Today’s Monday Zoom Guest
…True Crime to Memoir - Kali Does it All
Stay out of the heat and hop on Zoom call with us at noon central time today.
Kali White VanBaale offers a rare combination of literary prestige, grounded practicality, heartfelt advocacy, and storytelling artistry. Whether you're a writer, student, reader—or just curious—spending an hour with her would be a chance to dig into creative processes, real-world inspiration, and a passion for craft and community.
Kali has meaningful experience in true crime, both as a fiction writer inspired by real events and as a non-fiction contributor.
Her novel The Monsters We Make (2020), written under the name Kali White, is inspired by the real-life kidnappings of Des Moines paperboys Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin in the early 1980s. These cases deeply affected her—especially Martin’s disappearance, which occurred near where her family often stayed in Des Moines. She used that emotional proximity to shape the novel’s atmosphere, focusing less on violence and more on how trauma ripples through a family and community.
In addition to fiction, she writes true crime articles for the A&E True Crime blog. Her pieces there cover a range of historical and contemporary cases, and her writing often explores not just the crime itself but the broader emotional and psychological impacts.
Kali’s approach to true crime is thoughtful and research-driven. She focuses on nuance and emotional resonance rather than sensationalism. Whether she’s writing fiction based on real cases or reporting non-fiction crime stories, she prioritizes authenticity, careful pacing, and the human cost of violence.
Her blend of lived experience, literary skill, and journalistic depth gives her true crime work unusual credibility and lasting impact.
Minding the Gaps
Kali White VanBaale writes a Substack column titled “Minding the Gaps.” Here’s what makes it distinctive:
It’s a multidisciplinary publication covering mental health, social justice, true crime, and more, with the goal of “inspire reform, elevate voices, and create healing”
Why this column stands out:
Kali combines her lived experience—as a case manager, mental-health advocate, and Iowa native—with deep empathy, investigative care, and narrative clarity. She highlights systemic issues and personal stories without sensationalism, focusing on community impact, gaps in services, and pathways to reform. The tone is compassionate, informed, and action-oriented—perfect for readers seeking depth in true crime and social commentary.
Kali White VanBaale Comes to Okoboji
Kali is an extraordinary teacher of memoir during the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. If you have any interest in learning more, please click on the link below to a new column I created to report on the retreat as the agenda comes together. See why I titled this ‘I’m Not Good Enough.’
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Are you a subscriber? Do you receive the weekly roundup of columns from our writers scattered throughout the state?
Sundays, the content is focused on politics, issues, features from around the state, business, agriculture, and the Iowa angle to international and national news stories.
The content in the midweek edition called the Flipside, highlights food, travel, features, humor, and strictly personal essays.
Together, we are linking readers to writers who share an interest in Iowa. It’s a one-of-a-kind experiment in hyper-local, independent news. No other state has done this yet, and the Substack co-founder believes we have created a model for the future.
Check it out, then tell your friends: