Insights
Meeting a Legendary, Pioneering Runner
Who was this sitting next to me, I wondered. She had a big smile, yet a tearful demeanor. She was wearing what I assumed was traditional African attire: a black dress with beads woven along the waistline and a majestic web of red latticework beads around her neck. Her hair was pulled back. And around her forehead, she wore a yellow, red and black beaded headband.
My Aunt Kathryn Kucera: A Creative Life of Family, Art and Teaching
Following is a speech that I shared at the memorial for my Aunt Kathryn Kucera (the sister of my Dad, Tom Kutchera) who passed away on May 3, 2025 at the age of 95 years old: I grew up knowing my Aunt Kate as the host of many family parties at her house on...
From Lake to Plate: Local Fishing Families and Foodways – A New Exhibit at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum
Who are the people that bring us the fish that we eat? That is the question that we address in a new photography exhibit at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum entitled “From Lake to Plate: Local Fishing Families and Foodways.” I wrote and co-curated the exhibit...
Meditation on Fish and Food Workers: Faces of a Fish Empire, a Work Family
Seven years ago, Naomi Shersty organized a photo exhibit of my Dad’s portraits of Empire Fish Company employees, which opened on Labor Day Weekend. This week, the Wauwatosa Public Library welcomes our updated and expanded exhibit to its gallery space with new photos,...
Immigrant Stories to Honor Hispanic Heritage Month
#HispanicHeritageMonth officially kicks off today, September 15, and runs through October 15. It begins on the Independence Days of five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – and continues with a nod to the...
New Book Launch During National Immigrant Heritage Month
Artist Alfonso Pérez Acosta and I are excited to launch our new hardcover coffee table art book, Portraits of Immigrant Voices, featuring the stories and portraits of 22 immigrants who have come to Richmond, Virginia from around the world. In a recent proclamation,...
Preview to Pause the Journal
My friend Rachael O’Meara invited me to write the foreword to her new book, Pause the Journal: How to Use Intentional Writing to Create Your Dreams, which helps readers form new habits in taking daily breaks to read, write, and reflect. I share it with you here on my website, as a preview to the book and also because I’ve become a big believer in journaling and meditation. In combination, these practices have helped me to create a gratitude practice, which helps me improve my mood. feel clear headed, and experience better focus in my work and family life.
In Honor of Veteran’s Day, the Story of Djakaria Konate, Serving Our Country and Those in Need
In honor of Veteran’s Day (November 11), I proudly share the story of Djakaria Konate, who I wrote about in the series PORTRAITS OF IMMIGRANT VOICES, a project I worked on with artist Alfonso Pérez. Djakaria’s story inspired and surprised me, regarding how someone who...
Inviting Youth Voices into the Process of Reinventing Monument Avenue
This opinion article originally appeared in The Richmond Times Dispatch. What will Monument Avenue look like in the years and decades ahead? And what will replace the Confederate statues and pedestals along Monument Avenue? When I reflect on these questions, one...
Beginning the New Year with a Beginner’s Mind
Do you practice meditation or have you ever tried meditating? I started a number of years ago and have found it to be very helpful for my mental health and overall happiness. One of the key concepts of meditation is to practice what is called “beginners mind,”...
International Migrants Day: Honoring the Ability to Overcome Adversity and Live a Better Life
December 18 is International Migrants Day, a global event that highlights the contributions of the millions of migrants and displaced people around the world. The United Nations initiated this day of solidarity with migrants on December 18, 1990 when it adopted the...
Portraits of Immigrant Voices: Stories of Gratitude
This past August, I got a call from Karla Almendarez-Ramos who manages the City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. She said, “Joe, I need a writer to help me and an artist write profiles of immigrants as a celebration of National immigrants’ Day this...