James and Stuart chat about this weeks events around the globe.

Michelle A. Rhee is the chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools system. In 1997 she founded The New Teacher Project, which in ten years has recruited 10,000 teachers in twenty states.

Chancellor Rhee currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ); the National Center for Alternative Certification (NCAC); Project REACH of the University of Phoenix’s School of Education. Chancellor Rhee is an Ex-Officio Member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

Jack Garcia is considered by his peers and leading FBI experts to be the most successful undercover agent in the history of the Bureau. He was featured on CBS 60 Minutes discussing his book, " The Making Jack Falcone, An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family." In his 26 years of service with the FBI, Garcia is best known for his undercover role as "Jack Falcone," who penetrated the Gambino crime family of La Cosa Nostra in New York for nearly three years. The case resulted in the arrest and conviction of 32 mobsters, including the top members of the Post John Gotti Gambino crime family.
This will be my third in a series of interviews with Mr. Garcia.

Tom Newmark is the author of books on herbal and natural medicine, and is the co-founder of the Sacred Seeds Sanctuary in Costa Rica . His company, New Chapter, is working with the Missouri Botanical Garden and leading botanists, to create a network of living medicinal plant gardens around the world. There are now Sacred Seeds Sanctuaries in Costa Rica, the United States, Peru, Madagascar, and Vietnam, and it is Tom’s goal to have thousands of Sacred Seed gardens in life zones from the tundra to tropics.

Pedro Noguera, PhD, is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. He is also the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and the co-Director of the Institute for the study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings. An urban sociologist, Noguera’s scholarship and research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions in the urban environment.

Noguera has served as an advisor and engaged in collaborative research with several large urban school districts throughout the United States. He has also done research on issues related to education and economic and social development in the Caribbean, Latin America and several other countries throughout the world.

Patricia Parker is the founder of KIDS FOR KIDS, an organization that helps children living in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan, who live lives of inexcusable hardship. It is the only organisation created specially to help children in Darfur. By strengthening whole villages they are enabling people to return to their homes - conflict resolution in practice. www.kidsforkids.org.uk

Steven Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, is a leadership consultant and speaker, and the author of the national best seller The Radical Leap. His current book is Greater Than Yourself.

www.steverfarber.com www.doubleday.com

Mr. Francis Thicke is running as a Democrat for the office of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Francis and his wife, Susan, are owners and operators of a grass-based, organic dairy near Fairfield. Mr.Thicke has a Ph.D. in agronomy/soil fertility and previously served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington,D.C as National Program Leader for Soil Science for the USDA-Extension Service. He has served on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission and the Iowa Food Policy Council at the appointment of Governor Tom Vilsack.

Robert and Daphne Cook. Mr. Robert Cook is the President of the National Indian Education Association and is the Principal of Pine Ridge Reservation High School in Jackson County South Dakota. Ms. Daphne Cook is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates.

Mr. Francis Thicke is running as a Democrat for the office of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Francis and his wife, Susan, are owners and operators of a grass-based, organic dairy near Fairfield. Mr.Thicke has a Ph.D. in agronomy/soil fertility and previously served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington,D.C as National Program Leader for Soil Science for the USDA-Extension Service. He has served on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission and the Iowa Food Policy Council at the appointment of Governor Tom Vilsack.

Timothy Patrick McCarthy is a Lecturer on History and Literature, Adjunct Lecturer on Public Policy, and Director of the Human Rights and Social Movements Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard University's Kennedy School. Dr. McCarthy's research agenda focuses on the relationship between human rights and social movements in three main areas: race relations and civil rights; LGBT politics, policy, and advocacy; and modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

Jonathan Freeman joined the US Army and in 2005 deployed to Taji, Iraq as an Artillery Officer attached to an Armor Company. He deployed again to Iraq in February 2007 to train an Iraqi Army unit. He left active duty in April with the rank of Captain. In June of 2008, he joined the Obama for America campaign as the Deputy Director of Veterans and Military Families Outreach. Since then, Jonathan has been working for the Obama Administration at the Pentagon as the Deputy White House Liaison.

Richard Lazarus is a professor of law at Georgetown University. He also serves as the Faculty Director of the Supreme Court Institute. Professor Lazarus has worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in both the Environment and Natural Resources Division and the Solicitor General's Office. He is one of America's leading attorneys in the area of environmental law and is the author of the book, The Making of Environmental Law.

James Moore discusses Fairfield Arts & Convention Center w/ city councilman Myron Gookin, IOwa State banker Dave Neff, businessman Ken Ross & FACC board member Mark Cohen.

A motion for a vote in May is expected to pass CIty Council on Monday, January 11th to direct funds for a potential city and county buy in of the troubled center, currently up for sale and under new board management.

The past year has shown encouraging signs of life in a difficult economy. Tough questions are asked and addressed by panel.

Tune into KRUUFM.com or 100.1 FM in Fairfield this Friday, January 8 at 1pm Central Time to hear Sherry Ellis talk about her new book, Now Write! Non-Fiction. This is an essential handbook for non-fiction writers, featuring the trusted personal writing exercises of today's masters of creative non-fiction, including Gay Talese, Reza Aslan, John Matteson, Tilar Mazzeo, and many more!

During the second half-hour of the show, we'll talk with John Sorflatten about the upcoming Fairfield Art Walk Film Expo, February 5-6. This will be Fairfield's 6th Annual celebration of Iowa film-making and script-writing. If you missed the interview, you can listen to it at Writersvoices.com

Singer/songwriter Jan Smith in the studio talking with host James Moore about her music, her life and new recording project.

I'm pretty sure that almost every time I've seen Jan Smith play live, she makes me cry. In a cathartic, "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" sort of way. She is just so real and raw that the notes creep in to my heart and force it open. The poetry reminds me to breathe deep. Her voice floats, soars, hovers, cracks, and tumbles over words in ways I don't always expect, but have me hanging on to every syllable.

James and Stuart predict trends in global affairs fin 2010.  One of their main predictions is a deteriation in relations between the US and China. 

Writers' Voices welcomes Michael Murphy to the show. We will be discussing his books, "Murphy's Laws of the Inner Life" and "What the Animals Said to Me". "Murphy's Laws of the Inner Life" is both a memoir and an example of a writing technique that Michael teaches. He has taught writing at MIU and independently. Both of these books were wonderful reads and we are looking forward to getting to know Michael a little better in what promises to be an engaging interview. To find out more or join the conversation, check out our new website, writersvoices.com

Writers' Voices welcomes Michael Murphy to the show. We will be discussing his books, "Murphy's Laws of the Inner Life" and "What the Animals Said to Me". "Murphy's Laws of the Inner Life" is both a memoir and an example of a writing technique that Michael teaches. He has taught writing at MIU and independently. Both of these books were wonderful reads and we are looking forward to getting to know Michael a little better in what promises to be an engaging interview. To find out more or join the conversation, check out our new website, writersvoices.com

I got my fingers crossed
And my hopes are high
So I'll try to stay calm
Try to stay dry
~ Fingers Crossed, Allison Weiss

Allison Weiss' music is said to sound like “Your saddest memories sung to the tune of your happiest”, and I think that is a pretty apt description. If you separated the lyrics from the music you’d probably get a very different feeling from each. Put together as they are though, the bittersweet, upbeat pop gems have you tapping your feet while feeling that little tug on your heart that happens when you remember something sad or the longing that comes with a crush.

The Savvy Vegetarian, a.k.a. Judith Kingsbury, joins us for a discussion of meatless meals plus many other topics like the ones she showcases on her website-savvyvegetarian.com.  This month's featured recipe on the site is a vegetarian chili.  Judith will share her take on that classic dish and we'll be cooking up our own chili versions in the studio.  We'll share some food memories of chili experiences, discuss recent restaurant visits in Philadelphia and Las Vegas and throw in some tips on using what's bountiful in the winter-greens.

As I walk above the pavement,
I can feel you walking with me carrying me
And I hear above the silence
all these voices screaming loudly at my ear
~ Shed Their Fear, Yael Meyer

A dancer and singer since childhood in her native Chile, Yael Meyer received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music at the age of 19.  It was there that she gained a deeper appreciation of the power of music and its ability to make a positive difference in the world.  Currently residing in L.A., Yael released her new Heartbeat EP just a couple months ago.  A beautiful blend of folk, pop and electronica, the delicate, delightful songs on Heartbeat will tickle your ears and put a smile on your heart. They are definitely making a positive difference in MY world! :)

Interview with Caty Titus.

Interview with Rev Kevin Annett about the treatment of children of Canada's indigenous people in schools run by the United Church of Canada.  He has also written two books, Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust and Death in the Valley.   

Have you ever sat down to lunch with someone and felt like you’ve become a memory sandwich? Say your present is a slice of multi grain and the sandwich goes down through strata of deviled whatever, shredded cheddar, a cool crisp year of Romaine, an autumn of roasted garlic till you hit that subtly spicy bit of sweet relish that’s been haunting you all along. She was hard to forget, wasn’t she? And equally hard to forgive.

Such entrées veteran fiction writer Gladys Swan (who, by the way, is a major presence in The Iowa Source’s recently released poetry anthology, Leaves by Night, Flowers by Day) serves us in her short story collection, A Garden amid Fires, released in 2006 by BkMk Press.

I'm coming home to you
Like a lighthouse in the dark
I reach for you whenever we're apart
~ Coming Home to You, Ellis

Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Ellis has been busy since her last visit to Fairfield, including working on a new album and showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival!  With her sweet voice, gigantic grin and heart-opening songs, I'm sure she made a whole bunch more new fans. 

What are the main challenges facing food-related small businesses that would like to or already integrate the principles of sustainability/organic/bio-dynamic into their models?  We'll talk with individuals who operate a broad spectrum of business types-a subscription run greenhouse and wholesale produce operation-Dean Goodale, internet based sales and education-Eric Rusch, a retail artisan baker-Tim Freeberg-Renwick, and local culinary school director-Chef Gordon Rader. 

Maybe now
you'll stop pushing me
pushing me around
Maybe now
you'll stop holding me
holding me down
~ Bulldozer, Bess Rogers

You'll find New York singer-songwriter and multi-intrumentalist Bess Rogers' name on a lot of projects these days.  Whether it's for touring, backup, podcasting, YouTube shorts or television performances, her talents are in high demand!  Bess' Travel Back EP takes the listener on a trip through a rich, varied aural landscape. In less than 20 minutes you can go from rip-roarin', foot-stompin', hand-clappin' rockers to stripped down, bittersweet, vocal showcasers and back again.  I have a feeling Bess' name is going to keep popping up a lot more for years to come, I don't see how anything could hold her down!

Susan Klopfer, the author of several books, including the civil rights non-fiction book "Who Killed Emmett Till?", will be interviewed on Thursday, Feb. 18 on “Tanner & Moore” which airs from 7-8 p.m. on KRUU-LP (100.1 on the FM dial). Ms. Klopfer is an award-winning journalist and former Prentice Hall editor.

Host James Moore spoke with Zennie Abraham on PLANET ERSTWILD (Fri 2pm-5pm) about his blog on SFGate.com questioning the American Red Cross's handling of money donated for relief in Haiti. Zennie who, you ask?

The YouTube video channel Zennie62 has reached 12 million video views and 200,000 channel views as of Saturday, February 20th, and continuing a pattern of rapid growth that started in 2009 and has continued through 2010. Zennie62 on YouTube also has over 4,000 subscribers.

The YouTube video channel Zennie62 consists over 800 videos covering everything from politics to news, sports, tech, and entertainment and celebrity gossip. Zennie62 on YouTube is connected to the blog Zennie62.com, also at Zennie2005.blogspot.com. The Zennie62 blog is the center publication of a network of 100 blogs ran by Zennie62.com, of which this blogger, Zennie Abraham, is the executive producer.

Louisianna-based bluesman Larry Garner talks to James Moore about his life, his music and his upcoming concert at Morning Star Studio on Saturday February 27, 2010 at 8pm. It will be his fourth sojourn to Fairfield, a town he says is brimming with life and a place he always stops to get his wheels aligned.

Whether it's in the U.S. or across Europe, Larry Garner lays it down in fine fashion every time like the true blues living master that he is. His newest release is called Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Clark Little, surf pioneer who made his name braving hopeless waves at the Waimea Bay shorebreak in Hawaii in the 80s and 90s, speaks with PLANET ERSTWILD host James Moore. Also joining the conversation are Teeple Hansen Gallery owners, BIll Teeple and Marcia Hansen, who are hosting an exhibition of Clark Little photography.

In three short years, Little has gained national and international recognition following his passion for ocean photography and capturing what he calls the "art of the wave." He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show and ABC World News Now. Clark's photos have been featured in countless publications including Paris Match, La Vie, Sierra Magazine, The Guardian, Nature's Best Photography, Surfing Life, The Daily Mail, and many more.

Marge Piercy is the author of seventeen novels including The New York Times Bestseller Gone To Soldiers; the National Bestsellers Braided Lives and The Longings of Women and the classic Woman on the Edge of Time; seventeen volumes of poetry, and a critically acclaimed memoir Sleeping with Cats. Born in center city Detroit, educated at the University of Michigan, the recipient of four honorary doctorates, she has been a key player in many of the major progressive political battles of our time, including the anti-Vietnam war and the women's movement, and more recently an active participant in the resistance to the war in Iraq.

A popular speaker on college campuses, she has been a featured writer on Bill Moyers’ PBS Specials, Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, Terri Gross’ Fresh Air, the Today Show, and many radio programs nationwide including Air America and Oprah & Friends.

As CEO and Activator of Working For Good, Jeff Klein produces collaborative, multi-sector Cause Alliance Marketing programs that drive social and environmental change, while addressing the business objectives of alliance partners. Jeff also co-founded Conscious Capitalism, Inc with John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market.

Gladys Swan joins the circus and writes about it in her new poetry chapbook; a couple of Diane Frank singles are ready to spin; an original musical composition from the hosts of The Pocky Talky Music Mystery Show will make you scream; cool surf-drunk-punk vibes from The Lear Jets; and more on the next episode of Irving Toast, Poetry Ghost, Sunday, February 28th at 10:30 am, and Monday, March 1st at 1:30 pm.

Blue Chord

from baby to mother

from guitar to amp

This morning I woke up grey
Just like this cloudy day
Still haven't made up my mind
Whether to shine or to rain
~ Between The Earth & The Sky, Laura Meyer

Laura Meyer lists New York City as her base, but between moving often while growing up and her extensive touring, it seems that this independent artist is also an independent spirit, able to find beauty wherever she lands.  Her latest album, Miles From Nowhere, supports that idea, capturing slices of the traveling life from New Orleans to Colorado, Carolina and back to New York.  Painting word pictures with a shimmering, smokey voice, Laura supports her little road vignettes with deft finger-picking and crunchy blues riffs in turn, providing as much of a trip for your ears as your imagination.

There's something there that's always on my mind
It hurts me right down to the core
Something that I just can't redescribe
Always there, can't close the door
~ Between You and Me, Lexie Shine

L.A. based singer-songwriter Lexie Shine does just that.  With a delivery that is passionate and raw, her songs glow from inside out.  Whether they are flirty or funny, romantic or rockin' there is always a familiar thread for the listener to find their way to relating to Lexie's song, and a catchy hook that will have you humming long after you press stop.

James Moore talks with Emma Rainey about her production of “Cirque d’Amour”—a nouveau cabaret of dance and song that begins with a Parisian street scene and then journeys into the heart of a dream. Created and directed by Emma Rainey, and joined by Diva Adrien Daller singing an array of tantalizing love songs, this unique evening of entertainment promises to chase your winter blues away at Café Paradiso, March 12-13, 8:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Dance Theatre of Iowa and the Center for Ballet.

A faulty device is marking time
On every Everest that I climb
Leading me back 10 years ago
Leading the track back to hello
~ Opposite Man, True Margrit

San Francisco based piano-pop trio True Margrit is fronted by singer-songwriter and piano-player Margrit Eichler.  Backed by Gary Hobish on bass and Andrew Bacon on drums, Margrit delivers her intelligent, upbeat songs with just enough pop flavor to be head-boppingly catchy, and just enough indie quirk to keep your ears on their toes.  Their newest album, The Juggler's Progress, is the fifth release for the band that has been described as "Aimee Mann & Ben Folds meet the Decemberists for speed Scrabble."

Ronnie Cummins has been active as a writer and activist since the 1960s, with extensive experience in human rights, anti-war, anti-nuclear, labor, consumer, environmental, and sustainable agriculture campaigns. Over the past decades he has served as director of US and international efforts such as the Pure Food Campaign and the Global Days of Action Against GMOs. From 1992-98 Cummins served as a campaign director for the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, D.C. In 1998, Cummins organized the SOS (Save Organic Standards) Campaign, spearheading the largest consumer grassroots backlash against the US Department of Agriculture in recent history. He is also a frequent lecturer, both in the US and abroad. Cummins is editor of the Organic Consumers Association’s website www.organicconsumers.org, Organic Bytes newsletters, and Organic View.

John Buckman is the founder of Berkeley, California-based recording label Magnatune, a pioneer in digital downloading, application of Creative Commons copyrights, and artist-friendly business practices, sometimes referred to as "fair trade music."

Kay Hazen talks about her experiences as a member of Women for Women, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that works in war-torn areas. She is helping organize a peace rally on Sunday, March 7 at 1pm at the Hwy 1 bridge near MUM campus in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of International Women's Day.

GREAT TASTE presents four courses of Italian delights in a live broadcast from the At Home Store.  The show features one hour of a cooking class sponsored by SOFIA-the Society of Fairfield Italian Americans.

Here's a rundown of the menu:

Antipasto-Herbed fresh cheese balls in a roasted tomato sauce

Primo-Pasta with chard, kale, and beet greens

Insalata-Raw kale and braised beets with toasted pecans and orange segments

James Moore talks with Karen Dowcett, founder of the Living Arts Institute. Karen is here to speak with our arts community about staging her art pageant set to Paul Winter Consort's Missa Gaia performed on Cape Cod in 2004 and 2008. She'll be inaugurating a year-long community-wide participation culminating in the show on Earth Day weekend, April, 2011.

Michael Linenberger is being called the "Efficiency Guru". He's a renowned speaker, teacher, and consultant, and author of four top-selling productivity books, including Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook, the #1 bestselling book on Microsoft Outlook for four years running.

His new Master Your Workday Now! Proven Strategies to Control Chaos, Create Outcomes & Connect Your Work to Who You Really Are focuses on managing email and task lists, maximizing productivity, and finding your "life's work". Monica Hadley and Caroline Kilbourn are looking forward to welcoming Michael Linenberger this Friday at 1pm on KRUU.

Loved my baby, ain't that enough?
Why'd you have to go and make a widow of
My Hallelujah
~ My Hallelujah, Sweet Talk Radio

Sweet Talk Radio is the husband and wife team of Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame. With a sound that has been described as alt-folk or americana-pop, the seasoned musicians have that magic chemistry of two people who have each others backs, and are passionate about making music. As they seamlessly trade vocals, guitar riffs and even instruments, they always give their songs room to breathe. The metaphors and imagery in the lyrics paint characters and whole relationships with just a few well chosen words.

Sweet Talk Radio will be at Cafe Paradiso on Saturday March 20th at 8pm.  Previous Lyrical Venus guest Mary McAdams will open that show!

Read more about Sweet Talk Radio over at LyricalVenus.com

In a two-episode special event, Writers’ Voices unveils the makings of The Wizard of Oz and its prequel, Wicked, through biographers Evan Schwartz and Carol de Giere.

Tune in Friday, March 19 at 1pm Central (kruufm.com) to hear Evan Schwartz, author of Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story, reveal both the spiritual teachings and life experiences that inspired The Wizard of Oz. Involving a Swami from the 1893 World’s Fair and a real yellow brick road, this is a fascinating inside look into a creative work that has touched all our lives. You might even find yourself pondering, “Am I a good witch or a bad witch…or both?!”

We talked a long winding road
while I press my ear against the phone
to hear the changes in your face
as we spoke about songs
~ Honey, Jan Smith

Lyrical Venus welcomes back Jan Smith to talk about her upcoming album, as well as getting a sneak preview of some of the new tracks.  Her poetry is arresting, her assured guitar chugs and clickety-clacks like a steam engine, her voice lays bare the heart (hers and yours).  Tune in for this treat!

We're recreating the hip scene of the "beat generation" as GREAT TASTE  presents poetry, java and simple food with every element served up in the KRUU coffee house.  Drop into a couch to listen if you are close by or pour yourself a steaming cup in the confines of your own cozy quarters. 

Susie Niedermeyer will join us in the studio.  For many years Susie lived in rural Jefferson County on land sporting a large organic garden, a herd of Alpine dairy goats and a flock of egg-laying chickens.  Naturally, she developed recipes to use seasonal produce as well as her ample supply of goat’s milk and eggs.   Also, she developed an interest in growing beautiful flowers…roses, in particular.  Her signature recipe using these roses is that of an all organic rose petal conserve.  As an everything-from-scratch cook other standouts from her kitchen include sesame crackers, herbed panir spread and poetry. 

David Krump received the 2006 Ruth Lilly Fellowship from Poetry and The Poetry Foundation. He is a graduate student at University of Oxford, and he divides his time between the UK and La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he is the literary coordinator for The Pump House Regional Arts Center. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in such journals as Colorado Review, Disquieting Muses Quarterly Review, and Verse.  His chapbook Night is a Good Child received the Florence Khan Memorial Award.

He recently wrote a play called 5000 pounds: seven soldiers’ stories, which debuted at The Pump House in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and will be appearing on Wisconsin Public Television in 2010.

Rose petal moon
In the freckled indigo sky
My red, your white
Come bathe me in your light
Sing me to sleep tonight
~ Undertow, Coyote Grace

Coyote Grace is the Folk/Roots/Grass/Indie/Blues/Left/Love/Yes duo of Joe Stevens and Ingrid Elizabeth.  Energetic and engaging performers, the pair has the seasoned confidence that comes from years of touring, including one solid year back in 2007 on the road in an old RV named Harvey.

Fresh off a whirlwind tour with folk legends the Indigo Girls, Coyote Grace is headed East from their homebase in Northern California and will be arriving in Iowa mid-April for shows in Des Moines (4/17) and Fairfield (4/18).

FLASH:  WIN LINDA WATSON'S LATEST BOOK.  ENTER HERE.  CONTEST CLOSES FRIDAY, APRIL 9 AT MIDNIGHT CDT!

Raven Garland is an active performer and teacher of music, poetry and eurythmy. She holds a Bachelor and Master Degree in Music from the University of Massachusetts and an Artist Diploma from the Eurythmy School of Spring Valley New York. Raven is community minded and a long time advocate for the arts in everyday life. She has extensive experience performing as a past member of the Eurythmy Spring Valley Threefold Ensemble, a puppeteer for the New England Marionette Opera Theater, a pianist, a poet and eurythmist.

Her newest endeavor is the founding of http://Offthepagepoetry.com, a website dedicated to the living performance of poetry.

Mainframe is calling my name
I can't get out, I'm the one to blame
There's no way out once you're in the flame
We must get out before it's too late
~ Mainframe, Nefertiti & the nefTUNES

When Nefertiti wrote an email of introduction, she described her music as "Acoustic Gangsterism" and went on to explain that the style "is a mix of reggae, hip-hop, folk, rock, soul, and blues. The music comes out sounding like Kanye West and Jill Scott's love child had a love child with Lauryn Hill and Lil' Wayne's love child, all grown-up."  Needless to say, I was intrigued and had to find out more.

I can guarantee there hasn't been an artist like this on Lyrical Venus yet!  Tune in to meet this soulful, creative and independent spirit.

James Moore interviews Wayne Petersen, who has worked in the field of soil and water conservation for over 33 years, and Ryan Peterson, a landscaper working in many sustainable and ecologically focussed projects. They will be in Fairfield Friday, April 16, to conduct several green building workshops sponsored by the Center on Sustainable Communities.

James Moore interviews Lynnae Hentzen, executive director and co-founder of the Center on Sustainable Communities, based out of Des Moines, Iowa.

The Center is hosting a series of workshops in the Fairfield area on sustainable practices.

Last January a friend sent me a video on youtube titled "2010 Predictions From Beyond". I loved it- the message from the Sedona Journal Of Emergence, the intriguing production and resonant music by One Eskimo. I was inspired to check out the producer's website, aura.ca and discovered Peter Beamish. Turns out he produced the 2 DVD set video I almost checked out from the Fairfield Library: Introducing Abraham; the Secret Behind "The Secret"?

Peter was going along very successfully in broadcast and corporate television for two decades, but felt the longing for a deeper experience of Life many of us understand. The rabbit hole to his spiritual highway was ignited by the Redpill, the film The Matrix. "I stepped outside the theatre after seeing The Matrix and the world was somehow slightly tilted. It never did straighten out for me again." [click "Read more", below]

Kim Groninga was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa in 1970. She attended the University of Northern Iowa where she studied music, dance, philosophy, journalism, and creative writing. She graduated in 1993 with a BFA in individual studies in creative expression then moved to Iowa City and completed three semesters of coursework at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Along the way, Kim traded her maiden name, Huebner, for her husband's name, Groninga, and has published under both names. Kim has worked as a waitress, tree trimmer, art class model, veterinary assistant, flute teacher, and editor. A few years ago, she moved back to Cedar Falls with her husband, Tim; daughter, Carly; and two cats, Socrates and Wesley Crusher.

I don't know what I want from you
I pretend that I do
I'm sure you see it in my eyes
I'm sure you feel it in my grip
I'm sure you hear it my voice
I'm sure you're hip
~ I'm Sure You're Hip, The Sweater Set

Friends as teens in a DC church choir, Maureen Andary and Sara Curtin reunited in 2008 when Maureen was selected as a finalist in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.  Maureen knew Sara was pretty much the only person she could think of who would be able to do the high harmonies in her songs.

In their short time as a band, the women have been wowing audiences with quirky-smart, self-aware songs, beautifully intertwined soprano voices, and a plethora of musical instruments including guitar, ukulele, flute, glockenspiel and kazoo, to name a few!

Mr. Ed Petersen is a former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During his time with the Bureau, Mr. Petersen investigated a wide range of federal violations including general criminal matters, international and domestic terrorism, and foreign counter intelligence. He has also served as the director of security for major league baseball. Mr. Petersen is currently one of the directors of Buckley Petersen Global, a private investigative and consulting company

Synonymous with elegance, refinement and real sophistication, La Crosse, Wisconsin are the two words (or are they three?) which led Irving Toast upon a small cross-region trek to find poetry alive and thriving in its natural habitat.  This open mic, recorded on March 18, 2010 at The Pump House Regional Arts Center, is filled with the strong, the strange and the pure strombolic elements of poetic achievement.  Featuring National Poetry Series winner, William Stobb; Ruth Lily Prize winner, David Krump; and a cast of characters culled from the students and faculties of Viterbo University and The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, this program is sure to tickle the teleportation unit of the muse.  Give a listen and a half.  Yours, clear, cold and fire-brewed, Irving Toast.

Neil Cunningham is an American actor who has appeared in numerous movies. Among them: The Taking of Pelham 1,-2-3, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Sweet Dreams, Alice's Restaurant, On the Brink, and One Across the Ground. He most recent role was in the HBO movie, You Don't Know Jack. Directed by Barry Levinson and starring Al Pacino the film is about Dr. Kevorkian.

Glenn Watt is one of those outstanding American voices living right amongst you.  His poetry has the warbling, liquid clarity of a rare songbird I'm not informed enough to give a name to.  He could, though.  He walks among the filtered light of branches and the trill of the songbirds on a daily basis, and these things form a vibration or a pulse in his writing.  

Author of a chapbook, Glad Music (The Contemporary Review, 1996), and contributor to magazines such as Passages North, The MacGuffin, The Iowa Source and others, Glenn Watt has a small collection of poems forthcoming in the anthology, This Enduring Gift.  He lives in Fairfield.

Peggy O'Neill is an advocate for positive living. Having triumphed over many challenges as a business women standing only 3’8” tall, Peggy now soars high on the wings of success! Celebrating her uniqueness, Peggy has gone on to become one of the nation's top transformational leaders and diversity experts. Peggy is the author of two books. Walking Tall: Overcoming Inner Smallness, No Mater What Size You Are, a personal-growth book for teens and adults, and Little Squarehead, a self-affirming,  children’s picture book.

If you're feeling useless baby,
all you gotta do is just focus
on the movement of the moon.

~ A Great Notion, Stephanie Nilles

Bored with playing other people's songs, classically trained pianist Stephanie Nilles turned to writing her own.  Tiring of New York City, she hit the road in 2008 and found her way into the indie/folk/coffee house circuit, booking herself about 20 shows a month and playing for tips on nights she didn't have an official show.

Stephanie's music has earned her comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Regina Spektor and Tom Waits.  Her subject matter "address issues ranging from drug busts in her neighborhood to the challenges and joys of life on the road."  She is a modern day troubadour, and these are songs that make you pay attention. 

The true measure of one's success as a poet is not the size of the auditorium in which one reads, nor the poshness of the hotel room, nor the size of the paycheck; it is instead measured by the size and quality of the linguine one is served, and whether or not it comes with a salad and breadsticks.

This is the third installment of the La Crosse trilogy: my (Rustin Larson's) reading at The Pump House Regional Arts Center on the evening of March 18, 2010.  What a night!  Up against Willie Nelson, who was performing in an auditorium about a block away, I still managed to draw together a nice gathering.  And afterwards there was ... LINGUINE!  La Crosse, I love you!

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BREAKING NEWS

Even at the sideshow they're just trying to sell a lie
Look, you won't believe what you see 
But I know the truth buried way deep down inside 
The freaks are the same as you and me 
~ Wonder Wheel, Lisa Brigantino 

Spend a few minutes perusing Lisa Brigantino's website and links and you'll start to wonder if there is anything this talented musician can't do!  It starts to make sense when you realize she has been steeped in music making since the age of 5, when she started piano lessons.  Now able to play at least 14 instruments, Lisa has garnered a variety of songwriting and performing awards, has toured the world with an all women Led Zeppelin tribute band, shares a musical comedy act with her sister in New York, and still found time to write, record and produce her two solo albums, the newest one to be released June 7th.

Keith Ratzlaff's books of poetry are Dubious Angels: Poems after Paul Klee; Man Under A Pear Tree; and Across The Known World. His awards include the 1996 Anhinga Prize for Poetry, the Theodore Roethke Award, and a Pushcart Prize. He is Professor of English at Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he teaches writing and literature.

His most recent book published by Anhinga Press was Then, a Thousand Crows (2009).

Fred Kirschenmann, international leader in organic and sustainable agriculture, will be in Fairfield Tuesday, May 18, speaking at the Sondheim Center at 8:00 pm.  Dr. Kirschenmann's talk, "Food and Farming in our Future," will be hosted by Francis Thicke's campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.  The lecture is free and open to the public. 

A Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Kirschenmann has lectured and written extensively about ethics and agriculture.  A collection of his essays was recently published as a book, titled Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher. Fred's book covers his writings on farming, philosophy and sustainability.  Copies of Fred's book will be available for sale, and Fred will sign them, after the lecture.

Ottumwa-born Chric Canny, who lived in Fairfield for 20 years, is running as a Republican candidate for the state house in the 89th District. Rick Marlar, a former US submarine serviceman and longtime truck driver, is running as a Republican candidate for the state senate here in Distrct 45, a seat currently held by Becky Schmitz. James Moore talks with both of them about their views and aspirations for the upcoming Republican primary on June 8th.