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Artistic talents shine throughout Winchester, some hidden more than others.

Those who wish to showcase them will have an opportunity in the first week of October.

WinCity Voices is hosting “The Voices of Winchester: A Night of Storytelling” at the Leeds Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Artists and storytellers are actively sought for the event, which provides free admission.

“We’re really excited. This is [going to] be our second one”, said Lashana Harney, a WinCity Voices board member. “This year, it’s really just about connecting to the community and bringing [out] the art of storytelling in all its forms.”

Those interested in doing so can apply at wincityvoices.org/apply.

At last year’s event, a number of participants from throughout the community were involved.

These included Ron Kibbey, Joyce Morton and Rebecca Campomanes.

Along with traditional storytellers, attendees can expect poetry readings.

Still, there’s an opportunity for more.

“[We’d] love to have some skits, maybe people doing a monologue,” Harney aded. “[There is] all sorts of different things you can do.”

Beyond the spoken word, last year’s inaugural edition also featured artwork.

The team looks to build on this as well.

“We had mostly arts and paintings, so I’d love to have different mediums [as well],” Harney said.

This year’s theme is “Hope,” with artistic endeavors geared towards expressions of it.

According to Harney, hope was chosen to address issues that might feel commonplace to many who have dealt with local and worldly events of the last few years.

“We welcome storytellers and artists who might not necessarily fall under that theme…but the reason we wanted to do hope is because we’ve heard the term ‘unprecedented times’ over and over,” Harney said. “It’s just been a really tough time for people with the political climate, climate change, [and] there’s been a lot of negative things happening. We just want to make sure that people [who] come out for this event feel positivity.”

It’s expected that about 10-12 maximum storytellers can be accommodated.

While the space available for artists has yet to be discovered definitively, expectations are that many will have room.

“It really just depends on how many pieces you submit [and] how big your pieces are,” Harney said. “We’re taking it on a case-by-case basis as many people that we can take, we’ll have them. If you don’t make it this year, we’ll get you in for next year.”

WinCity Voices notes that sponsors made its opportunities – including free admission – largely possible.

“I’m so thankful to the community for stepping in and helping us fund this event,” Harney added. “The big thing that we wanted to do from the beginning is keep this free. We’ve been very grateful for the donations that we’ve received so far.”

With opportunity just around the corner, the hopes of WinCity Voices remain high.

“We’re going to have, hopefully, a lot of new storytellers this year different artists, some good food and music, and have a good time”, Harney said.

For inquiries about storytelling, art participation, sponsorships, or donations, please email Pete Koutoulas at info@wincitynews.org or Lashana Harney at lashanaharney@gmail.com.