SB Speaks: Live Storytelling

Do you hear that murmur rising into a chorus? A wind sweeps from beyond the edges of the shoreline to our windows and doors -its currents have traveled through the branches and borders of generations; passed down from voice to voice, it unclenches like a cocoon bursting into wings within you as you now breathe it in. You must hear it because - SB Speaks!

SB storytellers! Join the Santa Barbara Public Library in celebrating stories that center queerness, liberation, family, immigration, and belonging.

Share in the mosaic reverberation of vocal chords ringing out in major and minor keys -underheard instruments, dancing with the autumn night into the shape of your stories.

We want to hear the travelogue of your heart: stories of queer joy, of found family, of the layers of home you’ve come from and find yourself in, of the people that you’ve built stars with amid the tundra of night.

Submit your stories and be featured alongside fellow members of your community!

Some questions to ignite your stories:

What does queer joy mean to you?
What does home mean to you?
What does community and belonging mean to you?
What does liberation mean to you?
How has migration impacted your life?

Please complete the form below by Friday, October 24th. We will contact you the week of November 3rd to confirm if you’ve been selected to perform your story.

Santa Barbara Public Library’s mission is to create and maintain an inclusive and accessible environment for the public. Material to be exhibited must be appropriate for a diverse audience, including children, and cannot contain content that is illegal in nature. We will not tolerate art or performances that promote hateful material that could be interpreted as racist, sexist, ableist, xenophobic, misogynist, homophobic or transphobic.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Clarisse Selig at cselig@santabarbaraca.gov or Aleksandar Sobevski at asobevski@santabarbaraca.gov
1.Name/nombre(Required.)
2.Email Address/correo electrónico(Required.)
3.Phone Number/número de teléfono(Required.)
4.Are you available to share your story on Friday, November 14th, 2025 and to arrive at 5:45pm for a sound check?(Required.)
5.How would you like to be introduced? Write a short description of yourself. Feel free to include: age, achievements, etc. Your introduction may be edited for length.(Required.)
6.Please provide a description of the story you would like to share.(Required.)
7.We ask that all stories keep to a maximum of 5 minutes in order to allow all storytellers the time to properly share. Does your story fall within those time parameters?(Required.)