Do you have a mission?
...here are three of mine
Hello!
Lots going on here. This column is to update those interested in the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat; give you the schedule for upcoming Monday Zoom sessions; plus tell you about another new project I think you will be especially interested in learning.
First, I’ll be closing enrollment for the Okoboji Writer’s Retreat effective August 15. If you want to come but are a fellow procrastinator, please sign up now:
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML94YF9SETJFH/checkout/BQ6OERJPVWESOLSUJ42PH44P
I still marvel at the number of people who tell me they want to come but add, ‘I’m not a writer.’ If you fall into that category, please know you are the main reason I started this project. There’s a story in everyone. Let us help you tell it. Yes, about half the attendees ARE professional writers, but the other half is just like you. We are going to have so much fun and you are going to love hanging out with this tribe. Promise.
We almost have reached the number of enrollees to the number of backpacks I ordered in June. At the time, I didn’t think we’d reach 200, but we have.
Thanks to paid subscribers and contributors, I have five more scholarships to give for the retreat. If you know of an emerging writer who would like to come but the cost is a barrier, have them contact me: JulieOkobojiWriters@gmail.com to apply.
Here’s our Monday Zoom Lunch Schedule
July 25, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie
August 1, Gubernatorial candidate Diedre DeJear (Offenburger column here)
August 8, There has been a big spike in people seeking mental health counseling. Therapist Diedre Bliss joins us to talk about the phenomenon and offer tips for staying sane. https://counselingscottsdaleaz.com
August 15, Mikki Williams - a world-renowned speaker who teaches leaders how to make presentations with impact. She’s outrageous.
August 22, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice, Suzy Christensen
August 29, Memoir coach and author, Debra Engle
September 12, Ty Rushing, senior editor for Iowa Starting Line, president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists, and documentary filmmaker.
September 26, Sevrin Sorenson, speaker on coaching business teams.
September 31, TBD
October 3, Dan Hunter: Creativity and tapping into the ‘flow state.’
October 10, Leigh Michaels, Ottumwa author of over 100 romance books.
The Monday Zoom Lunch sessions are quite a happening. We have regulars and newcomers each week. The participants are as accomplished and exciting as the featured speakers. Get your backstage pass to join the conversation by becoming a paid member. It’s the best value in town, and you support the OWR scholarship fund.
Next news. The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
As regular readers know, I have been among the hand-wringing class of those lamenting the loss of local newspapers and fearing for those who remain but are hanging by a thread. The media business is changing, and excellent writers are leaving the industry in droves. Many of us were stung by Gannett’s move to cut the frequency of Opinion pages. Here’s what: former Register editors had to say.
At the same time, I’ve personally been surprised by the number of readers willing to become paid subscribers to this Substack column, and I am convinced that if we can link readers and writers in new ways, we can support the kind of content we all want.
So, I am pulling together the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. It will include former columnists you know and love, plus a few newcomers you will grow to love. About ten of us are in conversation, and most are close to jumping in. The first to do so is Robert Leonard, the news director for radio stations in Knoxville, Pella, and Indianola. He is an excellent writer whose essays have appeared in the Atlantic Magazine, New York Times, and Time magazine. Read Leonard’s column here:
Why is this a good idea? We will be linking readers and writers.
From a reader's perspective, it’s convenient. Organizing a group of professional Iowa writers coming to your inbox in one email by delivering links to their columns helps you sort out content relevant to your interests.
Art Cullen, for example, is an outstanding writer. The Pulitzer Prize board thought so, too. But if you don’t catch the link to his column on Twitter or Facebook or take the time to find it in the Storm Lake Times, you won’t get to read it. I’m not talking out of school here because Art has already told readers that he stopped taking a salary from his newspaper when he became eligible for Social Security. Things are looking up for the Storm Lake Times and newly acquired papers; however, the future business model for newspapers based in towns with declining populations is tough. Cullen’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and other major publications. He has a national audience. Readers will soon be able to subscribe to his column directly this way. And Art can link them to other stories in the Storm Lake Times.
That’s just one example of how we can support writers. And readers.
Stay tuned. Full announcement coming this fall.
Do you have a mission? I know many of our Potluck subscribers. You are passionate about issues, ideas, and art. I’d love to see a thread of comments below where you share some of the things you are doing, supporting, or find challenging. It could be a way to bring others into the things that interest you. Or, your comments might inspire others to think of what they’d like to do.
What do you say?
Nutrition 4 Young Children became a 501(c)(3) 4 years ago. Our mission is to educate and connect families to maximize the health and well-being of children pre-birth through age 5 in Polk County, IA. We work in partnership with Polk County Extension and Outreach holding Healthy Baby Showers in both English and Spanish. We stay connected with the HBS participants through Facebook, an e-newsletter published twice a month, and our website. Several non-profits support our efforts including Polk County, WIC, EveryStep, Count the Kicks, ACEs 360, and several others. Our passion and commitment came from learning that 80% of a baby's brain is developed in the first 1,000 days beginning before birth to age 2. Ninety percent of a child's brain is developed before they enter kindergarten at age 5. Adequate and good nutrition is foundational in maximizing brain development. We continue to work with Polk County Extension through their Buy, Eat, Live Healthy classes, and their several reading opportunities. Prior to the pandemic we were holding monthly parent cafes in both Spanish and English. We hope to again when it is safe to meet in groups that include small children. Check out our website nutrition4youngchildren.org.
Nutrition 4 Young Children focuses on pre-birth to age 5 and the importance of adequate and good nutrition to build healthy brains and bodies; eliminating lead pipes from Des Moines and Polk County; a group of 80+ year olds who belong to Eighty and Energetic are healthy and interested in aging well. Three of my missions. Thanks for asking. Diana Sickles, Des Moines.