After a lifetime of being a “good girl”, this summer Leah Carey threw out all the rules and departed on a year-long road trip around the country, landing in Portland just in time to take the Art of Personal Narrative workshop with Portland Story Theater. Leah talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about how all along the way, she has been rediscovering her long-buried sense of fun, adventure, and sexuality.

Samuel Willoughby (Samiel Willowbee) shares his story about searching for his biological mother in Guatemala. Then Samuel talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about how his biological brother found him through this story and how they met for the first time in Sweden.

MAY THE NARRATIVE BE WITH YOU®

People always say, “It is just politics; don’t take it personal.” But for Zahra Abukar's family the current political climate is very personal! Zahra shares her heartfelt story and then talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard giving us all a glimpse into her struggle for self-identity in a world that continues to try to fit her into pre-defined boxes.

MAY THE NARRATIVE BE WITH YOU®

Eva shares her story, Accidental Immigrant. Originally from Venezuela, Eva Rotter-Johnson talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about how empathy plays a role in our daily connections in our community.

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The relationship with our mothers can be complicated. Sometimes it can take years before we can assert ourselves. But when you finally put your foot down, what could happen? Gigi Rosenberg talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about her approach to story crafting and the backstory for finally setting some boundaries.

Donna shares her story, The Shadow Behind The Light, about working behind the scenes in the spiritual / self-help realm and how she learned that there are sometimes huge gaps between between spiritual leaders' public personas and their private behavior. Then Donna talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about how she got deeply swept up by a particularly dark charismatic teacher and why she decided to tell her story.

Amy shares her story of how she made the startling discovery that she could not, in fact, solve every problem herself. Then she talks with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about how even the fiercely independent and the most eminently rational people eventually face the need for a new source of wisdom. Ultimately, it involves radical empathy for yourself.

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Carrying the burden of childhood fibs can weigh heavily on the spirit. Finally, at 60, as Jeff Burke enters the third act of his life, he is able to tell the story of family dynamics and how he came to forgive himself. Jeff Burke visits the Story House to talk with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard about his story, how it came to be, and what it means to him today.

Many of us hold certain standards of beauty dictated by the cultural norms all around us. It takes a lot of courage to find your own definition of beauty to live by. Sukita sits down with Lawrence Howard and Lynne Duddy to talk about that process and how she came to tell this story at Portland Story Theater's Urban Tellers.

Who are we really? Were we once the persona of the name we claimed? What happens after our names are taken from us? Sifting through his life experiences, Frank sits down with Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard to explore his identify through the names he has had throughout his life.

MAY THE NARRATIVE BE WITH YOU®