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Jane Smiley Completes Her Trilogy/Brian Morelli on Exploring Iowa

Alfred A. Knopf
"Golden Age" completes the trilogy

Jane Smiley, who grew up near St. Louis, graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop and taught English at Iowa State from 1981 to 1996, has completed her "Last Hundred Years" literary trilogy with the final volume "Golden Age" (Alfred A. Knopf).  The Pulitzer Prize winner's debut novel, "Barn Blind," was published 35 years ago.   Since then she has been a prolific and much-loved writer.  In "Golden Age," Smiley brings the beloved Langdon's of Iowa and their five children into our present times and beyond (the saga began in 1920 in the first book, "Some Luck," published last year). In "Last Hundred Years," each chapter covers one year and the three books encompass a full century.  Smiley has been a frequent guest on Iowa Public Radio and is back in Iowa to speak at the Iowa City and Des Moines Public Libraries.

Also on the program, Charity speaks with Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter Brian Morelli.  Journalist and outdoor instructor Morelli has recently embarked on a project to explore Eastern Iowa and write about his experiences in a new column called "Iowa Explorer."  He's taken his kids along on a few of his journeys, suffered the wrath of poison ivy in late fall and found a few hidden gems he didn't know were there.

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa