Three houses with a spinning animation sit in grass and in front of a body of water. There is a title for the project Gulf States Newsroom and Next Generation Radio.

NEXT GEN RADIO IS A FIVE-DAY, AUDIO FOCUSED DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECT

OUR THEME FOR THIS PROJECT: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “HOME”?

Green placing her diary into a grand oak tree, the diary completing a puzzle within.

BIRMINGHAM’S POET LAUREATE WRITES HER HOMECOMING

by JEFFREY KELLY

Birmingham’s inaugural poet laureate, Salaam Green, finds her home in the sensory details, the most important being poetry. However, for Green, originally from Greensboro, Alabama, finding that home in Birmingham was a process. Now, she works to help others write themselves into healing and homecomings.

Essence hikes up a mountain with mic as walking stick and film camera. Her backpack displays filming and hiking essentials, and a Mississippi patch featuring a star marking Jackson city.

REWINDING THE TAPE: A FILMMAKER’S JOURNEY HOME

by MIRIAM HOWARD

Essence Wallace-Odomes is the founder and CEO of The Chosen Studios, an independent film production company in Jackson, Miss. She spent years in the film industry while simultaneously experiencing the push-and-pull of family versus her career.

A figure is standing in the center of the theater stage. The props on the stage depict a house.

ALABAMA ACTRESS FINDS HOME AT CENTER STAGE

by BRENDAN BRYAN

Alabama actress Lily Kate Gwin, 22, was adopted at birth and never knew her biological parents. However, Gwin would find home through her adoptive parents and her chosen home, the theater.

A large canvas surrounded with various spools of yarn depicts a tufted collage of brightly colored abstract shapes. Monica Hill appears to hold up the outline of a vase from the center of the collage with tufted flowers blooming beyond the canvas.

FINDING HOME IN CREATING, CONNECTING AND BUILDING COMMUNITY

by DIERRE HARTMAN

Monica Hill is a visual artist and gallery manager for the Municipal Art Gallery. As a native of Jackson, home is less of a physical space and more of what she crafts with her hands.

A roof in the shape of an book is hovering above Leona and the community.

LEONA TATE IS HOUSING HISTORY AND PAVING THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE

by SAMANTHA JACKSON

Leona Tate’s story of bravery and resilience began when she was 6 years old. As one of the “McDonogh Three,” Tate played a pivotal role in integrating public schools in New Orleans, impacting generations since. Her story started at McDonogh 19, but her legacy is far from over. Now, she’s transformed a building not meant for her into a home for civil rights history and her community.