Illustration of a storytelling scene with 6 people around a campfire for WUNC Next Generation Radio.

NEXT GEN RADIO IS A FIVE-DAY, AUDIO FOCUSED DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECT

OUR THEME FOR 2023: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “HOME”?

illustration of a mother holding a child with other women in the background

A single mother by choice finds family in abundance for her donor-conceived child

Pictured is Next Generation Radio participant Kait Lavo.

by SARAH ROGERS

Sara Lane decided to become a single mother by choice at 40. She conceived her son Jack using donor sperm, and he was born at the height of the pandemic in 2020. While her pregnancy was a lonely one, Lane’s life has been filled with abundance ever since – thanks to her connections with the families of Jack’s donor siblings and her community in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Kali Fuchis stands at the center of the composition wearing a patterned dress, make up, and a Maleficent-esque wig with horns. Smiling and standing beside them is their mother (on their left) and their grandmother, Mamí Azu (on their right). Behind each figure is a large circle that overlaps with one another similar to a venn diagram.

Feminine strength and matriarchal power: building a home from within

by LORELAI SKYES

Niccolo Roditti was born into the hands of powerful matriarchs stretching from Ecuador to North Carolina. But it took years for Roditti to learn how to create a home for themself after living on their own. That’s where Kali Fuchis comes in.

The illustration depicts a scene in the library. Special needs librarian Autuan Hawkins showcases an accordion book of sensory storytime in front of a group of people.

Through storytime, Greensboro librarian makes a home for adults with special needs

by BEAYONIE WASHINGTON

Antuan Hawkins is a librarian in Greensboro, North Carolina, who makes a home for adults with special needs by creating a safe, inclusive space for them to learn. In addition to presenting sensory storytime, he provides musical instruments and short books, and plays movement games for his patrons to allow them to participate in storytelling.

A drag queen in a large blonde wig speaking into a microphone as she addresses the crowd. In her other hand she holds a purple butterfly net behind her head used to collect money.

How a community activist is creating peace and unity through gardening in Sanford

by ZENOBIA DOWDY

Crystal McIver has turned an empty lot near downtown Sanford, North Carolina, into a thriving community resource. What started out as a passion project has evolved into a place for neighbors, residents, and volunteers to work together to provide healthier food options for the community.

In the illustration, there are three figures striding forward through the nature and structure of the home in Chapel Hill. The first figure, Danita Mason-Hogans, is supported and steadied by the hands of her ancestors—one from the Civil Rights era, and the other from the time of enslavement. They have confident but calm expressing, and Danita holds a history book in her hand about Chapel Hill. Around them, there are trees sprouting from the ground, green bark and bright leaves. And behind you can see windows and bricks to represent the house.

Unrequited love: historian grapples with her family’s past in the “Southern Part of Heaven”

by SIERRA PFEIFER

Danita Mason-Hogans knows her roots in Chapel Hill and feels a deep connection to the 170-year-old John A. Mason House near Jordan Lake, which was the center of a massive plantation where her ancestors were once enslaved. She’s reckoning with the flaws that coexist with the triumphs in the town she calls home.