19 Towns, 20 Stories
The book 19 Towns, 20 Stories arose from the 2024 project 19 Towns, 19 Stories, a series of arts and education events in each of Lincoln County, Maine’s 19 towns over 8 days in August, in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day. The stories shared during these events so powerfully encapsulated the pain facing many Americans that the authors were inspired to collaborate with a photographer to document and share them.
This project features a story from each town and from an unhoused person (thus 20 stories), creating a mosaic of rural life in an age of substances and struggle. The content ranges beyond substance use, exploring underlying causes and ripple effects in communities including trauma, childhood sexual assault, and isolation, as well as the importance of kindness, the value of safe community spaces, and the need to protect our children.
Much of the project’s impact is delivered through the intimacy of the accompanying photography, often taken in locations meaningful to the individual. This collaborative process was grounded in trust and mutual respect, as each subject’s story is deeply personal and often emotionally charged. Sessions began with participants sharing as they felt comfortable, informing the resulting imagery and ensuring each photograph genuinely reflected their experiences. Some portraits are anonymous while others offer a direct, unflinching look at resilience. Carefully composed environmental portraits extend the storytelling, evoking the broader context of each subject's life. This body of work aspires to foster empathy and understanding, inviting viewers to look beyond statistics and headlines to the real, complex lives behind them.
The book focuses on rural Maine as a microcosm of America, where isolation kills and community heals. It aims to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and spark conversations on positive steps communities can take to ease the impact of this crisis. This humanizing portrait of America aims to evoke equal parts empathy and outrage, and shift how we think about and treat the most vulnerable among us.
