StoryMuse 2018 Annual Report

P A R T N E R S H I P S
Our Stories, Our Journeys
artist residency at
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
2 0 1 9 @ D E V E R E U X
In 2019, I return for two more
six-week cycles of programming
at Devereux. January-February
will be with teenage boys in
treatment foster care. There will
be another round following to
be scheduled. I can't tell you
how pleased I am to be working
with this organization. The staff
there are thoughtful and
courageous.
You may remember Trigger Warning, the
first major, independent StoryMuse
production back in June 2017. Trigger
Warning featured eight storytellers
sharing everyday encounters with trauma
and violence. As a result of that project, I
connected with Dr. Yolanda Graham,
Executive Director of Mental Health
Services at Devereux Advanced
Behavioral Health's Kennesaw, Georgia
facility. Dr. Graham could see the
therapeutic value embedded in the
workshopping, rehearsal, and production
of a storytelling show. Thanks to an
internal grant from the Devereux
Foundation, we have worked in
partnership throughout 2018. The pilot
project with girls who have been
commercially sexually exploited, also
known as sex trafficking, occurred April-
May of this year. A second six-week cycle
with the same population came in
September-October 2018.
Note: Due to the necessarily private and
sensitive nature of the work, I'm afraid I
can't speak specifically about the girls and
their stories. Just know that it has been
very rewarding work. Here's one line
from a story I can share:
"They say you gotta play the hand you're
dealt. But my deck started with one king, one
queen, and 52 jokers."