Josie Fischels
Arts & Culture ReporterExpertise: Performance art, visual art, Iowa life
Education: The University of Iowa
Favorite Iowa Destination: Dunnings Springs, Decorah
Experience:
- Covered local and statewide arts, news, and lifestyle features for <i>The Daily Iowan</i>, <i>The Denver Post</i>, NPR and currently for IPR
- Has written features on Iowans participating in the Hollywood writers’ strike, the nation’s largest historic theatre backdrop collection – housed in Iowa, the reopening of the African American Museum of Iowa and an ‘inside-the-culture’ feature on local drag kings, among others
- Is an award-winning reporter, including a retrospective of Iowa’s first poet laureate, Marvin Bell, following his death in 2021
- Writes regularly for IPR’s internationally award-winning newsletters
- Covered the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, climate and the Kabul takeover by the Taliban in 2021 for NPR’s news desk
- Served as an editor and mentor for multiple projects with NPR’s Next Generation Radio
- Created IPR’s weekly news quiz and launched IPR’s TikTok (follow us!)
My Latest Stories
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The artwork is being loaned to museums across the country as part of the gallery’s two-year “Across the Nation” initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. -
Brant Bollman founded Uplifting Puppet Co. two years ago to build community and spark imagination through puppetry. Since then, his giant birds, glowing turtles, towering skeletons and colorful fish have made appearances across Iowa. -
The festival’s new 90 Degree Guarantee is the first of its kind. The policy references climate change, and states that the festival will issue refunds to ticket-holders who request them if temperatures are predicted to reach or exceed 90 degrees. -
Founded by two University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band alumni and a founding member of Girls Rock! Des Moines, Iowa Pride Ensembles debuted over the weekend with 70 marching musicians from across the state. -
Pride Month celebrations across the nation are seeing sponsors reduce their support or withdraw it entirely in response to political pressure from the Trump administration. But organizers in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Iowa City say that, at least this year, they're finding ways to make up — and even exceed — the lost funds. -
The rule from the Iowa Department of Administrative Services prohibits groups from holding more than one event per calendar year, which has forced the Des Moines Metro Concert Band to relocate its summer series. -
The mural created by students from the University of Northern Iowa’s Interactive Digital Studies program had sustained storm damage shortly after it was installed in 2020. -
The nearly mile-long light sculpture titled Evanescent Field covers the museum's exterior. It will light up the museum each night at sunset. -
Rainbow Kitten Surprise is back and better than ever. The band is working their way through a lengthy tour of their 2024 album, Love Hate Music Box, with another record on the way. -
The Eastern Iowa Arts Academy, once split between three locations, is now united under one roof in the historic Arthur Elementary School building.
