Since 2016, Original Womxn’s Narratives has been an annual activism-based theatrical production put on by the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Gender Equity Center, with an accompanying art gallery. This year, due to the constraints of COVID-19, we created an immersive multimedia experience incorporating performance, writing, and visual art.
Regardless of its form, every year, OWN features, centers, and celebrates the stories of our Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo community members who have experiences of woxmanhood in body, mind, and/or spirit, be that in past, present, future, and/or fluid. While we cannot recreate the atmosphere of being together in a theater, we hope that OWN 2021 will allow us to feel connected with each other after a year that many of us have spent burdened by feelings of anxiety, frustration, and isolation.
How to navigate this site: we recommend viewing in order of the program. This homepage follows the program starting from the topmost image, reading from left to right. Each image links to a separate page with each individual piece. You also have the choice to navigate to specific pieces using the top menu.
The next few stories are from womxn who have taken a step to own their truths. They share their experiences regarding trauma, be that in the context of body image and eating disorders, mental health, or other traumatic experiences that can occur from childhood into adulthood.
Their stories come from voices of strength, resilience, and healing. They will not be easy to hear, but as we listen, we listen with open arms and support.
These voices are being raised for all those on our campus, in our families, and in our world who wish to not only speak, but fully own, their truth. This is an essential step on the path of transcendence and empowerment, a path we take in pursuit of growth, a path that helps us flourish.
