I may never live down The Tamale Incident, my moment of infamy in the Lopez-Lee family. In this live personal story, I confess what happened that day and why sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like a failed Mexican woman. Thanks to Larry Dean Harris for inviting me to...
Personal storytelling is back to the live onstage world, and what a gift to fully interact with storytellers and audiences again. Through the pandemic, I've been grateful to use Zoom and other online streaming platforms to stay engaged with community via the art of...
I've been moved by the audiences who've taken an interest in the stories of my search for the family history of my Mexican-Chinese Grandma. In 2021, I had a few opportunities to share the story of my journey to China to heal an old family divide. In case you haven't...
As many of you know, I'm writing a historical novel inspired by family stories my Mexican-Chinese grandma used to tell me: tales of secret immigrants and mixed races, family loyalties and betrayals. I'm also involved in the world of live personal storytelling, and The...
Just before the new coronavirus became the 2020 Pandemic, my story Disaster Pants was published in DoveTales, the journal of the nonprofit Writing for Peace. I briefly stopped sharing the link to that story, about living through the Thomas Fire, when fears over the...
I suspect we all have a story about some crazy boss who we feared might destroy our lives. I recently shared such a story on Daniel David Shapiro's podcast, Two Truths and a Lie. There is so much unbelievable drama in real life, but also so much surprising truth in...
? Above is a video Daniel David Shapiro recently released of me telling a story at his live L.A. show and podcast, Two Truths and a Lie. Dan's show presents irresistible challenges for storytellers, as we all strive to keep the audience guessing: If Dan asks me to...
At The Moth GrandSlam on July 24 at L.A.’s historic Regent Theatre, I was honored to share the stage with some of the best storytellers around as we told stories on the night’s theme: Identity Crisis. Please check out this 6-minute video of me performing Old Mr. Ma,...
? After more than a year striving to find my voice in the world of oral storytelling, I won The Moth StorySlam in L.A. on January 23, 2018. The night's topic was Achilles' Heel. It was humbling to win with a story about my weaknesses. I now qualify to compete in a...
I told this true personal story at The Moth StorySlam in Los Angeles on June 6, 2017. The theme was "Mystery." I came in third place, for which I won: nothing...except pride in getting better at this art form every day. I love oral storytelling. What an exciting way...
Cara Lopez Lee is the author of They Only Eat Their Husbands. She’s a winner of The Moth StorySLAM and performs in many storytelling shows, including Unheard L.A., and Strong Words. Her writing appears in such publications as Los Angeles Times, Manifest-Station, and Writing for Peace. She’s a traveler, swing dancer, and baker of pies. Cara and her husband live in the beach-town of Ventura, California, where they enjoy tending their Certified Wildlife Habitat full of birds.
