Shifting roles
Charity Nebbe – Host of Talk of Iowa
Charity Nebbe became host of Iowa Public Radio’s weekday talk show, Talk of Iowa, in 2010. She describes it as a “homecoming” after returning to her native state from public radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She created Chinwag Theater, a nationally syndicated public radio show she hosted and produced for ten years.
Host of Talk of Iowa
Charity Nebbe has been hosting Talk of Iowa on WOI since returning to her native state in 2010. The Iowa State University alumna created Chinwag Theater, produced and hosted nationally syndicated public radio shows, including one with Daniel Pinkwater, and spent ten years at Michigan Public Radio.
Women’s roles, rights and identities are constantly shifting in our culture. But, even though the first wave of feminism began in 1848 and suffragists secured women the right to vote, there’s still work to be done. In this Womanhood episode, we’ll explore the various responsibilities and ramifications of being a woman.
Biological sampling of Iowa stream sites has found that two-thirds of them have poor or fair water quality. In this horticulture day edition of Talk of Iowa, forester Mark Vitosh joins the program to talk about why that is and what we can do to make improvements.
Author of The Girl in the Red Dress
Charity Nebbe is a journalist, novelist and wildlife rehabilitator. She lives with her mother and two dogs on 22 acres of land in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she plants hardwood trees and hosts all sorts of wild animals. She’s also a regular guest on the weekly podcast, Talk of Iowa.
Her full-length play lady in the red dress explores memory that is inextricably tied to culture and identity, and shows how personal history can be reclaimed through the power of narrative. Originally produced at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, it has been performed both internationally and in professional theatres across Canada.
The story is set around a girl’s experience with her mother and an upcoming Christmas dance at her school. The main conflict in the story is that the girl does not like her mother making dresses for her and tries to hide it from her friend Lonnie. When Lonnie finds out, it leads to a conflict at the dance.
Co-host of Chinwag Theater
Charity Nebbe co-created Chinwag Theater, a nationally syndicated public radio show she produced and hosted with well-known author Daniel Pinkwater in the WOI studios. She also spent ten years at Michigan Radio, where she was local host of All Things Considered.
Each program takes seven to ten hours to brainstorm, plan, script, record and edit. A typical episode features an interview with a guest who reads from their book, and the co-hosts also discuss the themes and ideas of the book.
Charity lives on a farm near Kalona, Iowa, with her husband, who’s a baker. She loves to garden and cook with local ingredients. She’s also a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator and has written a children’s book.
Author of Wrong Tree: Adventures in Wildlife Biology
Mercer Public Library welcomes author Jeff Wilson and illustrator Terry Daulton, who will discuss their new book, Wrong Tree: Adventures in Wildlife Biology. The memoir is a collection of stories about Wilson’s 30+ year career as a wildlife technician for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He spent his time atop eagle nests, deep in bear dens, driving rugged forest roads tracking furbearers and spending nights under the stars banding loons.
He weaves natural history and science into adventures that are informative, entertaining and occasionally hilarious. From his small family farm in Linn County to the Northwoods of Wisconsin and far flung locations around the world, this is one story that will leave you with a smile on your face. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. A selection of scratch board illustrations from the book will be on display during the event. This exhibition is sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Public Library.
