Honoring the rich history of rural western Illinois, and examining the problems we currently face
We are pleased to share our latest podcast interview with local musician, Chris Vallillo. Chris is a singer/songwriter & folk musician who makes the people & places of “unmetropolitan” America come to life in song. Chris is also a fantastic local historian as many of his songs reflect the unique rural Midwestern culture that we've …
One this episode of the Forgottonia Project we are pleased to share a very informative conversation we had recently with Western Illinois University Sociology Instructor, Alyssa Hall Anderson. In this interview, Alyssa discusses her latest blog post for the Forgottonia Project entitled "Sociology and Self-Care." She provides insights regarding sociological thinking as a form of self-care and shares her experience and interests with the subject of sociology.
On this edition of the Forgottonia podcast we’re sharing a conversation about mental health in rural America with our friend Lyndsey Larson, the manager of a local yoga studio in Canton, IL called “The Breathing Tree.” Lyndsey is also a native and recent returnee to Canton, IL where she lives with her husband and their surprise triplets!
On this edition of the Forgottonia Project, we try to deepen our understanding about the rural opioid epidemic that has plagued many of our communities in Forgottonia. To help us do this, we talked to local activist Sue Tisdale.
On this edition of the Forgottonia Project, we had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Matt Meacham, program manager and director of statewide engagement at the IL Humanities. We asked Matt what the humanities are and how they can help bridge our rural-urban divide. We hope you enjoy our conversation
On this episode of the Forgottonia Project, we conclude our conversation with Marion Cornelius about the incredible history of Camp Ellis, a massive WW2 Army camp that was located right here in rural Forgottonia.
On this episode of the Forgottonia Project, we are pleased to share our conversation with Marion Cornelius about the incredible history of Camp Ellis; a massive WW2 Army camp located in rural Forgottonia.
According to a study at Columbia University funded by the National Institute of Health, 4.5% of all deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to poverty (Link to research). And this was before the covid-19 outbreak! What is the cause of poverty? What does poverty look like in rural, western Illinois? What can we do to combat poverty? To help respond to these questions, we turned to Lt. Sarah B. Eddy of the Canton, IL Salvation Army.
Cuba High School senior Kaylann Beekman was recently selected to represent Illinois at the Rural Youth Assembly Summit in McAllen, Texas (*Note: The Summit was originally scheduled for April 2-5, but will be postponed for a later date). She is one of just 50 young adults, ages 16-24, selected across the nation to serve as a delegate. The Summit brings young people together to explore unique challenges facing rural youth, and identify creative solutions to address them.
On this episode, Chris Merrett from the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs responds to questions formed from students at Cuba High School in Cuba, IL. These questions reflect a range of challenges facing small towns, not only in Cuba, but throughout Forgottonia. The essential questions our students asked Chris include the following:
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