Why is America great? On Wednesday, find out for yourself
day, the USA TODAY Network harnesses the power of story for better understanding of America and Americans. Our strength, tenacity and persevering spirit are what makes us American — each with a story to tell and lessons to teach.
As part of an initiative celebrating our country’s diversity through stories, we are hosting the “I Am an American” storytelling event at 7 p.m. Wednesdayat the Phoenix Theatre. Storytellers from a variety of lived experiences will grant us a sneak peek into their lives.
Some of the stories are funny, while others are intense. All of them celebrate the formidable idea that America is great because Americans — shaped by different backgrounds and life journeys — are great.
You’ll hear stories like Ryan Kitchell’s. After serving a tour as a Navy photographer documenting combat in Iraq, East Timor and Pakistan, he returned home different. Kitchell, 37, of Tempe, suddenly needed a sleep aid: a fifth of whiskey. Every night. He will take us on the journey from how he realized he had a problem to the arduous task of navigating the Veterans Administration as he pursued help and healing.
We’ll also meet Nate Romero, 38, of Phoenix. At 19, Nate accepted an invitation from an affluent young man he met at an LGBT youth group to fly to San Diego for vacation, where he met a drugdealing HIV advocate and other men who changed the way he saw himself and his community.
There’s also Calvin Worthen, 38, of Chandler, who tells a funny story about family, poverty and creativity during gift-giving seasons.
Rachel Egboro, 30, of Phoenix, will talk about Take Your Daughter to Work Day. We will stroll the cubicles of the forEvery mer Bank One Corp. with Egboro as a young girl listening in disbelief to her dad’s co-workers talk about all his great jokes — ones she can’t imagine her straight-laced father telling.
Laura Gomez-Rodriguez, 25, of Phoenix, is a reporter for The Arizona Republic who will tell a story about her name. For Gomez-Rodriguez, an immigrant from Colombia, the question isn’t “What’s in a name?” Rather, it’s how to pronounce it.
In Phoenix, the intimate night of stories will be hosted by me, producing the show on behalf of the Storytellers Project, and Megan Finnerty, founder and director of the Storytellers Project. The project is a national series of newsroomproduced storytelling nights featuring community members.
7 p.m. Wednesday. Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix. $10. tickets.usatoday.com, 602-444-8605.
Alexus Rhone is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Fuller Theological Seminary; she ministers at City Square Church in Phoenix and produces live events with the Storytellers Project. Email her at arhone@gannett.com. More at USATODAYStorytellersProject on Facebook and @TheStorytellersProject on Instagram.