Dien Judge

Dien Judge grew up on a farm in rural Monroe County. After graduating from Albia Community High School in 1991, he attended the University of Iowa and then spent much of the 1990s living in Iowa City. In 1999, he came home to rural Iowa and spent more than six years as a writer, photographer, and News Editor for Albia Newspapers, Inc. In 2005, he created the Smoky Hollow blog to self-publish his writing and photography. Dien is the son of Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge and former State Senator John Judge. After spending 2006 heavily involved in the Culver-Judge campaign, he has returned to journalism with Iowa Independent, where he will cover agriculture and rural issues. Dien writes for Iowa Independent.