Talk of Iowa

We talk with artist and writer Katie Holten, author of 'The Language of Trees: How Trees Make Our World Change Our Minds and Rewild our Lives.' Holten discusses the ideas behind the project and explores how language, nature and place intersect. The Anne Frank Initiative is presenting a conversation with Holten about the project on Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Senate Chamber in the Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City at 5:30 p.m. Then, we listen back to a conversation with father and daughter Dan and April Wilson, co-owners of Seven W Farm in Paullina. The farm was named Niman...

Autumn is here and before winter arrives, insects and arachnids have some important work to get done. In the meantime, we can enjoy the beautiful handiwork of orb weaver spiders which is especially visible this time of year. On this episode, entomologist Zach Schumm of the Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic joins us to talk about orb weaver spiders. He discusses their beautiful work and how they prepare for winter. Then, extension horticulture specialist Aaron Steil joins us to listener questions.

The Anne Frank Initiative at the University of Iowa is dedicated to preserving and sharing Frank's legacy with new generations. On this episode, Charity Nebbe takes a virtual reality tour of the secret annex where the Frank family lived for two years. We also visit a tree grown from the sapling of the tree outside of the annex that Frank would look at from the window. Then, have you ever asked yourself, what would Dolly do? The late, great Dolly Parton means many things to many people. We talk with Sarah Dees of Iowa State University about Parton's role as...

On this episode, we explore the long, hard process of preserving Dolly the Mastodon. In 2024, University of Iowa archaeologists excavated the first-ever well-preserved mastodon skull found in the state. For the past two years the skull has since been cleaned and preserved at the Office of the State Archaeologist and was recently transported to its permanent home at the Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County, with a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Sept. 26. On this episode, we witness the final progress with State Archaeologist John Doershuk and Mike Eklund, who's been consulting on the work. We also talk with museum director...

Iowan Jane Elliott is renowned for her pioneering work in anti-racism education. Elliott achieved celebrity for her "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise, which she first conducted in 1968 with her third grade class the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. This exercise has led to several documentaries, books and discussion over the last several decades regarding race, bias and systemic inequality. At 92 years old, Elliott is still fighting bigotry and enlisting others to join. On this episode, we listen back to our 2025 interview with Elliott. Her lessons are now finding new audiences with the documentary film 'Jane Elliott Against...

Peter Bognanni fell into YA fiction by accident. His new book, 'How to Lose Yourself Completely', is an outlet for his experience coming to terms with anxiety as a teen. On this episode, we talk with Bognanni, an award-winning novelist and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate about his new book and his own mental health experiences. Then, we talk with 'New York Times' best-selling author Loryn Brantz about her new children’s book, 'I Am a Spicy Nugget.'

Some Iowans spent a lot of the summer wishing for rain, others spent the summer wishing the rain would stop. Later summer deluges are raising some concerns about what a strong El Nino means for the next few months. Agricultural climatology specialist Madelynn Wuestenberg joins us on this Horticulture Day episode with her insight. Then, horticulture specialist Aaron Steil joins us to answer listener questions.

There are many joys that come along with womanhood, but there are plenty of challenges as well. 'You Know Nothing' is a collection of very short stories from Yasmina Din Madden that focuses mostly on the challenges. The stories are insightful, funny, heartbreaking — and readers may occasionally feel like they’re looking in a mirror. Yasmina Din Madden joins us on this episode to talk about her eclectic collection. Then, in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt published an article titled 'I want you to write to me,' a call that was answered with droves of letters from American people struggling through the Grea...

In 1997 Annette Gordon-Reed published 'Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy.' Her work has inspired other historians to look beyond the traditional narrative when researching and writing about American history. We talk with Gordon-Reed about her contributions to historical scholarship and dedication to preserving complex American history. Then, we listen back to a 2024 conversation with musician Lucinda Williams about her memoir 'Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You'. Williams is headlining the Iowa City Songwriters Festival in November. (Part of this episode was originally produced Aug. 20, 2024.)

Iowa City-based artist Sonja Strathearn began making Regency-era attire three years ago to attend The Jane Austen Fest and the obsession has only grown from there. To celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday, Strathearn welcomes Charity Nebbe into her home to talk about her love for Austen and show off her closet of Regency attire. Then, Nebbe speaks with author Curtis Sittenfeld, an Austen fan and the author of the 'Pride & Prejudice' reimagining, 'Eligible.' Then, musicologist Marian Wilson Kimber talks about Austen's musical inclinations, the pieces in her playbook and the ways music influenced her books. (This show was originally...

In 1965, John and Mary Beth Tinker went to school in Des Moines wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. They were suspended, and the incident led to a landmark Supreme Court decision that guaranteed free speech rights for public school students. Host Charity Nebbe revisits this history with John and Mary Beth and they discuss present day threats to the First Amendment. Then, Donna Reed is beloved for roles like Mary Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life' and Donna Stone in 'The Donna Reed Show.' She was born in Denison, Iowa, where the Donna Reed Foundation keeps her...

Iowa will see it’s first frost sometime between September 21st and October 31st — and now is the time to prepare. On this Horticulture Day episode, we talk about final harvests, row covers, clean up cover crops and more.

In 2013, the Iowa Legislature passed a law that changed calendar requirements for school districts, allowing them to change their schedule from five days of classes to four. In the years since, more rural school districts have adopted this schedule as a more affordable way to attract and retain teachers. On this episode, we talk about this trend and the impacts that have been seen nationwide. (This episode was originally produced Aug. 21, 2025)

Everyone wants a house with good bones, but as a home ages, the bones age too. Home improvement expert Bill McAnally joins this episode to share the signs that the structure of your home could use some work and what can be done to mend its bones. Then, he answers listener questions.

One hundred years ago, Iowa writer Ruth Suckow published a short story collection that put her on the map. That collection, 'Iowa Interiors,' has been out of print for many years, but is available again in a new centennial edition. On this episode, we learn about Ruth Suckow and how new editions are keeping her legacy alive. We talk with University of Northern Iowa professors Julie Husband and Jim O'Laughlin, the husband-and-wife duo who edited and wrote the introduction for the centennial edition of 'Iowa Interiors.' Then, we hear about the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association's traveling exhibit that...

If you step outside into the quiet of a summer afternoon or evening, you will probably hear a merry cacophony of insect sounds. We going to talk about the singing insects of late summer in Iowa with entomologist Laura Iles, director of the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center. Then, ISU Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Aaron Steil answers late summer gardening questions.

Head Start is a free, federally-funded program that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition and parent-involvement services to low-income children and families. A new proposal from the Trump administration would do away with many of the federal regulations that guide the program. On this episode, we talk with stakeholders across the state about what the proposed changes may mean for Iowa families. We talk with Chris Juett, executive director of the Iowa Head Start Association, and Drake University Head Start Director Lisa Proctor. We also hear from Mimi Solis, Head Start teacher and former Head Start parent. Later in...

Kids are back to school, but for Iowa's public schools, things have gotten more challenging. Public school funding hasn't kept pace with inflation, and many districts are losing students and the funds that come with them. On this episode, we check in with school districts around the state — Des Moines, Creston, Cedar Rapids and Sumner-Fredericksburg. We discuss how these school districts have been navigating the strained budget and their plans moving forward.

In 1883, the Secrests commissioned a builder to construct a new barn on their property. The structure is three stories tall with a gothic roof and eight sides. The Iowa Barn Foundation's All-State Barn Tour is Sept. 19-20 and there are a record 108 barns participating. On this episode, we talk with Deann Haden about the Iowa Barn Foundation and highlights for this year's tour. Then, we travel to Cedar County to tour the Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn with owner Rich Tyler. Later in the hour, we talk with Rachelle Long, founder and executive director of Taste of the Junction, a multicultural festival...

The woods may be lovely, dark and deep, but most Iowa woodlands are plagued with invasive species. On this Horticulture Day episode, we talk with DNR District Forester Mark Vitosh about the non-native invasive plants that we should be concerned about in Iowa forests and some management techniques. Then, Iowa State University Horticulture Professor Cindy Haynes joins us to answer listener questions.