Stories that Stir - SYDNEY - IDENTITY

Monthly 'Stories that Stir' event, designed to break down barriers, stir conversation, and inspire positive change. Come and listen to six storytellers, who will each share their 10-minute raw and personal story on the topic of IDENTITY, in all its shapes and forms.

Please join us for a night of extraordinary stories that will make you laugh, cry, and view the world in a different light. 

xx Monica

PHOENIX AND THE ASHES – Erkmen Savaskan

Erkmen spent half his life fighting to be a non-conforming queer individual, architect, intellectual, and fashionista, who didn’t compromise on living his genuine identity. Just as it was all blending beautifully together, the slow-cooking regime change in Turkey forced him to rebuild every facet of his life as an asylum seeker. Now, on a different continent where nobody knew him, the achievements of his previous life lost their meaning. He is determined to write another genuine story and share it with the world.

SUPER WOMAN – Diana Olsberg

Associate Professor Diana Olsberg led the way for professional women. In 1967 she became the first female senior consultant at the largest PR firm in the country.  Having developed a strong passion for progressing women’s equality in the workplace, Diana devoted her time to fighting for women’s power and IDENTITY through economic empowerment. She was pivotal in campaigning for women to receive equal superannuation entitlements to their male counterparts. This is her story.

LESBIHONEST – Sarah Rowan

Sarah grew up in the Buckle of the Bible Belt aka Greenville, South Carolina. Falling in love with the same gender was taboo, the shame led to 20 years of conversion therapy, in both the US and Australia. In 2018, she left everything she had ever known to embrace herself and not some cult-created version of Sarah. It was raw and messy…finding her identity within, the journey continues.

BEING JEWISH – Orly Faya Snir

When it comes to the question of Identity, no matter how periphery Orly’s Judaism has seemed alongside her spirituality, artistry, and her passion for diversity and creative activism, being Jewish has become front-centre to her experience of being human in today's world. To be Jewish is an ancient-come-modern controversy. A historical tale of survival. From a perspective of identity, most of us have veered far from religious belief into the realms of community, pride, and preservation. This is a snippet of her story.

ARE YOU MY MOTHER? – Deirdre Brooker

Spending the first 11 days of Deirdre’s life completely alone in the hospital nursery, created a gaping hole in her life that needed to be filled and posed many questions that demanded answers. This led to some messy moments whilst building resilience and a strong sense of independence. It’s taken many years to address the formative narratives and lasting imprint of abandonment and to know who she truly is.

FINDING ME – Joram van der Starre

Loneliness is a feeling that Joram has experienced his whole life, despite being surrounded by friends and family. He followed his intuition by creating an abstract self-portrait that ended up revealing the story of his life, including the story of his twin sister who was lost early on in utero.

Please arrive by 7pm to enjoy a drink and mingling. Seating at 7.20pm with the storytelling commencing at 7.30pm sharp.

* There is no food at the event, however, if you'd like to have dinner beforehand, the bistro downstairs serves delicious meals.

* Trigger warning: Story content may include sensitive topics such as trauma, suicide, death etc.

*18+ event