Talk of Iowa

In a new University of Northern Iowa course, a pottery lesson from a local artist is a chance for intergenerational connection. Jim Kerns has been joining the class, Understanding Aging Through a Creative Lens, to not only share his artistic skills, but also to show the benefits of creative pursuits as we age. Kerns joins the show, along with Melinda Heinz, a gerontologist who started the class, a...

As Carl Weems conducted research in New Orleans, he documented children's recollections of Hurricane Katrina. When Hurricane Gustav hit, Weems found that those with another negative experience maintained their recollection of trauma during Hurricane Katrina. Those with a more positive experience during Gustav remembered Katrina more positively than before. This is part of the foundation of Weems'...

The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake is a rock and roll landmark and one of the few historic ballrooms still operating today. Its legacy is closely tied to 'The Day the Music Died,' when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson performed their final show at the Surf on Feb. 2, 1959, before their fatal plane crash in a field north of Clear Lake the following morning. Often descr...

On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we talk with Dan Roche, author of Eyes By Hand: The Prosthetics of Art and Healing, a book on how prosthetic eyes are crafted and how ocularists provide care for those that have experienced eye loss. We hear about his experience losing an eye, how he became interested in researching prosthetic eyes and what he’s learned. We also talk with Lindsay Wagner-Pronk, one...

Peter Simons, author of 'Global Heartland: Cultivating the American Century on the Midwestern Farm,' shares an in-depth look at the role farmers throughout the Midwest played in America’s rise to power post-WWII. Then Adam Janke, Iowa State University wildlife extension specialist, joins the program. Janke's new series of articles shares low-cost, accessible tips for landowners and homeowners to s...

Nicole Terrizzi joins the show to discuss her memoir, 'Learning in Free Fall: A Testimony of Mental Health, Poverty and Race in American Education.' Her book focuses on the crisis in America's education system. Every day school children feel the impacts of increasing budget cuts, teacher shortages and threats to the accessibility of a quality education. Terrizzi shares her path to teaching from gr...

Dave Good was a District Court Judge living in Cedar Rapids. In 2003, at the age of 56, he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. His wife Kathy became his caregiver while continuing to work full time. On this episode, Kathy Good, who now guides other caregivers as the Senior Director of the Chris and Suzy DeWolf Family Innovation Center for Aging and Dementia of Mercy, shares her story. Then...

We choose our spouses or life partners, but the in-laws they come with are part of the package. They come with a long history, a family culture and expectations for the future. On this archive episode, host Charity Nebbe is joined by Sylvia Mikucki-Enyart, who studies in-law relationships, to discuss why these relationships can be fraught and how family structures and sexism can warp our view of t...

Native plants improve biodiversity and help local wildlife thrive. On this Horticulture Day episode of Talk of Iowa, host Dani Gehr sits in for Charity Nebbe. She talks with Iowa State extension horticulture specialist Ray Kruse about what natives have succeeded in his garden, and what plants he's needed to pull. Then, Iowa State University extension horticulture specialist Aaron Steil joins us to...

Danish artist Thomas Dambo has built giant troll sculptures all over the world. He makes them entirely out of reclaimed materials and hides them in natural spaces. Iowa is now home to four trolls, as part of Dambo's 'Trolls of America' dream to have at least one troll in all 50 states. On this archive episode, we talk with Dambo about he came to be a world-famous trash artist and hear from the Cli...

Mrs. Meyer of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day cleaning products is a real woman who lives right here in Iowa. Today, we hear from Thelma Meyer and her daughter Monica Nassif, founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and author of 'I Bottled My Mother.' Then, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beaverdale Bluegrass Festival.

Five young journalists spent a week learning about radio, exploring moments of truth and creating multimedia stories. On this episode, we meet the journalists who participated in the NextGen Journalism Project, a program that helps coach and train public media’s next generation, and hear their work.

The Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus sings music with a message. On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we hear from two members as the chorus turns 25 years old. Then, we hear from the founder of 'The Healing Obituary.' She teaches how to write obituaries and makes the case for why they should be done by humans.

Addressing the challenges that are showing up in our trees and perennials this summer.

Shakespeare is everywhere in Iowa this summer! On this episode we talk to the creatives behind the inaugural Northern Iowa Shakespeare Festival in Cedar Falls, which is holding its final performances of 'As You Like It' this weekend. Then, we feature two established Shakespeare events in the state - Riverside Theatre's Free Shakespeare in Lower City Park which is performing 'A Midsummer Night's Dr...

A summer road trip is a ticket to adventure, and experienced road trippers know to expect the unexpected. On this episode, we’re hitting the road — we’ll hear stories about two of Iowa’s most over the top road trips, RAGBRAI and Relay Iowa, a cross-country journey with a few twists and a happily-ever-after, and much more.

Mark Twain said the Missouri River is too thick to drink and too thin to plow. The Big Muddy doesn’t get the kind of attention the Mighty Mississippi does, but it’s the longest river in North America and pivotal in the history of our nation. When it was time for Lisa Dill’s family to replace the old pontoon boat on Lake Okoboji, her cousins suggested taking it on a journey down the Missouri and gi...

A pediatrician who works with a range of patients with autism helps us understand autism spectrum disorder, why diagnosis is more common today and what we know about possible causes on this award-winning episode. Then, Iowans in the autism community share their thoughts and experiences. (This episode was originally produced in October 2025.)

There are a lot of different things that can derail a fruit crop, even after your blossoms have survived the last frost. It was a tough spring for many fruit crops, but if you are lucky enough to have some fruit on your tree, there are a few things you can do to help them thrive. On this Horticulture Day episode, we hear from Iowa State University Extension Horticulture Specialists Randal Vos and...

Jean Lloyd-Jones served in both the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate, starting in 1979. Now, at age 96, she has published a memoir called 'A Women's Place: My Life as a Public Servant.' On this episode, Lloyd-Jones shares about how her career expectations didn't extend much beyond finding a husband in the early 1950s, to then spending 60 hours a week volunteering for the Iowa League of Women Voters,...

Frederick Newell came to Iowa City 20 years ago as a college freshman and single father, who recognized a need for support for young parents and underrepresented Iowans. As social worker, in 2012 Newell founded Dream City, a nonprofit that supports youth, families and entrepreneurs in Iowa City. Later in the program, we hear from documentary filmmaker and Muscatine native Chris Ward about his new...

Behind every great man in a powdered wig is a remarkable woman. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we’re reading about some of the women who helped shape our country at its founding. On the 'Talk of Iowa' Book Club, host Charity Nebbe and expert readers discuss 'Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation' by Cokie Roberts. The book shares stories of the...

Clematis plants make a beautiful addition to any yard. Iowa State Horticulturists Cindy Haynes and Aaron Steil share tips for growing and caring for your clematis.

Best-selling author Tim Johnston was a master of the thriller. He passed away in May. To mark his passing, we’re revisiting a conversation from 2025 with Johnston and author Anna Bruno. We talk about their books 'Distant Sons' and 'Fine Young People' and the art of writing suspense. Then, the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County reopened the Rails West Museum after a year and a half of renov...

At its peak in the late 1950s, there were over 4,000 drive-in movie theaters in the U.S., with nearly 70 in Iowa. Today, there are four drive-in theaters operating in the state. On this episode, we hear from operators of three of the remaining theaters. Then, we talk with Iowa's new poet laureate, Paul Brooke.