Birmingham storytelling showcase to tackle societal polarisation in post-Brexit era

City arts organisation Soul City Arts has apparently come up with a novel solution to the problem of societal polarisation in the ‘Trump-Brexit’ era, in the form of a public storytelling event, dubbed TruStories. 

Taking place on Thursday 27th July at the Hubb Art Space in Sparkhill, TruStories offers members of the public the chance to take to the stage and share a story from their own lived experience with a live audience.

Storytellers at this month’s event are being encouraged to recount a story that in some way addresses the theme of ‘Struggle’.

In creating the event, Soul City Arts hope to encourage attendees to engage with and attain a greater understanding of the experiences of others.

Mohammed Ali, Director of Soul City Arts, commented:

“With TruStories we want to create a space where people feel comfortable telling stories from their lives that they might not share anywhere else.

“This is about bringing people together and fostering greater empathy and understanding – something the world could do with a bit more of at the moment.”

If you have a story to tell and are over 19-years-old, Soul City Arts is offering a free storytelling training and confidence building session beforehand.

If you want to tell a story at the event, you can register via the Soul City Arts eventbrite page by choosing the ‘Storyteller Ticket’ option. Entry to the event is also free for storytellers!

This is the first in a series of such events taking place this year. Details of upcoming events can be found on the Soul City Arts Facebook page.

TruStories takes place on Thursday 27th July at 6pm, at the Hubb Art Space, Sparkhill, Birmingham B11 1AR. Everyone is welcome to head along and listen in. Entry for listeners is £5. Tickets for attendees and storytellers are available here.