“Don’t go into the graveyard after dark!” Perhaps like my friend, Janis McCall, you grew up with this warning. But really… is there anything to fear in graveyards? “Personally I have no bone to pick with graveyards,” said Samuel Beckett. However, every story has a reason to be told. This story comes to me from …Read More
Category: Storytelling
Mondays and Holy Thursdays
I wish I could say that I was less confused. The garbage collection people sent me a notice to change the dates of collection from Wednesday and Saturday to Monday and Thursday. I’d like to set the record straight. In the age of euphemism starting sometime in the 1980’s, I understand that I might refer …Read More
Slip Sliding Away ~ Down the Grand Canyon
“you know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip sliding away.” Paul Simon was slip sliding away in my head as I made my way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Shorts, T-shirt, hiking boots, sunglasses, hat, suntan lotion… backpack with water, trail mix, snack bars. The group of four of us …Read More
Story: Never Forget – Unknown Soldier
Unsure of how to proceed, the young soldier prayed silently while he continued to pace. As if summoned by some invisible force, he homed in on one of the flag-swathed caskets. “I know this man,” he thought. His arms seemed to move of their own accord, placing the roses he held atop the coffin. ~ …Read More
Fabry Disease ~ Slow Down
I shook the officer’s hand, and he let me go with a warning. Almost 20 years ago, I was driving through the beautiful state of Idaho. I was working there temporarily and exploring the parks and cities within several hours by car. I spent many weekends at Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. …Read More
Human Library, check out a person
“The Human Library® creates a safe space for dialogue where topics are discussed openly between our human books and their readers.” ~ HumanLibrary.org At the Human Library®, people are published in 30-minute conversations. Anders Fransen suffers from a rare genetic condition and is published under the titles, “Deaf Blind” and “Rare Handicap.” He explains his …Read More
Gossip at The Moth
“I think you got the lowest score,” said my dad. I went to The Moth StorySlam event in Miami on May 31st, 2023, where the theme was “GOSSIP.” As you would expect, the stories were juicy. In a city that is about 70% Hispanic, the Venezuelan emcee was the first to tell you that here …Read More
Where good ideas come from ~ Steven Johnson
I am guilty of this too. It’s what we do as storytellers. We look for that pivotal moment, that eureka moment, that stroke of insight. Lifechanging moments are the stuff of good stories. It creates tension to move towards this great climax where the aha moment strikes you with an idea, and your life is …Read More
This too shall pass
“I would like a ring that will make a happy person sad… and a sad person happy,” said the King to his ministers. The ministers went about the land looking high and low, near and far, but they could find no one who knew of such a ring. The weeks turned to months. The months …Read More
Florida Storytelling Festival, Jan 26 – 29, 2023
“I see you once a year. You’re like family!” I said to my friend, Morgen Reynolds, at the Florida Storytelling Festival. She’d been coming with her mother every year from Montana, and this was the third year in a row. The feeling when I saw Morgen felt so familiar. I grew up gathering every year …Read More