Caitlin Troutman
Talk Show ProducerExpertise: Finding, booking, preparing and connecting guests with listeners on IPR's two talk shows: <i>Talk of Iowa</i> and <i>River to River</i>
Education: Audio studies at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at the Maine College of Art, Bachelors degree from William Jewell College
Favorite Iowa Destination: FilmScene in Iowa City
Experience:
- Audio, talk show production and writing across various topic areas for IPR as a digital producer and talk show producer, Maine Public as a digital producer, and KCUR, where she worked on the daily talk show Central Standard
- Has reported and written features on the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and George Floyd protests while working for Maine Public
- Lead producer for the Talk of Iowa "Book Club" series
- Occasional substitute host for All Things Considered on IPR
- Pitched and launched IPR's award-winning Garden Variety newsletter and podcast
- Host of a local music show at WMPG in Portland, ME
My Favorite Stories
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“I wanted to figure out what happened, and the way I figure stuff out is by writing.” Discussing Fun Home with author and illustrator Alison Bechdel for the Talk of Iowa book club -
What can ghost stories tell us about the world? The Talk of Iowa team takes a ghost tour of Cedar Falls and discusses ghost stories with author Carmen Maria Machado.
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Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and MDMA have become a very active area of medical research. -
Host Charity Nebbe and wildlife biologist Jim Pease observe the prairie chicken mating dance and discuss the species’ precarious situation in Iowa.
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Recently, organized labor has experienced a string of big wins, and nationwide support for unions has reached a high-water mark not seen since the 1960s.
My Latest Stories
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Violins of Hope, a project built around a private collection of over 70 restored instruments connected to musicians before and during the Holocaust, is currently touring the state. -
The new, multi-site, month-long festival in Iowa City centers on Afrofuturistic art, fashion, literature, media and community dialogue. -
Grant Faulkner will be at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines on Jan. 23 to promote “something out there in the distance,” a novel written in the flash fiction style.
My Latest Podcasts
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In 2008, 47% of Iowa’s college students planned to stay in the state after graduation. That dropped to 41% in 2024. That’s a big concern in a state where many businesses are already seeing a worker shortage. We talk about the factors that seem to be driving brain drain and how to combat it. (This episode was originally produced July 30, 2025.)
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The Corinthian Baptist Church, a majority Black congregation, sits just three miles away from Plymouth Congregational Church, a majority white congregation. Two members of each decided to cross the racial divide, bring the congregations together and build relationships. Now, the church members hold joint Bible studies, watch sporting events and sing in choirs together. In this episode, we meet Caroline Peterson and Leslie Jackson, the women who made this happen, plus other community builders from across Iowa. -
On this archive episode we weigh the strengths and vulnerabilities of our current election infrastructure. David Levine, a senior fellow at University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement joins the program to discuss election integrity in the United States and internationally, threats to democracy and ways to improve the election process. (This episode was originally produced in May 2025.)
