BRAVERY IN A ROOM OF STRANGERS. Local creatives will push to elevate storytelling on a familiar topic — parenthood — during the "Our Parents: The Literary Concert Experience." This free-to-attend event will take place at 7pm on May 20 at 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery (216 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire).

Literary works and rhythmical melodies have become a common pairing for events in downtown Eau Claire. Much like a film’s soundtrack enhances its visual narrative, local authors and musicians push to elevate storytelling with carefully chosen musical themes and tones.

"Our Parents: The Literary Concert Experience," will take place at 7pm on May 20 at 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery (216 S. Barstow St.) in downtown Eau Claire. This free-to-attend event will fill the room with spoken word performances alongside live music — all framed to explore the funny and complex aspects of parenthood.

“The goal is to get writers to search a personal aspect of their lives and be brave enough to share that with a room full of strangers."

Ken Szymanski

eau claire writer-in-residence

Ken Szymanski, the organizer of "Our Parents: The Literary Concert Experience," said the multigenerational event will spotlight a diverse range of artistic styles and moods — a mission consistent with previous events following a similar structure.

“Stories about our moms and dads provide great material because of the built-in highs, lows, humor, sadness, conflict, complications, loss, and love,” Szymanski said. “Your relationship with your parents is unique to you. No two are alike. That makes stories about parents unique — but also relatable.”

Event poster for "Our Parents: The Literary Concert Experience." (Submitted image)

Spoken word pieces will be performed by Szymanski himself, as well as Sarah Jayne Johnson, Allyson Loomis, Jon Loomis, and Cullen Ryan. Live music will be performed throughout the event by Derick Black, Marjorie Craemer, Teresa Jolivette, Jerry Teclaw, Emily Kassera, and Jerrika Mighelle, complementing the written word.

Szymanski, the 2020-2025 Eau Claire Writer-In-Residence, has hosted various literary concert experiences across the city in locations central to Eau Claire’s arts and culture, he shared. The Love Never Stops Tour, another literary concert event recently hosted at 2 Roots, focused on the trials and tribulations of love with support from local authors and performing artists.

“The goal is to get writers to search a personal aspect of their lives and be brave enough to share that with a room full of strangers,” Szymanski said. “The parent theme can be deeply personal, which can hopefully make it captivating for the audience.”

Szymanski and other participating artists hope to offer attendees a respite from daily life, where music and storytelling create a contemplative experience — leaving guests feeling connected through shared experiences. He noted, “Hopefully, (guests) feel more connected to their community, and they’ll think about their own parents in a different light.”

A previous literary concert experience, hosted at 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery, with local authors and musicians pictured. (Submitted image)

For new updates on the "Our Parents: The Literary Concert Experience," visit the Facebook event page online.