Hawkeyes versus Cyclones, the ongoing saga of eminent domain, and other kinds of vultures in the wild
Discover more from Iowa Writers Collaborative
Hawkeyes versus Cyclones, the ongoing saga of eminent domain, and other kinds of vultures in the wild
...a few laughs, a tear or two, and the customary top notch commentary
Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger attended THE football game yesterday and posted a column about it last night. Dave Price weighed in on the presidential sweepstakes game and how Kim Reynolds plays it. As for the big game, our own Rob Gray creatively ties heirloom tomatoes into this big sports story. And John Naughton uses the clickbait football matchup to springboard into a story about Mary Todd Lincoln.
While Chuck and Dave wrote about what took place in Ames, Cheryl Tevis was on hand in Fort Dodge to continue her coverage of the pipeline hearings, capturing the ire of landowners.
Kyle Munson deconstructs “Oppenheimer” as a lesson in good storytelling by a master. And because we already know how it turned out, there is no spoiler alert.
Another Collaborative member, Robert Leonard, shares the behind-the-scenes connected with his recent by-lines in TIME and the New York Times.
Who would think that goats getting out of their fencing would spark meditations? But they do in Beth Hoffman’s “In The Dirt”. As she says: You have a few choices during this dance. You could laugh a lot and think about how utterly ridiculous you look while trying to do this. Or, as is more often the case, you get utterly frustrated and pissed off."
Dave Busiek “On Media” reports that Press Forward, a consortium of large foundations, has set a one billion dollar goal (that is “billion with a “B”) to help save local newsrooms. As the president of the Knight Foundation observed: There is a “new understanding in the management of community and democracy that simply wasn’t there 15 years ago.”
Steph Copley writes about a cringe-worthy kiss that took place on the world stage of sports, and why it matters.
Wini Moranville’s Food Stories tells about a restaurant dress code that lists “flannel,” Noah’s broiled chicken gets a shout-out. She also introduces us to a guest columnist who takes us to the world of Pho and a Vietnamese restaurant where you can enjoy it.
What are those big dark birds circling far overhead? Larry Stone says they’re called buzzards, but the real name is vultures, which are often seen perched on an Elkader elevator drying their wings after a morning dew.
And then there’s our Pulitzer-prize winner Art Cullen, who is not known to sugar-coat his opinions. He calls out politicians who cite Chinese and Mexican bogeymen to secure left-behind constituents by telling them it was the Chinese who stole their farm or the Mexicans who cut their wages in half.
The Iowa governor wants to reduce the size and authority of boards and commissions. Laura Belin explains what is happening (or not happening) in the process.
Once Iowa’s poet laureate, our Mary Swander returns to family origins with a haunting visit to Ireland’s west coast, St. Brendans.
And on a light note, Julie Gammack’s Potluck introduces you to a new soon-to-be arrival, Dudley.
Barry Piatt lends a historical perspective to the race for the presidency. And, more political perspective comes from Kurt Meyer as he digs through Iowa's history and the origins of welcoming immigrants thanks to Robert D. Ray.
Another part of Iowa history will be honored in an upcoming ceremony to be held in Waterloo. Read Pat Kinney’s story about a local Vietnam War veteran who works to honor those who served. Pat had another post this week about a Bosnian-born community leader.
Alison McGaughey lets us in on the thinking behind her request for Pledges (while subscriptions remain free) now that she's made it past her one-month mark of Substacking. Proud mom Jane Nguyen introduces her son, the dancer.
Teresa Zilk informs her readers about an upcoming youth town hall and introduces us to two community leaders.
Douglas Burns slides in this morning with a book recommendation he found to be hilarious.
Macey Spensley is getting married in just a few days, but that doesn’t stop her from making reading suggestions.
Suzanna de Baca brings us to new depths of emotion in her piece, Body of Evidence (For the Missing).
Do you listen to podcasts? Robert Leonard compiles links to several with Iowa-related audio stories.
Have you explored the variety of writers we have in the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative? They are from around the state and contribute commentary and feature stories of interest to those who care about Iowa. Please pick five you would like to support with a paid subscription. It keeps this movement going. Enjoy: