By Lavenia Chappel
Nashville,TN—Alana Raybon, school teacher and co-author of the book Undivided, raves about the Nashville Storytellers Project sponsored by The Tennessean. The Tennessean represents one of the hundreds of newsrooms within the USA Today Network that has a goal to help communities connect. Selected by Tennessean storytelling columnist, Jessica Bliss, Raybon will be one of four people taking the stage to share their personal narrative and explore the idea of self-definition in the upcoming presentation titled BLENDED. “Nashville is such an amazing place to live in and this is a way to showcase the diversity among us while also forming a way to connect,” Raybon stated during an interview Friday evening.
Raybon will discuss her conversion to Islam and how she navigated through two religious faiths throughout her life. She said, “It’s important to hear from the source, in order to sympathize and understand who someone is as a person.” The overall project will take a look at the lives of Tiana Clark, Jared Mollenkof, Marcia Masulla and Raybon; how they navigated through life under various circumstances pertaining to bi-racial, multi- cultural and interfaith issues. “None of us are storytellers, just ordinary people sharing our story and it’s really a humble experience to be apart of,” said Raybon.
The event will be held from 7 P.M-8 at the Nashville Opera on February 27th. Tickets available are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis but can be purchased now online for $20 or at the door by credit and debt card only. A portion of the proceeds will be going to the Global Education Center in Nashville. Each ticket includes two drink tickets (beer, wine and soda) plus appetizers. It will be a casual evening where the audience can eat, drink and relax while getting to “know thy neighbor”, Raybon shared.
Parking will be valet and it is highly recommended to arrive early to claim a good seat. For more information visit storytellersproject.com/nashville or questions can be directed to Tennessean columnist, Jessica Bliss at jbliss@tennessean.com.