Tell Me Something Good

The Zone by Elizabeth Wunsch

I work for Andre House, an agency in the Capital District “Zone”. We feed and provide hospitality services to those experiencing homelessness. We are working with the Human Services Campus to change the zoning in our area to provide more available shelter beds. Most of what I do is limited to social media so the images I post have to tell a story. The words I use need to bluntly describe the story of a situation unfolding and most importantly give a face to a human being experiencing homelessness.
One has to find a way into hearts to precipitate change. The post below is from a Wednesday sweep on February 5^th. It got 158 shares and has been viewed by almost 15,000 people.

5:30a.m. I am at the parking lot next door to Andre House. Gates are opened. A black truck leaves down Jackson and turns on 9th to pick up a man in his wheelchair, his tent and any belongings he has. People start slowly making their way to this lot and another lot on 12th and Madison. They are bringing all their belongings with them. Staff from local agencies and volunteers dragged carts around the streets helping those who are weak or have a lot of stuff. As people and belongings come into the Andre House lot they are assigned a spot, an area is chalked across the front by Sam with the name of the person who these items belong. A sense of safety. A man named David who is in a wheelchair is brought in by a friend. Someone else carries David's meager belongings. We put David right under a light next to the empty building that is on this lot. He is silently weeping. He is tired.

Why is this happening? It had taken him a long time to find that spot. He asks for his blanket that is deep within his folded tent. It is retrieved and wrapped around him. Someone goes to find him a cigarette. The lot fills. Fills with what has been the homes of those experiencing homelessness in "THE ZONE" the area around the human services campus. For the last two months people have been able to camp on the public areas along Jackson, up 11th, down Madison and along 9th Ave. On Wednesdays the city would sent out a small crew that did not disturb the tents or the folks who called them home. They would just have a crew that cleaned around everything. On Mondays and Fridays, a crew of people who lived in these tents would go down the streets, led by Andre House staff, and clean also. It seemed to be working. Until this Wednesday when the city decided that it needed to be scrubbed. And suddenly agency resources needed to be brought down. Only a few had been here on a regular basis before this Wednesday. Folks were warned a few days before. Plans were made by those in the area to help folks bring their belongings to a safe area so they wouldn't be scooped up into city dump trucks. These peoples’ lives and possessions dumped like trash.
      As the sun started to fill the morning, I checked on David. He was on his second cigarette. He had traded a pair of socks for them. He couldn’t be over 40. Blond hair and beard overgrown. Sitting in that wheelchair safely watching over his possessions.
       The bottom line is there are not enough shelter beds. It is full every night. There is plenty of room to add more beds this local shelter and in a developing low/no barrier shelter next to Andre House but it is not being allowed due to zoning. And the zoning request for change is being stalled due to people’s fears. Next Wednesday when everyone has to move all their belongings and David has to enter the lot, more tears will be shed. Wouldn't it be kinder and more humane to allow more beds where the room is available? Work on affordable options for those so desperately in need?
       Before we moved all his belongings back to the precious spot on 9^th Ave, I gave David two pairs of socks. One to wear and one for extra cigarettes.
Please Share. Please contact your Phoenix city councilperson.

The Passage of Time by Marian Nance

Years ago, I took a trip to Kenya, Africa.  At the time I lived in Vicenza, Italy with my daughter.  Around 9:30 one March morning, I’m on the way to my overnight childcare giver. There are only two cars on this rural road of Bolzano Vicentino.  The car in front of me pulls way to the left as if to turn left and I speed up to pass on the right.  Surprise! The car turns right, right in front of me and we both hit the bakery, head on. Who uses signals in Italy? They’re just for show not safety.  “I’m not going to make that flight from Venice to Rome.” 

The baker takes my daughter, Leilani, and entertains her with bread.  I make calls and the military police, childcare giver and tow truck arrive within the hour.  We’re all on our way to post to file accident reports.  “I’m not going to make that flight.”  I also choose not to tell the authorities I’m in route to another country for fear they’ll order me to stay in Italy.  “I’ll just say it’s my fault.  Oh, it is my fault!”

 It’s 1:00 pm and I just missed the train to Venice to get that connecting flight to Nairobi by way of Rome.   Not a problem.  I get the next train and find myself running through the Venice train station with luggage, to jump on a moving bus in route to Marco Polo Airport.  Whew! I make it and I am going to make the 6:35 pm flight to Rome. I’m so relieved to know the flight to Nairobi is not until midnight.   It’s now 4:20 pm at Marco Polo Airport.  Ha! Two hours before departure time and the counter agent says “Senora, the Rome flight is cancelled.”   “What!  I confirmed the flight yesterday.”   “Don’t worry, you’ll be first on standby for the next flight.”  There is a boarding announcement and I stand in line.  I am jostled by a bunch of rude, overstuffed executives for boarding rights, but I got on first.  I wanted to turn and stick out my tongue as I left the boarding area, but I didn’t.

Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome at last and I have no luggage. “Senora, go check in, get your pass, then return to claim your luggage.”   It’s at least a half mile from the domestic to the international part of the airport.  My tension is rising as the suave controller ask where’s my husband.   “He’s in Vicenza,” I lied.   “I don’t know where in Sam Hill he is and at this moment, I don’t care, don’t want to be questioned and I don’t want to flirt back.”  Oh, there is my luggage and there’s the controller again.   “No, I don’t want to talk to your friend on the telephone.”

I check in at Binario 56.  Finally, I’m on board headed for Kenya.  I close my eyes and when I open them, I’m in Nairobi, Kenya.  The hassle was worth it.  Someday I’ll tell the rest of the story to include raging flash floods, hand size moths that fly up from the earth, roaring lions outside my camp quarters, hippos at my door and Kilimanjaro. 

“Travel. It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Batata.

One a Pond a Time by Kate Craer

“One A Pond A Time” . . . that's how my two and a half year old niece started when I asked her to tell me a story this weekend, and then she began to weave a tale of a mermaid swimming under water with a banana for a snack. In addition to falling all over myself at her cuteness, I’m amazed that at her tender young age she already understands one of the most formulaic and reliable ways to begin a tale. Without knowing it, she told her audience to open their mind to the possibilities in the story that was about to unfold. 

I’ve been taking storytelling classes for about a year now, and more than just transforming my time with my nieces, it fills my life.  My coffee table and kitchen counter are covered with books about storytelling, and so is my Amazon wish list and library account. At work I remind people of the power of connection through storytelling; it’s not just for kids, it’s a leadership skill.  When I look for events to attend I search for storytelling, and when I inevitably get the question “what do you like to do for fun” on a first date I say “storytelling”.  It enriches my life in ways I can’t fully express yet and it feels like I’ve found a little bit of the magic of life.  And yet, I’ve started to feel nervous when I tell.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m in my 3^rd class and I feel like I need to show progression from being a beginner, or if it’s because I haven’t been as diligent with my practices to be present in the moment when I’m up in front of a crowd.  The idea of being nervous made it so the last time I was going to tell a story publicly, I didn’t invite anyone I knew. I wanted the option to back out in case the nerves got too bad, and I thought if I didn’t know anyone maybe I could convince myself it didn’t matter if I was terrible.  But sitting at the event alone waiting for my turn, I began to realize that I wanted this audience of strangers to be entertained and feel their spirits lifted by my story.  My motivation for telling was to benefit the audience, and the audience wanted me to do well just as my friends and family would have.  Strangers or not, I didn’t want to be terrible for this audience.

Fortunately, I told an excellent story that night. I could tell both during the telling and when I got my scores, I had succeeded in benefiting the audience. As I walked back to my seat though, I realized I had short changed myself by not allowing people I knew to be there.  I wanted to talk about the story and the audience’s reaction, but there was no one to engage with after my time in the spotlight was over.  I loitered around the venue after the show hoping to collect a few compliments, and while that felt great, there was an emptiness in the evening for me.  I wanted more connection.  I like the discussions about what a story means and the conversations that can spiderweb from one story’s beginning and ending.  Storytelling for me is about building community, and that comes from inviting people on the journey with me. Even when I don’t know if the story is going to be terrible or excellent. So next time I’m telling, ya’ll are invited to join me in opening to the possibilities of story!

Using Storytelling in a Variety of Settings by Liz Warren

I’m teaching Using Storytelling in a Variety of Settings at the SMCC Storytelling Institute this spring, so I’ve been thinking about the range of things that storytellers are asked to do. The list below is what I’ve come up with so far. For each of these, the setting will, of course, make a huge difference in how tellers  prepare and what they tell.  For example, telling in a retirement community or a nursing home requires different preparation than telling at an outdoor festival or an elementary school classroom. Similarly, telling to 30 people is different than giving a presentation to 400. Each setting has it’s own requirements and blessings. What they have in common is the need for someone - the storyteller - to create an authentic moment of connection for the listeners. 

• Tell stories at an event or in a specific setting
  • By yourself
  • With other people
• Tell stories while teaching or speaking in a specific setting
  • Are you giving a keynote, making a presentation at a library about your favorite topic?
• Tell stories and engage people in dialogue and discussion about them
  • Public setting, like a concert or class
  • Private, or individual setting
• Teach people the basics of storytelling
  • Organizers for adult events in a whole range of settings usually want to know how to quickly find and craft a personal story
    • This is usually good for older students, too.
  • Organizers for children, especially elementary and middle school, usually want them to learn how to find and tell traditional stories (folktales, myths, legends)
• Teach people an advanced or specialized storytelling technique
  • For example, integrating movement into storytelling, or how to tell to preschoolers
• Teach people the basics of storytelling and how to use it in a specific setting
  • The needs of people working in an interpretive setting (a guide or docent) are different than those working in a healing setting (a hospice nurse).
• Teach people a specialized storytelling technique for a specific setting
  • For example, how to prepare and deliver stories in an advocacy setting (like a legislative hearing)
• Organize and conduct a storytelling event
  • Single event, like a night of stories
  • Multiple events, like an after-school program, or a series at a library or museum
  • Coordinate the storytelling portion of a larger event
• Emcee or officiate at an event
  •  Storytellers are often asked to emcee, but also to officiate at ceremonies like weddings and funerals.  
• Coach tellers for a storytelling event (see above)
  • Individual
  • Group
  • In person, or on the phone or Zoom.
• Conduct story circles to build community
  • Different groups or contexts, different ways to organize
• Create the materials or curricula to support any of the above
  • Teach others to use the materials and curricula

Did I miss something?  Let me know in the comments below!