Susan Elgin, journalism student at the University of Iowa

Anna wrote a preview of comedian Mike Birbiglia's appearance in Eastern Iowa.  Rather than just do an interview and write the story, she also wanted to make an NPR-style podcast segment, which included clips from her interview spliced with Birbiglia's stand up comedy.  Anna opened the podcast with the very beginning of her interview:  She asked Birbiglia how he was doing, and what he was doing at the moment.  His reply:  "I'm googling you."  When she responded with a surprised (and slightly creeped out) "Why?" he said it was only fair, since she has probably also googled him.  While this hilarious exchange was excellent content that our readers would be interested in hearing, it doesn't translate well in print (you probably weren't laughing when you just read that, but I guarantee you would be if you'd heard the recording).

What differentiates Anna from other journalists is her enthusiasm to embrace convergence media.  While other reporters moan about having to make a video or podcast to accompany his or her story, Anna looks for ways to expand the coverage of a story through other ways. This semester, Anna was the first reporter in the DI newsroom to make the jump from print into broadcast.  Now, she translates a version of her print movie review and hosts a segment on DITV where she describes and reviews the movie.  She's comfortable on camera and her enthusiasm has motivated several other reporters to take print ideas and incorporate video with them.

Don McLeese, Associate Professor, University of Iowa, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Anna Wiegenstein combines an omnivorous appetite for popular culture with a deep appreciation for its popular dimension.  The latter quality distinguishes her work from so much cooler-than-thou cultural journalism in an era of indie cred.  Not that she embraces artistry just because it is popular, but neither does she dismiss it just because it strikes a resonant chord with a mass audience.  Instead, she finds that chord interesting, worth exploring.  She displays an almost childlike enthusiasm toward work that pleases her (you can practically see her beaming through her writing), yet shows the maturity of incisive critical instincts when analyzing what doesn’t work and why.  Whether she’s writing about music, movies or any other art form or cultural issue that sparks her interest, she refuses to engage in the all too typical games of critical one-upmanship and cultural elitism. She loves introducing readers to an unknown band that deserves a wider audience (and wants one, as she knows), but she’s equally passionate and insightful in exploring the Harry Potter phenomenon.   

William Casey, publisher for the Daily Iowan

Anna has really made a name for herself with her film, music and theatre reviews here in Iowa City. She enjoys a large readership. What makes her writing exceptional is her quick eye for detail, her humor, and her ability to critically examine the subject and compare it with other similar works. She's well-versed in the language of criticism; her reviews, as I've come to know them, are right on. Anna's reviews are intelligently composed and yet she never condescends to the reader.

Source | The Daily Iowan
Some characters get movies written around them - from George Patton to Patch Adams, there's an understanding that whatever the plot, whoever the actor, these people need their stories told. Frank Lucas is just such a character.

Source | The Daily Iowan
Do kids even get fairy tales read to them anymore? I can barely remember myself hearing an actual story with mythical creatures, chock-full of magic - aside from Harry Potter, of course.

Source | The Daily Iowan
A so-called "intimate concert experience" probably wouldn't take place in an arena, right? Not according to Fall Out Boy.

Source | The Daily Iowan
Gwen Stefani is pretty sure she makes awesome music. In fact, the hook of "Don't Get It Twisted," one of the latter tracks on her sophomore release, The Sweet Escape, proclaims confidently: "Don't get it twisted / Don't get clever / This is the most craziest shit ever!"