The power of personal storytelling can shift perspectives and change individual trajectories. But what role can it play in larger settings – academia, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood projects?
That’s the topic of “Storytelling: Discovering Self, Connecting Community,” a free event scheduled for Wednesday, April 25 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Blanchard Room in the Mary L. Stephens Library in Davis. Non-profit community media & technology center Davis Media Access (DMA) has partnered with the Library to present the event, which is supported by a 2018 City of Davis Arts Grant.
The evening features the following presenters:
· Milmon F. Harrison, Professor of African American & African Studies at UC Davis. Professor Harrison’s areas of expertise include ethnicity in the U.S.; the Black Christian church; black social and political thought, and Black popular culture. Trained as a Storytelling Facilitator at the StoryCenter in Berkeley, Harrison uses digital storytelling as a tool with his students, and also in his academic and personal research. He will share several digital stories, in addition to talking about his work. https://aas.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/milmon-f-harrison
· Danielle Fodor is an artist, teacher, and community organizer living in Davis, CA. She creates artwork that transforms people, places, and communities by working in a variety of mediums, including zines, performance, murals, audio, and posters. Fodor has an extensive resumé of media and arts projects, spanning organizations from KDRT 95.7 FM to the Experimental College and the Arboretum at UC Davis; Grant High School in Sacramento; community build street murals in East Davis; the Davis Feminist Film Festival; and Imagining America. Fodor will speak about recent story share projects at The Cannery in Davis, and Imagining America at UC Davis. You can see some of her art here: http://daniellefodor.com
· Jillian Corr has a background in education and curriculum development, and recently trained as a Storytelling Facilitator at the StoryCenter in Berkeley. Along with DMA Program & Training Manager Alex Silva-Sadder, Corr taught a two-day immersive digital storytelling workshop in Davis earlier this month. The team will share digital stories produced during that event, and discuss the role that storytelling can play in a non-profit setting.
“Often, the media we consume is designed to sway our opinion on an issue or convince us to think or act in a certain way,” Corr, said. “But in personal storytelling, both the teller and listener are active participants in the process of making meaning. A story carries the power of a single voice and viewpoint, and gives the story a level of accountability that resonates.”
The event is free, and the Mary L. Stephens Library is located at 315 E. 14th Street in Davis. For more information, please contact DMA at info@davismedia.org, or call (530) 757-2419.