Hey there! We are Jason and Emma Walsmith - we call ourselves racontourists - and yes we made that word up, a beautiful mish mash of two words we are very fond of. We will write about music, travel, people, places and things.
A Substack about community for people who want to be better neighbors. Life in my small, rural, Iowa town is idyllic--and also really hard. I imagine the same can be said about wherever you live. Come join the conversation!
I write about places and people (including myself) that I want to learn more about, and that make the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa, and/or the Midwest their home. Proud member of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative.
Almost daily, Violet the Dog and I take a walk at the Cedar Bluffs Natural Area above Cedar Creek in Mahaska County, Iowa, and these are my observations, photos, and Merlin bird logs.
A new spot for my reporting and commentary on the right-wing politics, conspiracy theories, and unfettered corporate influences that are changing Iowa for the worse. Prairie Fell is a play on the name of the state flower, the wild prairie rose.
It's about personal contact with nature, especially birds, native plants, and other wildlife in rural Iowa and farther afield. Whenever I can, I try to give nature a helping hand.
Black Iowa News is an independent news platform designed to highlight Black perspectives, showcase the Black community and amplify the voices of Black Iowans — online and in print.
I dive into the the economics of growing food, give you the dirt on the politics of agriculture and occasionally share a funny tale from our ranch, Whippoorwill Creek Farm.
Julie unearths stories you'll want to read, and or listen to via podcast. She's in the know, so you'll be in the know. She was into 'reader engagement' before 'reader engagement' was a thing. Join the community!
