Hello, everyone! My name is Connor Derrick, and I will be joining the team at The Grundy Register as the new News Editor. I am very excited for the opportunity to get involved within the community and learn about this wonderful town and its people.

I am 22 and originally from Texas, around the DFW area, but I moved to Iowa about a year ago. I currently live in Cedar Falls. I’ve been pursuing writing primarily as a passion since I was about 10 years old, though I do have some experience within the professional field, as I once wrote for a nonprofit organization based out of Ohio that was focused on making content about the Midwest music scene.

In case that didn’t make it obvious, I am extremely passionate about music. I mainly listen to what would probably be called “punk” music, a lot of yelling and loud instruments. I frequent smaller concerts around the Midwest and used to go to one every other week before Covid changed our lives forever. As well as music, my main hobbies are video games and movies, with a little bit of novels as well.

Perhaps my most niche interest lies in my adoration for Japanese culture. I am a big fan of “anime”, otherwise known as Japanese animated television shows. I also have an encyclopedic knowledge of the feudal era of Japanese history, as I am absolutely obsessed with samurai cinema and novels. Anything directed by Akira Kurosawa has my absolute highest recommendation.

When I first moved to Iowa, I bounced between food service jobs, and have a lot of experience there as a barista, so if you ever need coffee advice or news, I am certainly the go to guy. In fact, I worked within Starbucks for numerous years, so I have plenty of drink recommendations to hand out for all you pumpkin spice latte lovers out there.

While I have plenty of coffee experience, I also have all of that writing experience! And while most of my writings are fictional, or at least fiction adjacent, I have always had an intense desire to be capable of writing for a large audience and writing about important topics. I am consistently “in the loop”, and I love talking about current events with my friends, and now I am very excited to be able to do that for an entire community!

All that aside, typically on any given night, you will find me at my apartment with my wonderful girlfriend and my precious cat, playing some board game I spent way too much money on. Most of our time is spent playing board games, but we’re no strangers to the classic Netflix binge watch either.

Since I’ve only lived in the state for a year, and have barely been around Grundy much at all, I am very excited to get to learn about the city and its people. It’s been so lovely to me to drive around and admire the beautiful scenery around, especially near our town center, and I am just elated to be able to be a part of what seems to be such a loving community. I hope everyone will welcome me with open arms and teach me what’s what. In the meantime, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have, or even just to say hello, at news@grundyregister.com