A place is not a thing,” writes Paul Gruchow in the forward to the book Voices for the Land, “It’s a relationship. A location becomes a place only in the context of time, of history.” In this tribute to the importance of the ordinary places in our lives, Minnesotan’s wrote about the special, sometimes secret places that give their lives meaning. For some it’s their home or lake cabin. For others, it’s a family farm or neighborhood park, a backyard garden or north woods trail; all places where people find a personal and spiritual connection to the land. The Voices for the Land project, organized by the nonprofit group 1000 Friends of Minnesota, encouraged Minnesotans to write about the land they love and fight for it’s preservation. For one year I traveled to these special locations and photographed the authors in their environment. The Star Tribune published 52 of the essays, with these photographs, in a year-long photo column. The resulting documentary was published in book form by the Minnesota Historical Society Press and was honored with three Minnesota Book Awards. //brianmarkpeterson.com/projects/voices-for-the-land