In 2025, MediaRites launched and produced six events of The -Ism Storytellers Project. It started as a simple idea to bring people together to tell stories of common humanity. It has grown into a mission itself as communities continue to be divided. We offer personal stories that touch deeply and remind us that we are more similar if we just listen to each other.
- In July through November, MediaRites produced six events for small groups of people with the first season of The -Ism Storytellers Project with three in Portland and three in Astoria, Eugene and The Dalles.
- The -Ism Storytellers Project hired 30 storytellers and host/curators and we had a total audience of close to 200 people.
- We made videos of four Storytellers events with close to 300 views.
Consider this recap of 2025!
Astoria
We launched in Astoria, Oregon on 7/17/25 at The Anita Building with , publisher Dinah Urell, multimedia writer Susan Banyas (host), forester .
Host Susan Banyas, a multimedia writer and former Portlander now living in Astoria, selected people she knew in the community, (featured L-R) farmers Bonnie & Scott Thompson, visual artist Lam Quang, Dinah Urell, publisher of Hipfish, a local arts magazine, with Susan Banyas next to forester Brad Catton.
Watch the video of this event attended by about 30 people including the mayor of Astoria.
Portland-North Portland Library
Mixed Race Storyteller Event at North Portland Library July 27th with actor/singer Michael Hammerstrom, nonprofit worker Margaret Lieder, Dmae Lo Roberts (host/producer), drag performer Quesa D’Mondays, actress Victoria Alvarez-Chacon and psychologist Eleanor Gil-Kashiwabara.
At the Mixed Race Storytellers event, Margaret Lieder, a nonprofit worker, announced that day would have been her mom’s 96th birthday and told a story about her surviving Hiroshima. “ My mom was home. She wasn’t in the city, but she was the oldest of the children at home. The family sent her into the town to find a relative. So she went into the city and she saw hell. Michael Hammerstrom talked about the code-switching he does daily, Quesa D’Mondays told a story of how she finally got to express her Latina identity through Drag performances, Victoria Alvarez-Chacon spoke of the limitations in theater to be both Black and Latina and Eleanor Gil-Kashiwabara mused about navigating race in an interracial family. See the video!
Queer Elders Storytellers Event at Q Center 8/9/25 with (left to right) choir director Tim Seelig, singer Reid Vandenburgh, poet Kathleen Saadat, visual artist Horatio Hung-Yan Law and author Sandra de Helen (host) were featured in a Portland Observer article.
Portland- Q Center
Host and author Sandra de Helen started the event with a story about the grit to keep writing, artist Horatio Law talked about discovering art during the AIDS pandemic, Reed Vanderburg, a singer who calls himself an honorary Lesbian described what it was like to be trans in his younger days, Tim Seelig spoke about aging and recently deciding to skydive and then led the audience in a chorus of “You Are My Sunshine” and poet Kathleen Saadat told a story about the courage it took to climb up a rock wall. Take a look at the video!
Portland – North Portland Library
Black Femme Storytellers Event on 8/30/25 featured (Left to Right) with consultant/actress Shani Harris-Bagwell, actress Shareen Jacobs (host), visual artist Sherita Trent, poet Kathleen Sadaat, Dmae Lo Roberts (producer), physician assistant Leslie Gregory.
Host Shareen Jacobs opened with a story about how breaking into her own car became a metaphor for her finding ways for success, consultant Shani Harris-Bagwell told of powerful moments of courage for her to stand up to people while riding buses, visual artist Sherita Trent talked about how her family’s home inspired her drive to create artwork. Physician Assistant Leslie Gregory recounted her work advocating the Oregon Health Authority to recognize racism as a health issue through her nonprofit Right to Health.
And finally Kathleen Sadaat told a version of her rock climbing story: ” They pushed me up the rock, they pulled me up the rock. It was the grace. Not what you say before dinner, but it was that feeling of having a group of people that cared about you, want you to succeed.” Full video below!
Eugene -The First Christian Church
At the Eugene Storytellers Event on 9/20/25, theater artist Eliza Roaring Springs (host above with storytellers Alan Brown) featured an intimate audience of 25 people listening to stories of unhoused people from the Helping Hearts program at the church and then the audience shared some of their own stories.
Natali spoke of the courage it took for her to escape her abusive husband and leave with her kids.Alan (photo above) talked about how he ground the grit to protect himself from bullies when he was a youth by learning boxing skills. Reshon recounted how he saved himself from drowning when he was young and the grace of navigating his biracial identity. And Leon spoke of surviving gun violence in his younger days. Host and curator Eliza created a circle with most of the audience that included the storytellers. Some more of us were on the outside of the circle and listened just as intently. It felt informal and really achieved our goal breaking the fourth wall between speaker and audience.
The Dalles – Dalles Civic Auditorium
On November 1, 2025 we closed our “Courage, Grace and Grit” season with a poignant storytelling event at where we were warmly welcomed by about 25 people in the community. Dalles storytellers included (Left-Right) arts director Emily Whitfield. artist Melissa Chavez, educator Gabriela Pacheco Rosales, Larry Toda (host), and educator/author Linda Tamura.
Larry Toda (host/curator) began the event by talking about his family connection to the Dalles and Hood River: ‘Dad, is there any truth that the Japanese killed Americans? And that we went to prison, like my friend said?’ Dad said, ‘son, it’s true. This really did happen.’ And for the first time, I heard through my father’s voice that my grandparents lost their farm in Hood River, and they were sent to a prison camp in Tule Lake, California.”
Emily Whitfield, Deputy Director of The Dalles Art Center, detailed her generational family history in The Dalles: “My mom and my grandmother, who are here in the audience today, their ancestors first settled in Walla Walla, Washington, where my four times great-grandmother followed her brother out West.”
Melissa Chavez, a self-taught painter and jewelry designer from a family of migrant workers, described how her cultural ties informed her art. ”Art for me kind of created this way for me to not only remember my family members, but also remember the generations and ancestors before.”
Gabriela Pacheco Rosales, an instructional assistant at Mid Valley Elementary school,said she was 10 when her family crossed the border. “I’ve raised my kids here. It’s my community. It is my town, but it doesn’t feel like it sometimes, and I still see people struggling with this, not feeling welcome, not feeling wanted here.”
Dr. Linda Tamura, professor emerita and author of two Issei books said she is a proud orchard kid from Hood River whose family survived WWII Incarceration camps. “My first grade teacher, read a new book to us. It was called Linda’s Indian Home. After that, my classmates thought I was Native American.”
In 2026 MediaRites is currently planning a second season of community storytelling and professional theatrical events starting with a Fertile Ground Festival show on April 26 and at the Portland Chinatown Museum in May and June, Be part of our effort to create events that bring people together to talk and listen. Watch the videos of some of our Storytellers events at MediaRites’ YouTube channel.
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