Talk of Iowa
908 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsTalk of Iowa is a place for Iowans to connect to our shared culture and what it means to live in Iowa. Host Charity Nebbe brings a mix of regular guests and a range of experts to discuss the arts, history, literature and everything else happening in Iowa. Every day brings something new — even if it's in a recurring segment like Talk of Iowa Book Club or comes from a familiar voice on Horticulture Day.
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Episodes
What to do when your plants fall ill
July 13, 2024 11:00When it comes to treating plant disease less is often more.
A 20-year cycling event seeds the University of Iowa's rare cancer research
July 12, 2024 12:00The Courage Ride — which raises funds for Sarcoma research — will roll out of Iowa City on August 10.
The life and legacy of Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret
July 11, 2024 12:00Liffring-Zug Bourret broke barriers as a photographer when she focused her lens on the lives of Iowans who were often overlooked.
Post-flood home improvement advice
July 10, 2024 12:00Catastrophic rainfall and swollen rivers have left thousands of Iowans with a lot of work to do in repairing their homes.
Land once purchased for a nuclear power plant is now 6,000 acres of restored prairie
July 09, 2024 11:00Less than 0.1% of Iowa's tallgrass prairie remains today, which once covered 85% of the state's land prior to European-American settlement.
Stalking the perfect sweet corn
July 06, 2024 11:00Secrets for growing sweet corn as the season begins.
Iowa Writers' workshop alum says winning the Pulitzer is a game changer
July 04, 2024 12:00Jayne Anne Phillips was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her newest novel, Night Watch.
Understanding Iowa's historical record at the first ever Iowa history conference
July 03, 2024 12:00Host Charity Nebbe speaks with panelists about the challenges they face sharing a clearer picture of Iowa's history in their classrooms and museums.
Travel writer is working to make Iowa a vacation destination
July 02, 2024 12:00Iowa isn’t well-regarded as a vacation spot in the country, but for those in the know there is a lot to do and see in the state, including the sculptures of Tom Stancliffe.
Ketchup on the best tomato gardening practices
June 29, 2024 12:00What to know about homegrown tomatoes so you can enjoy them ripe off the vine.
Iowa teen speaks out amid anti-trans legislation
June 28, 2024 12:00A trans teen in Iowa says he's faced little discrimination, but recent Iowa laws could change that for other trans youth.
What's in a name?
June 27, 2024 11:00The name we are given, the name we call ourselves and the names other people use to refer to us are powerful parts of our identity.
Chasten Buttigieg has a message for young adults questioning their sexuality
June 26, 2024 11:00Chasten Buttigieg grew up in rural Michigan and struggled to come out to his parents. His memoir, I Have To Tell You Something was adapted to target a young adult audience.
Iowa Hawkeye alums turned Las Vegas Aces
June 25, 2024 11:00In the 2024 WNBA draft, rookie Kate Martin joined fellow Hawkeye alum Megan Gustafson on the Las Vegas Aces. They share their experiences, and author Claire Lombardo discusses her second novel.
Functional to fancy, container gardening takes many forms
June 22, 2024 12:00Which plants are best suitable for backyard gardening in containers?
Iowa's leading independent booksellers share 2024 summer reading list
June 21, 2024 11:00What books — fiction and nonfiction — should adult readers add to their 2024 summer reading list?
Book lovers share the best summer books for young readers and the young-at-heart
June 20, 2024 12:00School is out, and Iowa youth librarians and children book sellers are stocking their shelves with the perfect summer reads for kids.
Javier Zamora's memoir recounts his unaccompanied migration to the United States
June 19, 2024 12:00Solito, tells the story of author Javier Zamora's migration journey from El Salvador to the United States. Zamora traveled unaccompanied at the age of 9 years old.
Nationwide women's strike to take place on the anniversary of Dobbs decision
June 18, 2024 12:00Women's strike organizers are calling for women to not spend money or go to work on the strike date.
Blackberry brambles can be thorny business
June 15, 2024 11:00When you decide to plant a backyard bramble, you have a lot of choices to make.
The benefits of interpersonal forgiveness
June 14, 2024 11:00Forgiveness can be big or small, but even in small things forgiveness can have a powerful effect on mental health, physical health and happiness.
Author Kiley Reid says the University of Iowa recreation center was one of her favorite places to write
June 13, 2024 12:00Author Kiley Reid relives dormitory life in her latest book Come and Get It.
Making Pie and finding peace in the American Gothic house
June 12, 2024 12:00Grant Wood said that when he painted American Gothic, he depicted the people he “fancied should live in the house.”
How to turn your yard into a native plant paradise
June 11, 2024 12:00Some Iowans have decided to ditch the turf lawns and transition their yards and gardens to feature more natural wildlife.
It's a shrub, not a bush
June 08, 2024 11:00When we think about adding plants to our landscape we often think big, like trees, but today we’re thinking medium- shrubs.
Having difficult conversations about death
June 07, 2024 11:00Making plans about death can be a difficult topic to navigate. This episode explores ways to handle those tough conversations.
Joyce Carol Oates believes in happy endings
June 06, 2024 12:00A conversation with celebrated author Joyce Carol Oates, recorded live at Des Moines Central Public Library May 30
Birds of a feather nest together
June 05, 2024 12:00The popularity of bird watching continues to soar. If you’re feeling left out or don’t know how to get started, our birding experts will help you embrace the binoculars.
From a wedding dress to a PhD program, these 90-year-old twins shared almost everything
June 04, 2024 12:00Ninety-year-old identical twins Bonnie Smola and Donna Story spent their first 20 years together, and the next 20 years apart, before coming back together for the next half-century.
Strawberry season is so sweet
June 01, 2024 12:00Red, juicy, delicious and oh-so sweet — it's almost strawberry season!
Learn about practical farming in Iowa
May 31, 2024 12:00It's Field Day Season for Practical Farmers of Iowa. From June to November, nearly 60 farms across the Midwest will open to the public to help farmers and non-farmers learn sustainable farming practices.
Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen on creating a winning team culture together
May 30, 2024 12:00Head coach of the Haweye women's basketball team Lisa Bluder recently announced her retirement and passed the torch to Jan Jensen.
The Johnson County Poor Farm connects its history with the community partnerships of its present
May 29, 2024 12:00Residential care facilities in Iowa and across the Midwest had their start as "poor farms" in the 1800s.
Buzzing into cicada season
May 25, 2024 11:00ISU Entomologist Zach Schum joins the program to talk all things cicadas.
Greenfield tornado survivors share stories of resiliency amid devastation
May 24, 2024 12:00A swarm of violent storms hit Iowa Tuesday, including multiple tornadoes.
Famed artist Keith Haring's visits to Iowa City
May 23, 2024 12:00In the 1980s, an Iowa City art teacher wrote to Keith Haring not expecting a response. This resulted in a friendship and two visits by Haring to Horn Elementary.
Keep your pets healthy and happy this summer
May 22, 2024 12:00Warm weather means many opportunities for fun for dogs and their people, but summer also harbors some hazards for pets. This hour we’ll get some advice on how to avoid flea and tick borne diseases and other summer hazards.
The Reel Hope Project connects families and foster children
May 21, 2024 12:00The new director of the Iowa Reading Research Center discusses k-12 reading education in Iowa, and the director of the Reel Hope Project explains how the project helps foster children find homes.
Welcome to Zone 5
May 18, 2024 12:00The USDA plant hardiness zone map has been updated. Here's what that means for your garden.
Exploring the housing shortage in rural Iowa
May 17, 2024 12:00More and more people are struggling to find affordable, quality housing in rural Iowa.
The rich history behind an Amana restaurant
May 16, 2024 12:00The Ox Yoke Inn has been a staple of the Amana Colonies since the 1940s, and now, people can try out its recipes at home and read about its history in a new book, Ox Yoke Inn: Our Recipes Our Story.
Jewish perspectives on the war in Gaza
May 15, 2024 12:00On this Talk of Iowa, we hear the wide-ranging views of Jewish Iowans amid the war in Gaza.
The voices of Palestinians in Iowa
May 14, 2024 12:00Amid the war in Gaza, Iowans with ties to Palestine watch from an ocean away.
Don't just leave those baskets hanging
May 11, 2024 12:00Garden centers are currently overflowing with hanging baskets in full bloom and if you bring one home and care for it properly, you can keep those blooms going all summer long.
The African American Museum of Iowa is ready to fill in the gaps when it comes to Black history
May 10, 2024 12:00The African American Museum of Iowa is reopening after an 18-month, $5 million renovation
Strengthening democracy where you live
May 09, 2024 12:00A recent poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% of adults say democracy in the U.S. could be at risk in the 2024 presidential election.
What are the outcomes of poor oral health as we age?
May 08, 2024 12:00Advances in dental care are allowing more adults to keep their natural teeth instead of using dentures. But without proper oral hygiene, tooth and gum decay can lead to greater health issues as we age.
Former Cedar Rapids superintendent chronicles his journey to understand racism
May 07, 2024 12:00Dave Markward spent the last five years interviewing, researching and writing his book From Dubuque to Selma and Beyond, My Journey to Understanding Race in America
How to keep your trees safe and healthy
May 04, 2024 11:00When it's time to get some work done on your house, it's important to protect the trees in your landscape.
The Amana Colonies banned, then embraced, baseball in the early 20th century
May 03, 2024 12:00Known as America's favorite pastime, the sport of baseball was once believed to be one the Amana Colonies' greatest challenges.