HeyJaredBack Desk
Flash essays about life as an emerging writer, creative nonfiction, bookselling at Prairie Lights, and my journey to first-book publication from Iowa City. 100% of all subscription fees and random donations go to One Iowa (https://oneiowa.org/).
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 27, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 10, 2026
Latest issues
Writing Out of Shadows (opens the original)
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Hello, everyone. I’m back after skipping a week, which might have been the first time I’ve done that since I started this Substack. I didn’t mean to skip, but there were enough things going on in my personal life that I decided to be kind to myself and let a week pass by. I took a rare sick day last Monday, and then my partner and I went on a planned three-day vacation in nearby LeClaire. Our Airbnb was on the Mississippi, and it was exactly the low-key retreat I needed. I’m back in my routine f
Identity & Eyewear (opens the original)
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Hi friends. It’s a gray, chilly Monday morning in Iowa City as I write this Substack. I’m feeling sad and a little anxious because I got news from my mom this morning that a beloved extended family member is in the hospital. We don’t know much yet, but his condition sounds serious. In times like these, the only thing that makes me feel better is writing, so I’m going to try that. The person I’m thinking about today—one of my uncles—is a writer, too. He would understand and probably do the same.I
Another Longlist! (opens the original)
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Happy Friday, everyone! It feels too soon to be writing another weekly Substack post, but I was also a bit late with my last one (Monday instead of Friday, whoops). I’m trying not to be too hard on myself for getting these weekly posts out; however, I am pleasantly surprised that I’ve been able to keep this schedule up for this long. I’m only a few posts away from my one hundredth, if you can believe that. Perhaps that milestone will warrant a re-evaluation of what I want to do with this lil’ Su
Back Desk Breakdown: August 2026 (opens the original)
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Hello everyone! Is anyone else struggling to accept that we’re about to enter September? This year still feels young to me, yet it’s not. Only about 120 days until we welcome 2027. Living in Iowa City makes the concept of time as a school year an inescapable presence. I haven’t worked for the University of Iowa in about eight years, but I’m still keenly aware of its semester dates. This is mostly because of the work I do behind the scenes for Prairie Lights (i.e., assisting Kathleen with adding
A Gone World (opens the original)
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Happy Friday, everyone. Iowa City is suddenly very crowded; all the students have returned for another school year, and it feels like there’s not quite enough space for them. They park their cars as far as my neighborhood, Goosetown, so they don’t have to pay for parking. I saw two cars fight over a single open space near my house the other day. (The smaller car won.) If you’re a student or a teacher and are gearing up for the fall semester, I hope you don’t let the manic energy overwhelm your s
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