Since its inaugural issue, printed in 1982, Orion has explored the ways in which our places—our homes, our neighborhoods, our landscapes—shape us, and what it might mean to care for them in return.

“The Place Where You Live” is an ongoing project (which has appeared in various forms over the years, from print to digital) that’s meant to provide readers with space to record ideas about place: What connects you to your place? What history does it hold for you? What are your hopes and fears for it? What do you do to protect it, or prepare it for the future, or make it better? Click on the map above to find entries from all over the world.

Also, in a collaboration begun in 2012, some contributors will be invited to read their entries aloud on the nationally syndicated (U.S.) public radio show Living on Earth. Listen to a selection of those segments here.

Please consider these guidelines before posting an entry:

• Your contribution can take the form of a short essay of up to 350 words, and may include photographs, a painting, drawing, or handmade map.
• The work submitted must be your own, or you must have rights to reuse or publish the work.
• We cannot offer technical support.
• Some entries may be selected for inclusion in future Orion publication (which is one of the reasons we ask for your name and contact information).
• We will remove rude, objectionable, advertising/commercial-focused, or distasteful entries.
• Once you have crafted your contribution—please include your first and last name—submit it by clicking on “Submit” below.