TITLE: Adoptee Storytellers

DESCRIPTION

This month’s We the Experts will feature Adoptee Storytellers in their myriad of roles such as authors, poets, public speakers, artists, and other creative outlets of sharing one’s story. Storytelling is so essential to our community whose narrative has historically been written by outside or adjacent counterparts with the intention of shaping the story as positive and marketable. Adoptees are a marginalized group who deserve to share their experiences just as they are, without the rainbows and unicorns. Join us as we make space for each adoptee’s authentic journey of storytelling. 

Topics of discussion will include:

• When did you realize you wanted your voice to be heard? What were the initial feelings going through your head when you were telling your story for the first time? 

• Did you generally feel heard and seen growing up? When did that change? 

• Why do you think storytelling is important? 

• Do you have any advice for other adoptees who want to become storytellers? 

PANELISTS

Dr Liz Debetta (she/her)

Dr. Liz DeBetta is a scholar-artist-activist and Founder of Migrating Toward Wholeness©, a program that helps adoptees and trauma survivors heal through creative writing and storytelling. As an adoptee, she brings a deeply personal perspective to her work, which emphasizes the power of personal narratives in promoting resilience, connection, and self-acceptance. She is the author of Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal: Migrating Toward Wholeness and creator of the award-winning one-woman show Un-M-Othered, exploring adoption and patriarchy. Dr. DeBetta's interdisciplinary approach and commitment to social justice make her a leading voice in using creative expression as a tool for personal and collective transformation. 

She is excited to be on this panel to share her work as a storyteller, healer, and guide.

Deidra "Dee" McGee (she/her)

Dee McGee is a Late Discovery Adoptee and part of the Misattributed Parentage Community. She was blessed to be raised by her late adoptive parents and has been in reunion with both her maternal and paternal biological families. Dee enjoys attending national adoptee support groups.She is passionate about helping adoptees through their experience – transforming their lives through verbal communication that leads to visualizing and producing their desired goals.

Dee is a storyteller through her public speaking work. She’s been a panelist and moderator at national conferences, written a blog for the Adoptee Voices' newsletter and been interviewed on many adoptee podcasts and YouTube videos. Dee has also served in various leadership roles within Toastmasters International since 2004, and in 2021 she was honored with the “Distinguished Toastmaster Award.” She has earned a BA in Rhetoric & Communications, an MS in Technical & Science Communication, and has completed a year-long Executive Potential Program. In her spare time, Dee enjoys building connections and community through kindred spirits and enjoys food, fun, and fitness while working on her bucket list. She is excited to tell her story of resilience as a Late Discovery Adoptee and DNA Discoverer. Dee hopes her story will be valuable to people currently seeking their identity and belongingness.

Tarcia Smith Tarcia Smith is a Black, same-race adoptee. She was adopted at 5 weeks old and has always known that she was adopted. She is in reunion with her bio family and has formed a bond with her siblings. She is the host of the Adoptee Journey Podcast. Each guest represents a part of the adoption constellation and is encouraged to share their truth, Her podcast offers an alternative perspective to mainstream adoption narratives and creates a therapeutic environment for listeners and speakers. She is also the co-founder of Black Adoptees Meetup.

She is  excited to be on this panel to share her story of search and reunion.

Alice Stephens (she/her)

Born in Korea, Alice Stephens was among the first wave of intercountry, transracial adoptees. Author of the novel, Famous Adopted People, she is also a book reviewer, essayist, short story writer, facilitator of the Adoptee Voices Writing Group, member of the Starlings Collective, and co-founder of the Adoptee Literary Festival. She was featured in the 2024 Frontline documentary, “South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning.” Currently, she is working on a collection of autofictional short stories that tell the story of her adoption. Her historical novel, The Twain, is forthcoming from Regal House Publishing in 2027.

Since coming into adoptee consciousness, Alice has made it her mission to promote adoptee writers and authentic adoptee narratives, and she is thrilled to learn from other storytellers on the panel and share her strong opinions on the challenges and joys of writing while adopted.

Alternate - Melissa Bennett (she/her)

Melissa L. Bennett is a descendant of the Umatilla, Nimiipuu, Sac & Fox, and Anishinaabe Nations. She is a writer, storyteller, storylistener, ancestor whisperer, and educator. Melissa was a 2025 Tin House writing fellow, a 2024 Storyknife Resident and member of the Changemaker Author’s Cohort, and a 2023 Oregon Humanities Community Storytelling Fellow. Melissa is a transracial adoptee who grew up in rural Oregon. She utilizes her skills as a storyteller in her work with spiritual counseling and tarot clients helping people connect with and heal their ancestral stories. She is currently writing her first memoir and is working on a tarot deck for transracial adoptees. Melissa is passionate about the healing power of storytelling and storylistening and is excited to share her passion with the Adoption Mosaic community.