This is how Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio introduced an interview with CultureAll on March 11, 2026.

"As our society becomes more fragmented and divided, it becomes less likely that people will get to know others who come from different backgrounds and experiences. CultureALL works to introduce Iowans of different cultures to each other with the goal of building community. One of the ways they do that is through their Open Book program — a community project that creates connections and builds social cohesion through story sharing. On this episode we learn about that project and new research that shows that Open Book and the act of reciprocal storytelling can cultivate empathy."

The podcast hosted by Charity Nebbe featured three members of CultureALL's network.

• Karen Downing, project consultant for Open Book and CultureALL
• Jessie Orton, executive director of CultureALL
• JJ Kapur, doctoral student of counseling psychology, University of Iowa

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/talk-of-iowa/2026-03-12/people-become-open-books-in-this-des-moines-community-project

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Learn why it is important: Visit CultureALL's YouTube channel to hear a preview for the episode.

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Contact us to schedule an Open Book discussion for your group!