This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on July 8, 2010 at The PEAS Farm in Missoula, MT at an event that predates Tell Us Something.  Missoula residents Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick hosted the event, which they called “Eat our Words”. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Leaving Home”. 

Jeremy Smith recently reached out to me because one of those storytellers recently passed away. John Engen has graced the Tell Us Something stage twice, and Jeremy suggested that it would be a nice way to honor him to share this story too.

Eat Our Words – John Engen

Tell Us Something awakens imagination, empowers storytellers and connects the community through the transformative power of personal storytelling. It is a celebration of each other, our stories and how we move through the world together. All of the stories at Tell Us Something are true. Stories last for 10 minutes and are told from memory.

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Sometimes adventure is chosen, sometimes it's thrust upon you. In this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, we delve into the journeys of four remarkable people:

A mother and daughter in Belize work together to navigate the challenges of entering the country with an expired passport, a determined diver confronts the depths of the ocean swimming against sudden swells and learns some harrowing news the next day when she returns to the water. An artist wrestles with self-doubt and the meaning of success. And a woman on a wilderness adventure faces a grizzly bear encounter, wolves and swarming bees on her ordeal to get out and help with a family emergency.

Close to the Edge – Part 1

Strangers unite to save lives in Missoula in the aftermath of an avalanche, a kind act leads to housing an unhoused person and closure for a family, 9/11 witness finds hope in unity, and shared grief fosters empathy and beauty in life's poignant moments.

The Kindness of Strangers – Part 2

A child, traveling alone, encounters hotel trouble, a young woman begins her healing journey thanks to a sexual assault victim's advocate, a woman recovering from open heart surgery finds respite with a a gruff nurse and post-avalanche, Missoula unites.

The Kindness of Strangers – Part 1

This week on the podcast four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Lost in Translation”. Their stories were recorded live in person in front of a packed house on September 28, 2023, at The George & Jane Dennison Theatre at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT.

Eat Our Words – John Engen

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