Book

Sea of Oil: Story Circle Show & Tell

This book contains stories shared by Sea of Oil project participants paired with photographs. All stories are copyright the storytellers, through a copyleft release, and reprinted in the book by permission. The stories preserve the oral style in which they were told. The book was designed by Houston artist Liyen Chong and printed at a local Houston press.

The stories were gathered during story circles, a format popularized by Southern Roadside Theater. I learned about this format through attending the conference Culture/Shift in Albuquerque, NM, organized by the art collective U.S. Department of Arts and Culture. Due to format, story circles minimize conflict, allowing for the expression and discussion of a wide range of viewpoints.

Subsequent to the story circles, I shared transcriptions of each story with storytellers for corrections. A few participants redacted their stories, due to fears that word would get back to their current or former employers.

Funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, and the Transart Foundation for Art and Anthropology.