1. Allen, my partner, is a burden. He is not working very hard. 2. Cameron had culpability because he failed at picking a good partner. 3. Allen felt remorse for his fallen comrade, Cameron...

Sometimes life is sunny, radiating warmth like the smell of fresh-cut grass on a summer day.  Sometimes life leaks struggles in an endless stream like a toddler playing with a squeaky balloon. 2020 has...

Because some people had told me racism was a thing of the past. But that was nuts. Because racism was alive and real as shit. Unless we did something about it. What the hell did he die for If it doesn’t...

Contributors: Susan Ackerman, Allison Berryhill, Holly Esbeck, Britt Jungck, Kenna Koster, Lisa Robinson, Lauren Stephens, Nicole Vogt      

Since its inception in 1945, the Iowa Poetry Association has hosted an annual Lyrical Iowa Poetry competition, an opportunity for Iowans of all ages to submit their creative works for recognition through...

Poem 1 FEELING PRAYERS My fears are unimpressive, spilling over from an asthmatic childhood after bedtimes, some 50 years gone.   But they are persistent,  constricting my chest,...

A Teacher’s Encounters with Difference   For teachers just like everyone else, there is a process to getting woke, especially when it comes to understanding the role of skin color in America.   Clip...

Mr. K The morning after your funeral, I walked past your classroom and stood in the doorway to take in how much of you filled every corner. Photos of your wife your infant daughter Cubs...

In Aisle Three At  Hy-Vee I have a meltdown Shelves literally wiped clean No juice, no milk, no sardines There’s barely any meat Except where the butchers work I ask about an advertised...

I see you. I see you worrying about if your students' basic needs are met.  I see you creating brand new lessons and resources overnight to help students understand the curriculum.  I see you...

With a shake of the head she says neither of us should be there. Then we hear the world take a breath. We answer with one of our own.  One of our potentially toxic breaths. And we accidentally...