Shows
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckToday's Zoom Link (Open Show), a video featuring Rep. Helen Miller, and Peter Hedges will come to OkobojiNew Subscribers: On Mondays, we hold a Zoom call from noon to 1 p.m. Central Time. Sometimes, we have an interesting person to interview, and today YOU are that featured guest. What’s it like to be YOU these days? Event Summary: Honoring Helen Miller and Her Memoir, I Don’t SwimFormer Iowa Representative Helen Miller was celebrated in a warm, packed-room gathering, co-hosted by me, with Rekha Basu, who encouraged (I nagged) Miller to write her memoir. The event was filled with humor, candor, and powerful reflections on race, resilience, and publ...2025-04-1453 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckLive with Julie GammackWelcome to over 500 new subscribers and followers! This column is called An Iowa Potluck because everyone brings something to the table.Iowa is my home state, and after a 20-year absence, I’m back and present. I’ve experienced this state from farm kitchen tables, and from Council Bluffs in western Iowa, to the wooded peaks overlooking the Mississippi River in Dubuque. As a talk show host and columnist, I’ve been invited into a variety of communities for decades, maintaining a lifelong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—though in years past, these values went by differen...2025-02-2844 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckLive with Julie GammackThank you Rekha Basu, Carol Montag, and many others for tuning into my live video with Kelsey Bigelow and John Crabtree! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit okobojiwriters.substack.com/subscribe2025-02-2040 min
Iowa Down BallotThe day after: What does Election Day 2024 mean for Iowa?Going into Tuesday, Iowa Democrats had a lot to be excited about: some competitive seats in Des Moines, two “toss-up” congressional seats, and an Iowa Poll that suggested big wins for Democrats. But not all the glitters is gold. It’s sometimes deep red. On this episode of Iowa Down Ballot, moderator Dave Busiek talks with a panel of longtime Iowa journalists and analysts about how 2024 shook out in Iowa. Was it the economy? Or is there a larger cultural force at work that had Trump running away with the state?Follow these paneli...2024-11-0745 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckJ. Ann Selzer has political junkies FREAKING OUTNo one in the political pundit class thought the Iowa presidential race could be in play. And now it is. Today, our Potluck Podcast guest is J. Ann Selzer, who revealed that Iowa still has a purple and blue streak. Harris surpasses Trump in this sliver of time. Check it out at The Iowa Poll. I was delighted Ann was willing to join our call today, as we were sandwiched between media requests from India, London, and national networks in the U.S. First, I apologize to those who could not join the...2024-11-0455 min
Stranger In The HouseEpisode 31: The Mysterious Murder of Shirley CarterWhen a 68 year-old woman is found murdered in her own home, her family quickly turns on each other and points fingers at one of her sons, Jason Carter.
If you have any information about Shirley’s murder, please contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at (641) 828-2220 or file a report anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at (515) 223-1400.
Sources:
Iowa Cold Cases, Inc. “Shirley Carter | Iowa Cold Cases.” Iowa Cold Cases, 27 Apr. 2022, iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/shirley-carter.
Jacob, Richy Maria. “Shelly Carter: Where Is Jason Carter’s Wife Now?” The C...2024-10-1720 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckA save-the-date announcementSave the date! As a thank-you to our paid subscribers and donors, The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative and Iowa Capital Dispatch team will host a holiday party from 5-8 p.m. in the spacious lobby of the Tom and Ruth Harkin Institute, 2800 University Avenue, Des Moines—appetizers by the Drake Catering department. The date is December 13. It’s a state-of-the-art facility, and on December 13th, it will become a great place for us to gather, meet your favorite writers, and meet the readers who make it possible for us to do what we do. All paid subscr...2024-10-1658 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckState Auditor Rob SandRob Sand is often considered a top 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race contender. Wait, you say? We are in the final stage of the 2024 election, and I’m already talking about 2026?! Yeah, Rob Sand had a bit of the same reaction when I coaxed him to talk about his future ambitions. Sand is currently the only Democratic officeholder in state government. He was our guest on Potluck’s Monday Zoom call podcast this week. Sand is probably better known than any previous Iowa Auditor, not only for his work but because of his command of soci...2024-10-0543 min
Iowa Down BallotBallots are a two-way streetWhat’s good for the goose is good for the gander. As Trump’s lead in Iowa shrinks—particularly among Iowan women—Harris finds purchase in a state that hasn’t been seen as competitive. On this episode of Iowa Down Ballot, moderator Dave Price talks with a panel of longtime Iowa journalists about how enthusiasm for the top of the ticket relates further down both for Congress and the Iowa Legislature. They cut more from The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll looking at Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ lowest-ever job approval rate and a potential referendum o...2024-09-2950 min
Iowa Down BallotLt. Gov steps down, Iowa's brain drain, Melton & Virgil vs. Feenstra, Eminent Domain, Outcome of Photojourno Arrest and more...Ty Rushing moderated the fifth episode of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Down Ballot podcast. Out of the gate, our panel reacted to Lt. Governor Adam Gregg leaving his position for a position with the Iowa Bankers Association. Odd. Meh.Surprising, but not shocking.More time with his family? Really? Who even knew the name of the Lt. Governor? Will Governor Kim Reynolds pick a woman as successor? Will she run again?Tune into this podcast to see what these political analysts have to say about th...2024-09-0551 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckChat with Ruth Harkin and friendsPlease enjoy this podcast that includes candid conversations about the origin of some of the essays in Ruth Harkin’s first book, When My Husband Ran for President and Other Short Stories. Yes, Tom Harkin did run for president during the 1992 cycle (Bill Clinton was the eventual nominee). Readers of Ruth’s book will be taken behind the scenes of the decision to end the campaign. The story of how Ruth met her husband in a Tokyo shrine is one of the many stories told in this series of vignettes that offer a brief glimpse of w...2024-08-2053 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckLet's talk to a therapist about bullyingSo many of us have experienced being bullied as a child and even as adults. It is one thing about 71% of us have in common, according to therapist Meredith Stahl, our guest last Monday. She is a licensed mental health therapist, working predominately with individuals aged 13-30. Early in our call, I shared an incident endured in grade school, and I can pinpoint the event as pivotal in my withdrawal from my peer group, except for one friend, until I reached adulthood. The decisions I made about myself from that moment in time will always...2024-08-121h 00
Iowa Down BallotNone of your damn businessClick on the names of our Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members to find their columns. Listeners of this podcast will learn things about the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, they won’t hear or see elsewhere. Veteran Iowa political observers talk about the national political scene, bringing an Iowa perspective to the issues folks in the heartland are talking about, including abortion, book bans, and eminent domain.So, why listen to another @#$@% political podcast from a handful of Iowans? First, this episode was moderated by Kathie Obradovich, a long...2024-08-1056 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckShe's at the top of her game, and is shifting gearsPhoebe Wall Howard recently left a highly sought-after beat as an auto reporter for The Detroit Free Press. So, what’s a writer who covers cars, sailing, and a life where she is based in Michigan doing in the IOWA Writers’ Collaborative? First, she spent part of her career in Iowa working for The Des Moines Register, and she’s a popular presenter during our Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. Most importantly, our Iowa readers love cars, and many can relate to her column title, Shifting Gears.Read her first few columns, and I’ll bet you ge...2024-07-2559 min
Iowa Down BallotIowa Writers' Collaborative PanelistsEd Tibbetts hosts the second episode of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Politics Panel, featuring Rekha Basu, Laura Belin, Douglas Burns, Dave Busiek, Art Cullen, Julie Gammack, Dennis Goldford, Robert Leonard and Ty Rushing, who will be joining the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative in August. We’d like to thank Zachary Oren Smith for editing and producing this podcast and Dartanyan L. Brown for composing the music featured in the introduction and closing. And we thank our Benefactors, listed here: BENEFACTORS, for funding this effort.If you want to become a supporter, please do so, and we...2024-07-2450 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckPolk County Attorney Kimberly GrahamCandidate Kimberly Graham had big, bold ideas for changes she planned to make within the office of Polk County Attorney she pursued. Graham was elected in 2022, so she’s had time to settle into the job after succeeding her predecessor John Sarcone, who held the office for over three decades. How’s it going? What I appreciate about our Potluck podcasts is that we have one hour to ask questions and follow up with our guests. Unlike a television or radio interview spliced together into one-minute segments, we can have a real...2024-06-041h 01
THE AMNER MARTINEZ PODCASTAMP - Conversations w/ Rekha Basu continues. part 2Des Moines Register's Columnist and Author Rekha Basu gives perspective to the issues of today. She reflects on the interviews she has had with figures like: Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and more. Her book Finding Her Voice is a collection of columns of women's struggles and triumphs in the midwest. Alternately inspiring and infuriating, they offer a glimpse into real women’s lives inside America’s heartland – and show us their power to drive change. fine her book at amazon or shopdmregister.com
AMP - Conversations w/ Rekha Basu continues. part 2 By THE AMNER MARTINEZ PODCAST ...2024-05-0340 min
THE AMNER MARTINEZ PODCASTAMP - Rekha Basu, Journalist, Author, Columnist speaks candidlyin part one, Des Moines Register Rekha Basu kicks off Season 2 of The Amner Martinez Podcast. Rekha Basu has worked as a reporter, editorial writer and columnist at newspapers in New York, Florida and Iowa. Her commentaries appear twice weekly on the opinion pages of The Des Moines Register (USA Today Network) and are distributed weekly by Tribune Content Agency. She has made guest appearances on network television with Tom Brokaw, Rachel Maddow, Brooke Baldwin, Carol Costello, Erin Burnett, Gwen Ifill, and CNN International’s Richard Quest. She has been featured on C-SPAN Book TV as the author of “Find...2024-05-0349 min
The Fallon ForumApr 1: As Iowans celebrate 15 years of marriage equality, some lawmakers want to turn back the clockOn this week's Fallon Forum, Ed Fallon discusses:
(01:29) As Iowans celebrate 15 years of marriage equality, some lawmakers want to turn back the clock, with Rekha Basu;
(18:38) Two nuns receive prestigious peace award, with Fr. Dave Polich;
(38:21) Walking across the Mojave Desert;
(54:17) April garden Q & A, with Kathy Byrnes Fallon, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.2024-04-021h 01
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckMeet Iowa Capital Dispatch's reporter who will be covering higher educationOur Monday Zoom lunch guests on May 15 (in the podcast above) were Kathie Obradovich and her newest addition to the stellar Iowa Capital Dispatch team, Brooklyn Draisey. In this conversation you will listen to Obradovich, the managing editor of Dispatch, and Brooklyn. You’ll also hear questions and suggestions from experienced journalists on the call, who are welcoming Brooklyn to this very important beat.Iowa just lost Iowa Wesleyan University, a 181-year-old fixture and employer in the town of Mt. Pleasant. This is speculation, but I can’t help wonder if the plight of the school had been...2023-05-1958 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckWho's Who in Potluck LandOur Monday Zoom lunch guests May 8 are columnist Robert Leonard and Chris Jones, the latter in the throes of a major controversy regarding his work with the University of Iowa, overseeing water quality testing. We’ll discuss pressure from the legislature that resulted in his resignation. Jones is a popular blogger who just moved his writing to a Substack column and Leonard interviewed Jones for his column and podcast. You’re reading my inaugural post at Substack. I’m here now because a few farmer legislators here in Iowa couldn’t stomach my blog at the U...2023-05-0759 min
Being Heard: 2 Black Women, Coffee and Conversations with Lya and DanaBeing Heard: Episode 20: 'What the hell happened to Iowa' podcast host Rekha Basu talks about just that.'Renown columnist Rekha Basu ticked through some of the things she feels make Iowa a great place to live: Edna Griffin fought for civil rights seven years before Rosa Parks. Iowa was the third state to legalize gay marriage. Interracial marriage was approved before neighboring states. Iowa welcomed Southeast Asian refugees to the state in the 1970s. Fast forward to the last election. Now it's book-banning, new anti-LGBTQ laws and taking money from public schools for private ones. It's easy to blame the governor, legislature and Republicans, she said. #2blackpodcast #iowa2023-04-1125 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckAs you recover from last night's gameWelcome to over 101 new subscribers in the past two days. For those who landed here thinking they were subscribing to a column by Jane Burns, a former Des Moines Register sports reporter whose guest column about the hottest topic in the state - Iowa women’s basketball - racked up over 14,500 views, you’ve actually joined Julie Gammack’s Potluck column. Surprise. Here’s how we do things around here:Most Monday’s I host a Zoom call over the noon hour with notable guests. The podcast included above is described below. I w...2023-04-0354 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckAs you recover from last night's gameWelcome to over 101 new subscribers in the past two days. For those who landed here thinking they were subscribing to a column by Jane Burns, a former Des Moines Register sports reporter whose guest column about the hottest topic in the state - Iowa women’s basketball - racked up over 14,500 views, you’ve actually joined Julie Gammack’s Potluck column. Surprise. Here’s how we do things around here:Most Monday’s I host a Zoom call over the noon hour with notable guests. The podcast included above is described below. I w...2023-04-0354 min
Julie Gammack's Iowa PotluckRambling reactionsRekha Basu and Julie Gammack upload their third podcast of What the hell happened to Iowa? We begin with Rekha talking about her most recent trip to India, and her reflections about Iowa from a country on the other side of the globe.The two friends talk openly about their feelings of depression around the radical policy changes taking place in their beloved home state, but end the podcast with a dash of optimism, and an acknowledgment of the fact there is one thing happening now that just about every Iowan supports. Take...2023-03-2948 min
Autumn's OdditiesBad Seed: The Murder of Shirley CarterOn June 19, 2015, a distraught man called 911 in Lacona, Iowa. He walked into his parent’s farm home to find his mother, Shirley Carter, on the floor surrounded by blood. His father Bill came racing home to find the horrific scene and his wife of 52 years dead on the kitchen floor. The immediate suspect wasn’t far from home, though. SOURCEShttps://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/rekha-basu/2016/06/17/basu-mothers-slaying-divides-father-son/86036754/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=https://law.justia.com/cases/iowa/supreme-court/2021/18-0296.html...2023-03-1335 min
Pink Collar: A True Crime Podcast106. Pieper Lewis - Teen Victim of Human Trafficking Ordered to Pay $150,000 to Family of Her Alleged AbuserPieper Lewis made headlines in November 2022 when she cut off her GPS tracker and fled the Fresh Start Women's Facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Pieper was arrested at the age of 15 for stabbing 37-year-old Zachary Brooks after he allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times. At the time, Pieper was a runaway and sex trafficking victim. She confessed to killing Zachary and was sentenced to 5 years supervised probation, 1,200 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to his family. Pieper has pleaded not guilty to the escape charge.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/pieper-lewis-killed-rapist-sex-trafficking-victims-probation-1234630578/2023-01-0546 minThe Fallon ForumMay 16: Analyzing Roe v. WadeOn this week's Fallon Forum, Charles Goldman joins Ed Fallon to discuss:
(01:17) Analyzing Roe v. Wade, with Sally Frank and Rekha Basu;
(53:19) Inside the Hives and Lives of Bees, with Kathy Byrnes.2022-05-171h 02
ORANGE CITY LITERATURE FESTIVALOCLF - 2019 | Crossing the Lakshman Rekha is way ahead for the Women of this Era - Moupia Basu, Shazia ilmi, Susmita Mukherjee, Dharmendra Kanwar, Nidhi Chaphekar In conversation with Akash KhuranaDiscrimination against women and girls is a pervasive and long-running phenomenon that characterizes Indian society at every level. India’s progress towards gender equality, measured by its position on rankings such as the Gender Development Index has been disappointing, despite fairly rapid rates of economic growth. Crimes against women show an upward trend, in particular brutal crimes such as rapes, dowry deaths, and honor killings. Behavioral studies find that while in the short run there is backlash by men as traditional gender roles are being challenged, the negative stereotype eventually disappears. This underscores the importance of sustained affirmative action as...2021-12-2750 min
Kissa Kahani by Nidhi Basu - A Podcast of Hindi StoriesS7-E1 Gol Darwaza, Chowk Aur Wo Bachpan : Rekha Mehrotra ( memoir, Childhood nostalgia, true story, old Lucknow, river Gomti)This episode is a tribute to my loving mother Smt Rekha Mehrotra ji who wrote this specially for my podcast, a memoir written by her about Chowk area of Old Lucknow where she spent her childhood. Those by-lanes of Chowk, that scrumptious street-food, the Ramlila of Chowk, her beloved Khunkhunji school, trips to Gomti ji, Come let's now enter that magical world inside Gol Darwaza....ये एपिसोड मेरी पूजनीया माँ रेखा मेहरोत्रा जी को एक श्रद्धांजलि है- उन्हीं के द्वारा लिखा एक अनूठा संस्मरण पुराने लखनऊ के चौक इलाके का, जहाँ उनका बचपन बीता। चौक की वो गलियां, लज़ीज़ स्ट्रीट फ़ूड, चौक की प्रसिद्द रामलीला, उनका अतिप्रिय खुनखुनजी स्कूल, गोमती नदी स्नानचलिए आपको ले चलते हैं गोल दरवाज़े के अंदर की जादुई दुनिया में....
2021-06-2126 minThe Fallon ForumNovember 4: Post-election analysisOn this week's Fallon Forum, Ed Fallon discusses:
Post-election analysis with Rekha Basu, Pascha Morgan, Charles Goldman and Kathy Byrnes.2020-11-041h 00
Sunday Suspense (Full Episodes)ব্যোমকেশ - অগ্নিবাণSaradindu Bandyopadhyay's Byomkesh Bakshi in Agnibaan on Sunday Suspense Starring: Introduction and Ajit - Deep Byomkesh Bakshi and Dr. Rudra - Mir Habul - Pushpal Birenbabu - Shankari Prasad Mitra Rekha - Ayantika Step Mother - Sree Monmotho - Monojit Students in the street - Jyotirmoy, Supratim Debkumar Sarkar - Jagannath Basu Background music and special effects: Richard Direction: Indrani Presented by Mirchi Bangla Disclaimer: This show is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the creator’s...2020-01-061h 24
Bollywood is For LoversHalloween: Ghosts, Witches, and Zombies, Oh My!In this episode we discuss three Bollywood horror films featuring popular and familiar supernatural creatures. Show Notes: Happy Halloween! Matt plugs John Carpenter’s Halloween (not a Bollywood film) Shout out to Edmonton’s DEDfest Ranging MMS is the found footage horror film we mention Bipasha Basu, Bollywood’s scream queen Nagini, Indian snake women Pretentious Movie Reviews Bhoot (Ram Gopal Varma, 2003) Shout out to 90s Canadian classic Due South Film Studies Students Alert: we discuss shots Ajay Devgan (the slap master) Urmila Matondkar and Rekha INTERMISSION (“Bhoot Hoon Main” from Bhoot) Ek Thi Daayan (Kannan Iyer’s, 2013) Emraan Hashmi as Bo...2015-10-3049 min
Mickelson's Podcast - Powered by the Iowa Firearms CoalitionFriday September 26 2015Talking with the quad-copter photographer, Colin Powers, who filmed a bunch of Des Moines from his drone. A drone's eye view. Then, a bunch of open-line Friday...remembering John Lofton, thinking about war, druggies and Tesla. And agreeing with Rekha Basu...the end is near.2014-09-261h 27