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.
Potluck subscribers are a part of a community. Join us:
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.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup
Steph Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters from Iowans, Iowa
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Macey Spensley: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
The Iowa Writers Collaborative is also proud to ally with Iowa Capital Dispatch.
