Here’s the question…

Can we do this thing we do internationally?

Can we make good connections? Can we find interesting people to interview? Can we understand well enough the issues that other places are facing to listen and engage and learn along the way? Can we navigate the logistics and the language and the varied power supplies and come back with work that matters…to me, to them…to us?

I know the answer is, “yes.” And I also know the answer is, “There might be a few things you’re not thinking of.” Both things are most certainly true and now it’s time to find out what that looks like.

I’ve been thinking of doing this for quite a while. Years. I’ve dabbled. Pre-pandemic I did a series of studios in Peru and Thailand and Kenya with an international organization called Good Deeds Day. I applied for a Fulbright. We got really close to launching an international series and then the world shut down for COVID. So we refocused our attention on what was possible and 2+ years of nomadic life on the road turned into our newest book, Lessons on the Road to Peace. (Have you read it? You should probably read it.)

There was lots of discomfort and beauty in that journey and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But now it’s time to look beyond the horizon again. Beyond our shores. Because certainly there’s lots of learning to be had out there as well.

Last summer I traveled to Northern Ireland with a group from Willamette University. We lived and learned at a reconciliation center called Corrymeela. I did some studio portraits and made some connections and tended to the spark that had been smouldering for years.

And today, I’ll be climbing on a plane and heading back for more time in Belfast, Derry, and the Antrim coast. (A week of work and then Karen and friends will join me for some plain old tourist time.) I’m inclined to dive right in, but I’m pacing myself. I want to do this right. This is an exploratory trip to scout locations, make connections, and line up the logistics for two weeks of robust storytelling in the summer.

I’ve got meetings lined up every day. I’ll be visiting community organizations and reconciliation centers and museums dedicated to healing the wounds of The Troubles. I’ll be talking with artists and journalists and activists to talk about the ways people have rebuilt trust and the work that’s left to do. I’ll be prospecting and networking and everywhere I go, I’ll be asking, “Who else do I need to meet? Where else do I need to go? And what else do I need to learn?” Most importantly, I’ll be asking, “When I come back in June, can we do a little work together?”

Keep an eye on our social media. I’ll be posting updates along the way. And if you’re in the Minneapolis area, save the date for August 5 to join us for the first big public sharing of these stories that are yet to be rediscovered.

**PS. If you saw yesterday’s social media post about the dinosaur suitcase, here’s the back story: I’m planning to bring a dozen copies of Lessons on the Road to Peace along with me to Northern Ireland. They are good currency and there’s no better way to quickly explain to people what we do and how we do it. BUT I really don’t want to lug around an empty suitcase for the rest of my trip so I made a visit to the local Goodwill to find a bargain. I had three choices…boring black, a soft-sided floral tapestry piece, or this hard shell dino delight. It was a $9 solution. I think it will be easy to spot on the luggage belt. And it just might prompt a few smiles and good conversations along the way.

Let the adventure (and the learning) begin.