Driftless Stories

Fall 2024 Inspire(d)! Welcome to the 78th issue of Inspire(d) Magazine! We’ve been making this publication for 17 years, y’all! That’s bananas. It’s been a joy…

When you think about Iowa’s claims to fame, what comes to mind? Political caucuses, corn production, Caitlin Clark, Toppling Goliath? There’s a good argument to…

In the heart of Ferryville, Wisconsin, where the rolling hills of the Driftless embrace the mighty Mississippi, sits ændre arthouse. Located on a 16-acre property…

Whether it’s making camouflage t-shirts with walnut dye, harvesting Virginia Waterleaf to eat for lunch, singing, or starting a fire with friction, you can find…

As the sun covers itself with a starry blanket, a fluttering frenzy unfolds. Evening aviators emerge to navigate sweet-scented currents drifting through your yard. Mere…

It was three pigs that went missing from farmer Phil Tod’s barnyard in 1924 that led to the discovery of one of Southeast Minnesota’s greatest…

Jennifer Drinkwater describes herself as a “glass-half-empty kind of person.” The Ames, Iowa-based artist understands how challenges can weigh on people. We all experience tough…

Roxie Nichols & Connection to the Land: Close your eyes and put yourself in my shoes…or, really, at this moment it’s bare feet. You’re lying…

Summer 2024 Inspire(d)! Ah summer. Throughout life, it’s meant different things for me. In my younger years it was a welcome break from school. Pool…

It is said the art of teaching is in leading others to discovery. And Molly Holkesvik, longtime English teacher at Decorah High School, has helped…

Working with watercolors, it seems, is a little like life. Creating something beautiful requires patience and practice.  “When you paint a flower with multiple petals,…

Community-building happens in all kinds of places. A church. A local café. A bowling alley. Even an old garage, like Ernie’s Station, owned by Ernie…