Unrivaled Women's Basketball, the best sandwiches in the metro, and a farmer from Decorah in Palestine...
...and more Flipside features about life in Iowa
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This is the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Flipside— stories about food, travel, sports, books, true crime, and religion.
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From backroads to the contested farmland of Palestine, from cozy kitchens to the frontlines of politics, music, and sports—our contributors deliver bold insights and unforgettable storytelling.
Whatever you’re craving—an unexpected culinary experience, a reminder of Iowa’s global ties, or a fresh take on the people shaping our state—it’s all right here.
EVENTS - CATCH OUR IOWA WRITERS’ COLLABORATIVE MEMBERS WHEN THEY COME TO A TOWN NEAR YOU
Food & Dining
Beth Hoffman
Beth Hoffman reminds us that, even amid political chaos, it is important to stop and make the pasta or taste the wine.
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Wini Moranville
If you're a fan of pre-order kitchens, you'll be glad to know about the options from Tangerine Food Company in Des Moines.
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Looking for a healthful lunch? Wini Moranville tells us about some great grab-and-go sandwiches reminiscent of the best hippie sandwiches of the 1970s--but with infinitely better bread.
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Music
Chip Albright
Music is made, friends are found, and spirits are shared at The Gilded Palace.
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Chad Elliott
From childhood road trips in a wood-paneled Pinto to spontaneous college drives in “Ethel” the Tercel, his lifelong love affair with vehicles and the open road was forged in adventure, family, and the freedom of the American highway. And listen to the song.
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Kathryn Severing Fox
A lifelong love of music began with family harmonies and flourished through the timeless works of classical and jazz greats. From childhood immersion in Beethoven and Debussy to the soul-stirring power of Puccini, each note shaped a deep connection to the art of storytelling through sound. Whether memorizing jazz standards on road trips, playing alongside legendary artists, or crafting original compositions, music has been a passion and a calling. This column offers a glimpse into that journey—honoring the classics, embracing the standards, and sharing the inspirations that continue to shape a musical life.
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Agriculture
Hanah Breckbill
Hannah Breckbill compares the barriers to a thriving local food system in Iowa and Palestine, where she is currently farming.
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Around Iowa
Alison McGaughey
@Alison McGaughey spoke with attendees of an Iowa Safe Schools fundraiser in Davenport, tried on prom dresses (yes, for herself) at Dillard's Clearance, and reviewed a marathon-length movie, all in one weekend.
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Marianne Fons
Marianne Fons comments from Quiltropolis on what she's gained by discovering the Iowa Writers' Collaborative and becoming an IWC writer.
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Robert Leonard
Nearly every morning at dawn, Bob Leonard and his dog Violet go for a walk at Cedar Bluffs Natural Area in Mahaska County.
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Books, Art
Rachelle Chase
Listen to Ep. 9 of the Reading with Rachelle podcast as author Rachelle Chase and Robell Awake discuss his new book, "A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects"--and learn how Black artisans shaped the nation.
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Steve Semken
The good, the bad, and the ugly of living a life of books.
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Nicole Baart
Author Nicole Baart shares the new title and cover for her November 25 release from Atria Books.
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Entertainment & Travel
Mary Swander (Buggy Land)
Mary Swander crosses the strand to Omey Island, Ireland, to talk to the last living inhabitant of that remote spot on the map.
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Nik Heftman
Documentary filmmaker Nik Heftman of The Seven Times recounts a magical night of music, poetry, and film at XBK Live in Des Moines.
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Humor
Vicki Minor
The Weather Ride: A Winter Tale in Iowa.
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Poetry
Chip Albright
Corporations and political parties are designed to obsess over profits and power plays rather than human self-actualization. Still, we all have the power to find inspiration and seek the “Divine” in this world.
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Kelsey Bigelow
From a day lost in overwhelm to a night of red dresses, martinis, and quiet self-discovery—this is how Kelsey turns her crankiness into calm, one solo date at a time. Read more
Religion
Dan Henderson
"A friend of mine recently made an astute observation about the irony of this passage from the New Testament when analyzing the Charismatic-evangelical obsession with the 'Seven Mountain Mandate.'“
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Sports
Jane Burns
In an already crowded sports season, Jane Burns didn’t think the addition of a new women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, would quite catch her attention the way that it has.
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Strictly Personal
Nicole Baart
Author Nicole Baart finds her voice and encourages us all to be brave, kind, and to do something.
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Macey Shofroth
Macey Shofroth shares her perspective on cultivating a perspective against cruelty.
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True Crime
Kali White VanBaale
Kali White VanBaale examines the famous disappearance and death of a Canadian tourist and the sometimes painful truth about mental health and "conspiracy theories."
Read more
Iowa Politics
Zachary Oren Smith
Cornhole Champions, a weekly podcast, is chewing on the stories emerging from the Iowa Legislature.
Read more
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
In less than three years, we have grown to have professional writers and now songwriters connecting to readers from around the state and beyond.
Des Moines Metro
Chip Albright: Chip Happens, Des Moines
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Christina Fernández-Morrow: Hola Iowa and Christina Fernández-Morrow, Des Moines
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Maxwell Schaeffer: Maxwell’s Voice, Ankeny
Kali White VanBaale: Minding the Gaps, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Northwest Iowa
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Joan Zwagerman: Nuts and Bolts, Storm Lake
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
David Thoreson: Northwest Passage, Okoboji
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
West Iowa
Chad Elliott: Iowa’s Renaissance Man, Jefferson
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Southwest Iowa
Sarah Scull: The Piecemaker, Creston
Kathryn Severing Fox: Creston
South Central Iowa
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Southeast Iowa
Daniel Henderson: Things We Don’t Talk About, Like Religion, Washington
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C. (Referenced Washington, Iowa as well)
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Rachelle Chase: Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Eastern Iowa
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Nina Elkadi: Corn Belt Confidential, Iowa City
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Zachary Oren Smith: Cornhole Champions, Iowa City
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Carol Montag: Monday’s Music, Cedar Rapids
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Alison McGaughey: In the Fields, Davenport
Northeast Iowa
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Hanah Breckbill: Humble Hand Harvest, Decorah
North Central Iowa
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Out of State
Romen Borsellino: Romen Borsellino, Hollywood, CA
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
At Large in Iowa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Iowa Capital Dispatch (Alliance with IWC)
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Letters From Iowans
Did you miss Sunday’s Roundup?
Check out the February Events by our Members
February 8, 2025
🎶 Music Under the Water Tower – Weary Ramblers
📍 American Legion, Donnellson, IA
🕖 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
💲 Varies
🔗 View Event
February 9, 2025
🏡 Private House Concert – Weary Ramblers
📍 Des Moines, IA
🕔 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (Doors at 4:30 PM)
💲 SOLD OUT
February 13, 2025
🎵 Live at the Gilded Palace Facebook Livestream – Chip Albright
📍 Online - Facebook
💲 Free
🔗 More Info
February 15, 2025
👨🍳 Pasta Perfect Cooking Class – Beth Hoffman
📍 Whippoorwill Creek Farm, Lovilia, Iowa
🕛 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
💲 $50
🔗 More Info
🎤 Turkey River Cabin Concerts Series – Weary Ramblers with Simon Cropp
📍 Elkader Opera House, Elkader, IA
🕖 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
💲 Tickets Here
February 16, 2025
🍻 Field Day Brewing Co. Event – Weary Ramblers
📍 North Liberty, IA
🕒 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
💲 Varies
🔗 View Event
February 18, 2025
📚 Creating the Black Utopia of Buxton, Iowa – Rachelle Chase
📍 Cedar Falls Public Library, Cedar Falls, IA
🕡 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
💲 Free
🔗 More Info
🍷 Solera Event – Weary Ramblers
📍 Grinnell, IA
🕡 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
💲 Varies
🔗 View Event
February 20, 2025
🎶 Songwriters Showcase – Weary Ramblers
📍 Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL
🕖 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
🔗 More Info
February 21, 2025
🎭 CSPS Hall Event – Weary Ramblers
📍 Cedar Rapids, IA
🕗 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
💲 Tickets Here
February 22, 2025
🏡 Private House Concert – Weary Ramblers
📍 Galena, IL
🕡 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
💲 Varies
🔗 View Event
February 23, 2025
🎶 Washington Performing Arts Series – Weary Ramblers
📍 Washington Area Performing Arts and Events Center, Washington, IA
🕞 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
💲 Tickets Here