Substacks recommended by Douglas Burns

Recommended by Douglas Burns

Hey there! We are Jason and Emma Walsmith - we call ourselves racontourists - and yes we made that word up, a beautiful mish mash of two words we are very fond of. We will write about music, travel, people, places and things.

A brilliant lyricist here. Jason loves Iowa and his work shows it.

- Douglas Burns

The Paragraph Stacker

By Daniel P. Finney

Uncensored columns from an exiled newspaper man

My Integrated Life

By Dartanyan L. Brown

Stories and Sounds from a Life In Jazz and Journalism

From Red Earth Drive

By Ray Young Bear

Narratives from a Meskwaki on modern day America in the Midwest.

988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa

By Kali White VanBaale

Stories from the front lines of Iowa's mental healthcare crisis and beyond

Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts

A unique perspective on public affairs built on commentary, historical perspective, and subject matter that is deeply researched.

This Stays Here

By Nicole Baart

A Substack about community for people who want to be better neighbors. Life in my small, rural, Iowa town is idyllic--and also really hard. I imagine the same can be said about wherever you live. Come join the conversation!

One of Iowa' most talented fiction writers. Exceptional teacher of the art of writing.

- Douglas Burns

Amber’s Substack

By Amber Gustafson

My personal Substack

Rhetoric & Reality in the Corn Reich

By Christopher Burgess

As the rhetoric goes, so goes Iowa.

The Inquisitive Quad Citizen

By Alison McGaughey

I write about places and people (including myself) that I want to learn more about, and that make the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa, and/or the Midwest their home. Proud member of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative.

A strong eastern Iowa voice .. And I recruited Alison into the Iowa Writers' Collaborative so have to promote!!!

- Douglas Burns

Dutch Letters

By Jeffrey and Stephanie Bruner

A newsletter about expat life in the Netherlands.

Rob Gray's Area

Musings and observations on sports, gardening, travel — and anything else I care to write about.

My personal Substack

My personal Substack

Steph is one of the more talented alums of the Carroll Daily Times Herald. Her column is one I read right away as it hits my inbox.

- Douglas Burns

Dave Price's Perspective

An award-winning Iowa journalist's observations on politics, current events, family and some random things, too.

A trusted pro here with a deep archive of sources and takes

- Douglas Burns

Between Two Rivers

By Jeff Morrison

Exploring the Hawkeye (Cyclone!) State through history, road trips, and more. Posts appear about every 10 days.

Listening to the Land

By Larry Stone

Join me on my travels in Iowa outdoors.

Wini’s Food Stories

By Wini Moranville

With 25-plus years of restaurant reviewing and food writing, I'm taking a close, weekly look at Des Moines food and dining.

One of the best and most popular columns in the Iowa Writers' Collaborative. Sign up now!

- Douglas Burns

Ice Cube Press: The Pulse of A Heartland Publisher

By Ice Cube Press: On Beats & Off Beats the Heart of Publishing

The thoughts, ideas, pulses, and opinions of a long-time indie Midwest publisher, since 1991.

The Crossover

By Jane Burns

Women's sports stories from Iowa - a place where new generations of female athletes carry on a century of success.

From Where

By Jen Sinkler From Where?

I guess we'll see. Strength, environment, and tidings from Jen Sinkler.

Tulsa: Who Killed Brittany Phillips?

By Andy Kopsa

In 2004 Brittany Phillips was murdered in her Tulsa apartment. She was buried on what would have been her 19th birthday: October 4, 2004. Her mom, Maggie Zingman continues to seek justice and her daughter's killer.

The Midwest Creative

By Macey Shofroth

Essays and explorations on the creative life and those of us living it in the Midwest.

The Asian Iowan

By Jane Nguyen

Born in Saigon, Vietnam. Nearly lifelong Iowan writing about people, places, and things.

Iowa's growing immigrant communities covered wonderfully here

- Douglas Burns

Hola Iowa

Connect with the Latino communities in Iowa.

View from the Cedar Valley

By Pat Kinney

Column of news and observations from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls and greater Cedar Valley area.

Excellent old-school thorough reporting here. Wonderful coverage of his part of Iowa.

- Douglas Burns

Showing Up

By Kurtis Meyer

I write about the importance of simply showing up.

My Life, in Color

By John Naughton

Adventures in travel, food and fun. And Iowa sports, of course.

Talking Good

By Teresa Zilk

In this space, I’ll write about the people, places, and learnings that have helped to shape me and my journey here in Iowa.

Some absolutely beautiful and inspiring writing here.

- Douglas Burns

Fern and Joe

By Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha

opinions on topics

Raising the Key

By Susan Derry; Raising The Key

The high and low notes of a life spent (mostly) onstage.

Mary Swander's Emerging Voices

Diverse people voice their opinions for the Iowa Writers Collaborative

Kyle Munson's Main Street

Stories from along the thoroughfare and down the side streets, too

One of the best journalists in Iowa. This column always delivers. I read it once it hits my inbox. No one does it better than Kyle Munson.

- Douglas Burns

Unfinished Business

By Cheryl Tevis

Current events, rural living/consumer issues, women's challenges, Iowa life

A must-read in the Iowa Writers' Collaborative from a savvy Iowan who truly knows how this state works. She takes us behind the curtains on farm and rural issues in ways few reporters can.

- Douglas Burns

Become Inspired...

By The Seven Times

Highlighting Black triumph from the West Coast to the Midwest - and beyond. Posting multimedia stories about small Black-owned businesses.

Barry Piatt on Politics: - Behind the Curtains

Consistently ahead of the curve political commentary and analysis

Iowa rooted and DC savvy. Some of the best takes on Iowa politics.

- Douglas Burns

Benign Inspiration

By Jody Gifford

Consider this a warning: I write about whatever inspires me. It's random, I know.

Dispatches from the Heartland

By Suzanna de Baca

Reflections on change and transformation.

Brilliant writing. An inviting style and memorable prose and poetry here

- Douglas Burns

A Whole New World

By Debra Engle

We can make the world new every day.

notes from the trail

By Troy Hogan

an invitation to join me on the trails

Insightful and inspiring writing and photography of America’s great outdoors from a native Iowan.

- Douglas Burns

Dave Busiek on Media

Viewpoint on current issues in media

Some of the smartest takes from a trusted media insider

- Douglas Burns

Along the Mississippi

By Ed Tibbetts

News, opinions and ideas from the Quad-Cities, where the river runs east to west

Ed is one of the best journalists in the state. He covers this region with a deep passion and knowledge of its current issues and rich history. This is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand eastern Iowa.

- Douglas Burns

Black Iowa News

Black Iowa News is an independent news platform designed to highlight Black perspectives, showcase the Black community and amplify the voices of Black Iowans — online and in print.

Top-shelf journalism here. An excellent community newspaper -- and that community is ALL OF IOWA

- Douglas Burns

Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger

...Iowa, small towns, and saddle shoes

He is an inspiration and mentor for so many of us in the profession. The gold standard here. Read it.

- Douglas Burns

Mary Swander’s Buggy Land

By swandermary@gmail.com

The Amish, sustainability, and the wider rural environment.

Art Cullen’s Notebook

A view from rural America: immigration, agriculture, environment, politics

The most forceful rural voice in the nation.

- Douglas Burns

Iowa politics with Laura Belin

What an Iowa political reporter is reading and writing

A vital voice in Iowa politics. Loads of scoops here.

- Douglas Burns

Iowa Writers Collaborative

By Julie Gammack

Linking readers and writers who care about Iowa.

A strong and experienced stable of writers from across Iowa.

- Douglas Burns

Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture

By Robert Leonard

The politics and culture of Iowa, the midwest, and beyond.

A voice from Southern Iowa with a fierce pen who also appears in New York Times.

- Douglas Burns

Brecht's Beat

By Tory Brecht

On Iowa sports, life on the Upper Mississippi and other subjects.

The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Orient to the currents that are shaping our times and the unseen forces driving politics that are rarely discussed on cable news

Shane Vander Hart

A piece of Shane Vander Hart's mind on faith, culture, media, politics, and public policy.

Relatively Minor

By Vicki Minor

a weekly newspaper humor column

Okoboji Writers' and Songwriters' News

By Julie Gammack

The Okoboji Writers' Retreat is a tradition started in 2021. Writers of all skill levels come to experience Lake Okoboji for a 2.5 day retreat. Topics range from getting started, memoir, nonfiction, fiction, playwriting, opinion, and now songwriting.

In the Dirt

By Beth Hoffman

I dive into the the economics of growing food, give you the dirt on the politics of agriculture and occasionally share a funny tale from our ranch, Whippoorwill Creek Farm.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares thoughts about sports, politics, and popular culture and how they define America.

Based in Lafayette, Indiana

By Dave Bangert

Retired, they said, after 30-plus years of reporting and writing in Lafayette. There's more news, more features to tell, via reporter and columnist Dave Bangert.

Incredible local journalism

- Douglas Burns

R.F. Kuang

By Rebecca F. Kuang

on what i'm writing, what i'm reading, and where to find me

JFK Facts

By Jefferson Morley

Authoritative journalism that seeks to clarify the causes of JFK's assassination and to abolish the official secrecy that still surrounds it

Julie Gammack's Iowa Potluck

By Julie Gammack's Potluck

Julie unearths stories you'll want to read, and or listen to via podcast. She's in the know, so you'll be in the know. She was into 'reader engagement' before 'reader engagement' was a thing. Join the community!

Is My Kid the Asshole?

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

I bring science and nuance to parenting advice and challenge fear-mongering, shame-inducing content.

Political Currents by Ross Barkan

This is Ross Barkan's newsletter - original essays on politics, society, and culture

Letters from an American

By Heather Cox Richardson

A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

Noheartland

By Andy Kopsa

The Iowa Mercury

Recommended by Douglas Burns