What happens when a bunch of writers gather in Coon Rapids?

....watch out, here we come

We will not have a Monday Zoom Lunch call on May 13 as I’m having cataract-removal surgery. Gulp. Here goes!

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Bob Leonard took this photo near where we held our retreat.

Last Thursday and Friday, we ended up with almost half of the members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative gathering together in Coon Rapids to have some fun and share best practices, as well as learn from speakers who are experts in the platform that hosts our work, Substack.

Since we started the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative in July of 2022, we have published 130 Roundup columns and added 50 writers.

The setting for this retreat was the Whiterock Conservancy, land donated by the Garst family, now a nonprofit asset managed for the public good by a board.

Why did I pick that location? It’s not a typical hotel/meeting room site, and the various houses were simple structures that once were homes where people lived and worked the land. Our members stayed in four locations on the property, including a Log House where Richard and I and several IWC colleagues stayed. It slept a bunch of people, albeit some in shared rooms. The morning of our day-long meeting, someone was occupying the bathroom on the floor where we stayed, and I had to leave to set up the conference room. ‘Workaround’ is sort of my deal, so I stopped at a nearby convenience store in Coon Rapids to get it done.

In other words, this location was not what a corporate meeting planner nor attendees would likely choose for overnight accommodations. And yet, it was perfect.

Top, left to right: IWC meets in the Bur Oak Conference Center, Rachelle Chase, John Naughton and Steve Semken chat, right: Chuck Offenburger and Cheryl Tevis. Bottom: Kurt Meyer and Jason Walsmith, middle, Julie Gammack and Laura Belin listen to Liz Garst, bottom right: John Naughton, Steve Semken, Bob Leonard, Wini Moranville, Rachelle Chase and Doug Burns were the last to leave.

Dinner was held in the Log House and my dear husband

Richard Gilbert

organized the food, and everyone pitched in to pull the meal together.

Jane Nguyen

whipped us all into gear, and although we should have had more vegan options, no one went to bed hungry.

Some in our group met in person for the first time, while others go way back. I discovered that columnist

Kyle Munson

and

Jason Walsmith

concocted a song about the Iowa Caucuses — when Democratic presidential candidates spent the coldest month of the year in Iowa hoping to be our favorite pick to lead the country. Kyle invited Jason into The Register’s newsroom to record the song in honor of the 2008 caucus. It’s a hoot (and Jason is terrific): Caucus Lament

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative member Chris Jones, on the Log House porch, probably checks the nitrogen levels of the rivers overflowing their banks. Photo by Bob Leonard

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Garst

Whiterock was chosen partly because it symbolizes how powerful commentary can change the world.

In 1959, Elizabeth Garst’s grandparents, Roswell and Elizabeth Garst, hosted the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, on the Garst farm. This was during the Cold War when children my age were practicing drills to hide under school desks in an absurd exercise to supposedly keep us safe from nuclear fallout if the Soviets dropped THE bomb. Khrushchev was the first Soviet leader to visit the U.S.

Lauren Soth was the editorial page editor of The Des Moines Register, who wrote an editorial inviting a delegation from the Soviet Union to visit an Iowa farm and learn about American farming methods. Surprisingly, the invitation was accepted — to the chagrin of the United States government at the time.

Both Soth and Garst were called Communists for trying to broker cultural and commercial exchanges.

The editorial won Soth a Pulitzer Prize in 1956.

For more on the historic visit, here is a story by Danielle Gehr, then of The Des Moines Register. It’s full of rich anecdotes and photos.

Imagine the vision and courage it took to defy critics, including the government, to make common cause with a renowned enemy of the United States. Roswell (Bob) Garst believed peace was far more likely with a well-fed Soviet populace.

And on May 9th and 10th, 2024, IWC members

Wini Moranville

,

Dave Busiek

,

Douglas Burns

,

Rachelle Chase

(her first column is coming soon),

Jason Walsmith

Steve Semken stayed in the Garst Farmhouse, where the historic exchange occurred.

And

Cheryl Tevis

and

Alison McGaughey

stayed in the nearby Hollyhock House.

Left to right: Julie Gammack, Laura Belin, and Liz Garst. Photo by Bob Leonard

Liz

It was an honor to have Liz Garst, granddaughter of Roswell, and her namesake, Elizabeth Garst, join us to launch the meeting day. She shared stories from behind the scenes of the global news event, including when Mrs. Khrushchev intervened in a backyard scuffle between young Liz and her siblings.

Sixty-plus years later, her passion and battles center around drawing public attention to the vanishing Iowa topsoil, an existential threat to Iowa's food production. If you want to understand not only our dire situation but also what can be done to solve the problem, gather a group of influencers and invite Liz Garst to speak. Better yet, find a time to make a trip to see her and visit Whiterock.

She sure as hell scared the nitrogen right out of us.

The Garsts have long supported Democrats financially, but Liz is furious with the Democratic administration for its inaction on sustainable agriculture issues. Still, she thinks the GOP is even worse.

Secretary Vilsack, if you’re listening, please give Liz a call. She has proven concepts to show what might save Iowa’s topsoil. She’ll take you on a Gator ride and demonstrate the difference between soil with and without the benefit of sustainable practices.

What do you think?! Let’s discuss!

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative

As for the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, we are pumped. We are inspired by coming together, sharing ideas, and learning from experts on the tools available to help us be more effective storytellers. As a result of our meeting last week, some of us are committing to a year-long learning program to better understand new technology.

This is a costly investment, and funds from paid subscribers will be used to support the program. We don’t currently have these costs covered, but I’m confident the investment is worthwhile, and as we continue to build, paid subscribers will end up covering the costs. In the meantime, if you’d like to donate any amount for this year-long project, we need to raise between $6-$12,000. No pressure. This isn’t a fundraising appeal but an effort to provide transparency as we create this new model for local news and commentary. Many have asked how to help this mission in addition to becoming a paid subscriber. This is one way. The other is to share what we do with others. Thanks!

Below is a newspaper clip of Lauren Soth's review of one of the few books about Roswell Garst.