“THE THING YOU ARE MOST AFRAID TO WRITE, WRITE THAT.”
These words, a magical writing prompt from Nayirah Waheed, are what we invite you to consider when you come here, to this safe space. It is likely the only time we will encourage you to wallow in Fear, for retrieving your should-share story often requires digging through carcasses of previous versions of you, and the reemergence of different strains of discomfort can truly be quite daunting.
But please know that it was not all meant to be lived, then buried, sister.
The sharing of stories is what our children and elderly, alike, delight in. And for good reason. It strengthens the bond between generations, within communities, giving the storyteller an opportunity to pass along wisdom and life lessons in a manner that is most unique to humans.
It is the most democratic form of wealth. Inheritance you can cash in on without limits.
It is also, in many cases, part of the healing process. Catharsis. Making room for new growth by letting go of attachment to past narratives.
The coils of human experience are given a certain immortality when archived—stretched and restrung on the graceful curve of an instrument meant to be played; meant to be heard. This instrument, when strummed by another, corroborates the existence of a song that has only ever lived in the hollow of your chest.
So now that we are no longer very young, and before we are too old, from wherever on the globe our stories have planted us, let us share what narratives have led us here. Some may be stories of hope, others of pain, they may be stories of our own, or ones about people we know.
This platform seeks to become an archive for your monologues—and we believe that when those monologues find a listener, they become a conversation. This conversation is the bedrock of what eventually triggers actual positive social change.
We have so much to learn from one another. And while some stories on She Talks Asia may very well be about being Asian, or female, many will not be. All of them, we consider treasure, and hope to safe keep in our Story Bank for generations to come.
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