Storytelling Event—Taking Up Space: Elevating Lived Experience with Disability.
Follow Your Art Community Studios (FYACS) and the Melrose Commission on Disability (MCOD) will be hosting a community storytelling event at Temple Beth Shalom in Melrose on Saturday, June 10, 2023, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
The evening’s theme will be “Taking Up Space: Elevating Lived Experience with Disability.” Event organizers are seeking storytellers with lived experience with disability, as individuals who are disabled or as caregivers/loved ones who live in proximity. Full details can be found on the FYACS website at fyamelrose.org, and storytellers are invited to submit their ideas at bit.ly/storyteller-form.
The stories do not need to center on disability; they can be anything from lived experience (bad first date? Amazing chance meeting? Pet stories?). Stories should be approximately 5 minutes long; should be told, not read; and should have a clear story arc with a beginning, middle, and end. Storytellers do not need to disclose disabilities unless they wish to.
In addition to traditional stories, spoken word and poetry will be considered. Selected participants will have the opportunity to "workshop" their story with a coach at no charge.
Disability is part of the spectrum of humanity. The organizers hope to amplify the stories of individuals with disabilities.
About The Melrose Commission on Disability
The Melrose Commission on Disability is a seven-member volunteer board created to ensure that the City of Melrose is fully inclusive of people with disabilities. For more information go to cityofmelrose.org/commission-disability or email commissionondisability@cityofmelrose.org.
About Follow Your Art Community Studios (FYACS)
FYACS builds community by supporting creative endeavors for all, with opportunities for learning, growth, discovery, and outreach through visual arts, craft, writing, and performance. We are committed to inclusivity and diversity in the arts and strive to create an accessible and welcoming environment for people of all identities, cultural backgrounds, and economic situations. For more information, go to fyamelrose.org or email info@fyamelrose.org