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American Stories: A Community Storytelling Showcase

Thursday, May 8: A Community Storytelling Showcase
Pay-What-You-Wish
6:00-8:00pm

Exploring the American Experience Through Storytelling!

What does the American experience mean to you? How has the idea of the American Dream shaped your life, your family, or your community?

Join us at the Everson Museum for American Stories: A Community Storytelling Showcase, a powerful evening of storytelling that amplifies diverse voices and perspectives. This event, inspired by the exhibition Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976, will feature selected storytellers sharing personal narratives, poetry, and reflections that explore themes of identity, ambition, resilience, and belonging.

Each story offers a unique glimpse into what it means to be American today, bringing together voices from across our community in an inspiring and thought-provoking evening.

This event is pay-what-you-wish. We invite you to experience the power of storytelling and the many ways our collective histories shape who we are.

Emcee & Judge Bios:

(Emcee) Vanessa Johnson is a Griot, playwright, actor, fiber artist, museum consultant, and teaching artist. She has coordinated cultural festivals and educational programs, including Syracuse’s Juneteenth Festival, the Pan African Village at the N.Y. State Fair, and the Harambee Youth Tent. As the former Director of Education for the Onondaga Historical Association, she used storytelling to teach local history. She has written and produced plays for children, led the “Griot Guides” program at the Community Folk Art Center, and exhibited her fiber art in multiple solo shows. Currently, she serves as the Artist in Residence at the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation.

(Judge) Kofi Antwi is a writer, professor at SUNY Cortland, and Education Outreach Program Coordinator at the Community Folk Art Center. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is the assistant editor of Black Fire This Time and Black Fire This Time Volume 2. His debut book, Tidal Wave, was published by Kattywompus Press in 2020. Dedicated to fostering literary expression in underrepresented communities, he facilitates writing workshops exploring culture, memory, and identity. Kofi is also a board member of the Black Artist Collective and an advocate for creative inclusion in Central New York.

(Judge) Tim Carter is a poet, educator, and Director of Writing Workshops for the Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse, NY. He holds an MFA from Syracuse University and has published two poetry collections: Remains (Tiger Bark Press, 2022) and The Pigs (Dead Mall Press, 2023). Through his work, he mentors emerging writers and fosters literary engagement in the community.