Home Again Again

Iowa City: A 47 year round trip

On my 19th birthday in May of 1976, my freshman roommate Mary gave me this mirror. We lived in Stanley Hall at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. My mirror, made by a local potter, is from the Thieves’ Market, an annual spring artisans fair, held back then on the banks of the Iowa River, right behind our dorm.

Yesterday, I hung it on the bedroom wall in our townhouse in Iowa City, 50 years after that birthday. Over the years, this treasure moved with me from Iowa City to Clear Lake, Iowa, to four places in Minneapolis, back to two places in Iowa, three places in New York’s Hudson Valley, two quick stops back in Minneapolis, and now it’s back home in Iowa City.

This delicate pottery piece made by Pam Lambert is as surprisingly resilient as I am. We’ve been through it together. Why have I moved so many times? Some reasons were life-change related, some job-change related, and others were because my husband and I fell in love with the Hudson Valley and we felt a strong pull to experience life there. We were lucky we could make that happen, for 15 years.

The heart of the matter? We aren’t afraid of change. We welcome it.

I have much more to say about that, down the road. No pun intended.

Now, I’m back. Back in the Midwest, back in Iowa City. Back home to write new chapters from this vibrant, diverse blue bubble community on the prairie.

I’ve missed you all for the past few weeks here on Substack. Moving takes all my brain power at this stage of the game.

Thanks for being on this wild ride with me.

And yes, I’m off to find Pam Lambert.

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I’m proud to be part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

Click the link to read the latest work from my fellow writers, all with Iowa connections. We’ve got lots of projects up our collective sleeves, including online classes. We provide content for free, with paid subscription options. When you subscribe, the variety of topics and voices will add spice to your daily reading, I promise. Thank you!

And, hey! From our leader, Julie Gammack:

Join roughly three dozen members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative in Storm Lake on April 23 and 24 as we swap ideas by day and gather for music at night.

On Thursday evening, the Weary Ramblers take the stage, followed the next night by a circle of our own writers and musicians at legendary Byron’s in Pomeroy.

Evening events are open to paid subscribers (free, with guests welcome for a small fee).

• Thursday, April 23: The Weary Ramblers will perform in the Mermaid Room of the Cobblestone Ballroom in Storm Lake.

• Friday, April 24: The Inaugural IWC Hootenanny takes place at the legendary Byron’s in Pomeroy.

Please use the links to RSVP to either or both events. We’d love to see you there!

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