Quiltropolis Field Reports

Last spring, when the irrepressible Julie Gammack—founder of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative—invited me to become an IWC columnist, at first I dragged my feet.

Had I kept dragging, I would have missed the fun of writing about my Stuart Weitzman boots.

Without IWC, I wouldn’t have known about novelist Nicole Baart’s online novel writing class, Alchemy. I wouldn’t have enrolled, and I wouldn’t have met fellow student Ana McCracken (among others). Ana wouldn’t have come to Winterset for lunch, and I might not have learned about Fifth Street Writers, the new writing center Ana has founded in Ames.

If I hadn’t joined the Collaborative, I probably wouldn’t have met food writer Wini Moranville, or famed Des Moines Register writer Rekha Basu, because I wouldn’t have been among attendees at last year’s launch party for Wini’s new book, Love is My Favorite Flavor.

I purchased an autographed copy of Wini Moranville’s memoir, published last year by the University of Iowa Press. She’s also written Everyday French Cooking.

Without my connection to IWC, I wouldn’t have driven to Lovila, Iowa, to spend a Sunday at Whippoorwill Farm, co-owned by IWC writer and sustainable farmer Beth Hoffman, who writes, “In the Dirt.”

I bought the fascinating book Bet The Farm directly from author Beth Hoffman. Ask for it at your favorite independent bookshop.

Without the IWC, I wouldn’t be working with fellow Madison County-ans Deb Engle and Vicki Minor to plan a get-together this summer in Winterset (Quiltropolis) for Collaborative writers and their paid subscribers. Stay tuned for news in coming months.

Dear readers (especially Iowa ones), please check out the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.

Journalists and other creatives (like fellow quilter Sarah Scull), from around our state contribute commentary and stories of interest to those who care about Iowa. Paid subscribers have access to the once-a-month “Office Lounge,” a Zoom session on the last Friday at noon Central Time, hosted by writer and former news reporter Robert Leonard is our host!