American Storytellers
American Storytellers exists to help weave the American Story back together
About Us
Grace Mary Perez
I’m Grace Mary and I’m the primary storyteller here at American Storytellers. I have an odd mix of professional skills which make digital storytelling an ideal profession for me. As a teenager, I spent nearly every minute I could working as a member of a storefront stock theatre company. It didn’t matter if I was on stage or off, I loved the theatre. Any moment not spent at the theatre was a wasted moment. It was a fun way to grow up and it made me a fearless public speaker. Maybe not a great public speaker, but a fearless one. I’ll talk about anything in front of anyone.
Many years later, a friend of mine hired me to work for his internet start up. At first I worked in sales, but eventually I wore every administrative hat possible. That’s how it works in small companies, especially IT companies. You do whatever needed to be done regardless of your actual job description. That was the first of several start-ups that I was part of. I enjoyed to work. I like the flexibility, the excitement and the comradery.
Many years later, a friend of mine hired me to work for his internet start up. At first I worked in sales, but eventually I wore every administrative hat possible. That’s how it works in small companies, especially IT companies. You do whatever needs to be done regardless of your actual job description. That was the first of several start-ups that I was part of. I enjoyed to work. I like the flexibility, the excitement and the comradery.
After many years of that, I returned to school and got my masters in history. I focused on late 19th and early 20th century history. I studied a lot of different areas within that time frame, but my primary focus was Illinois history and women’s history with a big dollop of WWII thrown if for fun. I’ve been published in the Journal of Arizona History (Winter 2023) and won several awards for my historical writing.
I decided to go back to school when I realized what a sorry state American history was in. Few people knew very much of it and most of what they knew has been distorted by pop culture. The talking heads have been yammering on for decades about how American society was fracturing and to me, that seemed connected to the shredding of our national story. A community’s identity is shaped by its shared history. I wanted to study American history so I could help re-tell our story and help re-weave it back together. I hope you enjoy the stories that we tell.
Research Team Bio
Our research team is very shy. They are also worried about stalkers and MAGA assassins. So, they have requested that their names and identities be kept private for now. They do exist, I promise. They have names like Timm and Trinity and David. They play video games and love history. They are not figments of my imagination. At least, my therapist has assured me that they are not. They’re kinda like Bob in the movie Pirate Radio, but they’re real. Believe me.
Marketing Team Bio
The Marketing Team contemptuously said that they are too busy to write bios. And honestly, they know that no one cares who they are. They only have one thing to say to our readers, “Subscribe to the channel and buy some of the merch.” {Grace – Uh, we don’t have any merch yet.} We don’t have any MERCH! Oh, the hell with this, we quit!
Editing Team Bio
The editing team refuses to write a bio until Grace stops putting two spaces after each period. Grace claims that she can’t stop. The habit was too deeply ingrained in her soul by Mrs. Brown, the typing teacher, at Rosary High School. Both sides refuse to bend, so the stalemate goes on.