The Story Collider

Join us on the Public Media Commons at St. Louis Public Radio in Grand Center for four true, personal stories about the changes that transform our lives!

Produced by Sam Lyons and Charlie Blake, with Eli Chen. This show is held in collaboration with St. Louis Public Radio.

Please note: This is an outdoor venue that will have seating available, but you can also feel free to bring your own for comfort! Indoor restrooms are available, masks required. There will also be a bar with soft drinks, local craft been and cocktails available for purchase!

Stories By

• Leah Clyburn has been organizing in Missouri for almost 10 years. Starting in Reproductive Justice through a faithful lens, to School to Prison Pipeline and Statewide Policy initiatives, to now Environmental Justice/ Climate Change. She believes that a call out is an invitation to be called into authentic and transformational relationships in order to obtain Environmental Justice for All.
• January Kiefer is an artist, teacher, storyteller, writer, and ritual designer, who loves immersing herself in the creative process and inspiring others to do the same. The daughter of German and Jamaican immigrants, she grew up in Vienna, Austria and has since lived in the US on the East Coast, in the Southwest, and Midwest, traveling extensively all the while. She feels most alive outdoors, whether beach-combing, hiking, walking with my dog, or simply sitting in her garden.
• Dr. Charlie Blake is an interdisciplinary scientist currently teaching at Webster University and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Their research has focused on a variety of topics from the behavioral ecology of fish, to environmental justice and community-based research through citizen science. They are also an artist, a singer and banjolele player, and founder of a nonprofit working on transgender housing instability.
• Jia Lian (she/they) is a storyteller, cultural worker, and facilitator. She’s the Director of Storytelling & Communications for Forward Through Ferguson and previously co-hosted and produced Who Raised You? and We Live Here podcasts. They’re a second-generation Taiwanese American who is passionate about community, justice, nature, local food, art and honest conversation.

Specialty cocktails, local craft beer and more cold beverages will be available for sale at the event by STL Barkeep!