Storytelling: Recording Our History in Action w/ Dr. Ada Cheng

For the season 1 finale of the podcast, Dr. Ada Cheng joins me as a guest on the podcast.  I met Ada back in June 2016 at a queer storytelling show, a week after the Pulse Night Club shooting in Orlando.  At the time, she had resigned from her position as a tenured professor at DePaul University to pursue theatre and storytelling, and became a naturalized US citizen.  In this interview, she reflects back during that period, and goes into the creative and critical challenges that she experienced as a storyteller / storytelling producer.  She discusses the importance of developing new storytellers, specifically in the POC communities, and why telling our own stories do indeed matter to our history.  Check this episode out, and please follow her on Facebook or her website for upcoming events and workshops that she conducts. 

Bio:

Ada Cheng is a professor-turned-storyteller, solo performer, and storytelling show producer. She recently performed her solo show NOT QUITE as the keynote for Women and Girls in Georgia Conference at the University of Georgia. She is the producer and the host for four storytelling shows, including Pour One Out, Am I Man Enough?, Talk Stories (with Randy Kim), and Speaking Truths Series. She creates platforms for people to tell difficult and vulnerable stories as well as spaces for people and communities who may not have opportunities otherwise. Please check out her website: www.renegadeadacheng.com. or on Facebook at Renegade Ada Cheng. 

Audio Editing Credit: Chanho Kim (www.chanho.kim)