Bleeding Heartland
An independent website about Iowa politics
 Bleeding Heartland

Recognizing Bleeding Heartland's talented 2021 guest authors

During the year that just ended, 114 authors wrote or co-authored 236 guest posts for this website. Those articles and commentaries covered a vast array of topics and employed many different writing styles, from exclusive reporting to in-depth analysis to personal stories to satire. Some were among the most-read of the 598 posts Bleeding Heartland published in 2021.

As in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was a frequent touchpoint for authors; at least 28 guest posts addressed some aspect of the public health disaster.

Other state government policies inspired 40 posts, covering bills proposed or adopted by the legislature or Governor Kim Reynolds’ actions not directly related to the pandemic.

Nearly two dozen posts related to the January 6 coup attempt, the Big Lie about the 2020 election, or former President Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican Party.

Authors focused on the Iowans in Congress eighteen times, with Senator Chuck Grassley the leading subject.

Seventeen commentaries offered advice for the Iowa Democratic Party or Democrats generally in light of mostly disappointing election results here in 2020.

Candidates for state, federal, or local offices (or their supporters) wrote nineteen posts during the year.

Authors covered many other issues, from reproductive rights to the environment, and occasionally reviewed lesser-known historical events in Iowa or on a national scale.

I’m proud to provide a platform for progressive views and grateful for the hard work that went into creating these pieces, most of them published only at Bleeding Heartland.

Please get in touch if you would like to write about any topic of local, statewide, or national importance during 2022, or if you have wildflower photos or memories to share about an Iowa political figure. If you do not already have a user account on the site, I can set one up for you and explain the process. There is no standard format or word limit. I copy-edit for clarity but don’t micromanage how authors express themselves.

Although most authors write under their real names, pseudonyms are allowed and may be advisable for those writing about sensitive topics or whose day job does not permit expressing political views. I ask authors to disclose potential conflicts of interest, such as being a paid staffer, consultant, or lobbyist promoting any candidate or policy they discuss here. More guidelines for covering candidates in competitive Democratic primaries are here.

For the fourth year in a row, Ira Lacher (who writes under the handle “BronxinIowa”) was the most prolific Bleeding Heartland guest author. His 32 posts from 2021, in chronological order:

Herb Strentz was the author of the following 26 posts:

Bruce Lear wrote eighteen posts, mostly related to public education, the focus of his work for decades:

Evan Burger wrote eight posts about Iowa’s redistricting process:

Jim Chrisinger wrote eight commentaries:

Four authors each contributed to Bleeding Heartland four times during the year. U.S. Senate candidate Glenn Hurst:

After Paul W. Johnson passed away in February 2021, his family submitted some of his past writings to share with my readers:

Tanya Keith:

Dan Piller:

Seven authors each wrote three posts during the year. Lora Conrad helped me keep the Iowa wildflowers series going:

Dan Guild continued his analysis of political polling:

Richard Lindgren:

John Norwood:

Carl Olsen:

Julie Stauch:

Brandi Webber:

Nineteen authors each contributed two posts to the site. In alphabetical order, they are Charles Bruner:

Rachel Bruns:

Katie Byerly:

Greg Cohen:

Jerry Foxhoven:

Athena Gilbraith:

Amber Gustafson:

Eric Gutschmidt:

Neil Hamilton:

Lori Hunt:

James Larew:

Elizabeth Marilla:

Brian McClain:

C.J. Petersen:

Randy Richardson:

Marty Ryan:

Bryce Smith:

Ras Smith:

User “Strong Island Hawk”:

A total of 79 authors contributed to these 69 posts:

Larry Anderson:

West Des Moines has other ways to address water production

Randy Bauer:

Governor wrongly claims credit for large budget surplus (fifth most-viewed Bleeding Heartland post of the year)

“Bill from White Plains”:

Lights Out

Logun Buckley:

Representative Hinson, put Iowans’ needs above partisan politics

Dianne Bystrom:

Consider Carrie Chapman Catt’s whole life and legacy

Tom Carsner:

Our Revolution Iowa endorses Indira Sheumaker for Des Moines City Council

Kyla Claussen:

Iowans face long wait for disability services

Jeff Clothier:

Unemployment insurance is not the problem

Laura Crossett:

An open letter to Governor Kim Reynolds

Jane Cox:

Response to “ISU’s culture of exclusion on Catt Hall continues”

Paul Deaton:

Book review: Birds in the Morning, Frogs at Night

“dbmarin”:

How we got here?

Randy Evans:

More secrecy unwise in universities’ hiring decisions

Peter Fisher:

How Iowa taxpayers fund private schools, boondoggle for the rich

Anita Fleming-Rife:

Investing in Americans now will pay off for generations

Tyler Granger:

Five under-reported climate change stories

Sister Jeanie and Sister Elaine Hagedorn:

Catholic nuns to Cindy Axne: Tax the rich

Tanner Halleran:

Why Tanner Halleran is running for Iowa Democratic Party vice chair

Tamyra Harrison:

When did party become more important than country?

Ray Herr:

The “miracle on the Mississippi”: Keokuk and Midwest Academy

Laura Hessburg:

Early voting cuts would disenfranchise Iowa domestic violence survivors

Tommy Hexter and Jacy Highbarger:

Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Speaking for the prairie

Norma Hirsch:

Coping with COVID-19 in a “grief-illiterate” culture

Charlie Hodges:

Give Ras a chance

Chris Jones and Silvia Secchi:

We all want clean water

Keegan Jones:

Hurry! Move to Iowa (among 30 most-read posts of the year)

Edward Kelly, Jr.:

Racism, paideia, personal transformation, and activism

Andy Kopsa:

Randy Feenstra’s selective concern for farmers

Mark Langgin:

Forget you, Governor Reynolds (sixteenth most-viewed post of the year)

Tara Lanning:

Mask mandate bans put Iowa parents in untenable position

Justyn Lewis:

Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges

Michael Loebach:

Iowa governor’s “school choice” bill is Obamacare for education

Buzz Malone:

Lessons from Bessamer

Heather Matson:

What is our shared public education vision?

Tiara Mays:

Tiara Mays for Johnston school board

Mike McCarthy, Kay Pence, Jan Corderman, and Ken Sagar:

Axne answers call with Social Security bill

Lorraine Meriner:

Scott County deserves honesty and transparency, not John Maxwell

Marla Mertz:

Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Green dragon

Spencer Mestel:

Where things stand in the IA-02 election contest

Kurt Meyer:

I’m worried about the church

Ian Miller:

What Iowa’s excess mortality statistics say about COVID-19’s true impact

Bruce Morrison:

An affair with the landscape

John Morrissey:

Iowa State Patrol fatality involved vehicle model with “inadequate” headlights (twelfth most-viewed post of the year)

Fabrice Moussus:

Photojournalist: U.S. errors long preceded Afghanistan withdrawal

Julie Ann Neely:

How to end abortion: make it unnecessary

Tim Nelson:

Flipping the Iowa Senate blue: Step 1

Luana Nelson-Brown:

The angels standing behind survivors of crime

Kyla Paterson:

I’m running for Iowa Democratic Party vice chair for a progressive future

Kay Pence:

Seniors can’t afford another six years of Chuck Grassley

Julie Russell-Steuart:

The story of the Safe at School Sit-In

Olivia Samples:

Birthing a conference: A celebration of Black kin

Anne Schechinger:

Under Trump, farm subsidies soared and the rich got richer

Michael Schmidt:

Gas companies want to profit off Iowans

Leland Searles:

Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Horsetails and Scouring rushes

Emily Silliman:

A path forward for Democrats

Kenny Slocum:

Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Bloody Run blooms again

John Soener:

Nicole Hasso and Critical Race Theory

Heather Strachan, Meron Wondwosen, Bob Mohr, and Allan Nosworthy:

ISU’s culture of exclusion on Catt Hall continues, 26 years later

Patrick Swanson:

Finding a path for people and wildlife in the Loess Hills

Dave Swenson:

What if Iowa’s COVID-19 response had been among nation’s best?

Grace Thomas:

Book review: The Hurricane Code

Mike Tramontina:

Open letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan

Alex Travesset: 

Iowa’s state universities are dying, slowly (among 40 most-read posts of the year)

John Tyson:

Stake out moral ground

Zach Wahls and Todd Prichard:

Let’s work together to make Iowa public schools great again

Carolyn Uhlenhake Walker:

Climate change is on the ballot in Des Moines

Janice Weiner:

Why the rush to change Iowa’s election law?

John Whiston:

Breaking up is hard to do

Charlie Wishman:

Cutting unemployment during pandemic is immoral, wrong

Tags: analysis, Blogging, Commentary

About the Author(s)

Laura Belin

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