When the city of Trenton welcomed the Missouri Photo Workshop back to town it joined a pretty exclusive club. After hosting the workshop in 1995, Trenton became only the 16th town to host MPW for a second time. Even more generous was how warmly the community embraced these 44 photographers, 11 faculty and a 20-member contingent of staff and crew from the University of Missouri.

This year's group of photographers included participants from all corners of America as well as, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Syria, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Add in MU student crew members from South Korea and Malasia and the tally numbers 22 states and nine foreign countries.

Stories by this year's workshop photographers take us behind the doors of power, introducing us to a local dentist who doubles as Trenton mayor and the latest in a long line of Grundy County Sheriffs. They show us how a young boy deals with the loss of a brother and the blending of a new family and they take us inside the love story of a Trenton couple who have spent 71 years together. We witness a cancer victim battling back and learn how an 18-year-old homeless youth wanders the city looking for himself.

We thank the people of Trenton for opening their lives and their homes to us. Our immersion in this town has benefited us as we work to become better visual storytellers, and we hope it has enriched the community of Trenton.