All Y'all Podcast

When Eman Bader stepped onto the stage of the Woman's Department Club in Shreveport to share her story during "All Y'all Live: Ladies Night" on March 14, 2015, we - Sara and I, co-organizers of the event - were holding our breath a little bit. This was a story that we wanted to see succeed.

During the weeks leading up to an All Y'all event, we meet with storytellers to help them fine-tune their stories and develop the confidence needed to face the crowd. We'd met with Eman several times, and, even in the days immediately leading up to the event, she seemed intimidated and more than a little nervous. When she walked out onto the stage, however, all of that changed. Our audience heard first-hand what it was like to grow up as a devout Muslim woman in the Deep South in Eman's candid, touching and outrageously funny story, "Best Hair."

"Under the Influence" storyteller Lucas Ridley shared the intensely emotional tale of his personal experience surviving cancer with the assistance of medical marijuana. In the best cases, stories told onstage at All Y'all events encourage audience members to reconsider their own deeply held beliefs. Lucas's story was one of those instances; several of those who attended "Under the Influence" later told us that his story changed their beliefs on the subject of medical marijuana. No matter where you stand on this issue, Lucas's story is a riveting listen.

"Under the Influence" storyteller Lucas Ridley shared the intensely emotional tale of his personal experience surviving cancer with the assistance of medical marijuana. In the best cases, stories told onstage at All Y'all events encourage audience members to reconsider their own deeply held beliefs. Lucas's story was one of those instances; several of those who attended "Under the Influence" later told us that his story changed their beliefs on the subject of medical marijuana. No matter where you stand on this issue, Lucas's story is a riveting listen.

"The Last Time I Played Bridge," is a hilarious, action-packed recollection of what may be the worst first date we've ever heard of. Annie's story, which was recorded live at the Woman's Department Club of Shreveport, reminded us that, in life and in love, it's always a roll of the dice. Sometimes you sail into the sunset, and sometimes you crash into a reef and get eaten by sharks - but you've gotta get in the boat. Or the plane, in this case.

"The Last Time I Played Bridge," is a hilarious, action-packed recollection of what may be the worst first date we've ever heard of. Annie's story, which was recorded live at the Woman's Department Club of Shreveport, reminded us that, in life and in love, it's always a roll of the dice. Sometimes you sail into the sunset, and sometimes you crash into a reef and get eaten by sharks - but you've gotta get in the boat. Or the plane, in this case.

Shannan Hicks is our first-ever wild card storyteller. The idea behind the wild card storyteller is simple: prior to intermission, audience members who'd be interested in telling a story with little to no warning toss their names into a hat. At the end of intermission, a name is drawn. That person tells a 10-minute story on the night's theme (in this case, womanhood) with all of 30 seconds to prepare. To place this in context: most of our storytellers have three to five weeks to prepare. Shannan had 30 seconds.

Shannan Hicks is our first-ever wild card storyteller. The idea behind the wild card storyteller is simple: prior to intermission, audience members who'd be interested in telling a story with little to no warning toss their names into a hat. At the end of intermission, a name is drawn. That person tells a 10-minute story on the night's theme (in this case, womanhood) with all of 30 seconds to prepare. To place this in context: most of our storytellers have three to five weeks to prepare. Shannan had 30 seconds.

Robin Williams, a Bossier City-based marketing executive who shared her story at "All Y'all: Under the Influence," had less than 12 hours to prepare her story for the stage. As an alternate storyteller for the evening, Robin was called up when another storyteller backed out. Considering that her story deals with overcoming oppressive social anxiety and fear of public speaking brought about by the cruelty of a figure in her past, live storytelling was no small challenge for Robin.

Robin Williams, a Bossier City-based marketing executive who shared her story at "All Y'all: Under the Influence," had less than 12 hours to prepare her story for the stage. As an alternate storyteller for the evening, Robin was called up when another storyteller backed out. Considering that her story deals with overcoming oppressive social anxiety and fear of public speaking brought about by the cruelty of a figure in her past, live storytelling was no small challenge for Robin.

Annie Andersen thought that she was pretty bad, but when she was cast in the Oxygen Network's hit reality television series Bad Girls Club, she realized that there's bad --- and then there's really bad.