In November 2025, I took part in Ink Stories at Stockroom East in South Bend, a community storytelling event hosted by South Bend City Church, Stockroom East, and Mystic Union Tattoos. The evening centered on tattoos as the marks we carry—small altars to the moments that have shaped who we are and who we’re still becoming.
Eleven speakers, myself included, shared their ink stories in their own way. They walked the audience through grief, growth, family, humor, faith, and the unexpected moments that stay with you long after they happen. Stockroom East held all of it with ease. Although I don’t usually find myself in faith-based spaces, I appreciate the way SBCC creates room for a wide range of people and experiences. Ink Stories was thoughtful, grounded, generous, and warm.
My decision to apply was twofold: I was excited for the challenge of a ten-minute story, and I hoped it would serve as its own exercise in craft. Much of my work traces the marks we carry, visible or not, and tattoos often say what words can’t or won’t. The event became another way of making sense of experience through story; sharing it aloud felt like a natural extension of my practice, just carried by voice instead of material.