About the Collaborator

First Person Arts transforms the drama of real life into memoir and documentary art to foster appreciation for our unique and shared experience. We believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that sharing our stories connects us with each other and the world.

Throughout the year, First Person Arts presents spirited programming that celebrates the power of the personal. Our StorySlams - twice-monthly storytelling competitions - invite all comers to reveal true stories around themes like “Gifts,” “Whoppers” or “Home for the Holidays.” The Salon Series showcases the memoir and documentary-based work of artists across genres, including comic artists, writers, muralists and dancers. Edible World events treat great food as a foundation for great storytelling. Our educational courses reach out to aspiring memoir authors as well as underserved communities – at-risk youth, senior citizens and prison inmates - whose voices often go unheard. First Person Arts empowers the storyteller in each of us.

The capstone of our yearly programming is the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art, held each fall at the Painted Bride Art Center. The Festival brings together writers, musicians, actors and other artists from across the country for five days of dynamic workshops, interactive presentations and more. This past year, we featured such notables as Mark Bowden, Rita Mae Brown, A.J. Jacobs, and Ruth Reichl.  Our 2010 Festival will include the East Coast premier of Dan Hoyle’s wildly successful one-man show, The Real Americans.