, arrogance, and misogyny on parade. It’s a public declaration that author Margaret Atwood’s Republic of Gilead, in her novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” will be the guide fo…
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2 months ago · 1 like · Barry Piatt

Iowa Commentary

ED TIBBETTS

Along the Mississippi
Policymakers miss Iowa's persistently poor neighborhoods
In Iowa, when we talk about economic decline these days, it’s mostly about farm country. There’s a good reason for that. The population of rural Iowa is shrinking. Main streets are struggling. Young people are leaving because they can’t find jobs. Five ye…
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2 months ago · 5 likes · 5 comments · Ed Tibbetts

Dana James

New Black Iowa
Normalizing 'extremist' Moms for Liberty in Iowa
The Southern Poverty Law Center considers Moms for Liberty a far-right “extremist group,” and that doesn’t jive with how some local television media portrayed them on July 6. The newscast I saw didn’t mention Moms for Liberty at all in its coverage of an event with Casey DeSantis and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds…
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3 months ago · 11 likes · New Black Iowa

ART CULLEN

Art Cullen’s Notebook
What is it that Iowa fears about ideas?
The two best movies about Iowa are “The Music Man” and “Field of Dreams” for their wry and subtle understanding of our culture. No arguments about it. Don’t even bring up “State Fair” or “Bridges of Madison County,” each dreadful in different ways. I have not seen “Cedar Rapids” the movie but I hear it smells good…
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3 months ago · 32 likes · 5 comments · Art Cullen

PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES IN IOWA

Photo by Robert Leonard

ROBERT LEONARD

Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture
The Pro-Putin Family Leadership Summit '23
Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson continued to undermine Democracy in Des Moines on Friday at the Family Leadership Summit 23. From questioning US support of Ukraine, the validity of the 2020 election, to Covid vaccinations and more, he sowed doubt…
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2 months ago · Robert Leonard

DOUG BURNS

The Iowa Mercury
How Gov. Kim Reynolds could king-make a DeSantis presidency
Minutes before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke Friday afternoon in Des Moines to an influential social conservative audience the presidential aspirant's wife beamed in the front row as she sat next to Iowa's wildly popular governor, Kim Reynolds, and key Republicans…
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2 months ago · Douglas Burns

DAVE PRICE

Dave Price's Perspective
The Blizzard and the Freeze
Donald Trump apparently didn’t know Dairy Queen’s most popular item. “What the hell is a Blizzard?” Trump asked during a campaign stop at a Dairy Queen in Council Bluffs on July 7th. Either my kids or Senator Chuck Grassley could explain to the fast food aficionado the frozen treat that’s been around for nearly four decades…
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2 months ago · 6 likes · 1 comment · Dave Price

DAVE BUSIEK

Dave Busiek on Media
Governor Reynolds finds out the hard way – Trump burns EVERYONE
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds just found out what should be obvious to anyone. If you kiss up to Donald Trump, eventually you will get burned. Reynolds has done some major cuddling with Trump for years now. But Trump just disinvited her from the MAGA party. He posted on social media “I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, …
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3 months ago · 11 likes · 21 comments · Dave Busiek

ENTERTAINMENT AND FOOD

WINI MORANVILLE

Wini’s Food Stories
Lua's Big News, Pink Champagne Cake, Boswell’s Hash Browns, and Other Finds
Note: Every two weeks, in addition to my usual column, I’ll post a roundup of random-but-great tidbits I’m finding on the Des Moines dining scene. Here’s my first in the series. A True Sneak Peek at the New Lua Brewing Site I was so excited to read in the Des Moines Register that Lua Brewing is opening a sister location—especially since it’s even closer t…
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3 months ago · 21 likes · 13 comments · Wini Moranville
Wini’s Food Stories
First Look at Single Speed Brewery, DSM
Jeff Bruning texted me these photos of the new Single Speed Brewery Taproom here in DSM. He thought it was just the kind of place I’d like. And he’s right. (You’ll see what I mean in my comments as you scroll.) It opens to the public Wednesday, July 12, at 4 p.m. at 303 Scott Ave. in Des Moines…
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3 months ago · 10 likes · Wini Moranville

STEPH COPLEY

Taylor Swift concert

It Was Never a Dress
I Found Religion . . . at a Taylor Swift Concert
On Saturday, for the first time in several years, I had a full-on religious experience. There was no church. There was no Bible. But there were hands raised in praise and jubilation. And there was music. The music of Taylor Swift. I know at first blush that sounds ridiculous—like something celebrity-crazed teenager wou…
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3 months ago · 9 likes · 1 comment · Steph C

IOWA LIFE

CHUCK OFFENBURGER

Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger
Fighting on for a Cottey College fight song
JEFFERSON, Iowa – There are lots of big, important issues unfolding in Iowa, across the nation and around the world right now. This column isn’t about any of them. The little news here is that Monday this past week, the two chapters of the P.E.O. Sisterhood that co-exist here in Jefferson decided to meet together. They invited the “Doctors of Fight Son…
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2 months ago · 11 likes · 3 comments · Chuck Offenburger

KYLE MUNSON

Kyle Munson's Main Street
An Iowa bicycle booster changes lanes after 20 years of pedaling and peddling to grow the culture.
Bicycling in Iowa continues to boom. One of the many stewards of this growth has been Mark Wyatt, founding executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. He leads a nonprofit dedicated to “safe and enjoyable bicycling” statewide. Wyatt has doggedly crisscrossed our sprawling network of bike trails, mingled among the hordes on the Register’s Annual Gre…
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2 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · Kyle Munson

DEB ENGLE

A Whole New World
Ticked Off...and Healing
Bob and I have lived in Madison County for almost 22 years. We’ve logged a lot of hours outdoors—that’s one of the gifts of living on an acreage. Nature has given us exquisite experiences, like spectacular sunsets and herds of deer in our backyard and fall color so vibrant it lights up our indoors through the windows, and sculptures of snow on our rail …
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2 months ago · Debra Engle

MARY SWANDER

Mary Swander’s Buggy Land
Planes Circling Above
Vrrrrrrrrrrrrroom. The crop dusters are coming soon to a location near you. The small planes circle the fields at this time of year, spraying fungicides and pesticides. They dodge trees and phone lines to descend as low as possible to apply their aerial applications. For the most part, their acrobatics are out of sight…
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3 months ago · 8 likes · 8 comments · Mary Swander

TERESA ZILK

Talking Good
Meet the Storytellers
Stories to Tell My Daughter is a live storytelling event that centers the lived experiences of Black women and women of color in Des Moines and across the state of Iowa. The event will take place on Sunday, July 23rd at the Viking Theater for Stories to Tell My Daughter…
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2 months ago · Teresa Zilk

KURT MEYER

Showing Up
Passing Along an Inheritance
We don’t have a great many possessions passed down through our families. Oh, a few items, to be sure: large, framed portraits of maternal great-great grandparents, an engraved stamp with which a great-great grandfather sealed his letters, a sturdy desk built by Paula’s grandfather in his teen years, etc…
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3 months ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Kurtis Meyer

DARCY MAULSBY

Keepin' It Rural
Scotcheroos—an Iowa Delicacy
One of the highlights of spring and summer events is getting to sample all the tasty, homemade treats people bring to picnics, potlucks, graduation parties and more. Iowans are masters of making these informal meals memorable. When I attended a local high school graduate’s reception in May, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. At the end of the buffet lin…
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2 months ago · 2 likes · 3 comments · Darcy Maulsby

MACEY SPENSLEY

The Midwest Creative
It's So Nice to Be Here With People I Like
The Midwest Creative is a passion project borne out of my love for my home and my sincere belief that the Midwest deserves our love, care, and investment. I will sing the praises of the creative community in this region until my last breath. But I need your help to reach as many people as I can…
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2 months ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Macey Spensley

JANE NGUYEN

The Asian Iowan
Summer camp = my son's "happy place"
I spent my summers at Camp Foster YMCA on Spirit Lake as a child. Each summer from the time I was seven to fourteen years old, my time in Okoboji was precious. I waited all year for my week in the sun. I made new friends, reconnected with old friends from past summers, breathed fresh air, and learned new skills. I survived without tv, junk food, or air …
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3 months ago · 6 likes · 7 comments · Jane Nguyen

SPORTS

Rob Gray's Area
Tight Ends are Anything but Loose Ends for Iowa State Football
The question hinged on percentages and Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell knew where it was going. The query came Thursday during the second session of Big 12 Football Media Days in Arlington, Texas, and pertained to diminished usage of multiple tight ends last season…
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2 months ago · 1 like · Rob Gray
Hola Iowa
Indycar driver Pato O'Ward returns to Iowa
By Christina Fernández-Morrow, Hola Iowa Professional IndyCar racer Patricio “Pato” O’Ward Junco, a native of Monterrey, Mexico will be racing at the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at the Iowa Speedway in Newton July 21-23. O’Ward, who considers himself, “full-blown Mexican,” despite his Irish sur…
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2 months ago · Hola Iowa

IOWA MEDIA

Julie Gammack's Iowa Potluck
Dave Price joins our Monday Zoom Lunch call
Please join our Monday Zoom Lunch call with former WHO-TV politics reporter Dave Price. Noon to 1 p.m. Here is your link: DAVE PRICE ON ZOOM Julie Gammack's Iowa Potluck is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the OWR scholarship fund, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber…
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2 months ago · Julie Gammack

IOWA’S PAST

PAT KINNEY

View from the Cedar Valley
Iowans fought, died in first integrated Army units in Korea
Many Iowa soldiers served in combat at the confluence of some historic events this mont…
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3 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · Pat Kinney

POETRY

Dispatches from the Heartland
Emergence
Dear Dispatches from the Heartland Readers: A number of my poems are being published in magazines and journals. Written Tales Magazine recently accepted a group of 4 pieces and just posted a new one this week. You can read it here: Emergence. As always, I welcome your comments. Thank you again for your interest in and support of my work…
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2 months ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Suzanna de Baca

LETTERS FROM IOWANS

Letters From Iowans
A Citizen's Advocacy for Removal of 20,000 Lead Service Lines in Des Moines
Letters from Iowans are submitted by subscribers to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. If you have an issue or essay you would like to have included, please use this submission form: Letters Submission. Submissions are the opinion of the letter writer. Please encourage others to join the discussion…
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3 months ago

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JOHN NAUGHTON?

My Life, in Color
Celebrity Chef Paula Deen: Bringing Southern taste to Branson
Iowa has several famous chefs and restaurant owners, including some TV stars, but no one on the scale of Guy Fieri or Gordon Ramsay. But if you want to visit a Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen restaurant, Iowans can travel south to Branson, Missouri, a tourist mecca known for amusement parks, music and plenty of hype…
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2 months ago · John Naughton


The next time you’re in a social setting, how about asking folks if they know about the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative? Then, send them a link to this Roundup column so they can sample our columnists. That’s how we grow.

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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
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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Finding religion at a Taylor Swift concert?

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