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Resa Willis: A "Farmers Daughter and I Can Prove It"

Resa Willis spent decades avoiding her high school reunions, but when the 40th reunion rolled around, she caved and decided it was time to go home again, even though her family farm near Little Sioux is long gone.

When Willis went home for that reunion, she brought her British husband  and a terrific sense of humor, and the result is a collection of memories of growing up in far western Iowa called Farmer's Daughter and I Can Prove It.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with Willis about her memoir. 

Later in the hour, we remember the life, work, and legacy of Kurt Friese of Iowa City. He was a chef, restauranteur, publisher, author, activist, and politician. He passed away suddenly last week.

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A remembrance of Kurt Friese - Talk of Iowa

"Kurt was probably one of the most kind, fair, and ethical people, writers, chefs, small business owners, so on and so forth, I've ever known," says Elissa Altman, author of Poor Man’s Feast, and dear friend of Kurt. "It was his goal and he felt, his duty, to maintain all of the old, what we call in the food world, 'food ways,' and I think he did that. That was what drove him and motivated him."

Altman penned Friese's obituary, which you can read here.

On Saturday, a celebration of Friese's life will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City.

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa