She’s back.
Wini Moranville, the popular writer about local food, once again tells readers about dining in Iowa, and readers are - shall I say? - eating it up.
Her work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens magazine publications, books, The Des Moines Register, and DSM magazine. She had a successful blog but says she’s found the best fit yet as an independent writer through Wini’s Food Stories in her Substack column:
“You just write; if people want to see it, they will see it. And it's between me and the reader, [as opposed to algorithms deciding who sees what content], and it's the best thing I've ever done independently.”
During our hour-long Monday Zoom call with readers on August 28, Wini discussed how she approaches a review and her background as a server in multiple favorite restaurants around the Des Moines metro. She has a vision of what she wants to do with her column, including inviting guest writers to post about topics where they have particular expertise.
Enjoy the conversation. And, as is the case in all of our Potluck podcasts, the subscribers on the call have interesting questions and comments, too.
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We’ll take Labor Day off and not produce a podcast next week. I will, however, introduce you to J. Dudley—our soon-to-be family member. Serendipitously, Dudley will be ready to come home at nine weeks on September 21, the day after the (now sold out!) Okoboji Writers’ Retreat.
On August 21, my 73rd birthday, Richard gave me a colorful gift bag. In it were three individually wrapped items. The first is a very small dog collar. The next is a leash, and the third is a box of poop bags.
In a separate column, I’ll tell why this gift was/is shocking, why the pup will be known as Dudley, and why I succumbed to Doodle mania. Please try not to judge (shout out to my brother, sister, etc.). Yes, dogs need rescuing, but I’ll match my mutt history with anyone (more on this later).
Maybe I’ll create a separate Substack column to gush about Dudley’s first this-and-that. With pictures, of course. If I did so in this Potluck space, I suspect subscribers would leave in droves.
So, would anyone besides my immediate family like to follow Adventures with J. Dudley? If not, I’ll send the family texts with pix regularly instead.
Have you signed up for the weekly roundup of columns by Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members? Try it! Each Sunday morning, you’ll receive a compilation of columns written the previous week. We hope you discover writers you enjoy and become a subscriber to their work.
Wini Moranville, Food Writer