Episode 108: We here at The Narrators talk a lot about the role of empathy in the show's success. The Narrators is, at its core, a community building enterprise, and one that is built on the premise of people wanting to connect to each other. The simple act of sharing stories allows that. It builds empathy and it erases the cultural practice of abstracting people.

Make no mistake—we do live in a culture that abstracts people into binaries that behave predictably according to that which we ascribe to them. Our culture works hard to strip people of their basic humanity because fuck, man, holding a nuanced view of people is really hard.

At our most aspirational, this show works to illuminate the humanity in all of us, and so that is what we will continue to do. We plan on doubling down in the coming months, planning events with and sending our support to other organizations who work tirelessly to assert and elevate the humanity and dignity of people who are far too often kept at the margins by the ruling classes. And in this work we hope to affirm and re-affirm that, although we are fully committed to finding common ground for all of us, we are also fully committed to confronting racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, white supremacy, and ableism. In other words, there will be no high fives for bullshit.

Now for this week's episode: After a miserable yet hilarious cross-country car trip, Brooke Pillifant was propelled out of the world of teaching mathematics into the world of storytelling. She has performed with Speakeasy DC, Mortified, RISK!, Austin Writer Roulette, Dallas’ Oral Fixation, and at several backyard story nights. Currently, Brooke has founded a nonprofit, Down South Word of Mouth, dedicated to merging her love of social justice with storytelling to provide a voice for those who often go unheard in our communities. And when she isn’t on stage, she occupies her time with four kids, shooting pool, roadside adventures, and welding.

Brooke's story was recorded live at Tiger!Tiger! Tavern on 11 October 2016; the theme of the show was "Tricks!"

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108: Brooke Pillifant, “Newton”