Wow, welcome to our new subscribers
Thanks to O. Kay Henderson and the crew of Iowa Press for having us on the show that aired on IPTV Friday. As a result, we have many newcomers in our ranks.
Here’s how we do things around here:
Each Sunday, you will receive a roundup of our columnists’ posts from the previous week. Read them all here. Then, pick the ones you would like to subscribe to, so you’ll receive them via email when it is first published. Your subscription can be free. However, if you want to support the writers for their work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. There is a small perk for doing so - beyond knowing you are bringing a smile to our columnist’s face - all of our paid subscribers are invited to a monthly Zoom meeting where you can ‘meet’ our columnists and interact for an hour. These are becoming fun gatherings and give us ideas for new stories. It’s called our Office Lounge.
We now have 25 columnists. You’ll recognize many of their names. And we’ll introduce you to others who might not be as well known yet, but they are some of the best writers in the state.
This week, Doug Burns introduces us to a family who is turning the loss of their small child into creating a grief center for others. Barry Piatt, our man in Washington, D.C., describes what it’s like to close down a congressional office:
Have you ever watched the air slowly leak out of a car tire while the car still operates until the tire goes completely flat? It’s more like that… Barry Piatt, on closing a congressional office
BARRY PIATT
Laura Belin is an indefatigable reporter and analyst who covers Iowa politics. Check out her year-end summary of what she covered in 2022, and you’ll understand what a rare talent she is.
LAURA BELIN
As for exquisite writing, see how Debra Engle tells the tale of her cat whose tail became entangled by a Whole Foods bag and a story of love:
DEB ENGLE
Veteran Register sports reporter turned Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnist John Naughton, is a colorful character. Please take a look at his story today about Caitlin Clark:
JOHN NAUGHTON
DOUG BURNS: A FAMILY’S GRIEF
Central Iowans will recognize the name Dave Busiek, a veteran broadcast journalist now retired from KCCI-TV. His column on media is insightful and thoughtful and addresses contemporary issues.
DAVE BUSIEK
Not only is Art Cullen a founding member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, but he also happens to have won a Pulitzer Prize. See why the judges plucked this small-town news guy out of the crowd and bestowed journalism's highest honor. Oh, and if you become a paid subscriber, he’ll throw in a subscription to the Storm Lake Times:
ART CULLEN
Here’s a surprise for you. Suzanna de Baca is an accomplished woman and CEO of Business Publications. We thought she’d cover economic development news when she began writing for the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Instead, she surprises us each week with thoughtful, beautiful prose and poetry, written from her home town of Huxley.
SUZANNA de BACA
Julie Gammack founded the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. In her column this week, she offers an overview of how and why it came together
JULIE GAMMACK
Happy New Year from our funny friends, Fern and Joe. Take a couple of retired ISU writing professors and turn them loose; what do you get?
FERN AND JOE
DANA JAMES
Gun violence in the Des Moines Black community has a ripple effect throughout the lives it touches. Read Dana James, and subscribe to her column for her unique perspective on Black Iowa News.
ROBERT LEONARD
This extraordinary writer gives us a glimpse into the complex culture of rural Iowa. In today’s story, he’ll show you the underbelly of the so-called Christian churches in Iowa. It’ a must read:
CHUCK OFFENBURGER
So, our ‘Boy,’ had his first pedicure this past week. Settle in for a laugh:
Veteran columnist Kyle Munson reflects on what social media has wrought. He’s downloading his Twitter account:
KYLE MUNSON
Author, playwright, and former Poet Laurette Mary Swander introduce us to her Amish neighbors through her delightful column she calls Mary Swanders’ Buggyland. Enjoy!
MARY SWANDER
CHERYL TEVIS
Wonder what it’s like to live through the ‘Blizzard of the Century’ on a farm in Iowa? Cheryl Tevis relives some of the more difficult storms they’ve endured and shows us a slice of life urban dwellers do not see - unless they find themselves stuck in a snowbank.
ED TIBBETTS
In his year-end review, look at this extraordinary writer, reporter, and newsman who shares his view of life on the Mississippi. Subscribe!
TERESA ZILK
Zilk courageously shares with her readers a nightmare beyond fathom.
Also, check out Beth Hoffman, Jody Gifford, Tar Marcias, Kurt Meyer, Pat Kinney, and Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices. They’ll be filing new posts soon.
Swander showcases up-and-coming writers through her Emerging Voices. Proceeds from those paid subscriptions are used to pay the authors.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
Tar Macias: Ho
la Iowa, Iowa
Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politic Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Teresa Zilk: Talking
Good, Des Moines
To receive a weekly roundup of all Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnists, sign up here (free): ROUNDUP COLUMN
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