116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Storytelling events aim to build community through empathy, mutual respect in Cedar Rapids
One event returns as another new one begins this fall
Sep. 18, 2025 6:00 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — In an era of heightened division and polarization, the solution to bringing people together again could be a method as old as time: storytelling.
Two storytelling events in Cedar Rapids — one returning and one new — hope that the power of storytelling from locals and nationally recognized narrators will show us that we’re more alike than we are different.
This fall through next spring, connect with their lived experiences and personal life lessons to see how you can relate.
If you go:
Two storytelling series are coming to Cedar Rapids over the next several months:
Storytellers of Cedar Rapids, presented by Matthew 25, returns for its second season to deliver personal narratives from local residents in November, March and May. Its next show, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., will explore the theme “What I Hunger For” at Groundswell Cafe, 201 Third Ave. SW.
Individual tickets ($15) or season passes can be purchased in advance at matthew-25.org or by calling (319) 362-2214. Shows are often sold out in advance.
TellersBridge StoryTellers, a new nonprofit launching in Cedar Rapids, will host its first Storytelling Festival in October with a blend of nationally recognized and beloved local storytellers delivering true personal stories, fictional tales and classic fables for all ages.
Each of the following events are free:
Oct. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.: “Stories From The Stump” at Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE.
Oct. 2 from 6 to 7 p.m.: “Telling Stories Through Art,” hosted by the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. SE.
Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.: TellersBridge Storytellers Showcase at Cottage Grove Place, 2115 First Ave. SE.
Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.: A full day of adult and children’s programming at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE.
For more details, visit crstorytellingfestival.org.
How Storytellers of Cedar Rapids started
From 2016 to 2021, local artist and writer Akwi Nji focused on the power of spoken word through poetry, fiction and personal narrative storytelling, including the former Living Room Series that made it more personal in living rooms across the community.
Now, the founder of The Hook is bringing back Storytellers of Cedar Rapids as a co-producer.
In its second season, guests can expect heartwarming stories that will make them laugh, cry, and examine their relationship with people and the world around them. Each night, five storytellers are complemented by performances from a musical guest and several open mic performers.
Each of its events this season focus on a theme related to core pillars of Matthew 25’s mission: “What I Hunger For“ (food security), ”Seeking Shelter“ (housing and shelter), and ”There Are No Strangers Here“ (community).
Its first event this season, on Sept. 3, performed to a sold-out house. This year, guests can purchase season passes to attend every show.
Nji and co-producer Courtney Ball hope to grow the event as they hone production values.
Where do they find these people?
Fittingly, stories are identified by Nji and Ball through community connections and word-of-mouth. This season, the producers will solicit interest from attendees who think they have a story to tell, too.
“We all have valuable stories to tell. Finding people with interesting stories isn’t difficult for me,” Nji said.
Through everyday conversations, she keeps an ear open to the narratives that highlight individuality of community members or pull from interesting backgrounds while delivering a story about the shared human experience.
Those with the best stories aren’t always the types of personalities you might expect, either. Rarely are they polished performers or those who give speeches regularly.
“I’m really compelled by people who approach the possibility of telling their story on stage with a level of anxiety and trepidation,” Nji said.
Training the storytellers
Over the course of about seven weeks, Storytellers of Cedar Rapids performers go through workshops with a cohort, answering rapid-fire questions and working through exercises that help them identify, refine and practice their story to shine on stage.
With journals and rapid-fire prompts, it starts with questions like:
- What is your scariest memory?
- What is your most joyful memory?
- What was your favorite childhood toy?
“It’s not what they’ve written down, it’s what they say and how they say it,” Nji said. “That is an indicator of what the nucleus of the story is going to be.”
After refining stories with education on how to develop a fully-realized arc, each show delivers storytellers whose differences are weaved with a common thread — a shared humanity that audiences relate to, no matter how different they are.
The workshop approach, in contrast to more professional storytelling hours that have become popular in media, was important for Ball, interim director of Matthew 25.
“One thing we (wanted) was an arts event that would bring people together and be thought-provoking and positive, and share the gifts of people in our community,” he said. “It was really important to me that the storytellers get to know each other.”
Why vulnerability is important
“There’s a level of vulnerability that’s required for this kind of intimate setting and storytelling,” Nji said. “There’s a level of vulnerability that’s vital when a person is on stage, and that audience is eager to hear something of themselves in the story.”
Though stories are memorized and rehearsed, they maintain an authenticity that’s vital for audiences to connect with — a method that transports listeners to a different point of view. Through coaching, Nji and Ball help storytellers get to the heart of their narratives and be honest about how the experiences made them feel.
It’s not just a matter of feelings — there’s a scientific explanation for the phenomenon vulnerability creates.
“When an audience experiences that, our brain synthesizes oxytocin, which leads to feelings of empathy and trust,” Nji said. “In the audience, that shared human emotion of fear, overwhelm, anxiety, joy … regardless of the specifics of those experiences, it’s those emotions that are shared.
“That vulnerability is what surfaces the emotions.”
Why storytelling matters
Amid increased isolation, political polarization, and a breakdown of communication between individuals and communities, organizers of both events say stories still have the power to break down barriers.
Ball, a former United Methodist Church pastor, said it does so in an entertaining, engaging way that gives insight into a neighbor’s life without sounding bossy.
“It’s much different than hearing something online you disagree with and pouncing on that position,” he said. “It does a really good job of creating empathy.”
“It doesn't matter if they look different, sound different, are in a different tax bracket … those things start to get minimized when we realize we share basic human emotions with somebody else,” Nji explained. “That changes the way we think about each other.”
With universal truths through human experiences, they hope everyone in the audience can see a part of themselves in at least one story each night, no matter who is on stage.
TellersBridge Storytellers
TellersBridge StoryTellers, a new event, hopes to establish a cultural cornerstone for community, joy, education and connection, said Sue Schmitt, CEO of TellersBridge StoryTellers in Cedar Rapids.
The new nonprofit’s strategic plan includes raising awareness through live, open mic events and free storytelling workshops in Eastern Iowa.
Their inaugural festival next month draws inspiration from the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, currently in its 46th year.
Listening to others fosters trust, a sense of belonging and shared goals, Schmitt said.
“You may not have been a teenager whose friends were drafted into the Vietnam War, but I can tell you a story that will put you there,” she said. “(You may not have) grown up as a person of color in Iowa, but my friend Kory May can share stories that make that experience relatable.”
Guests will hear heartfelt stories of growing up on the farm or going to church camp, and harrowing tales of surviving school bullies all in one place.
“We want to connect people with others, to their memories and to our shared experiences,” Schmitt said. “We want folks to have fun together.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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