On June 1, 2023, we celebrated the publication of the first Mixtape of Mission 1477, our new statewide storytelling initiative. Our annual Release Party welcomed almost 50 attendees to a night of poetry, storytelling, and inspiration at our new home in Green Spaces.  

Release Parties not only help us showcase our impact but also act as a space for our team, our storytellers, and our community to show up and show out authentically. These events celebrate our unique voices and experiences while aiming to inspire our people to self-express themselves unmitigatedly.  

A way in which we do so is by curating a theme for the evening. We used the theme “Bloom” for this event to invite audience members to show up in their most floral and lively outfits in an ode to YEBO’s recent rebirth. 

To help set that tone, the one and only Kerrie Joy emceed the event and provided the audience with powerful spoken-word performances. 

YEBO’s Growing Storyteller, Isaura Maria, sat down with Alejandra Vasquez and Maricarmen Crisostomo, two amazing storytellers featured on our first Mixtape, for an enlightening conversation about how the YEBO experience impacted their vision for the future.

We also honored Colorado Public Radio’s Audio Innovations Team with our “Community Award” for their unyielding support to helping our staff build essential storytelling and podcast production skills.

Adolfo Cruz capped the evening off with a live rendition of his story from the Mixtape, providing the audience with warmth and laughs from his piece about what he learned from an Instagram crush.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Release Party and to all of our storytellers for sharing your voices and personal tales. We looked fly in our florals, didn’t we?!?