State of the Re:Union

In the last episode of State of the Re:Union, the team brings you a collection of our favorite stories from the road. Host Al Letson reflects on six years of SOTRU and says goodbye to the show. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

The San Gabriel Valley is just like any other suburb in America. Life revolves around family and school; the social fabric is woven over cheap eats at the mall. But unlike most suburbs in America, the San Gabriel Valley is home to the largest Chinese diaspora in the country. In fact, eight of the region’s cities are majority Asian. That makes the “SGV” one of the few places where being Asian American is the norm – but where there is no normal version of being Asian American. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

Poetry isn’t just words on a page. Instead it’s a form that lets people express themselves in a way that’s often far more deep, emotional, and complex than other forms of communication. In this year’s National Poetry Month Special, SOTRU explores how people are finding ways to use poetry in surprising ways.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

The climate is going haywire, and politicians are bickering over what to do about it, or whether to do anything at all. But that’s only part of the story. Around the country, communities are taking matters into their own hands, publicly pledging to shrink their carbon footprints, then setting out to make good on their promises.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

When someone decides to transition from one gender to another, it’s obviously a big deal in their life. But what’s it like for their spouse?VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

This year, State of the Re:Union recognizes Black History Month through the lens of African-American art, the role it has played in social movements and everyday life, and why it matters both to the black community and the United States as a whole.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

When a city’s murder rate goes up and stays high for years, what do community activists working against violence do? How do they keep from losing hope? Back in 2010, State of the Re:Union visited New Orleans, Louisiana, and reported on community responses to urban violence. Among the places SOTRU visited was St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in the Treme neighborhood, which had come up with a novel way of documenting the city’s violence: something they called the Murder Board. This year, we sent reporter Nina Feldman back to St. Anna’s to see how the project is maintaining, these years later.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

In every community, there are certain characters that are familiar to everybody. They’re not actually famous– they’re just recognizable folks about town because of some quirk or personal characteristic. Producer Gabe Grabin brings us the story of one particular character in his hometown who polarized his community.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

The SOTRU team brings you a collection of stories from the road. Host Al Letson reflects on the show and plays some of his favorite stories mixed with unheard interviews. We’ll also hear a story about a road trip that completely shifted Al’s life.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

In our globalized world, it only takes a click to buy something from China and have it delivered right to your doorstep. But that product sailed across the ocean on a cargo ship before it got to you. Over 90 percent of global trade travels across the ocean by ship. In this episode, we’ll step on board some of these ships and meet the sailors who work there. What’s it like to live for months at sea, isolated with only your co-workers? And when a ship stops in the USA, how do sailors spend the few precious hours they have on shore? Tune in to this hour with guest producer Allison Swaim to find out.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

The United States has the world’s largest prison population. In 2012, there were 2.3 million people in American prisons or jails – and even more under some kind of “correctional supervision.” In fact, if you added up all the people in America in prison, on probation, or on parole, it’d total about 6 million – just a little smaller than the population of New York City. The system is vast, but how well is it working? In this episode, we explore how a few communities across the country have responded creatively to problems with police, courts, and prisons.VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

It’s estimated that there are nearly 1.5 million people in the U.S. who identify themselves as transgender. That’s more than a million people with families, communities and stories we are only just starting to hear from. When someone transitions, the impact of that decision ripples beyond them to the people often closest to them: their families. In this hour of radio, we tell stories of trans people and their families at many different moments of life, from childhood to adulthood to elders, as parents, as spouses and as kids, themselves. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

Interior Alaska can be a forbidding place. The region is largely wilderness, covered with expansive stretches of tundra and towering mountain ranges. Winters are long and dark, with just a few hours of sunlight on the shortest days and temperatures that often plunge to -50F. Because of its isolation and climate, the region has long attracted people drawn to the challenges and opportunities of a wild, remote place. In this episode of SOTRU, we’ll meet a number of athletes, journalists, scientists, and activists who embody the spirit of Interior Alaska through their grit, determination, and iconoclasm. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

The U.S. has been a country shaped by migration, dating back to the days of the pioneers making their way West. But recently, this country has been seeing a different kind of migration, one motivated not by economic necessity, but lifestyle choices. More and more, people are moving to places where they’re surrounded by others like themselves. In this episode of SOTRU, we tell stories of this new kind of migration, of people moving to different corners of the country find (or build) themselves a haven. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

When Mormon pioneers rolled into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, they brought with them a new theology, a short but intense history of persecution, and dreams of a new kind of society. 166 years later, Salt Lake City remains deeply influenced by Mormon culture, but defies easy categorization. With a large and politically active gay scene, one of the biggest Polynesian populations in the country, and a steady stream of new migrants, the city is full of vibrant contradiction—and sometimes conflict. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

Host Al Letson and guest producer John Biewen (of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University) present a collection of stories from Durham, North Carolina. In this hour of SOTRU, we explore the role of sports in the lives of young people, and their families, as the kids pursue success in athletics and in life. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

For many Americans, Hawai’i is a tropical playground, the place of surf, sun and dream vacations. Behind the tourist façade, though, is one of the most unique multicultural states in the nation, one still dealing with the complicated legacy of the circumstances under which it become part of this country. And so much of how Hawai’i is now comes back to one game-changing element: sugar. For decades, long before it was a tourist’s paradise, what Hawai’i did was grow sugar. That was not only its economic driver, it was a force that remade the place. In this episode of SOTRU, we’ll explore the way contemporary Hawai’i is still navigating the legacy of the sugar plantations now in the 21st century. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

Even in diverse neighborhoods, it’s easy to go about our lives in a well-established groove, only interacting with the people we already know, the people most like us. But in one neighborhood in San Francisco, the Occupy movement, with its politics of solidarity, shook up those patterns. Occupy may not be making many headlines anymore, but it’s responsible for sparking an unlikely friendship between two very different men. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

In this National Poetry Month special, SOTRU explores all facets of poetry and its influence in host Al Letson’s life. We talk to poets from all over the country about the craft, the lifestyle, the resurgence of poems, and of course, hear some incredible poetry. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE

When you picture Vermont, you probably get a mental image of a pastoral scene of fields and mountains, maybe some maple trees. How about… mohawks and mosh pits? SOTRU Producer Tina Antolini dives (stage dives) into the Green Mountain state’s rural– and thriving– hardcore music scene. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE