As the Waitresses once put it, “now the calendar is just one page.” December is here, the time of year to take stock, reflect, celebrate, and then look to the future. Loved ones gather together to catch up and share treasured traditions. And that holds true for the Better Said Than Done community as well!
On Saturday, December 14th, at 7:00 P.M. Eastern, join Better Said Than Done for “That’s a Wrap!” It’s our annual end of year celebration and storytelling show, held online via Zoom. Yours truly, Jack Scheer, has the honor of emceeing this event, and I’ll be bringing to our virtual stage a merry band of storytellers: Lona Bartlett, Alton Chung, Lynette Ford, Dolores Hydock, Laura Packer, Denise Page, Jessica Robinson and Ed Stivender!
Get your tickets here!
Whenever I pull double duty as blogger and host, I like to ask our tellers two interrelated questions – one for the post you’re reading now and one to use as their introductions at the show. The first question I asked?
What’s a happy thing that happened to you in 2023?
Here’s the good stuff our tellers shared…
Lona Bartlett: I’ve been longing to go to Ireland for about 35 years. This year I put it on the top of my “life list,” and the Universe stepped in and gave to me the opportunity to be a featured teller in the Glens Storytelling Festival in Northern Ireland. I had an amazing time! I met friends I never knew I had, shared stories, ate stew cooked in Guinness, had a soda in an Irish pub, went to the botanical gardens all by myself, figured out the bus system in Dublin, and so much more! I LOVED every minute of it.
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Alton Chung: I spent months creating multiple grade-appropriate versions of a historic story for a school district and performed them in several schools for various grades in May. I also created a video of the K-2 version of the story for them. After months of radio silence, at the end of November, they finally let me know that they loved the video and my performances. Oh, joy, rapture unforeseen! The skies above are now serene! The things we do for acknowledgment, gratification, albeit delayed, and a check.
Lynette Ford: I received some wonderful gifts! First, and most wonderful, my husband Bruce was finally healthy enough to have surgery setting five stents in his arteries, and, although there’s still more care, he’s now walking with no pain. Second, I received two awards from the National Association of Black Storytellers. Third, I developed an online storytelling/story-creating class for John C. Campbell Folk School, and storytelling friends and acquaintances participated, which made the class great fun!
Chetter Galloway: Being chosen as one of six tellers from a hundred to perform at the National Storytelling Festival Story Slam was thrilling! I had not attended the festival since 2003 and it was like going to a family reunion with high stakes! Although I placed second, I enjoyed the experience of being live on the stage in front of a standing room crowd! The tent atmosphere was amazing, filled with energy and excitement from the audience. I felt appreciated knowing that a story I created years ago still has mileage in a 5-minute version.
Dolores Hydock: I helped my sister celebrate her 75th birthday in June in Montreal. Because our flights home left very early, we didn’t go out to dinner the night before, but made a picnic in our hotel room. As we shared a baguette, cheese, apples, and a bottle of wine, we told old and new stories about people and events from our past, continuing to talk even after we turned out the lights. Montreal was beautiful, but that lovely “sister” time was the best part of the trip.
Laura Packer: I became a grandmother for the first time. It’s a little stunning, I don’t *feel* like a grandma, but when I hold my granddaughter or watch her walk on her unsteady legs, my heart fills. She is so much like her parents – smart, curious, appropriately demanding, full of love. While I have no biological children, I love knowing I will know this person from her birth and that maybe someday she will tell stories about her step-grandmother, who loved her so much.
Denise Page: My existing friendships deepened, new ones are blossoming, and I have just been basking in the goodness of people. Also, despite three major surgeries every one of my professional goals was met. Now quite sure how that happened. And one of those surgeries kept me out of the earthquake in Marrakesh! Silver linings indeed!
Jessica Robinson: Two happy and related events happened in 2023. I was presented the ORACLE Award for Leadership and Service from the National Storytelling Network, and Better Said Than Done was granted 501(c)(3) status as a Public Charity, meaning that we can now accept tax deductible donations and sponsorships.
Ed Stivender: I pitched an idea for a Storytelling Festival at my Alma Mater, St. Joseph’s University, to be held on the grounds of the Barnes Arboretum, the first Weekend of May 2023. Thanks to Dr. Clint Springer, Director of the Institute for Environmental Stewardship, this dream became a reality. I was joined by Charlotte Blake Alston and Denise Dunkley, a Lenni Lenape Teller. And people showed up!
My second question was…
What’s something that you’re looking forward to in 2024?
To find out their answers to that question, join us online on December 14th for the best online party of the year! Tickets go for a contribution of $15, a minimum $6 contribution, or you can pick an option to contribute more if the spirit of the season so moves you.
