Well, hello, my friendliest friends and favorite looky-loos! Long time no talk! But MY oh MY are you all looking as gorgeous as ever. 💜
A lot of you know I went to Spain to hike the Camino Frances. Some of you know I came back after completing 175 miles of it. And although I didn’t make it to Santiago due to my knees, I’m proud of what I did do, and, more importantly, of the headspace I found myself in to call it quits without punishing myself for it. I think this is called “being an adult”?
I dunno—don’t quote me on that!
I’d love to share with you some of the pictures I took and thoughts I had while hiking. Would that interest you? Let me know!
But I’m home, producer hat firmly back on my head, and slowly tiptoeing back into avoiding less what I always avoid too much: being brave anyway.
I mean specifically storytelling and stage-wise, of course. Speaking of the stage, here are some upcoming events where I’ll be telling stories. If you’re around, I’d love to see you at any of ‘em. And this first one anyone can attend because it’s right here on Substack!
June 20: Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! brings you KILL THE PATRIARCHY!
The almighty Nan Tepper runs this virtual storytelling show with the sole purpose of spotlighting feminist writers and creators. Her tagline? “1 story. 4 minutes. Zero dicks. This ain’t no open mic.” Wanna find out what that means or learn more about this fabulous show?
Or buy a ticket for Saturday’s show! I’d love to have you there! Maybe you’ll wanna do the next one, eh? Oh! What’s MY story? I’m sharing part of an emotional tale called Spaces With Men. If you come, let me know what you think!
July 26: The Monkey House in Berkeley brings you LOVE AND ROMANCE
This will be my first time at The Monkey House. Their Sunday show, What’s Your Story?, will feature stories about Love and Romance and include an open mic component. Details on my show aren’t up yet, but check out their website anyway. What a fantastically weird spot. Tickets are a sliding fee, and seats are reserved. The show starts at 2pm. MY story? Oh, just a little tale about drinking, driving, and falling madly in love, that’s all! (Fun Fact: Those who saw my notes gripe about a producer complaining that I used the word VAGINA in a story . . . this is that story!!!)💜
July 28: San Francisco Punchline brings you IN A NUTSHELL WITH KEITH LOWELL JENSEN!💜💜!
My dearest friend and story side-piece Keith Lowell Jensen is taking our storytelling show to the Bay Area, and Holy McHell, I’m invited along to tell a story! If any of you have been to a Nutshell show, you know what a fantastic comedic storyteller Keith is, not to mention one helluva host. The lineup for this one is killer (Keith? Kiry Shibazz?? Beau Ryder Davis??? MEEEEEE????), so if you’re around the Bay Area, grab your tickets now, they’re gonna sell out.
Oh, my story? MOI?? Well, ‘fraid I can’t divulge that information right now, but I can say this: it is Sir Mix-a-Lot approved!
Aug 12: Six Feet Apart’s open mic brings you VACATION VIBES
Since I had “best story of the night” this week at SFAP’s “Plot Twist” open mic, I get to be a featured teller at their next show. If you’re looking for a place to try your chops at telling a true, personal story, this virtual event might be perfect for you! Claire and Regina are accomplished storytellers building a wonderful community, and I know they’d be glad to have you on and talk you through any worries or unease. I’ve heard some awesome tales at this show, and I’d love to have you here to check out my featured story!
WHAT IS MY FEATURED STORY?? I’m not sure yet. Hiking the Camino? Hiking the John Muir Trail? Attending the Maroon Festival in Jamaica? Get your tix now and let’s figure out what we’re gonna tell together!
Aug 18: Corey Rosen’s Simply Said brings you INNOCENCE
This will be my first time featuring at Corey’s uber-popular open mic show in the North Bay. I’m very excited to be a part of it. My show info isn’t up yet, but you can bookmark the site and mark your calendar. There’s also an open mic component so why not shiny up a story of yours and get on stage with me?! The story I’m telling is really fun to listen to because, um, well, I rap a little bit in it???
What’s that? You wanna know about MY story? Well, um, you saw the whole rapping thing, didn’t you? That’s not enough of a hook? 😂(Bonus: Good ol’ Keith Lowell Jensen will be featuring, too! Two Nutshells for the price of one? Deal!)
OTHER:
I’ll be officially co-hosting WILDCARD starting June 17 and from now on. We’re well on our way to making WC one heck of an event, and if you haven’t been yet, do come. WILDCARD is all about true stories told live by you! Participate in the audience or put your name in our NOT HAT, either way, it’s a ton of fun and full of heart.
TBD: I’ll be telling the full version of Spaces with Men sometime in the next few months at Placerville’s Word of Mouth. Stay tuned!
TBD: I’ll be telling an emotionally fraught story at Exposed Storytelling in September or October. Stay tuned!
And I’ll be on In a Nutshell’s October show, “Dark Hearts.” Stay tuned!
Okay! That’s all! I’m gonna do these shows! Are you gonna hold me accountable? Hopefully, just telling you is enough to get me there. Cuz I may be a scaredy-scaredy, but I also love telling stories and seeing all of you out in the real world. So please come. Please tell me your thoughts. And please tell your own stories! I wanna hear them!
xoxo, Amy
If you're local, I'd love to see your face at one of these shows. And if you're not local, come hang out with me online. Either way, hit reply and tell me what you've been up to while I was wandering around Spain pretending my knees were younger than they are.
Where you at, Amy Bee????? Thanks for the mention. Can't wait to hear your story! xo