LETTERS FROM AMERICA

Sir DONALD GLENN PETERSON | From Värmland in Sweden and War in France - to a Swedish Knight in Colorado

Sir Donald Glenn Peterson's family history starts with his grandfather, Enoch, leaving Sweden at age 19 for a life in the United States, immediately signing up to fight with the US Army in France during WW1, only to return after the war to start a newspaper in Denver, Colorado, building a communication hub for Swedes and Americans alike that stood for three generations. And it culminates with Donald receiving the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star medal for his long-standing service as Honorary Swedish Consul by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. - This road trip podcast stopped in Denver, Colorado, to hear him tell his family's epic story.

LARS RONÉR | The ten thousand Swedes of Utah (and how language defines home)

Between the 1850s and the early 1900s, approximately 10,000 Swedes left their homeland and emigrated to the United States to join the fast-growing movement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) around Salt Lake City, Utah. - Lars Ronér's family was one of those who came. Hear him tell the story of his family being a part of the Swedes who settled down at "the end of the world" and how a lucky move to San Francisco made him an icon in the advertising world - and how language can define 'home'.

HANNA JOLINDER | From Stockholm to Reno, ready to make a footprint in American Basketball

The search for Swedish footprints within the United States diverted my road trip to the University of Nevada in Reno, to speak to basketball player Hanna Jolinder, who recently arrived to take the position as Guard in the Nevada Wolf Pack after years in the highest basketball league in Sweden, including a position in the Swedish National Team. We sat down in the Airstream and talked about the importance of support from older teammates, the differences between Swedish and American players, and about embracing your talent.

KATARINA BONDE | The Swedish winemaker who brought American wine to the Nobel Prize banquet

The all-American road trip led me to the many wineries of Sonoma Valley, where I met up with Swedish-born Katarina Bonde at West Wines, the vineyard she founded with her husband almost twenty years ago. We talked about stepping into the winemaking industry without really knowing what to expect, about how grapes teach you patience, and about what it was like to have the first American wine selected for the Nobel Prize banquet. - And what is it about this ancient beverage that makes it so special? Listen to her story on what to expect when buying a small vineyard - years in the waiting, years in the making - and if there's a Swedish way of growing grapes.

RICHARD 'Sven' SHELGREN | The creative spirit, the death of Hollywood, and the myth of the Swedish Blondes

Mr. Shelgren is a movie producer, writer, and director for the world-renowned Ojai Film Festival, north of Los Angeles, California. He is also 'Sven' to most people who've met him, a nickname he took in honor of his Swedish heritage. We met in the Airstream as the podcast tour passed Ojai, and we talked about the spirit of creativity, the changes in Hollywood, and being proud of who you are - and about rollercoasters, the myth of the Swedish Blondes, and not finding polar bears in Stockholm.