SB Speaks: Cultural Storytelling

Do you hear that murmur rising into a chorus? A wind sweeps from beyond the edges of the shoreline to our windows and doors — its currents have traveled through the branches and borders of generations; passed down from voice to voice, it unclenches like a cocoon bursting into wings within you as you now breathe it in. You must hear it because — SB Speaks!

SB storytellers, join Santa Barbara Public Library in celebrating stories that center queerness, liberation, family, immigration, and belonging for this year’s SB Reads selection, The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.
Share in the mosaic reverberation of vocal chords ringing out in major and minor keys — underheard instruments, dancing with the autumn night into the shape of your stories.

We want to hear the travelogue of your heart: stories of queer joy, of found family, of the layers of home you’ve come from and find yourself in, of the people that you’ve built stars with amid the tundra of night.

Calls for storytelling performances open October 3, 2025 and close October 24, 2025. Please register online in advance as space is limited. We will contact you the week of November 3 to confirm if you’ve been selected to perform your story.

Click here to register: https://forms.gle/gRGKormPT4Z7ogew6

Performances should be no longer than five minutes in length.
Some questions to ignite your stories:

• What does queer joy mean to you?
• What does home mean to you?
• What does community and belonging mean to you?
• What does liberation mean to you?
• How has migration impacted your life?

 

Disclaimer: Santa Barbara Reads is funded through the annual support of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.