Charity Nebbe

It's the first Horticulture Day of the new year and Horticulturists Richard Jauron and Donald Lewis share their garden resolutions for the coming year. Listeners also weigh in on what they look forward to planting in their yards and gardens this spring.

Lose weight, save money, get organized...how about jazzing up your list of New Year's resolutions with some resolutions for your house?  On today's  home improvement day, expert Bill McAnally has made a list of home improvement resolutions he thinks you should consider this new year!

When same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa the state became a wedding destination, but some same-sex couples wanted more than just a marriage license. Charity Nebbe talks with couples who moved to Iowa in their search for marriage equality.

This annual one-hour special captures the spirit of Kwanzaa and the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. This year’s program is hosted by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Llyod Wilson and features youth as the special guest griots, reading their own original poems. Storyteller Linda Goss entertains with plenty of music, and poet laureate Beverly Fields Burnette reads from her own work.

In 1949 Evelyn Birkby began writing a weekly column for the Shenandoah Evening Sentinel.  Her editor told her to include a recipe every week in her columns -- and she did -- even though she couldn’t cook. Listen back to Charity Nebbe's conversation with Evelyn Birkby about her life and her book, “Always Put in a Recipe.”

Growing up fast on the streets of Detroit, Janiva Magness earned the right to sing the blues.  Now, Magness is a renowned singer who has recently released her tenth album, "Stronger For It". Today on Talk of Iowa, we listen back to a conversation host Charity Nebbe had with Magness, about her life, her music, and her work as an advocate for foster care.

There are several recent studies showing how meditation can help fight cancer, PTSD, learning disabilities, as well as everyday physical and mental ailments. Host Charity Nebbe talks with meditators across the state to find out how the practice of meditation impacts their lives. Charity also talks with Dr. Luke Hansen about how stress affects the body and why meditation is an effective method to fight pain.

A mix of holiday stories, found-sound, and sampled songs: A bell-ringer at the Mall of America. Holiday history as told by second graders. A trip to the toy store. Carols sung by Zulu children in a South African orphanage. And holiday bits from Bing Crosby, George W. Bush, and The Beatles Fan Club Christmas messages.

Doug Brown, Iowa Public Radio’s beloved voice for 37 years, reads a rendition of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Sometimes an action by one person can have a profound and wonderful effect on the life of another. Charity Nebbe talks with four people who share their stories of how someone else changed their life. They share stories of supportive and inventive mother, an inspiring artist, an organ donor and a loving husband.

As a child growing up in Ames Nancy Sprowell Geise struggled with severe dyslexia...she was even held back a year in school. Now, she's published her first novel. The novel is called, "The Eighth Sea." It's a sweeping historical romance with twists and turns, but the story of how the novel came to be is equally as compelling.

After years of discouragement in school, in 1978 Geise found herself in the high school English class of John Forssman. Charity Nebbe talks with them both about how Mr. Forssman changed Geise's life.

Wolf 832, one of the most recognized and beloved wolves in Yellowstone, was recently shot and killed legally by a hunter. Charity Nebbe talks with Rolf Peterson, a scientist on Isle Royale, about his research and the wolf population on Isle Royale in Michigan. He talks about the future for the species and human induced population control.

The holidays bring families together, that's a good thing. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Charity Nebbe celebrates the holiday's dysfunctional family style with a survivor of a dysfunctional family, author Betty Auchard, and family therapist Volker Thomas.

It may be a certain kind of cookie, a soup, a casserole, or even a special way to make hot cocoa. Food can connect us with people we love even after they're gone. Charity Nebbe talks about how certain foods connect us to people and the past.

We listen back to some of the best new music of 2012 as Mark Simmet of Iowa Public Radio’s Studio One, talks with Charity Nebbe and shares  some of his new favorites in alternative and independent music. Then, Bob Dorr, host of IPR’s Blue Avenue, shares some of the new and great tracks in the world of blues.

Plants are a popular gift this time of year, like Christmas Cactus, Norfolk Pine, Amaryllis bulbs and of course, poinsettia. Charity Nebbe talks with Horticulturists Richard Jauron and Cindy Haynes about caring for seasonal plants and some great gift ideas for gardeners.

Queen Salome Alexandra once ruled Judea. She is the only woman whose name is written on the Dead Sea scrolls. But her story has been largely lost to history. Charity Nebbe uncovers the story of Queen Salome Alexandra with Kenneth Atkinson of UNI's Department of Philsophy and Religion.

And we also celebrate the food of Hanukkah with Rabbi Yossi Jacobson of the Chabad emissary in Des Moines who also runs Maccabee's Kosher Deli.

In this season of giving we’re going to spend some time thinking about ways we can give back to nature. Host Charity Nebbe chats with wildlife biologist Jim Pease about how you can give to wildlife and wild places. We also talk about gifts to indulge your love of nature or foster that love in someone else.

To keep a baby entertained parents often need to introduce new objects or toys every few minutes. When you do that, you're not just distracting the baby, you're helping them learn about the world.

Host Charity Nebbe finds out about new research into how infants learn, and the remarkable Dr. Ignacio Ponseti, the creator of the Ponseti Method for correcting clubfoot, is remembered by a life long friend.

Jeffrey Copeland's Shell Games: The Life and Times of Pearl McGill, Industrial Spy and Pioneer Labor Activist is a true story told in the voices of people who lived the events. The story has murder, mystery, mayhem - all important pieces of American history - and a good love story as well. Copeland is the Head of the Department of Languages and Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa.

It can be hard to put feelings into words, but this time of year chances are good that someone has written a song that says exactly what the holiday season means to you.  On today's Talk of Iowa, listeners tell us a story about their favorite holiday song and musician Dan Knight plays it.

Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu has written numerous columns over the years about the rights of women, their daily lives, and the lives of those whose stories often go unheard. Charity Nebbe talks with Basu about her new book "Finding Her Voice,"  which is a collection of columns about the lives of women in the Midwest.

George Bernard Shaw once said, “Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.” With that in mind Talk of Iowa finds out about the best new books for kids. Host Charity Nebbe talks with Alice Meyer of Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, Maryann Peters of New Bo Books in Cedar Rapids and Annie Leonard of the Next Chapter in Knoxville.

When we were children many of us crossed the prairie with Pa, Ma, Laura, Mary and little baby Carrie. Now the Library of America has published a new edition of the collected works of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Charity Nebbe talks with Caroline Fraser, the editor of the new collection, and Sarah Uthoff, Iowa’s pre-eminent expert on Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Every December tens of thousands of seemingly sensible Iowans buy a cut tree and bring it into the house. On Horticulture Day Charity Nebbe talks with forester Mark Vitosh about Christmas trees, how they’re grown, how to pick a good one, how to keep it fresh and how our Christmas tree crop was affected by the drought.

Horticulturist Richard Jauron then joins the conversation to answer listener questions about the plants in their lives.

Approximately one out every five children in the United States will be sexually abused before the age of 16. Larry Wohlgemuth was one of those kids. Charity Nebbe talks with him about his experiences and his new book, “Larry Tells Stories: A Journey of Sexual Abuse, PTSD and Recovery.” Charity also talks with Kathy Lowenberg who counsels victims of sexual abuse.

Following an investigation, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has been cleared and reinstated as the resident scientist at the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary, formerly the Great Ape Trust, but the future of the organization is anything but certain. Charity Nebbe talks with Sue Savage- Rumbaugh and Executive Director Julie Gilmore about the work their doing and their plans and hopes for the future.

Then, University of Iowa alum Brittany Griffith shares her experiences as a professional rock climber.

“Talk of Iowa” host Charity Nebbe sat down with Jan Wiessmiller and Paul Ingram of Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City and Harley McIlrath of Pioneer Bookshop in Grinnell to find out their picks for the best new books this holiday season.  

Paul Ingram’s 2012 Book List – (Including passages from the books and reviews from Paul)

Paul is a book buyer for Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City

Garrison Keillor once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” Host Charity Nebbe talks with Jan Wiessmiller and Paul Ingram of Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City and Harley McIlrath of Pioneer Bookshop in Grinnell. We find out about the best new books for giving and receiving this holiday season.

In the 1890's Iowans saw some strange things in the sky. Charity Nebbe talks with historian Steven Arts about Iowa’s UFO sightings. Then, if you’re looking for Iowa’s oldest water tower, Iowa’s oldest continuously operating hotel or if you just love Iowa trivia, Fred Stark is your man. Fred shares his extensive wealth of knowledge about the state.