AI and the Human FutureThis 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 us off? Can AI respect privacy, or is privacy a thing of the past? […]
American Dreamer: The Life and Times of Henry A. WallaceIn this one-act play based on the award-winning book of the same name by Senator John C. Culver and John Hyde, actor Tom Milligan portrays Henry A. Wallace, the agricultural innovator and founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred seed corn company who became US Secretary of Agriculture and […]
Iowa’s Lost History from the TitanicWhat do an orphan train rider, a kidnapper, a missionary, a wealthy businessman, a wedding guest, a betrayed wife, a farmer and an immigrant recruiter have in common? All had ties to Iowa, and all were passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic on the fateful night of April 15, 1912, when […]
AI and the Human FutureThis 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 us off? Can AI respect privacy, or is privacy a thing of the past? […]
Adventures Along the Historic Lincoln Highway in Iowa Nothing says freedom like the great American road trip, especially when you cruise the historic Lincoln Highway in Iowa. Better known today as Highway 30, the Lincoln Highway revolutionized Iowa and America when the historic route was developed more than a century ago. If you’ve ever traveled […]
Kelsey BigelowKelsey Bigelow is a poet and speaker based in Des Moines. She spends her time working as a mental health poet, sharing this therapeutic tool with audiences of all ages across the world. She is the author of three poetry books and a spoken word album and is published in many journals. As a […]
Carrie JacobsCarrie Jacobs grew up outside of Lacona, Iowa, on a small family farm and learned to drive at a very early age. She never thought her life driving pick-ups, four-wheelers, and tractors was unusual until she met "city kids" who hadn't been behind the wheel of a car until driver's ed. The confidence she […]
Response to Farm-to-Fork-TalesMary Swander will discuss how agriculture is the mother of all arts, and in particular how food and farming give rise to stories of the land and the culinary arts. She will talk about how gardening, cooking, and agriculture have provided material for her own writing and how family histories about food and […]
JJ Singh KapurJJ Kapur began his interfaith work in Iowa in high school. He started a youth organization called “The Turbanators,” which focused on “turban-ating” the negative stigma surrounding Sikhism through awareness building and community service. In 2017, he became the first turbaned Sikh to win the most prestigious high school speech and debate competition […]
Just Before the Battle Mother—A Visit from a Civil War SoldierMr. Fargo dresses in full Union Army regalia and focuses the first person presentation on an individual Iowa soldier’s Civil War experience. After a brief overview of the state’s involvement, the audience is introduced to a returning Civil War veteran (played by O. J. Fargo). […]
AI and the Human FutureThis 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 us off? Can AI respect privacy, or is privacy a thing of the past? […]
Farm Women as Global Citizens: Post-WWII Authority of the “First Lady of the Farm”This presentation draws upon the lifework of Ruth Buxton Sayre, known during her lifetime as “First Lady of the Farm.” An Iowa native, Sayre was appointed to President Eisenhower’s agricultural policy committee and served as the president of the Associated Country Women […]
