Storytellers Project launches 2021 season

Fascinating authors. Insightful entrepreneurs. Inspiring artists, musicians and performers. 

And everyday Americans. 

All these people will talk about the moments that changed their lives forever. They will tell stories that sound too funny, too wild, too surprising to be true. 

And you’re invited to join them. As a listener, or as a storyteller. 

Registration is now open for USA TODAY Storytellers Project 2021 season, bringing America more than 43 nights of true, first-person stories on themes including growing up, outdoor adventures and race and identity. 

Organizers are also seeking story pitches at https://www.storytellersproject.com/tell/. 

Shows will air online at events.storytellersproject.com, as well on Storytellers Project’s YouTube channel https://bit.ly/StorytellersProjectYT and Storytellers Project’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USATODAYStorytellersProject/. 

New for 2021, Storytellers Project will feature more famous voices, notable celebrities and timely voices. As always, the project is dedicated to creating empathy and understanding across America. 

Also new, Storytellers Project will debut a series focused on the ways race and ethnicity weave through American identities titled, “The I Am series”. Five nights, each featuring storytellers who self-identify as a specific race or ethnicity — Black, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian - are designed to help Americans understand each other more deeply. 

In 2020, roughly half of the storytellers were people of color, so these new shows underscore an existing commitment to inclusivity and representation while highlighting certain kinds of stories. 

Also, the season will feature a mix of shows curated regionally by USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the country, and some curated by the Storytellers Project’s national leadership team. The Storytellers Project, which blends journalism and oral storytelling, made the switch from in-person shows at venues to streaming virtually last spring as the gravity of the pandemic emerged.

Most shows will be from 4-5 p.m. PT and 7-8 p.m. ET on Tuesdays.  

WATCH: Episodes from the Storytellers Project

This is a look at the schedule

Starting in March, almost two dozen online shows will be curated and hosted by journalists from USA TODAY Network newsrooms and will reflect the people and their stories from each geographical area. Each region will tackle the theme in a way relevant to the people in those areas. 

• “Growing Up” is the regional theme for shows streaming March 4-April 8; 
• “My Family, My Culture” June 3-July 8; 
• “Home” Sept. 2-Oct. 7; and 
• “Traditions” Nov. 2-Dec. 16. 

Fifteen shows with a national scope, many featuring authors, artists and notable leaders, will run through Dec. 14.

The “I Am” series about race and identity debuts on March 2 with “I am Black,” followed by “I am Indigenous” March 30, “I am Hispanic” May 25, “I am Asian” Aug. 31 and “I am Middle Eastern” Oct. 5.

For those watching live on the Storytellers Project’s website, there are three ways to offer financial support, from $3 Conscientious Supporter tickets for each show to an annual membership of $35 or $100 that includes membership perks, merchandise and access to members-only conversations with the national Storytellers Project team and leaders in the storytelling community. General admission is free. To attend these nights, get your tickets at https://www.storytellersproject.com/all-events/ and watch at https://events.storytellersproject.com/.

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.

Anyone interested in telling a story should visit https://www.storytellersproject.com/tell/ and fill out an application and story pitch form. Choose either one of the 25 cities making up the Storytellers Project’s geographic regions or select “virtual” for an opportunity to work with the national team if your hometown is not listed. 

For more information about the Storytellers Project, visit https://www.storytellersproject.com/.