Hear the truths of your community!
Winter Reflections: Making Gratitude Actionable
These not-so-cold winter months (this year) in the Missoula Valley, I’m thinking about the upcoming Tell Us Something live event. (You know there is an event next week, right? RIGHT? And you have your tickets, right? You can get them here.) And when I plan for a Tell Us Something event, I’m also thinking about land acknowledgements. I try to avoid virtue signaling when I give them. I always try to make them actionable. Yes, we are on the aboriginal territories of the Salish, Kalispel, and Kootenai people. And there are plenty of ways we can work every day to honor that, from buying artwork from Indigenous artists, to picking up litter when we are hiking.
And there is a huge opportunity on the horizon for us to deepen our knowledge about the First Peoples and how we can be better allies. I learned about a big one on Tell Us Something storyteller alumni Chris LaTray’s Substack.
The class, Native American Resistance for Everyone, runs from February 2 to March 29, 2026. This 8-week course will help participants develop their understanding of American Indian resistance to settler colonialism. Proceeds from class registration will be used to help fund the 2026 IndigiPalooza MT (IPFEST for short). You can learn more and sign up for the class here.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” — Thomas Jefferson, from The Declaration of Independence
Tell Us Something has always been a place for us to come together as a community to listen to one another share our truths. To me, it’s self-evident that we all have a story to share, and that everyone’s story matters. It’s self-evident that by joining together in community to share stories, we are stronger, and better able to get out there and make a difference in the world. The stories go beyond mere entertainment.
Sometimes the stories are hilarious, sometimes tender, often vulnerable and always heartfelt. I say at every event that “It is important to actively listen to one another, join together, & support one another by sharing stories. When we do this, we can better connect with our own individual stories, with each other, and with our community. This is your community. These are your stories. The stories you hear at each Tell Us Something are by and for members of our community.” And I believe that. Especially now.
The storytellers you’ll hear next week are sharing what is, for them, self-evident. Huge parts of themselves. They’re working hard, even now, to prepare. I hope you’ll join us in supporting them by getting your tickets. There are still plenty available. The show is one week away. Get your tickets now.
Happy 15th Birthday, Tell Us Something!
Tell Us Something turns 15 in 2026! Join us in making the next 15 years of live, local, true storytelling in Missoula amazing!
We need Storytellers, Volunteers, Donors, Board Members and Sponsors to continue fostering connection & compassion.
Ready to share your story, lend a hand, or partner with us? Learn how to share a story, find volunteer sign-up opportunities, and more on our website! Shoot me an email and let me know how you’d like to help.
Let’s keep the true stories coming! ✨
You know what we want for our birthday? For you to come to Tell Us Something next week! Wish us Happy Birthday and get your tickets now! ????????
Story Hearth Storytelling Workshops
Our first Story Hearth was a great success. Thank you to all who participated. We are excited to see how it goes in February. Story Hearth workshops last ~3 hours and include an informal dinner, storytelling discussions, storytelling strategies, story extraction exercises and active listening activities used in order to develop one’s story.
Story Hearth workshops, valued at $250/person, are offered on a donation basis and will be limited to six people per workshop. Pay what you can! Can’t afford to pay? No problem! $25? That’s great. More? Even better. I’d like to at least be able to cover food costs. These workshops will be on a first come first served basis. Workshops are in-person.
Interested in participating? Sign up here.
Thank you for being part of the Tell Us Something storytelling family. We look forward to continuing our journey together in 2026 and beyond.
Yours in story,
Marc Moss
Executive Director
Tell Us Something
PS – Huge thanks goes out to Oli Bartsch for the poster illustration. Find more of Oli’s work on her Insta.
