Riverside Chats

In 2023, journalism exists in this precarious space, driven by clicks and corporate ownership and punditry–none of which are new, but, in the social media age, what constitutes news at all has become a source of …

Many episodes of this show grapple with the question of how to get people to care about issues and to inform themselves? Or really how do you get them to want to when they can instead find limitless entertainment all …

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Metro Transit began operating the ORBT bus system on Dodge Street. Now, the service is approaching a milestone: its one-millionth rider. The occasion comes at an interesting time for …

Music is everywhere. It’s hard to imagine that there was a point where you couldn’t constantly listen to music, a time before recordings of music …

Billionaires are all over our media right now, such as HBO's The White Lotus or recent hit films like Knives Out and Glass Onion, which combine the …

Meridith Dillon is the executive director of Front Porch Investments, which was founded in 2021 to work toward affordable housing solutions in Omaha. …

The Nebraska State Legislature is back in session. This is often a chaotic moment where it can be difficult have a good sense of what the agendas at …

This show is ostensibly about the Midwest. The culture we create. The culture we consume. The way culture leads to art, to politics, and to history. …

Keith Rodger is a musician, producer and audio engineer who performs as Kethro. Rodger has made a name for himself in the music industry while based in his hometown of Omaha. In 2014, he started touring as an engineer …

Mixed media artist Jeff Sedrel has a series of floral paintings in an exhibition at the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery through January 29. He was a …

If you’ve been listening to Riverside Chats for a while, you’ve heard conversations with a lot of people running for office. Some of them got elected. A lot didn’t. The kind of people who want this platform, to have an …

Jody Keisner’s new memoir Under My Bed is an exploration of anxiety, control, fear, and ritual. Keisner teaches at the University of Nebraska at …

Tim Guthrie is a visual artist, art professor at Creighton, and an award winning filmmaker. His work has been included in collections at the Boise …

Charles Kay Jr. is a first-generation Thai-American visual artist whose work explores assimilation, identity and the American Dream. Kay’s parents immigrated from Thailand in the 1960s and anglicized their names to fit …

We talk about the climate crisis a lot on this show and a common theme that comes up is not just that we need to hope for miracle cures but that we need to rethink our relationship with the natural world. But what does …

A lot of waves have been made in the past decade regarding student loans and the sometimes predatory nature of higher education. It has become a common refrain among Democrats to support varying degrees of student loan …

Many episodes of this show grapple with the perhaps unanswerable question: why is America the way it is? Is there something inherent in American …

Ballot initiatives can be a pain to read and to put in context, so today's show is an in-depth look at two of the initiatives on this year's ballot, 433 and 432: their scope, the reasons why they made the ballot, and …

Last year, a petition circulated which would replace the Nebraska State Board of Education, Education Commissioner, and Nebraska Department of …

If you’ve ever voted before, you probably were really excited or scared about a couple of candidates at the top of the ballot. We talk all the time on this show about how a healthy democracy requires some investment in …

Chip Davis has been making music for over five decades, scoring his first chart-topper in 1976 with "Convoy," the song he co-wrote with Bill Fries. He was named Country Music Writer of the Year in 1976 and of course …

The culture war these days is heavily focused on schools, with many prominent elected officials in Nebraska calling for defunding public education in …

Wes Dodge is on the boards for Rank the Vote Nebraska, Common Cause Nebraska, Represent Us Omaha, and Non-Partisan Nebraska. He sees the possibility …

Dr. Lisa Knopp teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has written several books, including Bread, What the River Carries, and Field of Vision. Her latest book is From Your Friend, Carey …

Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek is an independent candidate running to represent District 4 on Nebraska's State Legislature. She is the president of Rank the Vote Nebraska and serves on the advisory board for Nonpartisan Nebraska…

A common concern expressed on this show is about not just the climate crisis but the seeming inability that we have to talk about existential risks like global warming because so much of our bandwidth is taken up by the …

Sarah Slattery is running to represent district 2 in the Nebraska State Legislature, a seat currently held by Senator Robert Clements. She tells her story to Tom Knoblauch along with her vision for a legislature that …

You may or may not know that this show began as a series of live conversations in Benson, before transitioning into a podcast that was recorded at Petshop for almost a year. Petshop is the headquarters for BFF, also …

Matthew Wurstner returns to discuss everyone’s favorite subject: taxes. Earlier this year, the Nebraska State Legislature passed what Governor Ricketts called the biggest tax relief measures in Nebraska history. Taxes …

Bri Full is a candidate for the Omaha Public School Board to represent Subdistrict 2. Full is an active community organizer and policy advisor at the …

Joe Pera is an comedian, actor, and the creator of the beloved Adult Swim show Joe Pera Talks with You, which just aired its third and final season …

Dan Mirvish is an award winning filmmaker and co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival. His films include Omaha The Movie, Open House, Between Us, and Bernard and Huey. His new film is 18 ½, a Watergate thriller and …

Eileen Wirth is professor emeritus of journalism at Creighton University and the author of several books including From Society to Front Page: Nebraska Women in Journalism and A History Lover’s Guide to Omaha. Her …

Erik Larson is the author of bestselling historical nonfiction like The Devil in the White City, The Splendid and the Vile, and In the Garden of Beasts. Today he talks with Tom Knoblauch about how he uses history to …

Katie Otten is an actor and writer who has worked with just about every local filmmaker and has just launched her first web series called Inner …

Ross Benes wrote the 2021 book Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold in which he diagnoses “a gradual shift in the types of …

Randy Nogg currently runs the talent agency Actors Etc. Limited and its entertainment division Theater-To-Go. He previously lived in LA where he produced the film Reefer Madness 2, which is now available on Amazon …

Matthew Wurstner returns to the show for a history of Nebraska's unique system of governance: the unicameral. The unicameral has only one legislative house, an idea that was proposed and fought for by U.S. Sen. George …

Alisha Shelton is running to represent Nebraska’s Second Congressional District in the House of Representatives–a seat currently held by incumbent Don Bacon. Today she talks with Tom Knoblauch about what motivated her …

Craig Moody was elected to the Omaha Public Power District in 2016, served as board chair in 2020, and currently serves as the chair of the board’s governance committee. Today he talks with Tom Knoblauch about his story …

Jazari Kual Zakaria is in the middle of a congressional campaign to represent Nebraska’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives, a seat held by Republican Jeff Fortenberry for nearly two decades …

Nebraska State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks talks with Tom Knoblauch about her upbringing, the formation of her worldview, what working in the Nebraska Legislature has taught her about the process of governing, and how …

Earlier this year, Mayor Jean Stothert announced intentions to give the land where Omaha's downtown library sits to Mutual of Omaha so they can build a new headquarters roughly 20 streets away from their current …

Alvo is a small town of about 115 between Omaha and Lincoln. The kind of place you probably haven’t ever thought about unless you live near it. The …

Vice Chair of the OPPD Board of Directors Eric Williams is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about Nebraska's coordinated plan to address the climate crisis by transitioning to primary reliance on renewable energy and …

Jo Giles is the executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha, which addresses gender-based inequities in our community through collaboration that …

Terry Sanders, publisher of the Omaha Star, is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch on today's show exploring the legacy of the institution as a good news-based model of journalism. The Omaha Star was founded in 1938 by …

Joel Damon and Josh Powell founded and curate Project Project: an independent contemporary arts space in South Omaha. Project Project hosts new visual art exhibitions on the second Friday of every month as well as …

Dave Pantos served as Executive Director of the Legal Aid program in Nebraska, ran several congressional campaigns, and teaches law and policy at the …

Adam Nayman is a critic at The Ringer and Cinema Scope and he is also the author of The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Room Together and …

Lydia Kang practices internal medicine at Nebraska Medicine and has written several novels including Opium and Absynthe, The Impossible Girl, The …

Paul B. Allen IV runs the Allen Showcase Media Group building teams for media operations like Mind and Soul 101.3 or 1st Sky Omaha. Allen comes from …

Ethan Warren, film critic and editor for the online film journal Bright Wall/Dark Room discusses his 2018 article “I Can Whistle With That: What the Stories of 2018 Show Us About Responding to Despair,” which tries to …

Omaha World Herald reporter Paul Hammel explains the recent federal indictment against Representative Jeff Fortenberry. Forteberry has represented …

Nebraska State Senator Tony Vargas, who is currently running to represent Nebraska’s Second Congressional District in the House of Representatives, talks with Tom Knoblauch about his upbringing, how teaching influenced …

Matthew Wurstner, our resident historian, returns to the show to talk with Tom Knoblauch about the history of legal challenges to school curriculum …

Matthew Hansen chats with Tom Knoblauch about his journey in journalism, from interviewing Dick Cavett to his column at the Omaha World Herald to now …

Laurel Heer Dale and Michael Milone chat with Tom Knoblauch about the current eviction crisis and how they're addressing it through the Tenant Assistance Project--also known as TAP. The program offers free legal …

Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt represents the 8th legislative district in Omaha, consisting of Dundee, Benson, and Keystone. Tom last spoke with Senator Hunt after she had wrapped up her first year in the legislature …

Author James Han Mattson talks with Tom Knoblauch about his new novel Reprieve: a literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing …

Gus von Roenn, founder of Omaha Permaculture, talks with Tom Knoblauch about his journey and vision of cities teeming with permaculture gardens where …

Aarron Schurevich tells his story about how he got wrapped into the world of competitive debate, coached debate for nearly a decade, and why he can't let it go. He and Tom Knoblauch reflect on how debate permeates our …

Ben Nelson, former Nebraska governor and United States Senator, is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about his new book is Death of the Senate: My Front Row Seat to the Demise of the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body. …

Jeffrey Koterba, political cartoonist and author, is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about the current state of journalism and the importance of …

Matthew Wurstner talks with Tom Knoblauch about the history of the presidential pardon and how its evolution leaves big questions for our country …

Both Omaha natives, you probably know Amber Ruffin as the host of The Amber Ruffin Show. Her sister Lacey Lamar still lives in Omaha where she has worked in the healthcare and human services field for more than …

Nebraska State Senator John Cavanaugh is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about growing up with a dad who served in the House of Representatives, how he shaped his worldview, and the tricky business of trying to bring …

Adam Fletcher-Sasse talks with Tom Knoblauch about compiling North Omaha History through articles, a podcast, and several books which are available …

Film Streams Executive Director Deirdre Haj talks with Tom Knoblauch about her relationship to the film industry and her vision for Film Streams as a …

Timothy Schaffert is in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about his journey as an author and his new novel The Perfume Thief. A Gentleman in Moscow …

Dakota Smith AKA Bobo Jiggs talks with Tom Knoblauch about his new photography installation "Still-Lives," a study of relationships between pairs of seemingly unrelated photographs, which can be seen at the next Benson …

Lauren Martin, executive director of the Maha Festival talks with Tom Knoblauch about her story and the evolution of Maha. This year’s festival is on …

Maria Corpuz talks with Tom Knoblauch about local activism, journalism, and hosting the live late night show Nite Caps at OutrSpaces through significant personal and societal shifts over the past few years. 

Author and Documentarian Tyler J. Kelley talks about his new book Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America's Waterways, a …

Inclusive Communities executive director Maggie Wood and deputy director Cammy Watkins talk about discrimination in Omaha--its causes, its effects, and ways organizations like theirs work to address it going forward. 

Racial equity consultant Ja Keen Fox tells his story and theory of persuasion as he works to bring a progressive vision to Omaha.

Leah Cates writes for The Reader and compiled Queer Nebraska: A Timeline, which commemorates milestones in LGBTQ Nebraska history as part of The Reader’s Pride feature and seeks to broadcast voices from Nebraska’s …

Attorney Matthew Wurstner returns to the show to discuss the constitutional obligations of the police and its formation as an institution--as well as …

Filmmakers Brent Scott Maze and Derek Maze discuss their new film, La Flamme Rouge, which was filmed in Fremont and recently played at the Omaha Film Festival.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert tells her story and vision for a third term.

Sarah Johnson tells her vision for Omaha and why she felt compelled to run to represent District 1 on Omaha's City Council to switch up the status quo.

Jen Bauer tells her life story, from childhood dreams of joining the Supreme Court to her current campaign to represent District 3 on Omaha's City Council.

Sarah Smolen tells her story as an Omaha educator running to represent District 4 on Omaha's City Council.

RJ Neary discusses his vision for the city, including thinking bigger and addressing the interconnected nature of issues holding Omaha back from …

Author Ross Benes discusses his new book, Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold--including the past 30 years moving Nebraska …

Jasmine Harris tells her vision of shifting Omaha from stagnation to progress by addressing the interconnected nature of the city's problems from transportation to communication to health and more.

Learn more here.

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Omaha educator and mayoral candidate Mark Gudgel discusses his vision for the city and the future of politics in America.

Find more about Mark …

NOISE founder Dawaune Lamont Hayes discusses his vision for changing Omaha to meet his ambitions, now including a run for mayor.

Matthew Wurstner tells the history of America's stolen election, rife with fraud, corruption, and questionable implications for the American …

Precious McKesson tells her story as the first woman and the first woman of color in Nebraska to cast an Electoral College ballot for a Democrat, as …

Critic Adam Nayman discusses his new book, Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, as well as the state of the auteur today and the future of cinema after …

Naomi Hattaway discusses her campaign to represent District 6 on Omaha's City Council, including the logistics of a digital campaign, the formation of her worldview, and her vision for the city.

Brent Crampton discusses how we can shift to a circular food system and become more conscious of waste, re-use, and regeneration, which he is helping …

Author Theodore Wheeler discusses his new novel, In Our Other Lives, which follows a series of characters trying to make sense of the post-Patriot …

Astronaut Clayton Anderson discusses his upbringing and dedication to following his dream of joining NASA and going to space, as well as his ability …

Screenwriter Patrick Stibbs tells the story of his first screenplay, The Call, which took 20 years to make it to the screen and is now in theaters across the country, starring horror icons Tobin Bell and Lynn Shaye.

Cammy Watkins discusses her decision to run for Omaha's City Council after years of waiting for political willpower to manifest in order to fix the …

Omaha attorney Matthew Wurstner gives an overview of legal issues from the national to the local, including the recent developments at the Supreme Court and what made it to the ballot this year in Nebraska.

Kara Eastman comes back onto the show to discuss her run to represent Nebraska's Second Congressional District as she challenges incumbent Republican Don Bacon over healthcare, presidential loyalty, and the influence of …

Nebraska State Senate Candidate Terrell McKinney is running to represent District 11, which is currently represented by Ernie Chambers. McKinney speaks about the legacy of Ernie Chambers as he grew up in North Omaha as …

Musician, author, and professor Pascal Bokar discusses the way traditional sounds like the banjo originated in West Africa and became mainstays of Midwestern music, as well as how the center of any country represents …

US Senate Candidate Alisha Shelton discusses her life as a practical problem solver and how she's had to forge her own path in every venture, …

Musician Andrew Bailie discusses his album Wasteland and how he's processing the world around him through his music and neighborhood concerts. 

Screenwriter Christine Burright McGuigan discusses her life leading up to the writing of The Headliner, the award-winning short that played in the Omaha Film Festival, the Film Stream Local Filmmaker Showcase, and won …

Beaufield Berry discusses her evolution as a playwright leading up to Red Summer, which dramatized the life of William Brown in commemoration of the …

Documentarian Georg Joutras discusses his hit documentary, Ocean of Grass, filmed in the Nebraska Sandhills. Edited from the 2019 podcast conversation. 

Filmmakers Dorothy Booraem and Chad Haufschild talk about their journey in filmmaking, from making a streaming deal with Netflix to navigating the shifting landscape of media over the past twenty years. Check out their …

Fatima Flores-Lagunas discusses life as a DACA recipient in Nebraska as well as her activism toward a path to citizenship for undocumented children, which has included representing DACA youth at the Supreme Court.

Director Tony Bonacci discusses his evolution in filmmaking leading up to the award-winning The Headliner, which he is now developing into a feature …

Author David Philip Mullins discusses his new novel The Brightest Place in the World, which traces the lives of four characters haunted by an …

Kate Bolz discusses her role as a congressional candidate and current Nebraska state senator who is the Democratic challenger to sitting …

Filmmakers Jesse Snider and Jaz Shoeneck discuss their new Nebraskan production company, Gnarly Pioneers, their projects The Hero and The Feed, which premiered at the Prairie Lights Film Festival, and their upcoming …

Author, playwright, and screenwriting instructor Sally J. Walker discusses the necessity of pragmatism in a life as a writer and what techniques she has learned from decades of craft that can be found in her new book …

Author Amy Bonnaffons discusses her new novel, The Regrets, as well as her life as a writer in isolation during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Check out The …

Acclaimed actor Darrick Silkman discusses his evolution from stage performances such as Angels in America and Nebraska Shakespeare to becoming a …

On today's episode, Riverside Chats concludes its series leading up to the Nebraska primary on May 12th in a conversation with US Senate candidate Angie Philips, who is running against sitting senator Ben Sasse.

Riverside Chats continues its look into the congressional candidates who want to represent you in the federal government leading up to Nebraska’s primary on May 12. This week, Tom speaks with US Senate candidate Chris …

Riverside Chats continues its look into the congressional candidates who want to represent you in the federal government leading up to Nebraska’s primary on May 12. This week, Tom has a conversation with congressional …

On today’s show, we continue our look into the congressional candidates who want to represent you in the federal government leading up to Nebraska’s primary on May 12. Last week, Tom spoke with Representative Don Bacon. …

Representative Don Bacon talks about his life, his journey in politics, and the inability of our current political moment to agree on a definition of …

Christine Burright McGuigan has had a busy couple of years. She's best known for writing the hit short The Headliner, which is currently being turned into a feature film from director Tony Bonacci. On today's show, she …

Raydell Cordell III fell in love with acting as a kid in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has done Midsummer five different times and uses it as a way to get to know himself better and gauge how he's changed as an actor …

Beaufield Berry doesn't know how to be bored. She does know how to jump headfirst into her passions and create all sorts of projects that both entertain and explore the human condition. Her latest project is Red Summer, …

Morgann Freeman is running for congress on a simple mission: she wants to serve constituents by placing their interests above her own. She sees congress losing its ostensible purpose as public servants, and she wants to …

Connor Brandt and Jordan Gaul talk about the founding of their band, The Real Zebos, and the story of their new album, Strictly Platonic.

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Senator Megan Hunt has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. From getting kids in her third grade class to submit creative writing to a website she'd …

Caitlin Little is always processing the world through her art, but that doesn't mean she wants the commentary to be obvious. On today's show, she explains her philosophy of adjacency and her experiences with performance …

In 1978, Tim Lohmeier turned his family’s fried chicken restaurant, The Drumstick, in Lincoln, Nebraska into a rock n’ roll club that would go on to …

Jessica Mizaur just wants to save the world. She is one of the first graduates of Creighton University's Sustainability Studies degree and has …

Justin Schacht is happy, and he wants to help you get there too. He tells the story of being a child questioning his own existence to a troubled …

Mary Oliver is doing it all: she acts, writes, does martial arts, plays viola, and is working on a narrative podcast. She tells the story of how she …

Ehren Parks went from small-town Nebraska kid to film industry professional in Los Angeles as a producer and writer before making it back to Fremont to produce the new film, La Flamme Rouge. He tells the story of …

Diana Martinez discusses her path in getting a PhD in film, teaching film, and creating a podcast exploring the less publicized history of people of …

Comedian Matt Wedlock talks comedy, improv, the military, addiction, and how his time in federal prison helped shape the kind of comedy he hopes to share with the world.

Michael Burns Jr. tells the story of how he went from ambitions in wrestling to screenwriting and becoming a successful actor on the brink of …

Fisheye Kombucha Brewers Jason Miller and Sara Hinrichs tell the story of founding Nebraska's first kombucha company, including explaining to the state what kombucha even is in order to get licensed.

Danny Machado, writer/director of CHIT and assistant director Aly Larimore discuss their path in filmmaking.

Abigail C. K. Lill discusses her new play, Rumors in the Kitchen, as well as how she came to work in the entertainment industry and her initiative to create the Grandin Test--an inclusion test for writing characters …

Congressional candidate Kara Eastman discusses her journey in politics and her view of the current state of our political system. Recorded live in …

Rachel Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Film Streams, joins Riverside Chats to discuss the story of Film Streams and making an unlikely dream come true in a city previously lacking an art film market.

Documentary Filmmaker Brigitte Timmerman discusses her new film, The Omaha Speaking, about the remaining speakers of the Omaha language within the Omaha Tribe.

Eddy Quintero and Brent Lubbert of Big Muddy Urban Farm join us to discuss urban farming and how to reduce Omaha's wasted space. This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Benson Theater. 

Cameron Logsdon joins host Tom Knoblauch to discuss comedy, creativity, and culture in Omaha. This conversation was held at the Benson Theater in …