A new storytelling event in Grand Rapids called Unfiltered aims to bring people together through the sharing of experiences in and around the city.
Similar to the format of The Moth, Unfiltered features folks in and around Grand Rapids sharing stories about first loves, scary job interviews, weird interactions in grocery stores, make-or-break moments of adversity, and more. Storytellers are invited to tell a 12-minute story around a common theme.
Raul Alvarez, lead organizer for the event, initially pitched this idea to a group of friends with whom he regularly met for drinks. They were all excited to help plan a storytelling event, he said.
“They went to work, and we had no clue what to expect,” Alvarez said. “It was kind of a prototype, but all of a sudden it sold out.”
One of the storyteller featured at that first event was a man who was incarcerated at just 19 years old. He openly discussed the horrors he saw in prison, and how he reformed his life after being released. Another storyteller shared her experience as a mother whose child is diagnosed with Downs Syndrome, and how she navigated the public school system.
“They were so powerful, and that's what we wanted,” Alvarez said. “We wanted people to dig deep. These are not casual conversations that we tend to have.”
Another important component of the event, Alvarez said, was the opportunity that attendees have to connect with one another.
“The other great thing about it is the din of the conversation taking place between storytellers, and at intermission,” Alvarez said. “That's what we wanted.”
While Alvarez said storytelling might be a bit scary at first, because it involves a certain level of vulnerability, the community hasn't backed down.
“Now, we have the second sellout, which tells us it is a movement,” Alvarez said. “We want to keep it going, because there's a lot of stories out there. We already have stories that have been submitted for a future [event].”
The next Unfiltered is May 2, 2025 at the Four Star Theater. The theme is “You Can’t Make This S*** Up!” Tickets are available here.
Hear the full conversation with Raul Alvarez on the Stateside podcast.
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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.
