Long Story Short

This Women’s History Month edition of Front Porch Arts Center’s monthly storytelling series Long Story Short will feature three dynamic Black Women storytellers, Zahra Baker, Coco Elysses, and Shanell Oliver. The event will also feature an open mic where attendees can share their related stories.

Zahra Glenda Baker is a Louisiana-born artist whose diverse talents as a vocalist, storyteller, poet, ritualist, and teaching artist have enhanced the Chicago arts scene for over 35 years. She focuses on interpreting human experiences and advocating for liberation. A guardian of African American oral traditions, Zahra is deeply engaged in community and cultural expression. Zahra has performed at the National Black Storytelling Festival, World Music Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival and is currently developing a performance This Black is Me: Sacred Encounters with Callie Guy House. @zahramalika

Coco Elysses is a modern-day renaissance woman is the former Chair of the venerable AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). She is a formally trained writer, with an MFA in creative writing, Coco was a published poet before even graduating. Her multidisciplinary artistry and magnetic presence have made her a sought-after collaborator in theatre, television, and music. During its second season, she was featured as a musician on FOX’s critically acclaimed drama Empire. Her poetry also appears in 99 New Poems: A Contemporary Anthology.

Shanell Oliver is an American journalist, producer, and founder of Diaspora News Network, a media platform dedicated to centering African stories for global audiences. She is the creator and executive producer of Africa The Beautiful, a docuseries inspired by her own journey of reexamining the narrow depictions of Africa she encountered in childhood. The series explores the people, cultures, ecosystems, and histories of the 54 nations that make up the continent.

Previously she worked at MSNBC and contributed to the digital news platform The Grio, helping shape narratives at the intersection of culture, politics, and identity. She also worked with several boutique production companies across New York and Chicago, and was host and producer of What’s Really Going On, on Chicago’s first and only Black-owned broadcast television station, SWAAGTV.

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Host or Publisher Front Porch Arts Center