Talk of Iowa

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

Pet sounds: How dogs are communicating with their people

August 26, 2025 • 47 mins
Some pet-owners are talking with their pets using augmentative interspecies communication devices — learning more about what animals want, feel and understand.
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How to harness the power of cover crops

August 23, 2025 • 47 mins
Iowa State University Extension horticulture specialist Dan Fillius shares how to use cover crops in your garden.
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Four-day school weeks are increasing across Iowa

August 22, 2025 • 48 mins
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.
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Upcoming movie will feature the bloody fight over alcohol sales in Iowa City

August 21, 2025 • 48 mins
The upcoming movie Death of a Brewer tells the story of the three breweries that dominated the northside of Iowa City in the 1880s.
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State Historical Research Center in Iowa City set to close in 2026

August 20, 2025 • 47 mins
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.
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Book explores the hidden artistry of prosthetic eyes in Iowa City

August 19, 2025 • 47 mins
A conversation with Dan Roche, author of Eyes By Hand, and Iowa City ocularist Lindsay Wagner-Pronk.
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Crash course in tree identification

August 16, 2025 • 47 mins
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.
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Efforts to bring back prairie grass that once covered 85% of Iowa

August 15, 2025 • 47 mins
Prairie experts Jim Pease and Mark Muller talk about what we can learn from the prairie and the wildlife that live in it.
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A look into the butter cooler with the Iowa State Fair butter sculptor

August 14, 2025 • 47 mins
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.
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The 1937 novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' still moves readers today

August 13, 2025 • 47 mins
For the Talk of Iowa Book Club, a conversation about Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
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The role of ag in the U.S. becoming a global superpower

August 12, 2025 • 48 mins
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.
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How fireflies light up our summer nights

August 9, 2025 • 47 mins
Today, entomologist Zach Schumm demystify these bio-luminescent insects.
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Iowa native explores the interplay between education and mental health in new memoir

August 7, 2025 • 47 mins
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.
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Des Moines-based quiltmaker stitches a deeper layer into his pieces

August 6, 2025 • 47 mins
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.
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How peregrine falcons bounced back after near extinction

August 5, 2025 • 47 mins
Once considered nonexistent in Iowa, peregrine falcons have had a comeback since the species was reintroduced in 1989.
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Adorn your landscape with these ornamental grasses

August 2, 2025 • 47 mins
Ornamental grasses can add color, texture and maybe a bit of sophistication to your yard.
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Seed Savers Exchange celebrates 50 years of dedication to preserving biodiversity

August 1, 2025 • 48 mins
A look at the 50 year legacy of Seed Savers, and revisiting a 2015 conversation with Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef.
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Young, educated adults leave Iowa at a higher rate than most of the U.S.

July 31, 2025 • 47 mins
In recent decades, growing numbers of young educated people have been leaving Iowa, with far fewer coming in.
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Salvador Dali's visit to Cedar Falls and other unearthed pieces of Iowa history

July 29, 2025 • 48 mins
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.
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Using rootstocks to help grow healthy root systems

July 26, 2025 • 47 mins
Iowa State University horticulture specialists share how rootstocks help produce healthy root systems and answer listener questions.
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