I was beginning to think more about stories. That’s what I had been doing. Letting people tell me their story. Storytelling has become a word like brand. What it means, depends on who you talk with, and what they use it for. Everywhere I look, I see storytellers. It is a job description, wanted corporate storyteller. Maybe, it is really about the audience. Sometimes, the real audience is you, the part of you that resides deeply inside. Because we all have a story. The question is, who is telling that story, and to whom. Or is it ever told? - John Van Dyke
Discovering who we are. It’s about us in a rapidly changing America. One that has been changing and shifting as we have gone about our lives. No single story, or single person, or single location, or idea defines us. Our lives, our communities and cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories.
America is a Mosaic of ideas, dreams, hopes, desires, communities, family, culture and places.
Celebrating who we are.
I am thrilled to announce the coming release of a compelling and timely book titled "BOOM! It’s a Big Country for an Old Man." The true story of a remarkable septuagenarian who woke up on November, 2016 and embarked on a pursuit to discover his country.
“In "BOOM!" I take the readers on an extraordinary adventure across the diverse landscapes of America, armed with nothing but a curiosity for the stories that bind us together. The book explores the shared experiences, dreams, and values that unite Americans, transcending the perceived differences that often divide us.”
Available late spring 2024
John Van Dyke
Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas… and a bunch more
We have so much to talk about today. An American Mosaic has been filming conversations. Asking questions, trying to figure out who we are today in a changing America. Conversations we need to have…
The American Dream
Values and Families
Our Common Ground
Living with Change
Our places… Voices
Look for BOOM! It’s a Big Country for an Old Man THE BOOK of my 6 year journey around the country, dropping spring 2024. Ideas, thoughts, have come out of my conversations as I start connecting the dots on so many things. Our past has made today possible. Yet many tend to forget what America was built on. America is about ideas, values, beliefs, family, communities, and stories. It was founded as a community of diverse peoples who shared a dream of a better place and life. Immigrants, many of whom didn’t speak English helped build out America. They settled in the communities around resources and industry. Hard work was rewarded and families grew. Young kids who saw opportunities, and a better life, were educated. The American Dream was spreading. Anything was possible. Along the way we invented, and created, and prospered. John Van Dyke
West Virginia, Ohio, Texas, New Hampshire, Iowa, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, Michigan, Arizona, California, New York, Washington, Montana… and more. We are shaped by our places, yet we share basic concerns, and country. An American Mosaic, on the road in America, discovering who we are.
