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Politically aware travel writing, free from commercial influence, can say more about place and people than any other kind of writing. If you agree, join me in my effort to restore a sense of place.

Plenty of businesses, individuals and organizations are posing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Back me, and I’ll explore what it really takes to have an impact.

Subscribe to me and I’ll bring you a collection of stories about the people, history and culture of Colombia.

The future of the internet is at stake, as the battle for “net neutrality” and an open internet take shape. Back our reporting and help save the internet by making sure people are informed on what’s really happening — and why it’s important.

For nearly 2 years, I’ve been researching the last weeks of local politician Robert Bradford’s life. Before he died, it’s claimed, he was asking questions. About what, few are willing to say. Let’s find out together.

What do pirates, poachers and palm oil producers have in common? Today, each of these practices thrive in a unique corner of West and Central Africa.

Career-hopping, reinvention and self-employment are not just for millennials anymore. Back me, and I’ll report on how the modern economy encourages us to make “working for a living” more about our dreams than money.

Art is an expression of experience and a meditation on where we have been, where we are and where we might be going. I want to bring you the stories of artists from the United States and the Middle East whose lives and works reflect on changing social and political dynamics in both regions.

Britain faces big, existential decisions over its future. Help me report on an old country deciding how to renew itself - and whether to break apart.

Israel/Palestine is a decades long conflict, whose causes and consequences go far beyond its borders. Back me and I will show you how the United States is intimately involved.

The wealthy are gaining the ability to decide who is a criminal and who is not. I’ll show you how it’s happening by investigating the banks and businesses moving Los Angeles’ homeless population into jails.

Right now, police are cracking down on intensifying protests in Hong Kong. Back this project, and you’ll fund reporters to deliver on-the-ground coverage.

Back me on Beacon and every month, I’ll give you a new story that looks deeply into one of life’s hidden-in-plain-sight questions, through the eyes of science. I’ll focus on answering your questions and sharing new and interesting things.

The world that we live in too often goes unappreciated. Back me, and I promise to bring you up-to-date stories about places around the U.S. and the world and, more importantly, the people I meet along the way.

Got a must-see TV series you tune into week after week? Back me and that’s what you’ll get as I write this novel, plus an inside look at my creative process along the way.

Death and grief are typically invisible in our society. Back me, and I’ll bring you an ongoing series about public memorials and the aftermath of loss in New York City and beyond.

There are at least 80,000 chemicals in commercial and industrial use in the United States today. Back me, and I’ll explain where they came from and what they do.

We’re emptying out our oceans, our lakes and our streams in pursuit of that next shrimp cocktail, that next Filet-O-Fish—and it will increasingly take creative solutions to keep seafood on the menu. Back me, and I’ll report on the future of our fisheries, both wild and farmed, both at home and abroad.

Over the last 15 years, our definitions of basic concepts such as food, work, play, education, internet security and urban spaces have been challenged. What will change in the next 15 years?

I’ll show you why basketball is on the precipice of widespread change in the way experts, coaches, and fans analyze talent and the game as a whole.

Our lives are at risk when corporate-driven medical care puts profits before patient safety. My stories get behind the corporate hype to expose the real risks involved when your health and well-being isn’t necessarily the doctor’s first priority.

Genetic advances are unearthing critical information about how plants and animals adapt – or not – to climate change. Back this project, and we’ll show you how genetic research could remake biodiversity conservation in a warming world.

Wolves are reclaiming North America and Western Europe, but humans and wolves are still learning how to co-exist. Back me, and you’ll help me find out what wildness means in the 21st century.

The demographic group least represented in the workforce is the same group of people who are unable to access college. Back me as I explore through the nation’s capital and I dig deep into where things go wrong and what we can do to change the story.

The Freedom of Information Act is one of the most powerful tools available to journalists and the public. I’ll show you how to use it aggressively.

I’ll curate and share short fiction, flash fiction, and memoir that’s characterized by purity, simplicity, and elegant wit.

Exploring Latin America’s most bizarre places and practices may be easy for a stoic vagabond, but what about for an average Jane? Back me as I cover travel’s harrowing and awkward side while searching for Central and South America’s strangest stuff.

I am on a mission to photograph all of my Facebook friends in their homes around the world. Back me, and I’ll deliver writing, video and photography from the road as I work toward my show at MASS MoCA in 2017.

In Honduras and throughout Central America, communities are organizing against resource extraction, land grabs, and climate change impacts. Back me, and I’ll bring you stories from the frontlines of local resistance struggles.

New York City’s streets crisscross America’s literary life like no other place has, or can; while, mercifully, New York remains home to many used bookstores, vast and tiny. As I walk the city streets, I’ll stop into a different bookstore every two weeks, and take you there as I write about what I’ve found, and why it matters.

Pop culture helps us better understand ourselves and the world around us. I’ll analyze it for you from a “feminist brown person” perspective.

Dramatic advances in technology are shattering our ideas on what it means to be human, and in turn, improving quality of life. Back me, and I’ll explore how innovations in health technology are changing the way we live.

The once-vital Northwestern Pacific Railroad line is now a crooked grin of rotten ties and rusting trestle. As the rail authority and trail enthusiasts debate its future, I will walk its length to document its current state and the houseless Humboldt residents who have created a community alongside it.

There are over one hundred contaminated military sites on the EPA’s National Priorities List. Help me investigate them and report on the ongoing danger of these hazardous waste sites located across the country.

Back me, and I’ll explain the science behind training companion animals, as well as offer practical tips for training and having fun with your pets.

Ever wondered what it takes to get a mission into space? Back me, and you can follow the scientists competing to make their ideas fly.

Steve Fraser, a historian of America’s relationship with wealth and power, is publishing a new book. Back me, and spread the word about the important questions he raises while engaging with me on Beacon as I write a nuanced, in-depth review.

Some 75,000 refugees and illegal migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea since early 2014. More are on the way. Back me, and I’ll document the stories, hopes and ordeals of refugees risking everything for uncertain futures in ‘Fortress Europe.’

We’re getting closer to the source of our food, but there are still so many untold stories about the fascinating folks who create it. Back me and we’ll learn about our growing preoccupation with food by studying the industry’s most obsessed.

The price and production of everything you own, from your socks to your smartphone, is dictated by global trade regulations. Find out who really controls the power, and what it means for all of us.

Help me report on the North American deserts, and I’ll give you a story a week on the continent’s most intact, most threatened, and most biologically diverse ecosystems.

Mexico is on Lonely Planet’s top 10 travel list for a reason: the country is experiencing drastic changes in infrastructure and development that make it more attractive than ever for both locals and foreigners.

With your support, I’ll explain the science behind how our brains make sense (and nonsense) out of sound. Our world is one of shared sound. It gets our attention, alerts us, informs us, soothes us, and guides us through our “ambient commons.”

From the art lofts in the South Bronx to the pizza joints on Staten Island, I’ll be sharing stories from lives of the city’s unique, wonderful, and delightful inhabitants.

In this era of climate change, it’s time to brace for impact. Back us, and we’ll bring you stories of nature, culture, science, as well as resilience and weakness in a shifting world.

Forget packaged tours to cliche destinations — the best travel can be local and off the beaten path. I’ll introduce you to places you’ve never heard of, and the people who make them so special.

Support me and I’ll give you three stories a month from the ground, showing you how big economic developments affect the lives of ordinary Africans in rising countries like Mozambique, Angola and Botswana.

Backers of fracking for natural gas say it’s the future of energy independence for America; opponents say it’s destroying our environment. Help me tell the stories of what’s happening in the Marcellus Shale.

Flooding in the Amazon is having a dramatic impact on the Brazilian and Bolivian borders. Back me, and I’ll show you the tens of thousands of people affected and the severe environmental consequences.

The Kurdish people have massive influence in a volatile region, but lack a country and lack a voice. As the only foreign reporter in the Kurdish capital of Diyarbakir, help me share what’s happening on the ground.

The California Delta is an ecosystem in peril. Back me, and celebrate this beautiful and delicate natural resource through photo essays on the inland estuary that must be defended and conserved.

We still don’t know how or why 20.9 million people are in forced labor globally. Back me, and we can become more informed about the current issues associated with forced labor in the Americas.

Over the next year, we plan on investigating mass incarceration from the ground up. Back us and we’ll provide you with reporting that examines how decades of “tough-on-crime” policies shaped the American landscape.

As the distance from farm to table increases, it is important to examine our food system. I will explore what really goes into our modern meal.

“Transparency” has never been such a popular buzzword. But the media is ill-equiped to explain the importance of the movement — and to help you understand it.

We’re planning a national reporting project to uncover how local police agencies and governments across the country are using surveillance technology to collect and store information on ordinary Americans.

Craft beer is booming, but it’s easy to get bogged down in marketing and jargon. I’ve built a better system for evaluating beer, and I’ll help you discover what to drink next.

Law enforcement has launched a probe into the deaths of two women caused by former Wisconsin police officer Steven Zelich, a.k.a. “Mr. Handcuffs.” Help me investigate a tragic tale whose scope spans across the United States.

Sports provide a reflection of American values, but in the multi-billion dollar landscape, which values are mobilized and how? I will explore the intersection of our cherished games with pressing political, social and cultural topics.

The US “shale revolution” has taken off in recent years. But journalists are largely avoiding one crucial, tough question: How long will the boom last? Back me, and I’ll get past the hype around shale by delving deeply into the data.

The government is struggling to care for the wild mustangs that once freely roamed our public lands. Back me, and I’ll investigate what is happening to these iconic horses despite our best intentions to protect them.

Follow me as I make my dreams come true and take my first solo journey from California to Australia. Back me, and you’ll bring to life my expedition through a land of some of the deadliest species as I attempt to make a name for myself in the marine mammal world.

Help celebrate the scientific heroines of our time, working in the lab, in the field and in the community, to expand the understanding of the world we live in. Learn about their pioneering achievements, as well as the challenges they face.

I’m going to show you why living a plant-based lifestyle is so important for your health and athletic performance, for animals, and for the earth. Back me, and you will understand the latest research on plant-based nutrition and how to turn that knowledge into a lifestyle.

Help me cover social media manipulators, and I’ll give you two stories per month showing how brands and individuals buy, cheat and scheme to get online attention.

Join me on a year-long journey into what 40 acres, and the land that surrounds it, can teach us about the pressing environmental issues of today and the wonders the natural world continues to unveil to us.

Severe weather, drought, blackouts: today’s big stories are environmental stories. We’ll highlight the headaches and the opportunities and help you learn how to thrive in a resource-constrained world.

Finding Earth 2.0 is quite possibly the Holy Grail of astronomy. Back me, and I’ll share the real stories behind the sensational, and often misleading, headlines.

Americans are losing faith in the national government and political participation has decreased as a result. Back me, and I’ll take you on a trip through the Midwest to learn how local initiatives impact your life.

The Colombians get a lot of attention for their history of drugs and violence. But life in this country is richer and deeper than that.

The mainstream media lacks coverage of Asian Canadians who are challenging the model minority concept. Back me, and I will write about Asian Canadians’ complicated relationship managing ambitions and familial pressures.

Brazilian women’s bodies have been used to promote tourism for decades. Back me as I explore the reality of Brazilian women beyond the stereotype.

The folk song traditions of the United Kingdom and the United States lie at the heart of musical culture. Back this project and I’ll highlight the similarity, difference and a cultural continuum which underpins much of both countries’ popular music.

What’s the most important environmental story in your town? Every community has an environmental story waiting to be told. Back this project to get an up-close-and-personal look at how communities around the world are addressing today’s big climate issues with grit and creativity, despite limited resources.

Though 60 percent of the global population lives in Asia, Westerners remain largely ignorant of current realities in the East. Back me as I travel to 10 countries to explore 21st century Asia at the intersection of culture, technology, and globalization.

I’ll use my exclusive access to startup founders and executives to deliver interviews and stories about what they’ve learned and what drives them forward.

How does it feel to be a woman in India? Back me, and I’ll report untold stories of fears and fearlessness—up close and personal.

Ocean acidification is climate change’s ugly stepsister—often neglected and largely unknown. Back me, and I’ll bring you stories about the species, ecosystems and people impacted by increasingly acidic oceans, and how each is responding.

South Sudan is at an inflection point in its young history, facing a political and humanitarian crisis that threatens its viability—but there’s still a vital, and possibly-fleeting opportunity for the world’s newest country to reverse course.

Both delight and dispute encircle the land of South Korea. Join me on a two-week exploration within the country, and I will report on culture, politics, and cuisine.

White male writers get covered disproportionately in book reviews compared to women writers and writers of color. Let’s do something to change that.

Make sure Ferguson isn’t forgotten. In partnership with The Huffington Post, your backing can train and fund a promising new journalist in Ferguson for the next year.

Back me, and I’ll bring you stories about how responses to sexual assault on campus have changed—and what still needs to be done.

What happens to neighborhoods when their schools disappear? Back me as I delve deep into Chicago’s experiments with corporate-style education reform, urban renewal and the casualties of both.

In partnership with Pacific Standard, I’ll deliver stories on food security, cocoa production, and hunger in West African countries outside the Ebola zone.

Children of non-hetero parents are more present in popular culture than ever before. I’m going to spend a year gathering stories of growing up in queer families to show the beginnings of this new cultural heritage.

Emotional debate surrounds GMOs and biotechnology. Are they great breakthroughs or an epic downfall? I’ll show you why the truth lies in the middle.

From communities of women, people of color, and LGBT emerge bold, creative voices who are breaking down barriers to redefine what we call “mainstream culture.” Help me tell their stories.

What does climate change mean for strawberries, cheeseburgers and corn on the cob? How about the country’s food security? Back this project, and I’ll show you how the shifting climate will impact what Americans eat.

Cell phones offer law enforcement an unprecedented look into our lives, from social network analysis to communications monitoring in real time. Back this project and we’ll investigate whether local police departments have abused their access.

Both migrants to Greece and the country’s locals experience discrimination and violent attacks. Back me, and I’ll investigate these human rights violations and show how they have led to unlikely allegiances between migrants and locals.

Two decades into South African democracy, rebuilding a broken society remains a work in progress. Join us as we explore Cape Town’s lingering challenges and newest ideas by talking with the young adults shaping the city’s future.

Religious rhetoric plays an increasingly powerful role in Pakistan’s society and politics. I’ll give you stories on the crowding out of those deemed not to conform to an imagined Pakistani identity.

“The Sex Politics And Religon Hour: SPAR with Jamila Show” considers all the topics one was never supposed to raise in polite company. It’s coming back as a podcast. You can be part of its glorious relaunch!

My life was forever changed after working with disabled orphans in Vietnam. Support me as I explore the untold reality of everyday life, education and health care for children living with disabilities in Vietnam.

Join us for a father-son reporting roadtrip through the Rockies to see how global warming is changing the face of our beloved mountains, from Alpine tundra through forests, fields and streams.

Humans are just one of a rich panoply of amazing beings - help me tell the stories of the millions of other species on earth.

French​ food and wine is ​some of ​the best in the world, but the language barrier means English speakers rarely get an insider’s glimpse into ​this exclusive culinary​ world. Back us, and we’ll produce three radio pieces taking you into their world.

There are countless buskers and vendors working to make a living in New York City’s subway system. Back me, and I’ll take you inside this underground world of entertainers.

One Mike Keefe political cartoon is worth a million words. Back a partnership between the Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist and the non-profit The Colorado Independent, and you’ll enjoy a year of Mike’s graphic commentary about state and national issues worth thinking – and laughing – about.

Water—and access to water—will be the defining issue of the 21st century. Back me, and you’ll get an in-depth look at water issues in and around the Great Lakes basin.

While working on my graphic novel, I had another amazing story fall in my lap. When my grandfather died, we found proof he had a secret son. My secret uncle, it turns out, is a serial con artist and possible polygamist, leaving a trail of broken families across the US. Now it’s time to unravel his deceptions and to plan the next step.

Illicit drugs pour through a narrow strip of Central America on their way to the U.S., leaving behind scars of crime and corruption. Help me show you the region’s ravages, and chance at renewal.

We’re producing roughly a dozen in-depth stories on how energy booms are changing the face of small-town Texas. Back our project and you’ll ride along with overworked emergency responders, explore the man camps of the Eagle Ford Shale and dig into the data behind the region’s skyrocketing wealth.

Travel with me as I explore the importance everyday people have in protecting and improving environments big and small — from the world’s great untouched territories to the spaces in your own home.

I’m building a collection of oral histories to expose the faces of contemporary African migration — to, from and within Africa. Let’s explore the identities and the personal stories of the men, women and children behind the figures together.

Guatemala has always played host to expatriates and foreigners, and their presence has always been a volatile mix of good intentions, exploitation, positive investment and neocolonialism.

Food, and the people who make it, have never been more important to the future of our culture and planet. I’ve worked on the inside of the sustainable food business and have access to some of the most interesting people involved in making good stuff to eat.

I’m traveling to Tanzania to work with local youth and refugees in Kigoma. Back me; I’ll share their stories with you, and you’ll be supporting their efforts to make Africa—and the world—a better place.

I’m traveling from California to Africa, relying on the kindness of others to carry me on my way. Back me, and I’ll share stories from my journey with you.

Recent oil drilling off the coast of Somaliland promises new opportunities for the region, but also peril for hopes to create a new sovereign state. I’m traveling to Somaliland to find out what’s going on.