National Three's company: A man sticks out the pandemic with his ex-wife and his mother What might sound like a nightmare for many, became a reality for exes Neil Kramer and Sophia Lansky when COVID hit New York. And somehow, they made it work. Kramer photographed their chaotic ordeal. Eleanor Vassili Kamilah Kashanie Emma Bowman
National For their first trick-or-treating, their parents magically became a neighborhood Every day is like Halloween when you're the children of costumed circus performers. Siblings Fritzi and Bobby Huber recount the time that their parents made their first Halloween extraordinary. Annie Russell Emma Bowman
National With 3 bold marks, Indigenous women helped revive a once-banned tradition Grete Bergman was among the first Gwich'in woman to get traditional facial markings since colonizers barred the practice. She and markings artist Sarah Whalen-Lunn did it for their daughters. Jey Born Aisha Turner Emma Bowman
National An Afghan Marine Fought To Make His Homeland Safer. Now He Feels Like He Failed Ajmal Achekzai remembers the war in Afghanistan, which brought him back to his birthplace of Kabul. Now that the war is over, he says, "I feel like I failed the Afghan people." Eleanor Vassili Emma Bowman
National A Cuban Refugee's Optimism Inspires His Grandson's Acting Career A turbulent Cuba halted Mario García's childhood acting career when he fled to a foreign U.S. Still, he hasn't lost hope. At StoryCorps, he and his grandson, Max, dream up their ideal movie roles. Janmaris Perez
National As An Army Chorus Member, He Didn't Carry A Weapon. His Job Was To Sing Master Sgt. Alvy Powell Jr. sang opera at some of country's most decorated institutions during his 26 years in the U.S. Army Chorus. At StoryCorps, he told his sister that she's his inspiration. Eleanor Vassili
National Their Nearly 50-Year Friendship Stays Strong Thanks To Simple Gestures Greg Klatkiewicz and Gary "Zooks" Bezucha have been friends since 1972. At StoryCorps, the pair talk about how their bond has carried them through good times and bad. Jey Born Diane Bezucha
National An Independent Spirit Guided Her Through World War II — And Beyond Connie Doria Rocha contributed to the war effort even though women were barred from combat. At StoryCorps, she recalls her time as a mechanic in the military. Jey Born
National These Black Moms Gave Birth Early. They Don't Want Their Experiences To Be Normal At StoryCorps, Shantay Davies-Balch and Sabrina Beavers talk about the prevalence of premature births among Black mothers. "Why aren't these normal conversations?" Beavers asked. Annie Russell
National How Role Models Like Rosa Parks Shaped A Distracted Kid Into A Leader At StoryCorps, the Rev. Farrell Duncombe remembered those who nurtured him — like Rosa Parks, his former Sunday school teacher, who joked once that as a kid, "I ain't think you was gonna be nothing." Jey Born
