On this edition of Conversations, Doug Weaver talks with host Dan Skinner about "Leaving Iowa." Weaver is directing the comedy as part of the Theatre Lawrence Summer Series. The play opens on July 16 and runs through July 24.

On this edition of Conversations, Dorothy Wickenden talks with host Dan Skinner about “The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights.” Wickenden has served as the executive editor of The New Yorker since January 1996. She also writes for the magazine and is the moderator of its weekly podcast “The Political Scene.” "The Agitators" is about the friendship between Harriett Tubman, Martha Wright, and Frances Seward.

On this edition of Conversations, Andrew H. Knoll, talks with host Dan Skinner about “A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters.” Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University. Professor Knoll’s research focuses on the early evolution of life, Earth’s environmental history, and the interconnections between the two.

On this edition of Conversations, Julia Sweig talks with host Dan Skinner about “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight.” Sweig is an award-winning author of books on Cuba, Latin America, and American foreign policy. She served as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for fifteen years and she is a senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

On this edition of Conversations, Melissa de la Cruz talks with host Dan Skinner about “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: the Road Trip.” Melissa is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Descendants series, as well as many other best-selling novels, for readers of all ages, including all the books in the Blue Bloods series.

On this edition of Conversations, Claudia Kalb talks with host Dan Skinner about “Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers." Kalb is an award-winning author and journalist who reports on health, science, and human behavior. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History’s Great Personalities” as well as a series of cover stories for National Geographic on the origins of genius.

On this edition of Conversations, Brian Skerry talks with host Dan Skinner about “National Geographic Kids Almanac 2022.” Skerry is a visual storyteller specializing in ocean wildlife and underwater realms. Since 1998 he has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine and the author of 12 books including “Ocean Soul,” “SHARK,” and “Secrets of the Whales.”

On this edition of Conversations, Karen L. Cox talks with host Dan Skinner about “No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice.” Cox is an award-winning historian, Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the author of three previous books about Southern history.

On this edition of Conversations, Robert Beatty talks with host Dan Skinner about "Willa of Dark Hollow." Beatty is the New York Times best-selling author of the "Serafina" series and "Willa of the Wood." Beatty says his books are enjoyed by both children and adults. He is currently developing a live action series for television based on the Willa character.

On this edition of Conversations, Jennie Romer talks with host Dan Skinner about “Can I Recycle This? – A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics.” Romer is a Legal Associate for the Surfrider Foundation's Plastic Pollution Initiative, and her knowledge is routinely sought by legislators, environmental nonprofits, and businesses across the U.S. She has also helped author plastic bag bans in California and New York.