by Katherine Valdez (she/her)
I didn’t know what to expect when I attended Dr. Cori Wong’s Feb. 14 debut of the monthly show “For The Love of Strangers: Exploring the Best Worst Ideas for Meaningfully Connecting With Others” at Visit Fort Collins in Old Town Square.
Was it performance art and storytelling featuring diversity, equity, and inclusion stand-up comedy? A one-person variety show plus interactive workshop? A Valentine’s Day immersive dance party?
Turns out it was all of that and more.
“…an eccentric, experimental, experiential variety show…” – Dr. Cori Wong
The format was roughly a humorous, personal anecdote by the emcee, followed by an interactive activity that helped you become acquainted with other folks in the room, but on a deeper level than you’d expect. These weren’t speed-dating questions.
Among the 40 or so attendees, we were young and not-so-young, introverted and extroverted, white and people of color, straight and queer, but we all had one thing in common.
We yearned for community.
In these Orwellian times, it’s what will save us. What will encourage us to keep going. What will inspire us to work toward changing our world for the better.
At one point, I had an engaging conversation with a young therapist. They’re so passionate about improving their skills and serving others that they’re taking a pay cut and moving to Denver to gain more experience serving a different population.
During another activity, we exchanged squares of paper on which we had scribbled something we wish we’d realized sooner.
I struggled to remember any recent epiphanies. I finally settled on, “You’re exactly where you need to be right now” before wandering among the crowd, exchanging smiles.
Cori invited volunteers to read the message they received if it resonated with them. Someone read mine. Connection!
The message I received said, “You’ll reach a place in life where you will feel fulfilled.” It’s now on my refrigerator. Comforting words from an individual whom I don’t know, whom I may never meet but who felt — at one time — what I’m feeling.
emceed by Dr. Cori Wong (she/her) on Feb. 14. Photo by Katherine Valdez
It made me feel less alone.
Time for reflection and discussion followed each segment. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other.
One more surprise awaited us near the end of the evening: a sing-a-long dance party to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
It was as fun and inspiring as you can imagine. We boogied, we sang (off-key, on-key…doesn’t matter), we laughed.
My mood lifted and my faith in humanity restored, I headed home, vowing to participate again.
Epilogue
I checked in with Cori a few weeks later, before publishing this post, and she reiterated her goal of building community:
“My dream is to build this out so that we have an even more visible network of spaces that feel rich, safe, supportive, and meaningful for building this local culture of connection.” – Dr. Cori Wong
Considering that one of the main questions she asks in many of her workshops and gatherings is “What does liberation look and feel like?” her dream is in perfect alignment with this question and this work.
emceed by Dr.Cori Wong at Visit Fort Collins in Old Town Square.
“For The Love of Strangers” is on second Fridays. The next one is March 14!
$10 suggested donation at BuyMeACoffee.com/CoriWong
Happy Lucky’s Teahouse provided refreshments and prizes during the Feb. 14 show.
Full Expression! A Dance Collective and The Museum of Art | Fort Collins provided giveaways during the March 14 show.
Sponsorships and other opportunities are available. Read details in the flier below.
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DETAILS AND MORE INFORMATION ONLINE
For those who need a bit more information about what to expect, here’s how Dr. Wong described it to her followers on BuyMeACoffee.com/CoriWong, where you can download free PDFs about the monthly For The Love of Strangers event series and the weekly Liberation Is Local in-person (Sunday) and online (Wednesday) meetings:
“At the surface, “For the Love of Strangers: Exploring the Best Worst Ideas for Meaningfully Connecting with Others” looks like an eccentric, experimental, experiential variety show that closely resembles the most exciting facilitated workshop for like-minded people in our community you’ve never (yet) seen.“But it’s soooo much more than that.
“It’s a uniquely fun and highly engaging way to meet and interact with other inclusive adults in Northern Colorado through humorous story sharing, thoughtful dialogue, and practical activities.
“It’s intriguing AND inspiring.”
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