An invitation to tell your story, in your own words. That's the goal for a new project led by Luis Antonio Perez, Colorado Public Radio's community audio producer.
Perez hopes to tap into the power of personal narratives by working with storytellers around Colorado to create a series of live story slams. He's served as an organizer and coach at story slams, and won awards at live storytelling events.
Perez and other producers in CPR's Audio Innovations Studio recently kicked off the project by collaborating with Remerg, a Denver nonprofit that helps people start over after people released from prison. Perez and Remerg organized an evening of stories at the Tattered Cover on Colfax Avenue under the theme "Old Life, New Life." For several of the participants, it was their first time telling a story onstage at a story slam.
Perez shared one of the standout stories from that event, from a formerly incarcerated storyteller named David Coleman. Coleman told the audience at the Tattered Cover about where his life went off track and the epiphany that led him to change.
Perez is looking for more people to share who they are, in their own words. If you have an idea for a story you'd like to share with Perez, please email [email protected].
