We've had some amazing tellers take to the Storycatchers stage this past year. Some tellers are 'one and done'. Proving to themselves that they can get up in front of strangers and friends and share a little sliver of themselves. We're so grateful that they have. Others are more regular. Pulling out great stories from their pockets that make you wonder what else they've got rattling around in there.
I love when one of these tried and true tellers is announced and start to make their way to the front the twitters of excitement or little noises of acknowledgement ripple through the crowd. That's why when I was thinking of how to celebrate the one year anniversary of Storycatchers Live events I knew I needed to ask some of these returning favorites back to the stage.
Typically three weeks out, like we are for our April 8th Main Stage Event, I'm sweating if we will have enough story submissions to fill a night's lineup. {You storytellers, you only like to submit when the deadline is staring you straight in the face don't you?!?} But since for this event I was wise enough to trick these tellers into saying 'yes' early enough, I thought it would be fun to share a little more about them and some of the past stories they've shared along the way. So stay tuned as we roll out all of the tellers in the line up.
Our first two tellers will be hitting the airwaves on the Storycatchers segment on 'Soul of the Cities' on 91.1 The Avenue Saturday March 25th at 11:00am and you can catch an encore airing Sunday March 26th at 8:00pm.
Dan Flannery
Growing up, I along with the rest of Appleton, found out about what was happening in the world through Dan's stories and words. I met Dan in person by serving a term on The Post-Crescent editorial board. Each Wednesday over sub sandwiches, we'd sling opinions over the current events and every once in a while my sarcastic comments would land and we'd be rewarded with his warm laugh and genuine delight at all things smart-alicky. Later, I would learn that his youngest daughter and I sang in choir together and that I knew his wife through volunteer work. I am still puzzled as to how such smart and successful women find themselves attached to this man. :) In seriousness, I doggedly popped up in Dan's view every few months in the off chance he'd consider telling. He finally took pity, or figured out I wasn't going to stop, and so was warmly welcomed into the Storycatchers' fold.
Dan Flannery has devoted his professional life to telling stories.
For three-plus decades, he was a journalist, including 28 years at The Post-Crescent, where he earned numerous state and national awards as a columnist, editorial writer and editor.
You can find more than 60 of Dan’s P-C columns at http://bit.ly/DanFlannery.
Since July 2014, Dan has served at Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin, where he’s currently senior vice president-engagement, raising the level of organizational story-telling to share the nonprofit’s great work with more people.
Dan has also been a professional guitarist, and still plays solo gigs occasionally in the Fox Cities. He began playing at age 5.
Dan and his wife, Mary, live in Darboy. They have two daughters and three grandsons.
Ann Koenig
I met Ann on a rainy fall Wednesday. Our meeting, warmed by the women that surrounded us and let's face it, the whiskey in our glass felt like an instant connection. Ann bravely shared some of the free-writing I was facilitating and from the moment she did I was in love with her sharp wit and ability to speak right at something instead of around it. I don't think I gave Ann an option to be a teller. If my whiskey and I remember correctly, I just told her simply, "You're going to tell at Storycatchers." What can I say? Whiskey has never done me wrong. Also, it seems I met both these tellers on a Wednesday. Whiskey and Wednesday are two things a girl can count on to deliver.
A functionally dysfunctional childhood; career stops in the comic book industry, a music magazine and as a massage therapist; marriage, divorce, heartaches, a half dozen stepkids; unconventional, optimistic with a wicked sense of humor.... Hmmm could be a few stories in there?!
Come and meet Dan and Ann and the other wonderful storytellers at Storycatchers: Main Stage April 8th
