As someone who writes both professionally and for fun, I can easily say that editing each piece of writing is my least favorite part of the job, especially as someone who can fall into being a perfectionist. more

It will never not be strange being someone who technically lived through 9/11 but also didn’t really. I was only six years old on Sept. 11, 2001, and I don’t remember what it was like after 9/11 or if my parents ever had a talk with me about it. I don’t even remember when we initially started talking about it at school. more

At the time of writing, it has only been about 24 house since the passing of the late, great Dolly Parton, and in that time I’ve read dozens of stories about the type of person she was and the legacy she’s leaving behind that stretches far above her songs and rhinestone-covered outfits. more

I can remember a time, when I was a kid, that I took the phrase ‘Christmas in July’ about as seriously as I could. I put blankets over my bedroom window so I could pretend it was snowing outside, I put on my favorite winter pajamas, and I watched all my favorite Christmas specials – all in the middle of summer. more

Best to get the bad news out first. Our subscription prices are going up. more

This newspaper—the one in your hands right now—you can do anything with it. more

I’m sorry to have to once again get on my anti-AI soapbox, but after all I’ve been seeing locally the past couple weeks, I’ve got some thoughts – as well as some concerns – I need to get off my chest. more

Even after seven years (and counting) of covering local fairs for my job, there’s still a sort of excitement to it (despite a part of me is dreading the heat and humidity) as there’s really nothing like a county fair. more

My first summer as a reporter, the editor of my hometown newspaper had me spend the morning of July 4 on a street corner asking random passersby, “What does Independence Day mean to you?” more

I’ll admit that I’ve never been much of a sports fan. The only “sport” I ever stuck with for longer than a season was marching band, and despite needing to be at every home football and basketball game because I was part of the band, sports never really grabbed my attention. more

This past Sunday, May 17, would have been the 76th birthday of the late, great lyricist, Howard Ashman. Even if you don’t know his name, you almost certainly know his music. more

If you’re a creative type, then I’m sure you’ve got a “dream project” in the back of your mind, whether that’s a story you hope to write one day, or a pitch for your own movie or TV show that you’d like to give. I have a book that I’ve been writing on and off for a few years now. Fingers crossed that I’ll finish it one day. more

The Supreme Court has eliminated the Voting Rights Act’s protections against lawmakers drawing maps that dilute the political power of minority voters. Now, if a state has a minority majority district, it can be split into pieces that are added to other districts to prevent the people from electing someone who will represent them. If that results in the loss of a minority representative, they have to prove not only a racist result, but a racist intent. more

In a concession to the current “literary scene,” I bought a copy of the novel Transcription by Ben Lerner in Iowa City last weekend. I read enough of what’s new at work that I try to keep to what’s old when I read for pleasure. But here was a novel about an interview gone awry. Just the thing, I thought. And it was short enough—130 pages, hardly a novel—that I could put it down in an afternoon, like a carafe of iced tea.  more

For as much as I try to ignore and refuse it, AI continues to be an almost daily presence in my life. You constantly either hear about how hundreds of other people are using it, or you’re forcibly exposed to AI generated videos and pictures on social media, regardless of how little interaction you give these posts. more

I have my plants in the ground for the season, which is a kind of feat when you consider that I live on the second floor of an apartment building. I have limited myself to mint, parsley and thyme; I have also repotted rosemary that just survived the end of last summer and was slowly nursed back to health, indoors, last winter. All four are now enjoying springtime on my back porch. more

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the nature of collecting. How our collections start, why we do it, the joys and frustrations, and even the dangers that can come when we start to focus too much on collecting. more

I drove from Eldridge out to West Liberty several weeks ago for a serious look at the Liberty Press. I had stood in its doorway with several mesmerized children for a letterpress printing demonstration at Christmastime. A few months later and I thought a sustained look backwards at little lead characters might prove a tonic for weeks spent slouching towards artificial this and digital that. more

Sometimes you have your week all planned out. And then other things get in the way. more

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch the latest Pixar film, Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong. While I’ve always been more of a fan of rival animation studio DreamWorks, Pixar still has quite a few films that I enjoy, and this was certainly one of them. more