Sister States / Iowa and Kosova, ‘23

I want to write a story about relocating from Iowa to Kosova (local pronunciation of Kosovo), and I want to write it in the light of an Iowan (who grew up in Des Moines) trying to understand the depth of the sister city (Des Moines to Prishtina) and sister state (Iowa to Kosovo) relationship.

I think it’s interesting for an Iowan to find themself so at home in a little-known, and even lesser-understood newborn European nation that is so vibrant culturally.

Highlights: meeting the leaders of government through the Iowa Delegation in 2022, and photographing Prishtina Pride Festival in the tense summer of 2023, connecting with musicians, artists, and writers, even as tensions have escalated on the Northern borders of Serbia. Having my photos from my first trip to Kosovo published in National Geographic this year. Connecting with other Iowans here, musician and troubadour Todd Partridge, a former Peace Corps volunteer from Grinnell, as well as reconnecting with the Head of the Kosovo Consulate in DSM.

The timing of everything - are the rumblings on the northern border the whispers of another conflict? What does that mean for the vibrant country? It's a powerful story about Iowa making positive impacts on a newborn European country that is finding its place after declaring Independence only fifteen years ago. I have lots of photographs to share from me experiences here over the past couple of years, which I think would be perfect for the pages of DSM Magazine.

Important to note: I am going to be having a photography exhibition at the Lift in December, so this could perhaps be a good precursor to that - as I will likely have images from Kosovo on display at the Lift for the exhibition.