“ ‘Thou shalt not’ is soon forgotten, but ‘Once upon a time’ lasts forever.”
– Philip Pullman
Repertoire:
My stories are geared to respond to the interests of listeners of all ages in community groups, churches and libraries.
I am happy to work with teachers from JK to grade twelve in order to prepare multicultural programming that supports and enhances the teaching of character traits, history, language arts, and/or the various holiday celebrations.
For younger students, presentations include interactive, participatory tales that entertain and foster the imagination.
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
– G.K. Chesteron
The Golden Arm
Click the play button below to listen to The Golden Arm.
Kensington Stories:
These tales are as close to truth as stories can be. They are filled with moments that are touching and others that will elicit smiles and laughter. Content is suitable for listeners from 14 to 104.
The Leaving:
Life in an Austrian D.P. camp is a challenge. Finally, after the chimney sweep’s visit, the decision to leave is made. Was it my fault we said ‘auf-weidersehn’ to everything and everyone we knew?
Onion Tea
Every family has ‘cures’ that are guaranteed. Some, like chicken soup for a cold, are quite comforting. Others are remembered with dread.
The Lipstick:
Home is a rooming house on Kensington Ave right at the edge of the market. We all find it difficult to adjust to this new life. One day my mother and I go to the market where she’s tempted to buy her very first lipstick and that changes everything.
“Stories are bridges from one mind to another.”
– Martha Holloway
My Walk with Sin:
When our landlady gives me a quarter to ‘save for special’ I use it to go to the Victory Theatre on Spadina Ave. There I fall in love with the movies just about the time I’m preparing to make my first communion. Determined to keep my soul ‘sin free’ for that special day I find myself led astray when the Victory Theatre undergoes a transformation.
Mrs. Pfister:
Summer evenings on Kensington Ave. meant kids playing hide-and-seek; people on porches sharing stories, and young people falling in love. What can possibly go wrong in such a peaceful setting?
The Sunroom:
When one of the Kensington rats moves into our sunroom my family faces several days of turmoil. Why doesn’t my father step up to get rid of the rat?
The Dentist:
One look at the long, sleek chair in my dentist’s office always takes me back to my first visit. I was three. Things didn’t go well.
The Winter Dress Coat
When your father’s a tailor the winter coats he makes are guaranteed to fit and keep you warm especially if they’re made of naugahide.
“Just a brief note to tell you how much I enjoyed your stories today. It was a wonderful set. The stories were very carefully crafted and everything worked together so well. Your telling was superb and Susanne’s music tied the package up very nicely. I have to tell you that this was one of the very best storytelling sets that I have heard.”
– Bruce Carmody
The Truth about Gladys Pouch:
The almost completely true story about the need to belong and about how kindness and tolerance may be forgotten when we are forced to choose between friends. A story that demonstrates that the bully, the bullied and the bystander can be one and the same.
Sex and the ‘Need to Know’ Method of Child Rearing:
Long before sex education was a topic that made the headlines I expected to learn what I needed to know from my mother. But if I tell you that her fallback line was, “Well, right now that’s not something you need to know, and when you do I’ll be sure to tell you,” you may not be surprised to hear that I found myself searching for answers from other sources.
Coping with Alzheimer’s:
When Katie Comes to Visit:
When my mother had Alzheimer’s Disease it wasn’t always easy to explain Oma’s behaviors to our granddaughter Katie. This story deals with some of those issues.
How My Father Put a Down Payment on a Fire Engine:
Not much in life prepares you to cope with the problems experienced by aging parents—except maybe your memories, a skewed sense of humour and love, of course.
“I can’t tell you how deeply touched I was by your story; the way you told it with such heart and humour and perfect delivery.”
– Nathalie Vachon
How Was That Again?:
Stories you thought you knew but maybe didn’t.
Myrtle’s Goose:
Have you ever wondered why anyone would be foolish enough to kill a goose that lays golden eggs? This story gives you the answer.
The Other Side of the Mirror:
Rapunzel’s story from the Witch’s point of view. Are you ready to hear her side of the story?
The Third Night:
The story of what happens when a little man and the miller’s daughter find themselves locked away, together, for three nights in a row. (Definitely adult content.)
She’s Worth Nothing to Me:
Bathsheba’s story as told by her sister…who saw everything. (Adult content)