PODCAST · society
Prairie Journal
by Kaye McIntyre
Prairie Journal is an opportunity to showcase high-profile, thought-provoking lectures, discussions and dialogues recorded throughout the region. There are so many fascinating people who come to this area, everyone from Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor to syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts. Prairie Journal is a great way to share some of those lectures with our listeners. We have also been able to expand the program to cover a broad range of topics, including the Kansas Sesquicentennial, the National Day of Listening and the Kansas Reads program sponsored by the State Library of Kansas, just to name a few.
Episodes
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Alex Grecian, Man from the Train
We're getting in the mood for Halloween with stories of witches, ghosts, demons... and the true story of a father-daughter team searching for a serial killer, 100 years after the fact. Alex Grecian is the author of Red Rabbit and The Saint of Wolves and Butchers; Bill James and Rachel McCarthy...
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A Tribute to Dolly Parton
The world lost a much-beloved country superstar last month with the death of Dolly Parton. We set the stage for the upcoming Dolly Parton Tribute concert with Sarah Smarsh, author of "She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs."
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Desegregation Before Brown v. Board: The Argentine Four
Nearly thirty years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education desegregation case, a different fight played out in Kansas City, Kansas, one that drew in the Mexican consulate, the Kansas governor, and the U.S. State Department. It's Episode 6 in the Per Aspera series, a history series…
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf: Agriculture and Rural Life
Sarah Smarsh, Lucas Bessire, and Kate Benz share stories of the challenges of rural life in this month's Kansas 250 Bookshelf. They're the authors, respectively, of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, Running Out: In Search of Water in the High...
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Kansas Book Festival
The Kansas Book Festival is an annual celebration of books, readers, and writers. Director Lara Avery joins us to preview the festival, taking place in Topeka on September 26th. We also hear from two festival participants, Sonja Czarnecki and Vanessa Eicher, hosts of the popular podcast "In Walks…
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Matthew Algeo & NYC's Secret Subway
How did an inventor manage to build a subway in New York City...in secret? KPR's own Matthew Algeo tells the story in "New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit."
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Paper Plains Zine Fest
The 4th annual Paper Plains Zine Fest is coming up Labor Day weekend in Lawrence. It's three days of celebrating, exploring, and exhibiting zines and zine culture. We talk to Rachel Gibson and Grace D. Corndog, zine creators and volunteers with the Zine Fest.
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Nancy Kassebaum Baker: In Her Own Words
Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker passed away August 21, 2026, at the age of 94. In this special rebroadcast of her 2022 talk at the Dole Institute of Politics, she reflects on her life, her career, and her legacy.
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NAVO
KPR's Community Spotlight this month is on NAVO, a collective of internationally-recognized musicians and performers based in the Kansas City area.
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From the Reservation to the Washington: The Rise of Charles Curtis
Charley Curtis was the first Native American elected to the U.S. Congress, the Senate, and the Vice-Presidency. Deb Goodrich explores Curtis's Kansas roots and his political legacy in her Kansas Notable Award-winning book, part of our Kansas 250 Bookshelf series.
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Been There, Done That
Dirty politics, partisan division, contested elections, fake news -- none of it is new. Greg Jackson is the author of "Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome" and the host of the "History That Doesn't Suck" podcast.
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Laura Moriarty, Sunshine Finds You
We visit with best-selling author Laura Moriarty about her just-released novel, Sunshine Finds You. Also, Robert Rebein's The Last Rancher has been named to the Library of Congress' "Great Reads from Great Places" for 2026. Both these authors join Kaye McIntyre on this week's program.
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf
What better way to celebrate America 250 than with food? This month's Kansas 250 Bookshelf features Teatime to Tailgates: 150 Years at the K-State Table and Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions.
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2026 Kansas Primary Election
Kansas voters head to the polls August 4th in the primary. Who's running and what's on the ballot? Washburn University's Bob Beatty joins us to talk about the constitutional amendment on electing Kansas Supreme Court justices, and we hear from the candidates for Kansas governor and U.S. Senate.
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Queen of Bohemia Predicts Own Death
From Kentucky to Kansas to New York City in the Gilded Age, journalist-reformer and self-proclaimed "Queen of Bohemia" Zoe Anderson Norris chronicled the lives of immigrants and the poor in her self-published magazine, The East Side.
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Lyda Conley and the Fight to Save a KCK Cemetery
The story of the fight to save a Kansas City, Kansas, cemetery, and the Wyandotte woman who became the first Native American woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. We visit with the editors of "Lyda Conley and the Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery."
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Rick Atkinson, Dole Lecture
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, historian, and author Rick Atkinson gives the 2026 Dole Lecture at the University of Kansas. His latest book, The Fate of the Day, is the second in his Revolutionary War trilogy, The War for America.
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America at 250: A Road Trip Through U.S. History
What better way to celebrate America 250 than with a cross-country road trip? Dr. Beverly Gage is the author of This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History. She's joined by Dr. Colleen Shogan, former U.S. archivist and CEO of the online history series In Pursuit.
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Free State Festival
Movies, music, and more! It's time for the 2026 Free State Festival, a week-long celebration of independent films taking place June 22nd-28th. Festival director Marlo Angell joins us to talk about this year's FSF theme: The Revolution Will Be at the Movies!
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Soccer: The Boundless Game
The World Cup is here! Tim Bascom explores the universal appeal of the game in his book "The Boundless Game: Soccer Stories from Across the Street to Around the World."
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Petticoat Governments in Kansas
In the late 1880s, Kansas voters did something almost no other state was doing: they elected women to local office. This episode of Per Aspera follows three of those elections: how Susanna Salter became the first woman mayor in the United States after being nominated as a joke, as well as wins in...
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1966 Topeka Tornado: 60 Years Later
This week marks the 60th anniversary of an F5 tornado that ripped through Topeka, killing 17 people, injuring hundreds more, and destroying homes, cars, and buildings in the heart of the city. We look back on June 8, 1966, with Bonar Menninger, author of "And Hell Followed With It: Life and Death...
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Bill Kurtis, Whirlwind
As Bill Kurtis marks his last weekend as scorekeeper for NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," we revisit KPR's book launch event for his memoir, "Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News."
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf
Our Kansas 250 Bookshelf series continues with two books for kids and teens: Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey and A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo.
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Kansas Trails Inc.
KPR's Community Spotlight is on Kansas Trails Inc. this month. KPR's Kaye McIntyre visits with Mike Scanlon, executive director.
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The Gift of a Broken Heart
A father's story of love, grief, and lessons learned from loss. Bryan Welch of Lawrence is the author of The Gift of a Broken Heart: How Our Grief Can Connect Us.
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Scott Simon: Ulysses S. Cat
Scott Simon is the host of NPR's Weekend Edition AND the author of several books, including the hot-off-the-press Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known.
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Ian Shaw, The End of the Dalton Gang
Historian Ian Shaw takes us back to Coffeyville in 1892, the double bank robbery that brought the Dalton Gang to an end, and the surprising story of the gang's lone survivor.
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2026 Kansas Legislative Recap
Kansas lawmakers wrapped up their 2026 session earlier this month. KPR's Statehouse Bureau Chief Zach Boblitt and Emporia State University's Michael Smith review what legislators did -- and didn't -- get done.
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf -- Nature and Outdoors, Part Two
We head outside and celebrate Kansas nature with a little help from the Kansas 250 Bookshelf. This month's featured books include Kansas Wildflowers and Weeds, Elevations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River, A Kansas Bestiary, and others.
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Mary Roach
From false teeth to organ transplants, Mary Roach explores how medicine and science are working together to create new body parts in her latest book, Replaceable You.
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf -- Nature and Outdoors
We head outside and celebrate Kansas nature with a little help from the Kansas 250 Bookshelf. This month's featured books include The Last Wild Places of Kansas by George Frazier, Kansas Trail Guide by Jonathan and Kristin Conard, and Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet by...
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The People's House
A partisan standoff, competing legislatures meeting under the same roof, armed guards at the Kansas Capitol -- how a disputed election led to the Populist War of 1893. "The People's House" is the second episode in Per Aspera, a new Kansas history series from the Kansas 250 Commission, produced by...
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Petroglyphs of Kansas
We explore the mysterious rock carvings of the Kansas Smoky Hills with Rex Buchanan, director emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey. It's part of our continuing Kansas 250 Bookshelf series, this month exploring outdoors and nature in Kansas. Rex Buchanan is one of three co-authors of...
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Before the Curtain Falls: Eisenhower's Farewell Address
In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rising power of the "military-industrial complex," one of the most quoted phrases of his presidency. We look at Eisenhower's address in the context of the Cold War and how his warning has often been misinterpreted and...
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Prairie Journal: Kansas 250 Bookshelf
Our Kansas 250 Bookshelf series continues with the second of two programs featuring Kansas poets. This week we hear from HC Palmer, Al Ortolani, and Catherine Strayhall, all Kansas Notable Book Award winners recognized by the State Library of Kansas.
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Prairie Journal: Kansas 250 Bookshelf
Our Kansas 250 Bookshelf continues with the first of two programs featuring Kansas poets. We hear from Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall, former Kansas Poets Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg and Huascar Medina, and from children's author Carol Murray.
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Prairie Journal: Stories from the Phog
For many sports fans, this month means basketball, the Big 12 Tournament, and March Madness! Chelan David shares stories of his lifelong love affair with the Jayhawks in "Stories from the Phog: Forty Years of Kansas Basketball."
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Prairie Journal: The Rhino Keeper
Based on a true story, Jillian Forsberg takes us back to 18th century Europe and the rhinoceros that delighted nobility and common folks alike in "The Rhino Keeper." This conversation is part of Prairie Journal's Kansas Notable Books series, highlighting books honored by the State Library of Kansas.
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Prairie Journal: KU Coaching Legend Marian Washington
We celebrate Women's History Month with a sports trailblazer: Marian Washington. Washington was the first African-American woman to coach basketball at a predominantly white institution, the first women's track and field coach at the University of Kansas, the first director of women's athletics…
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf: Love Your Community!
Our Kansas 250 Bookshelf series continues with the second of two episodes on this month's theme: Love Your Community! This episode features conversations with artist Dave Loewenstein about Kansas murals, Prisca Barnes about the sit-in at the 1958 Dockum Drug Store, and Patrick O'Connor about the...
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf: Love Your Community!
Our Kansas 250 Bookshelf series continues with the first of two episodes on this month's theme: Love Your Community! This episode features conversations about the Walnut Valley Festival, a family's journey from Mexico to Kansas, and the resilience of two Kansas towns' in the face of declining...
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America 250: In Pursuit
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, we learn about "In Pursuit," a new series of essays reflecting on each of the U.S. presidents and first ladies. Dr. Colleen Shogan is the CEO of In Pursuit and former U.S. archivist.
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Britney Lewis, Blood Moon
Werewolves and vampires in Kansas? Britney Lewis is the award-winning author of Blood Moon, recently named a New York Times bestseller.
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Topeka's Constitution Hall
It's a visit to Topeka's Free State Capitol, home to the 1855 Topeka Constitutional Convention and the Free State legislature, almost demolished in the 1990s, now renovated and restored to its original glory.
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Kansas Matters
What does it mean to be Kansan? Tom Averill and Leslie VonHolten gather the writings of 35 Kansas authors in their new anthology, Kansas Matters: 21st Century Writers on the Sunflower State.
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Kansas 250 Bookshelf
In connection with the Kansas 250 Commission, Ray Walling and Valarie Lamoreaux of the State Library of Kansas join us to talk about the "Kansas 250 Bookshelf," celebrating America 250 with a selection of Kansas Notable books.
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Full Circle Sustainability
KPR's Community Spotlight is on Full Circle Sustainability, a non-profit in Topeka dedicated to making it easier to live a low-waste lifestyle. Justine Greve and Robert Riley are co-founders of the organization, which runs a minimal-packaging grocery store, recycling and composting services, and...
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Governor Kelly's State of the State Address, Analysis
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly gave her eighth and final State of the State address. We'll hear the speech in its entirety, with analysis from Bob Beatty of Washburn University, Michael Smith of Emporia State University, Tim Carpenter of the Kansas Reflector, Rebekah Chung of KSNT.
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Lindsay Metcalf, Tomatoes on Trial
Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable? Award-winning author Lindsay Metcalf explores the legal food fight in her children's book, Tomatoes on Trial. Also, two penpals learn about two very different ways to grow food in her picture book, Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Prairie Journal is an opportunity to showcase high-profile, thought-provoking lectures, discussions and dialogues recorded throughout the region. There are so many fascinating people who come to this area, everyone from Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor to syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts. Prairie Journal is a great way to share some of those lectures with our listeners. We have also been able to expand the program to cover a broad range of topics, including the Kansas Sesquicentennial, the National Day of Listening and the Kansas Reads program sponsored by the State Library of Kansas, just to name a few.
HOSTED BY
Kaye McIntyre
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Prairie Journal have?
Prairie Journal currently has 246 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Prairie Journal about?
Prairie Journal is an opportunity to showcase high-profile, thought-provoking lectures, discussions and dialogues recorded throughout the region. There are so many fascinating people who come to this area, everyone from Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor to syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts....
How often does Prairie Journal release new episodes?
Prairie Journal publishes regularly with 246 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Prairie Journal?
You can listen to Prairie Journal on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Prairie Journal?
Prairie Journal is created and hosted by Kaye McIntyre.
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