Some Gut-Wrenching Stories That Hold Us Together
...Reporting, reflection, music, and humor from writers rooted in Iowa and paying close attention to the world around them.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative publishes two editions of the Roundup each week. On Sundays, the Roundup reads like an old Sunday newspaper—packed with political reporting, commentary, and policy analysis. Midweek, we publish The Flipside, which leans more feature-forward.
Today’s edition reflects that shift. You’ll find stories about food, travel, music, and culture—still topical, still grounded, but more casual.
At heart, what we do is simple: we connect readers with writers who care about Iowa and the people, places, and issues that shape it.
Thanks for joining us
Human Interest
Nicole Baart
This week, Nicole Baart shares an interview with an international student who was wrongfully detained by ICE. This intimate look into a DHS lock-up in Minnesota is as sad as it is shocking.
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Around Iowa
Jeff Morrison
A presentation at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park delved into the history of the Ioway tribe and the artifacts that shed light on their village in Van Buren County.
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Pat Kinney
Dennis Sommer of Waterloo met presidents, welcomed royalty, and performed on a nationally televised game show—all as a member of the U.S. Army’s oldest and one of its most elite regiments. He guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Music
Kathryn Severing Fox
Fresh off a win at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Kathryn Severing Fox reflects on underdog victories, women in the blues, the grind behind the glory, and shares an unreleased song written mid-journey.
Chip Albright
Through the form of song, Chip Albright considers the vantage point of many immigrants and laborers in today’s economy.
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Kurtis Meyer
A song from the late 1960s resurfaces this week with a more revisionist approach. And, as Kurt says, let’s not blame the victim.
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Dartanyan Brown
A song celebrating the lives of two murdered in Minneapolis.
Food
Wini Moranville
A return visit to Skip’s proves why this longtime Fleur Drive favorite still stands out, delivering pan-fried walleye, fair-priced steaks, and the kind of thoughtful care—on the plate and in the dining room—that too many restaurants have forgotten.
Sports
Rob Gray
Rob Gray focuses on the growth of Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson in his weekly roundup column.
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Strictly Personal
Daniel P. Finney
There’s no hiding the national rot now. The ICE killings of two Americans in Minneapolis expose our longstanding moral decay.
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Joan Zwagerman
A calendar winter scene, the latest death in Minneapolis, and waiting for a new grandbaby coalesce into a rumination on the state of the world and a longing for a better one.
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Connie Taylor
Ever wish you could wake up in the Land of Oz? Connie did that just recently and shares the story of how she came to have a bright new outlook on life.
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Christie Vilsack
Christie Vilsack reflects on Robert Frost’s Mending Wall and her own neighborly stories to explore the invisible and visible barriers we build in our lives, asking whether fences truly make good neighbors—or if something deeper calls us to common ground.
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Julie Gammack
Life goes on these days. But does it really?
Weather
Vicki Minor
This Is Why We Talk About the Weather.
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Humor
Daniel P. Finney
FINNEY’S 5: Things the world trusts more than the U.S. right now.
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Daniel P. Finney
FINNEY’S 5: Reasons why Donald Trump didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Daniel P. Finney
FINNEY’S 5: Cruelest things you can do on a subzero day in Iowa. There’s cold—and then there’s cold.
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Daniel P. Finney
FINNEY’S 5: Dark secrets of beloved advertising mascots.
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Daniel P. Finney
FINNEY’S 5: Signs you are a bad speller.
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Entertainment & Travel
John Naughton
Smooth-sounding Yacht Rock music is keeping afloat the careers of performers who peaked in the ’70s and ’80s. John Naughton reports on this new concert trend.
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Business
Tej Dhawan
A state of turmoil takes Tej Dhawan from telling the history of a company to one that is writing its history today. BRIGHTN, a Cedar Rapids company, blends personal story and passion with a meaningful purpose.
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Poetry
Kelsey Bigelow
Continuing to create art when the world is heavy can be a challenge. But we still need your art and your voice. Life keeps moving despite the horrors in the news. This week, Bigelow also highlights two Minneapolis poets responding in verse.
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