Got a Story Worth Telling?
Des Moines is full of fascinating people with remarkable hobbies, passions, and life experiences. If that sounds like you — or someone you know — we'd love to share it with the city.
What kind of stories?
Anything That Makes You Say "Wait, Really?"
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Unusual Hobbies
Glassblowing, competitive duck calling, hand-drawn maps — we're all in.
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Remarkable Journeys
How you ended up in Des Moines, or what Des Moines gave you.
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Hidden Talents
The chess champion next door. The opera singer who drives a school bus.
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Community Contributions
Quietly doing something amazing for the neighborhood — and nobody knows.
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Life Chapters
A career change, a loss, a second act — stories that resonate.
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Creative Pursuits
Making music, writing poetry, building furniture — creativity in any form.
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Something Completely Random
If it made someone smile, raise an eyebrow, or both — pitch it.
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Something We Haven't Thought Of
The best pitches are always the ones we didn't see coming.
What we're looking for
Great Stories Are About People, Not Promotions
We want stories that feel real. The kind you'd tell a friend over coffee — where the interesting part isn't what someone sells, but who they are.
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A person (you or someone you know) with a genuinely interesting story
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A hook — the thing that makes someone say "wait, tell me more"
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A Des Moines connection — you live here, grew up here, or the story happened here
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Willingness to be interviewed and photographed if selected
Not what we're looking for
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Business promotions or product pitches
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Press releases or marketing copy
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Political or religious advocacy
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The most interesting people in Des Moines aren't always the ones you'd expect. We started this newsletter to find them — and we think you can help.
— Alex, Founder of Des Moines DigestPitch your story
Tell Us What You've Got
Keep it brief — just enough to give us the idea. If we think it's a fit, we'll reach out to learn more.
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"Every great story starts with someone deciding it was worth telling."
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