Grammy award-winning musician Dessa spoke about the universal power of stories and explored their ability to effect social change in a conversation with St. Thomas community members on Wednesday in the auditorium of the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center.
The talk was hosted jointly by the Luann Dummer Center for Women and Finding Forward, a partnership between St. Thomas and the Minnesota Star Tribune that hosts regular speaking events meant to initiate important conversations and share new perspectives. As an author, performer and speaker, Dessa said telling her own story is often her first step in accomplishing these goals.
“On the whole, my skill set is to try to do the true story, well told, and trust that that will resonate; trust that even if I can’t exactly plan the trajectory of this paper plane, that the prevailing currents will guide it in an important way,” Dessa said.
The hour-long event was split between a conversational presentation by Dessa and a Q&A portion run by Luann Dummer Center Director Elizabeth Wilkinson, who also introduced the event.
Dessa said the passion for storytelling awoke in her from a young age. She listed examples of impactful stories she experienced growing up — such as the mid-‘90s sitcom “Northern Exposure” and the historical nonfiction book “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers — that went on to inform her artistic goals.
Dessa also reflected on her experience as a white woman breaking into the hip-hop scene in response to student questions, though she stressed that her story is still being written, as both an artist and as a human.
“We have this tendency, when we look over our shoulders, to see like a really neat narrative; mine has changed, and is changing,” Dessa said.
People can change those narratives themselves, though; she spoke about one especially bad breakup that forced her to reevaluate the “story” she was telling herself in order to heal.
“Is there a way to find a little bit of distance between myself and this feeling and make something of it, make a story of it, so there is some value to be pulled from the well?” Dessa said. “But I think we do this kind of storifying of our own lives and the days that we lead; we’re self-evaluative about the stories we tell about ourselves.”
While she said that many of her own attempts to create songs centered around morality and social justice came off as “didactic and really dumb,” that same idea of storytelling has helped her invite others into her lived experience in an effort to connect with those she might not have reached otherwise.
“I wanted to engage sentiment if I could,” Dessa said. “I can’t reach my fingers into your chest, right? The only thing I can do is say, ‘Hey. Here’s what moves me. Here’s the evidence as best I can present for your inspection.’”
Wilkinson said that she had almost given up on bringing Dessa to campus before Wednesday’s discussion. After plans fell through with a number of other campus organizations, though, Wilkinson said she was contacted by Amy McDonough from Finding Forward in an effort to diversify the series.
“All the Finding Forward speakers this year have been men, and she’s like, ‘Who better to contact to give it a little feminist twist than the Luann Dummer Center for Women?’” Wilkinson said after the event. “… It just was a perfect marriage.”
Dessa ended the presentation portion of the night with a recital of “How to Stage Dive,” a personal poem reconciling her love of performance with her conceptions of the human experience.
While they might not have had to actually lift her around the auditorium, the sizable crowd was responsive and regularly forced Dessa to pause for laughter.
Community member Maureen Vischer said that she saw Dessa perform at First Avenue about 10 years ago. Even still, she said she appreciated how theatrically the performer expressed herself.
“It’s like, is she a dancer, too?” Vischer said. “Her ability, her dance-like walking … I didn’t want it to end.”
As a longtime Dessa fan, St. Paul resident Ernesto Maldonado said he is well aware of her powerful speaking ability.
“I go to everything she does. The poem, I was almost reciting it with her,” Maldonado said.
The evening ended with a reception and book signing in light of the release of Dessa’s latest book, “Bury the Lede: A Cocktail Book,” on Nov. 19, which mixes the singer’s thoughts on songwriting with drink recipes to match each of the songs on her album “Bury the Lede.”
True to the rest of her presentation, she answered the question of her favorite cocktail by connecting to the current political moment.
“My favorite cocktail in the new book is called a decoy,” Dessa said. “It’s a strong one, which for me, has felt appropriate this month.”
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.