On the third day of Storytellers Series, Antioch Community High School welcomed non-traditional storyteller Lily Be. She is a performance storyteller well known for her shocking and interesting stories that are told in front of a crowd. Many of her stories depicted her early life on the West side of Chicago. As a young adult, she had very little money and lived with a tempestuous roommate that only drew her deeper into financial trouble. Things took a turn for the worst once she accidentally sliced her wrist with a box cutter and was sent to a mental ward for accusations involving “suicidal behaviors.” Once she returned home from the mental ward, she felt as if she had nothing left.

Her career started accidentally due to her friend’s attempt to pull her out of depression by taking her to a comedy show called Grown Folks Stories. At the show, members of the audience could sign up to tell a story in front of everyone. Be was unknowingly signed up by her friend to tell her story. Most of that night, she was extremely skeptical about telling her story. 

“I enjoyed Lily Be’s presentation because it inspires students that they can recover,” junior Emily Pedersen said. “It will probably be hard, but it will be worth it in the end.”

Along with bringing her stories to the table, she also sought to give advice to those who may be struggling.

“Everyone here is unique in their own way,” Be said. “Everybody here is experiencing life like nobody else in this room; I don’t care if you’re from Antioch, not everyone’s experiencing Antioch the same way.”

She noted that an important thing to take from her presentation was the idea that everyone’s story is worth sharing, even if it is turned down. All people experience life differently and due to that, it is imperative and encouraged that people display their ideas and stories for others to see, read or listen to.