Here Is Where the Pieces Connect

What started as a simple email group turned into a storytelling forum.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 24, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community site, community, iowa

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...a Neighborhood Storyteller

Meet one of our weekly columnists, the fascinating Karla Theilen.

Podcast, Top Story, Neighborhood StorytellerStrong TownsMay 19, 2022podcast, neighborhoods

Weaving Together Community, One Maypole at a Time

A recent wedding in Clutier, Iowa, shows the power of a community that's committed to supporting each other and maintaining their historic assets.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 17, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community site, historic preservation, community, iowa

Remembering All the Things I’m Supposed to Worry About

Our Neighborhood Storyteller recently received a call about her aging father, who, with his driving privileges revoked, has had to resort to walking on unsafe roads…

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 3, 2022neighborhood storyteller, walkability, aging in place, pedestrians, community, minnesota

Pen People and Office Cities

Shopping locally means getting to be among your people—and in this case, it’s pen people!

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenApril 19, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, local business, neighborliness, minnesota

Think of This as Your Sanctuary

Our Neighborhood Storyteller discovers a kind of community support that simply can’t be found in online retail.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenApril 12, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, local business, neighborliness, minnesota

A Love Letter to the Farm Share

Our Neighborhood Storyteller’s local farm share has given her access not only to great food, but to great friends, as well.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenApril 5, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, Farming, farmer's market, local food, rural, local business

The Artist Date

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller explores the important joy of simply being in public amongst one’s community members.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 29, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, public space, coffee shops, public transportation

Searching for Mr. Stavros

A small house, framed by lilacs, in a walkable neighborhood—and the charm of sharing that space with a neighbor who seems to always be out and about.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 22, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, walkability, downtown, neighborliness

Gone with the Wind

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller is doing what she can to improve her neighborhood—even if Montana’s weather doesn’t want to cooperate.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 15, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, placemaking, creative placemaking, neighborliness

Sew Much to Learn

This community ed teacher shares an important lesson about iterating to success: starting with something imperfect now and working your way toward perfection.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 8, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, montana, arts, neighborliness

I Found My People...in a Completely Different Town

When a community is strong, it can make even an “outsider” feel welcome.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 1, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, hospitals, hospitality, small towns, montana

Sometimes the Ending Isn't the Part That Matters

Building a Strong Town is not a tidy project with a clear conclusion. It's an ongoing practice made up of thousands of small actions—such as this Valentine’s Day tradition.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 22, 2022alaska, neighborhood storyteller, community, arts

Sharing the Love in Downtown Missoula

Valentine’s Day never inspired our Neighborhood Storyteller…until she was recruited one year to write poems for total strangers in her community.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 15, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, community, arts

Your Route Home IS Someone's Home

The way our highways are built turn whole regions into featureless throughways. Slow down, though, and you’ll find value where you might never have noticed it before.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 8, 2022neighborhood storyteller, travel, tourism, highways, rural, north dakota

Do Something Nice for Yourself

Exhausted from helping her father adjust to life in assisted living, our Neighborhood Storyteller Karla Theilen seeks comfort in a local record store.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 1, 2022neighborhood storyteller, local business, aging in place, minnesota

LaVonne, with a Capital "V"

Local business owners don’t just bring monetary wealth to a community; they can also bring a wealth of support and kindness to locals during their times of need.