Ames Writers Collective
On Monday, April 13th, our founder Ana McCracken spoke with Nathan Porter on Studio 308’s Face to Face segment. During their conversation, Nathan, an Iowa State University Journalism student, and Ana discussed the Ames Writers Collective outreach programs, Writing Through Cancer and the Swift Youth Writers Workshop. To close the conversation, they briefly touched upon Ana’s memoir, Redacted: A Memoir of Adoption.
Hot off the presses: Writing Circle Mondays Reflections on Life & Cancer. This anthology co-edited by Ames Writers Collective founder, Ana McCracken and Terri Dorothy, a John Stoddard Cancer Center patient, gathers together heartfelt stories from women who found strength, hope, and healing through writing.
Every author wants you to buy their book. Know that when you purchase Writing Circle Mondays Reflections on Life & Cancer, all royalties support the Charlie Cutler Healing and Wellness Program at John Stoddard Cancer Center. This program funds Writing Circle Mondays—a FREE resource for individuals living with cancer. Books can be purchased through your local independent bookstores such as Dog-Eared Books in Ames, Iowa, Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, Barnes & Noble, and off Amazon if no other resource is available for you.
This anthology would not have made it to publication without Ana’s co-editor Terri Dorothy, who writes with her and others on Mondays. Additionally this book was published with the assistance of Polly Letofsky of #mywordpublishing. Ana met Polly at the Okoboji Writers’ Conference (#okobojiwriters) in 2023, kept in touch and Polly shepherded Ana through the process of publishing this collection of stories and poetry. A resounding thank you to Terri, Polly, all those who contributed to the anthology, and the John Stoddard Cancer Center.
EcoTheatre Lab’s Presents—In Our Backyard Auditions
March 29th and 31st—6 to 9 PM
Auditions for The EcoTheatre Lab’s new eco-play festival, In Our Backyard. Auditions are open to the public, ages 18+. Please see ecotheatrelab.com for more information, and email [email protected] with questions.
Click here to check our calendar for specific times!
Recently, Acacia Coates interviewed Denise Williams who will be hosting an upcoming release celebration promoting her latest novel, The Re-Do List. The event will be hosted in partnership with Dog-Eared Books at the Prairie Moon Winery at 7pm on January 27th. CLICK HERE to hear the interview along with information to register for her event.
What’s your genre?
Journalism and fiction
Are you published?
Self published
What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve been writing since I was four years old. I believe that stories have power to connect people and to shape history; that fiction reveals truths about human nature in ways other art forms can’t. So many books have influenced me over the years. There hasn’t been a single book I’ve read that hasn’t altered how I think or who I am in some small way. To write is to rub up against what makes us human and to display it for the world to see. That’s what inspires me to write; a fundamental desire to show the creativity of humanity and a belief that we are more than the organic material that we are made of.
What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I deeply admire and respect Louisa May Alcott. She was able to weave truth and beauty into her narratives seamlessly. Her stories have substance without being “preachy” and they have value because they inherently give weight to the actions of the characters. Her novels are fun and engaging without being “fluffy” and lacking in depth. Her ability to communicate the human life across generations and through time is something I aspire to.
Name three of your favorite books and their authors
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
What’s one thing readers should know about you?
My love for telling stories through art doesn’t just extend to writing; I love music and I think it grips people’s spirits. I’ve played classical piano since 2012 and some of my favorite composers are Debussy, Bach and Chopin. I think the sweeping lyrical melodies of Debussy and Chopin’s intricate polyrhythmic style create stunning tension in their respective pieces. Like writing, music inspires people, touching parts of their souls that are never stirred up without the influence of the arts.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to a budding writer?
Don’t let perfectionism paralyze you from writing. Mess up again and again and again, fighting for a piece of art that exists, not a product that’s perfect. Writing is about moving people – let that be your aim. Communicate who you are when you write, not what you think other people want to hear.
Author Bio
Acacia is a student at Iowa State University but with a deep love for writing and music. She’s completed several projects throughout the course of her studies, including podcast creation and social media production. She hopes to one day have a fulfilling career working for a company she can be passionate about.
Check out our 1st blog post for 2026! Written by communications intern, Acacia Coates, the post offers up all sorts of ideas to move your 2026 writing goals forward. Click here to read Acacia’s suggestions which include joining groups, setting attainable goals, etcetera. Happy Writing!
WHAT’S A WRITE TOGETHER?
We join together on Zoom and in person at Fifth Street Writers, share what we’re working on, and write for ~90 minutes. At the end, we share our successes, and sign off. Easy peasy.
Registration is not necessary unless you plan to join us via Zoom. Click here to receive a link.
To learn about Ana McCracken our host and Ames Writers Collective & Fifth Street Writers Founder, check here.
Whether as one of our patrons, a Fifth Street Writers Member, board member, workshop or Author Spotlight attendee, the parent of past and current students, or a literary enthusiast your support makes a critical impact on sustaining our literary programs.
Why are the Ames Writers Collective and Fifth Street Writers important to Ames and Central Iowa? Our mission is to create healthy communities through the art of writing. We believe that writing changes and saves lives.
Our community outreach programs serve cancer patients and survivors, adolescents seeking creative writing outlets, and writers seeking to join a supportive vibrant community, local and Iowa authors seeking readership, as well as individuals who enthusiastically support the literary arts.
As the year comes to a close, we hope you will consider us in your year-end giving. CLICKING HERE for ways to donate.
What’s your genre?
Hybrid of text and image; memoir
Are you published?
Traditional publisher
What inspired you to become a writer?
I have been writing and drawing for as long as I can remember. No inspiration, rather a natural internal force. I don’t really call myself a writer, my work, till recently, was as professor of architecture, and writing just flowed alongside as it always has, sometimes intersecting with architecture, sometimes not. Same with drawing.
What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Grace Paley, great New York writer and activist, who observed and reported on everyday life in the most comical, heartbreaking, and truthful way. She’s also a poet but her most beloved books are short stories: The Little Disturbances of Man and Enormous Changes at the Last Minute.
Name three of your favorite books and their authors
In addition to Grace Paley, mentioned above:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. I love this book so much I could list it three times, but also,
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
What’s one thing readers should know about you?
The first day of kindergarten I did not know what “a line” was when the teacher asked us to “form a line” at the end of the day. I observed the others and followed suit at the end of the line, or so I thought, till it was pointed out to me that “a line” involved everyone facing in the same direction. I was facing the wrong way. This is the story of my life.
What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Try different methods and instruments till you feel what permits flow. I write in a notebook, and I need giant long pages, good spacing between lines, and a pen that’s not scratchy. When I get going I shift over to the computer for speed. Grace Paley left scraps of paper around the house that she collected in a shoebox. Kerouac needed the rhythm of the typewriter. This stuff matters.
Also, editing is writing. As in drawing, the eraser is your friend. Deletion is an art.
Author Bio
Karen Bermann is professor emerita of architecture at Iowa State University and the author of The Art of Being a Stranger. She worked on sweat equity rehabilitation in her native New York and taught first-year design in Ames and fourth-year design in Rome, where she now lives. Click here to visit Karen.
Portraits of Stones – a drawing & writing workshop
Saturday Nov 22: 1:30 to 6:30 PM
Drop in anytime Saturday for drawing, writing, and chatting with two creatives. Art materials provided for watercolor & drawing as well as stones. Objects will be used to inspire short bursts of writing. Feel free to bring your own objects for inspiration and/or drawing/writing materials. Or just stop by to view Karen’s artwork on display.
Karen Bermann is the author of The Art of Being a Stranger. She has a daily practice of watercolor drawing and naming the stones in her courtyard where she resides in Rome, Italy.
Claire Kruesel, a resident of Ames, is a poet and longtime creative collaborator with Karen. She writes object biographies and teaches writing.
