You want to listen

Amy has seen much in her life. From her job teaching “troubled” youth, to her current position as Director of Housing for CareSource, Amy has been a witness to unfairness and injustice and tragedy. And instead of pointing fingers at someone else to fix the problem, Amy rolls up her sleeves and she gets to work. The gut-wrenching, exhausting, never-ending work of advocacy and action and protesting the status quo. She is an educator and a believer. She is brave. And she is force when she puts her mind to something.

Amy is also warm and inviting. She has this smile that makes you feel at ease immediately. When she is telling a story, she has this way of moving her hands and her head in unison so subtly that you are not aware that she is hypnotizing you into agreeing with whatever she is saying. Okay, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but only a slight one. When Amy is talking, you want to listen. And you want to agree.

LORE is excited and proud to have Amy on stage.

Make sure that you do not miss it! Get a VIP ticket so that you can get a chance to chat with Amy and the other storytellers before the show.

The LORE Mainstage: I Survived VIP cocktail hour starts at 6PM on Thursday, August 15th and includes food, drinks, a reserved seat, a spectacular view of the city, and engaging conversation.

He loves us.

The morning of the day after our city was hit by 14 tornadoes, Sean was at work. He was at work, like he is everyday, supporting this city that he loves. You see, Sean is the volunteer coordinator at the Dayton Area Foodbank. A job that he chose because of his love for the community. I mean, no one takes a job at a non-profit for the money, right? They do it for because of the love in their hearts. And with Sean, that is truth.

The love for his city exudes from him everywhere he is. Whether in the Oregon District or from the PechaKucka stage or at his day job or his volunteer activities or networking events, Sean greets you with a smile, gives you something to laugh about, and will hug you like he means it.

Which is why gunshots in his neighborhood hit him especially hard. Happiness doesn’t feel like it fits right now. Smiles and laughs don’t seem to make sense. Sean’s city is hurting and so is he.

When Sean agreed to tell his story on stage as part of the LORE Mainstage: I Survived event, the city was rebuilding. Now, this city that he loves, is hurting, bleeding and wounded and Sean feels it.

Sean wasn’t sure if he could take the stage after the Oregon District tragedy. And can you blame him? Laughter feels fake. Smiles feel disingenuous. And Sean wants to lift us up, because that is who he is.

Sean will be on stage, because he loves this city, because he loves his home, because he loves us.

Show him some love and come out to LORE Mainstage: I SURVIVED on August 15th at 7PM at 40 N Main St in Downtown Dayton.

Wait, What?

“Wait, what? You had a stroke? What? When?”

Bryan is my storytelling spirit animal and so it made sense to ask him to join me on this LORE journey. But apparently, shortly before I asked Bryan to co-host a class with me, he had just started a new job and shortly before he started that new job, he had just had a stroke. On top of all of the other things that he does. And yet, he said yes to LORE.

Bryan would probably say that he said yes for the love of story, I think maybe it is because he is a little crazy about story, but either way, I am grateful that he said yes. I am grateful to have his storytelling experience, his honest feedback and his friendship. But most of all, I am grateful that he is here. Because he almost wasn’t.

Bryan has been on the LORE stage before, but this story is different. It is recent and it is raw. And you do not want to miss it.

Bryan is sponsored by the fine folks at Select Signs.

Get your ticket for the LORE Mainstage: I SURVIVED event while you can.