Truths We Tell: Stories From The Yarn Stage

Share Your Truth

Representing The Yarn’s first twenty live and virtual shows, the thirty-seven storytellers in this anthology share powerful truths on diverse themes including family, racism, coming out, sexual assault, mental health, failure, resilience, death, and love. Among dozens of lived experiences of real Arkansans originally shared on stage, you’ll meet a psychiatry resident whose own institutional stay has led to advocacy throughout his career, a former marine whose divorce was followed by shared custody of two hairless cats, an entrepreneur who built a greeting card empire from the desire to see herself represented, and a woman whose homelessness taught her how to look up.

Curated from the show’s first four years of productions under the direction of co- founder and producer Hilary Trudell, this anthology expands The Yarn’s mission to amplify voices, build understanding, and create space for human connection.

Storytellers: Molly Reed, Meosha Yosh Howard, Spencer Lucker, Justin Sarlo, Anna Kimmell, Lorenzo Lewis, Rick Owen, David Fischman, Rhonna-Rose Akama-Makia, Kevin Hunt Sr., Marck Beggs, Jennifer Cobb, LaTasha Moore, Rick Chandler, Sara Brown, Crystal C. Mercer, Robyn Rektor, Guy Choate, Andy Vaught, Ryan D. Davis, Emily Wernsdorfer Hooker, Jason Woods, Ryan McGeeney, Lynne Fay, Glendaliz Torres, Bailey Gambill, Patricia Ashanti, Chauncey Holloman Pettis, Mackenzi Davis, Rah Howard, Justin Booth, Eliza Borne, Rev. Dr. Denise Donnell, Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Andrea Toomer, Nicole Hellthaler, Karen Hayes, and Mark Hotchkiss.