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“City of Ink,” set in early 18th-century Beijing, is Elsa Hart’s third novel. She’s currently at work on her fourth. Hart talks with host Don Marsh about her characters and settings, some of her influences and favorite authors, and how she goes about bringing a centuries-old world to life for her readers.

Renegotiated by Congress every 5-7 years The Farm Bill impacts food production, nutrition assistance, habitat conservation, international trade, and much more. But try digging into its 1,000+ pages! 

Christina Badaracco, a registered dietician, dug deep into this topic  for her new book (with researcher and author Daniel Imhoff) The Farm Bill: A Citizen's Guide (Island Press, Jan 2019). She brings perspective from this accessible, graphics-rich book to this Earthworms conversation. 

With a new farm bill just signed into law, we all need to understand the implications of food policy. What’s the impact of crop insurance? How does SNAP actually work? What would it take to create a healthier, more sustainable food system? 

Eaters, taxpayers, sustainable food system advocates: listen up!

Music: Who Gives, performed live at KDHX by Brian Curran

Thanks to Andy Heaslet, warmly welcomed back this week as Earthworms' engineer.

Related Earthworms Conversations: 

Urban Agriculture Guide: a New Tool for City Farmers (June 2016)

Citizenship: Responsibility is our Civic Ability to Respond (Nov 2018)

People's Pocket Guide to Environmental Action with Caitlin Zera (July 2017)

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum as the latest guest on Politically Speaking.

The Springfield Democrat was elected as minority leader late last year, succeeding former Rep. Gail McCann Beatty of Kansas City. Quade was first elected to the House in 2016 to represent part of Springfield.

After the 2018 election cycle, Quade is the only Democrat to represent a district that’s south of Interstate 70. She’s noted that her district is relatively competitive, as much of the terrain was represented by a GOP lawmaker from 2010 to 2012.

Later this month, baseball fans and writers will react to who is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. How is those players chosen? St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter Derrick Goold details that process in conversation with host Don Marsh.

Host Don Marsh talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Shahla Farzan and Kae Petrin about their recent reporting on the number of scooter-related injuries that area emergency rooms are seeing.

Longtime St. Louis journalist Linda Lockhart retires this month after a media career spanning more than four decades. She talks with host Don Marsh about the changes she's seen in the industry over the years and highlights her favorite moments. 

Terry Jones, who is a professor emeritus of political science at UMSL and the author of “Fragmented by Design: Why St. Louis Has So Many Governments," offers his take on the latest talk of a city-county merger.

STLPR political reporter Jo Mannies reflects on her career as a journalist and talks about the big and memorable stories she covered. Mannies is retiring but will work part time beginning in March.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about what to expect during the 2019 legislative session.

The Springfield Republican was elected as House speaker on Wednesday. His caucus will have a chance to accomplish a lot, since the GOP holds commanding supermajorities in both of the General Assembly’s legislative chambers.

An attorney, Haahr was first elected to his post in 2012 to represent a part of Springfield in the Missouri House. He quickly rose up the ranks, eventually being selected to chair the House General Laws Committee and being elected as House speaker pro tem.

Moonlighting, freelancing, working a second job, picking up a side hustle – all of these terms and cobbled-together career strategies have become common themes in an ever-changing 21st-century economy. And many people in the St. Louis region are among those who have adopted such an approach to making a living. Host Don Marsh leads a discussion about such labor trends, digging into the reasons behind them.

Host Don Marsh talks up some of the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food-and-beverage community with Sauce Magazine’s managing editor Heather Hughes and art director Meera Nagarajan.

Host Don Marsh talks to St. Louis Public Radio political reporter Jason Rosenbaum as the Missouri General Assembly begins its 2019 session in Jefferson City.

In 2014, writers Michael Walker and Kristen Adele Calhoun met for the first time as grad students in New York City through a play-reading group. On that same day, a young man named Michael Brown was shot nearly 1,000 miles away in Ferguson, Missouri.

Years later, they join host Don Marsh along with The Black Rep's producing director Ron Himes to discuss their "Canfield Drive" production. 

For more than 20 years, the City Museum in downtown St. Louis has provided a unique getaway. The museum is partly a playground, but it also contains numerous architectural marvels, many of which are the creation of Bob Cassilly, the founder of City Museum who died in 2011.

Host Don Marsh talks with Rick Erwin, director of the City Museum, about the history of the institution and about its recent sale to Premier Parks, an Oklahoma-based theme-park company.

Ahead of his Jan. 22 appearance in St. Louis, Republican politician and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush discusses everything from the passing of both of his parents in 2018, to the uncertainty and future of the United States, to the current situation in Washington.

Host Don Marsh leads a discussion about observing and appreciating urban wildlife in the bi-state area. Joining the conversation are Danny Brown, a lifelong Missourian, retired biologist and avid wildlife photographer; and Mark Glenshaw, a local naturalist whose focus is the owls who reside in Forest Park.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about a slew of issues affecting county government.

Clancy was sworn in last week to represent the council’s 5th District, which takes in more than a dozen municipalities in eastern and central St. Louis County.

Clancy has a master’s degree in social work and has worked for about a decade with nonprofit groups. She also has been president of the Hadley Township Democrats, which includes Richmond Heights, Maplewood, University City, Clayton and Shrewsbury.

Jeff Tweedy discusses his memoir, childhood, musical influences and founding Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. We also sample and analyze some songs from Tweedy's career.

Kirsten Lie-Nielsen lives her dream of self-sufficiency in rural Maine - and shares the experience in her new book, So You Want to be a Modern Homesteader? (New Society, 2018). 

From finding the home place to prioritizing work and funds to enjoying the community flow when neighbors drop in, Kirsten covers options with practicality and a smile in her voice. Her goats are never far from the phone! Check out Kirsten's blog at hostilevalleyliving.com. 

Music: Cuttin' at the Point, performed live at KDHX by The Freight Hoppers. 

Special THANKS tonight to Anna Holland, Earthworms audio engineer for the past year+. We say farewell with this edition, Anna, appreciating the media professional you already are, and wishing you the BEST in your next round of College work. It was especially fun to have your perspectives on Citizenship on the show we produced right after the 2018 Election. 

Related Earthworms Conversations: Green Finned Hippy Farm: Purpose, Passion, Perspective, Hogs (Aug 2018)

Keeping Geese with Kirsten Lie-Nielsen (Nov 2017)

Crystal Moore Stevens: Grow, Create, Inspire (Oct 2016)