an opportunity for members of the Orlando community to connect with one another through personal stories, conversation, and open dialogue.

Darren McDaniel, founding director of Urban ReThink, came up with the idea to bring the Human Library to Orlando after coming across the organization on the web.

"The timing just seemed right with ArtsFest coming up, so I asked Tisse to put it together," McDaniel said.

Tisse Mallon, Orlando based life coach, inspirational speaker and arts advocate, applied for a grant and sponsorship for the event through ArtsFest, an annual art fundraiser put on by United Arts of Central Florida. This year was the first time the ArtsFest event was month-long.

"There are two different [benefits] to having a human tell you their story. There's the immediate feedback for the storyteller… and there's something about being able to see the storyteller. You're able to ask questions and talk back and forth with each other," Mallon said.