Once Upon a Time in Iowa

When I first came to Iowa City, IA, I was fascinated by the ubiquitous Herkys around the city. I began taking photos of each Herky and making it a little collection in my phone. My little habit soon became an obsession: I would haul my group around a corner, into a store, across the street, or even have them help me locate the Herky (I definitely have great navigational skills). After all of that, I never even posted my little collection, so here it is. This prompted my lifelong search of which Herky do I most identify with. So, I must ask now, which Herky are you? Iowan Icons                        

 I love to read, and it's always been this way. Whether it's waking up at 4am to read Judy Blume or Harriet the Spy  or staying up late reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (by Gabrielle Zevin)   and Exit West  (by Mohsin Hamid), I must admit that the reading has been one of the few constants in my life. To celebrate some of the literature that has shaped me recently, I want to feature some books and pieces of literature and why they changed me. 

Who would have thought Iowa could have made a family of young adults from nine different countries? Hi there! My name is Naomi Margolis and I am so pleased to be writing the official first post of the "Once Upon a Time in Iowa" Blog. We are a group of writers, of poetry and prose, who all met during the Between the Lines program at the Iowa International Writing Program during the summer of 2024. We come from the United States, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Cameroon, and Slovakia.  While in Iowa, we all lived together in Catlett Hall at the University of Iowa, attending writing seminars and workshops for two weeks. Some highlights were staying up late watching fireworks, impromptu and surprise birthday parties, Target sprees, bowling games, being late to class, watching Wes Anderson, pulling all-nighters, and crying uncontrollably at the end. We are the proud students/mentees of Jose Olivarez and Mansoura Ez-Eldin and had a pleasure wo...