This Week from Iowa’s Front Porch: Tech Titans, Tailgate Tours & Met Gala Glam
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This week
This Week’s Iowa Writers’ Roundup: From Boardrooms to Bee Gardens, Tailgate Tours to the Met Gala
What do Navy pilots, marshmallow salads, and purple polka-dot suits have in common? They’re all part of this week’s storytelling spread from the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.
Entrepreneurs, don’t miss Tej Dhawan’s compelling conversation with Christian Renaud about the rollercoaster of launching a tech company. Fashion lovers can live vicariously through John Naughton’s account of the Met Gala (yes, the actual Met Gala). Connie Taylor dishes up a retro treat—Ambrosia Salad—with a heaping side of family lore, while Christie Vilsack invites us to slow down and wander through her ephemeral garden, bees and all.
In the “you can’t make this stuff up” category, Pat Kinney introduces us to Ralph Alshouse—WWII Navy pilot, 13 emergency landings, and still kicking at 103. Joan Zwagerman reflects on how musicians and presidents collide in the public square, and Lisa Grouette looks at the shifting sands of print media.
Sports fans, you're covered too: Jane Burns explores the rise of girls’ flag football, while Rob Gray takes us from Ireland to Ames in a jam-packed look at Iowa State athletics. Add in poetry, music, heartfelt interviews, some humor from Vicki Minor (maple seeds included), and a story from Nicole Baart featuring Grandma Nellie and a recipe you’ll want to try.
This week’s collection is equal parts brains, heart, and good old-fashioned fun. Dive in, and let yourself be surprised.
Business
Tej Dhawan
My guest, Christian Renaud, shares the highs and lows of building a company that sought to transform how knowledge was captured during meetings. A must-read for entrepreneurs and innovators, this story reveals discovery, execution, focus, and the hurdles of introducing new technology to an evolving workplace.
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Entertainment & Travel
John Naughton
John Naughton is known to some as the guy wearing a white suit around town (or yellow, orange or purple polka dot). This week, he takes readers to the Met Gala, the biggest fashion night of the year.
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Food & Dining
Connie Taylor
"The Category: Desserts That Think They are Salads.
The Answer: It was popular in the 1950s and 60s and combines marshmallows with sweet fruits.
And the Question is… What is Ambrosia Salad?
Check out Connie’s family recipe and the story behind this memory-making salad that masquerades as a dessert."
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Gardening
Christie Vilsack
"Take a walk in Christie Vilsack's Ephemeral Garden. Step carefully. Lift the leaves. Listen to the bees."
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Human Interest (Interviews)
Vicki Minor
Lisa Rossi: From Journalist to Comedian
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Humor
Vicki Minor
Battle of the Maple Seeds
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Iowa at Large
Pat Kinney
Fayette County native Ralph Alshouse survived 13 emergency landings as a Navy pilot during World War II, and, at 103 years old, has lived to tell the tale. Alshouse is a 1948 Iowa State University alum, retired farm appraiser and the former mayor of Seymour in Wayne County.
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Media
Joan Zwagerman
Over 20 years ago, the Dixie Chicks suffered when they spoke out on politics. Now, "The Boss" has spoken. Joan Zwagerman looks at the way each president reacted and finds it instructive.
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Lisa Grouette
In my latest column, I share my thoughts on the inevitable shifts on the horizon for many print media outlets.
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Music
Chip Albright
Conversation was lively, except during the performances, when it transformed into a perfect listening room venue with an audience that was full of open hearts and minds for independent music.
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Lea Donovan
(No column blurb provided — entry is a placeholder)
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Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
Suzanna de Baca shares a new poem called "Waiting for the Goslings."
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Kelsey Bigelow
This week's post has nothing poetic about it. Another shooting. This time at Kelsey Bigelow's alma mater, and this is what she has to say about it.
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Sports
Jane Burns
A new sport is gaining in popularity for girls and women across the U.S. – flag football. The Des Moines Public Schools sponsored a league this spring and more than 200 high schoolers and middle schoolers joined up.
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Rob Gray
Rob Gray's put together a grab bag column looking at the beginning of Iowa State's Tailgate Tour, looming challenges in college athletics, the football team's trip to Ireland, and the men's basketball team's ongoing success in the transfer portal.
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Strictly Personal
Nicole Baart
Stories entertain and enlighten, and this week Nicole Baart has a fun one featuring her beloved Grandma Nellie. Recipe included!
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Writing
Steve Semken
Looking for a little bit more kindness, and a writing tip
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Memoir
Julie Gammack
Journalist Maura Casey opens up about Saving Ellen, her powerful memoir drawn from teenage journals that documented addiction, illness, and resilience inside her family—truth-telling that became both personal healing and public legacy.
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For a complete look at our roster, now over 80 strong, take a look:
Meet our writers
Newcomers: Here is a link to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Sunday Roundup, where you can get a compilation of our members’ work published the previous week.
Existing in obscurity as an awestruck neophyte; colorless like a movie extra on TCM Silent Sunday Cinema, I’ve discovered this color filled world of collaborative storytelling, and it’s overwhelming. So much talented writing, so many genres, so many different directions to choose and explore. Placing the subject markers must make marvelously satisfying, but difficult maintenance. Living in a library full of eager to read classics, not yet discovered, I’m just grabbing them and spending time akin to loose change falling out a pocket lining full of holes. It’s like being a child at the carnival and all the candy and rides are free.
( I’m diligently trying to pay for subscriptions quickly as possible. Promise.) My thanks to you all for these wonderful gifts!