It’s May, the time of Moms and Proms. And while proms are fun and all, you’re only gonna go to a couple in your life. Moms? Love ’em or not, they’re with you all the way! So it’s only right and proper that we focus on what mothers mean to us.
Which is just what Better Said Than Done is going to do on Thursday, May 12th as we present Mother May I: Stories of Moms and Momming! Your emcee for the evening is Andrea Young, and she’ll be joined by a truly outstanding set of tellers: Shweta Bhatt, Cheryl Hamilton, Vanora Legaux, Jessica Robinson, Kirk Waller, and Donna Washington! This Zoom show starts at 8 PM EDT. Get your tickets now!
Let’s meet the night’s tellers…
Learning how to develop her own unique voice, Shweta Bhatt graduated Brown University with a B.A. in Economics and Anthropology. After graduating, she went on to spend six years as a financial consultant, building her skill for numbers and patterns. Through these experiences she learned that the most important skill shehas to offer is finding confidence in the person she knows herself to be. With the tools of writing and storytelling and a pop-culture flare, Shweta encourages students to find the power in being unique. Her role is not as an instructor of the “right way” but as a reminder that each student knows the perfect way to share themselves with each person they meet, not just in college but throughout life.
Cheryl Hamilton has devoted her career to advancing more inclusive communities and storytelling, from her first job managing the unexpected migration of 2,500 Somali migrants to her hometown in Maine, to her current role directing curation and coaching for Stories from the Stage, a national media program produced by WORLDChannel in partnership with GBH events. Cheryl was the creator and director of Suitcase Stories, a program that featured stories of refugee and immigrant life. In addition to the trainings and events she leads for institutions, Cheryl has coached over 400 people from 80 countries to tell their stories. Her personal stories have been featured on national podcasts and she routinely performs on stages throughout the U.S.
Vanora Legaux, a long time, story loving, storytelling native of New Orleans, is a Past President, and presently Executive Director of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS). Founder of the Stronger Hope Biblical Storytelling Guild; a member of Cenla Storytelling Guild, National Storytelling Network, and the Network of Biblical Storytellers; She is the Griot for the Southern Region Youth Affiliates of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She delights many with her wealth of woven tales. Vanora is a retired teacher and counselor with 33 years of service in the Orleans Parish School system, a member of the National Black Women’s Health Imperative, and a life member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
Our fearless (and tireless!) leader Jessica Robinson began performing stories in front of audiences in 2007, and founded Better Said Than Done in 2011. In addition to performing with Better Said Than Done, Jessica has performed locally (in the DMV) for Story District, Tales in the Village, The Grapevine, Perfect Liars Club and GMU’s Fall for the Book Festival. Virtually, Jessica has performed for the Queens Theater, Artists Standing Strong Together (ASST), Six Feet Apart Productions, Stories for Healing, the First Person Arts Festival, Mostly True Things, The Story Space, Bridgeport Pechakucha, at 2 National Storytelling Network (NSN) virtual Conferences, as a New Voice in the Stone Soup and Forest Storytelling Festivals, and was an Emcee for the Florida Storytelling Festival.
With a lifelong love of story, literature and the performing arts, Kirk Waller has been immersed in these art forms for over 20 years. He summons all of his God-given talents and masterfully fuses them together spoken word, rhythm, music and movement to create an unforgettable storytelling experience. He has garnered national recognition for his abilities, including being awarded the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Grant by the National Storytelling Network, receiving a Parent’s Choice Foundation GOLD award for his latest CD, But Why? Stories, Music and Songs, and many others. Kirk has told at festivals, schools, libraries, churches and special events in the San Francisco Bay Area and across our nation, including the National Storytelling Festival.
Donna Washington is a professional author, storyteller, and multicultural folklorist who has been sharing stories for more than thirty years. She describes herself as “an extremely animated storyteller who uses vocal pyrotechnics (lots of sound effects and voices), has an elastic face, and employs enthusiastic gesture. I’ve been called a Walking Disney Movie and told I was better than television.” Donna has performed at thousands of schools & libraries and numerous storytelling festivals throughout the country. She also offers workshops in storytelling, writing, education, and creative drama. These days you can find her traveling the country at festivals, conferences, schools, & libraries telling stories & giving workshops for anyone who is willing to listen to her.
Look at those superstars! How can you possibly pass on a full evening of tales from them? You can’t! So please come join us. The Zoom feed for the show starts at 8:00 P.M. Eastern. It’s one of our patented “pay what you like” events – with a suggested contribution of $16, and a minimum of $6. We’d love to have you – grab your at-home seats now!
Sheila Arnold (Hampton, Virginia) has been gifted by God with performance skills; using this talent since she was eight years old. Since 2003 she has been a full-time Storyteller traveling through the United States and sharing a variety of stories, as well as doing Historic Character Presentations, Christian Monologues, Coaching and Workshops. She is the co-Founder of 
Vijai Nathan‘s (Alexandria, Virginia) humor springs from her experiences of growing up as a “foreigner” in America- despite the fact she was born and raised here. She hilariously tells about growing up as an Indian in America, dating, cultural clashes, and the racism she dealt with as a child and now as a comedian. You can catch her on an episode of Netflix’s “Lady Dynamite, ” starring Maria Bamford, and in the film “Meet the Patels,” an Oprah Magazine pick.
Diana Veiga (Washington, D.C.) is a writer, storyteller and comedienne who has performed throughout the DC area from the Lincoln Theatre to the DC Improv. She is the founder and curator of, Telling Stories, a virtual series for African American storytellers. Diana is a Spelman woman, a DC resident, and DC Public Library employee. She loves eating tacos, quoting Outkast lyrics and drinking Stoli Blueberry and Sprite.
“If we are talking Rock ‘n Roll, Tina Turner was a national treasure; country has Dolly Parton and in the world of storytelling we have Kim Weitkamp.” (Mount Vernon, Ohio)
Cyndi Wish (Kingston, New Jersey) was born in Virginia and grew up in New Jersey. At a young age she realized her inherent love of adventure, talent for packing, and general dislike of commitment. Cyndi has lived in Washington DC., Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Chicago, upstate New York, Sydney, Adelaide, Cape Cod, North Dakota, the Boston area, New Bedford, Virginia again, Baltimore, and once again resides in New Jersey. Lots of moves lead to lots of stories. She holds a Master of Visual Arts degree, works in non-profit administration, and is currently lazily training to do the Chesapeake Bay Swim, but not for a few more years.
Mary D’Alba (Malden, Massachusetts) is living her best life as an Artist, Psychic Medium and Life Coach after escaping the corporate world. Her Spirituality comes through in all aspects of her work to inspire and uplift others. Mary has been featured on Stories from the Stage and has performed stories around Massachusetts at Club Passim, Now Listen Here, Better Said Than Done, and Trident Cafe. She is also the co-host of the virtual 99 Second Story Slam with Sean Wellington.
Laura Packer (Minneapolis, Minnesota) knows that the best way to the truth is through a good story. Whether folktale or true, epic or flash, her stories captivate, enlighten, and amuse audiences. She is the author of From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting, and Telling a Great Story, and has won multiple awards for her performance, coaching, and leadership. Laura has published, told, taught, ranted, raved, consulted and considered storytelling around the world.
Susanne Schmidt (Burlington, Vermont) is a comedic storyteller, producer, and teaching artist. A second generation Italian native New Yorker, Susanne learned the transformative power of personal narrative from a long line of powerful women. Susanne’s work has been featured on WGBH Stories from the Stage, National Public Radio (NPR), Home Box Office’s (HBO) Inspiration Room and CBS Sunday Morning. She is a 2021 recipient of a Webby Award for her story House on Fire. Susanne is currently a StorySlam Producer for The Moth and is the creative director for Say it Forward Productions. In addition to her storytelling work, Susanne is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Susanne is drummer for the band The Brevity Thing and the mother of two amazing young men who LOVE that she talks about them on stage!
Ria Spencer (New York, New York) is a wannabe foodie and world traveler who’s spent years singing everything from classic rock to sweet soul music for marginally sober audiences across the New York metro area. She’s also delighted to be a grown-ass woman who’s lived long enough to have some stories to tell. Ria has appeared on RISK!, Better Said Than Done, The Day I Should Have, Dead Rock Stars, and The Liar Show. 
Having lived in four of the continents for over 10 years outside of North America, Andrea Young‘s (greater Baltimore, Maryland) global nomad experiences have taken her to more than 26 countries. There has to be a story in there somewhere and she finds them. Andrea has been a member of Toastmasters International and has performed for Better Said Than Done and for Artists Standing Strong Together.
Lindsey Lange-Abramowitz – Queens, New York
Noa Baum – Suburban Maryland
Carol Moore – Herndon, Virginia
Jude Treder-Wolff – Selden, New York
Linda Schuyler Ford – Tallahassee, Florida
Margaret Burk – Oak Park, Illinois
Lyn Ford – Columbus, Ohio
Heather Forest – Huntington Station, New York
Bonnie Gardner – Vienna, Virginia 
Miriam Nadel – Vienna, Virginia
Denise Keyes Page – Madison, Connecticut
