State of the Re:Union Fall 2010 Season

State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) is a public media show that explores the ties that bind communities. Using an unforgettable blend of storytelling, music, and tempo, host Al Letson engrosses listeners in true stories of people building communities through relationships, sacrifice, contribution and spirit. SOTRU's Fall 2010 Season explores five different American locations and an exciting Veterans Day special.

Española, New Mexico
Española is known as the first Capitol City in America. Settled by Spanish conquistadors in 1598, the area's rich cultural past is still evident today in its music, art and way of life. But changing demographics, along with a shift in the local economy, has left many residents without land, water or a sense of identity. SOTRU travels to the Española Valley to explore the area's history of dispossession, and to discover what the rest of the country can learn from this still-vital region of the American Southwest.

Twin Cities, Minnesota
It isn't exactly Lake Wobegon anymore...Once known as the home of Midwestern Lutherans and Scandinavian farmers, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are now wildly diverse. With 14% of the population now foreign-born the look and culture of Minneapolis and St. Paul is beginning to change. SOTRU explores the rich range of cultures and communities coming together in the country's middle.

Austin, Texas
Austin is a town wrestling with its identity, not as a result of a natural disaster or economic meltdown, but rather its success. The population has spiked and so have its economic advantages, but many residents worry that the development and growth might jeopardize the city's unique countercultural feel. SOTRU explores the balance of culture and success in the Texas capital.

Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles is a city known to many outsiders as a dizzying, sprawling and superficial. But when looked at beneath the surface, LA reveals itself as a place of purpose, humanity and dignity. SOTRU travels to the City of Angels to tell a series of stories detailing what home really means and the way it connects people and community.

Appalachian Mountains
SOTRU explores the misguided portrayal of the rural Appalachian region as a place of victims — a people at the mercy of the region's poverty or bigotry. We travel to southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky to examine how residents are balancing deep ties to their history while facing the future in a new way.

Veterans Day Special
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are sending our veterans home with wounds and obstacles not always clearly visible to the rest of the country. These two current wars also illuminate how veterans of previous eras are still trying to come home years after returning from war. In this episode, State of the Re:Union explores how veterans are serving each other after they come back home from serving the country. Hide full description

State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) is a public media show that explores the ties that bind communities. Using an unforgettable blend of storytelling, music, and tempo, host Al Letson engrosses listeners in true stories of people building communities through relationships, sacrifice, contribution and spirit. SOTRU's Fall 2010 Season explores five different American locations and an exciting Veterans Day special. Española, New MexicoEspañola is known as the first Capitol City in America. Settled by Spanish conquistadors in 1598, the area's rich cultural past is still evident today in its music, art and way of life. But changing demographics, along with a shift in the local economy, has left many residents without land, water or a sense of identity. SOTRU travels to the Española Valley to... Show full description