The recording is now available for purchase. Watch emcee Jack Scheer and storytellers Allen DeBey, Bonnie Gardner, Sam Pearsall, Jessica Robinson, Shani Womack, and Linda Yemoto in “Now It’s Personal.” It’s all storytelling and all personal.
$15 Suggested/$5 Minimum All Proceeds Split Between Producer and Storytellers
As people can watch the recording for up to one month after, ticket sales close on August 13th. Your receipt reflects the date ticket sales close. The link to watch the show has the date and time of the show on it.
You will receive a link to watch the show moments after registering. If you do NOT see that email, first check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot find it, contact stories@bettersaidthandone.com BEFORE the show starts.
In the “Buy Tickets” box, click on the amount you’d like to pay and then “add to cart.” At the top of the “Buy Tickets” box, a little box that says “Go to Cart” will appear. Click on that. Confirm everything in your cart is correct. Click “Review Cart and Make Payment.” Then click on “Make Payment through Paypal.” That will take you to Paypal where you are given the choice to login to pay OR to pay with credit card.
PLEASE NOTE the times on all our events are Eastern Time Zone (EDT or EST).
You should receive an email with the link within minutes of purchase. Please check your email to confirm.
If you do NOT see your login email, first check your Junk/SPAM folder. If still no email, contact stories (at) bettersaidthandone (dot) com
Make sure you have the link before the show. We will do our best to assist you, but once the show begins, we are no longer able to help.
It’s no secret that the folks here at Better Said Than Done love our fearless leader, Jessica Robinson. Since founding BSTD in 2011, Jessica has grown and fostered a wonderful community of diverse storytellers. She created the Women’s Storytelling Festival, the first of its kind, from whole cloth. She’s led us through venue changes, creative challenges, and a giant freaking pandemic. And she’s done it all with seemingly boundless energy and an unwavering smile.
So we are thrilled, but not at all surprised, that she is being honored for all that she does by the National Storytelling Network. Jessica’s being presented the 2023 ORACLE Award for Regional Service and Leadership in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The ORACLE Awards are presented annually by the NSN “to those who have excelled in their art, or made significant contributions to storytelling, NSN or its members.” The award ceremony will take place on July 15, on Zoom, at 3:15pm EDT. It is a FREE ceremony open to the public. Details and link to watch here.
Joining Jessica are Loralee Cooley, receiving the Regional Leadership and Service Award for the Southeast Region, and Dolores Hydock, who is being presented with the Circle of Excellence Award.
Jessica, Loralee and Dolores will receive their awards on July 15th at the NSN General Membership Meeting. The meeting and awards presentation will be followed by a storytelling performance. Even if you are not an NSN member, we encourage you all to attend via this free Zoom link. The Zoom room opens at 12:45 Eastern, with the meeting starting at 1 o’clock and the awards presentation slated for 3:15. Jessica, Dolores, and Loralee will each perform a story in a showcase starting at 4:15pm. All events use the same link. (The NSN is on Central Time, so the times listed on the NSN page are 1 hour earlier than those listed here, in EDT.)
The troops here at BSTD couldn’t be prouder of our fearless, funny, fantastic leader. Come to the ceremony and help us celebrate Jessica and all she’s built and achieved!
The recording is now available. POP UP STORYTELLING, with emcee Jessica Robinson and storytellers Clint Atwater, Vicki Bryan, Claire Castell, Jack Scheer, Anne Shimojima, and J. StarLitWriter. Ticket sales close on July 23rd.
$15 Suggested/$5 Minimum All Proceeds Split Between Producer and Storytellers
As people can watch the recording for up to one month after, ticket sales close on July 23rd. Your receipt reflects the date ticket sales close. The link to watch the show has the date and time of the show on it.
You will receive a link to watch the show moments after registering. If you do NOT see that email, first check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot find it, contact stories@bettersaidthandone.comeipt reflects the date ticket sales close. The link to watch the show has the date and time of the show on it.
#EnjoytheShow
In the “Buy Tickets” box, click on the amount you’d like to pay and then “add to cart.” At the top of the “Buy Tickets” box, a little box that says “Go to Cart” will appear. Click on that. Confirm everything in your cart is correct. Click “Review Cart and Make Payment.” Then click on “Make Payment through Paypal.” That will take you to Paypal where you are given the choice to login to pay OR to pay with credit card.
PLEASE NOTE the times on all our events are Eastern Time Zone (EDT or EST).
You should receive an email with the link within minutes of purchase. Please check your email to confirm.
If you do NOT see your login email, first check your Junk/SPAM folder. If still no email, contact stories (at) bettersaidthandone (dot) com
Make sure you have the link before the show. We will do our best to assist you, but once the show begins, we are no longer able to help.
The recording is now available to watch emcee Jessica Robinson and storytellers Janel Behm, Calvin S. Cato, Heather Forest, Linda Schuyler Ford, Laura Simms, and Linda Yemoto in “Nothing Personal.” It’s storytelling, just nothing personal.
June 8, 2023
8:00pm EDT/5:00pm PDT
$15 Suggested/$5 Minimum All Proceeds Split Between Producer and Storytellers
As people can watch the recording for up to one month after, ticket sales close on June 11th. Your receipt reflects the date ticket sales close. The link to watch the show has the date and time of the show on it.
You will receive a link to watch the show moments after registering. If you do NOT see that email, first check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot find it, contact stories@bettersaidthandone.com
In the “Buy Tickets” box, click on the amount you’d like to pay and then “add to cart.” At the top of the “Buy Tickets” box, a little box that says “Go to Cart” will appear. Click on that. Confirm everything in your cart is correct. Click “Review Cart and Make Payment.” Then click on “Make Payment through Paypal.” That will take you to Paypal where you are given the choice to login to pay OR to pay with credit card.
Please Note
PLEASE NOTE the times on all our events are Eastern Time Zone (EDT or EST).
You should receive an email with the link within minutes of purchase. Please check your email to confirm.
If you do NOT see your login email, first check your Junk/SPAM folder. If still no email, contact stories (at) bettersaidthandone (dot) com
Make sure you have the link before the show. We will do our best to assist you, but once the show begins, we are no longer able to help.
On April 22nd Better Said Than Done will be performing for the last time – for the time being – in front of a live, in-person audience. We will be going on hiatus at least for the next few months – from in-person storytelling. The Auld Shebeen, which has been our home for over 7 years, can no longer host us on Saturday nights. So, for the next few months, we will be searching for a new home.
Please join us – one last time – as we raise a glass of Guinness and toast Sláinte! April 22nd, 2023, at 6:00pm Eastern. (Note the special time. Doors open at 5pm and the show is at 6pm.)
We’ve loved our time at the Auld Shebeen and plan to continue to host the occasional storytelling show there, as well as special events. This is not goodbye to the boys. It’s just a fare thee well. But as our fond farewell show, we do want to have some fun. And to that note, we’ve brought back some of our favorite storytellers – both old (Jack Scheer has been with us for FOREVER) and new (Seth Hassett performed with us for the first time 2 months ago) – for Auld Lange Syne: stories old and new.
If you’ve been with us for FOREVER, come on back, one last time. If you are new to storytelling, or to our shows, join us for the fantastic night. Old and new – all are welcome!
With emcee Jessica Robinson and storytellers Bonnie Gardner, Seth Hassett, Jenn Kamara, Jack Scheer, Kathy Stershic, and Andrea Young.
Not that you need the refresher, but here are the night’s storytellers:
Emcee Jessica Robinson
Bonnie Gardner
Seth Hassett
Jenn Kamara
Jack Scheer
Kathy Stershic
Andrea Young
It’s going to be a fabulous night of looking back, remembering old friends, making new, and sharing stories. Join us on April 22, 2023 at 6:00pm Eastern for Auld Lang Syne! Sláinte!
The Recording of Auld Lang Syne: Stories of Old and New,with emcee Jessica Robinson and storytellersBonnie Gardner, Seth Hassett, Jenn Kamara, Jack Scheer, Kathy Stershic, and Andrea Young, is now available for purchase.
Read more about the show and the storytellershere.
The Auld Shebeen is located at 3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. Better Said Than Done performs DOWNSTAIRS. The entrance is located on North St. Doors open at 5:00pm. The live show starts at 6:00pm. A full dinner and bar menu are available.
Saturday, April 13, 2023
6:00pm Show Starts/5:00pm Doors Open
$15 Per Person/$5 Minimum Virtual Tickets are divided into virtual ONLY – for watching online
When you purchase a ticket, you will receive an email that will include a link to watch the live-stream, whether or not you are coming to the live show. If you purchase an “in-person” ticket, your name will be entered on the list at the door. You do not get a physical ticket.
You should receive a link to watch the streaming video shortly after purchase. If you do not see that email, please contact stories@bettersaidthandone.com BEFORE 6pm on the day of the show.
Ticket sales for the in-person show close when we sell out or when the show starts. However, you will be able to purchase the recording of the show until 11:59pm on the Sunday after. Your receipt will reflect that date. PLEASE NOTE: We recommend you get tickets in advance. If we do not sell out, we’ll have tickets available at the door for $15 per person.
In the “Buy Tickets” box, click on the amount you’d like to pay and then “add to cart.” At the top of the “Buy Tickets” box, a little box that says “Go to Cart” will appear. Click on that. Confirm everything in your cart is correct. Click “Review Cart and Make Payment.” Then click on “Make Payment through Paypal.” That will take you to Paypal where you are given the choice to login to pay OR to pay with credit card.
After purchase, you will receive 2 emails. One will be your receipt, the other will have the link to watch the show.
If you don’t see the link to watch the show – check your junk folder. If you still don’t see it, email stories@bettersaidthandone.com BEFORE the show starts. We cannot respond to emails during the show.
With just a week to go, here’s the final blog post to whet your whistle for the Women’s Storytelling Festival, running over the weekend of March 24th to 26th, in Fairfax, VA and streaming on the ol’ World Wide Web!
We’re trying something new for this year’s festival. After many requests, we will be holding a competition! Saturday afternoon will see the People’s Choice Storytelling Contest.
Seven tellers, each with seven minutes to tell her tale. The theme? Perseverance. The judges? Our audience – plus Sheila Arnold and Noa Baum! (Full contest details here.)
Don’t forget – YOU MUST HAVE A FESTIVAL TICKET TO VOTE. TICKETS Here.
The tellers vying to claim the top spot? Lona Bartlett, Julie Bradshaw, Bette Lou Higgins, Robin Kitson, Teri Lott, Gwendolyn Napier, and Stacy Parish!
In the spirit of competition, I asked our contestants this question…
How will you celebrate if you win the People’s Choice Storytelling Contest?
And their answers are…
Lona Bartlett
Lona Bartlett: Celebrating? I would want to spend some time with all of the ladies at the festival. I am honored to be on stage with all of the the wonderful women who are part of this contest. We are all working hard to tell a good story. Let’s break out the chocolate. Then when I get home, Celebration Doughnuts with my husband.
Julie Bradshaw: If I win, I plan to celebrate in the best way possible…with a little bit of an adult beverage and a chocolate dessert! I will also connect with family and friends to give them the good news and to thank them for their votes.
Bette Lou Higgins
Bette Lou Higgins: Well, first off, I’d celebrate with a good dinner with my friends and family who will be at the festival with me. Then I’d be doing posts and e-blasts to thank everyone who voted for me. Unlike Superbowl winners, however, I don’t think I’ll be able to go to Disney World to celebrate — though that would DEFINITELY be a great idea. Maybe a little walk on the Appalachian Trail!
Robin Kitson
Robin Kitson: I would call all the friends who voted for me and tell them. I’d tell all of my Storytelling Guilds (I belong to 3), and see if any would like me to write something for their newsletter about the experience.
Teri Lott
Teri Lott: I’m sure I’ll cry out, probably saying something like, “Oh my gosh” or “Woo-hoo!”, and I’ll hug anyone and everyone within reach (so consider this your warning). Then I’ll text my hubby and my daughter. Later, after the day’s events are over, I’ll be texting, emailing, posting on FB and messaging family and friends to tell them I won and thanking them for their support. Once I’m home, I’ll let my local storytelling group (Storytellers of Central Ohio) as well as WRAPPS of NE Ohio, The WV Storytelling Guild, and The KY Storytelling Association know that I won and thank them for their support as well.
Gwendolyn Napier
Gwendolyn Napier: If I win the People’s Choice Storytelling Contest, I would Celebrate and Share the Winning Circle Stage when announced with the additional 6 Storytellers in the Contest. I know most of the Storytellers in the Festival, and feel deeply in my ‘Heart” that we are already “Winners” just sharing different Stories.
Stacy Parish
Stacy Parish: With a slice of carrot cake, a new notebook and a few new Uniball Signo pens!
So that’s the card for our title bout. Who will emerge with the victory? There’s only one way to find out – join us for the festival. You can come on down to the Old Town Hall in historic Fairfax, VA, or tune in to our online stream of the event! You can vote either way!
The Festival main page includes links to the storyteller bios, the schedule, tickets, a FAQ, and more. Click on the link below to get to the main festival page, and find all additional links in teal along the left side of the website. We’ve tried to make the website easy to navigate, but we hear you — it can be hard to read.Use the teal links as your guide, and look for a revised home page in 2024!
The 2023 Women’s Storytelling Festival starts on Friday March 24, 2023 and runs through Sunday March 26, 2023 at the Old Town Hall in Fairfax City, VA. We are premiering our virtual showcase, online only, at 5:00pm Eastern. The in-person performances at The Old Town Hall, as well as the live-stream, begin at 7:00pm Friday night. The festival concludes around 6:00pm EST on Sunday. Click on the link below for the full festival schedule.
For $40, the Virtual Festival Pass gives you access to all 15 plus hours of storytelling live-streamed from the venue, and also for one month after. If you miss any of the live-stream, you have time to catch up.
$60 gets you the In-Person Festival Pass. You can attend all programs from March 24 – 26 in-person, and you also receive the links to watch all of the recordings for one month after. $110 is the cost for a 2 person, in-person ticket.
Both the virtual and in-person passes give you access to vote in the People’s Choice Storytelling show while it’s happening live.
If we do not sell out, we will have in-person tickets available at the door. Virtual ticket sales close on April 1, as everyone has access to the festival videos until April 26.
PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT have to have a Paypal account to purchase. You can “checkout as guest” and pay with a credit card. If you do want to pay with check, please email jessica@bettersaidthandone.com for more info BEFORE March 18.
The People’s Choice Storytelling Contest will take place on March 25, 2023 at 4:30pm EASTERN, both in-person at The Old Town Hall in Fairfax, VA, as well as streaming live online.
JUDGING will be based on audience votes combined with the judges’ scores. Our judges for the 2023 festival are Sheila Arnold and Noa Baum! Both the in-person audience and virtual audience votes will be counted. Audiences, however, can only vote during the live show, in-person or virtually.
YOU, the audience, MUST HAVE a Festival ticket to vote.
If voting online, the LINK TO VOTE will be shared at the end of the live program. You will need to be able to open a new browser window to vote, and you will be required to enter the email address you used to purchase your ticket. Your (online) vote will not be counted if you do not have a valid email (that matches your ticket purchase email).
Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors – The Bridgeport Art Trail, Capture Video Inc., Fairfax City, Financial Advantage Associates, Luna River Publishing, LLC, The Mary & Cathy Team, and Punchlist Consulting!
Please take a moment to click on our SPONSOR PAGE and find out more about our sponsors.
We have opened registrations for our Spring 2023 storytelling workshops. You can register for yourself or get one as a gift for that person in your life that you just know has great stories! There is 1 Spotlight on You workshop that runs about 3 – 4 hours. And one, 5 week, Your Story, Your Life workshop. At this time, all are virtual. If you are local to Northern Virginia and would like to join in-person, we may be able to work that out.
Spotlight on You – May 20, 2023 at 1:30pm, led by Jessica Robinson
Your Story, Your Life Wednesdays, at 7:00pm EST, starting on May 17, 2023 and running through June 14, 2023
Class sizes are limited to no more than 8 registrants so that each attendee will have time to share a story and receive critical feedback. Because the workshops will be over Zoom, participants can also record their own stories and feedback and save the recording for future reference.
Register for a virtual storytelling workshop below.
After registering, you will receive a receipt. Login information and details for the class will be sent approximately 3 days prior. If you have questions in the meantime, or don’t see the email, please contact stories@bettersaidthandone.com
Spotlight on You
A 3-4 hour workshop which includes lessons about storytelling structure, character development and other techniques for creating dramatic, engaging and true, personal stories. Class size is limited so all students will be given the opportunity to share a story and receive critical feedback.
Your Story, Your Life
5 two hour classes, over five weeks, to help you develop secondary characters, dialogue, non-linear structure, enhanced performance skills, and stories of varying lengths to be performed on stage. Students will be able to workshop and hone at least one, and possibly several, stories over the course of 5 weeks.
Read about our storytelling teachers, as well as about what you can expect in our workshops here.
Jessica offers one-on-one story coaching sessions. Email jessica@bettersaidtandone.com for more information. We also offer customized in-person or virtual, storytelling workshops, webinars, and presentations for your organization. Read about our corporate programs here.
The recording of Storytelling, The Musical: The Reunion, with emcee Carol Moore and storytellers Natalie Jones, Sam Payne, Mo Reynolds, Jessica Robinson, Jack Scheer, and Paul Strickland is now available for purchase.
April 13, 2023
8:00pm Eastern/5:00pm Pacific
$15 Suggested/$5 Minimum All Proceeds Split Between Producer and Storytellers
You will receive a link to watch the show moments after registering. If you do NOT see that email, first check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot find it, contact stories@bettersaidthandone.com
As people can watch the recording for up to one month after, ticket sales close on April 15th. Your receipt reflects the date ticket sales close. The link to watch the show has the date and time of the show on it.
In the “Buy Tickets” box, click on the amount you’d like to pay and then “add to cart.” At the top of the “Buy Tickets” box, a little box that says “Go to Cart” will appear. Click on that. Confirm everything in your cart is correct. Click “Review Cart and Make Payment.” Then click on “Make Payment through Paypal.” That will take you to Paypal where you are given the choice to login to pay OR to pay with credit card.
PLEASE NOTE the times on all our events are Eastern Time Zone (EDT or EST).
You should receive an email with the link within minutes of purchase. Please check your email to confirm.
If you do NOT see your login email, first check your Junk/SPAM folder. If still no email, contact stories (at) bettersaidthandone (dot) com
Make sure you have the link before the show. We will do our best to assist you, but once the show begins, we are no longer able to help.
