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The Fifth Annual Women’s Storytelling Festival was held on March 14th through 17th, 2024 in Old Town Hall in Fairfax, Virginia and live-streamed. It was, as always, an incredible experience.
Thursday night: The show on Thursday the 14th was entirely virtual and featured non-local women who were unable to travel here for the festival. Jessica Robinson emceed the showcase. Linda Yemoto was up first, using an heirloom button to introduce the story of her grandmother, who immigrated to California from Japan in 1909 and endured a World War II interment camp and many years of hard work. Penelope Whitney told a story about a failed relationship, starting with the wonderful line “I didn’t even think about revenge until I’d been married for eight years.” Edith Gonzalez had a story about labor and birth, with an eventual C-section and a description of the anesthesiologist as having “a jaw so sharp you could stab your sister with it.” However, I can’t completely trust somebody who says she hates chocolate. The story Stacy Ann Parish told had to do with the fears and freedom associated with bicycling. And Carmen Agra Deedy talked about why children are her favorite audiences. All in all, it was an interesting set and a good opening for the festival.
Friday night: The in-person event started Friday evening. I had to be there early to help check in merchandise that some tellers had brought and to give out t-shirts to tellers and volunteers. The show, emceed by Carol Moore, had eight tellers. Megan Hcks started things off by explaining how she did and didn’t obey her first ex-husband. Sheila Arnold had a story about women helping each other. Bonnie Gardner used an urban legend to lead us to which stories do and don’t get told. She was followed by Laura Simms with a Maori folk tale. Fanny Crawford told us about her family heirlooms, including an unusual device used by one of her grandmothers. Roopa Mohan’s story had to do with how goddesses (and one god) are depicted. She paved the way for Claire Hennessy to put a human touch on nudity. Finally, Anne Rutherford offered up a country western vampire song (“Your Bloodsucking Heart”) and an ode to coffee. I loved the wide mix of stories and felt even more hyped about the weekend than I’d already been.
Saturday morning: On Saturday morning, I was working the door, so I only caught part of the show and had to go back to watch the recording. Andrea Young was the emcee. The show started with Laura Simms telling “Daughter of the Night: The Myth of Demeter and Persephone.” She was follpwed by Jane Dorfman, who portrayed Calamity Jane very entertainingly.
Saturday afternoon, Part 1: The first Saturday afternoon show, emceed by Bonnie Gardner, started with Roopa Mohan telling us about Amrita Sher Gill, an artist whose life spanned Hungary, Italy, France, and India. She was followed by Sheila Arnold with stories about her youngest sister, starting with one about opening Christmas presents, then moving along to playing games, and finally on to how they each dealt with their mother’s death. Next up was Aimee Snow (who was new to me) who told a very funny and moving story about artificial insemination as a single woman. Then Megan Hicks brought us along with her mother’s experiences during World War II. And Claire Hennessy wove together the story of Goldilocks with her first visit to the California home of the man she had reunited with after 30 years.
Saturday afternoon, Part 2: There was a brief break before the other afternoon show. I was, again, working the door (and, frankly, zoning out a bit because it was that time of day), so I had to go back to listen to the recording of that session, which Noa Baum emceed. The set started with Anne Rutherford, who started with a story about the game of Rocket Barbie and the power of imagination. She followed that with her recurring character, Clementine Rider, including a song about “The Chivalrous Shark,” followed by a story about a treasure hunt. Next was a song about birdwatching with her grandmother, leading into a story about her two grandmothers. She finished with what was essentially her version of “Stone Soup.”
The next teller in that session was Andrea Young, with a story about a very attractive gym teacher and a wardrobe malfunction on a high dive, leading to learning to be comfortable in how she dressed and presented herself. The session finished with Laura Simms, telling a medley of love stories. That included a story about summer camp and what her mother’s behavior on visiting day led her to. Then she told my favorite story of her set, about obsessive behavior involving a boyfriend that led to her sneaking into his home and hiding in his laundry bag. She finished with a folk tale from Romania about a prince, seeking his true love, which, frankly, I found a bit confusing.
Before the dinner break, we got (most of - Stacy was watching from home due to some health issues) the Better Said Than Done board together for a group photo. Note that I declared that my t-shirt was raspberry, since I claim to be allergic to pink.
Saturday night: Cyndi Wish emceed the evening show, which I was particularly eager to see because it included several tellers I had not seen in person before. The first teller was Robin Schulte, who took us along with her to the era of drive-in movies. Next up was Michele Carlo, whose story had to do with conflicts with her family and with her cultural identity, along with her search for love. Rosemary Cipriano’s story was about having a hip replacement at the age of 30. Ronna Levy also had a medically-related story, this one involving a broken wrist. I can never hear enough of Anne Rutherford and she was back in this segment, with a story about a woman changing her life due to a business card she’d found at the supermarket. Finally, Andrea Kamens told her version of the Russian folktale, Vasilisa (from Baba Yaga’s perspective).
Sunday morning: I was the emcee for Sunday morning, which included two events. But, first, let me show off my accessorizing skills, in my role as Miriam of Ceremonies. (Someone had asked me the weekend before what outrageous hat I planned to wear. But also note the pin and the shoes.)
Anyway, the first segment was Fanny Crawford, with a story about her mother, who was a labor activist and entered into an interracial marriage. Then, after a brief break, it was time for the story swap. Tellers had 6 minutes and I had a piece of yellow card stock for a one minute warning and a piece of pink card stock (because I hadn’t turned do the light in my den) for a 20 second warning. I also had one of those water-filled bird call gizmos (which I referred to as “the Geshray of de Vilde Kotchke” (Yiddish for “The Cry of the Wild Duck”) that I threatened to use to cut someone off. Fortunately, people did well in keeping to the time limit. Thank you to all 8 tellers (Beth Ohlsson, Kristen Pedemonti, Mylinda Butterworth, Lorna Bartlett, Sara DeBeer, Laura Deal, Tobey Anderson, and Kyriaki Chris), who told a wide variety of stories - personal and folk / traditional - with a wide range of moods to get us warmed up for the rest of the day.
Sunday afternoon, Part 1: The first Sunday afternoon show was emceed by Sherry Grimes. Megan Hicks started it off with a set of fairy tales. Then came Anne Rutherford, with a story about two high school girls from very different backgrounds encountering each other. The set ended with Laura Simms, who told abut her humanitarian work in Romania and in Haiti.
Sunday afternoon, Part 2: That brings me to the last session of the festival, which Jessica Robinson emceed. Sheila Arnold told us about the middle sister's death at the age of 14. Next came Claire Hennesy with a story about going to Malta to bury her husband's mother in the family crypt. She was followed by Roopa Mohan who told a story about her attempts at matchmaking. Then Anne Rutherford was back with a story about a trip to Scotland with a particularly atrocious pun (a genre near and dear to my heart) before moving into a story about wartime rationing’s effect on shortbread. Then came Megan Hicks with a story abut her childhood experiences with dolls, and the adoption of her baby sister. Laura Simms closed out the show (and the festival) with a story about a South Pacific goddess, mixed with her relationship with the musician she had been married to.
All in all, this was a fabulous festival and it is always great to see my storytelling sisters (and brothers). About 20 of us went out to dinner at Bollywood Bistro afterwards. A week later, the festival committee had a post mortem and started talking about next year’s festival. That will be held on March 21st through 23rd at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia, because Old Town Hall is being renovated over the next year. I highly encourage everyone who can to come to it, ideally in person, but on-line if you can’t make it.
Thursday night: The show on Thursday the 14th was entirely virtual and featured non-local women who were unable to travel here for the festival. Jessica Robinson emceed the showcase. Linda Yemoto was up first, using an heirloom button to introduce the story of her grandmother, who immigrated to California from Japan in 1909 and endured a World War II interment camp and many years of hard work. Penelope Whitney told a story about a failed relationship, starting with the wonderful line “I didn’t even think about revenge until I’d been married for eight years.” Edith Gonzalez had a story about labor and birth, with an eventual C-section and a description of the anesthesiologist as having “a jaw so sharp you could stab your sister with it.” However, I can’t completely trust somebody who says she hates chocolate. The story Stacy Ann Parish told had to do with the fears and freedom associated with bicycling. And Carmen Agra Deedy talked about why children are her favorite audiences. All in all, it was an interesting set and a good opening for the festival.
Friday night: The in-person event started Friday evening. I had to be there early to help check in merchandise that some tellers had brought and to give out t-shirts to tellers and volunteers. The show, emceed by Carol Moore, had eight tellers. Megan Hcks started things off by explaining how she did and didn’t obey her first ex-husband. Sheila Arnold had a story about women helping each other. Bonnie Gardner used an urban legend to lead us to which stories do and don’t get told. She was followed by Laura Simms with a Maori folk tale. Fanny Crawford told us about her family heirlooms, including an unusual device used by one of her grandmothers. Roopa Mohan’s story had to do with how goddesses (and one god) are depicted. She paved the way for Claire Hennessy to put a human touch on nudity. Finally, Anne Rutherford offered up a country western vampire song (“Your Bloodsucking Heart”) and an ode to coffee. I loved the wide mix of stories and felt even more hyped about the weekend than I’d already been.
Saturday morning: On Saturday morning, I was working the door, so I only caught part of the show and had to go back to watch the recording. Andrea Young was the emcee. The show started with Laura Simms telling “Daughter of the Night: The Myth of Demeter and Persephone.” She was follpwed by Jane Dorfman, who portrayed Calamity Jane very entertainingly.
Saturday afternoon, Part 1: The first Saturday afternoon show, emceed by Bonnie Gardner, started with Roopa Mohan telling us about Amrita Sher Gill, an artist whose life spanned Hungary, Italy, France, and India. She was followed by Sheila Arnold with stories about her youngest sister, starting with one about opening Christmas presents, then moving along to playing games, and finally on to how they each dealt with their mother’s death. Next up was Aimee Snow (who was new to me) who told a very funny and moving story about artificial insemination as a single woman. Then Megan Hicks brought us along with her mother’s experiences during World War II. And Claire Hennessy wove together the story of Goldilocks with her first visit to the California home of the man she had reunited with after 30 years.
Saturday afternoon, Part 2: There was a brief break before the other afternoon show. I was, again, working the door (and, frankly, zoning out a bit because it was that time of day), so I had to go back to listen to the recording of that session, which Noa Baum emceed. The set started with Anne Rutherford, who started with a story about the game of Rocket Barbie and the power of imagination. She followed that with her recurring character, Clementine Rider, including a song about “The Chivalrous Shark,” followed by a story about a treasure hunt. Next was a song about birdwatching with her grandmother, leading into a story about her two grandmothers. She finished with what was essentially her version of “Stone Soup.”
The next teller in that session was Andrea Young, with a story about a very attractive gym teacher and a wardrobe malfunction on a high dive, leading to learning to be comfortable in how she dressed and presented herself. The session finished with Laura Simms, telling a medley of love stories. That included a story about summer camp and what her mother’s behavior on visiting day led her to. Then she told my favorite story of her set, about obsessive behavior involving a boyfriend that led to her sneaking into his home and hiding in his laundry bag. She finished with a folk tale from Romania about a prince, seeking his true love, which, frankly, I found a bit confusing.
Before the dinner break, we got (most of - Stacy was watching from home due to some health issues) the Better Said Than Done board together for a group photo. Note that I declared that my t-shirt was raspberry, since I claim to be allergic to pink.
Saturday night: Cyndi Wish emceed the evening show, which I was particularly eager to see because it included several tellers I had not seen in person before. The first teller was Robin Schulte, who took us along with her to the era of drive-in movies. Next up was Michele Carlo, whose story had to do with conflicts with her family and with her cultural identity, along with her search for love. Rosemary Cipriano’s story was about having a hip replacement at the age of 30. Ronna Levy also had a medically-related story, this one involving a broken wrist. I can never hear enough of Anne Rutherford and she was back in this segment, with a story about a woman changing her life due to a business card she’d found at the supermarket. Finally, Andrea Kamens told her version of the Russian folktale, Vasilisa (from Baba Yaga’s perspective).
Sunday morning: I was the emcee for Sunday morning, which included two events. But, first, let me show off my accessorizing skills, in my role as Miriam of Ceremonies. (Someone had asked me the weekend before what outrageous hat I planned to wear. But also note the pin and the shoes.)
Anyway, the first segment was Fanny Crawford, with a story about her mother, who was a labor activist and entered into an interracial marriage. Then, after a brief break, it was time for the story swap. Tellers had 6 minutes and I had a piece of yellow card stock for a one minute warning and a piece of pink card stock (because I hadn’t turned do the light in my den) for a 20 second warning. I also had one of those water-filled bird call gizmos (which I referred to as “the Geshray of de Vilde Kotchke” (Yiddish for “The Cry of the Wild Duck”) that I threatened to use to cut someone off. Fortunately, people did well in keeping to the time limit. Thank you to all 8 tellers (Beth Ohlsson, Kristen Pedemonti, Mylinda Butterworth, Lorna Bartlett, Sara DeBeer, Laura Deal, Tobey Anderson, and Kyriaki Chris), who told a wide variety of stories - personal and folk / traditional - with a wide range of moods to get us warmed up for the rest of the day.
Sunday afternoon, Part 1: The first Sunday afternoon show was emceed by Sherry Grimes. Megan Hicks started it off with a set of fairy tales. Then came Anne Rutherford, with a story about two high school girls from very different backgrounds encountering each other. The set ended with Laura Simms, who told abut her humanitarian work in Romania and in Haiti.
Sunday afternoon, Part 2: That brings me to the last session of the festival, which Jessica Robinson emceed. Sheila Arnold told us about the middle sister's death at the age of 14. Next came Claire Hennesy with a story about going to Malta to bury her husband's mother in the family crypt. She was followed by Roopa Mohan who told a story about her attempts at matchmaking. Then Anne Rutherford was back with a story about a trip to Scotland with a particularly atrocious pun (a genre near and dear to my heart) before moving into a story about wartime rationing’s effect on shortbread. Then came Megan Hicks with a story abut her childhood experiences with dolls, and the adoption of her baby sister. Laura Simms closed out the show (and the festival) with a story about a South Pacific goddess, mixed with her relationship with the musician she had been married to.
All in all, this was a fabulous festival and it is always great to see my storytelling sisters (and brothers). About 20 of us went out to dinner at Bollywood Bistro afterwards. A week later, the festival committee had a post mortem and started talking about next year’s festival. That will be held on March 21st through 23rd at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia, because Old Town Hall is being renovated over the next year. I highly encourage everyone who can to come to it, ideally in person, but on-line if you can’t make it.
