"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
Hi, this is Jack Iken. The last time I guest-blogged on my mom’s page was five years ago, which is like 42 years in dog time. I only guest-blogged one other time. I have posted on Facebook a few times since then, but blogging is way better because you can say more and the stories … Read more
Big news! I’m doing a Pitchfork Pie Stand Pop-Up on August 27. It’s at Sip Coffee and Wine Bar, located at 120 South Main Street, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on Saturday, August 27, from 12 to 4PM. Sip is right on the town square of this quaint and tidy little town at the intersection of … Read more
This past summer I left my home in Donnellson, Iowa and traveled all the way around the world, baking American pie in 10 countries as a way to promote cultural tolerance. I returned with the intention of writing a book about my experience. I already had the title: World Piece, spelled p-i-e-c-e. But it is … Read more
Goodbye, Frankfurt! My very last stop on my World Piece itinerary was Frankfurt, Germany. This was where my flight would take off for Los Angeles. LA was the place where I started, the place where three months earlier I said a tearful goodbye to my parents as they waved to me from the other side … Read more
We made it to Iowa. We may have prevailed over all those near disasters getting from LA to here, but even after only six months away, I had forgotten how perilous living in Iowa can be! It’s the little things that can kill you. I arrived to a home-cooked meal of Ham Balls. I wrote about … Read more
(Scroll down for pictures of the interior of the house.) After four magical years, I have moved out of the American Gothic House. When asked why, the easiest answer to give is that one can only live in a tourist attraction for so long. My friends and Facebook fans (follow me here) have responded that … Read more
Like a Miss America pageant, only pie. I had forgotten what an individual expression pie can be. I get so used to making my same old classic apple pie, stuck on my soapbox preaching “keep it simple” and “I don’t like to have to follow a recipe.” Apple is certainly delicious pie, but when I … Read more
Jack & Daisy. “We’re dogs, not deer. Please don’t shoot us.” I used to live in Venice, California in a neighborhood referred to as “The Hood.” A transitional neighborhood, this is an area where young hipsters can afford to buy fixer-uppers, nudging gang members out of their dwellings, one half-a-million-dollar house at a time. Even … Read more
In spite of this brilliant parody by Mike Luckovich, I was surprised that none of the politicians showed up on my doorstep. They missed an ideal photo op! I maintain that pie is not about politics. “Pie is non-partisan,” I have been known to insist. “It is meant to be shared, to build community, and spread good … Read more
Meg and Me, From pleated plaid skirts to pie T-shirts My friend Meg asked me if I would teach a pie class as an auction prize donated for her kids’ Catholic school. I could have considered the cons — that I nearly got kicked out of Catholic high school and no longer consider myself a … Read more