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Storytellers Project to present 'Home' virtually

Cara Lopez Lee
Cara Lopez Lee

Cara Lopez Lee has two photos in her home: one of a Chinese man born in 1887, and another of a Mexican girl who gave birth to his illegitimate daughter.

The daughter was treated like an outsider, shunned by both sides of her family, and she grew into a bitter woman.

"I know this because she raised me," Lopez Lee says. "Whenever she hugged me, her arms never rested comfortably anywhere, as if even her arms never knew where they belonged."

The echoes of her grandmother's trauma pushed Lopez Lee to travel across the globe to a tiny village in China to seek peace, acceptance and an overdue sense of belonging for both herself and her grandmother.

On Sept. 2, Lopez Lee, 58, of Ventura, California, will share her journey to acceptance and healing across generations.

She is among five people from Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and California sharing personal stories about family and culture during the West and Sunbelt Storytellers Project’s virtual storytelling show. Newsrooms of the Reno Gazette Journal, Ventura County Star, Salem Statesman Journal, Arizona Republic and Arizona Daily Star are joining together to host the virtual event.

Watch at 4 p.m. PT and register in advance to receive a reminder at www.storytellersproject.com/all-events. The show can be viewed on the Storytellers Project’s Facebook page, YouTube channel or website.

The four other storytellers are:

  • Sally Jo Bannow of Phoenix, Arizona

  • Jim Fleming of Reno, Nevada

  • Bob Gersztyn of Salem, Oregon

  • Sharee Hurts of Phoenix, Arizona

"I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a story about my mixed-race heritage, which I believe is a reflection of the ever-changing face of America," Lopez Lee says.

Sally Jo Bannow's story begins with a question: If you had a scented candle to remind you of "home," what would it smell like?

Her unorthodox answer: skunk.

Growing up in Michigan, the smell of skunk reminds Bannow of youthful summers in the woods, and taking family road trips to visit relatives throughout the Great Lakes region. The acrid smell also reminds Bannow of her hometown of Mount Clemens, aka "Bath City, Michigan" — home to mineral baths that drew in the rich and famous to experience the water's healing properties.

For Jim Fleming, "home" means a childhood of living with a parent who could switch gears from juggling kittens one moment to sinking into the couch, unable to participate in household activities shorlty thereafter.

His dad's impulsive nature would reverberate throughout Fleming's youth, shaping his own adulthood.

Bob Gersztyn's tale of transferring his family from one home to another thousands of miles away begins with an overloaded trailer and a series of mishaps that seem more at home in a road trip comedy.

"We overloaded it by 5,000 lbs. and it weighed over 7,000 lbs," Gersztyn says. "I fried the transmission of my 1980 Dodge Diplomat station wagon before we got 40 miles out and had to replace it."

And things only go downhill from there.

Sharee Hurts tells a tale of growing up in her grandmother's home that was purchased with Sharee in mind. The house rules called for proper, sometimes rigid behavior, where a misplaced Good & Plenty could lead to excessive scrutiny — but where the walls were plastered with Polaroids of Sharee in a makeshift shrine.

Her grandmother fought to make it to see graduation day, and years later was able to provide one last gift to Sharee.

The Storytellers Project serves as a way for USA TODAY Network newsrooms to connect with their communities through their journalism as reporters and editors coach people in bringing their truths to virtual audiences.

The nights blend the authenticity of storytelling as an art form with the truthfulness, community-building and empowerment that great journalism is grounded in.

“Home” is the third show of the West and Sunbelt Storytellers Project's 2021 season. This year, the project will share people's stories in 43 national and regional shows.

Watch: Find yourself reflected in personal stories from fellow Americans

Learn more about the Storytellers Project and apply to tell a story at www.storytellersproject.com/tell/.

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This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Storytellers Project to present 'Home' virtually