HAPPY HOURS
Join host, ChaChanna Simpson for Happy Hours Thursday through Sunday from 5-6 pm. It's a time to meet old and new friends from across the globe.
Each day of the Sparks conference is a new adventure: On Thursday, we’re going on a story scavenger hunt. Friday, share a three-minute story about your favorite glass, cup, or mug. Saturday, play a part in our story improv game, and then Sunday, share your 3-minute story, open topic.
It's bound to be a good time!
About ChaChanna:
ChaChanna Simpson hails from The Great State of Connecticut—in case you were wondering, ChaChanna says it’s great simply because she’s there. ChaChanna Simpson is a writer, puzzle addict, intuitive reiki practitioner, and a karaoke star. She’s a two-time award-winning flash fiction writer who also enjoys writing short stories, personal essays, poems, and other sentences. Not only does she write stories, but she also tells them: out loud, live, on stage in front of people. ChaChanna’s enjoyed sharing her personal stories on many storytelling stages throughout Fairfield County and Westchester County, NY, and traditional tales for corporate events. ChaChanna is a member of Northeast Storytelling.
SWAP - SPIRIT OF STORY
Tales are for telling. Join your host, PapaJoe Gaudet, and listen as we share the yarns that fill our souls. Inspired from every corner of the world, we'll light up the opening night. The flames fueled by our very favorite stories, and driven by the four winds of imagination. Tell your favorite tale to the best listeners in the world. Please try to share pieces which run at 12 minutes or less. If you have a longer tale, maybe we can fit it in at the end. Poems are welcome, recited, not read. All ages are welcome to tell or even just to listen. FUN!
About PapaJoe:
The traveling teller, PapaJoe Gaudet, is the one of those characters you expect to find wandering through the pages of an old children's picture book. And when you see him telling a tale, long beard wagging, the explosion of expressions, the range of voices, the depth of emotions; you'll know some of the reasons he is so loved by his listeners. Whether he's presenting an ancient folktale or sharing one of his many incredible experiences, one can't help feeling a part of the story.
Over decades, he's pied pipered his way from Cow Head, Newfoundland to Tombstone, Arizona, told tales from the beaches of Barcelona to Moscow Mountain, Idaho and left footprints all over the internet including hundreds of Livestreams and videos. His greatest joy is in the sharing of stories. Join his swap, The Spirit of Story, on Thursday evening.
SWAP - THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Join your host, Michele Carlo, for the Friday night swap. We all have stories we haven't told for any number of reasons: it never quite fit any theme, was too soon, too late, too frivolous, too unassuming, too short, too whatever! This swap is your chance to see if your little story bird is ready to fly, or needs to stay in the nest (pun unintended, haha) a little longer.
About Michele:
Michele Carlo is a native New Yorker, a Nuyorican, a natural redhead, and remembers when a slice of pizza (and the NYC subway) cost 50 cents. As a storyteller, she has performed across the U.S., including The Clearwater Arts and Music Festival, RISK! live shows and podcast, and the MOTH’s Mainstage in NYC; and has appeared on NPR (“Latino USA”) and PBS (“Latino Americans of NY & NJ,” “Stories from the Stage”). She is also the author of the NYC-set memoir “Fish Out of Agua: My life on neither side of the (subway) tracks.” www.michelecarlo.com
99-SECOND STORIES
Join host, Diane Macklin, and come prepared to tell your best true, personal stories in 99 seconds or less. The audience will judge the contestants who will move on to the next rounds and the final winner. The winner receives $99! But the most important thing to remember is that it's all in good fun.
About Diane:
Acclaimed storyteller, Diane Macklin, captivates the young and old with her dancing hands, lyrical voice, and high energy. Her engaging style is charming as well as delightful. Diane is also a Certified Educator, Actress, Historian, Lecturer, as well as a Conflict Resolution and Multicultural Mediator. She has performed, led workshops, and conducted residencies across the nation. www.dianemacklin.com
SWAP - FINDING FACES
“Time for a face-to-face” “My real face” “Put on my face” “Time to face the music” “He’s got egg on his face” “Why the long face?” “Put on a brave face” “Get out of my face” “A face in the dark” “Her face lit up” “So good to see your face!” ….After a year of living enmasked with our zoom faces on, what does “Finding Faces” mean to you? Join your host Misty Mator for the final swap and event of the weekend with your ±10 minute story ready!
About Misty:
Misty Mator captivates with timeless tales that teach history, celebrate culture, inspire creativity, and promote moral values. Misty draws on her study of traditional myths and her experience as a mother-of-four to entertain, educate, and amuse audiences of all ages. She is a storyteller from the Pittsburgh region and a member of the TELL: Pittsburgh Storytelling Series production team, and has performed at Pittsburgh’s Alphabet Trails & Tails, the Ellwood City Storytelling Festival, the Women's Storytelling Festival, and the Historic Fayette Theater in West Virginia amongst other venues. Her storytelling enriches lives with connection, laughter, and wisdom. As a mother of four, she says her young children often get back up after going to bed 1, 2, 3 times a night and always with a story as to why! She's accustomed to late night storytelling. She's excited to be hearing some different stories this evening at the final swap of SPARKS!www.storytellermistymator.com starlathestoryteller.com