San Antonio is a city of stories.
Texas Public Radio launched Worth Repeating to find and share these stories. San Antonio will celebrate its 300th anniversary in a few short years and unlike its contemporaries Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, and New York, this city's stories are largely unknown. TPR wants to help change that by getting its residents to tell their stories and recognize how important they are even if they don't read like a movie script.
During our season once a month, 7 storytellers will have 7 minutes to tell a true story from their life around a common theme.
But what does that sound like?
_________________________________________________________________
Some of Our Favorites:
Alex Rubio Learns To Respect The Lechuza
Alex Rubio is a Chicano non-believer. Regardless of his respect for his mother, his aunts and his uncles, the Lechuza was nothing but a quick way to kill weekend plans. His mother, whose super power was a bottomless purse, was in such awe of the Lechuza that even the hearing of its plaintive cry was enough to keep her and the kids homebound until the coast was clear.
Alex, who went from projects of San Antonio's westside to exhibit art internationally, thought the whole thing was hokum, that is until the night of his 18th birthday.
Alex was a storyteller on our November third edition of Worth Repeating.
Vincent Valdez Has a Serious Message About Cupcakes:
Vincent Valdez is the 2015 Texas State Artist Painting and Drawing, which is good, since he teaches it at Southwest School of Art here in San Antonio. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited all across the country and world, but he wasn't always so well known.
The San Antonio native told the Worth Repeating audience about a time in his life when affording a studio space that he didn't have to live in was the biggest stress in his life, a time when he was just getting started, a time when he lived almost exclusively on Hostess cupcakes. It almost killed him, but not in the way you might think.
Major General Angela Salinas Is A Marine Pioneer:
Major General Angela Salinas joined the U.S. Marine Corps for all the right reasons. She wanted to serve her country. She wanted to be a part of something big. Also, the recruiter was very attractive.
In a nearly 40-year career, she broke nearly every barrier for women and was a pioneer for Latina service members, ultimately becoming the highest ranking Latina in U.S. Marine Corps history.
Todd Wright Isn't A Salesman
Todd teaches writing at the University of Texas San Antonio. He himself is a writer, having his work published several times over. Todd is also our volunteer story coach here at Worth Repeating and has had a direct hand in helping to craft some of the stories you have heard this season.
Anna Vasquez Trusted The System:
Anna Vasquez was convicted and served 13 years for a crime that appears to have never taken place. She is one of the San Antonio Four, a group of four women convicted of aggravated sexual assault of two girls. The scandalous crime told of satanic orgies and perversions, and after almost 20 years, one of the girls recanted her testimony.
The forensic science that helped convict the women proved as spurious as the accusations, and all of the women were released from jail two years ago. They await a new trial, with no promise of exoneration.
Anna told the Worth Repeating audience her big mistake was trusting that the truth was what the system was after.
