About Iowa Writes

Since 2006, Iowa Writes has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers (whether they have Iowa roots or live here now) and work published by Iowa journals and publishers on The Daily Palette. Iowa Writes features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction twice a week on the Palette.

In November of 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Find out more about submitting by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu

KARA E. SCHMADEKE

Dr. Kara E. Schmadeke, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Coe College. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Elementary Education in 1988 and a PhD in Education: "Language, Literacy, and Culture," in 2003. She writes: "This poem was written while I was teaching fourth grade in small town Maquoketa, Iowa. It was my first experience planning the study of science together with the children, rather than teaching from a prescribed manual."