Story Clients

STORY CLIENTS

Past story clients include:

Adults

National Storytelling Festival - Jonesborough, Tennessee

International Storytelling Center - Jonesborough, Tennessee

Indiana Story Arts - Indianapolis, Indiana

Kansas City Storytelling Festival – Kansas City, Missouri

Tcha Tee Man Wi Storytelling Festival – Corvallis, Oregon

The Community Media Workshop – Chicago, Illinois

Rockefeller Brothers Fund – New York, New York

Illinois Storytelling Festival – Spring Grove, Illinois

St. George Parish – Tinley Park, Illinois

Beth Hillel Congregation – Wilmette, Illinois

St. Mary of the Woods Church – Chicago, Illinois

The Rotary Club - Northbrook, Illinois

Prairie Center for the Arts - Schaumburg, Illinois

Jane Adams Senior Center - Chicago, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University - Charleston, Illinois

Coalition for the Homeless  – Chicago, Illinois

The Leadership Council on Metropolitan Open Communities - Chicago, Illinois

Adult Learning Resource Center - Des Plaines, Illinois

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Glenview, Illinois

The Felician Sisters - Chicago, Illinois

The Sisters of the Living Word – Chicago Illinois

Evanston Community Foundation – Evanston, Illinois

The North Suburban Library Systems – Illinois

Center for Adult Learning Leadership- Bloomington, Illinois

Western Illinois University – Macomb, Illinois

High School

Loyola Academy - Wilmette, Illinois

Our Lady of Tepayac - Chicago, Illinois

Nazareth Academy - LaGrange, Illinois

Evanston Unitarian Church - Evanston, Illinois

Walter Payton High School - Chicago, Illinois

Operation Snowball - Flossmoor, Illinois

Francis Parker – Chicago, Illinois

Junior High and Elementary Schools

St. Damien School – Oak Forest, Illinois

St. Phillip the Apostle - Northfield, Illinois

Northside Catholic Academy  – Chicago, Illinois

Baker Demonstration School - Evanston, Illinois

St. Beatrice School - Schiller Park, Illinois

St. Celestine School - Elmwood Park, Illinois

St. Cyprian School - River Grove, Illinois

Divine Savior School - Norridge, Illinois

St. William School - Chicago, Illinois

St. Raymond’s School - Mt. Prospect, Illinois

Deerfield Library – Deerfield, Illinois

Northbrook Library – Northbrook, Illinois

At the end of each presentation, I have participants fill out evaluations. I’ll work with you if there is a particular way you want or need to measure results.

Some comments from anonymous surveys:

Story Workshops

Extremely stimulating presentation.
I didn’t realize how many stories I have in me.
I liked new (to me anyway) perspective on storytelling – creating marketing or elevator stories tailored to our specific audiences and the highs and lows of story structure. I never thought of a story that way but it makes a story much more powerful.
I will begin to think more visually and with emphasis on personal story. I also feel I have the tools now to work on metaphors and anecdotes and clear comparisons. Much broader idea of story than I expected. This was very practical.
The workshop broke the story process into progressive steps I could understand and use.
Now I am inspired to spend some time polishing and practicing my stories.
It was very interesting and useful. Lots of involvement – it was interesting, fun and helpful We should do this again next year.
I gained not just a great tips on storytelling but a whole new perspective on selling that makes me more comfortable and excited about my job.
I feel our organization is doing something really important and now I feel I have the tools to tell people about it.
I understand so much more about why we weren’t getting the press attention I think we deserve. Now, I feel excited about being a resource to the media rather than an adversary.
I haven’t felt this creative in years. I hadn’t realized what a rut we’d gotten into in terms of our communication strategies. I feel my focus is back on purpose.
This workshop wasn’t just practical – it was immensely inspiring!
I took your course last year and realized this was something my whole team and our Board needed to learn. Thanks for upping both our skill levels and our passion for what we do.

Story Performances

High School Students:

It was my story. I could relate. The details were so great; I felt as if I were there.
Imaginative. It made me care.
It got me. The drama of it pulled me in. Your stories made me care.
It made me stop and think and hope that racism will end.
I learned about American being two countries at once. I thought that was great. I didn’t know about the historical perspectives and systemic reasons for things. I learned everyone else’s story plus more of my own.
I learned the struggles of not just blacks and browns but whites as well. I learned about Cuban immigration, Chicago’s restrictive covenants and the Civil Rights Movement. You covered all sides of ignorance.
Many of my parents’ and family’s negative statements were answered back to. Thank you for that. So often I don’t know how to express what I’m thinking or feeling.
I learned to ask my family about their heritage and get to know it and them.
I learned to cherish the time I have with my grandparents
I learned that white people have background; everyone has a history.
I learned to be more aware of what you say and not judge people
I learned to ask my family about their heritage and to cherish the time I have with my parents and grandparents.
The details were so great; I felt as if I were there. It made me care.

From adults:

Profoundly provocative. The depth was immeasurable – from the heart.
I can’t imagine a better way to talk about a hard topic.
Has the power to heal and confront truth without being confrontational.
Powerful! Spellbinding! Much more powerful than a lecture.
So informative. Names the issues in society.
I never heard anything like this before!
So happy to have systemic racism addressed in such an articulate way – you have given me words, ideas and courage.
The feeling in the room was electric! I wish everyone could have heard this.
When the whole audience danced and sang together at the end, it was an overwhelming feeling of unity.
I felt as if I received healing because the Vietnam War ripped apart all of us. Something about having the people from the country speak – brought me healing.
I never thought about what it was like for the other side – the Japanese people who were on the ground when the bomb hit.
I was balling, absolutely weeping. I’ll never forget the image of putting the handprint into the mud house or lying in the hold of the boat smelling the fish, and not knowing what freedom was, but moving towards it anyway.
Made me proud to be Asian American. I felt less invisible. This is such important work you’re doing.
I spent many evenings during my years in New York at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and at Broadway theaters, but I can hardly think of an evening that was more moving or more exciting than your performance last Saturday.
I wanted to write and tell you how inspired and moved I was by your beautiful stories. I especially loved the story of your Irish grandmother and your trip to her birthplace. You have a wonderful gift and we are so fortunate that you have chosen to use it in this way. My only regret was that my 16-year-old daughter was unable to attend. How can we know of your future speaking engagements?
You did a wonderful job last evening! Your performing was exquisite. What a gift you have for saying the right thing — and in such a sensitive way. I especially appreciated your comments about last evening’s light attendance, and about our society’s tendency toward “hero-worship” which often eclipses the simple, daily acts of courage of so many “ordinary” people. And I had never heard anyone refer to the horrific brutality against African-Americans in our country referred to as a “reign of terror” before. It is so true; that we all must come to terms with our own history, and that we can’t move forward without understanding our past.
A mind-blowing experience – I felt my heart open to everyone in the room!
Profound! I felt my humanness in a whole new way. I realized I’m not alone on this adventure called life
For the first time, I felt as though I belonged.
I identified with your stories and, then, I felt heard because of how people listened to you.
I found out how much I like other human beings – we all make mistakes.
It felt great to laugh about our ignorance. I joined the human race today – I feel like I’ve come home.