Lotfi reflects on moving from crowded Algiers to small university towns in North Dakota and Wyoming. He talks about the shock of cold weather, loneliness, and wind, but also how Laramie helped him discover nature, community, and a calmer pace of life.

Jim talks about how Wyoming AIDS Walk started Drag Queen Bingo, which has since grown into an annual fundraising event for Wyoming AIDS Assistance.

Sharon tells the stories behind five troll dolls from her collection. She and her sister have a long-running joke that Sharon does not seek out trolls, but instead they find their way to her.

Ron shares the unlikely path that led him from a spontaneous middle-school parade to becoming a long-time orchestra teacher in Wyoming.

Jim talks about the very first Wyoming AIDS Walk, and how it began as a student organization that quickly grew into a larger community effort that partnered with Wyoming non-profits.

Judy Johnson’s whole life has been involved with alcohol. She recounts her long journey to sobriety and eventually becoming a licensed substance abuse and mental health counselor. 

Explore Gwynn’s office, decorated with trinkets, knick-knacks, and gifts that she has collected during her long tenure at the University of Wyoming.

Nikki speaks about navigating the dual realities of community and struggle, feeling supported yet unheard, connected yet overwhelmed.

Nancy discusses moving from Doha, Qatar to Laramie, WY, and the profound impact the landscape, people, and stories have had on her. The impact of these earth-shattering mountains compelled Nancy to spend time elevating the stories of everyday people in this often-overlooked state.

In this conversation with the Re-Storying the West team, Randy and Tammie discuss the two fires in Rock River history: the fire at the “monkey farm” roadside attraction, and a fire at the Racher’s Supply.

Allison shares a story of her close relationship with her mother, describing how her mom's steady support and wisdom have helped her manage anxiety and navigate life's challenges.

Allen discusses his work in community development, restorative justice, and faith-based outreach in Wyoming, where small towns compel interaction across differences.

Levi shares his experience with mental health struggles, and his connections with others that have shaped who he is today.

Jim explains how some of the board members of Wyoming AIDS Walk had to take over being drag queens for Drag Queen Bingo, and the continued legacy of their drag mother, Bob Hooker, who passed away in 2018.

Challenge coins are a symbol of service, achievement, and camaraderie. For Josh, his challenge coins also tell a story.

Dr. Michelle Aldrich reflects on Wyoming’s unique sense of community, where connections run deep and strangers often turn out to be neighbors.

After Jenny's daughter told her she was queer Jenny struggled because she was afraid of how her daughter might be judged in a rural community as well as how she might be judged as a single mother.

William Bowling reflects on a life shaped by music, beginning with childhood performances alongside his concert violinist father in Colorado.

At 75, Lorraine reflects on 42 years of life built in Wyoming through activism, caregiving, and fierce independence. She finds belonging in a wide range of ways, from singing at the Newman Center to providing foot care to her interest in politics.

Sheila Newlin discusses fulfilling her lifelong dream of joining the Peace Corps. She and her husband, Doug, served in Papua New Guinea in 2000 after their three children were out of the house.

Gordon shares a story of building his family's home during the stock market crash in 2007. He describes how important it was to him that he built this home for his family and how it has shaped his family.

In this story, Miss Edith talks about her recently published memoir, tracing her life from Germany to California to Wyoming. She reflects over books that help her think more deeply about Wyoming as a complicated place. Conversations about history and community are important yet can be challenging to have.

Reflecting over his experiences with HIV and AIDS activism in Wyoming, Jim explains why Wyoming AIDS Walk was such a necessary and important fundraiser.

Trixie is a Storyteller who brings her past experiences into her current life and holds space for her children through the traditions of her past.

Jamie reflects on how "common ground" often demands compromise from marginalized people.

Misty shares how Wyoming has meant a series of chances and new beginnings in her life.

Amy talks about her journey as a future educator, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive and intentional classroom spaces that foster genuine connection and common ground.

Allison shares a heartfelt story about her grandmother's resilience, empathy, and ability to build community across political divides.

After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, Debra settled in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where a chance discovery in a library sparked a journey into her Hawaiian heritage.

Margarita was attending the 2024 Shepard Symposium on Social Justice at the University of Wyoming. We asked participants to sit with us and share their stories and reflections regarding that theme of the conference, “common ground.”

Katie reflects on growing up in Rock Springs, Wyoming—a town often labeled "rough around the edges"—and unpacks how narratives of place are shaped by class, connection, and personal history.

John reflects upon leaving Texas where he and his wife have deep family roots and the process of making a life in Wyoming.

Gloria shares stories of her grandparents, Margaret Shanstrom Essert and Bill Essert, who moved to Wyoming and started the school at Yoder.

Edward Galavotti recounts the moving effort to honor Vernon J. Baker—a Black WWII hero born in Cheyenne—with a bronze statue unveiled 80 years after his battlefield heroism.

Indiana-native, Ellie, shares her love and passion for running and her joy of being a coach in the Buffalo and Sheridan community, where she runs with her team on mountain tops.

Anthony talks about his experience of being a young gay man in Wyoming and growing up in a small conservative town.

Michelle Hansen tells the story of her homestead in Centennial, WY, a property in her family since the 1800's and where she currently resides.

Ben talks about his experience of growing into a love for Wyoming’s wild places.

Anna and Feline are cycling the TransAmerica Trail from Virginia to Oregon, exploring landscapes, communities, and hot springs along the way.

Lori and Mike share their experience moving to Cheyenne with their sons during the pandemic in this short story.

Kimberly Moore shares how a spontaneous suggestion from her daughter led their family of seven to relocate from Georgia to rural Wyoming.

Grace was a freshman in college in the Midwest when she visited her roommate in Colorado. It was winter break and her friend insisted they visit a charming town in Wyoming. 

Nikki speaks about navigating the dual realities of community and struggle, feeling supported yet unheard, connected yet overwhelmed.

Miss Edith lived for some time in Cheyenne before moving to Saratoga, where a chance encounter over a lawnmower led to new relationships. She describes living amid beautiful surroundings as she finds news spaces of community.

Bill reflects on a time when he and a friend played a prank in high school. In Martin, South Dakota, Bill and a friend put donkeys in the school one night to get them to poop everywhere.

Dana is a Laramie native. Keepsakes in her office remind her of family and travel adventures. Here, she tells the story of going to Hawai‘i and new things she learned along the way. 

After spending much of her career in service to the country, Kathryn returned to Wyoming and ran an ice cream shop in Ten Sleep. Now retired and living in Buffalo, she actively participates in craft fairs and farmers markets.

Margaret shares the ways in which not being able to hear well has affected her life. She describes how this creates feelings of isolation as well as a stronger sense of self-reliance and resilience.

In his story, David shares some insight into his time growing up in Worland, Wyoming, in the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. David discusses how he and his family faced prejudice during this time because they were Mexican-American.

Lorraine talks about her journey from a fast-paced life as a visiting nurse in Manhattan to rural Wyoming, where she rebuilt her identity after the loss of her husband. Reflecting on professional erasure, the high cost of healthcare, and her eventual creation of a nurse aide training program in local high schools.

Karen Hostetler, the owner and founder of Mountain Meadow Wool mill in Buffalo, shares her enduring love of Wyoming’s open spaces and wool. Fom an Australian spinning wheel, to bales of dirty wool trecked across the Canadian border, and ultimately a full circle moment.

Ezra at 18 years old has connected with a group of friends that Ezra believes will last a lifetime. Throughout the friend group meeting and growing closer, lessons about what true friendship beginnings look like can be seen through Ezra's story.

Hannah is a freshman at the University of Wyoming. She reflects on her time in Doha, Qatar, where she spent six years of her childhood due to her parents work at a university there. Hannah feels that these years were foundational to who she has become.

Cheyenne shares the memory of her husband’s great-great-grandmother Mae Grub, and the importance of womens work at the stage stops during the Johnson County Cattle War.

This is a raucous tale of two women who form an incredible bond while attending a sheep shearing school.

Ann Weber reminds us that home is wherever there is family. In this story, she shares a series of photos gifted to her by her children that has become an important keepsake.

Gloria shares the story of how her grandparents met, married, and built a life together.

Clint Reed shares a story of how offering a kind gesture led to a chain of gifts going around to people he knows. The story he tells his son unfolds a new web of understanding for both of them.

Cheryl, granddaughter of famed sheriff Norbert E. Tuck, describes an experience she had with her sister that motivated her to never try drugs.

Maddisun tells Hannah stories about her grandmother, “Motha,” who has lived a very full life, inclusive of coming to Wyoming from Boston, running away to Alaska, coming back to Wyoming, and being active in the community.

Randy and Tammie discuss the Emerson family’s arrival in Rock River, and the women who discovered water and made their homestead possible.

Bob shares a rich family history woven through Cheyenne’s early days, including Danish and Scottish ancestry, pioneering physicians, and deep civic contributions.

Cheyenne shares how her daughter Ellie has been going up to run a cow camp since she was in the womb. Now, at age nine, she’s a smart and reliable ranch hand who will do just what she’s told…and loves it.

This is a story about art and literature sowing the seeds of love between two beautiful, young college kids. The only problem is they lived in an overcrowded sorority/hippie compound on campus, and privacy was really hard to come by. But somehow they made it work.

As a fifth generation Wyomingite, Don shares the origin of his family’s sheep outfitting ties to Wyoming, and his excitement for his grandchildren to be the seventh generation.

Zcherina is from Cheyenne, Wyoming, but her family’s Filipino heritage is a huge part of her identity and who she has become over the years.

Mitch and Steven reminisce about playing music together for over forty years, and share the history of the beloved Buffalo community steel pan band and the poet laureate that founded it.

Cheryl fondly recalls her affection for Shetland ponies and the story of how her grandparents' own pony became the first Cowboy Joe at the University of Wyoming.

Jamie welcomes us into her home to share a story about how one nervous Thanksgiving dinner turned into a thriving international family in Laramie. Led by faith, love, and a desire to welcome strangers, a small gathering of ten students has grown into a thriving community representing more than 45 countries.

Art, and Coming Home: A view looking up at towering pine trees reaching toward a pale sky. Sunlight filters through the branches, illuminating textures of bark and needles.

Sarah’s great grandfather was a lapidary and a rock hound. She shares memories of agates, geodes, crystals and the special energy at her family’s home place in the Bighorn Basin.

Beth Venn discusses the value of using the Neltje Center for the process of creation rather than showcasing finished projects.

Mitch first started herding sheep in 1971 in Star Valley. Here, he shares some sheepherding anecdotes from tending and herding in the high country- you just gotta go.

Lorraine strives to live by her faith, enacting hospitality as her ministry and opening her home to young women in need. In this story, she reflects over her work providing refuge to others.

Janet shares fond memories of her years foster parenting, a house full of children, and the joy of always helping people.

Janet recounts leaving California to live, and raise her children, in Red Lodge Montana. She has fond memories of her children's freedom, going on adventures, and dreaming.

Michele recalls how she became the head caretaker of Neal Forsling’s cabin at Crimson Dawn.

Nichole remembers a heart-racing encounter with the most fearsome beast on the mountain, the mighty moose, and why it is so important to respect the power of nature.

Susie Lape speaks about her days hunting for dinosaur bones and packing a picnic lunch and the spirited legacy of her grandparents.

Allison shares how a post-eclipse conversation on Crimson Dawn Mountain—with a gifted painted rock and an invitation to return—sparked her unexpected journey home to Wyoming.

Apprentice storyteller for Crimson Dawn, Grace C, shares what it means to be a modern Wyomingite.

Tawyna recalls the Wyoming of her childhood: a place where she was able to explore the Bighorn Mountain range freely, as long as she could see the family camper.

Jim delves into his love for outdoor sports, activities he participates in that make him feel at home in Casper, an area that he says rivals Yellowstone in its natural beauty.

Dyann Durst has performed as the Lavender Witch at the Crimson Dawn storytelling event since 1996. She shares how she ended up in this popular role and how it connects her to a community that spans across generations.

Dave Martin recounts a frigid ski trip where a broken car window, a failed heater, and a hotel room without heat turned the journey into a frozen adventure.

In this vivid continuation of their story, Jan and Dave Martin share tales of wildlife encounters, wood-heated winters, and deep community roots on Casper Mountain.

Dave and Jan Martin recount their multi-generational connection to Casper Mountain, starting with Dave’s grandmother’s arrival in 1929.

Rebecca recounts the story of one magical Mid-Summer’s Eve Celebration at Crimson Dawn in 1951. It is an origin story of sorts that includes lucky wishes and mud puddles.

Allison shares her deep-rooted connection to Crimson Dawn and Casper Mountain, where childhood weekends, magical moments in foggy meadows, and community rituals shaped her identity.