At First Person Arts, we believe that we all have a story to tell and that the art of storytelling has the power to change lives.
With #Us: 5 People, 1 Moment, we explore 1 unique moment in contemporary American life through the shared experiences of 5 storytellers.
Each podcast episode enables us to dive deeper and find meaningful connections through the art and power of storytelling. We bring together multiple cultural and personal perspectives to bridge differences and build stronger communities.
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#Us podcast episodes
Ukrainian Stories From Philly: The Trauma of War with Xenia Zachadckuk
Xenia Zachadckuk grew up in South Jersey to Ukrainian parents. She shares the story of her mother’s courageous escape from Ukraine and Europe during World War II and her father’s time in a displaced person’s camp. Xenia tells us about the trauma of war and the influence it had on […]
Ukrainian Stories From Philly: Family with Lisa Mostovoy, Sasha Fishilevich, and Mischa Buck
Even though Lisa Mostovoy and her daughters Sasha Fishilevich and Mischa Buck are talking about a serious subject, this episode brings us so much joy. Lisa starts by talking about Kyiv and her childhood. After the war broke out, Lisa and her older daughter Sasha went to Poland to deliver […]
Ukrainian Stories From Philly: Growing Up with Marta Rubel
Marta Rubel grew up in Philadelphia to proud Ukrainian parents. Marta speaks fondly of her memories growing up in Philly, but she also remembers the challenges her parents faced after settling here, and always dreaming that they would be able to move back to Ukraine. Watching the 2021 invasion on […]
Ukrainian Stories From Philly: History with Professor John Vsetecka
What do you know about Ukraine’s history? We all know it was once part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), then it wasn’t. Ukraine’s history is far-reaching and as complex as its geography and the number of languages that are spoken. We set out to find a historian […]
Life Design Lab
Today on a special episode of #Us – Unique and Shared Experiences, we are teaming up with the Life Design Lab at Johns Hopkins University to share stories told by students about their journeys towards fulfilling careers and lives. Natalia was facing decision paralysis and didn’t know what decision would […]
Five People. One Moment.
Five People. One Moment: Sobering – Kelly McKay
In this special series episode Kelly shares with us her story of surrendering to sobriety after her family intervened. Kelly talks about rebuilding her life after going to a treatment center, finding hope and love in small moments, and what she wishes was more widely known about living with addiction. […]
Five People. One Moment: Sobering – Jamie Brunson
In this episode of Five People, One Moment: Sobering, Jamie tells the story of her uncle’s addiction and her own self discovery. Jamie reflects on how her uncle’s inability to live in recovery shaped her own decisions around family and sobriety. Our storytelling podcast #US returns with deep dive […]
Five People. One Moment: Sobering – Betty Smithsonian
Betty describes her life before sobriety as “rearranging furniture on the Titanic”. She shares the story of how she went to a meeting in a church basement with no intentions of getting sober only to now be 21 years in recovery. Betty is now a comedian in Philadelphia who brings […]
Five People. One Moment: Sobering – Roland Lamb
Roland describes himself as someone in serial recovery. He is continuously examining his own behavior in order to be in service to his community. Roland also talks about his hopes that young people can find inspiration in his story and not sink into the despair he feels is growing in […]
Five People. One Moment: Sobering – Vickie Fernandez
When Vickie got sober she did it her own way. She broke a lot of the usual “rules” and went right back on stage after hiding her addiction in the Philadelphia comedy scene. But the family and life she’s built for herself during seven years of sobriety are a constant […]
Five People. One Moment: Flags of America – Matthew Skic
Matthew Skic is Curator of Exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. A native of New Jersey, Matthew studied history as an undergraduate at American University in Washington, DC, and in 2016 he graduated with his M.A. from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the […]
Five People. One Moment: Flags of America – Emily Ethridge
Emily shares her story about growing up in an area where the confederate flag was a common symbol. She discusses how her understanding of how the weight of the symbol has changed and how removing the flag is a step in the right direction but there is more work to […]
Five People. One Moment: Flags of America – Amber Hikes
Amber was the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs when they introduced the More Colors, More Pride Flag, a flag which added a black and brown stripe to the rainbow flag. They discuss the huge amount of backlash and hatred that came from that announcement and […]
Five People. One Moment: Flags of America – Simon Joseph
Simon is the creator of the Vexillology Podcast a subreddit devoted to flags. He shares his story of falling in love with flags, creating an online community where other people could connect over flags and flag design, and the meaning behind some of his favorite flags related to the U.S. […]
Five People. One Moment: Flags of America – Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg
Suzanne is a visual artist who had an exhibition on the National Mall in September of 2021. The art installation was comprised of white flags, each one representing one life that was lost to COVID-19 in the United States. She shares who the exhibition started, what it means to her, […]
Five People. One Moment: Change Is Now – Dan
Dan is a Baker in Pittsburgh. However, days before the U.S. went into covid lockdown he was released from prison after being wrongfully convicted. He shares his story about working with the PA Innocence Project and all that he has done in the last 18 months, including delivering puppies, buying […]
Five People. One Moment: Change Is Now – John
John is a comedian and essential worker. He shares his story about dating during the pandemic and the challenges that ultimately lead to a break-up. Then we chat with him about what his job was like during the pandemic and the new value he’s put on self-care. Release can come […]
Five People. One Moment: Change Is Now – Danielle
Danielle is the Production Manager at First Person Arts. She shares her story of going from living paycheck to paycheck at a retail job to graduating with honors. Then we chatted with her about her past 18 months of working from home with her son. Release can come in many […]