Iowa Writers' Collaborative Roundup

...your Sunday morning read

Nov 26, 2023

Around Iowa

Some in our group paused to give thanks for their lot in life during this holiday week, including Art Cullen, who stated:

My moral character was informed by the Rolling Stones, and they just released a new album. If they can keep up depravity at their age, then so can I.

Larry Stone celebrated the holiday week by spotting swans during an outdoor trek. Through his writing, he takes us with him.

Columnist and novelist Nicole Baart lives in Sioux Center, having returned to the town where she grew up. Her column gives readers a layer of understanding of living in a small town.

Beth Hoffman discovered a rather sad sight in a local grocery store: A cookie kit. A fun read.

Cheryl Tevis introduces readers to the Piano Man of Boone, who is on a mission to make his hometown the outdoor piano capital of the world. Tevis is a master storyteller, and this piece is an example of just that.

Ah, the stories they could tell, eh? Imagine being a barber in Waterloo for 50 years. Pat Kinney profiles a couple of local icons who are retiring from the business.

And Kurt Meyer shows up with a delightful essay on the tensions (mostly positive, he states) of changing traditions around an annual holiday.

Politics

Dave Price is back in the television interviewing saddle and includes links to interviews with Ron De Santis and Bob Vander Plaats. Who will get the biggest piece of ‘the caucus pie, ponders Price.

Robert Leonard caught up with Presidential candidate and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgam in Oskaloosa on Tuesday for a town hall meeting and to meet with reporters from KCCI-TV.

Douglas Burns features a rising star in the Iowa Democratic Party, State Representative Josh Turek, Council Bluffs. Find out why this compelling profile shows him as a real leader.

What in the world is going on with the Davenport City Council? Ed Tibbetts writes: officials should explain the city administrator’s departure.

Sports

Rob Gray: Looking at current ISU quarterback Rocco Becht, and former record-setter Brock Purdy, who joined an elite club in having a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating on Sunday. Check out his podcast.

Entertainment

Thanks to Kyle Munson for introducing us to the new executive director (chief curiosity officer) of Mainframe Studios, Julia Franklin.

Letters From Iowans

Josiah Wearin has contributed to the Letters from Iowan’s column this week. He laments another downside of consolidated farming: a loss of the farmer’s memory of the land. Jeff Morrison is taking over the editing job of keeping this offering fresh. If you would like to submit something, find the form in the Letters column.

On the Road

Where in the world are John Naughton and Chuck Offenburger this week?

On this holiday week depicted at its most stereotypical by Norman Rockwell, Naughton visits the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he gazes upon what Rockwell called his Four Freedoms paintings.

Photos by John Naugton from the Norman Rockwell Museum

And the Richeburgers, also known as Mary Riche and Chuck Offenburger, hit the road for what our columnist calls ‘One of the finest half-miles in America in Bentonville, Arkansas.’

They both love to snap photos, so be sure to check out the report from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Left: Chuck Offenburger and his ubiquitous notepad. Mary Riche, taking it all in.

The week when Thanksgiving didn’t happen

Barry Piatt had a profoundly personal column about a national loss 60 years ago when President John F. Kennedy was shot. Where were you that day? Barry tells what it was like for him and his family in Van Meter, Iowa, and when ‘Thanksgiving didn’t happen.’

Mary Swander introduces us to Lori Erickson, a travel writer specializing in holy places. She contributed a piece about the Marching Bears of Iowa in her new book, Every Step is Home.

By the way, Swander puts a lot of work and effort into seeking talented writers to showcase. Not only does she find them, she becomes a coach and cheerleader for many. Consider becoming a paid subscriber for Mary’s Emerging Voices. She pays these writers out of those funds, and her other work is also worthy of support.

Poetry

We are pleased by this significant accomplishment awarded to our own Suzanna de Baca:

Dispatches from the Heartland

Poems featured in Best of Choeofpleirn Press

Dear Readers: I am thrilled to share some very positive news. I received word last week that I had won the Derick Burleson Poetry Contest from Choeofpleirn Press for my poem “I Forgot There Were Stars,” which is also now the Featured Poem on their site (you can go to the…

a year ago · 2 likes · 10 comments · Suzanna de Baca

We, the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members, are having a party on December 7 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to thank our paid subscribers. Please come and meet the following:

Laura Belin, Doug Burns, Dave Busiek, Suzanna de Baca, Julie Gammack, Jody Gifford, Richard Gilbert, Beth Hoffman, Pat Kinney, Robert Leonard, Wini Moranville, Jeff Morrison, Kyle Munson, Jane Nguyen, John Naughton, Chuck Offenburger (the Richeburgers), Dave Price, Cheryl Tevis, Ed Tibbetts, and Kali White VanBaale.

You’ll be greeted by a glass of champagne or sparking cider, a smorgasbord of appetizers brought by our members, and the man who took over ownership and stewardship of the historic mansion, John Beard. One of our collaborative members will be stationed in each room to introduce themselves and welcome you.

Read Kyle Munson’s column about the Witmer House:

Kyle Munson's Main Street

Join us for the Iowa Writers' Collaborative Holiday Party

Get ready to raise your glass for an eggnog toast: It’s time for an exclusive holiday party in the governor’s house—but not the house you’re thinking. Iowa’s inaugural governor’s mansion was bought, not built, thanks to a strained supply chain. A severe lack of new building materials in the wake of World War II led the…

a year ago · Kyle Munson

It’s not too late to RSVP, but you do need to be a paid subscriber to at least one of our members:

RSVP