Talk of Iowa

Talk 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.

Episodes

A very moooving discussion on the domestication of cattle

July 4, 2025 • 48 mins

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? Later, farmer and author Beth Hoffman joins the program to talk about her podcast, At the Iowa Farm Table.

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Iowa's only jazz radio station turns 50

July 3, 2025 • 48 mins

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

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Discovering radical self-worth in a year of celibacy

July 2, 2025 • 47 mins

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.

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A dugout canoe gives Iowans the opportunity to touch Indigenous history

July 1, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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Maintaining your naturalist garden

June 28, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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Celebrating 100 years of radio and the start of public broadcasting in Iowa

June 26, 2025 • 39 mins

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.

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Iowans band together to unearth and preserve mastodon skull

June 25, 2025 • 40 mins

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.

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A woman's 9-year journey to the finish of a 100-mile race

June 24, 2025 • 42 mins

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.

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How to grow and keep your grass green

June 21, 2025 • 41 mins

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

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Iowa's significance on the Underground Railroad

June 20, 2025 • 40 mins

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

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Iowa's first transgender state representative shares her story

June 19, 2025 • 47 mins

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.

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How a shuttered Iowa college became the home of Maharishi International University

June 18, 2025 • 47 mins

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.

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How the year 1963 transformed the Civil Rights Movement and the nation

June 17, 2025 • 48 mins

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

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Diagnosis and prevention to keep Iowa's trees healthy

June 14, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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Fiction, families — and bursting into flames

June 13, 2025 • 48 mins

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

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Iowan shares childhood schemes and dreams in debut novel

June 12, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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Living Native histories in 'Warrior Girl Unearthed'

June 11, 2025 • 48 mins

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

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A conversation with gay rights activist and Iowa native Sean Strub

June 10, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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Spilling the beans on this garden staple

June 7, 2025 • 47 mins

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

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How cystic fibrosis has gone from terminal to highly treatable

June 6, 2025 • 48 mins

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.

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Talk of Iowa

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}A very moooving discussion on the domestication of cattle

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Iowa's only jazz radio station turns 50

Discovering radical self-worth in a year of celibacy

A dugout canoe gives Iowans the opportunity to touch Indigenous history

Maintaining your naturalist garden

Celebrating 100 years of radio and the start of public broadcasting in Iowa

Iowans band together to unearth and preserve mastodon skull

A woman's 9-year journey to the finish of a 100-mile race

How to grow and keep your grass green

Iowa's significance on the Underground Railroad

Iowa's first transgender state representative shares her story

How a shuttered Iowa college became the home of Maharishi International University

How the year 1963 transformed the Civil Rights Movement and the nation

Diagnosis and prevention to keep Iowa's trees healthy

Fiction, families — and bursting into flames

Iowan shares childhood schemes and dreams in debut novel

Living Native histories in 'Warrior Girl Unearthed'

A conversation with gay rights activist and Iowa native Sean Strub

Spilling the beans on this garden staple

How cystic fibrosis has gone from terminal to highly treatable

Popular Podcasts

A very moooving discussion on the domestication of cattle

Iowa's only jazz radio station turns 50