Fall in love with the power of community! This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating the heartbeat of Tell Us Something: the raw, true, and personal stories that connect us all. We’re grateful to you all for continuing to share your stories, continuing to show up to listen to your community share stories, and, well, for just being you!

Bridging divides and building community, one story at a time.

It’s the summer of 2016, and I’m sitting alone at Imagine Nation Brewing Company finishing up a pint of their Lupujus NIPA, and I notice a man, late 60s, early 70s, sitting in the brewery with a MAGA hat.

If you don’t remember Imagine Nation Brewing Company, or you don’t live in Missoula, it was unusual to see someone in that establishment with a MAGA hat. INBC were LGBTQ+ friendly. They were a welcoming safe space for BIPOC folks and the staff were all progressives as well.

And I had time on my hands, so I went over to the man and I asked if it would be okay if I sat down at his table. There were two other individuals there and I knew that if I tried to engage with them, I would lose my nerve. 

I asked him to tell me about his hat.

He said, “What do you want to know?”

I said, “What does it mean to you?”

He said, “Well, you know, Make America Great Again.”

I asked him to tell me when America was great.

And he said, “Oh, you know, when I was growing up in the 1950s it was great.”

And I said, “What was great about it?”

And he said, “Well, a family could, a mother could stay at home where she belongs, and a dad could work and bring home the bacon and the mom would raise the kids. And the jobs were good paying jobs and…”

I don’t remember what else he said. (Did I mention that we had 4 pints of 6 1⁄2 % beers?)

I do remember, though, that I asked him if America was great when there was still segregation going on, and African Americans were not allowed to eat in the same restaurant as Caucasian Americans—was that when America was great?

He didn’t say anything.

And I asked him, “Was it great when women were not allowed to vote? Was it great when we were allowed to own slaves? Was it great when we tried to kill the indigenous peoples who lived here when our white ancestors arrived to steal their land, then we tried to decimate them? Was it great then?

I asked him when exactly America was great.

And I know that I didn’t change  his mind in one conversation, but we talked for about 45 minutes and I listened to him and he listened to me, and we didn’t call each other names, and we walked away amicably.

And to do that requires having the skill of active listening, a skill that we practice together at each Tell Us Something storytelling event.

And that is a radical way to have a conversation, and that is how people are changed over time. Multiple dialogues where we listen to each other and come from a place of curiosity. Not by shouting at each other, not by arguing on the internet, not even by telling each other, sometimes, facts. We reach people on a human level when we share stories.

That’s what Tell Us Something has been about since its inception 15 years ago, and those who are sharing their stories are practicing their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression.

The Montana 250th Commission Grant

And I’m thinking about all of this because Tell Us Something is so grateful to be one of 32 organizations in the state of Montana to have received a grant from the Montana 250th Commission, which was founded with a clear goal, stated on their website as “…to foster civic engagement and raise awareness of both United States and Montana history, including the stories of Tribal nations.”

This funding will cover the venue rental and some of the production costs for three major Missoula shows in 2026. This support allows us to focus on what matters most—the stories—while ensuring that we have a home to share them in as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

We must acknowledge, when we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, that the United States was founded on the radical idea that we do not have to bow down to any king. The idea that a country can be governed by and for its people. 

So, we must also acknowledge that the United States was founded by white people coming to an already inhabited land and stealing that land from its original inhabitants. We have to acknowledge the attempted genocide of the Native Americans perpetuated by the United States government. And we have to acknowledge the racism that still exists in this country.

We also must acknowledge that fascism is in our beloved country. The lawlessness in the name of law and order that is being perpetuated by ICE in Minnesota is unacceptable. We cannot celebrate the United States and whitewash the history of the United States. We cannot celebrate the United States without also acknowledging its many flaws. Our elected officials swear to “…defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”, and yet they haven’t done anything to stop the growth of ICE, and to hold them to account for the murders that they have committed in their alleged enforcement of immigration law. And all of this while the highest levels of law enforcement continue to lie to the American public about the Epstein files. It’s sick.

And yet we (still) fiercely love our country. We are grateful that we (still) have the right to freedom of speech. We are grateful that we (still) have the right to keep and bear arms. We are thankful that we (still) have the right to due process before the law (allegedly). We have so much gratitude that we (still) get to enjoy our public lands. We are thankful that we (still) have a right to privacy. 

We are deeply grateful to the Montana 250th Commission for their investment in us. This grant from the Montana 250th Commission is more than just financial support for venue rentals and event production. It is a profound validation of our mission. 

We are profoundly grateful to the Montana 250th Commission for recognizing that storytelling is the heartbeat of a healthy democracy. Their support allows us to continue providing a platform where we can grapple with our past, speak truth to our present, and listen to one another as we navigate the complexities of what it means to be a human today. It is through this support that we can ensure these vital stories continue to be heard in Missoula and beyond.

Thank you, Montana 250th Commission, for helping us keep the conversation going.

Because of the Montana 250th Commission’s generosity, the themes that we’re seeing in 2026 for Tell Us Something events in Missoula are: “Self Evident”  in January, “A Sense of Place” in June, and “Pursuit of Happiness” in the fall.

Which leads me to talk about the next event!

Call for Storytellers: Your Voice Matters

We are officially looking for storytellers for our June 16th event at Bonner Park. The theme is “A Sense of Place“. If you have a story that needs to be told, we want to hear it. No experience is necessary—just an authentic voice and a story to share.

Tickets for our June 16th event are on sale now, and they will sell out. There is nothing quite like a Missoula summer evening under the trees. It’s the ultimate “Sense of Place.” Grab your tickets early to ensure you have a spot on the grass!

Partner Spotlight: Park Side Credit Union

Community is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we are thrilled to have Park Side Credit Union as a partner for our 2026 events! Keep an eye out for collaborative events throughout the year—they are helping us keep the lights on and the stories flowing. First up is the Park Side Partner Reception at Cranky Sam’s on February 26th from 4:30PM-6:30PM. Come on down, say hi to us, meet some of the Board members and meet the other Park Side partners.

Thanks to our Storyteller sponsor for 2026, The Good Food Store and congrats on winning The Best Grocery Store in Montana over at lovefood.com!

Join the 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 March. (No one signed up for the February workshop, mentioned in last month’s newsletter). Story Hearth workshops take place on the first Sunday of each month. We limit the number of participants to 6 so that we can all go deep into story in ways that larger groups might not allow.

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 is the perfect place to practice the radical act of active listening while excavating stories of your own. It’s a space for community members to gather, share, and hone their craft in a supportive environment.

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.

Help Us Thrive by Joining the Board

As we grow, we need leadership. If you are passionate about free speech, community, and the arts, we are actively seeking new Board Members to help guide our next 15 years. If you’ve got Board experience and love Tell Us Something, shoot me an email. I’d love to chat with you.

Get involved at tellussomething.org/volunteer

Storyteller Alumni News

Montana Repertory Theatre Presents, in Partnership with UM School of Theatre & Dance

“Can’t Drink Salt Water” by Kendra Mylnechuk Potter (The set is incredible!)

Juxtaposing a mother’s relentless search for her missing daughter with the journey of a young woman newly arrived at Bethel House, an evangelical shelter for victims of sex trafficking, this timely story weaves together Native identity, maternal grief, contemporary religious faith, humor, and a call to action. The production showcases professional Indigenous talent from across the country, including cast members Allison Hicks, Jennifer Rader, Serenity Mariana, and Bradley Lewis, costumes by Asa Benally, lighting design by Emma Deane, sound design by Rory Stitt, and mask design and creation by Cannupa Hanska Luger. As a co-production, it showcases UM student actors, designers, and crew alongside the professionals. The cast includes students Shadie Wallette, who previously performed in the 2023 staged reading, and Octavio Jimenez, who has toured the state over the past year with State of Mind, a collaboration between The Rep and the University of Montana Co-Lab for Civic Imagination. UM Students in the crew include Ronnie Avansino as the Props Designer, Rae Scott as the Assistant Stage Manager, and Aaron Prati as the Assistant Lighting Designer. The playwright, Kendra Mylnechuk Potter, is a University of Montana alum, and is based in Missoula.

“Can’t Drink Salt Water” runs through February 22.

Learn more and get tickets here.

Kendra Mylnechuk Potter told a story in 2016 (I heard that’s a member now? 2016?) where she meets her biological mother for the first time. She ends up having a much more spiritual encounter than she could ever have anticipated. You can listen to that story here. Later, the documentary, Daughter of a Lost Bird, about her incredible story was released. You can learn more and stream that film here.

The next update is about a member of the Tell Us Something family that is near and dear to our hearts. Tabatha Martinez has been diagnosed with stage T3 N1 rectal cancer; it’s still curable and she has a plan. She needs our help staying housed and fed with the power on and a truck that keeps running ♡

She says, “… it’s not a lot in the big scheme of things but it’s a lot for me ♡ i’m the guy who won’t ask directions and the guy who likes to not depend on other people but here we are…learning new things, doin hard things…learning to let people love me and help out ♡”

So, if you have the means, won’t you consider kicking in to help Tabatha? You can also swing by Upcycled on the Hip Strip to buy some of her art. Check it out here.

Tabatha did the Up the Blackfoot poster for us back in 2017.

We chatted back in 2021 about being car-free, project bikes, the idea behind her Tell Us Something poster, and more. You can listen to that conversation here.