The other night I found myself at The Ebell for a round of storytelling. And let me say upfront that I adore stories and yet I don’t attend nearly enough readings, and I have no excuse for that. When someone tells a story – and does it well – it is riveting. The subject can be light and humorous or dark and deep. It doesn’t matter. I simply love a good story. All that being said, you never know what you’re gonna get. And I had no idea what to expect from the six people assembled this week.
Crickett Rumley was the curator and host of the show. She was funny and serious in her own right, and I particularly enjoyed learning (through Crickett) about the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker. So not only did Crickett entertain, she also educated. And she put together a great line-up featuring Erika Green Swafford, Emilia Serrano, Craig Lincoln, Bambi BamBrogan and Amy Louise Sebelius. I cannot begin to tell you what a roller coaster ride these writers provided. Those six storytellers took me around the world from the American South to Munich, Germany. Emotions ran the gamut, too. I was so tickled my body quaked, and a few minutes later, I found myself so overcome with shared grief that I was wiping at tears. (As were grown men in the audience, I might add.) By the time I was driving home, I didn’t quite know where to focus, what to process first. And those stories have stayed with me, days later.
It’s true that I didn’t know what I was gonna get when I headed to The Ebell for a night of storytelling. And that will be true the next time I head out to such an event. But this past week was exceptional. And I won’t soon forget that. If ever. This is why I adore stories.