Talk of Iowa

On this encore edition of Talk of Iowa, a look at how girls have been able to catch up to boys on measures of success and why boys, especially boys of color, experience more discipline.

For decades, a political gap has been growing between men and women, with Generation Z having the largest political divide.

When Iowa City musician Brian Cretzmeyer died of cancer at the age of 29, his family and friends created a music festival to keep his memory alive. Later, our Iowa Famous series continues with a former NFL kicker.

Some pet-owners are talking with their pets using augmentative interspecies communication devices — learning more about what animals want, feel and understand.

Iowa State University Extension horticulture specialist Dan Fillius shares how to use cover crops in your garden.

Six Iowa public school districts operated on a four-day week during the 2023-2024 school year. This fall, 27 districts will be using this schedule.

The upcoming movie Death of a Brewer tells the story of the three breweries that dominated the northside of Iowa City in the 1880s.

We hear what's behind this decision from the historical society and from the group that is protesting the closure. Then, a conversation with Emili Johnson, founder of the Black. Girl. Iowa. podcast.

A conversation with Dan Roche, author of Eyes By Hand, and Iowa City ocularist Lindsay Wagner-Pronk.

Anyone can appreciate the beauty of a tree, but to understand trees and care for them properly, it's important to go a little deeper.

Prairie experts Jim Pease and Mark Muller talk about what we can learn from the prairie and the wildlife that live in it.

Today, a conversation with Iowa State Fair butter sculptor Sarah Pratt. And, we talk with the owner of a new boozy bookstore in West Branch.

For the Talk of Iowa Book Club, a conversation about Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Author Peter Simons discusses his book Global Heartland: Cultivating the American Century on the Midwestern Farm. Then, an ISU wildlife extension specialist offers a new resource for Iowans who want to support wildlife.

Today, entomologist Zach Schumm demystify these bio-luminescent insects.

The author of a new memoir, Learning in the Free Fall: A Testimony of Mental Health, Poverty and Race in America, shares her experience in America's education system.

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.