Literature

When people say that life is like a fairytale they’re usually forgetting about all the bad stuff, but Sabrina Orah Mark digs right into the darkness when using them as a tool in her memoir.

Robert Leonard is a keen observer of his fellow humans. He studies us from the perspective of a trained anthropologist and a seasoned journalist.

We conclude our "Spring Break Book Club Week" with a listen back to a discussion of a young adult novel that has faced challenges in recent years.

For our "Spring Break Book Club Week," we listen back to a conversation about the Iowa-set novel A Thousand Acres, which was adapted into an opera that premiered at the Des Moines Metro Opera in July 2022.

On this Banned Books Week, an annual nationwide celebration of the freedom to read, we listen back to a conversation about recent book challenges across Iowa and the U.S.

In 1948, Dubuque-native Jane Burrell died in a plane crash in France, making her the first Central Intelligence Agency officer to die in the agency’s service.

Author Jane Smiley's literary retelling of King Lear, A Thousand Acres, is taking the stage as part of Des Moines Metro Opera's 50th season.

The Talk of Iowa Book Club has been reading A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley. Host Charity Nebbe discusses the book's impact with the author, as well as two expert readers, including one who has adapted the book into an opera premiering next month.

Listen back to Charity Nebbe's conversation with James Anthony, who rewrote every one of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

A high school teacher gives us a reading list full of great African American Literature, and we learn about The Jordan House in West Des Moines.