States of America

I-Shüan Warr grew up with a unique name in a multicultural family in a mostly white Tennessee suburb. Her mom is from Taiwan, her dad is from California, her husband is from Utah, and her kids are from Korea. Living somewhere that embraces diversity became a high priority, and for her, Oregon has been just that place.

Living on an island in the Mississippi River has always drawn Kathy Christenson to seek inspiration and peace from its banks. Despite thinking adulthood would take her far from her small town home in Minnesota, she grasps life as an explorer here - finding hidden charms and meaning at every turn. Photography and preservation have allowed Kathy to weave each new experience into a fresh perspective.

Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Xong Xiong moved to Wisconsin after her family couldn't return to Laos following the Vietnam War. She grew up as part of an influx of twice dislocated Hmong refugees who were not always welcomed in La Crosse. Despite racism, poor integration, and detachment from her own culture, Xong is determined to help the younger generation born in America stay connected.

Since apprenticing for a retired fiddler after college, Beth Rotto has grown into a cultural staple within her community in Iowa. She works at the Co-op by day, fronts her folk band by night, and performs at the annual Nordic Fest to celebrate the Midwest's vast Scandinavian ancestry. Her act teaches people across the region to dance together in a scene of simple pageantry, unity, and wonder.

Sarah Smith's ancestors helped found the state of Missouri, so she has always felt strong roots connecting her to the land that was once home to frontier women and men. After a life-changing illness led her to reassess everything, Sarah is now busy building a new type of homestead on her own frontier.

Nancy 3. Hoffman curates the world's only Umbrella Cover Museum on an island off the coast of Maine. Here, Nancy embraces a community that welcomes eccentricity and self-reliance as she pursues her life's purpose of bringing laughter and joy to others.

Thirteen years ago, after finishing college in Minnesota, returning home to Texas, and then volunteering in Mexico, Nathan Tolzmann felt adrift. He set out to ride his bike across the United States on a voyage of self-discovery, but only made it as far as Chicago. It was in the Prairie State where Nathan found the sense of belonging and contentment he had been searching for.

Born and bred Hoosier Randy Evans explains the value he places on his sense of belonging including his connection to those that have gone before. From a rather surprising discovery of skeletons in his cellar to the backyard memorial he created for his deceased brother, Randy reflects on the nature of death and the importance of where a person is buried.

Growing up in a military family, Kelly Ault lived in twelve different states as a child. After college she was anxious to put roots down and chose a rural community in Vermont to start a new life. A husband and two sons later, she built herself a house on a remote plot of land with hopes to give her family a connection to a place she never had.

A native of Rhode Island, Jack Welch has called the Ocean State his home for 82 years. The former teacher and principal is now a Meals on Wheels volunteer, a tour guide with the Providence Preservation Society and an avid cyclist. Jack believes that the people you spend your life with have the greatest potential to inspire you - a creed he embodies with his own life-affirming, cheerful service.

Growing up in a shack in the Jim Crow South, Paul Gunter dreamed of someday owning his own home. Although his dream came true at the age of 20, he soon had to move from North Carolina to New Jersey to make enough money to pay for it. Twenty-one years later, after his wife passed away, Paul finally returned to the house he built and the state that had always felt like home.

Karen Eberle-McCarthy loves the Hudson River Valley community she has lived in for many years. A passionate member of this New York neighborhood, she teaches English to Spanish speaking residents and volunteers at the town park which allows Karen to meet people from diverse backgrounds and hear new ideas.