Iowa husband-and-wife duo Troy and  Amy Van Beek pooled their resources and talents--he's an ex-Navy Seal with a degree in Sustainability; she's an Eco-Architectural Designer and Builder with a degree in Fine Arts--to create Iowa's pioneering solar company, Ideal Energy Inc. Idealism motivates this dynamic couple, who believe creating energy abundance through sustainable practices will help eliminate scarcity, a primary motivation for war.

Absolutely, positively believe in the power of story. So says Michelle Edwards, award-winning author, illustrator and big time knitter. Her book, Chicken Man, was re-released this year for its 25th anniversary. Schwartz & Wade just released Michelle's newest book A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story of Knitting & Love. For tips on building your own inventory of story ideas to develop, tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl on KRUU.

Tackling the writing and publishing process together proved productive for novelists Rachel Hyde and Grace Gillespie Carter. Though they live far apart, they've been friends for nearly 50 years and writing support pals for 22. For tips on how to craft relationships that foster creativity, tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl, Rachel and Grace.

Expat turned Iowan Casey Hynes is a contributing writer for Forbes Asia, a freelance journalist, and a content marketing writer with extensive experience covering tech, entrepreneurship, and human rights issues in Asia. Committed to building community wherever she lands, Casey's a member of the Fairfield CoLab and serves on its Board of Directors. She also founded the Iowa Chapter of the Journalism and Women Symposium.

If you want to create work, dive into other worlds: they give you enthusiasm and hope. So says professional dancer and dance teacher Kenny Pearl, author of The Dance Gods: A New York Memoir. Kenny lived in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. He danced for and with Martha Graham and later circled the globe dancing for the boundary-breaking Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Now on dance faculty at Canada's Ryerson University, Kenny works with emerging dancers and preserves the memories of legends.

Every curly head is different! So says Iowa salon owner Martha Watson, a small town cosmetologist whose specialty--Curly Hair Artistry--draws clients to her Aurora Salon from across the street and across the state. Voted #1 Favorite Stylist for two years running in the Hawk Eye Readers Choice competition, Martha has valuable tips for entrepreneurs and for people stymied by their own or a loved one's curly tresses.

During Iowa woods walks, urbanite MARC NIESON learned to connect with nature, his most creative self, and other people. Marc's memoir, SCHOOLHOUSE: LESSONS ON LOVE AND LANDSCAPE, describes the pivotal year he spent living in an old one-room schoolhouse while attending The Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Distraught over a failed 10-year relationship, Marc came to Iowa seeking apartness. Instead he found a tribe of supportive fellow writers, a landscape that seduced him, and the realization that writing and life are all about connecting. Today Marc serves on Chatham University's faculty and is fiction editor of The Fourth River. To hear Marc's description of his evolving creative process, tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl and Marc Nieson.

"Ski behind skiers that are better than you are." That advice from her father inspired dancer BETH CORNING to craft a dance career that features interdisciplinary collaboration and celebrates the strengths of mature performers. A dancer, choreographer, and the artistic director of Corning Works, Beth's studied with outstanding teachers. Now recognized as a Master Teacher herself, she's served on faculty and as guest artist in dance programs in the U.S., France, England, and Scandinavia. Tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl and Beth Corning! [Photo Credit Frank Walsh]

Getting arrested is expensive, millennial Taylor Brorby learned after he engaged in civil disobedience in Boone, Iowa, last autumn to protest construction of the Bakken Oil Pipeline. Taking a stand on behalf of his old home, near the North Dakota Badlands, and his new home, Ames, where he's pursing MFA studies in creative writing and the environment, Taylor views Dakota Access Pipeline construction across the U.S. as an incursion he has to resist.

His motivation?

Love of landscape and concern for nephews who he fears may someday ask him why he didn't do more. His new book, Coming Alive: Action & Civil Disobedience, describes Taylor Brorby's reluctant journey from homebody to activist. A good read for people grappling with their own evolving activism. Tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl.

"Who's your Mama? I'm your Mama!"

Encouraging a rescued gosling to consider her its mama is all in a day's work for humor writer, animal lover, and fitness instructor Jane A. Schmidt. As a child Jane wore metal leg braces like Forrest Gump's, but she dreamed of an unfettered outdoor life raising animals.

Today Jane's living her dream. In rural Wisconsin, surrounded by ducks, geese, goats, cats, dogs, donkeys, and a pet pig, Jane writes books and leads clients on backpacking adventures. Her latest book is Not A Perfect Fit: Stories from Jane's World. To see how a determined woman crafted a life for herself that seemed out of reach, tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl and Jane A. Schmidt. 

Her hobby became their business: Husband and wife duo Frank and Kimberly Broz co-own The Tokyo Pen Shop, an online and brick-and-mortar store that sells high quality Japanese stationery. Former high tech Apple employees, the couple left California and returned to their rural Iowa roots to run a shop they never expected to open. Sparked during a high school trip to Japan, Kimberly's fondness for Japanese pens eventually caused Frank to appreciate them, too. The Tokyo Pen Shop supplies writers, artists, nurses, policemen, homeschoolers, and lots of other people with pens, journals, mechanical pencils, stickers, and a host of other fun products.

Fracking, sex trafficking & genetic engineering are among the thorny contemporary issues DR. KELLY OLIVER explores in riveting murder mysteries.

Curiosity about the world we live in inspired Dr. Oliver's 20 scholarly books (Example: CARCERAL HUMANITARIANISM: LOGICS OF REFUGEE DETENTION) and also generated her mysteries, WOLF, COYOTE, and F.O.X.

All three feature JESSICA JAMES, a young philosophical cowgirl detective. To learn how Dr. Oliver garnered the courage to tackle challenging topics via noir millennial mysteries, tune in to The Studio with Cheryl and Kelly Oliver 1 PM Monday & 7AM Wednesday on KRUU.

Set in 16th century Japan, SUSAN SPANN'S HIRO HATTORI murder mystery series features a detective duo that pairs her Ninja protagonist Hiro with a Portuguese Jesuit, Father Mateo. BETRAYAL AT IGA, the fifth mystery in the series, will be published soon by Seventh Street Books. A practicing transactional att

Poetry, drums, chimes & Tibetan bowls are tools that can help you revitalize your relationship with your muse. That's what poet and creative writing professor Nynke Passi and sound therapist Kenny Kolter have discovered while collaborating on events offered through The Luminous Writer Literary Center in Fairfield, Iowa.

Food brings families together. Preparing good food together also brings one Iowa family business successes. In 2014, Shaktea Kombucha owners Deb, Jack & Meghan Dowd--a mom, son & daughter trio--won a $250,000 Mission Main Street grant from J.P. Chase & Company. Since then they've expanded that businesses and launched, Cado, a frozen avocado dessert company. For a glimpse into this creative trio's approach to forging family bussiness successes together, tune in this week to The Studio with Cheryl and Jack and Meghan Dowd.