Shawn Poynter        was born in Kentucky but lives in Tennessee. Between leaving home and this slight southern migration Shawn studied photojournalism at Western Kentucky University, graduating in 1999, and shot pictures for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico, and Illinois.
Now in Knoxville, Shawn divides his time between freelance editorial and portraiture work and a full-time job at the Center for Rural Strategies, a nonprofit organization that makes creative use of media to improve life in small communities in the countryside and around the world. He recently started a project on Knoxville's Central Street with the goal of preserving as much old-time flavor as possible before the new development eats it all. Shawn also contributes pictures and editing skills to the Daily Yonder, a daily online journal of rural news published by Rural Strategies.