(Seguin) — Let the storytelling begin. Seguin Storytellers, the town’s newest non-profit, will officially host its first event as a brand-new organization this Sunday in the Seguin Public Library.
Complete with its own board members and the vision for a wide range of future events, the group is excited to host the first of eight in a panel of guest speakers for the community. This Speakers Program will continue the last weekend of each month.
Joe Saenz, the new board president for Seguin Storytellers, says this Sunday, the group will welcome the words of Mark Keddal, a recently retired Seguin High School humanities teacher. He says Keddal’s presentation titled “Living a Story Makes Us Truly Human,” is the perfect way to introduce the newly formed group to the community.
“Many people have spoken to me about his very inspirational thinking and travels and so he is going to bring a talk to our audience. I personally am looking forward to the inspiration that that is going to provide to all of us. Students of his have told me how instrumental he has been in influencing their lives and I’ve encouraged them to attend. But he’s extended his concern for his students by mentoring some of them and including them in his travels abroad. So, I think the whole underlying goal is to renew the appreciation among the business community and residents at large and what people have contributed to Seguin’s history and to its culture,” said Saenz.
Saenz says this Sunday will also be a great way for the community to learn about the key branches of the new group. He says the vision initially started a couple of years ago with his own personal interest in poetry and his desire to one day host a Poetry Festival in Seguin. He says the band of friends and community members that came together to hear more about the poetry festival has since evolved into this more elaborate group – a group that is already contributing to the community. He says one of those contributions is the fostering of a teen writing and art program at the Seguin Public Library. He says Bianca Perez, one of its board members has been helping to lead the program which works with the youth in sharpening their talents. As the Deputy Director at Texas State University for the Master’s in Fine Arts Program, he says Perez has been bringing graduate students and the teens together for the one-of-a-kind experience. He adds the partnership with the Seguin Public Library has also helped to make this group a reality – further fueling the future of this group. Other formal board members include Tess Coody-Anders and Cathy Fennel. The launch of the Seguin Storytellers’ Speakers Program gets underway at 2 p.m. Sunday in the library’s Community Room. The event is free.