DeKalb County History Center to host storytelling sessions Thursday

DeKALB – The DeKalb County History Center will host two community storytelling programs Friday.

The programs, “Our Words, Our Truths: Storytelling for Collective Identity and Community Engagement” and “Dare to Connect,” will be presented by storyteller, artist and creator Ada Cheng, according to a news release.

The programs will be held at 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday at the DeKalb County History Center, 1730 N. Main St., Sycamore, and in the Nehring House at the Ellwood House Museum, 420 Linden Place, DeKalb.

Admission is free.

Cheng will map out her journey as an Asian American and immigrant storyteller and delineate how her personal stories reflect current social issues in the first program. She also will share her experiences as a storyteller, explain the meaning of community-based storytelling, and its use in building community engagement.

The second program is a hands-on young adults workshop. During the first half, Cheng will discuss the central tenets of art form and tips on crafting stories and performing. The second half will feature a practice session for participants to apply what they learned and practice sharing with the group. Registration is required to attend the second session. To register, visit dekalbcountyhistory.org.

Cheng is a visiting associate professor with Asian American Studies at Northwestern University and an adjunct faculty at Dominican University.

The event is part of the Arts in Action project, a partnership through the DeKalb County History Center and Ellwood House Museum. The project is funded by Illinois Humanities and the DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board.

For information, visit dekalbcountyhistory.org.