Next episode: Sunday, August 3 at 10:30 am CT tune in for a fascinating interview with Jim Autry!

Autry is the retired president of the Meredith Magazine Group, and had a distinguished career as an editor and publisher. Autry has been active in many civic, charitable, and arts organizations, most notably working with disability rights groups for more than 35 years. He served as president, chairman, and chairman emeritus of the Epilepsy Foundation of America. He is a founding member of the board of Peoplefor the American Way. He is also a founder of the Des Moines National Poetry Festival.

Mr. Autry is the author of ten books, and his writings have appeared in several anthologies and magazines. He consults and speaks on leadership in this country and abroad. He was a featured poet in Bill Moyers' 1989 PBS series, The Power of the Word, and Garrison Keillor has featured his work on The Writer's Corner on NPR. He received a BA in Journalism from the University of Mississippi and holds four honorary degrees. In 1997-98, he held an endowed chair in leadership at Iowa State University, and has received the "Lifetime Service to the Public Humanities" award from the Iowa Humanities Board.

He says that his real claim to fame is that he is married to Iowa's former Lieutenant Governor, Sally Pederson.