By Erin Wood
The Yarn—a Little Rock-based nonprofit that uses the power of storytelling to amplify voices, build understanding, and create space for human connection—is releasing its first book on October 12. Truths We Tell: Stories From The Yarn Stage is curated from the show’s first four years of productions under the direction of co-founder and producer Hilary Trudell.
Trudell shares, “I couldn’t be more excited to present this anthology to the world. The publishing of this anthology has given us an opportunity to amplify the unique narratives of storytellers who have taken The Yarn stage to share their truths. While the stories selected are diverse in tone and content, similarities pulse through this book’s DNA, reminding us of our connection to each other and driving home the idea that we are not alone.”
Representing The Yarn’s first twenty live and virtual shows, the book’s thirty-seven storytellers share powerful truths on diverse themes including family, racism, coming out, sexual assault, mental health, failure, resilience, death, and love.
Among dozens of Arkansans’ stories 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.
Copies of this 8.5 x 9 color book are available for $25.95 with $1 shipping at www.etaliapress.com (take 10% off with code SPRINGMAG) and can also be purchased through local and national booksellers.
Hot Springs native, Erin Wood is a writer, editor, and publisher in Little Rock. She owns and runs Et Alia Press (www.etaliapress.com). Wood is author of Women Make Arkansas: Conversations With 50 Creatives (April 2019) and editor of and a contributor to Scars: An Anthology (2015).
