How well do you know Missouri’s small towns? Bruce West, photography professor in the art and design department at Missouri State, learned so much about Mississippi in his formulation of his book, “The True Gospel Preached Here,” that it inspired him to learn more about the place he now calls home.

This former East Coaster is trolling around small towns in Missouri to learn more about the state and the humanity of its inhabitants.

For the Small Town Project, he has left the comforts of film and moved to digital. He never knows what he’ll photograph until he arrives in the town square.