The Lincoln Project’s “We’re Speaking” series shined its spotlight on “Our Towns” Wednesday, Dec. 1, welcoming Jim and Deb Fallows to talk about the “Our Towns” journey. In case you missed the livestreamed conversation, you can stream it on-demand above,
“We’re Speaking” co-hosts, Maya May and Lisa Senecal, begin the conversation at the most natural point — the beginning, unpacking the “Our Towns'” origin, in asking: How did this journey get started?
From their earliest reporting, to the bestselling book that came out in 2018, to the HBO documentary that debuted in 2021, and most recently the Our Towns Civic Foundation, Jim and Deb tell the tale of “Our Towns'” evolution. Discussing how their time in China influenced their reporting in America upon their return in 2011, they also explore new reporting with Jim’s feature on how Pensacola, Florida just ‘acknowledged and lamented’ a revealed past around race and racism, which you can read here, as well as Deb’s recent look at how Bucksport, Maine is serving as an example of how a person-to-person democracy can be revived thanks to the work of the Orton Family Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul program, which you can read about here.
“As we head approach the new year we’re starting the conversation on experimentation, renewal, and hope for America’s small towns,” reads, in-part, the description of this conversation posted on the Lincoln Project TV’s site for its “We’re Speaking” series. In a time when many bemoan how national headlines report more of what divides us than unites us, this is a conversation very much worth tuning in to to see that more of the latter exists out there than many might suspect. We hope you’ll check it out here.
