STORYTELLING SERIES AT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS
By Mary Lou Williams
The Alliance for the Arts is presenting a series of storytelling showcases in 2023. The Storytellers of the Round Table and the Elephant Showcase Storytellers will take to the stage to tell their stories of New Beginnings, Stories of Love, and Stories of Luck. These are the themes of the stories for January, February and March, respectively.
The series will start with a performance on Friday, January 6th, from 7 to 9 pm. Four storytellers will tell their stories of New Beginnings. Dr. Joel Ying will kick it off by giving you a Recipe for Life to begin the new year and a personal story. Then, Mary Lou Williams will tell a medley of Aesop’s fables, updated for a modern audience. Rhonda Brazina will then tell a personal story. Last, but not least, Marilyn Graham will tell two folk tales.
The same four storytellers will tell love stories in the spirit of Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm.
The third showcase titled, “The Best of Luck,” will be on Friday, March 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm. Lisa Leonhardt and Pamela Minton will join Dr. Joel Ying and Mary Lou Williams to tell tales of luck, both good and bad, and how one can sometimes be mistaken for the other.
When was the last time a story transported you to another world? Experience the power of the spoken word – captivating, spellbinding, and entertaining! The stories will be followed by a talk back, which is a question-and-answer session with the audience. Meet the storytellers. Discover the stories behind the stories. The talk back was an innovation that proved to be popular in last year’s series.
The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers, FL. The ticket price is $18 for members and $20 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets visit www.artinlee.org or call (239) 939-2787.
Members, sign up to read your work at our monthly meetings—poem, essay, or short story—3 minute/500 word limit. Three-reader limit per meeting, first come, first served. If slots are filled you can schedule for a future meeting. Contact 
Black Lawrence Press seeks innovative, electrifying, and thoroughly intoxicating manuscripts that ensnare themselves in our hearts and minds and won’t let go. During our June and November Open Reading Periods, we accept submissions in the following categories: novel, novella, short story collection (full-length and chapbook), poetry (full-length and chapbook), biography & cultural studies, translation (from the German), and creative nonfiction. We are now also accepting proposals for anthologies.