McKenna Dutton
The Sound & Stories “Death-Defying Acts” show is coming to Eau Claire! It’s an event for stories and music that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Storytellers Sheng Elizabeth Lor, Kaia Simon, Billy Felz, and Garrett Denney, plus musician Jerrika Mighelle, are stepping onto the stage to share their talents.
CVWG founder and director B.J. Hollars is excited about the latest installment of this popular series.
“The Sound and Stories series has been a hallmark of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild for the past five years,” Hollars said. “We selected the theme ‘Death-Defying Acts’ to showcase a few of the more harrowing stories from our region’s residence.” He’s particularly thrilled by the thematic collaboration between storytellers and musician Jerrika Mighelle. “It is such a pleasure to watch how the music weaves alongside the stories,” Hollars said.
Jerrika Mighelle is a musician from the Eau Claire area. She has two albums: Like the Sea and Brightest Star. Both albums were outlets for the singer. In 2016 Mighelle’s mother passed away and as a way to cope, Mighelle’s turned to music. The 2017 release of her album Brightest Star was an ode to her grief and loss from her mother’s death the year before. Volume One’s Eric Christenson wrote in his 2021 article about the emotional strength behind Mighelle’s second album, “…she found a way to channel that anger, that regret, that anguish into something real and tangible.” With her raw connection between emotion and music Jerrika Mighelle will be able to let the authenticity of the other “Death-Defying Act'' stories come through.
Another creative showing emotional strength on the stage is storyteller Sheng Elizabeth Lor.
Lor has a podcast called the Social X Change. It’s a platform where creatives and underrepresented voices in the community can speak out. Lor especially takes pride in representing her Hmong culture on her show. Lor’s other passions involve helping people of creative backgrounds find opportunities to display their craft. Lor explained how bringing the community of Eau Claire together through art can serve as a form of activism. This will be Lor’s first time stepping into the storytelling spotlight.
“I’m a consumer and a producer not a performer,” Lor said. “This is a moment for me to be vulnerable.”
Lor plans to share a story that captures the experience of people who face every day trauma. She hopes that sharing this will be a way for the audience to “...connect to the families and victims who face trauma in any form. To remind everyone that anyone struggling deserves to feel seen and loved,” Lor said.
Her story centers on mental health, and how though it may not seem like someone is struggling, there is often something going on behind the scenes unknown to others. It’s a story of empathy that she hopes the community can relate to.
“It's about being a warrior,” Lor said. “And the ability we have to normalize these stories.”
Sounds and Stories presents, “Death-Defying Acts” on February 21 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Riverside Room at the Pablo Center! Tickets for the show are $10 (fees included) and are available here. Please join us in welcoming Sheng Elizabeth Lor, Jerrika Mighelle, and the other artists take the stage!