Author

Julie Gammack

Julie Gammack

Julie Gammack is an Iowa native, whose media career included a stint as the morning talk radio host on WHO AM radio and as a former Des Moines Register columnist. She was a business coach with Vistage International in Annapolis, Maryland, and Chicago. Gammack and her husband moved back to Iowa in 2020. She is the founder of the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat and Iowa Writers' Collaborative. She is the author of Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck.

COMMENTARY

Dread and optimism in DeWitt
By: - October 26, 2022

DeWitt is a paradox. Like life. Like Iowa. After my 24-hour visit, I left with dread and optimism. It’s a charming, relatively affluent town situated between Dubuque and Davenport. DeWitt is growing in population and has a pleasant downtown. Kids were on bikes, and it felt like one of those communities that could capture the […]

COMMENTARY

The new Harkin Center is a liberation movement
By: - August 29, 2022

No, it’s not just another new building. It is a liberation movement. Usually, a dedication to a new building isn’t big news except for those with a personal stake in the construction. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are pro forma events that give those involved a deserved acknowledgment. Funders show up and congratulate one another. Last Saturday, Aug. […]

COMMENTARY

Marilyn Maye is still going strong
By: - August 23, 2022

My husband, Richard, and I are perched in Okoboji, where nostalgia reigns. It’s a place for classic cars, an old-time amusement park, and where an iconic vocal artist performed this week, as she has for over 60 years. Despite a legacy connection, I almost missed the chance to see Marilyn Maye, live and in person. Have […]

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