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: Raptor Center at Macbride Nature Recreation Area and the Hothouse Yoga Studio
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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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. -
The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most expensive, but there are ways to scale-back spending and give meaningful gifts without going into debt.
My Latest Podcasts
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Spring is the perfect time to start planting fruit trees, bushes, vines and brambles. While it may take some time before you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, choosing the right cultivars can make all the difference in creating a successful home harvest. Randall Vos, an Iowa State University Extension horticulture specialist, talks about how to select the best cultivars for your garden. -
Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal joins Ben Kieffer for a wide-ranging conversation on the U.S. economy and Ryssdal's career. (This episode was originally produced in November 2025.)
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Curtis Sittenfeld's short story collection, 'Show Don't Tell,' captures both the mess and the gifts of aging. Then, Shalika Kindurangala, the owner of a Piece & Freedom Bakery, a Ukrainian bakery in Ames, is creating community amid war at home. (Portions of this episode were originally produced March. 6, 2025 and Jan. 29, 2025)
