Inside the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative: The State’s Biggest Storytelling Revolution
...we add two new members, touch on hot topics, and make you look smart for having read the Iowa Writers' Collaborative Sunday Roundup.
This week’s Sunday lineup from the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative delivers a diverse and thought-provoking array of stories and perspectives that capture the pulse of Iowa, the nation, and the world. Rekha Basu questions how far technology can go before it crosses ethical lines. Christina Fernández-Morrow and Jane Nguyen shine a light on the powerful women making waves in Iowa’s Latina community. In Iowa’s political sphere, Laura Belin takes us behind the scenes with an interview of a MAGA Republican challenger, while Dan Henderson exposes the growing crusade to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Iowa’s universities. Meanwhile, Kali White VanBaale brings us a timely update on mental health legislation at the state level, and Zachary Oren Smith dissects political and educational battles in his podcast.
On the national stage, Julie Gammack crafts a haunting allegory about digital surveillance. At the same time, Dennis Goldford challenges the idea of Christian nationalism, insisting religious freedom belongs to the individual, not the state. Phoebe Wall Howard scrutinizes U.S. trade policies, questioning their fairness and impact, and Cheryl Tevis calls out a lack of government transparency. Chris Gloninger introduces us to Iowa’s next generation of climate leaders, while Chris Jones proposes a radical shift in Iowa’s agricultural paradigm. For those craving creative inspiration, Suzanna de Baca offers a poignant News Response Poem about cyber-security, and Michael Judge blends world affairs with poetic prose in his latest essay.
The collection is a heartfelt exploration of Iowa’s rich history and culture. David Thoreson captures the inspiring impact of Caitlin Clark on the state’s basketball community, while Art Cullen envisions a leadership model based on humility and grace. Arnold Garson takes readers on a journey through Iowa’s Jewish history, and Kurtis Meyer recounts the story of a WWII POW camp in Charles City. Finally, Romen Borsellino brings his signature wit to a birthday column-turned-political satire. From politics and history to the arts, environment, and personal reflections, these writers provide a powerful tapestry of voices that speak to the heart of Iowa—and far beyond.
But first….
Please welcome two new members to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative!
John Crabtree
John has worked for nearly 25 years in non-profit communications with a steadily increasing focus on climate, energy, and the environment. While working for the Center for Rural Affairs from 2005 through 2016, he wrote a nationally syndicated weekly column on rural issues.
In this February 6th column, he covered developments related to the Iowa Utilities Commission’s handling of Summit Carbon Solutions' CO2 pipeline. His February 7, 2025, update critiques the IUC’s lack of transparency, particularly regarding closed-door meetings and procedural votes allowing executive sessions on pipeline dockets. Crabtree’s writing is investigative and passionate, urging readers to stay informed and oppose executive session scheduling for key hearings. He highlights the importance of public participation and vigilance to prevent corporate interests from overriding public welfare.
You can read more here: John Crabtree Substack.
Currently, as Communications Manager with the Auto Accountability Campaign, John’s work provides an opportunity to deepen his commitment to his professional and personal mission and vision, challenging the climate crisis where the rubber meets the road.
John is a native of Iowa, growing up on a family farm near Sheffield in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. And he remains proudly and unapologetically rural. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with minors in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Iowa. And he remains a proud and unapologetic Hawkeye as well. Moreover, John is a devout gardener and certified Master Gardener (Univ. Nebraska at Lincoln Extension) and is currently working to obtain certification as a Master Composter (yes, he says, that is a thing).
John is a National Weather Service certified storm-spotter, avid storm and tornado chaser, and an erstwhile Rugby player and lifelong fan and supporter of the game with a 12-year playing career of some small note in the Rugby world.
Michael Judge
Michael Judge is a seasoned journalist, poet, and publisher known for his in-depth analyses and compelling storytelling. His work often delves into complex geopolitical issues, providing readers with nuanced perspectives and firsthand accounts. For instance, in his piece "Why Putin Won't Survive," Judge examines the geopolitical implications of Russia's actions in Ukraine, offering insights into the potential downfall of Vladimir Putin's regime. In another article, "The World Must Hold Putin and His Henchmen Accountable for Their War Crimes in Ukraine," he underscores the importance of international accountability in the face of war crimes.
Michael is an award-winning journalist, poet, and publisher of The First Person with Michael Judge. Launched in early 2022, TFP features essay, poetry, and conversations with writers, thinkers, and doers around the globe, including Pulitzer Prize winners. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Judge’s work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Politico, NPR, Wire, The Dallas Morning News, The Chicago Tribune, The Literary Review, The Iowa Review, Poet Lore, and Smithsonian magazine, among other publications. A fifth-generation Iowan, he lives and works in Iowa City, Iowa.
Why join the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative?
“As our our society becomes more subject to global forces, community is more important than ever,” wrote Michael in answer to that question. “I’ve seen the rapid deterioration of newspapers and responsible, thoughtful journalism across the country, and recognize the need to come together to improve our democracy and our lives. The “news” we consume now too often separates us, while thoughtful journalism, essays, stories, and poetry written by our fellow Iowans can help us come together and bridge those divides.”
Please welcome both
and , our newest members.Sunday Roundup
National Politics
Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard and Matt Russell lay out a sobering and detailed analysis of how and why "An Authoritarian America is Almost Here."
Link: Read here
Barry Piatt
Barry Piatt provides a timely, valuable, and veritable primer on effectively communicating with your congressional representatives or senators.
Link: Read here
Dan Henderson
Iowa Republicans are on a right-wing, witch-hunting rampage again.
Link: Read here
Dave Busiek
A settlement by CBS News would stab all journalists in the back.
Link: Read here
Dennis Goldford
Constitutionally speaking, the locus of religious identity in the U.S. is the individual and NOT the nation.
Link: Read here
Joan Zwagerman
Eight years ago, Joan Zwagerman raged at cable news.
Link: Read here
Julie Gammack
In her latest Iowa Potluck, Julie Gammack shares a vivid nightmare that explores the sinister potential of digital surveillance.
Link: Read here
Nina Elkadi
Nina Elkadi investigates why food banks in Iowa and across the country still do not test donated venison for lead.
Link: Read here
Phoebe Wall Howard
Ford CEO Jim Farley asks why the U.S. targets key trading partners Mexico and Canada but does not include competitors in nations such as Japan and South Korea.
Link: Read here
Iowa Politics
Dave Price
Several hundred people protested outside the Iowa Statehouse. Will they just blow off steam and go home? Plus, why Elon Musk's actions are so complicated.
Link: Read here
Letters from Iowans
In Letters From Iowans, Gordie Felger argues that students need to have access to cellphones in school. See if you agree with his reasoning.
Link: Read here
Kali White VanBaale
Kali White VanBaale gives an update on proposed mental healthcare bills from Week 3 of the Iowa legislative session.
Link: Read here
Laura Belin
Laura Belin interviewed David Pautsch, the MAGA Republican gearing up to challenge U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks again in the first Congressional district.
Link: Read here
Laura Belin & Spencer Dirks
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks packed a lot of news into the latest episode of "KHOI's Capitol Week," from a surprising special election result to Iowa legislative action.
Link: Read here
Robert Leonard & Spencer Dirks
Spencer Dirks and Bob Leonard offer in this week's Iowa Revolution podcast, "Episode 81: Dismantling of Iowa's AEAs Continues, Elon is a 'Special Government Employee,' and congrats to new state Senator Mike Zimmer!"
Link: Read here
Zachary Oren Smith
Cornhole Champions, a weekly podcast, is tossing some bags and talking about US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks piling onto Trump's lawsuit against the Register's Iowa Poll.
Link: Read here
Randy Evans
Randy Evans looks at the Iowa attorney general’s stern warning to Costco about its DEI policies. He suggests other warning letters that should be sent to businesses closer to home.
Link: Read here
Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger
Meet Iowa’s Hannah Hayes, a next-generation climate leader.
Read here
Chris Jones
In his latest post, "Cereal Killer Gifts Weapon to Iowa Farmers," Chris Jones proposes a new paradigm for Iowa agriculture.
Read here
Trends
Rekha Basu
A taxi ride in LA provoked the question: How far is going too far with technology?
Read here
Media
Dave Busiek
A settlement by CBS News would stab all journalists in the back, according to Dave Busiek.
Read here
Maxwell Schaefer
Legendary KCCI-TV anchor Kevin Cooney joins Maxwell’s Iowa CoffeeCast to discuss life after the newsroom, the power of reinvention, and storytelling.
Read here
World Affairs
Michael Judge
The former WSJ editor’s independent newsletter features essays, poetry, and conversations with writers, thinkers, and doers around the globe.
Read here
The Iowa Angle
Julie Gammack
John Dinges parallels Chile’s democratic collapse and rising threats to U.S. democracy.
Read here
Hanah Breckbill
Living in unheated farm dwellings in the West Bank, Hanah joins a diverse crew of volunteers offering international accompaniment on a Palestinian farm, where every day brings challenges, quiet triumphs, and a deep commitment to resisting occupation and tending both the land and the fire within.
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
Suzanna de Baca shares a News Response Poem called "All Night She Dreams," reflecting on identity theft and government data security.
Read here
Kelsey Bigelow
From loneliness to self-love, Kelsey Bigelow reflects on how being alone transformed her from survival mode to a chosen source of strength and peace.
Read here
Around Iowa
Arnold Garson
The things you never knew about Jewish Iowa—stories of Jews who helped shape the state.
Read here
Art Cullen
Iowa should be as nice as Lisa Bluder, a hero through humility, who Art Cullen suggests should be governor.
Read here
Kurtis Meyer
Kurtis Meyer writes about a WWII POW camp in Charles City, Iowa.
Read here
David Thoreson
"The Caitlin Clark Effect" explores how Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark’s talent and leadership inspire a new generation of athletes.
Read here
Diversity in the Heartland
Christina Fernández-Morrow
As the sole female employee, Rodriguez does not shy away from the day-to-day operations of running a tow company. Whether it’s jump-starting a dead battery in the dead of winter or winching and extracting a vehicle stuck in a ditch, she’s out there getting the job done.
Read here
Jane Nguyen
Jane Nguyen introduces us to one of her very first students who has made a difference in the Latina community as the DEI Program Manager at the Greater DM Partnership.
Read here
Dartanyan Brown
This week, hear Iowa Black history from Lettie Thompson, born in 1896 in Monroe Co., Iowa. She recounts her family's journey from Jim Crow Virginia, to the coal mines of Buxton, Iowa. Also, Check RadioDartanyan for more additions.
Read here
Political Comedy
Romen Borsellino
In honor of his birthday, Romen passes the mic to Rob Borsellino.
Read here
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative partly reflects our state. While we live in the center of the country, we embrace our role and responsibilities as global citizens. We enjoy music, a good laugh, a great meal, poetry, the arts, books—and each other (most of the time, anyway).
In our Wednesday edition, the Flipside, stories about local music, the arts, dining, travel, sports, and features from around Iowa abound.
Below you’ll find a list showing the geographic diversity of our roster. Of our 73 members, we currently have three more men than women, though that balance teeter-totters and will shift in the coming weeks.
With 73 writers, 20 of whom often file weekly columns, we don’t expect you to read them all. Instead, we connect you to some of Iowa’s best writers and thinkers, and we believe you’ll find several members worth following and supporting. Sample their work when you can, and share their perspectives with your friends.
There’s nothing quite like the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. No other state has built a model where independent professional writers with a local focus recommend and refer each other. And yet, this model works—thanks to your support, we’re growing weekly.
Des Moines Metro
Chip Albright: Chip Happens, Des Moines
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Kelsey Bigelow: There’s a Poem in That, Des Moines
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Christina Fernández-Morrow: Hola Iowa, Des Moines
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Julie Gammack: Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Maxwell Schaeffer: Maxwell’s Voice, Ankeny
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
Kali White VanBaale: Mind the Gap, Bondurant
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
North Central
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Northwest
Chad Elliott: Iowa’s Renaissance Man, Jefferson
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Joan Zwagerman: Nuts and Bolts, Storm Lake
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji
David Thoreson: Northwest Passages, Okoboji
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Northeast
Hannah Breckbill: Humble Hands Harvest, Decorah
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
John Crabtree: Though the Heavens Fall, Oelwein
East
Nina Elkadi: Corn Belt Confidential, Iowa City
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Michael Judge: The First Person, Iowa City
Zachary Oren Smith: Cornhole Champions, Iowa City
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Carol Montag: Monday’s Music, Cedar Rapids
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Alison McGaughey: Out Here n the Fields, Davenport
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Southwest
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Sarah Scull: The Piecemaker, Creston
Kathryn Severing Fox: Creston
South Central
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Iowa at Large
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Black Iowa News (Dana James): Black Iowa News
Letters From Iowans: Letters From Iowans
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Alliance with IWC
Out of State
Romen Borsellino: Romen Borsellino, Hollywood, CA
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit, MI
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, U.S.
"Stranded in Iowa". Isn't that where they grow all those Potatoes. ??? Dodobbird.pixels.com (art)