Voices on the Wall 2026: A Celebration of storytelling, resilience, and belonging

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

On May 1, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) hosted its Spring 2026 edition of Voices on the Wall, bringing together students, faculty, friends, and community members for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and shared cultural expression. 

Coordinated by student leader Nafee Nur with support from Alison Ruch, English Professor and Faculty Advisor for Tell Magazine, the event reflected BHCC’s commitment to uplifting the diverse voices that make up its campus community. Rooted in a classroom conversation and now an annual tradition, Voices on the Wall continues to create a space where students feel seen, heard, and connected through their lived experiences. 

The program opened with a warm welcome that underscored “love and respect” as the event’s guiding values, encouraging attendees to listen deeply and honor each speaker's vulnerability. Nafee Nur shared her personal journey as a first-generation immigrant and writer, highlighting how Voices on the Wall became a safe space for expression and healing.

The Spring 2026 theme resonated with ideas of fractures, identity, and resilience, inviting participants to explore the moments that shape who they are—often across languages, cultures, and life transitions.

Student Performances

A series of powerful student readings formed the heart of the event, each offering a deeply personal perspective:

• Evie (Trang Y Nhi Mang) shared A Summer Daydream, reflecting on childhood memories in Vietnam and the emotional complexity of living between two worlds. Her performance bridged Vietnamese and English, illustrating both loss and growth.
• Soraya Nandy presented Fractured Words, exploring the nuances of identity and language through Bengali and English, highlighting how some emotions resist translation.
• Conserve Misharena recounted her experience of the 2010 Haiti earthquake in a moving narrative about survival, loss, and rebuilding.
• Natalie Garcia read a bilingual piece centered on memory and grief, using everyday objects—like a well-loved mug—to reflect on personal connection and loss, and to introduce the concept of “transcreation” in multilingual storytelling. 

Additional contributions included an original spoken-word performance by a student playwright and reflections from attendees, further enriching the collaborative and open atmosphere.

A defining feature of the event was its embrace of multilingual expression, with students presenting work in Vietnamese, Bengali, Spanish, French/Creole, and English. Rather than simply translating, many participants highlighted the idea of preserving cultural meaning—demonstrating how language shapes identity and emotional depth.

The event underscored the power of storytelling to build community. Students shared experiences of immigration, displacement, family, and personal growth—often revealing vulnerabilities that resonated across backgrounds.

The evening concluded with an invitation to continue the conversation, including the upcoming publication of selected works in Tell Magazine and future readings. Attendees were encouraged to remain engaged, share their voices, and contribute to the ongoing tradition.