How do you mark a personal and professional milestone? I complete three volunteer board terms this year and bought a piece of artwork from Mary Jones to celebrate wrapping up what feels like a "capstone" trifecta of community engagement. 'Keystone' by Mary Jones (Similar to the artwork I purchased.) When I moved to Des Moines, Iowa, for a newspaper internship, I felt an energy around transformational changes taking place. The recently cleared Western Gateway was a flat greens

In an effort to infuse my desk-centric mundanity with a little magic, I decided to designate my 2026 Fridays "Wonder/Wander Days." The idea came during a December group call featuring Wudan Yan , a successful freelance writer and fact checker/agency owner. She described her impressive approach to protecting free time away from her computer. (Do we say #Goals anymore?) Aliza Nisenbaum: Día de los Muertos Exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center I created a recurring Friday cale

A freelance writer shares a behind the scenes look at the path from pitching a story to seeing it published.

Filling my tank as a creative person sustains me. The more commitments I take on, the more important it is to carve out moments to...