The Story of Us: Michigan | WKAR

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Michiganders share short stories about their lives, inspiring conversation about what it means to be an American today. A variety of selfie videos, photos, and comments provide a unique look into life in the Great Lake state. It’s a story told by everyday people - in their own words - on their struggles, triumphs, and joys. A PBS American Portrait special from WKAR.
Following the film screening will be a Q&A session with a panel discussing the importance of and challenges in collecting oral histories from across Michigan.
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If you have questions about this event or the OVEE platform, please send an email to events@wkar.org
Partners:
Michigan Small Business Association,
ComArts Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee,
MSU Broad Museum,
Ele's Place, and
The Library of Michigan
Video Descriptions
OVEE TitleCard
5 minutes
Welcome to OVEE!
Julie Sochay Senior Director of Content and Communication
STORY_OF_US_MICHIGAN
Please Stay for the Q&A
A Brief Pause
Thanks for joining us!
Julie Sochay Senior Director of Content and Communication
33min 58sec
Moderator
- Jen Preslar
Chat Moderator, WKAR Events Coordinator
Participants
- Julie Sochay
Panelist
Panel Moderator, WKAR Senior Director of Content and Communication
- Tim Elkins
Panelist
WKAR Producer/Director & Filmmaker
Tim Elkins has been with WKAR for 22 years and is the series director of Off the Record, Curious Crew and BackStage Pass. He enjoys playing golf, guitar and raising his two children, Alex and Amelia, with his amazing wife Susi. - Adam Oster
Panelist
Adam Oster is the Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Political Science and Secondary Education Certification. He also has a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University. Adam’s interests include genealogy and local history research.
- Judy Walgren
Panelist
MSU J-School Associate Director and Professor of Practice Judy Walgren is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, photo editor, executive producer, curator and visual artist. She has worked on staffs at the Dallas Morning News, the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post as a photojournalist and photo editor. She also served as the Director of Photography for the and at the San Francisco Chronicle, where she led a team of Emmy-winning photojournalists and filmmakers. In 2016, she received an MFA in Visual Art from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and began her exploration into the relationships between photography, historic archives and power structures. She joined the faculty at Michigan State in 2018.
- John Valadez
Panelist
John J. Valadez is a Peabody Award winning filmmaker who has written, directed and produced many nationally broadcast documentary films. He grew up in Seattle, taught photography in India, and studied filmmaking at New York University.
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