The Cyher at The Symposium on Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship features poets, storytellers, dancers, movement workers, artists and more to share the history of diasporic storytelling.
The Storytelling CypherRooted in the tradition of the cypher in hip-hop—where artists gather in a circle to share, build, and riff off each other—this Storytelling Cypher is a dynamic space where narratives flow, voices rise, and stories take shape in a shared rhythm.
Storytelling has always been central to Black traditions, from the griots of West Africa to the oral histories passed down in kitchens, on porches, and in barbershops. It’s in the way we remix the past with the present. We even see this is the art of sampling, how we turn memory into rhythm, struggle into poetry, and everyday life into legend. This cypher brings together storytellers of all forms—spoken word artists, poets, musicians, scholars, dancers, keepers of ancestral wisdom to share, respond, and build a collective narrative.
With this year’s theme, "Storytelling from the Familiar," we honor the ways Black communities have used storytelling as a tool for resistance, remembrance, and research. Whether through verse, song, movement, testimony, or improvisation, this is a space to listen, bear witness, and contribute to the living archive of our experiences.
Come ready to share or simply absorb the energy. In this circle, every voice matters, every rhythm connects, and every story adds to the collective heartbeat of our community.
