St. Louis Story Collider is hosted by two former English students; but even Sam and Peter understand that to learn something new, sometimes you must go beyond the pages. When we put ourselves out there, we open ourselves to great successes, and sometimes greater trials. Either way, we come through these experiences forever changed.
Stories by:
Zi Teng Wang is a Magician and Scientist based in the St Louis region, who has been performing magic on stages and at events throughout the country for more than 10 years, with a passion for inspiring wonder, critical thinking, and appreciation of our knowledge of the world around us. In addition to his work as a Magician, Zi is also an accomplished Scientist with a focus in Biology. Zi uses Magic to teach about the neuroscience of perception, illustrating the ways that our senses can be tricked, and shedding light on the shortcuts and blind spots that we all share.
Carmen Ulloa is an Ecuadorian botanist who has spent three decades at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Conducting her fieldwork on plants at the top of the Andes mountains, she has discovered several plant species new to science. Carmen is a skilled editor of plant books, and also speaks four languages.
Tony Dahlman is a numbers guy. He has spent nineteen years as a statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Tony is a native Minnesotan who enjoys running, biking, public speaking, college football, and is obsessed with State Fairs. A few years ago he got hooked on storytelling and has told stories with Story District in Washington, DC, the Des Moines Storyteller’s Project, TellersBridge in Cedar Rapids, IA, and The Moth in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. Tony lives with his wife in Des Moines, Iowa.
Ken Haller is a retired Professor of Pediatrics at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. He has served on the boards of the Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis, the Saint Louis University Library Associates, and PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, among others. He is a frequent spokesperson in local and national media on the healthcare needs of children and adolescents. Ken is also an accomplished actor, produced playwright, and acclaimed cabaret performer. Named 2015’s Best St. Louis Cabaret Performer by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he has taken his one-person shows to New York, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. His personal mission is Healing.