All Across America

Bill is the author of "Divided We Stand: A Road Trip in Search of the Ties That Bind Ordinary Americans." He is the movie critic for The Saturday Evening Post, and was a longtime senior editor and writer for National Geographic, AARP the Magazine, and the National Enquirer.

Jasper is a maritime chaplain with Seafarer’s Friend in Portland, where he supports mariners arriving on cargo ships and tankers from around the world. Before his work in chaplaincy, he spent years working as a deckhand on tugboats and research vessels.

John traveled 33,321 miles across the United States to write "Heartland Highways: In Search of America," winner of the America Writing Award. John is a longtime Texas radio personality and radio station operator.

Liisa is a welder and welding instructor at Chabot College in the East Bay. She has over 35 years of experience in the field and served as the chair of the American Welding Society's San Francisco Section. aws.org

Robert Moor, author of "In Trees," spent many days living high in the forest canopy, observing the world below from a perspective few experience. He is a journalist, essayist, and author whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Atlantic, The New York Times, GQ, and Outside.

AgMafia is an agricultural consultancy serving family farms across the Northern Plains. Bridgette Readel and Jason Hanson bring more than 80 years of combined experience in agronomy. Raised in generational farming families, they draw on centuries of knowledge to support growers.

Joel Parkyn, PhD, is a professor of theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He is the author of "Exotheology: Theological Explorations of Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life." He is a former U.S. Marine infantry intelligence analyst and cartographer.

Don is one the leading experts on the Roswell incident and is the co-author of two best-selling books on the event. He was a former co-director of the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies, where he served as director of special investigations for ten years. He is also a founder of the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell. 

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, this episode features Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage, author of "This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History." Beverly is the John Lewis Gaddis Professor of History at Yale University. 

A fifth-generation Nebraskan, JT is the creator of The Corn Belt, a social media platform showcasing small towns, local culture, and overlooked experiences across the state of Nebraska. @thecornbelt