More Mainers are taking the stage to tell their own tales

May 28—Although he was simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the idea of telling a personal story in public, Greg Tulonen found himself on stage talking about his father.
Tulonen, a pharmacy operations manager from Auburn, has been a fan of The Moth Radio hour on public radio for years. But he recently decided he wanted to be a storyteller instead of just a listener. He signed up for Stories Told Live, a monthly storytelling night at Blue in Portland. He talked for twelve minutes, about the time his father sped down the road chasing someone who had just thrown a Burger King bag out the window, about a father-son kite flying adventure involving 10,000 feet of string, and about his father's struggle with early-onset Alzheimer's, among other things.
"It was a challenge to myself, because I knew it was the kind of thing that freaked me out," said Tulonen, 55, about his public storytelling debut on May 1. "I'm very happy to have done it, though. It felt really good. It was so satisfying to get immediate audience reaction."
Storytelling has been growing and changing in Maine in recent years, with new events starting up and organizations using it to get their message out or make community connections. Stories Told Live at Blue, a nonprofit music and performance venue in Portland, is in its third year. The nonprofit group Community Plate in Gray, started in 2023, organizes regular potluck and story-sharing suppers around the state. The improv group Yes & Co. invites people to tell their stories at monthly shows at the Portland Media Center, then improvises sketches based on them. There's also a monthly story night called The Corner at L/A Arts in Lewiston that's been run by various volunteers for about a decade.
The University of New England in Biddeford held its third Health Care Story Slam, focused on stories of empathy from students and community members, on April 16. Suitcase Stories, created by Maine native Cheryl Hamilton, organized two sessions of stories by Portland-area immigrants at the Portland Museum of Art on May 8. The Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition held a Patchwork of Parenthood storytelling event on May 17 in Brunswick.
Though Maine has a long tradition of storytelling, featuring dry wit and Down East humor, the new popularity of storytelling seems to be fueled by people's desire to connect personally with each other, especially since the pandemic. Storytellers and event organizers say that live storytelling appeals to people because they can share their challenges, failures or traumas and get reassuring head nods and applause instead of the mocking replies often elicited by personal social media posts.
"I think social media has disrupted the fabric of how we communicate, of how we engage with one another, and people want to have a feeling of community and engaging again," said Nate Eldridge, 51, one of the organizers of Stories Told Live at Blue and executive director of the nonprofit Portland Media Center, which operates two community TV stations. "I think we are so alienated and lonely and distanced. But when you get 60 people together to hear one person tell a story about their divorce or how they lost their husband or some funny anecdote, it helps us connect to another human being. It makes you realize we're all living this shared experience."
TAKING THE STAGE
Many of the people who are volunteering to tell their stories at live events around Maine say they are fans of storytelling on podcasts or radio, including TED Talks and The Moth Radio Hour. The Moth began as a nonprofit storytelling organization in 1997 and its live show — Moth Mainstage — is coming to Portland's State Theatre on June 6. Tickets for the live, unscripted show sold out in about a day.
The Stories Told Live series at Blue was started by two people with backgrounds in various kinds of storytelling who were looking for a new project, and noticed there wasn't a regular storytelling series in Portland. Eldridge had worked as a producer at Maine TV stations, including for the popular News Center Maine TV magazine show "207." The co-founder of the series, Tim Ferrell, runs stand-up comedy workshops in the Portland area and coaches speakers.
Some of the people who tell stories at Blue are solicited by the organizers, and maybe have a passion or background in writing or performing. Sometimes people come to watch a story session and end up asking to get a spot on stage, which is what Tulonen did.
SallyAnn Gray, 45, of Portland, has been drawn to various types of storytelling for years. She works as a marketing strategist, but she also writes, sings in a band, and does a podcast with some of her friends. On May 1, she told her first story on stage to an audience, at Blue. On Ferrell's recommendation, she recorded a draft of her story, then it sent to him, listened to his feedback, and then practiced enough to do it live on stage. (Ferrell and Eldridge coach the storytellers, for free.)
Gray's story includes an exchange with her 13-year-old daughter, upset at the requirement that she eat dinner with her family every evening, calling the dinners "so boring" and telling Gray that she and the other members of the family are "all so cringe." It continues with Gray consulting ChatGPT about how to handle the family dinner dilemma, and a realization of why family meals mean so much to her now — because she almost never had them as a child herself.
"That was my first opportunity to dig into the dark a little, because I often feel like I need to entertain people," said Gray. "People love to laugh, and I do too. But I was really excited about this opportunity to share something that meant a lot to me."
NEW WAYS TO CONNECT
Lewiston native Cheryl Hamilton started a series called Suitcase Stories in 2017, after years of working in jobs that provided help to immigrants. The idea was to create public storytelling events where immigrants could talk about their own experiences, as a way to "counter the negative rhetoric" about immigrants that became prevalent during President Trump's first run for office. The series, based at the International Institute of New England, has hosted events featuring more than 500 people from 80 countries, including the one at the Portland Museum of Art on May 8.
Hamilton has also started Stellar Story Company, which works with businesses and organizations to "develop a culture of storytelling." That includes better communication within the organization, and using storytelling to make the organization's mission or message easier for people to relate to. She says there are many jobs in most businesses that require storytelling skills, from raising money, to getting staff to buy into a concept to public speaking.
The Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition uses a storytelling event, called Patchwork of Parenthood. It does raise money for the group, but the event is more about "friend raising," said Kara Kaikini, the coalition's executive director. The event features parents telling stories about a huge range of joys and struggles, and helps attract new volunteers and allies, Kaikini said. The University of New England in Biddeford used its Health Care Story Slam in April as way to foster empathy in the field of public health, said Isabel Ryan, a UNE student who coordinated the event.
One of the storytellers was Grace Stults, director of Health and Wellness for Special Olympics Maine. Stults, who has also worked as a special education teacher, thought that telling stories would be a good way to help other people see Special Athletes "as whole people" and understand how important good medical care is to them.
"I think often people with intellectual and and developmental disabilities are painted with a very thin brush," said Stults. "So these kind of speaking opportunities help raise awareness and paint a more full picture of their lives."
Karl Schatz and his wife, Margaret Hathaway, launched Community Plate in 2023 as a way to build community and combat loneliness statewide, but it also fits into the couple's interest in food and story telling. They run Ten Apple Farm in Gray, where they raise goats and hold cheesemaking workshops. They also both have worked in story-based mediums, Schatz as a photo journalist and Hathaway as a writer. They have collaborated on several books on food and farming. They've run more than 30 free pot-luck suppers with stories all over the state, so far. The most recent scheduled supper was this month at the Fairview Grange in the Central Maine town of Smithfield.
Schatz said as many as 100 people have attended a single supper. People are encouraged to bring a dish that has a story behind it, and are given prompts to help them share stories with other guests, things like "Share a story about a food that reminds you of a specific person or place," Schatz said. Besides the stories told at the table, a few other storytellers — seasoned ones and first timers — are invited to get up and share their stories with the larger gathering.
Gail Gross, a interior designer from Brunswick, said she was excited when she heard about Community Plate because she was looking for something creative to do in her spare time, and she loved the idea of combining food with meeting and talk to new people. So she decided to tell a story about the "circuitous route" she took to really loving food — cooking and eating. Her parents had been killed in a car crash when she was 19, and she didn't enjoy eating or much of anything for a while. At some point, she found the last jar of tomatoes her mother had ever canned, and used them to make her mom's chili recipe.
"My mom was not a good cook. She wasn't even allowed to become one, in a way, because my father was so meat and potatoes. And so I made her chili out of her last jar of tomato sauce, just hamburger, a can of beans, Minute Rice and her tomato sauce," said Gross, 64. "It's so simple and so basic, and was always a comfort food for me. But it wasn't until that moment that it became more, because it was the last bit of her."
Copy the Story Link

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

an hour ago

• USA Today

When Caregiving Becomes Identity: Lynn Wenger's Real, Raw Journey Through Alzheimer's

What does it mean to love someone slowly forgetting who you are? For Lynn Wenger, the author of A Husband's Memoir: A Journey Through Alzheimer's, love wasn't just about showing up in the early days for his wife. It was about staying even when the person you knew began to fade, and every familiar rhythm was replaced with uncertainty. In the book, Lynn pulls back the curtain on a quiet transformation that took place when his wife was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at just 59 years old. He transformed from a devoted husband into a full-time caregiver, and that shift ultimately cost him. Before all this, Lynn was a self-made man from rural Iowa who built a successful career in construction consulting. Wendy was a registered nurse with a quick wit and a huge heart. She was the kind of person who showed up for her friends, volunteered at the local preschool, and still made time for church choir and book club. Together, they raised a family, built a life, and shared memories. This memoir, written in the months and years following his wife Wendy's diagnosis, isn't just about navigating the realities of Alzheimer's. It's about identity, grief, and what happens until you can't tell where love ends and caregiving begins. A Role He Never Trained For Lynn is no stranger to structure. He's a scheduler and a planner — someone who ran multi-million-dollar construction jobs with near-photographic precision. However, not even decades of professional precision or life experience could prepare him for the difficulties of caregiving. The shift from partner to caregiver was instantaneous and irreversible. Conversations grew harder. Decisions became heavier. "I wasn't just helping her," Lynn writes. "I was feeding her, dressing her, calming her down, watching for the next meltdown, trying to hold her world together while mine was quietly falling apart." The Isolation No One Sees In the outside world, Lynn kept things moving — balancing his work, organizing church events, staying involved in their local Boy Scout troop, and checking in with neighbors. But behind closed doors, life was shrinking. Time for himself became non-existent. So did the ability to sleep through the night. He wasn't just managing Wendy's care; he was carrying the emotional weight of every change. Her moods. Her confusion. Her sudden fear of water, loud noises, or unfamiliar places. Her eventual inability to recognize their own home. "There were days I couldn't even leave the room," Lynn writes. "Not because I had nowhere to go, but because she didn't want to let go of my hand." Lynn describes the kind of loneliness that only caregivers know, where you're never physically alone but constantly longing for a connection that used to be effortless. A Grief That Starts Too Soon In his reflections, Lynn speaks to a grief that begins long before a life ends. As Wendy's cognitive decline accelerated, moments of clarity became rare and precious. She could still sing along to their favorite 70s music. She could still flash her signature sense of humor. But those sparks were fleeting. "You don't just grieve the person," Lynn explains. "You grieve your life together. The future you planned. The roles you once shared." He captures the irony of being both deeply needed and gradually invisible — of loving someone who no longer knows they love you back. Regret, Real Talk, and a Little Grace Lynn's story is the unmistakable voice of a man doing his best. But also, the honesty of a man who wrestles with guilt. Guilt for the moments he spent working instead of sitting by her side. Guilt for the times he didn't recognize a symptom until it was too late. Guilt for simply needing a break. "If I could go back," he writes, "I'd trade every spreadsheet and scout meeting for one more walk around the block with her." However, Lynn doesn't let bitterness cloud his writing; he shares a unique perspective. Lynn's regrets are balanced by deep wells of grace, reminding caregivers everywhere that they're human — and doing more than enough. A Husband's Memoir: A Journey Through Alzheimer's does more than tell one couple's story. It shines a light on the hidden world of caregiving and how it involves sacrifice, resilience, humor, and heartbreak. Lynn doesn't gloss over the hard parts. Instead, he shares them so that others might feel less alone. Where Lynn Is Now Wendy passed away in early 2024 at just 64 years old. Lynn has since become an advocate for Alzheimer's awareness, supporting research and helping organize his local Walk to End Alzheimer's. He's been approached about leading support groups, especially for husbands and partners who, like him, never expected to become full-time caregivers. And he's open about the fact that he's still grieving, still figuring it all out. 'People think the hard part ends when they pass,' he says. 'But grief has its own timeline. It doesn't check your calendar.' For more information regarding Lynn and Wendy's story and to order the book, "A Husband's Memoir: A Journey Through Alzheimer's," go to: This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.

Yahoo

8 hours ago

• Yahoo

FDA-Approved Sleeping Pill Slows Alzheimer's Tangles in Pre-Clinical Trial

A drug used to treat insomnia has protected mice against the buildup of the tau protein found to clump abnormally in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. This could lead to new ways to help slow the progress of these diseases. An increasing number of people are facing cognitive decline personally or in their loved ones. There are almost 10 million new cases of dementia globally each year, and despite decades of research, there are still few treatment options that provide clear benefits. So due to the links between Alzheimer's and poor sleep, Washington University neurologist Samira Parhizkar and colleagues investigated a central nervous system depressant, lemborexant, that was approved for use as a sleep aid by the FDA in December 2019. "We have shown that lemborexant improves sleep and reduces abnormal tau, which appears to be a main driver of the neurological damage that we see in Alzheimer's and several related disorders," explains Washington University neurologist David Holtzman. The role of amyloid beta proteins in Alzheimer's has been controversial, but they're not the only proteins implicated in the disease. Tau proteins normally contribute to the structure of brain cells, but past research has linked abnormal ones with the rate of brain atrophy in animal models. "The antibodies to amyloid that we now use to treat patients with early, mild Alzheimer's dementia are helpful, but they don't slow the disease down as much as we would like," says Holtzman. "We need ways to reduce the abnormal tau buildup and its accompanying inflammation, and this type of sleep aid is worth looking at further." But when the researchers compared lemborexant with another sleep aid, zolpidem, the results were unexpected. Mice receiving lemborexant retained up to 40 percent more volume in their memory-forming hippocampus than those who received zolpidem or no sleep aid at all. "What was surprising was that these effects were not seen with a standard sleep drug like zolpidem, which increases NREM sleep similarly to lemborexant," Parhizkar told Eric Dolan at PsyPost. "This suggests that the benefit is not just about more sleep, but rather how that sleep is promoted." The two sleep drugs work on different mechanisms, and that seems to be key to the protective effects. Lemborexant blocks orexin, a neuropeptide that regulates the sleep cycle, and when the team genetically knocked out orexin receptor 2 in mice, it reduced the buildup of tau in their brains. Strangely, though, the protective results of lemborexant were only seen in male mice, even though females were also tested. What's more, mouse studies don't always produce the same results in humans. Lemborexant has only been approved for short-term use in humans, so its long-term impacts as well as effectiveness in tau reduction still need to be investigated. While many questions remain to be answered, if the results seen in this study hold true, the researchers hope early intervention with a drug like lemborexant could potentially delay the progression of neurodegeneration. This research was published in Nature Neuroscience. Risk of Sleep Breathing Disorder Set to Rise 45% by End of Century Breakthrough: FDA Approves Injection to Prevent HIV Is It Gastro or Food Poisoning? Here's A Guide to Your Upset Stomach

Buzz Feed

10 hours ago

• Buzz Feed

49 People Going Through It Who Made Me Laugh A Lot

Look, we've all had times when we've been going THROUGH IT. And when it's happening to us, it's not very funny. But when it's happening to other people? Well, it can be hilarious! (Does admitting that make me a monster? I think it might.) Well, if you're a monster like me, here are 50 people who are REALLY going through it (and also really funny): This boyfriend after his autocorrect disaster: This clown-hating diner at a restaurant where Mr. Giggles (or whoever) kept popping up on the digital menu: And this grade school teacher trying like hell to remember her students' names: This fast food manager stuck dealing with some not exactly A+ employees: This Great British Bake Off contestant hanging on by a thread: And this TMI dad having a really crappy time: This hungry person after coming outside and seeing their McDonald's order: These dudes at a Burger King in the middle of the night: And this truck driver after his epic mishap: Oof: Double oof: And — you guessed it — triple oof: This unpopular OnlyFans model: This wrong number texter: And this down bad dude who is WAY too attached to their AI: This realtor struggling to sell this house: This guy passed out at a wedding: And this dude who ended up in the ER when his hemorrhoid burst — and then got this gift from a smartass friend: The guy who got this message after throwing out his back: This guy and his Grammy throwing a fit over Beyoncé's win: And this crack user struggling with inflation like the rest of us: This guy getting scammed: Whoever this computer belongs to: And this Southeast Asian in the Netherlands struggling with the height This teacher who is OVER Gen Z slang: This teacher trying to survive with the worst possible name for teaching teenagers: And this employee who REALLY hates that her company's name tags only use an initial for the last name: This struggling math student trying — and failing — to use Jesus to pass a test: This kid after the cringiest prom ever: And this person who doesn't need an app pointing out how boring their life is: The kid who wrote this "when I grow up" section: This professor who seems like they're going through something: And the student who posted this — and just might be in the above professor's class: This tired neighbor: The partners at this bank: And this dude who dropped a part on his foot and broke it (but at least he got this care package from a co-worker): This at least she has this guy's support (eye roll): This slug-fearing wife who found one in the house (this is how she dealt with it, lol — the note is for her husband): The note reads: "Scary slug infiltrated. Hid him in a trolley under pile of salt under glass bowl. Very sorry, but could you deal with it? Love you x." And this person was over having to constantly discuss their accident: This dude going down an angry, self-loathing spiral: Yikes: This dude who bought Tinder Gold only to get infographics like this: And this woman who did something there's no coming back from: This poor boyfriend (who is in the denial phase): And this person who is really struggling to quit smoking: This person I am sending a virtual hug to: This person who just wanted to get healthy: This person — back when they wrote this poem in the fourth grade: This arcade owner who simply CANNOT listen to another kid swear: And lastly, this person who just wanted to drive out of the garage and head home, but discovered this very intimidating kitty had other plans: