The WHY of MY City
Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective
The WHY of MY City will bring together African American youth and professionals in historic site preservation and the humanities to produce and publish a series of four audio podcast episodes, recorded live on stage as part of an expanded theatrical piece called The WHY of MY City. Youth of color, ages 16-24, will lead meaningful dialogues with professionals to explore topics of lost or disappearing history in Black culture based on the youth participants’ lived experiences in economically disinvested neighborhoods in St. Louis, and those of the caretakers of local Black historic sites. StoryStitchers uses a collaborative model to create social justice art. Youth bring raw experiences and are supported by regionally and nationally recognized black artists and scholars who work alongside the young activists through collaborative learning experiences. Stitchers use dialogue to understand stories related to trauma such as violence, trauma, poverty, and the disinvestment and decay of Black neighborhoods. Discussions promote mutual respect for people of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, and foster understanding across racial, socioeconomic, and age divisions in our city. Funds will support research and recordings in the studio and 3 recorded podcasts live on stage.
Visit The WHY of MY City’s webpage here. Follow them on Social Media:
Past Project: StitchCast Studio Special Edition: The Divided City
StitchCast Studio is a youth-led podcast series launched by Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective in 2019. Episodes are recorded and published on topics determined by youth of color from St. Louis: gun violence, racial divisions in St. Louis, public health and safety issues, compounding issues, and more.
“StitchCast Studio Special Edition: The Divided City” will produce and publish four 1-hour unique podcast episodes featuring African American youth, ages 16 to 24 years old, who live in neighborhoods with high crime and poverty rates in St. Louis. The conversations with Story Stitchers’ Black youth will be led by Stitchers Youth Council co-chair Branden Lewis and will feature, among others, master storyteller Bobby Norfolk; filmmaker and Washington University alumnus, Jun Bae; author and educator John A. Wright; Sowande’ Mustakeem, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Washington University; and LJ Punch, MD, President, Power4STL and an American Critical Care Surgeon. Four unique conversations will bring historical context to recurring topics chosen by youth in the StitchCast Studio published podcasts, including: the culture of trauma caused by poverty and repeated exposure to violence amongst families of color in St. Louis, stories of disorientation and dislocation of black families, and the power of story as healer in Black cultures through time. The series will be published through storystitchers.org on major podcast platforms.
Visit Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ website here.
