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Hayseed Press returns with Iowa Weird Vol. 2, the annual short story collection about the unusual and extraordinary legends you can find in the state of Iowa. And those that might find you.Fifteen Iowa-based writers venture into the dark corners of the Hawkeye State, where local myths, unexplained phenomena, haunted houses, and
unsettling tales lurk just beyond the familiar. Inside this year’s edition of Iowa Weird are “true” ghost stories, enduring myths and legends, and original tales born from the warped imaginations of Hayseed Press’s contributing writers.
Stories include:
• The Flood Creek Train Wreck
• The St. Mary’s Spirit Lights
• The geiste ecke of The Amana Colonies
• Dubuque’s Woman in Black
• Davenport’s truck-eating bridge
• The Squirrel Cage Jail of Council Bluffs
• The Devil of McGregor
Whether drawn from local folklore or conjured from darker depths, these stories reveal an Iowa that is stranger-and weirder-than it appears.
You who fear, continue to fly over. You who dare, these dark fields lie waiting.
Four contributing authors will gather at Beaverdale Books ahead of Halloween to discuss the ghoulish inspirations behind their stories, including historical events that rocked small-town Iowa communities.
Hayseed Press co-founder Aaron Narigon holds a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from University of Northern Iowa. He is a Professor of English and has taught at Hawkeye Community College since 2002. Currently Aaron coordinates Middlemoot, the Midwest’s premier biennial Tolkien conference, and is the co-founder of UKL, the only scholarly journal dedicated to the work of Ursula K. LeGuin.
Darcy Maulsby (www.darcymaulsby.com) has been a professional writer since 1996. She has written eight non-fiction books of Iowa history, which have led her down some strange paths into the paranormal. Known as “Iowa’s Storyteller,” Darcy is a sought-after speaker. She also helps manage her family’s Century Farm near Lake City, Iowa.
Lauren Riensche is a Cedar Valley local and haunted history buff. She shares her passion for history and the supernatural with tourgoers via the Cedar Falls Ghost Tour. Founded by Lauren in 2021, the Cedar Falls Ghost Tour has not only sold out every year but has also brought thousands of tourists from across the country to Cedar Falls. Beyond the tour, Lauren works in agricultural marketing, is an active volunteer in many local organizations, mentors students at her alma mater, the University of Chicago, enjoys traveling with her high school sweetheart husband, Luke, and hiking with her golden retriever.
Marcea K. Seible is a local historian and professor of English and History at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. She holds a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University and earned a Graduate Certificate in Public History from the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) in 2025 and is currently pursuing a master’s in public history from UNK. Much of her writing focuses on local history, including the history of education in Waterloo. In 2017, she published a pictorial history of Waterloo’s Allen College through Arcadia Publishing’s Campus History Series. In her free time, she enjoys searching newspaper archives for unique and untold stories about crimes in Iowa.
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayseedpress/
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