ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – There’s always a beginning, middle, and end.
But there is yet to be an exact recipe for sharing a story.
It can be broadcast to thousands or thoughtfully crafted into something as small as a beer can.
“What really inspired me about telling stories is once you tell a story, they’ll tell it to someone and share it again,” said Morgan Owle-Crisp.
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Morgan comes from a family of storytellers, but that doesn’t mean their stories were always shared.
“I had family before who were not proud to be Cherokee; they wanted to hide it,” remembered Morgan.
So when it came time to share her story, she had questions.
“Who am I? What am I supposed to do as a Cherokee woman? How am I supposed to be a leader in my community? All those questions were coming up for me,” said Morgan.
Her answer involved water, yeast, hops, and grain.
“Whether it’s chestnuts or persimmons, we’ve used squash, sweet potatoes, strawberries, blueberries,” listed Morgan.
Some use indigenous ingredients, but all of her beers at ‘7 Clans Brewing’ in Asheville highlight the stories of her Cherokee people.
“For me, I’m most proud of having that representation,” said Morgan.
There’s her first beer.
“Our first can represent ‘Selu,’ who was our first woman,” said Morgan.
Then she created ‘Hop Rooted’ and ‘Bended Tree.’
It wasn’t long before more and more people started to listen.
“It just caught, and people resonated with that, and they wanted to know more,” said Morgan.
For Morgan, this is healing. This is her story of how small can be big.
“Little tiny things- like a beer can,” smiled Morgan.
And how she became a storyteller.
