Storytelling Opportunity: Apply to "Stories for Freedom" by March 15th!

“… there is… art that is revolutionary simply because it tells the truth when it seems like others cannot. And when that truth is coming from places that are often underrepresented – especially places of struggle – it can be the most powerful form of art in the world.”

– Ijeoma Oluo

I am so excited to be bringing this opportunity to your doorstep.

For my "day job", I am lucky enough to work with the amazing non-profit storytelling company TMI Project. I get to help everyday people free themselves of secrets they've long hidden away as I help them transform those secrets into beautiful, empowering monologues.

Now, TMI Project is having a public call for storytellers for a new program called Stories for Freedom. We are looking to tell the stories of everyday unsung heroes who have been working as activists, artists, and change-makers for in a liberation movement. I've included a little bit of the details below - but you can check out the full details here. (And if you want to learn a little bit about why I think the program is important, you can read my thoughts on TMI Project's blog post.)

Applications are due by March 15th. No prior experience with writing or storytelling is required to apply.

If you're inspired to apply, I truly hope you do. Going through a TMI Project workshop is an experience like no other and the stories generated through this program will surely inspire action and passion and hope in a time when we so desperately need it.

Queerly yours,

Program Description

Stories for Freedom will invite ten storytellers, who have been cultivating practices of liberation within their work and lives, to join a TMI Project True Storytelling workshop where they will create and perform true, well-crafted stories of love, resistance and growth in their lives; stories that can be used to further their work and serve as an oral history and exist as a blueprint for progress for generations to come.

By crafting radically true stories, Stories for Freedom will amplify the voices of artists, activists, and artivists, to inspire identification and belonging in audience members, and challenge all of us to take bold action in the disruption of systemic oppression.

We will select 10 storytellers to join the program and will partner with organizations and individuals alike to further amplify and support the work of reclaiming and healing our lineages, one story at a time.

The cohort will include people of all backgrounds while also paying specific homage to the practices of liberation that have emerged from Black and Indigenous communities. For centuries, the Black and Indigenous communities have created templates for other marginalized groups to take action in and around their own places of oppression – and this program will aim to acknowledge and celebrate these roots.

Once all storytellers are confirmed, TMI Project will begin the multi-session, online storytelling workshop in early 2024 which will culminate in a live performance in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the last week of June (exact date/location TBD).

Offerings

Requirements

• All stories are first-person stories. You, the writer, are the main character.
• You’re willing to be vulnerable and expose your humanity by including the “TMI” parts of your story — the parts we usually leave out because of shame, embarrassment, stigma, or cultural expectations.
• Your story will capture an experience of personal transformation, from its beginning through its resolution. With the support of the TMI Project workshop leaders, you will shape a story that conveys the emotional complexity of your lived experiences, a story that will compel the listeners attention and keep them fully engaged. You commit to work collaboratively with TMI Project workshop leaders who will edit your writing into a TMI-style monologue.
• You commit to attending scheduled workshops and being in communication with your workshop leaders if you need to miss a session. (Missing more than two sessions will make it challenging to complete the workshop.)
• For the emotional safety of everyone participating, you commit to attending all workshop sessions sober.
• You commit to perform and have your performance recorded. Our hope is the finished product will help fuel your work in a meaningful way.
• You will have rights to your story and also commit to sign a release to give TMI Project permission to share your story across our platforms.