Talk, a student project at the University, is asking students to share their life stories and insights into their characters. To kick off the project, Talk is hosting TalkFest on Saturday, which aims to celebrate the unique stories individuals have that create a community.
The project, which has been in the making since spring 2008, launched with the help of a $10,000 grant from the Provost’s Office, which went toward equipment, promotional T-shirts and TalkFest. The project’s mission, according to its Web site, is “to ensure that our stories are heard, remembered, treasured, and that no one is a stranger.”
“We’re not really building a new community,” Talk project director Rachel Hom said.
“Rather, we’re building around the existing campus community. We wanted to see how everyone connected together and to show this.”
When Talk first started doing interviews, members just interviewed people they already knew. But as the project grew, they started walking up and down East 13th Avenue selecting people at random.
Talk interviewees are asked to talk about one topic, which could be travel, faith, habits, names, a favorite word or a celebration. Talk will either assign a topic to the interviewee or allow him or her to choose a topic.
After speaking to the topic, all interviewees are asked to reveal something they love, something they have lost and something that they fear.
“No matter what the answer is, we’ve all loved something, lost something, been afraid of something,” Talk public outreach coordinator Nicole Perkins said. “It shows our connections, and it’s nice to know that professors are afraid of rejection, too.”
The Talk project already has 46 interviews with various students, professors, faculty and University community members, including Frog Miller and Doug, also known as “the Jesus Guy.” Talk is not only recording the stories of students, but making an impact in the lives of those involved with the project.
“Since I do the majority of the interviews, I feel uniquely acquainted with the people whom we’ve interviewed,” said Isaac Viel, Talk director of technology and video. “When I am editing, I realize just how special it is that these people are willing to open up to complete strangers, and that’s special to me.”
TalkFest, a kickoff celebration, will take place Saturday at the HEDCO Education Building.
“We’re trying to promote Talk through interactivity,” Hom said, adding that the inflatable 7-foot-tall elephant that has been seen around campus belongs to the Talk campaign.
The elephant, which the Talk team has dubbed “Tyler the Talk Elephant,” is a play on the expression “the elephant in the room.”
“It’s completely symbolic of what we want to do: He’s fun, not ominous; he’s outside, not inside the room,” Hom said.
Hom, who is also the festival coordinator, scheduled TalkFest to resemble a music festival.
“There is a lot going on, but people choose what they want to do and do it,” Hom said. “It’s the best way to socialize.”
Perkins added that although TalkFest had many opportunities for visitors to interact with each other, such as through interviews and improvisation exercises, there were also more “passive” opportunities for people who, like Perkins, describe themselves as shy.
“It’s a whole day dedicated to understanding how we talk and how we share stories,” Viel said.
There will be a main stage with speakers including Frog Miller, who will judge a joke contest, improv workshops, music, people telling stories through sign language, photos, and of course, interviews for Talk.
However, the project will not stop after TalkFest. Perkins said project members of Talk are looking forward to seeing the project gain momentum.
“We are finding the great things and tragic things about the people who we see every day,” Viel said. “Every one of us has a great story to tell, and we want to know what that
story is.”
Hom, who has been with the project since its inception, is also hopeful about students
contributing to the project.
“This project is for students to let them know that they’re in an environment where no one needs to be a stranger,” Hom said.
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