This past Friday, I laughed hard and thought hard at Prairie Lights. I was part of an enthralled inter-generational crowd listening to Lyz Lenz discuss her debut book, God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America. The book combines the personal and the political. Lenz analyzes the cultural work performed by … Read more
We’re midway through summer: that bittersweet time when I need to shift (or at least think about shifting) the focus of my work-life from writing to teaching. This summer, the shift feels more disorienting, yet richer in possibility, because I’ve been on sabbatical. Thanks to Mount Mercy University, I’ve been away from the classroom since … Read more
An openly gay Midwestern millennial mayor who is also a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, an author of a memoir, and a newly declared US presidential candidate? Yes, please! Last night, I heard Mayor Pete Buttigieg (BOOT-edge-edge) inspire Iowa City. I went enticed by his identity, but I left impressed by his ideas. “Mayor … Read more