Kansas City - we made it!

Troupe members stagger down the hall to our rooms on arrival at the hotel in Kansas City. All any of us could think of was good food and a good night of rest. Fortunately we got both, as Monday night we were off. The hotel, in the middle of downtown Kansas City, was still relatively quiet when we got there, with a few storytellers coming in for early meetings.

The next morning, Delanna, David, Libby and I took off for the VA. After some minor confusion we were told to go up to the 9th floor where every door was locked. There, we waited for the music therapist who secured a room for us, and then we waited there until a group of men came in. Tense, with downcast eyes and clinched fists, it was obvious they were not happy to be there, but then stories have a way of changing all that.

I started off with My Cousin Phil (with his permission, of course,) - a parady on the old bear chases man theme, in which he accidentally sets off a bear down on the St. Marks River in North Florida, and runs for safety. While the heart of the story is  quite serious - my beloved cousin was in Viet Nam and came home to a different world, it is funny, and that warmed them up. Each story seemed to touch them in a different way and we rejoiced as barriers dropped and they began to actively listen.

Our friend the therapist was shocked, as she had told us early on not to expect much from those men. "Their attention span may last 45-minutes," she told us, "and then they'll want to leave." But that's not what happened - they relaxed into the stories and when the time was up and Libby had not told, asked her to tell. They sat for well over an hour without a single complaint, and when they left, it was with smiles, jokes and handshakes. You can't beat storytelling for mood-changing miracles!

Before we left, the therapist told us she had another group meeting in a different location on Thursday...would we care to tell for that one, too? Yes!

St. Louis - Our Reputation Precedes Us!

     Leaving Evansville, Indiana, we traveled the long road to St. Louis, Missouri, completely impressed by the magnificent arch which seems to define that great city.  Even though we knew that our chair, Sherril Miller’s father was a master welder who worked on the structure during construction, Jeff Stratton, who is height-averse, regaled us with his story about being stuck at the top. Oh, the horrors of being deliciously afraid are so much fun. . .

     Starving after our light lunch, and in need of rest and sustenance, we decided to eat dinner prior to our evening concert. As several of the troupe have specific dietary needs that had flown to the wind that day, we voted for Asian cuisine. Located downtown, nice, quiet, and cozy, the restaurant allowed the group some real downtime, a commodity we had come to appreciate.

     Making her choices and opting for a special order of sesame chicken, Libby, our mountain teller, caught the eye of Buddy, our server, and it went from there. We played, laughed, and enjoyed their banter as we ate as fine a meal as one could ask for in a big new town. Leaving, two women, who occupied a table near us approached saying, “Are you the storytellers from Jonesborough?” As it turns out, they were storytellers, and they, too, had stopped for dinner prior to attending our concert at the Crown Center for Senior Living, spied us and came by to chat. I must say the recognition so far from home felt good.

    Arriving at the Center, Libby and Delanna set up their cameras for videotaping, as we all assessed the crowd and settled into performance mode. While we had long since discovered that special condition stayed “on” for most of the trip, the really interesting thing was that we all felt it as one entity; we really were a troupe with our egos parked at the curb. It was a powerful feeling to be so attuned to our fellow storytellers, and one we’ll all savor for a long time to come.

      David Claunch secured the gig for us, through the auspices of Bobby Norfolk. Bobby was with us last year in Jonesborough in his role as Teller in Residence, and conducted a workshop at the International Storytelling Center which most of us attended. At that time, he told us about his work leading storytelling and history tours in the St. Louis Arch, all of which had come back to us when we saw it in person. He and his talented wife, storyteller, educator and author Sherry, welcomed us warmly to their state, as did all the other storytellers and guests present including our new friends from the restaurant, one of whom was named Rose.

     After, we talked to members of the guilds for nearly an hour, as it seems almost everyone is interested in how the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild works. Linda Poland interviewed a woman for her WWII story collection project, and I exchanged ideas with the artistic director at one of the big museums in St. Louis. When we finally left for our hotel, we were an exhausted but happy group, having again fulfilled our mission of planting story-seeds along our path to the national conference in Kansas City, MO.

Sacred Storytelling - Unity comes in all Flavors

After a good night's sleep, the troupe again hit the road but as our church gig was nearby, we had only a short way to go this time. Again, it seemed miraculous that seven people - that perfect number in so many ways, could manage to sleep, shower and get out the door on time, but we did. Of course, David Claunch and Jeff Stratton, our time monitors, had made sure we were up and getting ready, but we really didn't need the help. Our work on the road was fun, and with each day came new experiences to savor.


Sherril Miller, a licensed Unity minister, chair of the Kansas City Road Trip effort, put us in touch with the Evansville Unity Church Pastor, Glenda Wilson, who made us welcome from the beginning.

Arriving at the small, very clean building, we entered to such a welcome that immediately we knew the day was going to be a success. We were introduced to everyone who came in, but with our matching blue vests, it was pretty obvious who we were to them; there was no question but that they were glad we were there.

Pastor Glenda was a surprise. With short graying hair, absolutely no makeup and casual clothing, I had taken her to be a member of the congregation, but no, this woman was their leader, and such a leader she turned out to be. The entire group - and the church was full, was as accepting as she, and the sense of unity strong. The service was simple and exquisite, with beautiful music played on a baby grand piano.

Our storytellers entered into the essence of the day with their stories blending seamlessly into the tapestry of worship. Teller Libby Tipton, asked for a Bible to use with her story as she had left hers behind. The pastor shared her own - one that her parents had given her when she graduated from seminary.

At the end, teller Linda Poland asked pastor Glenda for a blessing, which she gladly bestowed on each of us with the support of her people. Such a blessed day it was, and on we'll never forget, in Evansville, Indiana.

Telling for a Full House in Evansville, IN

     After lunch with staff at the Nazareth Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Louisville, Kentucky, we boarded the van headed for Evansville, Indiana. This was our second day on the road and we were on our way to our fourth venue, a house concert sponsored by the the local Evansville storytelling guild.

After driving all afternoon, one of the first things we noticed on arrival in Evansville was how pretty and clean it was. That may not be the case everywhere you might look, but from our vantage point, it held true. Approaching our destination we were thrilled to see signs reading "Storytelling," with arrows pointing to our destination, but things got even better...

Approaching the wide, curving drive of our hosts, we were met by a young couple who showed us where we needed to go and helped us with parking. Debarking at the house, we were met by storyteller and educator Mary Jo Huff, our contact in Indiana.

After greeting us with hugs like old friends, which by that time we were, she led
she led us to the porch which was decorated with a large version of the invitation they had created, and tons of flowers. You might say we felt like royalty by this time, and that is exactly how we were treated all that evening.

Our hosts had emptied both the living room and dining room to accommodate the over seventy guests who attended. The house was a perfect spot for us as those two rooms flanked the foyer and led straight into a delightful den where we told with Mary Jo and another guild member, Tammy, to an enthusiastic crowd.

A break took us to the back porch where a sumptuous feast of chocolate - cookies, brownies... awaited us. Leaving, our emcee, Mike, presented us with small boxes of exquisite chocolate turtles...

We left for our hotel knowing we were doing something beyond breaking new ground for storytellers with our trip; we were performing as a troupe and were exceeding what we had ever done before. Heady, it was with a more-ish taste to it, and one lavished with more than a hint of chocolate!