Showtimes:
Friday, 11/14 | 7:00 PM
Pie is not only an iconic American dessert, it is a nonpartisan symbol kindness, comfort, generosity, unity, and love—all the things we need more of right now. To convey how something as simple as a homemade pie can make the world a better place, filmmaker, author, and piemaker Beth M. Howard aims her lens at her native Iowa, where pie is woven into the state’s cultural fabric. From church fundraisers to old diners, farmers markets, myriad pie shops, international flavors, Iowa State Fair competitions, the next generation of piemakers, and a 500-mile bike ride across the state where people come from all over the world just to eat pie. We learn how pie, an immigrant that can be traced back to ancient Egypt, is as diverse as America’s population. Wholesome, heartfelt, and hopeful, PIEOWA: A PIECE OF AMERICA, is as satisfying as a slice of warm apple pie.
This screening will feature a special introduction, followed by a post-film Q&A with the Director, Producer, and Writer, Beth M. Howard. And be sure to stick around after the screening for fresh pie!
BETH M. HOWARD is the author of four books, including Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Pie; the cookbook, Ms. American Pie; and her latest release, World Piece: A Pie Baker’s Global Quest for Peace, Love, and Understanding. She has written for The New York Times, Real Simple, and Country Living, among many other publications. She has given a TEDx Talk on the healing powers of pie, and is a regular commentator for her local NPR affiliate in Macomb, Illinois. From 2010 to 2014, she lived in the iconic American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa, where she ran the Pitchfork Pie Stand. In 2015, she embarked on a round-the-world journey teaching pie classes in nine countries to promote world peace. As a widow who understands grief and the importance of building community, Howard responded to the Sandy Hook Shooting in 2012 by organizing 60 volunteers to bake 250 pies for the residents of Newtown, Connecticut. Her story has been featured on CBS This Morning, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, BBC, NPR, the Hallmark Channel, the History Channel, in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Reader’s Digest, and more. She divides her time between an Iowa farm and Los Angeles, and continues to write, bake pie, and advocate for a better, kinder world. Her latest project, a documentary film called Pieowa: A Piece of America, was released in 2025. Her website is theworldneedsmorepie.com.
