Books & Reading

The October meeting of the Talk of Iowa Book Club discusses "The House on Mango Street," by Sandra Cisneros

Erika Billerbeck became a conservation officer partially because she loves nature. But protecting land and wildlife is just a small part of this challenging law enforcement job.

Charles Connerly joins the program to talk about his new book: “Green, Fair and Prosperous: Paths to Sustainable Iowa.”

Jim Autry talks about life in the Deep South and his cousin, Douglas Autry, who chose to live, during a time when segregation was the norm, in Mississippi.

Zac Easter of Indianola loved football. He was driven to be the best, but concussion after concussion led to the end of his football career and ultimately ended his life.

A nice meal, a friendly atmosphere, maybe a little dancing... Supper clubs had it all.

It’s the September meeting of the Talk of Iowa book club. Host Charity Nebbe is joined by Shanna Benjamin, an independent scholar with a specialization in Black women writers; Roslin Thompson, library director at Knoxville Public Library and poet Emily Spencer to discuss this New York Times Best Seller and All Iowa Reads 2020 selection.

Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women is part memoir, part history and part manifesto. On this episode of Talk of Iowa, Lenz joins host Charity Nebbe for a look at her second book.

Charity Nebbe speaks with Amber Collins, the owner of a new, and possibly the first, Black-owned book store in Iowa.

The August meeting of the Talk of Iowa Book Club