Join Sarah Pratt, official butter sculptor for the Iowa State Fair, at the West Bend Public Library on October 19 for a fun and interactive workshop celebrating Iowa’s beloved butter art tradition. The session begins with a brief history of butter sculpting, the butter cow’s significance in the Iowa State Fair, and Pratt’s journey from apprentice […]

Join Iowa historical fiction author Ann Hanigan Kotz at the Dubuque County Library on October 19 as she explores two transformative periods in Iowa history: the women’s suffrage movement and World War I. The program begins with the story of Iowa’s suffrage movement, examining the long struggle for women’s right to vote. Ann introduces the […]

American politics has entered a period of heightened polarization and civic tension, shaped by long-term structural, cultural, and institutional forces that continue to evolve today. This presentation examines the major factors contributing to current political conflict in the United States, tracing their development over time and exploring the challenges they present for democratic engagement and […]

Join the Sac City Public Library on October 20, 2026 for the presentation "Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom" by Kevin Wood. Wood is an Abraham Lincoln impersonator who travels the country giving a variety of first-person presentations from the perspective of the United States' 16th president. The presentation "Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth […]

Join the Story County Genealogical Society at the Ames Public Library on October 21 for the presentation "Iowa's Ethnic Heritage: A Short History" by John Liepa. Enjoy the unfolding and changing adventure of Iowa’s immigration history. Beginning with the Ioway, one of 17 distinctive indigenous tribal groups, we’ll trace chronologically who we are as Iowans. […]

Join the Armstrong Public Library for the Speakers Bureau presentation “Beyond the Parlor Walls: Iowa Women Who Shaped Their Communities” by author Ann Hanigan Kotz. They were not governors, lawmakers, or business leaders; but Iowa women changed their communities in powerful ways. Through women’s clubs, educational organizations, and reform movements, they worked behind the scenes […]

Join Sarah Pratt, official butter sculptor for the Iowa State Fair, at the Cedar Falls Public Library for a fun and interactive workshop celebrating Iowa’s beloved butter art tradition. The session begins with a brief history of butter sculpting, the butter cow’s significance in the Iowa State Fair, and Pratt’s journey from apprentice to artist. Then, […]

Join the Newell Public Library for the Speakers Bureau presentation AI and the Human Future by Scott Samuelson. This presentation focuses on the big moral and political issues surrounding artificial intelligence. What exactly is AI? Can it make our lives and our communities better, or is it going to take all our jobs and kill […]

How can we have productive conversations when the issues that matter most can also divide us? Join veteran newspaper editor Randy Cauthron for Being Civil in an Uncivil World, a thoughtful discussion about navigating difficult conversations in an increasingly divided world. Cauthron spent more than three decades in community journalism, earning more than 40 Iowa […]

Join the Cambridge Memorial Library for the Speakers Bureau presentation "If Barns Could Talk" by Rich Tyler. Old barns are more than just functional farm buildings—they’re living symbols of Iowa’s agricultural heritage. In this engaging Speakers Bureau presentation, Rich Tyler explores the stories our barns tell about community, craftsmanship, and change. Drawing from his own experience restoring […]

Join the Des Moines Intentional Eucharistic Community for the Speakers Bureau presentation “Response to Coop, the Story of an Amish Conscientious Objector” by Mary Swander. Mary Swander will discuss her writing process and the research that went into her new drama called Coop. She will explain object theatre and why she embraced it for this work. […]

Join the Stuart Public Library PALS on October 24 for “From Winterset to the World Series: Iowa’s Hidden Role in Creating Modern Baseball,” a Speakers Bureau presentation by Tim Zarley. Most people assume baseball’s greatest stories happened in New York, Chicago, or Boston. Few realize how many of them ran through Iowa. In this presentation, […]