Arts & Culture

Kurdish-American couple Berivan and Abdullah Ali describe their harrowing trip from Iran to Germany, a stepping stone in immigrating to the United States. While they chose to settle in Bismarck, North Dakota, for geographically incorrect reasons, they soon discovered the welcoming nature of its people. After many decades of happy living, Berivan and Abdullah are ready to start a new chapter in their lives, and that means leaving their beloved home, once again.

A father raising a daughter on his own might not raise any eyebrows today, but forty-some years ago, it was a bit of a novelty. For Tasha Carvell, she’s glad her single dad Kevin inspired her wanderlust and an affinity for the underdog.

Part 1.  The Human Element is a Fargo-based group of musicians who pride themselves on creating an organic style of music that is centered on human nature and love. Their original sound floats between having a country vibe to being rock-centric... but the group is always ready to jam.

Part2. Kwaician El was born and raised in Chicago, IL, but now he calls West Fargo, ND home. His influences include Ed Sheeran, and he enjoys 'looping' as a style of music performance. Listen to his unique mix of vocal range and lyrical rhythm, and his emotional and spritual singing.

Some adopted kids want to know their birth parents, some don’t.

For Gary Anderson, it was his own kids who finally persuaded him to ask questions. One even bought him a DNA kit from ancestry.com. That’s when he discovered he has nine half siblings.

He told the story to his niece Cathryn Sprynczynatyk at the StoryCorps mobile recording booth in Bismarck of how he figured out who his parents were, based on a report from what was “technically” a closed adoption.

In a war torn country, life is fraught with hardship.  Paul and Lydia Zondo grew up in Liberia during the First Liberian Civil War, a conflict that killed a quarter of a million people from 1989 to 1997.

They’ve moved many times in their lives, first as refugees, later to find good jobs and a safe place to raise their children. Between them they’ve lived in Liberia, Ghana, New York, Maryland, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, Montana, and both Dakotas.