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A Socially Engaged Storytelling, Belonging, and Building Bridges Project Project Overview From May to November 2025, I had the honor of serving as the inaugural recipient of the Marshalltown Arts & Culture Alliance’s Community Artist Grant for Gather ’Round the Table – Stories of Marshalltown. This socially engaged, creative placemaking residency invited residents across generations, neighborhoods, and cultures to come together through storytelling—around kitchen tables, on front porches, and in everyday community spaces. I had never been to Marshalltown before this project. A town that was recently featured in this New York Times Article. On paper, it is a town of around 27,000 people in central Iowa. In practice, it feels like an international community—shaped by migration, labor, faith, and a long history of arrival and change. More than 60 languages are spoken in its schools. Families from Mexico, Haiti, Burma, multiple African nations, and many other places live alongside those who have been here for generations. That diversity is lived daily in schools, workplaces, churches, temples, tiendas, cafés, and neighborhoods. Marshalltown is also a community still carrying the memory of the 2018 EF3 tornado, which devastated much of its historic downtown. In many conversations, people spoke of that moment as one of deep loss—but also as a time when the town came together in remarkable ways. That spirit of resilience, care, and mutual support shaped the heart of this work. My role in this project was never to tell Marshalltown’s story. It was to help create the conditions where stories could be shared, honored, and connected. I approached the residency as a cultural narrative storyteller, folklorist, and peacebuilder—but first and foremost, as a listener. I believe communities already hold the wisdom they need. Often, what’s missing is simply the space to recognize it. The project unfolded in two phases. My first visit, in late summer, was dedicated entirely to listening and relationship-building. I spent time in schools, libraries, the Iowa Veterans Home, the YMCA–YWCA, local cafés, Main Street businesses, and neighborhood spaces. I asked people not how they wanted to participate, but how they wanted to help shape the work. That question mattered. It shifted the project from something done for the community to something created with it. From those conversations, a shared longing emerged: the desire to be a community of welcome. People spoke about uplifting youth voices, honoring elders, supporting migrants, healing from collective trauma, and finding more ways to connect across difference. These priorities came from people’s lives. In November, the residency came to life through a two-week series of free, public storytelling gatherings, created in partnership with local organizations and community leaders. More than 800 people participated across events, school programs, and informal conversations. There were potlucks and walks at sunset, story circles and workshops, classroom visits and a culminating Humans of Marshalltown live storytelling evening featuring local community storytellers. Like peacebuilding, the impact of storytelling is often quiet. It doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it looks like a young person realizing their story matters. Sometimes it’s a neighbor listening differently. Sometimes it’s a small shift in how people see one another. These moments are easy to miss, but they are where trust begins and where hope takes root. The residency was intentionally framed as a storytelling incubation—with a clear beginning and end—while leaving space for what might continue. Many partners and participants expressed interest in carrying these practices forward through future gatherings, story circles, and intergenerational conversations. That felt important. The goal was never a finished product, but a living process. Gather ’Round the Table – Stories of Marshalltown explored how building bridges can happen in humble places, through everyday encounters. It reaffirmed my belief that small towns are keepers of culture—and that when people are invited to gather, listen, and imagine together, storytelling becomes a powerful form of civic care. Building Bridges: Project Framing The Arts & Culture Alliance identified Building Bridges as the guiding theme for the Community Artist Grant, one of five priorities outlined in Marshalltown’s Arts & Culture Master Plan. The Alliance articulated this theme as:
This framework aligned deeply with my own work as a cultural narrative storyteller, public folklorist, peacebuilder, and socially engaged artist. Drawing from my research on the aesthetics of home and years of practice using storytelling to foster dialogue and understanding, I approached the residency as a relational process rooted in care, listening, and co-creation. I believe community members are already storytellers. They carry traditions, personal histories, and cultural practices that often need only to be seen, heard, and validated through public recognition. ACA’s vision offered a clear entry point to explore storytelling as heritage, creative expression, and community vitality. Listening First: Relationship-Building & Co-Creation After being selected, I was given time to conduct deeper research and begin relationship-building. While there was an initial list of partners, ACA and I also discussed emerging opportunities and groups who were not always included in mainstream participation. My first visit to Marshalltown took place July 27–August 4, 2025, and was intentionally designed for listening. I spent time in schools, the Iowa Veterans Home, the YMCA–YWCA, the public library, local parks and trails, Main Street businesses, cafés, neighborhoods, and artist studios. I met people working in local industries, government, arts, education, and civic spaces. I wanted to understand not only what Marshalltown celebrates, but also what it continues to grapple with. In conversation after conversation, a clear theme emerged: a shared desire to be a community of welcome. People spoke about uplifting youth voices, honoring elders, supporting migrants, bridging neighborhoods, healing from disaster, and creating spaces to gather and celebrate cultural traditions. Rather than asking, How will you participate in this project? I asked, How do you see yourself as a co-creator? What would you like this to become? That question shaped everything that followed. ACA and I also hosted a civic presentation and listening dialogue with around thirty community leaders. Together we reflected on questions such as: What makes Marshalltown feel like home? Whose voices need to be heard? What stories should be told? The response confirmed strong interest, leadership buy-in, and openness to new ways of thinking about storytelling as a tool for community design and connection. Program Design & Residency Structure Following my return to Tennessee, planning continued through Zoom, email, phone calls, and follow-up conversations. With community input, I designed a two-week in-person residency (November 10–21) that could engage students, families, elders, newcomers, and long-time residents across multiple spaces. The residency was framed as a storytelling incubation—with a clear beginning, middle, and end—while holding the possibility that it could seed future gatherings, story circles, and intergenerational dialogue. All events were free and accessible, scheduled outside of work hours, and designed to invite participation in ways that felt welcoming rather than intimidating. Storytelling Methods: Kitchen Tables & Front Porches At the heart of the residency were two guiding practices: kitchen-table storytelling and front-porch conversations. The kitchen table is where neighbors can dream, grieve, celebrate, and pass on intergenerational wisdom. Kitchen-table storytelling is slow and grounded. It allows people to speak in their own cadence, without performance or pressure. These are familiar, humble spaces—places where people speak in their own cadence, without pressure. Storytelling, for me, is an everyday human art. It belongs to all of us. It shows up in how someone cooks a meal, remembers a first day at work, or describes what “home” means to them. Front porches are liminal spaces, neither fully private nor fully public. They are places of informal encounter, where neighbors check in and conversations can unfold naturally. They remind us that civic life doesn’t only happen in institutions; it happens in thresholds such as these. During these imagined front-porch conversations, I shared stories from my own life, as an immigrant, the child of refugees, and someone who has made a home in many places. I offered my story as an invitation, not a spotlight, so others could recognize their own lived wisdom and creative power. Public Events & Participation Over two weeks, the residency included six major public events, along with extensive youth and educational engagement. More than 800 people participated overall. Core Public Events:
Youth, Education & Media Engagement Additional engagements included:
Outcomes & ReflectionWhat emerged was ownership of one’s own stories. People began to see themselves as culture-makers. Educators and partners spoke about continuing storytelling practices through their own programs. This residency was about meeting people where they are, creating intentional spaces for reflection, and strengthening what already existed. It invited residents to look back, engage the present, and imagine forward—together. I believe small towns are keepers of culture. They hold deep wisdom in everyday rituals: potlucks, walks, church suppers, café conversations, and local radio shows. These are cultural assets—living expressions of American values—that deserve recognition and care. Marshalltown is now part of my story. It is a place I will continue to point to in future work as an example of what becomes possible when neighbors choose to gather, listen, and imagine forward together. These stories are worth listening to. They are worth lifting up. And they give me faith in what we can build—together. Quotes from participants and partners. “Working with Kiran was truly a joy. He is not only a gifted storyteller, but also someone who creates space for others to share their own stories in meaningful ways—helping people connect, understand one another, and build community. He approached our event with professionalism and care, managing every detail thoughtfully and communicating clearly from start to finish.” - Kim Jass-Ramirez, CEO, Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA. "Kiran was a catalyst in our community, gracefully helping us to tap into potential that was there all along. He was very patient with meeting people where they were at. I think of a student who considered being a part of a more public storytelling event, but who wasn't quite ready for that step---yet I know that this is the planting of a seed that will continue to germinate and bear fruit long after this moment. Kiran's visit was such a beautiful experience for so many community members." -Joa LaVille, youth services librarian & community organizer with Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown “Kiran’s stories and hope for a sustainable and kind world are relevant to our lives and a perfect antidote for the culture of fear, ignorance and violence,” - Catherine Noble, Iowa Veterans Home. Around 60 students wrote postcards of appreciation.“Thank you so much for speaking, your life story was truly inspiring and has given me a new perspective on challenges and growth. your passion and honesty made a lasting impression. I’m grateful for the opportunity.” -Levi, 10th grader.“We had a pleasure having you in our community and listening to your stories, background. Thanks for changing our perspective in storytelling. I will remember November 19, forever”- Alicia, 10th grader.“Your story is a reminder to be more open-minded. In the sense that people have a story, meaning they have also faced hardships and beautiful moments.” Mariah- 10th grader.“We appreciate you taking time to talk to us, to have a better understanding of who “we” are and that being different from mainstream society is okay and fun”- 10th grader.“You made us feel like we all matter and made us feel important in our own way” -10th grader. Press and local articles: A docuseries developed as part of this project will be coming out in 2026. |
