family

In the novel Nothing to See Here, 28-year-old Lillian Breaker is unhappily drifting through life when an old school friend asks for a big favor. Suddenly she is the caretaker of 10-year-old twins — who sometimes burst into flames. Kevin Wilson’s novel is also about friendship, class, politics, parenting and family, both found and biological. On the Talk of Iowa book club, host Charity Nebbe talks about the work with author Wilson and expert readers, Lauren Haldeman, a poet and graphic novelist, and Karen Kedrowski, professor of political science at Iowa State University.

Gathering with extended family can be wonderful, pleasant, awkward, difficult or even toxic. Sylvia Mikucki-Enyart, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Family Communication, joins with advice about how to navigate the stress of hosting, be a gracious guest and bring new people into family traditions. But first, holiday gatherings can be a great opportunity to learn more about a family member on a deeper level. Von Diaz, senior producer at StoryCorps, shares tips for asking them questions.

If you’re looking for brilliant, beautiful and delicious ideas for the holiday season, influencer and best-selling author Kaleb Wyse is the man to turn to. Wyse shares his favorite seasonal traditions and recipes, plus tips to avoid overwhelm and disregard the pressure to follow the latest trends at the holidays.

A retired therapist and professor shares what Alzheimer's has felt like for him. Volker Thomas and Edie Pierce Thomas, his wife and primary caregiver, open up about diagnosis, caregiving and the moments that still bring relief.

Some parents struggle to see their children leave home, while others see it as a new and exciting phase of their life. Empty nesters share their experiences.

Iowan Mike Rowley shares the detective work that revealed his ancestor's service. Then, we meet the pilot who flew around the world to raise awareness for polio eradication.

Each family comes with their own culture, humor and traditions, which can complicate marrying into them.

Iowans discuss the difficulties of keeping a business in the family, and a geologist discusses storing carbon

Acknowledging the pain of a death directly is important, even though our culture wants to avoid discussing the inevitable.

Death is a natural part of life, but our society struggles to support those who are grieving.