Performance Storytelling - You Can Watch Me Tell Stories

Dear Friends,

When I was a kid, my mom was quite the storyteller. She spun tales, and often made me the star of them. Her positive attitude meant that, in her telling of things, I always came out the underdog winner. She instilled in me the love of making things up and sharing them with others. She parlayed those skills into a successful antiques business. Here she is, performing a rendition of how she closed sales.

The legacy she passed on to me is why I have my students read their work aloud to an audience at the end of each memoir writing class series.

For the past few years, I’ve put my twin passions for theater and writing into participating in shows in the DC/MD/VA area. Here are two recent shows.

The first was at the Books in Bloom Festival in Columbia, Maryland. I read a story that was first published in Oldster -The Super Saleswoman. In it, I pay tribute to Mom’s career as a 1970s entrepreneurial woman who ran antique shows in the DC area's largest shopping centers. Watch it here:

The second show was produced by Julia Tagliere in MoCo Underground Writers Showcase at the Sandy Spring Museum as part of their NEA Big Read. Montgomery Municipal Cable did a great job of filming it. My story, I Never Want to Leave These People, This Place, was first published in the Santa Fe Writers Journal. It comes on at four minutes, but I hope you’ll watch the whole, wonderfully engaging event, which you can view at this link: MoCo Underground Writers Showcase- June 2025, or click on this photo:

Is there a story you want to share with a friend or family member? I encourage you to do what I ask my students to do:

• Grab some paper and a pen or pencil.

• Set your timer for 10 minutes.

• Write about the best or worst vacation you’ve ever taken.

• Call someone up or go to the next room to find the person you’ll share it with.

• Read it to them.

• Invite them to tell you their story, of the best or worst vacation they’ve experienced.

We’re all meant to tell our stories. I wish you joy in discovering a story you want to tell.

Warmest Regards,

Laura