_Panelists:
Bradd Anderson, Missouri 4-H youth development specialist
Meg Ladd, ParentLink program manager
Jen Reeves, associate professor, Missouri School of Journalism
Scott Steinberg, author of "The Modern Parents Guidebook to Kids and Video Games" (joining the program by phone)

_Filmmakers and film fans are preparing to crowd the streets of downtown Columbia this week with start of the True/False Film Fest. In advance of the festivities, our guests explain what it's like to make a movie here in Missouri. We also talk about the rising importance of film within Columbia's cultural landscape and find out how likely it may be that Columbia could become a birthplace for important cinematic works. In the final segment of the program, True/False co-director David Wilson talks about some of the noteworthy films chosen for inclusion in this year's festival.

_Panelists:
Polina Malikin, filmmaker and education/outreach coordinator for the True/False Film Fest
David Wilson, True/False co-founder

_A emerging theory suggests that clusters of creative talent might be the determining factor between regions whose economies flourish and those that fall behind. We explore how these ideas, brought to the fore by Richard Florida's book "The Rise of the Creative Class," are playing out across the country. We'll also find out how mid-Missouri fares as a creative place.

_Panelists:
Kelsey Meyer, vice president for Digital Talent Agents. She’s also involved with the League of Innovators, a group that works to connect mid-Missouri entrepreneurs.
Chris Stevens, manager of the City of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Steven Pedigo, director of research for Creative Class Group, a consulting firm that advises communities on how to attract creative workers. (Joining the program by phone)

_A growing body of research is looking into the connections between spirituality and the functioning of the human brain. Our panelists take us on a journey into the deep recesses of the religious mind in hopes of answering some key questions: Is there a part of the brain that’s responsible for making people religious? Or is it the other way around, with spirituality affecting the way the brain operates?

_Panelists:
John Baker, executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Missouri and former pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbia
Daniel Cohen, teaching assistant professor in the MU Department of Religious Studies
Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the MU School of Health Professions
Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of the book "Principles of Neurotheology" (joining the program by phone)

_With the fourth installment of the "Twilight" film series currently in theaters, we take another critical look at the teen vampire phenomenon. Does this latest film deliberately promote a socially conservative agenda, as some critics argue? Or, are the story line and fan frenzy simply the lifeblood of a Gothic literary tradition that will not die after hundreds of years?

_Panelists:
Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, assistant professor of communication at the University of Missouri and one of three co-editors of the book “Bitten by Twilight: Youth Culture, Media and the Vampire Franchise.”
Elizabeth Chang, associate professor of English at the University of Missouri

_With the holidays at hand, many of us will take time to appreciate and reflect on what we have. But what does it mean to be truly grateful in the modern world? How can parents instill a sense of gratitude in their children? And how do expressions of gratitude affect each of us as an individual and as a community?

Panelists:
John Battaglia, pastor of the Christian Chapel Church
Robert Johnson, professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri
Sharon Dunski Vermont, pediatrician and author of "The Gratitude Experiment"
_

What does war look like through the eyes of an artist like Thomas Hart Benton? An exhibit at the National Churchill Museum in Fulton showcases work Benton did for the Navy during World War II. With that exhibit open -- and with America currently involved in two wars overseas -- we take a look at the symbolism and imagery of art during wartime. We'll also learn more about the life and work of one of Missouri's most important artists.

Panelists:
Liz Murphy, archivist-curator at the National Churchill Museum
Joan Stack, curator of art collections at the State Historical Society of Missouri

In the early 1950s, cancerous cells were taken from a tumor that killed a young black woman and became the first human cells to be successfully kept alive and replicated outside the human body. That cell line, known as HeLa, went on to become one of the most important ingredients in medical research, leading to several important breakthroughs -- and generating large profits for biomedical companies. But the woman and her descendants had no idea any of this was happening.
The details of this true story are chronicled in this year's One Read book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Our discussion focuses on the medical issues raised in the story, in particular how race, medicine, civil rights history and bioethics all come together in the book and in our world today.
For more information about this year's One Read events, click here.

Panelists:
Doyne McKenzie, collections manager, Daniel Boone Regional Library
Traci Wilson-Kleekamp, director of diversity and outreach initiatives, MU School of Medicine