RCAH, WKAR kick off new storytelling series

September 16, 2015

On September 9, 2015, the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities in conjunction with WKAR’s Current State hosted the first in a series of three events called “Pop-Up Stories” at Lansing’s Allen Market Place.

Storytellers of all kinds took to the stage Wednesday evening to share stories about being hungry and fed. Tales about urban chicken farming, Japanese tomato rings, refugees, snapping beans and canning, possum roasts and more echoed across the market, drawing in a crowd of about 75 curious onlookers, some of whom were brave enough to step up on stage themselves. Fittingly, the storytellers were fed a sweet treat from MI Pops after their performances.

Inspired by The Moth, a series of storytelling events from across the nation, WKAR and RCAH wanted to give people in the Lansing area the same opportunity to tell their stories.

Working together, the planning team reached out to community partners and developed themes, times, and locations. Musician Mike Skory was invited to provide entertainment between storytellers and the intermission.

Executive Director of Allen Neighborhood Center Joan Nelson knew Allen Street would be a great place for storytelling. The market fit perfectly with the one of the themes – hungry and fed – both literally and metaphorically.

As the series continues, WKAR will be airing a few of the stories on Current State, and has an archive of all stories from the first event. The next “Pop-Up Stories” event, featuring stories about loaning and borrowing, is on October 11 at 2 p.m. at the East Lansing Public Library. The series will conclude with tales about creating and destroying on October 21 at 5:30 p.m. at REACH Studio Art Center.

For more information, visit the Pop-Up Stories Facebook page.

Story and photos by RCAH student Kelsey Block.