The Harvest Lecture began in 1998 with the goal being to tie ideas of spirituality with our Midwestern environment. Inspired by a thought of Matthew Fox, “The environmental crisis is really a crisis of the soul.”

Go Here For 2006 events

2006 River East, River West: Iowa’s Natural Borders has been announced. This year’s Harvest Lecture will coincide as Humanities Iowa Voices From The Prairie, Celebration of Iowa Writers. Events will be held in Council Bluffs (November 4th) and Keokuk, Iowa (October 21). Writers will focus on the influences of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. This year’s authors are David Hamilton, John Price, Lisa Knopp, Robert Wolf and Gary Holthaus. Additional, the companion book will feature river photos by Ethan Hirsh. FMI on the book go here. A reading from this book with be held at Prairie Lights Bookstore December 1st with Lisa Knopp and Gary Holthaus. To see more information, photos and poster click here

Previous Harvest Lecture Events and Presenters:

2005 Prairie Weather (public locations: Burlington, Grinnell, Iowa City, Fairfield, Cedar Falls)
contributors Jim Heynen, Mary Swander, Robert Sayre, Scott Cawelti, Debra Marquart, Thomas Dean, Patrick Irelan, Amy Kolen, Ron Sandvik with a foreword by Denny Frary.

2004 Living With Topsoil (public locations Grinnell, Cedar Falls, Iowa City)
contributors: Mary Swander, Connie Mutel, Larry Stone, Patrick Irelan, Tim Fay, Tom Dean & Michael Carey.

2003 Finding The Center of the World
Peter Bakken, Nancy Adams-Cogan & Rod Strampe

2002 The Good Earth: Poets of the Prairie
Robert Dana on Paul Engle, Denise Low on William Stafford & Scott Cawelti on James Hearst.

2001 Prairie Roots: Call of the Wild
Two days of events: Paul Gruchow, Howard Vrankin, Mary Swander, Joni Kinsey, Robert Sayre, Steve Thunder McQuire.

2000 Natural Prayers
Melinda Perrin & Steve Semken.

1999 Surface & Spirit
Joni Palmer, Tom Dean, Andrew Driscoll.

1998 Brother Moon, Sister Sun
Gary Holthaus & Benjamin Webb

Above, group of authors and contributors for the Prairie Weather reading at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City (2005)