This is a short story called "Dharmalebrity" I wrote in 2017 and performed last year at Sacred Storytelling here in Los Angeles. The story centers around a Buddhist drug and alcohol recovery program and the intersection between celebrity (a religion in Los Angeles without tax-exempt status) and the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha). Listen to the audio recording on Soundcloud here, or below. … [Read more...]
Revising Your Story from Concept to Stage
I have been trying to perform at more storytelling venues and I was lucky enough to be booked at the Sacred Storytelling show here in Los Angeles. The reason why I mention this is because I had a set deadline, and a set topic – surrender. All I had to do was write the piece. Going through that process, I am not ashamed to admit, took me seven drafts (!!!) not including my initial notes. In the process of honing my story, I realized how each phase of rewrites brought the topic to where I wanted it to be. Since it was a personal story, and one that is still emotional for me, I wanted to make … [Read more...]
Personal Narratives as a Form of Protest
Over my holiday break I read two very different personal narratives. Totally different writers, writing styles and stories, but I believe that they work the same way. Writing is a liberating act by creating order out of disparate experiences, but each story also carves out room in the conversation about human life. And by doing so, these writers open up possibilities for all of us, because they show different sides of the experience of what is true in this world. One book is The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, who writes, “Whether it was or it was not, there were words. Not just my … [Read more...]