Talk of Iowa

The bright palette in Ben Millett's quilts nod to queer iconography and activism. Then, UNI professor Jim O'Loughlin shares the life and work of poet James Hearst.

Once considered nonexistent in Iowa, peregrine falcons have had a comeback since the species was reintroduced in 1989.

Ornamental grasses can add color, texture and maybe a bit of sophistication to your yard.

A look at the 50 year legacy of Seed Savers, and revisiting a 2015 conversation with Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef.

In recent decades, growing numbers of young educated people have been leaving Iowa, with far fewer coming in.

Roy Behrens is the author of Dreams of Fields: Memory Traces of Iowa's Past. Then, a conversation with the founder and owner of Iowa novelty store, RAYGUN.

Iowa State University horticulture specialists share how rootstocks help produce healthy root systems and answer listener questions.

Whether you provide daily caregiving, participate in decision making, or simply care about a person with the disease, there are resources available.

Home improvement and maintenance expert Bill McAnally gives tips to help you stay cool.

Iowa's Dirty Secret: The True Cost of Burning Coal explores the impact of MidAmerican Energy coal plants. Then, we talk with the director of the Quad-City Times Bix7 race.

Tim Johnson and Anna Bruno discuss their latest novels. Then, we'll hear about two relics of Iowa history in Pottawattamie County.

Iowa State University horticulture experts discuss the practice of combining solar energy and agriculture.

We tour the Corriell Nature Preserve with Robin Wall Kimmerer and talk about the tools of land preservation.

In her new book Shelter and Storm: At Home in the Driftless, Tamara Dean hopes to inspire readers to interact with nature and community.

How to avoid creating trash in Iowa — from repairing your things instead of replacing them, to recycling and composting and more.

New PBS documentary Behind the Blue Ribbon shows a side of the Iowa State Fair you haven't seen before. And, an Iowa City physics teacher is a finalist for a prestigious national award.

Insects are essential for a healthy ecosystem, but it can be hard not to see some insects as pests.

Iowa communities celebrate a long musical tradition. Then, two Brazilian musicians say their farewell to Iowa.

A visit to the African American Museum of Iowa, then a conversation with a mother and son artist and filmmaker duo.

Author Beth Howard draws similarities between baking a pie and making a documentary film. Then, we hear from the founder of the Middle of NOWhere Rural Art & Music Festival.

The book Red Earth Nation tells the history of the Meskwaki Nation, spanning from the Red Earth People's creation to the 21st century.

For many of the domesticated animals we live with, it's pretty easy to see how they might be related to their wild ancestors — but where did cattle come from?

KCCK is Iowa's only jazz-formatted radio station, but it's influence goes beyond the airwaves.

A conversation with author Melissa Febos on her latest novel, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year without Sex. Then, an expert on Iowa's most famous Muppet.

For thousands of years, dugout canoes were a vital form of transportation for Indigenous Americans.

A Des Moines-based planting designer helped readers launch an ecologically vibrant home garden. His latest book guides you through maintaining that garden.

Charity Nebbe and her guests explore the history of WOI and WSUI, now part of Iowa Public Radio, two of the oldest radio stations in the country.

Last summer, University of Iowa archaeologists uncovered the first-ever well-preserved mastodon skull scientifically excavated in Wayne County. That was only the beginning of this community minded project.

Julie Moffitt, 57, dreamed of running Western States, a 100-mile race through California's grueling Sierra Nevada Mountains. Almost a decade later, she made it to the finish.

Horticulture specialists give their lawn care tips and answer listener questions.

Historians discuss Iowa's significance as a part of the Underground Railroad.

Rep. Aime Wichendal, the first transgender woman elected to the Iowa Statehouse, talks about being transgender in Iowa and watching gender identity being removed from the Iowa Civil Rights Code during her first session.

From 1875 to 1973, Fairfield, Iowa was home to Parsons College. When the school closed, it left a major void in the community, which that was quickly filled by an another — unconventional — university.

A conversation with author Peniel Joseph about his new book Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America's Civil Rights Revolution.

What's currently threatening the health of Iowa's trees and forests?

A conversation with author Kevin Wilson about his new novel Run for the Hills, recorded at the Des Moines Public Library.

Today, we listen back to conversations with Iowan artist and author Luke Stoffel and Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

For the Talk of Iowa Book Club, author Angeline Boulley and expert readers discuss Warrior Girl Unearthed.

In honor of Pride Month, we're listening back to a conversation with gay rights activist and native Iowan Sean Strub.

Plant experts give their tips on planting and caring for beans and other legumes.

A look at how cystic fibrosis has become more treatable with a doctor who has studied it for 50 years. And a new folk art museum opens in the Amana Colonies.

The questions on a civics exam required for Iowa high school students will be much like those on a U.S. Citizenship exam. Then, we learn what it takes for an immigrant to become a citizen of the United States.