Stories Out Loud is doing something special this month with a special Art Collaboration and Poetry Night!

Thursday April 27

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

The Hub: Kaka'ako

This SOL Nite graphic designer and plant aficionado, Chase Hamano of Momo Terrascapes will grace the stage and showcase his beautiful artworkand poetry! He's multi-talented y'all!

As always, the floor is open! So! If you have a poem on your heart or a story you'd like to share, come down to the Hub for SOL Nite!

Background:When your work days are filled to the brim with transactional and professional interactions, little room is left for substantial personal connections. Shared laughs and heartfelt moments don’t often make it past the water cooler. However, it is in these very interactions that human connection is made.

In our daily interactions with people, we make assumptions. We make assumptions before we choose to engage. We have to. We have to make some sort of assumption in order to gauge how best to interact with each other. For example, if I see you with a coffee cup in hand, I'll infer that you like coffee and will probably strike up a conversation about said coffee. I'll probably tell you a story of how the best caramel macchiato I've ever had is still the one I had in my college bookshop.

Boom. I just told a story. Yeah maybe it's not the most interesting of stories but it was a story and regardless of your interest in my college macchiatos, a connection was made. And everyone has a story to tell. I think the weight of that statement can be intimidating to some, but it's true....kinda. Everyone has stories to tell. We are the cause and result of every story we've ever told, been a part of, and continue to exist in.

And oftentimes, our opinions of each other never make it past our assumptions. We go about our day, off to our next meeting, without a second thought about that stranger carrying their lukewarm cup of coffee. In an increasingly fast-paced society, our relationships fall through the cracks. Our "busy" puts us in danger of living in a world that has lost its compassion and empathy.