Storytelling at Nazareth Nursing & Rehabilitation in Louisville, KY

     Saturday morning found the Kansas City road trip troupe wide awake and eager to take to the road for more storytelling. Arriving in Louisville, Kentucky, we were awestruck by the good-looking structure which houses the rehabilitation center, nursing facilities and an Alzheimer's Unit. Run by the Sisters of Charity, it is also the place many Catholic priests and nuns live out their final days loved and appreciated by an excellent staff. The care given the place is a good indication of that given to its residents in my opinion, and this one was first-rate.

     On seeing it, I soon realized the honor we had been given: supporting member, Mattie Mullins secured this venue for us, and apparently not just anybody performs there. Just the night before, someone familiar with the facility asked, "how did you get booked in there?" I just told her a friend of a friend snagged it for us, which was true... At any rate, we were happy to be there, and treated like royalty from Kathy at the front desk, to our host, Sarah Coode.

     We held two simultaneous concerts - one for the general population, the other for those with Alzheimer's. A good friend of Mattie's from years back, a Mr. Tipton who lives in the area, came for the main concert, while David, Libby and I went to the Alzheimer's unit. Lucky, the golden retriever who watches over the ladies, had been visiting with a family and missed our arrival. He sauntered in not long after we did and quickly detected the presence of strangers amongst his charges. Libby and I easily passed muster, but David, the lone male, had to make friends rather quickly or give up and leave it to us. Fortunately, he's a lovable character and it took him little time to convince the canine guardian that all was well. While not all the women were nuns, all were called "sister," and it delighted us to take them back in time with stories that sparked special memories of the past. Such a beautiful time it was.

After a sumptuous lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, chips and dessert, the strong need for a quick siesta set in, but that's also when the reality of the vigours of staying in performance mode became most clear: stories were at the tip of my tongue and I would have been happy to continue performing to anyone I could find to tell to, but it was not to be. Next: the Evansville, IN House Concert.

Next Kansas City road trip concert: former Walmart, now Harmony Christian Church

Georgetown, Ky is a pretty town, and we pulled into the Harmony Christian Church parking oohing and aahing at everything we'd seen. We were, however, totally unprepared for the enormity of what this congregation has accomplished with an unwanted big-box-store space.

Instead of knocking the plain, concrete block building down, church members utilized what was there - good location, solid bones and plenty of space. With everything from a coffee bar in the huge foyer, to a school to car garage bays kept to service cars in the back, this multi-purpose building has been converted with utility and grace in mind.

Did I mention the kitchen? Our host and emcee for the concert, storyteller Don "Buck" Creacy, met us at the doors, ushered us into the spacious galley kitchen and served up incredible pulled pork, baked beans, broccoli slaw and his own handmade yeast rolls for supper. Our pizza from earlier in the day long gone from hours of driving, we were famished, and went to work with serious intent on this feast. How we were able to perform an hour later is still in question, but we did, and with pleasure.

A nice crowd of eager listeners attended that night, including storyteller Mary Hamilton, and her husband Charles. Some who were there had never been to a storytelling concert and came out of curiosity; they left eager to hear more as our story-seeds began to take root, and grow in their hearts and minds. This intended result was a part of what inspired several of us to plan this journey, as the notion of planting story-seeds along our path through four states was a significant part of the mission.

Speaking of inspiration: while we raised funds for the trip, and performed "free," we asked each venue to provide a meal for the seven of us.  While not everyone went as far as Buck and his church did, all did what they could, including taking up love offerings on our behalf. As a result, we got to know the people for whom we performed, and made fast friends everywhere we went, listening to their stories as we shared the blessing of a shared meal.

Highlights from our trip journal - Corbin, KY

As mentioned in last weeks' post, Corbin, KY was the ideal lift-off for our storytelling journey. Empty with the exception of a barebones staff and those directing the summer school program; spruced up for the beginning of school, floors shiny with new wax, walls freshly painted, and with sage slogans decorating the walls, the small school welcomed us with arms opened wide. Those clean walls and floors echoed when we first entered, as summer's students were still on a field trip when our energy expanded into their library.

In my experience, school libraries are almost always special places. Not only are their shelves filled with ideas and information; the surroundings nurture the mind, allowing imagination to take flight. At Corbin Elementary, the library fulfilled its promise to the letter with delightful and cooperative staff as eager to hear our stories as their students.

An interior gazebo proved to be our performance arena as we played and warmed up while awaiting our audience. By the time they arrived, we were stoked and ready, already nurtured by our environs. Our listeners immediately engaged, they sat as close as they dared to the gazebo, something most storytellers welcome. While distance isn't necessarily the enemy for those using voice as their primary communication tool, being up close and personal is highly valued by most of us.

At first, the teachers were nervous as their students grew actively engaged and interactive with what we were doing, but as things progressed, they,  too, merged into the experience with the children, which is always magical for us.

One of our guild troop members, Delanna Reed, PhD from East Tennessee State's storytelling program ascended the platform and before she could speak, the children begged her to sit down. It's a bit unusual for the audience to be demanding like that, but in this case the reason became obvious the moment she entered their space - they wanted to be close to her, see her eyes, and become a part of what she was doing. I can assure you she has never told that story to a more engaged and attentive audience!(Delanna is seated in the middle of the front row.)

And so it was throughout the entire performance as the stories wove their magic, and the storytellers allowed it to happen. Storytellers serve as conduits for what our stories wish to share with listeners, and it takes a certain amount of finesse and skill to be willing to allow this mystical experience to occur. When it does, both listeners and tellers enter into what is called a "liminal" space during the telling. It's almost a spiritual thing, and one reason really good storytellers select their stories with the greatest care.

Taking to the road from Corbin, we were all aware of the honor they had paid us. Yes, we knew our reputation as a premier performance guild preceded us, and yes, we knew the work we had just done was as good as we could make it, but what they gave us was their complete attention and a sweet portion of our hearts. Such a treasure.

Storytelling Journey across mid-America

The much-touted Kansas City Here We Come Road Trip is an accomplished fact, and we’re home after traveling over 2,000 miles to Kansas City, MO and back.      Unfortunately, I was unable to transmit reports during the trip, but this remarkable success story unfolds now and in the following weeks as I reprise the most unusual trip ever undertaken by a storytelling guild.

 Imagine seven disparate people, whose main tie was initially storytelling performance, melding into a cohesive performance troupe. For ten days, we traveled and ate together, sharing motel rooms and personal space, all with one goal – planting story seeds along the path. Breaking new ground in the world of storytelling, we are the first guild in America to undertake such a mammoth journey. Ask any one of us and you’ll find that after the initial discomfort of being so close, our differences became less important as dedication to our goals grew more dear.

 We left Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town, after a raucous send-off by our fellow storytelling friends, sponsors and the local newspaper, the Herald & Tribune. Driving away in a comfortable van loaned to us by the Ford dealer in Erwin, Tennessee, we were in high spirits, eagerly anticipating what lay ahead.

 Beginning at Corbin Elementary School in eastern KY, with each performance came revelation, joy, and confirmation for the journey, as response to our gift of story grew. Met by  enthusiastic staff as eager to hear our stories as their summer school students, we regaled them with tales of wonder and woe, success in the face of certain failure, and the knowledge that dreams can come true.  It was the perfect gig from which to begin our storytelling travels, and we headed towards Georgetown, Kentucky, stoked by their obvious enthusiasm.

 As the week goes on, I will add to this journal, providing anecdotes for those of you who faithfully followed our preparations prior to departure and those who have just now found us.