Who am I, and what am I doing here?

I’ve been covering Iowa politics at Bleeding Heartland since 2007 and have worked part-time for KHOI Community Radio in Ames since early 2021. As much as I love my work, I don’t have the capacity to write about every newsworthy story. Subscribers receive the audio and recap from every episode of my weekly radio show (“KHOI’s Capitol Week”), touching on many topics I haven’t covered elsewhere.

I share some of my writing for Bleeding Heartland in this space. Those pieces usually feature original reporting on a story other Iowa media aren’t covering, or a deeper dive on on a story that’s all over the news.

Most Bleeding Heartland coverage won’t be duplicated on this feed, though. For occasional emails linking to all recent articles and essays by me or my guest authors, sign up for the Evening Heartland newsletter, which is also free.

I occasionally put up “Ask me anything about Iowa politics” threads, which spark some lively discussions among readers who care about what’s happening in this former swing state.

No paywall

I believe everyone should be able to read the news regardless of what's in their bank account. So you don’t need to become a paying subscriber to access the full archive of posts here (or at Bleeding Heartland).

However, this style of reporting is labor-intensive. So I welcome financial support from those who value accountability journalism and can afford to give. Donations help me cover operating costs—including my salary, technical support, web hosting fees, and fees for public records requests—without selling advertisements, charging for subscriptions, or putting the most newsworthy material behind a paywall.

To avoid conflicts of interest, I don’t accept financial support from Iowa elected officials, candidates, or paid staff and consultants on Iowa campaigns. For readers who don’t fall into those groups, Substack makes it easy to contribute monthly or annually.

Readers who prefer to make a one-time donation can do so with a credit card, or through PayPal, Venmo, or personal check (message me for the mailing address).

Support the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative

I’m proud to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, which connects readers and writers with news and commentary from all over the state. Check out the free Sunday roundup for links to recent columns by me and dozens of others Julie Gammack has corralled into this project.