Michelle Fishburne’s life turned upside down during the 2020 COVID spring when she lost her job and could not find another notwithstanding months of trying. At the end of July 2020, when the lease on her post-divorce house was up and her youngest was going off to college, Michelle found herself without a house, a spouse, a job, or a kid to take care of. That is what she did NOT have. What she DID have was a 2006 motorhome, tons of curiosity, and a lot of experiencing RV’ing all over the country. She combined all of these into a cross-country project, interviewing people about their lives during the pandemic. She RV’d 12,000 miles and interviewed hundreds of people. Now 100 of those 1st-person stories are being published by UNC Press in “Who We Are Now: Stories of What Americans Lost and Found During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (March 2023). Michelle continues to be a full-time nomad, living and working in her motorhome, Airbnb’s, and the occasional house sitting gig.

Michelle Fishburne’s life turned upside down during the 2020 COVID spring when she lost her job and could not find another notwithstanding months of trying. At the end of July 2020, when the lease on her post-divorce house was up and her youngest was going off to college, Michelle found herself without a house, a spouse, a job, or a kid to take care of. That is what she                                              did NOT have. What she DID have was a                                                   2006 motorhome, tons of curiosity, and a                                                   lot of experiencing RV’ing all over the                                                         country. She combined all of these into a                                                   cross-country project, interviewing people                                                about their lives during the pandemic. She                                                RV’d 12,000 miles and interviewed                                                               hundreds of people. Now 100 of those                                                      1st-person stories are being published by                                                UNC Press in “Who We Are Now: Stories of                                                What Americans Lost and Found During the                                              COVID-19 Pandemic” (March 2023).                                                            Michelle continues to be a full-time nomad,                                              living and working in her motorhome,                                                         Airbnb’s, and the occasional house sitting                                                   gig.

Jane Olson has worked as a volunteer for many decades to promote peace and justice through international human rights and humanitarian organizations. She chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch from 2004 to 2010 and served as co-chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission. As founding board chair of Landmine Survivors Network/Survivor Corps, she gave leadership to LSN for 12 years. Jane is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a board member of both the National World War II Museum and Direct Relief. She is a board member of The Trusteeship, the Southern California chapter of the International Women’s Forum, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. Jane grew up in rural western Iowa and graduated from the University of Nebraska. She lives with her husband, attorney Ronald L. Olson, in Pasadena, California. They have three children and eight grandsons.