AFTER THE FLOOD: STORIES OF HEART & HOPE
WITH STORYTELLER ANNIE HAWKINS
7pm, The Songyard, 295 Main Street, CHESTER
Admission is $5-$10 sliding scale, and all proceeds benefit Rural Vermont.
Rural Vermont again partners with master storyteller Annie Hawkins for the third annual storytelling benefit in Chester, Vermont. “After the Flood: Stories of Heart and Hope” will feature a series of tales from past generations and distant cultures that speak to the resolve, compassion, and valor displayed by Vermonters in the aftermath of the floods. Adults and older children are welcome to join Annie and Rural Vermont on Sunday, November 20th at 7 pm at the Songyard, located at 295 Main Street in Chester. (Please note this is a different location than years past.) Admission is $5-$10 sliding scale, and all proceeds benefit Rural Vermont.
In explaining how Annie conjured up this year’s theme, she says that, “After the flood, I have been thinking a lot about community and connectiveness. I have been awed by Vermonters’ resiliency, perseverance, kindness and courage. There is also a need for solace. I have been remembering stories from many cultures that speak to our own culture in the here and now and celebrate those attributes that have been so much in evidence after the flood. I also desire to provide hope and solace via these lovely old stories that have nurtured humans for generations.”
Following the one-hour performance, stay for a reception with homemade refreshments and mingling. Meet Annie, learn more about Rural Vermont’s advocacy work on behalf of farmers, and peruse the gallery of artwork that makes up Rural Vermont’s 2011 “Art for Agrarians” online art auction. Artwork reflects Rural Vermont’s vision for food with dignity, and bids can be placed online through December 9th at www.ruralvermont.org.
Proceeds from the door fee will benefit Rural Vermont, and the organization’s work to secure economic justice for Vermont’s farmers. In support and solidarity with the farmers impacted by Tropical Storm Irene, the event will also raise funds for farmer flood relief through tee shirt sales and free will donations. A tee designed by Springfield artist Jamie Townsend will be available for purchase for $20, and a “farm flood relief” donation bucket will be passed. All tee proceeds and relief donations will benefit the Vermont Community Foundation’s Farm Disaster Relief Fund.
Annie Hawkins began her storytelling life when she was a wee sprite dressed in Doctor Denton pajamas and regaling her parents’ dinner guests with her fantastical made-up stories. Since 1989 she has performed at universities, theatres, museums, nature centers and other venues all over the country. Although she no longer wears pajamas when she performs, Annie still brings a child’s sense of exuberance and wonder to the stage. She is also the author of published short stories, poems and essays. Her column Renegade Poet was published in The Kennett Paper, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania for five years and won a Keystone Press Award. She currently writes a monthly column for The Weekly Commons in Brattleboro, VT.