Performance Storytelling - You Can Watch Me Tell Stories

At Recent Literary Events, I Shared the Stage with Other Wonderful Writers

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. When my story about her sales skills was published, our kids asked her to give them a sample of how she sold things in her antiques business. Here she is, performing a rendition of how she closed sales for all those years.

The legacy she passed on to me is why I have my students read their work aloud in class when I teach memoir writing. I also end each class series with a live reading event, where the students have the chance to shine by sharing their work aloud with others.

For the past few years, I’ve put my twin passions for theater and writing into action by participating in beautifully curated shows throughout the DC/MD/VA area with groups including Story District, MoCo Underground Writers Showcase, Culture & Quill, and The Writer’s Center. I'm thrilled to share two recent performances with you and hope you enjoy them.

The first was produced in May by Culture & Quill in the presentation Spilled Milk: Storytelling About Motherhood, presented 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. Many thanks to the women who organized this amazing event: Susan Thornton Hobby, Faye McCray, and Amanda Loudin. You can watch my story here:

The second show was produced this month by Julia Tagliere in her regular MoCo Underground Writers Showcase at the beautiful Sandy Spring Museum as part of their NEA Big Read, a yearlong event, funded by the NEA. There are spectacular stories told, and interspersed with powerful speeches about the need for the arts, including those by Julia and by the museum’s executive director, Allison Weiss, who let us know that the museum was not changing its basic model of inclusivity, even as its funding is being cut. 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 here:

MoCo Underground Writers Showcase- June 2025

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