The Des Moines Storytellers Project is back in 2023 at Hoyt Sherman Place
The Des Moines Register will again work to build community and empathy through a series of events featuring true, first-person stories told by Iowans when the Des Moines Storytellers Project returns in 2023.
The Des Moines Storytellers Project will host six shows that will help us feel connected as a community.
2023 upcoming Des Moines Storytellers Project shows
The shows, to be held at 7 p.m. at the beautiful, historic Hoyt Sherman Place, are:
Order Des Moines Storytellers Project tickets
Tickets for individual shows, which cost $12 or $28 for VIP. All VIP tickets include premium seating, a drink ticket and a treat for each show.
Tickets will be available to purchase at the links above, via Ticketmaster or at the Hoyt Sherman Place box office, 1501 Woodland Ave. Questions can be directed to events@dmreg.com or 515-619-6548. Tickets cannot be purchased over the phone.
Season ticket packages are available each year until the day of the first show.
Tell your story at the Des Moines Storytellers Project
The Des Moines Storytellers Project strongly believes that everyone HAS a story and everyone CAN tell it. None of the storytellers who take our stage are professionals. They are your neighbors, friends or co-workers, and they are coached to tell by Register journalists.
Want to tell your story at one of our upcoming Storytellers Project events? Read our guidelines and submit a story at DesMoinesRegister.com/Tell.
About the Des Moines Storytellers Project
The Des Moines Storytellers Project is a series of storytelling events in which community members work with Register journalists to tell true, first-person stories live on stage.The project is dedicated to the idea that oral storytelling and journalism have the same goals: Serving and reflecting a community while fostering empathy.
It started in 2016 and has presented more than 200 stories across more than 35 shows.
“Des Moines Register editors and reporters love helping Iowans tell their stories from the Storytellers Project stage,” said Executive Editor Carol Hunter. “But we trimmed the season a bit because 2023 will be an exceptionally busy year for the Register news staff. Our reporters and photographers will be covering presidential candidates appearing across the state ahead of the 2024 Iowa caucuses as well as covering expected record participation in the 50th Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa."
Past 2023 Des Moines Storytellers Project shows
Love: Feb. 14, 2023
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Dan Dogulas: I traveled the world in search of adventure. I also found the love of my life.
Anissa Deay: As marriage becomes complicated, Iowan leans on relationship motto 'no man left behind'
Sam Freese: As my husband faced criminal charges, I struggled to find self-love
Patrick J. Kearney: What this Iowan learned about love watching his mother battle multiple sclerosis
Sarah Trone Garriott: This Iowan's first wedding was to a pair of satanists. What that taught her about love
Past 2022 Des Moines Storytellers Project shows
Love: Stories of companionship, desire and commitment, Feb. 15, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story
Linh Ta: Too American or too Asian? How this Iowan learned to love all sides of herself
David Grieser: How I married another guy's fiancée, and overcame the gossips' doubts
Preshia Paulding: How one Iowan found out the hard way: If someone truly loves you, you’ll know. If not, you’ll be confused
Chad Elliot: From heartache to inspiration: One man's lessons in writing love songs
Lea Haravon Collins: Brick-by-brick: How a bisexual woman found love with a straight white man, despite their differences
Growing Up: Celebrating family and culture, April 26, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Blake Carlson: How grandma’s eccentricities taught this Iowan to embrace his disability
Jeff Clothier: First love and first heartbreak: How a sabotaged prom night led to healing and a friendship
Tony Dahlman: When Saddam calls: A birthday tradition showcases an act of familial love
Aymi Paradise-Flores: First, she learned how to fall. Then she became Ballard High School's first female wrestler.
Voyages: Life-changing experiences through travel, June 14, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Erik Dominguez: Finding a new connection: How journeying back home to Tucson let this adopted Iowan move forward
Brenda McGuire: How three trips around the world helped one Iowan find love close to home
Coral Thede: During a nightmare stop in Paris, a master manifestor lets go and lets the universe provide
Robert Warren: From a crowded car to a rundown fishing lodge: 1969 vacation taught 6-year-old the meaning of family bonding
Bad Advice: Accepting, ignoring, or just plain regretting another person’s help, Aug. 30, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Galit Levy: How a parental kidnapping led to a lifelong pattern of listening to my own bad advice
Rick Kievits: I took advice that was too good to be true — and was deported. Here's what I learned.
Kiranmai Yarlagadda: How I overcame childhood advice to move past insecurity and embrace myself — and my past
Randy Brown: How a former ISU basketball coach found new purpose after a stint in federal prison
Julie Gammack: How I drowned out advice to keep my job as a Register columnist and took a huge leap of faith
Obsessions: Our unabashed passions, from relationships to hobbies — and everything in between, Oct. 25, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Julie Burtnette: How one Iowan used her imagination to deal with her father's death — and later start a museum
Cody Goodwin: I thought I'd left wrestling behind. Now, as a journalist, I'm inspired by others.
Tim Johnson: How a near-death experience led this Iowan to an obsession with feeding the world
Billy "B.Well" Weathers: This artist’s obsession? Surpassing every expectation
Generosity: The kindness I didn't see coming, Dec. 13, 2022
Rewatch the entire show:
Read each teller's story:
Rusty Johnson: From foster care to fostering gratitude: How lifelong generosity shaped this Iowan's life
Stevie Lang: A kind friend paid for this Iowan's therapy, leading to a new chance at life
Guillermo Romano Ibarra: How friendship helped this Iowan learn to live in a wheelchair after a bike crash
Patsy Shors: How a brief car ride from a stranger taught me a lifelong lesson about generosity
Yenny Briceno Soley: How two women became my American moms as I sought political asylum in Iowa
Hear past stories from the Des Moines Storytellers Project
The Des Moines Storytellers podcast is the perfect way to revisit favorite stories or hear ones that you've missed. Look for us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcasting platform.
Have questions or need assistance? Contact the Des Moines Storytellers Project team at events@dmreg.com or 515-619-6548
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Storytellers Project | Find Tickets or Tell Your Story