Flipside Edition
...your Midweek Roundup: Food, Fun, Frivolity and Iowa Features
Welcome to the debut Flipside edition of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup. Regular Iowa Writers’ Collaborative readers have been receiving a Sunday Roundup of columns. As our columnist ranks blossomed to over 70, we decided to split topics such as Food, Music, Books, Art, Poetry, Features, and “Strictly Personal” Essays into a midday edition and have politics, issues, and newsy commentary remain in the Sunday edition. Some topics will appear on both editions, and placement is the writer's choice.
We believe readers will find this helpful.
This midweek, we have a delightful mix of stories for you. Wini Moranville delves into the "Refined Heartiness" dining trend with insights from top Midwest chefs, while Marianne Fons invites us to savor a chicken salad sandwich in Winterset. Maxwell Schaeffer opens up about crafting his song "Heartbreak Highway," and Kyle Munson offers a thought-provoking book recommendation to kickstart your creativity. Rachelle Chase takes us on a journey to Mark Twain’s boyhood home, uncovering the rich history of Hannibal, Missouri.
Meanwhile, in humor, Joan Zwagerman shares a hilarious story about late-starting mice season, and Bob Leonard explores the winter woods with his dog in "Cedar Creek Nature Notes." Technology and car culture meet with a new wrong-way driver alert system and a touching story of a Ford gift helping a Honda owner through surgery. From weather reports in snowy Iowa to personal stories about wayward bulls and Macey Shofroth’s creative plans, there's something for everyone this week!
Our Sunday Roundup will include national and state politics columns, issues, and commentary from around Iowa. The Roundup from last Sunday is linked below.
How do you like this new Flipside edition? We are listening.
Two New Members: Kathryn Severing Fox and Romen Borsellino
Musician Kathryn Severing Fox posted her first column this week. In it, she gives us a glimpse of what is to come: a candid, forthright, beautiful look into a brilliant artist’s soul.
Romen Borsellino
We are thrilled to welcome Romen Borsellino to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. A Des Moines native now thriving in Hollywood as a comedy writer, Romen's inaugural column takes a serious turn. In his first piece, he recounts the harrowing experience of being evacuated due to the raging wildfires in California. Join us in welcoming Romen Borsellino and his compelling debut with the collaborative.
Food & Dining
Winnie Moranville
Wini Moranville interviewed three of the Midwest's most renowned chefs to find their take on "Refined Heartiness"—a trend that pivots away from the small-plates style of dining.
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Music
Chad Elliott
Chad has plunged into column writing since launching on Subtack as an Iowa Writers’ Collaborative member just a few days ago. His columns include songs he wrote that morning and a few favorites from his past. Read more
Maxwell Schaefer
"Discover the story behind “The Yellow Line,” and how Maxwell Schaeffer crafted and recorded his new metaphorical “Heartbreak Highway” song. Inspired by a 1979 memory, the article explores songwriting, collaboration with producer Craig Willoughby and vocalist Tina Haase Findlay, and the early steps of his late-life journey to introduce his new music.
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Around Iowa
Beth Hoffman
This week, Beth Hoffman reminds us that success is impossible without "failure.” Without guides and imagery, it is hard to know what is possible.
Read moreMarianne Fons
Marianne invites readers to pop down to Quiltropolis (Winterset) for a yummy chicken salad sandwich.
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Weather and Environment
Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard writes about his daily walk in the woods in Mahaska County with Violet the Dog in "Cedar Creek Nature Notes." This week, he writes about "Tracks in the Snow, Sedges, Plant Blindness, and much, much more."
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Taylor Decker
It's the cold of winter. Taylor Deckert shares some of her favorite stories when she reports on the snow in western Iowa.
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Humor
Joan Zwagerman
Usually, people find mice in their homes in the fall, but with a long, warm fall, mice season started a little later in Storm Lake. Joan Zwagerman discovered that they like the same sweet treat that she does.
Read moreVicki Minor
Turning the Tables: A Clever Cleaning Plan for the New Year
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Books & Arts
Rachelle Chase
In Ep. 8 of the Reading with Rachelle podcast, author Rachelle Chase traveled to Mark Twain's boyhood home—Hannibal, MO—to discuss the history of Black Americans before, during, and after Twain's time in, "There's More to Hannibal's history than Mark Twain."
Read moreSteve Semken
In “Orange As Invisible,” Steve writes that the world is a bundle of colors we spot but do not see.”
Read moreAlison McGaughey
What the heck was Brooke Shields doing in Davenport back in 1991? Find out why she (and Treat Williams! And Burt Young!) were in the QC's in Alison McGaughey's latest post.
Read moreKyle Munson
The start of the year is a good time for book recommendations, and Kyle has one short, easy read that may help you stay inspired and become more creative in your daily life. It may be a surprising pick, and it's about as close to the self-help category as Kyle gets.
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Strictly Personal
Macey Shofroth
Macey Shofroth and Midwest Creative are back from their break. This week, Macey shares her plans for the future of her Substack.
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Car Culture
Phoebe Wall Howard
A Honda owner gets a gift from Ford just before surgery. She explains how the gift, which is free to any car owner, helped her breast cancer recovery.
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Technology
Phoebe Wall Howard
The wrong-way driver alert designed to prevent head-on crashes is expanding in the U.S. This is how it works.
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Agriculture
Cheryl Tevis
. . . highlights soil-searching comments from conservation agronomist Ruth McCabe's address at last Friday's Practical Farmers of Iowa conference. Read more
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
Suzanna shares a poem inspired by news events this week in January. Read more
Avery Gregurich
In this edition of The Five and Dime, Avery Gregurich takes a phone call from home about a wayward bull.
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