Shows
Talk of IowaFreedom of Expression project gives a platform to artists of all abilitiesA public arts and culture initiative provides a yearlong mentorship for around a dozen Iowa artists with disabilities who work across a variety of mediums. Then, playwright Mary Swander discusses her new one-man show, Coop.
2025-09-1048 min
The Robert Scott Bell ShowA Tribute to Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Mary Swander, Virginia, Kathleen, Ewa, Terry, Ann, Andrea Sorvillo, Mary Beth Gonzalez - The RSB Show 7-22-25TODAY ON THE ROBERT SCOTT BELL SHOW: A Tribute to Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Featuring Special Guests Including: Mary Beth Gonzalez, Mary Swander, Virginia, Kathleen, Ewa, Terry, Ann, Andrea Sorvillo and MORE! https://robertscottbell.com/a-tribute-to-dr-nicholas-gonzalez-featuring-special-guests-including-mary-beth-gonzalez-mary-swander-virginia-kathleen-ewa-terry-ann-andrea-sorvillo-and-more/ https://boxcast.tv/view/a-tribute-to-dr-nicholas-gonzalez-mary-swander-virginia-kathleen-ewa-terry-ann-andrea-sorvillo-mary-beth-gonzalez---the-rsb-show-7-21-25-ecibuq3k6kdl0eynsaae
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2025-07-232h 08
The Robert Scott Bell ShowA Tribute to Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Mary Swander, Virginia, Kathleen, Ewa, Terry, Ann, Andrea Sorvillo, Mary Beth Gonzalez - The RSB Show 7-TODAY ON THE ROBERT SCOTT BELL SHOW: A Tribute to Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Featuring Special Guests Including: Mary Beth Gonzalez, Mary Swander, Virginia, Kathleen, Ewa, Terry, Ann, Andrea Sorvillo and MORE! https://robertscottbell.com/a-tribute-to-dr-nicholas-gonzalez-featuring-special-guests-including-mary-beth-gonzalez-mary-swander-virginia-kathleen-ewa-terry-ann-andrea-sorvillo-and-more/ https://boxcast.tv/view/a-tribute-to-dr-nicholas-gonzalez-mary-swander-virginia-kathleen-ewa-terry-ann-andrea-sorvillo-mary-beth-gonzalez---the-rsb-show-7-21-25-ecibuq3k6kdl0eynsaae Please read this disclaimer carefully before you (“you”, “your”) use our [Your Website URL] website (“website”, “service”) operated by the [Your Business Name] (“operator”, “us”, “we”, “our”). Purpose and Character The use of copyrighted material on the website is for non-commercial, educational purposes, and is intended to provide benefit to the public through information, critique, teaching, scholarship...
2025-07-232h 08
Where Landowners Get Their NewsMary Swander: Taking Farm Succession Conversations on the RoadMary Swander is taking Map of My Kingdom back on the road, using storytelling and theater to crack open one of rural America’s toughest conversations: farm succession. With wit, warmth, and a bit of role-play, her one-woman show invites families to finally talk about what comes next for their land. After each performance, audiences engage in candid community discussions—often emotional, sometimes life-changing. With only 56% of U.S. farms having a plan in place, Swander’s work is as urgent as it is creative.
2025-07-1133 min
Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #4, Episode #64: Farmer TalesFarmers tell stories about their ecxperiences with soil and livestock. Sean Dengler nurtured a lamb in childhood who made all the messy work of farming worth it. For six days, Meghan Filbert chased an escaped ram that made her life a royal mess. Josh Anderson in North Dakota and Austen Camille in Maryland dialogue about soil, how it has changed their attitudes toward landscape and how it has shaped their own creative work. And host Mary Swander tells how her whole community pulled together to try to save a burning Amish barn filled with cows. Music-Dear Lisa and Hollow...
2025-04-281h 01
The Fallon ForumMar 17: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with prominent guests: Two authors and an Irish MPOn this week's Fallon Forum, Ed Fallon discusses:
(00:47) A man and his donkey's 1,800-mile journey around Ireland, with Kevin O'Hara;
(21:06) An interview with Martin Daly, member of the Irish Parliament;
(37:02) Iowa's former Poet Laureate, Mary Swander;
(53:57) Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan…, with Kathy Byrnes Fallon, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.
2025-03-171h 00Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #4, Episode #63: St. Patrick's Day SpecialHost Mary Swander interviews local historian Roger Duffey about the early settlement of Buggy Land, the Irish becoming neighbors and inter-marrying with the Amish. Swander recites her poem "Quay," and her monologue "Craic and a Jug of Poitin." Sean Fitzgerald lilts, plays Irish pipes, and tin whistle. John Corless sings "The Rose of Tralee" and "Down by the Salley Gardens" by William Butler Yeats.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see videos, photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy LandAnd...
2025-03-1744 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #4, Episode #62: From Buggy Land to HovlandHost Mary Swander interviews Liese Greensfelder about her new memoir Accidental Shepherd. Music by Bettie Swarts and Dan Pease, including a Scandinavian schottische and Dubuque. Swander monologue: 150 Pairs of Boots.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy LandAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse writers on current topics:maryswander.substack.comswander.substack.comBecome a premium member of our podcast Mary...
2025-01-3147 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #61: HarvestA harvest issue showcasing Rick Exner's new CD called Occasional Music. Farmer Sean Dengler tells a tale of bringing in the soybean harvest with Old Hoss. Host Mary Swander interviews Amy Kolen with her new book Inside Voices (Ice Cube Press) about singing in a prison choir at the same time she cares for her dying mother. And Swander delivers a monologue about Stingy Jack.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy LandAnd...
2024-11-1449 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #60: Around Freemartin TownHost Mary Swander takes a spin around Freemartin Town and reads the notes Paul, the Egg Man, has put into his cartons. Swander interviews Aidan Yoder, a Mennonite student and peace activist, home from his 11-day march for Gaza. Swander reads about sacrifice and service from Plain Interests, then concludes with her own monologue called Bring Back the Bluebirds. Music: Cluck Old Hen and Motherless Child.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Land...
2024-09-1039 min
Digging In The Dirt with Kevin GallagherMary Swander Author, Dramatist 2023My guest today is Mary Swander is an Author, Dramatist, Performer, Speaker, Teacher. An emerita Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Swander taught creative writing for thirty years at Iowa State University and She is the Executive Director of AgArts, a nonprofit designed to imagine and promote healthy food systems through the arts. She is here to talk to me about the many projects that keep her busy.
2024-07-1935 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #59: DistanceFarmer Sean Dengler describes his 90 minute commute to his farm. One day the drive became difficult. The Call-In Catastrophe processes recent storms and the plague of loneliness. Host Mary Swander reads her poem Scheherazade, and delivers her monologue about morel hunting.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy LandAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse writers on current topics:maryswander.substack.comswander.substack.com
2024-06-1437 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #58: BaronsListen to host Mary Swander interview author and agricultural antitrust expert Austin Frerick about his book called Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of American's Food Industry (Island Press.) Frerick tells the story of seven corporate titans, how they accumulated their wealth and rose to power to control most everything that we put in our mouths-from grain to dairy, coffee to berries, pork and slaughtering to groceries. How do we change this pattern? What new vision can we bring to agriculture and the way we live on the land?Connect with us on our...
2024-04-0332 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckJara Johnson: Clarinda, Nashville to PellaJara Johnson has performed the National Anthem several times, so you might have been introduced to her at the opening of some big event around these parts. She’s a songwriter, who is also currently the associate director of the Pella Opera House, where she uses her connections with Nashville songwriting colleagues to turn the small town known for the Tulip Festival this time of year into ‘Nashville North.’Jara is one of 13 songwriters who will be workshop leaders during the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat, to be held September 22—25. If you love to sing, com...
2024-03-2757 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckBarons, a new book about the corruption of the American Food IndustryRobert Leonard and I teamed up to bring you a conversation with Austin Frerick, an author whose book is being released this week.This work could change how readers view what is happening all around us. As Bob said in his introduction to Austin, the author doesn’t just offer facts and data about the consolidation of the food industry; he tells stories about families and how they came to, for example, be able to invest $300,000 in an Iowa gubernatorial race. Who does that, and why? Is there a connection between polluted rivers an...
2024-03-221h 05Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #57: Winter SpiritsThe podcast explores spirits, the kind you want to lift in the winter, and the kind you want to drink year-round. And the kind that comes back to haunt you. Host Mary Swander explores the history of two bootlegged whiskeys: poitín in Ireland, and Templeton Rye in Iowa, and her connection to both. Readings from Plain Interest. And John K. Corless singing Noreen Bawn.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander’s Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.com...
2024-02-0133 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #56: Adeste Fideles in ChineseHost Mary Swander reads her story Adeste Fideles in Chinese with musical accompaniment. Adeste Fideles in Chinese is the third in a series of handmade books published by Timothy Fay of Route 3 Press in Anamosa, Iowa, depicting the author's interactions with her Amish neighbors. This book captures a poignant Christmas story of multicultural exchange. More about Swander's books here.)Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's...
2023-12-2021 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #55: Preparing for a Buggyland ChristmasRuby, our local chef and grossmommie, voices her concern about her grandchildren picking up new ideas in Indiana, and not enjoying Christmas dinner. Jane Yoder Short recounts how she grew up Mennonite, gardening and constructing bean tipis with a deep love of the dirt (or soil). Host Mary Swander tells stories about raising turkeys for the season and how the year comes to an end at the Bontrager's sorghum press down the road.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary...
2023-12-1231 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #54: Here Lies Mary SwanderMary Swander tells the story of buying her own tombstone. She reads from Plain Interests and The Budget about the proper conduct at funerals and wakes, and a deer hunting incident. Then she recites "May I Sleep in your Barn, Mister?" In the second half of the show, she tells about the Amish custom of singing hymns to ill and dying people. Ashokan Farewell by Annie Chapman Brewer (French horn) and her grandfather Keith (dobro). Gott ist die Liebe.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from...
2023-11-0938 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #53: Two New Memoirs: Monica Leo and Lori EricksonHost Mary Swander interviews two writers with new memoirs: Monica Leo (Hand, Shadow, Rod: The Story of Eulenspiegal Puppet Theatre. Ice Cube Press) and Lori Erickson (Every Step is Home: A Spiritual Geography. Westminister John Knox Press.) Both writers portray their travels-one with puppets, the other with spiritual exploration, to find excitement, fun, solace, and fulfilling careers on the road. Leo writes of her beginnings as a doll and puppet maker, to her steps into performance, to the establishment of her puppetry center in West LIberty, IA. Erickson begins and ends her spiritual journey in New Mexico, starting her...
2023-10-1632 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #52: Bio-SanctuariesHost Mary Swander interviews agronomists Russ Mullen and Jill Mortenson about creating a bio-sanctuary movement of undisturbed places of refuge, shelter, and food for wildlife. Mullen reads from his non-fiction piece about exploring a wetland on his family farm during childhood, then reflects on the disappearance of such environments in an age of industrial agriculture. Mortenson suggests ideas for urban sanctuaries and how the arts might promote the movement. Read Mullen's full essay at: https://www.agarts.org/special-places-farmland-sanctuaries/Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from...
2023-09-2532 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #51: I DoHost Mary Swander reflects upon the wedding customs in her Amish neighborhood-from the difficulties of finidng a mate, to the services in the barn, to the reception for 500 people under the tent. Wedding stories and jokes by Duffy de France and Monica Leo. Music: What Shall I Wear to the Wedding, John? by Aunt Fanny Rumble and Albert Collins.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young...
2023-08-0335 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #50: Toxic Environmental HistoryHost Mary Swander interviews Environmental Historian Professor Heather Roller from Colgate University with her student assistants Anna Miksis and Katie Moser. Roller discusses her research in the Amazon and award-winning books on the region, then turns to her current project A Social and Environmental History of Agrichemicals. She travelled to Iowa to interview farmers, to take their oral histories and discover the reasons many have turned to organic farming. Roller is also working in the archives at both The University of Iowa and Iowa State University. She discusses her own family exposure to the fall-out from Chernobyl and the...
2023-07-0738 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #49: Squatters on Red EarthHost Mary Swander provides background on the research and production of her new play Squatters on Red Earth, a peaceful encounter in the middle of the white settler land grab. Swander details her interactions with both the people of the Amana Colonies and the Meskwaki Settlement. These two groups, wanting nothing more than to remain hidden from the outside world, had a positive experience together in the early settlement days-all the while genocide whirled around them. Laura Hudson Kittrell sings Manifest Destiny. Rip Russell gives a short excerpt from the play. Brant Bollman, the director, speaks about the puppetry...
2023-06-0228 min
DonnaLonna Kitchen Show058: Squatters on Red Earth, an Iowa playSquatters on Red Earth from Iowa writer Mary Swander is an important new play telling the story of historical cooperation and respect between the Amana Colonies and the Meskwaki Indigenous people. Artist and food sovereignty advocate, Shelley Buffalo also joins us to talk about her involvement in the production and her thoughts on re-introducing rematriation of the land in Iowa to better reflect an indigenous earth ethic.
2023-06-0149 min
The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaStories Generating Hope Generating Action: Cornelia F. MutelCornelia F. Mutel, an ecologist by training, has written nature and environmental books for nearly a half century. Over time, she has increasingly used first-person stories and other creative writing techniques to draw her reading audience more deeply into her subject matter. Her 2016 book, A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland, greatly amplified these techniques, as did Tending Iowa's Land: Pathways to a Sustainable Future, a 2022 edited compendium of Iowa's environmental challenges and their solutions. She claims that creative writing techniques better communicate important material and simultaneously make her books more fun to read and wr...
2023-05-311h 02The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaCreating Spaces Where We Invite, Imagine, Empower: Alice McGaryAlice McGary is a farmer, fiddler, potter, weaver, quilter, mentor, and community facilitator. She's excited about beauty, justice, community, and being outside. She lives and works at the Mustard Seed Community Farm, which is an 11-acre diversified, cooperative farm in northeastern Boone county, near the Ioway Creek.
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Visit The EcoTheatre Lab's website at ecotheatrelab.com for links to Alice's work and how to connect with her, the transcript for this episode, and more information about the podcast, production team, and The EcoTheatre Lab.
This podcast series is all about finding ways to talk about c...
2023-05-311h 08The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaAmplifying Narratives of Connection: Shelley BuffaloShelley Buffalo lives on the Meskwaki Settlement with her two sons. The Meskwaki Settlement is Shelley’s home and community. She says: “Wherever I may wander, my path winds back home to my community along the Iowa River. I’m drawn back again and again because this is where I belong and who I belong to. The Meskwaki culture formed me into who I am today. Some of that formation was harsh and some was loving. I may be middle aged now, yet I am still a child when it comes to my cultural education. Yet if there is one th...
2023-05-311h 12The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaStories Beget Stories: Mary SwanderMary Swander, an Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame 2022 honoree, is the Artistic Director of Swander Woman Productions, a theatre troupe that performs dramas about food, farming, and the wider rural environment. She tours her dramas, including The Girls on the Roof, Vang, Map of my Kingdom, and Farm-to-Fork Tales, from coast-to-coast and gives solo performances of her own work, playing the banjo, the harmonica and the spoons. Her most recent play, Squatters on Red Earth, about the white settler land grab from the Native Americans, will go on the road in summer, 2023. She is also the Executive Director of...
2023-05-311h 01The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaInvite Stories, Build Relationships, Catalyze Change: Tamara MarcusTamara Marcus currently serves as the Linn County Sustainability Director. Previously, they were a Fulbright scholar where they completed two years of climate change research in the Indian Himalaya, working with local communities to translate her physical science research into local conservation policy. Tamara is a Ph.D. candidate in the Natural Resources and Earth System Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include using bioinformatic techniques to understand the impact of warming on microbial mediation of carbon emissions from Arctic lakes. Additionally, she studies how indigenous communities access weather and climate data...
2023-05-311h 19The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaMicro-Stories Leading to Climate Action: Jean Eells, Stephanie Enloe, and Linda ShenkJean Eells operates E Resources Group, LLC from Webster City Iowa. She grew up on an Iowa farm where there were no cockleburs. She conducts research and conservation programs with Women, Food and Agriculture Network and other partners.
Stephanie Enloe is the Director of Programming for the Women Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) and a PhD candidate at Cornell University. She recently returned to her home state of Iowa after living for several years in Ithaca, NY. In her role as a graduate student, Stephanie works with a Malawian farming organization called Soils, Food and Healthy Communities...
2023-05-311h 18The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaSharing Personal Narratives, Reshaping Societal Narratives: Angie CarterAngie Carter is a writer, organizer, and sociologist whose work focuses on rural communities, agriculture, and movements for ecological and food justice. Originally from the land between two rivers, or what is now known as Iowa, she continues to remain engaged in the movements for ecological justice in the heart of what is now the commodified agricultural system. She currently lives in a very different watershed today – Lake Superior – where she works at Michigan Technological University as an associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. She also serves as co-president of the Women, Food a...
2023-05-311h 22The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaArtists as Honest Witnesses: Lance FosterLance M. Foster (Irogre: Finds What is Sought, Bear Clan), b. 1960, is a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, of the Ioway Nation. Raised in Montana, he received a B.A. in Anthropology and Native American studies from University of Montana as well as an M.A. in Anthropology and an M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University. He’s an alumnus of the Institute of American Indian Arts. He was the Director of the Native Rights, Land and Culture division of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a Historical Landscape Architect for the Na...
2023-05-311h 12The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaCelebration as a Mechanism for Resistance: Moselle Nita SinghMoselle Nita Singh is an artist of Punjabi descent with a background in agroecology and biodiversity regeneration. She has a Bachelor of Arts in cultural anthropology and a Master of Science in ethnobotany. Moselle has worked at various nonprofit organizations, biodiversity initiatives, and small organic farms across the Midwest, as well as Nicaragua and India. Growing up, she often turned to the more-than-human world to foster a sense of belonging. Experiencing the effects of industrial farming catalyzed her activism, as well as her interest in the ways in which we celebrate, honor, and defend our relationship with life through...
2023-05-311h 20Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #48: Special Announcement: Don't Pass a Buggy on a HillMary Swander announces a new logo and name for the podcast to coordinate with her Substaack page: Mary Swander's Buggy Land.Reflections on Amish elections and "The Lot." Comments on raw milk and a gardening adventure burying art objects.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse writers on current topics:swander.substack.com
2023-05-1622 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckSome want to silence Chris JonesThe state of Iowa has been recognized as having the second-highest rate of cancer diagnosis in the country. Rather than try to figure out why, this Iowa Legislature is blocking funding for the sensors in place to measure water quality.This vital information is now in peril.Dr. Chris Jones, the man in charge of the monitoring project, decided to retire early rather than succumb to pressures meant to silence his blog housed on the University of Iowa servers. Iowa Writers’ Collaborative member Dr. Robert Leonard reported the story in hi...
2023-05-081h 02Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #47: The Weight Farmers CarryHost Mary Swander interviews Christopher Weatherly, a licensed social worker and Ph.D. candidate at Washington University in St. Louis. Weatherley discusses his research on mental health issues for farmers and others in the rural environment. He details the social, economic, and atmospheric challenges farmers and rural youth face, and the availability of care they receive. Includes a discussion of the arts and how they serve as an emotional outlet.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Land
2023-04-1235 minThe Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaArt as Culture, Resistance, and Community: Sikowis NobissSikowis (Christine Nobiss) is Plains Cree/Saulteaux of the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At 19 she began her life's work of uplifting Indigenous voices when she got her first job at the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council in Fredericton, Canada. In 2015, she founded Great Plains Action Society as a way to increase Indigenous solidarity in Iowa City. It turned into a full-fledged organization during the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which led her to start Little Creek Camp in February 2017. From August 2017 to September 2020, she worked for Seeding Sovereignty...
2023-04-051h 09The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaRehearsing the Language of Climate Action: DK (DeAn Kelly)DeAn Kelly, also known as DK Just Human, is a Hiphop influencer and mentor. He is committed to producing positive Hiphop music and has 5 years of experience in community engagement, performance, and hosting workshops and events. DK is from Des Moines, Iowa and is here to inspire through the arts.
DK has engaged in work in Des Moines and Osceola, Iowa, the ancestral lands of the Báxoǰe or Ioway, Sauk, and Meskwaki; the New Jersey Great Pine Barrens, the ancestral lands of the Lenape; and Arizona on the ancestral lands of the Navajo Nation.
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2023-04-051h 00The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaDocumenting Climate Resilience Through Art: Ruth RabinowitzRuth Rabinowitz was born in Michigan, raised in Arizona, and has lived for over 30 years in the Bay Area of California. Ruth designed a farmhouse and is now living on her land in Southern Iowa. Ruth holds a BA in Art from University of California Santa Cruz, an Early Childhood Education Site Supervisor degree and PDC Permaculture Design Certificate. When Ruth was a young girl, her father, David, began purchasing farmland in the Midwest with an aim to pass these farms to his two daughters. Without being raised on a farm, aside from the urban one acre Arizona garden h...
2023-04-051h 00
The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaEnvisioning Climate Futures Through Art: Omar de Kok-MercadoOmar de Kok-Mercado is a photographer, videographer, musician, researcher, and farmer. His technical expertise in soil microbiology and agroecology informs his creative practice. He incorporates this technical knowledge into the inner workings of his creations building sculptures that interact with the natural world. In a hyper-connected world stripped of mystery, his work reflects our innate curiosity and works to cultivate our sense of wonder. Whether that’s flying custom built drones through an oak savanna or simulating space time dynamics via video feedback generated through four foot autonomous kaleidoscopes, his work demonstrates it’s still a wild world ripe for...
2023-04-051h 00The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from IowaTeaser: The Art of Climate DialogueIn this episode, producer Vivian M. Cook, provides a summary of each of the thirteen interview episodes in The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from Iowa. She also discusses some of the themes that emerged throughout the series.
Feel free to listen to this episode if you're trying to get a sense of which episodes are of most interest to you, or if you're interested in an overview of the themes and recommendations explored by the series' interviewees.
However, this episode is not a necessary precursor to the rest of the series, and feel free...
2023-04-0429 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #46: Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?Spring returns to Freemartin on the wings of purple martins. Host Mary Swander describes the birds' behavior and habitats, their houses and the ways the Amish feed these birds. A neighbor traces the journey of a button from an old factory on the Mississippi River to the beak of a purple martin, to South America and back. Scenes from an Amish reunion in a one-room school house and a Mennonite child's discovery of a book on world mythology, a text that sends her on a journey of her own world travels.Connect with us on our new...
2023-03-2119 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #45: What Will Uncle Morris Say? You'll Figure It OutTwo Practical Farmers of Iowa storytellers are featured-Arlyn Kauffman and DaQuan Campbell. Kauffman, from an Amish/Mennonite community, tells of crashing the manure tank on his Uncle Morris' farm. And Campbell, from Waterloo, IA, tells how a regular customer gave him the confidence to start an urban cooperate vegetable production venture.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse...
2023-03-0329 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckA new Potluck feature announcedThis post is an audio version of our Zoom session last week featuring veteran broadcasters George A. Clark and Michael Libbie talking about their experience with podcasting. We also had Mary Swander and Bob Leonard on the call, who both have audio shows. This coming Monday, we are going to try something different. The open-show format was popular when I was a talk show host on WHO-AM radio, so let’s try it in the Zoom Monday Lunch space. Back in the day, I was known to throw out all kinds of topics, in...
2023-02-231h 02Mary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #44: Down in the MinesCallers to the KLUU Radio Call-in Catastrophe show voice their concern about sink holes and the state legislature proposal to lift child labor and safety laws, allowing children to work in the meat packing plants and in the mines. Swander explores the use of manners in communal societies, then an Amish "greasy hand" gives tips on keeping an old Maytag washer running with vaseline.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.com
2023-02-1525 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #3, Episode #43: Liver and WalleyeIn response to Mary Swander's Amish home butchering stories, Buggy Land listeners tell their own tales of procuring and butchering meat and fish. Rebecca Hawkins Valadez, Denny Coon, Larry Harris and Gene Zdrazil take center stage, connecting their stories to home, food, family and community.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Land: maryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse writers on current topics: swander.substack.comBecome...
2023-01-3038 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #42: Home ButcheringIt's home butchering time in Buggyland. Mary Swander visits her Amish neighbors, remembering the butcher shops of her youth, the making of braunschweiger, and the lost community of families working together to put up their own meat-all lost arts that stand in contrast to the practices of our modern food system. A four-legged furry creature comes to the party.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's...
2023-01-0622 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #41: Christmas Card from Buggy LandMary Swander writes of her Christmas with her Amish neighbors in Buggy Land, from attending their celebration in their one-room school, to singing carols with them on her porch. Music by the South East Iowa Symphony Orchestra and Iowa Wesleyan University Choir.Connect with us on our new Substack pages where you will see photos and extras from the podcast:Mary Swander's Buggy Landmaryswander.substack.comAnd Mary Swander's Emerging Voices, showcasing young, diverse writers on current topics:
2022-12-1423 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode 40: WatershedHost Mary Swander interviews Ranae Lenor Hanson about her new book: Watershed: Attending to Body and Earth in Distress. A personal health crisis, stories from environmental refugees, and our climate in danger prompt a meditation on intimate connections between the health of the body and the health of the ecosystem.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a reading. Visit: https://agarts.supercast.com/Your donation to AgArts...
2022-11-2945 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #39: A Nail Pulling PartyHost Mary Swander puts out a call to listeners for critter stories and gives instructions to make a pitch on the website: www. agarts.org. Swander tells the story of Old Order Amish neighbor Abram Yutzy demolishing a damaged room with just a hammer. Eventually, his large family joins him to pull the nails from the boards and romp with Swander's puppy. Reflections on waste, co-operation and living in a communal society. Ask Ruby segment on "Amish Paradise" and harmonica bands.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain...
2022-10-0523 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode 38: Finding Turtle Farm: an Interview with Angela TedescoHost Mary Swander interviews Angela Tedesco, author of the new book Finding Turtle Farm: My Twenty-Acre Adventure in Community-Supported Agriculture. (University of Minnesota Press). Tedesco traces her life as a vegetable farmer, from accessing land, to developing a viable CSA business, to transitioning her property at the end of her career. She discusses the nuts and bolts of a CSA, the organic methods she used and the way she improved her soil, the research she conducted, and how she turned to nutritional methods to heal from cancer.Swander puts out a call for Critter...
2022-09-2246 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #37: The Ballad of the Freemartin Town P.O.Farmer Levi Lyle tells of a visit from a crop inspector surveying hail damage. Lyle learns of the inspector's service as a Navy Seal, and reflects on the healing of wounds, both in the flesh and in the soil. Host Mary Swander tells of Freemartin Town's problems retaining a postmaster who can keep the names of the residents straight. With only 20 surnames with multiple spellings, it's hard to keep the Schlabaughs and Schabachs, the Bontrager and Borntragers, and the Hostetler and Hochstetlers straight.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access...
2022-09-0828 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #36: The Reveal: The Great Grilling Mitt and Potholder Contest WinnersHost Mary Swander interviews textiles and clothing expert Susan Strawn, Ph.D., discussing the history and impact of potholders and how they reflect the time, interests, biases, and culture of their makers. Strawn then reveals the winners of our contest and the reasons for their selections. Slide show exhibits of both Strawn's personal potholder collection and of our contestant entries can be found on our website: www.agarts.org.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join...
2022-08-2433 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #35: Scott Eickman, Farmer SculptorAgArts from Horse & Buggy Land travels to Manning, Iowa, this week to interview Scott Eickman, a farmer and metal sculptor. Eickman discusses the pieces that he makes in his garage from nuts, bolts, combine chairs and other farm implements. His latest work is a huge sculpture of a soldier carrying his wounded buddy out of a combat zone, reflecting Eickman's experiences in the Marine Corps in in Afghanistan and Iraq. Music by Robert Stone. Photos on the website by Annie Chapman Brewer.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to...
2022-08-0335 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #34: Lost and Found DogsMilo, Iowa duck farmer Phrakhounmany "Air" Philavanh tells a story of the Laotian Water Festival, cooling down the Buddha, and losing his dog in Thailand. Host Mary Swander tells of three different dogs she has had, all found in Amishland. Grossmommie Ruby provides a recipe for hot dog hash and gives her opinion on the latest Supreme Court ruling.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a reading. Visit: https://agarts.supercast.com/
2022-07-0832 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #33: Taylor Brorby's Boys and OilHost Mary Swander interviews Taylor Brorby about his new memoir Boys and Oil (Norton): Growing up Gay in a Fractured Land, about his life in rural North Dakota in the middle of the fracking boom. Brorby discusses how, as a child, he coped with bullying through his exploration of the prairie and through the arts. He describes the Bakken Oil Boom, his political activism, his disability , and his grounding in his identity as a gay man.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews...
2022-06-2247 min
Talk of Iowa Book ClubJane Smiley's take on 'King Lear' still resonates with Iowa audiences 30 years after its releaseOn this episode of the Talk of Iowa Book Club, host Charity Nebbe speaks with author Jane Smiley, the A Thousand Acres opera director, Kristine McIntyre, and author Mary Swander.
2022-06-1700 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #32: Aparajita Sengupta: Rejuvenating a Small Farm in IndiaThrough the help of a Cynipid grant, host Mary Swander interviews Fulbright Scholar Aparajita Sengupta who is presently in residence at the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky. Sengupta is writing a book about women farmers both in the U.S. and aboard. She tells of establishing a CSA, learning the science of permaculture, and rejuvenating a small farm near Calcutta, India.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group...
2022-06-0346 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #31: Into the CosmosIn this episode we're looking back and reflecting on the last two years-how we survived, what we learned, how we grieved, and how we're recovering. Farmer Cathy Lafrenz of Miss Effie's Country Flowers and Garden Stuff, recounts the death of her husband and the efforts of her community to support her through this difficult time. Host Mary Swander spins a tale of the night sky and all it took in-from the loss of a friend, to home haircuts, to Amish wash on the line, to the Roman candles the volunteer fire department shot into the dark.Become...
2022-05-1830 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #30: Two Beginning FarmersHost Mary Swander interviews two young beginning farmers-Colton Anderson and Hannah Breckbill. They each tell how dedicated they are to farming and how fulfilling they find the job. After graduation from Central College, Colton Anderson will be returning to his 4,000 acre family farm where he will go into business with his father and grandfather. Hannah Breckbill, in contrast, had no family land but found a unique way to start her 25 acre vegetable farm through a land co-op.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry...
2022-05-0425 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #29: Ask Ruby"Ruby, why do Amish men shave off their mustaches but still have beards? Do the Amish vote? Do they use binoculars? What are their favorite foods? What is Rumspringa? Can the Amish use solar panels? How do they observe Ascension Thursday?" Find answers to these and other winning questions in the "Ask Ruby Contest" with host Mary Swander and questioners from Iowa to New Mexico to Alaska. Music by Robert Stone.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have...
2022-04-2040 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #28: Springtime in Freemartin TownPotholes are the first sign of spring in Freemartin Town and host Mary Swander describes how they are repaired in her neighborhood. Practical Farmer of Iowa members Maya and Carmen Black tell the story of going through the derecho on their farm, living 7 days without electricity. Swander reads her poem "Scheherazade" about hiding from storms in her cellar. And in the final segment of the podcast, the Call-in Catastrophe Show at KLUU (Get a clue) Radio features derecho nomenclature and how to disconnect from the world.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land...
2022-04-0730 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode 27: Behind the ScenesProducer Rick Brewer interviews host Mary Swander about the origins of "AgArts from Horse & Buggy Land." Swander explains how the impetus for the show came from the owner of the local General Store. She tells how she created a recording studio, then during the pandemic, how she had to adapt the show to the circumstances. Ultimately, Swander created a fictional town (Freemartin Town) for the podcast and populated it with characters like Ruby, the grossmommie, reminding the listeners of the April 1 deadline for the "Ask Ruby" contest.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy...
2022-03-2433 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2 Episode #26: Grossmommies and Omas-Iowa to UkraineHost Mary Swander highlights stories of Ukraine from Annette Matjucha-Hovland, a listener in Muscatine, Iowa. Matjucha-Hovland tells how she learned to bake paska and cherry varenysky, traditional Ukrainian foods, from her grandmother, or oma. Swander recounts stories of Amish and Ukrainian grandmothers, then reminds the audience of the "Ask Ruby, the grossmommie" contest with a deadline of April 1, 2022.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a reading. Visit: https://agarts...
2022-03-1023 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #25: River House on the PrairieHost Mary Swander interviews hornist Annie Chapman Brewer about her composition River House on the Prairie. This beautiful piece-a sound journal-- arose from Chapman's AgArts Farm-to-Artist residency at the Whiterock Conservancy near Coon Rapids, Iowa. In her composition, Chapman responds to and answers the sounds that surround her at Whiterock-including red wing black birds, spring peepers, cardinals, and barred owls.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a reading. Visit: https://agarts.supercast...
2022-02-2327 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #24: B&W OintmentThe Amish have no health insurance, little available cash, but a vast knowledge of herbs and other remedies. Learn about the invention of their healing B&W protocol for burns. Host Mary Swander recalls her personal experiences with B&W and browses other tales of healing in Plain Interests. Swander announces the Ask Ruby Contest! Winning entry receives $200. Music: How Great Thou Art.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for...
2022-02-1423 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #23: The Winner of the Great Amish Belt Loop Bad Poetry ContestListen to the winning entry of the Great Amish Belt Loop Bad Poetry Contest and enjoy a selection of the other really terrific awful poems. Sample the collection of entries, from the political to the inane, full of bad rhythm and rhyme, overblown emotion, doggerel and catterel, all containing the phrases "a cat yowling on the back fence" and "a buzzard on a dead horse."Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a...
2022-01-2627 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #2, Episode #22: I'm Getting Married in the MorningPart #2 featuring immigrants from Muscatine, IA telling stories of their own cuisines. You'll meet the professors of this MCC English as a Second Language class, then sample an armadillo in Mexico, a guinea pig in Equador, feijoada in Brazil, fufu in Togo, and fish in a Scandinavian restaurant in Chicago.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry critiques and have Mary join you and a small group for a reading. Visit: https://agarts.supercast.com/Your donation to AgArts...
2022-01-1231 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #21: Robert McConnell: Hog Farmer and ConductorHost Mary Swander interviews Robert McConnell, accomplished musician, and unique director and conductor of the South East Iowa Symphony Orchestra. McConnell speaks of his upbringing on a farm, his musical family, his studies in Kirksville and St. Louis, MO, and his ventures into conducting. He now runs a hog farm and brings classical music to the rural region. Excerpts from his Christmas concert at Saints Peter and Paul Clear Creek Heritage Association, a church on the National Register of Historic Places near Harper, Iowa.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy...
2021-12-2251 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #20.5: The Great Amish Belt Loop Bad Poetry Contest: Enter NowListen to a sample submission for the The Great Belt Loop Poetry Contest and hear host Mary Swander go over the rules for submission. Deadline: January 15, 2022. Submit through the AgArts website. Speak right into your computer and win $100 and a handmade leather belt fashioned by the Amish harness maker. Don't forget to include a yowling cat on the back fence and a buzzard on a dead horse. And don't forget to leave your belt size!Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards...
2021-12-2003 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #20: Rattlesnake with Hot SauceImmigrants from around the world tell stories of their own cuisines. Welcome a storyteller from Brazil eating venison for the first time in the U.S. Welcome a member of the Jewish community of Des Moines, IA, eating tongue, and a man from Cameroon who loves rice. You'll travel to Togo for Fufu, to Sicily for Milanese. And you'll find out what food Des Moines has in common with Ukraine. And finally, you'll discover what Mexicans roast on a spit in when they settle down for a nice Sunday holiday picnic.Become a premium...
2021-12-0122 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #19: Bet the FarmThe Agitator, the Freemartin Town appliance shop, plugs in a washing machine and takes bets on how long it will run without repairs. The prize: a shoo fly pie by Ruby, the gossmommie, who gives the recipe. Host Mary Swander launches the Great Amish Belt Loop Bad Poetry contest. Poetry must be bad and include the phrases "a yowling cat on the back fence" and "a buzzard on a dead horse." Music by the Deep Dish Divas.Become a premium member of AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land and gain access to bonus interviews, books, postcards, poetry...
2021-11-1025 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #18: Living the Good Life on the Yum-Yum FarmHost Mary Swander interviews Geoff and Joanna Mouming at Yum-Yum farm near Wellman, IA, where the couple dramatically improved the soil through composting, cover crops, and prairie restoration. With the services of Seattle architect John DeForest, the Moumings built a house that reflected their ecological values gleaned from the writings of Scott and Helen Nearing and Aldo Leopold. Moumings have become known for their hospitality and delicious homegrown food. Yum!Your donation to AgArts From Horse and Buggy Land helps make this podcast a sustainable business and allows us to do this work. We...
2021-10-2722 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #17: Corn Is Not the AnswerHost Mary Swander returns to Red Fern Farm and takes a tour with owners Kathy Dice and Tom Wahl. Swander reads three poems she has written about the farm, reciting them as she is guided past chestnut trees, to paw-paws and persimmons. Dice and Wahl describe the beginnings of their perennial plantings, their U-Pick operation and their Bosnian customers. Eventually, Swander's poems will be anthologized in a book sponsored by SILT and the the Writing the Land Project. Features Meskwaki flute music.
2021-10-1433 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #16: Red Fern FarmHost Mary Swander makes a trip to Red Fern Farm in SE Iowa to interview Kathy Dice and Tom Wahl, visionaries in agroforestry. They talk about how they transformed a corn and bean row crop farm into one that will be forever preserved as a perennial paradise, emphasizing nuts, fruit, and vines.
2021-09-2929 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #15: Down the RiverHost Mary Swander tells the story of the "Bridge to Nowhere," the antique structure that once spanned the Amish River and connected Bull Town and Freemartin Town. Swander follows with a reading of some excerpts of her book of poetry The Girls on the Roof, a Mississippi River saga of a mother and daughter stuck on top of the roof of a catfish dive for three days during the 1993 flood. While there, the two women discover that they have both had a affair with the same man. Music by Catfish Keith and Annie Chapman Brewer.
2021-09-1532 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #14: Light and Variable WindsIn the final segment of the Fork Tales performance in Mt. Vernon, IA, farmer David Miller captures his run-away duck with a Mattel fishing net and puts out a wildfire burning through two acres of cover crops. Host Mary Swander then throws open the mic to two young volunteer storytellers---Eva and Alyssa-who have their own tales of ducks and crops. Music by Dale Beeks and the Mississippi String Band.
2021-08-3122 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 13: How One Woman Became a Farm Activist and Another Weathered the Weather to feed her CSA CommunityHost Mary Swander provides a continuation of the Mt. Vernon, IA, Fork Tales Performance. Suzan Erem, the Executive Director of SILT, a sustainable land trust that builds food security by circling cities with community-based food farms, recalls how she became a rural activist. Laura Krouse, owner of Abbe Hills Farm and a legend in sustainable agriculture, tells how she endured this season of erratic weather patterns to finally feed her CSA customers. Music by Dale Beeks and the Mississippi String Band.
2021-08-2422 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 12: Flying Grain Bins and Baling Hay in a BikiniA Fork Tales performance: The first of three live recordings. Host Mary Swander coached farmers to tell their own weather-related stories at the Mt. Vernon, IA, Farmer's Market. First, Allan Mallie tells of his optimistic approach to derecho damage on his farm. Then Kevin Woods recalls surviving adolescence on a farm where the farrowing house was warmer than the human house in the winter. Music by Dale Beeks and the Mississippi String Band.
2021-08-1123 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 11: Quilting BeeIt's the Quilt Show in Freemmartin Town. Host Mary Swander tells of her inclusion in an Amish come-as-you-are quilting bee. Ruby, the grossmommie, gives her recipe for Jell-o Postage Stamp Quilt Salad. A browsing of Plain Interests, the Amish newspaper, includes the care of a brood of bluebirds. Music by the Silver Trailer Girls, Laura Hudson Kittrell, Monica Leo, and Aleta Murphy. Underscoring by Marco Cacho.
2021-05-2628 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #10: Vernon Ropp: Sewing Machines to TractorsHost Mary Swander interviews Vernon Ropp, a local Mennonite man who makes lawn art, converting sewing machines to toy tractors. Ropp tells of attending an Amish one-room school and struggling to learn English. During the Korean War, he became a conscientious objector, performing his service work at the Alexian Brothers hospital in Chicago. Ropp traveled the world with the Mennonite Disaster Service and other relief organizations, to return to his off-farm job selling John Deere tractors. Music by Dean Gray.
2021-04-2821 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #9: Farm JokesHost Mary Swander tells farm jokes and stories that she has garnered from her Amish and Mennonite neighbors, Practical Farmers of Iowa members, and her own experience of living in an old one-room Amish schoolhouse. Music by Alan Murphy from his album Hogs in the Cornfield.
2021-03-2625 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #8: Star GazingHost Mary Swander tells a story about star gazing with the Amish and what it means to stay home for long periods of time. She explores the connections to the night sky in her poem "Heaven?" She reads about a universal cure from the Balm of Gilead tree when she browses Special Interests, the Amish newspaper. Music by Annie Chapman Brewer, Too Many String Band, and Marco Cacho.
2021-02-1929 min
Share Public HealthRural Health: Art is What Makes Us HumanIn today's episode, we hear from Angie Tagtow, Lisa Crow, Mary Swander, Meg Merckens and Tom Johnson about the value of arts, theater, and cultural identities in rural communities.
Visit our podcast webpage for more information, a transcript, and an evaluation.
Resources:
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Conservation Reserve Program
Marengo Community Youth Center
The Mother of All Arts: Agrarianism and the Creative Impulse
Ag Arts
Older Creamery Theatre
Iowa Arts Council
Joyce Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
This series is produced in partnerships with the...
2021-02-0959 min
Breast Cancer Conqueror PodcastA Personalized Cancer Protocol with Mary Beth GonzalezMary Beth Gonzalez is the widow of Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez. She founded The Nicholas Gonzalez Foundation a few months after Dr. Gonzalez died in 2015. She is the Publisher of New Spring Press and has just released Dr. Gonzalez's biography by Mary Swander - The Maverick M.D. Mary Beth proudly carries the torch for her late husband so that Dr. Gonzalez's legacy of healing through nutrition is accessible to the world. She is motivated by his enduring love for his patients and by her sincere belief in his protocol. It is her love for him and her f...
2021-02-0824 min
Conscious TalkThe Maverick MDOver the years you may have heard our interviews with Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez about his alternative cancer treatments. Brenda was actually one of his patients. There is now a book out about his life that we think will help you understand why his successful treatments are not regularly adopted by the medical profession. We’ll talk to the author of his biography, Mary Swander. Her book, “The Maverick MD: Dr. Gonzalez and His Fight for a New Cancer Treatment”. Website: www.NewSpringPress.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac...
2021-02-0354 minShare Public HealthRural Health: Food is EverythingIn today's episode, we hear from Mary Swander, Jason Grimm, Shelley Buffalo and Greg Padget about food, food systems, and what food means for culture, identity, and communities.
Visit our podcast webpage for more information, a transcript, and an evaluation.
This series is produced in partnerships with the Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, the Midwestern Public Health Training Center, the Prevention Research Center for Rural Health...
2021-01-261h 22
Davenport Junior Theatre PodcastMary Swander- Little Theatre on the PrairieBetween gardening, writing, and running her own theatre troupe, Mary Swander is quite the busy alumni! Listen as she tells not only stories about herself, but stories about our founder, Mary Fluhrer Nighswander as well.
2021-01-1544 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #7: Heavenly HarmonicasHost Mary Swander explores the history and use of the harmonica, the one instrument that the Amish are allowed to play. Gospel tune: "We are Going down the Valley" Story of harmonicas as wedding presents. “Heavenly Harmonica Potatoes” recipe by Ruby, the grossmommie. Music by Patrick Hazell.
2021-01-1423 min
the Anti-Cancer RevolutionPancreatic & Protelytic Enzymes, Metabolic Typing & Coffee Enemas | Mary Swander, Author: The Maverick M.D.: Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez & Ryan SternagelShow notes at https://thesternmethod.com/mary-swander Mary Swander is an award-winning American author, dramatist, performer, speaker, and teacher. She is the former Poet Laureate of Iowa and a professor emerita Distinguished Professor of Iowa State University. Mary is the Artistic Director of Swander Woman Productions, a theatre troupe that performs dramas about food, farming, and the wider rural environment. She is also the Executive Director of AgArts, a nonprofit designed to imagine and promote healthy food systems through the arts. Her latest book is The Maverick M.D.: Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez and His Fight...
2021-01-141h 20Share Public HealthRural Health: What Makes a CommunityIn today's episode, we hear from Heather Lujano, Mary Swander, and Art Cullen about life in rural Iowa.
Visit our podcast webpage for more information, a transcript, and an evaluation.
This series is produced in partnerships with the Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, the Midwestern Public Health Training Center, the Prevention Research Center for Rural Health and the Rural Policy Research Institute. The theme song for t...
2021-01-1254 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #6: Adeste Fideles in ChineseMary Swander celebrates multi-cultural holidays by reading her classic Amishland Christmas story Adeste Fideles in Chinese, a tale of neighbors helping neighbors. Music includes Silent Night in German, Adeste Fideles in both Latin and Chinese.
2020-11-3021 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1: Episode #5: Marcia Wegman: Farm Country LandscapesMary Swander interviews Iowa City landscape painter Marcia Wegman who captures the subtle beauty of the Midwestern farming landscape. Descriptions of realistic and abstract paintings emphasizing the contours of the land, the changing light and seasons, textures of the vegetation, and the wonders of the sky.
2020-11-0919 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode #4: Drive-In Church ServicesRural churches get creative during the pandemic with drive-in-church services. "Angel Band" by Banjoy with Bob and Christy Black. Mary Swander delivers a monologue about local Amish, Catholic, Mennonite and Methodist church communities.
2020-10-0725 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 3: Hunting Bear and BugsMary Swander explains how she came to live among the Amish and the many gifts her neighbors have given her—including bear meat. She talks about Amish teenagers hunting bear in Colorado and plays The Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase on her banjo. Farmer Carlos Williams tells about hunting lightning bugs in a corn field. Swander’s perusal of Plain Interests focuses on the healthy benefits of good soil.
2020-09-0128 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 2: Taking Livestock to MarketThis episode focuses on selling livestock. From her book Out of this World: A Woman’s Life among the Amish. Mary Swander reads of taking her sheep to the butcher in the back of her neighbor Donna’s car. Musician farmer Paul Roberts and the Great Blue Grass Herons sing Selling Hogs. Swander tells of encountering a cattle drive while she is standing naked in the prairie. Finally, Swander peruses Plain Interests with stories of raising turkeys.
2020-09-0123 minMary Swander's Buggy LandSeason #1, Episode 1: Online Implement DealershipMary Swander explains how she developed her online implement dealership among her Amish neighbors. Monroe Ropp uses one of those implements–his manure tank-- to put out a house fire, and Paul Roberts and the Great Blue Grass Herons sing The Ballad of Monroe Ropp. Swander reads excerpts from her drama Farmscape and peruses the Amish newspaper Plain Interests.
2020-09-0126 min
Poetry from Studio 47Poetry from Studio 47 - Episode 71 - Mary SwanderAmerican poet Mary Swander and her poem, "Letter"
2020-06-2803 min
The Female Farmer Project™ Podcastart + ag: Mary SwanderWe join Mary Swander, Iowa's Poet Laureate, distinguished professor and award-winning author at her kitchen table in an old Amish one room schoolhouse to discuss the intersection of art and agriculture.
2017-11-1752 min