Contributors

A stint as a columnist morphed into a midlife career change for freelance writer and photographer Tim Ackarman. The former physician assistant is an avid hunter, fisherman, and conservationist. The acreage he shares with his wife, dogs, and cats is only miles from the Ventura farm where he grew up and from the rural cemetery where his great-great-grandparents lie.

Nick Bergus is a writer, multimedia producer, and instructor. You can read his blog about food at deathofapig.com and explore the hub of his digital life at nbergus.com.

Carol Bodensteiner grew up on an eastern Iowa dairy farm, and though she’s traveled the world, she always finds her way back home. After a career in public relations, she followed her passion to writing. About Iowa.

A Des Moines-based photographer originally from Ottumwa, Jake Boyd shoots real estate full time, as well as weddings and family portraits. When not shooting or editing photos, Jake can be found playing Ping Pong, working out, and drinking lots of coffee.

Catherine Collison is an ardent film fan, visiting set and actor connections — including Dyersville’s Field of Dreams and Denison’s Donna Reed Theatre — on her trips back to Iowa.

From his maternal grandfather, freelance writer Jim Duncan learned to talk to horses, though horses talk only to God. Today he communicates mostly with dogs and, less successfully (he says), with humans. Several of his animals have also heard from the gentle healers he writes about in this issue. 

With a degree in communications and journalism, Paul Gates became a stringer photographer for the Associated Press during the 1988 presidential election and later that year joined Business Publications Corporation as Photo Director. He shot his first assignment for The Iowan in 1995, going freelance a few years later. (piphoto.com)

A transplant from New York City, Mary Gottschalk is trying hard to retire from a career as a corporate financial consultant. In her latest reincarnation as a writer, she’s recently published a memoir about sailing around the world and is working on a novel. She freelances as a way to learn about the highways and byways of her new home state.

The John Holtorf career path winds through busboy, salesman, lifeguard, musician, groundskeeper, heavy equipment operator, gandy dancer, bartender, and carpenter. He left a high-paying job as a construction superintendent in 1985 to take a barely paying position as a darkroom assistant in a photo studio. He never looked back. (holtorf.com)

Deborah Jansen grew up in a small Iowa town and today continues to uncover new stories never told and find fresh ways to tell old tales. She also teaches adult education classes, helping communities capture their histories in print or on digital recordings.

Suzanne Kelsey is a freelance writer, editor, and life coach who occasionally dabbles in the visual arts realm. She admires those who are skilled and dedicated enough to make their living at creating art. For herself, she’ll keep making private sketches in her journals and continue “painting” with words.

Kelly D. Norris is a 20-something horticulturist, author, and plantsman who splits his time between Bedford and Ames.  His forthcoming work, Cultivating the Rainbow: A Guide to Bearded Irises for Beginners and Enthusiasts (Timber Press), is due out May 2012. Kelly holds both a bachelor’s and master’s in horticulture from Iowa State University. He blogs about his zealous pursuit of plants and all things horticultural at kellydnorris.com.

David Peterson spent 32 years as a newspaper photojournalist, winning two Pulitzer Prizes while shooting for the Des Moines Register. His roots are in Kansas, with degrees from both Kansas State and KU, but today his life and freelance work are firmly planted in Iowa, where he’s spent more than half his life. (petersonphoto.photoshelter.com)

Growing up on the family farm in the southwest region of the state, Terri Queck-Matzie began her love affair with Iowa at an early age. Today, as a freelancer, she photographs and writes about the state’s people and places from her home in Fontanelle.

After a decade abroad in Ireland, Jennifer Blair Tuite is proud to be back among Hawkeyes. A month-long walk across the state in 2009 reintroduced her to the beauty of the landscape, the generosity of the people, and the remarkableness of Iowa’s stories. Living in Davenport, she is continually reminded of how good it is to be home.

Native to the mountains and maritime climate of western Oregon, Joe VanDerZanden has lived since 2003 in Ames, where he tends his garden, walks his dog, and raises his family. A graduate of Oregon State University in journalism, Joe has worked as a magazine editor, radio host, and truck driver.