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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Ben Kieffer |Samantha McIntosh |Neve Kelley
On this Newsbuzz episode of River to River, this summer's unprecedented water crisis in Iowa. Iowans across the state have been asked to conserve water due to dry wells and high nitrate levels. This includes refraining from watering lawns, washing cars, and filling swimming pools. We also look back one year after the historic flooding that devastated northwest Iowa.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Ben Kieffer |Katherine Perkins |Neve Kelley
Democrat Christina Bohannan announces a challenge to incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa's 1st Congressional District. Will the third time be the charm for Bohannan? On this Politics Day edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer is joined by political scientists Evan Renfroof the University of Northern Iowa and Megan Goldberg of Cornell College to discuss Bohannan's latest challenge to incumbent Miller-Meeks.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Dani Gehr |Neve Kelley
Last November, Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, became the first transgender person elected to the Iowa Statehouse. She has just completed her first session in the house, a session that included the removal of gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Code. On today's Talk of Iowa, she shares her story. Then, we hear from artist and puppet maker Brant Bollman.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Samantha McIntosh |Neve Kelley
On this episode, host Charity Nebbe talks with Fairfield resident and filmmaker Dick DeAngelis about his documentary, When Maharishi Came to Town. This film is the sixth installment in the Fairfield History Series, telling the story of how Maharishi International University came from California to Iowa and transformed the community. The film premieres June 20-22 with free screenings at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Ben Kieffer |Dani Gehr |Neve Kelley
One hundred years ago, a murder in Vinton shocked the country. Today, we hear what that case exposed about a dark chapter in Iowa's history. Veteran journalist Tom Chorneau joins this episode to discuss his new book Mrs. Cook & The Klan. This book examines an unsolved Iowa murder case from 1925.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Caitlin Troutman |Neve Kelley
In his new bookFreedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights, Peniel Joseph writes how 1963 was a landmark one for the Civil Rights Movement. Now, Joseph says, the United States is experiencing rollbacks of civil rights and racial justice ideals that the turmoil and violence of 1963 ushered in.
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1 week ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Ben Kieffer |Dani Gehr |Neve Kelley
On July 1, gender identity as a protected class will be removed from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Iowa is the first state in the nation to remove these protections from their state code. On this episode, we hear from Keenan Crow of One Iowa on how laws from the recent legislative session will impact the LGBTQ+ community. Then, we look back at the enshrining of these civil rights in 2007 with state Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames.
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2 weeks ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Caitlin Troutman |Neve Kelley
Kevin Wilson’s new book, Run for the Hills, tells a hilarious and moving story of an unexpected road trip across America that brings a family together. Wilson is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels, including Now is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang. He is also an associate professor of English and creative writing at the University of the South. Wilson's novel Nothing to See Here is the December pick for the Talk of Iowa book club.
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2 weeks ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Samantha McIntosh |Neve Kelley
How to Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter, the debut novel/memoir from Dubuque artist and photographer Luke Stoffel, is a coming-of-age story that blends outrageous schemes, deeply personal moments and sharp cultural critiques in a journey through the 1980s and beyond. Later in the hour, we hear from Danish artist and environmental activist Thomas Dambo on his troll installation that will come to Clinton in 2026.
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2 weeks ago | 
iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Caitlin Troutman |Neve Kelley
Warrior Girl Unearthed is a young adult thriller that gives readers insight into Ojibwe culture, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, missing and murdered Indigenous persons, and teenage shenanigans. On this episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with author Angeline Boulley about her inspiration for the novel, then turns to three expert readers.
