Neve Kelley
Talk Show Production AssistantNeve Kelley is IPR's talk show production assistant. She recently graduated from Oberlin College, where she studied English, environmental studies, writing and communication. She is originally from Peoria, Illinois. She uses her passion for community-centered storytelling to showcase the people, culture and arts that shape Iowa. Some of her favorite things to do in Iowa include going to shows at Codfish Hollow and the Englert, visiting different coffee shops and taking yoga classes.
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It’s a staple in almost every kitchen, but if you’re going to grow your own garlic you have to do some planning ahead. On this Horticulture Day episode, Iowa State University horticulture professor and chair Ajay Nair guides us through planting, caring for and harvesting garlic. Then, horticulture specialist Aaron Steil joins us, and he and Nair answer listener questions. -
Iowa lawmakers are back at the Capitol for one reason: a $15 billion steel mill, and what Iowa will pay to land it. On this Newsbuzz episode, IPR's Grant Gerlock on the special session over that steel plant. We also hear from Rachel Fey and Megan Kavanaugh about new maps that show how hard it is to get affordable birth control in Iowa. Then, we talk with Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. She represents Iowa's 1st Congressional District, and is running for reelection against Democrat Christina Bohannan. We also discuss a relay carrying a copy of the Declaration of Independence throughout Iowa with Butch Niebuhr and Mitch Barloga. And, IPR’s Nick Brunner grooves us into the weekend. -
It’s a staple in almost every kitchen, but if you’re going to grow your own garlic you have to do some planning ahead. On this episode, Iowa State University horticulture professor and chair Ajay Nair guides us through planting, caring for and harvesting garlic. -
Carlotta Walls LaNier is one of the Little Rock Nine — one of the first nine Black students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in September 1957. Leona Tate is one of the McDonogh Three — one of the first three Black students at McDonogh elementary in New Orleans in 1960. On this episode, we talk with civil rights pioneers LaNier and Tate, who are speaking across Iowa this week. Then, we hear from actor Tony Danza who spoke with IPR's arts and culture reporter Nicole Baxter. He discusses how he made the switch from boxing to acting, his upcoming performance in Mason City and his ukulele, Lucy. (Danza's performance is part of the NIACC Performing Arts and Leadership Series, which is an underwriter of IPR.)
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Nearly 360 Iowa farms and food businesses carry the Choose Iowa label. Does buying local make a difference? On this episode, we discuss the Choose Iowa Program, the state's buy-local brand. First, we hear from Choose Iowa Program director Beth Romer. We also hear from Chris Deal, co-manager of Deal's Orchard, and Laura Cunningham, founder and owner of Skyview Beef, a dairy barn turned market for dozens of local farmers near Nora Springs. Then, we talk with Shelly Greving, a marketer mapping Iowa's back-road gems, and Andrew and Marissa Waldo, owners of Goose Hill Farm, which grows heritage wheat and other unique grains.
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President Donald Trump said it will be the biggest steel plant in American history — and its home will be Iowa. On this Politics Day episode, we talk with political scientists Peter Hanson of Grinnell College and Jim McCormick of Iowa State University. We get their view on the new steel mill proposed in eastern Iowa, what the latest polls say about Iowa's toss-up races, Iowa Republicans breaking with Trump over the Iran war and more.
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Students across Iowa can tour the Anne Frank House without leaving the state. -
On this episode, a conversation with the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, state Rep. Josh Turek. The contest with Republican nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. Turek discusses fuel prices and the war in Iran, farm policy, healthcare and his record in the Iowa House. Then, we’ll hear about a new survey of rural voters from Liz Hamel of KFF, a healthcare policy nonprofit. We discuss rural voters' views of health care issues and how it may impact midterms.
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We talk with artist and writer Katie Holten, author of 'The Language of Trees: How Trees Make Our World Change Our Minds and Rewild our Lives.' Holten discusses the ideas behind the project and explores how language, nature and place intersect. The Anne Frank Initiative is presenting a conversation with Holten about the project on Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Senate Chamber in the Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City at 5:30 p.m. Then, we listen back to a conversation with father and daughter Dan and April Wilson, co-owners of Seven W Farm in Paullina. The farm was named Niman Ranch’s Sustainable Farm of the Year for 2025. (A portion of this episode was originally produced in January 2026.)
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Author and conflict facilitator Priya Parker believes most people aren't over-fighting, they're under-fighting. On this episode, Parker joins us to explore how unhealthy peace can fracture families. Her new book is titled 'The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict.' The story opens at her grandfather's funeral in Waterloo, where the minister's highest praise for a 50-year marriage was that the couple never once quarreled.
