The SPEL summer session wraps up with new stories and good vibes!

This summer, our team of Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL) interns and fellows has been working hard to bring you news from our neighborhoods and about local artists and developing trends.

During the SPEL program, interns gain important skills and expand their networks while producing stories for the community. For many, it’s their first opportunity to publish their work and build a portfolio that can help them get into college or a new profession. Each week, participants meet and learn together through story labs and professional development, taking home remote work that guides them through the story production process.

For the story, “A new crunch: How restaurants nationwide are adding insects to the menu, honoring Mexican traditions,” intern Trinity Orosco interviewed chefs who have expanded their menus to include insects such as Mexico’s famed “chapulines,” which are seasoned grasshoppers. These increasingly popular meals honor ancient tradition, and experts say they can offer a surprising amount of nutritional benefits.

We also interviewed Latine artists, musicians and other creatives. Chabelli Hernandez, an intern on our new Boston team, published her first story with Hola Cultura this month. She interviewed award-winning singer-songwriter and Latin Grammy member Yelena Rodriguez. Meanwhile, former SPEL fellow Eduardo Coyotzi Zarate — who concluded a successful year in the program this past spring — completed an interview with Colombian-born artist and muralist Katty Huertas. She uses her art to reference a Colombian state of mind as a D.C. resident.

SPEL’s D.C.-focused Society & Culture and Boston-based Oral History teams also took on issues facing society, including an eye-opening story by spring intern Jamie Orozco on how rats are thriving in D.C., Boston and other cities as climate change improves their living conditions, while worsening conditions for humans.

During our first project in Massachusetts, interns conducted over a dozen interviews with residents of East Boston, covering topics ranging from gentrification and changing demographics to climate change. The team also enjoyed visiting local organizations and chronicling neighborhood events while introducing Hola Cultura and our work to the neighborhood.

Are you an East Boston resident? Give us an oral history interview! There is still time, so sign up today!

While SPEL’s summer semester is the shortest of the year, it was no less exciting and productive. In this summer’s SPEL feedback survey, all respondents said they had an “Excellent” or “Very Good” experience in the program. All said SPEL’s story labs, during which they met with their teams and conducted research and interviews, helped them broaden their horizons while building skills such as writing, interviewing and critical thinking. 

“I like how small we are, yet still able to produce interesting stories,” one SPEL participant remarked in the survey. Another appreciated the professional development and personalized mentorship the program provides.

“My first formal interview with a formal organization like Hola Cultura filled me with motivation and enthusiasm,” they wrote. “And I learned things I need to improve when interviewing someone.”

– Story by Diego Aguilera-Steinert

– Copy edited by Kami Waller