Reaction to national news, rural broadband, and what it's like in today's classroom
...and on a lighter note, a few smiles
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members are professionals from around this state. Each brings a personal perspective to their commentary and reporting. We came together in answer to an overall decline of opinion pieces in legacy newspapers. Stories can move people and can lead to action. This roundup of columns is created to serve readers by gathering a buffet of essays from around the state and delivering them in one weekly email. We hope you pick some of our writers to support by becoming a paid subscriber.
OUR COLUMNISTS REACT TO THE NEWS OF THE WEEK
This week we have commentary about the U.S. Supreme Court, a warning from Laura Belin about the possibility of federal funding for Iowa’s Universities being in jeopardy, big news from Dave Price, formerly of WHO-TV, and a personal reaction from a Black Iowan as to what it is like to live in Iowa in these times. This week, the stark contrast in air quality from atop a Colorado mountaintop and Davenport turned into column fodder for Ed Tibbetts.
On a lighter note, John Naughton has pictures of some of his more colorful outfits, and Julie Gammack tells a tale of what could have been a disastrous dinner party. Wini Moranville introduces readers to a metro restaurant that sounds good, and Steph Copley writes a poignant piece about motherhood.
Rob Gray, our newest member, is a popular sports writer who intends to branch out in this format. Undoubtedly, he’ll continue to cover sports and remain a Cyclone fanatic. Read his introductory column, and welcome him aboard.
Teresa Zilk is producing an event to ‘create a safe space to lift the lived experiences of Black women’ in the Des Moines community. She founded Stories to Tell My Daughters in 2018, and it has become a popular offering.
Cheryl Tevis’s column about rural broadband availability in Iowa is a well-reported piece about a necessity those who live in metro areas take for granted.
We have a new Letters From Iowan’s submission by Josiah Wearin of Hastings. If you are a subscriber, please consider submitting a piece to this new column.
We send links to the columns the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members posted the prior week each Sunday. And each week, some of you share this with others—which is how we grow.
By the way, Substack staffers say the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative is unique. So far, we are the only group of writers in a state banding together in this format. Pretty cool, eh?
All of our members put a good deal of effort into this. Will you take a second to tell a friend?
Also, take our poll at the end of this column, please.
DANA JAMES
Newspaper publisher Dana James does not feel safe in Iowa. Read why:
DAVE PRICE
ROB GRAY
BARRY PIATT
SUZANNA DE BACA
LAURA BELIN
ART CULLEN
Our guy in Storm Lake writes about being ‘pro-life’ then and now.
FERN AND JOE
When a classroom teacher today is in the family…
MARY SWANDER
STEPH COPLEY
BETH HOFFMAN
DOUGLAS BURNS
Read why Doug Burns thinks the Mayor of Allentown, PA is a politician to watch as he accompanies Congressman Ro Khana, D-CA, on a ‘listening tour’ nationwide.
PAT KINNEY
ROBERT LEONARD
LETTERS FROM IOWANS
This week, Josiah Wearin submits a proposal for Governor Kim Reynolds that he believes could alter her legacy. Wearin describes himself as a cowherd and gardener who practiced law in SW Iowa for 33+ years. He is a proud grandfather and lives on a farm founded in 1854 by his great-great-grandparents. Please give it up for our reader from Hastings. We want to hear from you, too. Submit your essays through the form in the column:
MARY SWANDER’S EMERGING VOICES
TERESA ZILK
ED TIBBETTS
CHERYL TEVIS
So, what about Iowa? Iowa has the second slowest internet speeds in the U.S. (average download of 74.3 Mbps per second, according to BroadbandNow.com). Iowa ranks 45th in the U.S. for internet connectivity, and monthly internet prices are higher here, too.
