Out with the old, in with the new! The beginning of a new year can prompt us, both figuratively and literally, to throw open our windows and air out our homes. The stagnant atmosphere rushes out and our spaces and lungs fill with an invigorating chill.
To kick off our storytelling for 2022, Better Said Than Done is following this time-honored tradition, and on Thursday, January 13th, we will start the process with Dirty Laundry: Stories to Air Out! The ever wonderful Jessica Robinson is your host for this online show, and she’ll be joined by storytellers Carrie Sue Ayvar, Janel Behm, Padraic Keohane, Roopa Mohan, Antonio Rocha, and Sue Searing! Tickets are available right here.
Here’s a quick intro to the brave souls who will be showing off the contents of their metaphorical hampers…
Carrie Sue Ayvar has been connecting, people, languages, cultures, and curriculum in both English and Spanish, for over forty years. Performing in diverse venues she is an award-winning storyteller, Chautauqua Scholar and a National Credentialed Teaching Artist. An advocate for the art of storytelling and arts education she believes, like her Grandpa Nat taught her, that “If you don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in life.”
Janel Behm is an award-winning storyteller and graduate of the Ohio State University. Although born and raised in Northwest Ohio, Janel currently calls the Gulf Coast of Florida home. There she creates community around a campfire through her passion for the ukulele and her gift of storytelling. She specializes in ancient allegories from original cultures and personal stories of her blended family that are often hilarious and always heartwarming. Janel is a member of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, the Tamiami Tale Tellers, the Florida Storytelling Association, and the National Storytelling Network.
Padraic P. Keohane is an author, storyteller and trainer who lives with his wonderful wife and two children. He has been creating tales since he was three when a lamp got broken. This started him down a dark road of folk tales, fairy tales, and, gasp, wisdom tales. He has written several books and short stories and has traveled around the world. Well, the northern hemisphere…that darn equator keeps getting in the way. You can find his books on Amazon.
Roopa Mohan is a storyteller from Walnut Creek, CA. She first trained at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum to tell stories to visiting school groups. She has expanded her repertoire and also enjoys sharing personal stories from her childhood in India. Roopa serves on the Board of the Storytelling Assoc of CA and currently leads a project to bring stories to underserved public schools. She is an active member of Asian American Storytellers in Unity, contributing stories to their collaborative project that celebrates diversity and builds bridges.
Antonio Rocha, originally from Brazil, came to the USA In 1988 to study mime with Tony Montanaro. Since then Antonio has performed his unique fusion of mime and spoken word with his tenor voice and realistic sound effects from Maine to New Zealand covering 20 countries across 6 continents. Antonio has many recordings, a picture book, and is a two time TEDx presenter. Amongst his many awards received, he has earned the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network for his “exceptional commitment and exemplary contributions to the art of storytelling.
Sue Searing began her storytelling journey in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. She now resides in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where she performs frequently at curated and open mic shows for both adults and children. Sue’s original stories based on her own life have taken top honors at local and regional story slams, while she continues to deepen her engagement with the traditional genres of folklore, fairy tale, legend, and myth. You can hear more of Sue’s stories on her YouTube channel.
Intrigued by what a fine, upstanding group such as this could have to reveal from the hidden corners of their lives? I know I am! Please join us from the comfort of your home to find out. The show is at 8:00 P.M. EST/5:00pm PST, and it’s still “pay what you can” – with a suggested contribution of $16 and a minimum of $6. Grab your tickets now!
