Speaking Advocate – Art Spark Texas https://www.artsparktx.org Tue, 26 May 2026 20:44:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://www.artsparktx.org/wp-content/uploads/cropped-sm-rotated-sticks-web-32x32.png Speaking Advocate – Art Spark Texas https://www.artsparktx.org 32 32 Speaking Advocates Spring showcase 2026 https://www.artsparktx.org/2026/05/26/speaking-advocates-spring-showcase-2026/ https://www.artsparktx.org/2026/05/26/speaking-advocates-spring-showcase-2026/#respond Tue, 26 May 2026 20:43:59 +0000 https://www.artsparktx.org/?p=75112

Our Spring Speaking Advocates Showcase recently took place at the beautiful Rosette stage in Central Austin. Led by Art Spark Texas Speaking Advocates teaching artist Mitchell Bowman, the evening highlighted the voices, experiences, and creativity of five remarkable participants who shared deeply personal and memorable stories with the community.

We’re grateful to this session’s graduates for their courage, honesty, and talent:

Adam Griebel
Amrrita Chopraa
Delaney Shiono
Ariel Deruvo
Ryan Crabtree
Each story reflected the power of self-expression and the importance of creating spaces where disabled and neurodivergent voices are heard, valued, and celebrated.

About Speaking Advocates
Speaking Advocates is a six-week workshop series designed to support neurodivergent adults and adults with developmental and other disabilities in writing personal stories and building the public speaking skills needed to share them confidently in a variety of settings, including conferences, classrooms, civic organizations, legislative sessions, and community events.

Each workshop series concludes with a public Showcase where participants perform their stories for an audience of friends, family members, and community supporters. Stories are also recorded and featured on Art Spark Texas’ podcast platform, TRUE TALES PODCAST.

By combining storytelling with public speaking, Speaking Advocates challenges misconceptions surrounding disability and reminds audiences of our shared humanity, experiences, and aspirations.

Questions or Interested in Participating?
To learn more or get involved, contact Jerry at:

Jerry@artsparktx.org

Speaking Advocates Spring 2026
]]> https://www.artsparktx.org/2026/05/26/speaking-advocates-spring-showcase-2026/feed/ 0 OPEN MIC: THE LION & PIRATE https://www.artsparktx.org/event/virtual-open-mic-the-lion-pirate-11/ https://www.artsparktx.org/event/virtual-open-mic-the-lion-pirate-11/#respond Sun, 06 Feb 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://www.artsparktx.org/?post_type=tribe_events&p=11185 The Lion & Pirate, inclusive, open mic for writers, performers, and acoustic musicians invites you to join us the first weekend of the month. Sponsored by Art Spark Texas and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest. Organizers also include Malvern Books and the Coalition of Texans Disabilities.

Join the Lion & Pirate for our next virtual inclusive, open mic! Featured performers to be announced; then, it will be your time to shine!

Join us on Zoom:
Use this Link to attend our virtual open mic.

Stay tuned to our Facebook Group for event updates, signup sheets, and links, and invite your friends too. You can tune in just to connect with your community and give us those “clap” reactions.

As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform! There will be 10 sign up slots. We ask that you sign up ahead of time. Any sign-ups after 10 will be held on a backup list.

Questions? Please email Ms Boye: boye@artsparktx.org.

Thank you for donating and supporting Art Spark Texas Speaking Advocates Program and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest.

Donate

]]> https://www.artsparktx.org/event/virtual-open-mic-the-lion-pirate-11/feed/ 0 Community Conversations: Amy Litzinger https://www.artsparktx.org/event/community-conversations-2021-03-24/ https://www.artsparktx.org/event/community-conversations-2021-03-24/#respond Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.artsparktx.org/?post_type=tribe_events&eventDate=2021-03-24#038;p=8551 Join our virtual Community Conversation with Advocate and Dancer Amy Litzinger on Wednesday, March 24 at 7pm using GoToMeeting.

Disability advocate, artist, writer, and dancer Amy Litzinger was our final 2020 Artist of the Month. She will join us along with Body Shift dancer and choreographer Tanya Winters to talk about Amy’s experiences and what’s next for her.

Join the Conversation

Learn more about Amy Litzinger on our Artist of the Month blog.

About Community Conversations

Art Spark Texas introduced our virtual arts roundtable series “Community Conversations” in Spring of 2020, as a way of staying connected and continuing our mission during this time of the pandemic. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 7-8pm CST, and invite visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, writers, disability advocates and others to engage with the Art Spark community.

Join the conversation! All are welcome.

A link to the virtual event will be posted here several days beforehand and join our newsletter to get the information via email. Email questions to susan@artsparktx.org.

Support our programs: Donate to Art Spark Texas.

Donate

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