About this event
Join author and community engaged professional Megan Lovely in this four-part series about her recent book, Story Seeds: Growing Home at the Farmers Market. Combining personal memoir, scholarship, and more than 200 stories, interviews, and photographs from the 32nd Street Farmers Market, Story Seeds explores the power of storytelling to build a shared sense of community and social responsibility. This series will explore various aspects of the book, from the storytelling method that emerged through the project; storytelling as pedagogy; the responsibility and ethics of community-engaged scholarship; and how storytelling can transform research into relationships. While sessions may build upon each other, prior participation or advanced reading is not required. If interested in digging deeper, copies of the book can be purchased here.
Who should attend?
This event is free and open to Campus Compact members and non-members.
What does this mean? This virtual event will be more interactive in nature, and participation is encouraged!
- You are invited to have your camera on in order to engage with the speakers and other participants
- You can openly ask questions by unmuting yourself or typing them in the chat
- There may be interactive components to this event, such as taking a poll, Q&A, or small group discussion
Meet The Speakers:
Megan Lovely
Megan Lovely is an Instructor and Program Manager for Community-Engaged Learning at the University of Rochester. Formerly in Baltimore, MD she worked at the intersection of education, community engagement, arts, and nonprofits. Her book Story Seeds: Growing Home at the Farmers Market documents a four-year storytelling project at a farmers market in Baltimore, illustrating how storytelling is a process of placemaking that invites people into a deeper relationship with the people and places that they call home. She has presented about her arts practice at various community spaces, universities, and conferences. To read more about her arts practice, visit https://www.recipesforcommunity.com/
Michael Shadrene Caballes
Michael Shadrene Caballes is a food service professional and freelance photographer, specializing in small business startups. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in hotel restaurant and management from the University of San Carlos in the Philippines, where he developed his passion for gathering and serving people. Since coming to the United States, his photography has focused on the behind-the-scenes operations of entrepreneurs and artists, and community events. His photography is influenced by the wisdom of his mom, who told him, “Your eyes eat first.” He carries forward this appreciation for the aesthetics of communion in his photography. Story Seeds: Growing Home at the Farmers Market is his first photography book. To view more of his photography, see https://www.kuhaphotography.com/.
Sessions
| More Info | Name | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story Seeds - A Blueprint for Cultivating Community | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (EDT) | |
| Story Seeds - A Pedagogy of Belonging | Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (EDT) | |
| Story Seeds - The Responsibility and Ethics of Storytelling in Community-Engaged Scholarship | Tuesday, July 21, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (EDT) | |
| Story Seeds - Growing Practices of Collective Care | Tuesday, July 28, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (EDT) |
Get the Book!
Drawing from more than 200 community stories, 20+ hours of recorded interviews, and photographs by Michael Caballes, this book takes the reader on a journey under and between the rows of canopy tents in the parking lot of the 32nd Street Farmers Market in Baltimore, MD. Stories range from the first time at the Market to the 633rd time; the joys and patience of seasonal eating to recipe inspiration; family reunions to acts of kindness from a stranger. Woven together, they illustrate the Market as a site for building community. I hope you see yourself and your own community reflected in these pages. This book is for anyone seeking a deeper connection to the people and places they call home.
Questions? Get in touch with us at events@compact.org